Unofficial summary · Not affiliated with the Resort Municipality of Whistler · 11-minute read · View in browser

Meeting: Committee of the Whole, Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Length: about 1 hour 54 minutes
Watch: Full video on the RMOW meeting portal · Agenda and reports: RMOW council video, agendas and minutes

This is a catch-up issue on a past meeting.

Key decisions

RECOMMENDED · Fee-for-service reports
The committee recommended that council receive the presentations from the five organizations funded through the RMOW's fee-for-service program.
Vote: no one opposed. Moved by Councillor Forsyth, seconded by Councillor Murl.

CARRIED · Recommendations to go to council July 28
Mayor Crompton moved that the committee report its recommendations to council at the July 28 meeting, and that the meeting end.
Vote: no one opposed. Moved by Mayor Crompton, seconded by Councillor Jewett.

CARRIED · Councillor Morden appointed acting mayor
Mayor Crompton said a conflict would be declared, and the mayor would leave, if regional transit came up in the discussion with the MLA, and moved to appoint the next acting mayor, Councillor Morden, right away.
Vote: no one opposed. Moved by Mayor Crompton, seconded by Councillor Jewett.

CARRIED · Agenda and minutes adopted
The committee adopted the agenda and the minutes of its June 23 meeting. Councillor Ford was absent at the start, attending a meeting in her role with the regional district.
Vote: no one opposed. Agenda moved by Councillor Jewett, seconded by Councillor Forsyth; minutes moved by Councillor De Jong, seconded by Councillor Morden.

Recorded votes

Votes where members of council did not all agree. Unanimous votes are not listed.

All recorded votes at this meeting were unanimous.

What was discussed

Update from the MLA

• Jeremy Valeriote, the BC Green MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said the BC Green caucus chose not to renew its 2025 cooperation agreement with the BC NDP government after talks ending in early February, and now votes bill by bill. The MLA named regional bus transit as the office's top priority and said it may need a public push. Watch at 0:06:02
• The MLA listed the office's other work: early talks on a new hospital in Squamish, the future of the CN rail line, highway closures, and a BC Utilities Commission review of Sea to Sky fuel prices made at the office's request. The MLA said the caucus opposed the provincial budget over its deficit and opposed changes to the freedom of information law. Watch at 0:11:36
• On Highway 99, the MLA said the office would focus on how delays are communicated during closures, and raised physical safety improvements, reckless driving and the length of investigations. Watch at 0:24:03

Highway closures

• Councillor De Jong, who described waiting about seven hours in a recent closure after police said it would last two to three hours, asked who oversees the overall impacts on people stuck on the highway, such as heat, rather than the crash scene. The MLA said it would probably be the RCMP, but that this was part of the problem. Councillor De Jong said nobody seemed to be really in charge, and that a prolonged closure could put lives at risk without such an overseer. Watch at 0:26:09
• Councillor Jewett said the electronic highway signs showed nothing about the closure and DriveBC was slow to update. The councillor noted that the divided highway reduces crashes but makes turning around harder, asked for emergency planning that includes school buses caught in closures, and mentioned photo radar, average-speed cameras and bus lanes on Highway 99. Watch at 0:28:58

Long-term camping on provincial land

• Councillor Forsyth said encampments north and south of town are "near lawlessness," describing boats, firewood and a trailer on pallets that, as the councillor understood it, had been there at least five years and was being rented out. Councillor Forsyth said a cigarette at one of them could start a wildfire, and asked what message council should take to the province. Watch at 0:32:15
• The MLA said it is a jurisdictional mix of several provincial ministries. It was noted at the meeting that provincial law allows vehicles to camp on provincial land for up to 14 days, and that the province has said it isn't resourced to move people on that often; the MLA said conservation and natural resource officers are under-resourced. It was also said that the rules depend on who owns the land, not on municipal boundaries. The MLA said the office would take the concern forward and report back. Watch at 0:34:18
• Councillor De Jong asked whether people could be cleared out of high-risk areas during extreme wildfire danger. The Chief Administrative Officer said past backcountry closures were made by the province, and that the fire chief's powers to close areas apply mainly during a tactical evacuation or a state of local emergency. Watch at 0:47:46

