Global exposure key to long-term benefits

If the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games are any indication, Whistler can expect to enjoy the benefits of hosting the Games long after 2010.

More than 20 years later, Calgary continues to see significant increases in international visitors and its sport venues play a key role in sport development for Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

In Whistler, we’ve seen more than 10,000 media working to bring the stories and images of Whistler to more than three billion television viewers. For example, the Opening Ceremony alone drew 32.6 million viewers on NBC and nine million on CTV. This suggests that Whistler will continue to reach new markets and attract visitors from around the world.

Closer to home, Whistler is as busy as we’ve ever seen with 95% or higher occupancy rate per night during the Games. According to Tourism Whistler’s projections for the 2009/10 season, Whistler is exceeding targets thanks to pre-Games marketing campaigns such as “There’s Never Been a Better Time to Visit Whistler,” debunking the much feared Olympic aversion factor.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler has seen huge turn-outs with the Village being packed every day and night with revelers enjoying the Whistler Live! entertainment, sport action on the big screens, and the nightly Victory Ceremonies in the evening.

It’s busy on the mountains too. According to Whistler Blackcomb, guest visits are higher than expected for the Olympic period. Sightseeing visits are also up, attributed to Olympic visitors interested the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.

While many sectors are booming, there are some that may not see the same increases, given the unique buying patterns of Olympic guests. The good news is with increased global exposure, overall visitor numbers are anticipated to increase post-Games. Whistler is showing the world what locals have known all along, it’s a spectacular place to be – in 2010 and beyond.

Arthur DeJong

Whistler's Sustainability man on the mountain 

To say that Arthur DeJong is a leader in his field would be a gross understatement. He’s a pioneer in the area of environmental planning with Whistler Blackcomb as Mountain Planning and Environmental Resource Manager.

DeJong has been with Whistler Blackcomb for more than 25 years. Through various roles from Ski Patrol Manager to his current position as Mountain Operations Manager for Blackcomb, DeJong has gained an exceptional familiarity with the mountain terrain and a deep understanding of the workings of the mountain ecosystems.

DeJong is committed to reducing Whistler’s environmental footprint. His goal is to have as many people as possible enjoy the mountains while maintaining their ecological integrity.

“It’s our job to protect, share and inspire environmental planning. The 2010 Games provides the medium to tell our stories, but most importantly show what we do. I hope that through transparency and openness Whistler will become a global inspiration on sustainability initiatives,” says DeJong.

Through the efforts of DeJong and his team, Whistler Blackcomb has achieved a reputation as a leader in environmental planning. The company was named this year as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers.

The importance of sharing sustainability struggles and successes is not lost on DeJong and he feels that through global initiatives we as a society can come together to resolve issues of the 21st century.

“The Olympic Games bring the world together and inspire partnering, which is the glue we need as a global village to tackle some of today’s greatest including global climate change,” said DeJong.

Whistler’s got a story, listen up world. By Kevin Damaskie

Whistler’s has alot more community stories than the world sometimes realizes.

You know the questions, the ones you get on the chairlift when an out of town guest finds out that you “live here?”

Then, in as much time as anyone has on a chairlift, you excitedly tell your story, saying Whistler is a thriving, diverse community of just over 10,000 passionate, permanent residents who, gasp, live in houses, attend school, host dinner parties and sing in the community choir.

Whistler’s own have been sharing our stories with Olympic guests, family and the worldwide media throughout the 2010 Winter Games. Through a collaborative effort, Tourism Whistler, the Whistler Museum and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) have partnered to enable our community tell our stories, in our words and in our town.

Tourism Whistler created the “Faces of Whistler” program to showcase the people who make Whistler what it is. With the addition of the Whistler Museum’s and RMOW’s “Whistler Characters” there are around 30 Whistler citizens telling the stories of this place during the Games.

From Whistler historians and Alta Lake residents like Don and Isobel Maclaurin and Florence and Andy Petersen, to our modern community-makers like author and bon vivant Stephen Vogler, ski patrollers Cathy Jewett and Tim Smith to local entrepreneurs, these are the folks who make this town home and give life to our stories.

Yes, there are houses here and they are filled with vital people sharing the past, present and future Whistler character.

Share your innovative stories at kdamaskie@whistler.ca

RMOW creates Climate Action Innovation Fund to reduce emissions in operations and the commercial sector

 Climate action is simple: it begins by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). When we are getting things right, we have policies in place that spur action. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has been working on these policies for a few years and in July 2009, RMOW became the first municipality in B.C. to establish a carbon emission program that uses its carbon tax rebate to reduce community and municipal operations. 

This policy created the Climate Action Innovation Fund, which gets its funding from the Province’s Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP). The CARIP is a rebate on the carbon tax paid by municipalities on fossil fuel use in municipal operations.

“Establishing a policy to implement the Climate Action Innovation Fund is another clear step forward on our way to carbon neutrality as a municipality,” said Mayor Ken Melamed. “Every sector has a role to play in the shared responsibility of this global challenge.”

For example, the fund subsized seats for local businesses in the Climate Smart workshops in late 2009.

Non-profit organizations can apply for up to 50% of the Fund in order to fund long-term capacity building programs related to GHG management in Whistler’s commercial sector. The remaining 50% is available for emission reductions projects in RMOW operations, like the Meadow Park energy retrofit.

The policy also outlines how carbon tax funds can and cannot be used. The Climate Action Innovation Fund cannot be used to purchase fossil fuels, relieve the RMOW’s carbon tax burden, or to purchase carbon offsets.

While there are many ways the RMOW can reduce carbon emissions, the Climate Action Innovation Fund is an important first step in creating financial incentives to reduce GHGs in our community.