Spruce budworm, e-bikes and tourism

• Councillor Morden asked about spruce budworm, saying neighbourhoods are badly affected. The MLA said council's advocacy led to provincial spraying in June, that results would take two or three months, and that spraying near residential areas may be needed next spring if the outbreak continues. Watch at 0:39:11
• Councillor Jewett said the Motor Vehicle Act limits the RMOW's ability to enforce rules on throttle e-bikes on the Valley Trail, and suggested controls at the point of sale. The MLA said the issue is on the MLA's shortlist for a private member's bill, because the province hadn't given a satisfactory answer, and invited municipalities to write to the province. Council also asked for help getting injury data from the health authority, and the MLA said the office was happy to work with the municipality on that. Watch at 0:42:32
• Councillor Murl asked how the province could help grow shoulder-season tourism, especially in October. The MLA pointed to tourism in the province's economic strategy and said permitting delays are affecting local tourism businesses. Watch at 0:53:12

Arts Whistler

• The executive director said the Anonymous Art Show had a record 442 submissions, the monthly People's Film nights started after the village cinema closed now average about 70 per cent attendance, and gift shop sales rose 41 per cent from 2024 to 2025. Watch at 1:03:31
• The executive director said RMOW funding of close to $600,000 supports a budget of about $1.4 million, with the rest from tickets, sponsors, grants and rentals. 2025 highlights included an Invictus Games exhibition of veterans' art and the Peaks and Valleys show on mental health with Whistler Community Services. Watch at 1:07:16
• Councillor Jewett asked about costs and revenue. The executive director said the new 10-year lease lets the group apply for federal and provincial capital grants for the building, which opened in 2000. Costs once paid by the RMOW, such as gas for the boiler, will shift to Arts Whistler starting January 2027, an estimated $35,000 to $40,000. The executive director also said no fee-for-service group appeared to have received a CPI increase this year. Watch at 1:16:29

Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council

• The co-executive director said the group received just over $75,000 from the RMOW in 2025, more than half for field crews. It trained 54 municipal staff, including seven members of bylaw services, and 43 volunteers adopted 31 patches of burdock along the Valley Trail and on public land. Watch at 1:21:33
• The co-executive director said 58 per cent of previously treated sites in the RMOW showed no regrowth, and 94 per cent of Japanese knotweed sites. This year the group is adding aquatic invasive species outreach at Alta Lake and checking samplers for invasive mussels in Alta Lake and Green Lake. Watch at 1:24:21
• Councillor De Jong, who mentioned being on the group's board, asked whether Whistler is gaining or losing ground. The co-executive director called it "an ongoing game of whack-a-mole," with clear progress on yellow flag iris, and said prevention by the public matters most over time. Watch at 1:29:18

Whistler Museum

• The executive director said the museum had about 18,500 exhibit visits and about 29,000 in-person interactions in 2025. The RMOW's $224,000 covered about 48 per cent of its operating budget of about $463,000 and pays its three core staff. Watch at 1:32:14
• The executive director said the museum processed about 23,000 archival items in 2025, including cataloguing a collection of about 70,000 photographs, and that its archives and artifact storage are full; finding more archival space is a priority for 2026. Councillor Jewett praised the online archive database. Watch at 1:33:51

Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA)

• The executive director said WORCA's 2025 fee-for-service funding of $290,925 all went to maintaining 205 kilometres of multi-use trail; it spent $296,142, and volunteers added 1,369 hours. Watch at 1:41:17
• Next year WORCA plans to make two more sections of the Flashback trail adaptive-friendly, following the RMOW's work on Far Side, for an adaptive loop of about 11 kilometres. Asked by Councillor Morden, the executive director said no trails are yet formally rated for adaptive use. Asked by Councillor Forsyth, the executive director said about 95 per cent of this year's work is still maintenance, with some new trail construction. Watch at 1:42:58

Whistler Animals Galore (WAG)

• The executive director said most of the funding supports bylaw impound work. In 2025 WAG took in 25 stray animals, 12 of which were reunited with their families, sold 103 dog licences and had 73 adoptions; it is open every day of the year. Watch at 1:46:17
• The executive director described outreach with the Lil'wat Nation, including wellness clinics with free vaccinations, and a spay and neuter program, and said the goal is to open the shelter to the public at least once a month. About 11 of its dogs are now in foster homes. Watch at 1:48:29
• Councillor Jewett asked about a scam. The executive director said someone offered a large donation, claimed to send too much and asked for $20,000 back; no money was lost, and such scams are targeting animal shelters. Watch at 1:51:55

Public input

None at this meeting. There were no delegations or public hearing speakers; the presentations were from the MLA and from organizations funded by the RMOW.

Following up

From earlier issues:

• E-bikes and the Valley Trail: At the June 23 council meeting, Councillor Forsyth suggested a Committee of the Whole presentation on the topic. It was not on this agenda, but Councillor Jewett raised throttle e-bikes on the Valley Trail with the MLA, who said the issue is on the MLA's shortlist for a private member's bill.
• Still open: first reading of the 2026 Official Community Plan amendments, liquor licence applications (July 28), the Smart Tourism Committee's recommendation (third quarter), the climate budget workshop, the Northlands Boulevard rezoning, the Lot 6 next steps, the tourist accommodation eligibility check and the RCMP building budget.

New items we'll watch for:

• The MLA's report back on enforcement of long-term camping on provincial land near Whistler: no date given.
• Results of the June spruce budworm spraying: expected in two or three months.
• Arts Whistler's new building costs and how they fit into its funding from the RMOW: costs start January 2027; still in discussion.
• More archival space for the Whistler Museum: a 2026 priority, no date given.

What's next

• July 28: Regular council meeting, where this committee's recommendations will be reported.
• August 16: The Whistler Museum's 30th annual Lego competition.
• January 2027: New building costs for Arts Whistler begin, according to its executive director.

Get involved

• The Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council's Banish Burdock program takes volunteers to look after patches along the Valley Trail.
• Whistler Animals Galore is looking for foster homes and volunteers, and its animals are up for adoption.
• The Whistler Museum's archive database is online and open to the public.
• Council and Committee of the Whole meetings are open to the public. Agendas, reports and ways to contact council are on the RMOW council page.

Terms used

Committee of the Whole: all of council meeting as a committee, usually for presentations and discussion rather than final decisions · Fee-for-service: RMOW funding agreements with local organizations that deliver services to the community · MLA: Member of the Legislative Assembly, the local representative in the provincial legislature · Acting mayor: a councillor who takes the mayor's place when the mayor is absent or has a conflict · Private member's bill: a bill introduced by an MLA who is not in cabinet · Spruce budworm: a native insect whose larvae eat conifer needles and can kill trees during outbreaks · CPI: Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation · Adaptive trail: a trail built so riders on adaptive bikes, such as people with disabilities, can use it · Tactical evacuation: an immediate evacuation ordered at the scene by first responders · DriveBC: the province's road conditions and closures website · RMOW: Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Context notes

We check factual figures cited at the meeting against public sources where we can. These notes add context; they are not verdicts on any speaker.

• Provincial deficit (cited by the MLA as $13.3 billion): the province's Budget 2026 fiscal plan, tabled in February 2026, forecast a deficit of $13.3 billion for 2026/27.
• 14-day camping limit and municipal boundaries (cited at the meeting): the province's Permission land use policy (amended December 2023) says any person may camp on Crown land for up to 14 consecutive calendar days (section 8.2). Section 7.1 says this permission does not apply to Crown land within a municipality, so the 14-day rule covers provincial land outside municipal boundaries, not inside them.

Council Watch Whistler is an independent, unofficial summary of publicly accessible meetings of the Whistler Council. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Resort Municipality of Whistler. This summary was generated by AI from an automatic transcript and may contain errors. Watch the linked video for the official record.

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