Housing for locals
More homes for the people who work here, built and owned privately wherever possible. No property tax hikes, and no new layers of control.
Where things stand
More than 1,100 people are waiting to buy a Whistler Housing Authority home. The town can't build its way out of that alone. Private builders and owners are part of the answer, and slow approvals are part of the problem.
1. Homes for locals
This is voluntary. An owner who wants to can sell the town a promise that the home goes to someone who works here, or a retired local. The owner is paid for it, keeps the home, and can still sell it. No one is forced in. Vail, Colorado runs this kind of program.
- I'll ask council for a staff report on what this would cost in Whistler.
- Then a small pilot, with the price per home made public. If it costs more than building new, I'll say so and stop.
- It's paid from the town's existing employee housing fund. No new tax and no new fee.
2. Lease to locals
Some homes sit empty. Truckee, California offers owners a one-time grant if they choose to rent to local workers for 6 to 12 months. It's an offer, not a rule.
- I'll ask staff whether hotel tax from booking sites could fund a pilot here. If not, the existing employee housing fund.
3. Housing Authority rent that doesn't punish a raise
Rent in Housing Authority homes goes up when your pay goes up. Some candidates promise to cut or freeze it, without saying who pays.
- I'll ask the Housing Authority to publish what each fix would cost it each year. Then I'll back the one it can afford without new tax.
4. Let people build
The fastest way to more homes is to stop slowing down the people who build them.
- I'll push to publish the wait time for every permit, from a suite to a small multi-unit.
- I'll push to cut rules and fees that add cost without adding safety.
- I'll back fast-tracking any project that includes homes for locals, when those homes are locked in by a housing agreement.
5. Safe Park: a legal place to sleep in your vehicle
Some people who work here live in vans and RVs. With nowhere legal to stay, they park on forest roads and roadsides. There are no washrooms and no clean water. Generators and campfires in a dry forest are a fire risk.
Canmore, Alberta has run a program called Safe Park since 2021. Local workers pay a season fee to park overnight in a town lot. They get washrooms, bear-proof bins and night patrols.
- I'll ask council for a staff report on a Safe Park for Whistler: where it could go, what it costs, and what users would pay.
- In Canmore, fees cover only part of the cost. I'll show you the full cost before I ask for it.
6. Northlands: get it in writing
Northlands is one of the last big open sites in the Village. Nothing is approved yet. In July, council sent the plan back for more talks. There's no bylaw yet, so the next council will likely decide it.
Images: the developer's plans.
What the developer offers
- 277 homes. Only 60 are for local workers, and they're built in the last phase.
- A pay-to-use wellness centre with a pool and gym, plus a restaurant and shops.
- About $37 million in community benefits.
What town staff say
- The deal should bring about $58 million in community benefits. The offer is too low.
- At least 70 homes should go to local workers, and sooner.
- The Racket Club would be torn down, and no site is picked for a new facility. This site lost a promised tennis centre once before, in 2012.
What I'll push for
- I'll vote for the rezoning only if at least 70 worker homes are in a binding housing agreement, with rents set.
- The money for a new recreation facility should be paid before the old courts come down. It should go on land that's already built on, not new green space. It needs a senior rate and a seniors room.
- I'll ask for the $58 million math to be published in plain words.
- I'll ask for a public meeting before the first council vote.
- Every time council votes on Northlands, I'll post how I voted and why.
7. A housing scoreboard
- Every 3 months I'll post the waitlist, homes added, and the cost per home.
Looking for the seniors plan? It now has its own page.
What I won't promise
A rent freeze. New taxes on homeowners. A number of new homes by a date. Those need money nobody has named, or four votes. I'll tell you what each step costs before I ask for it.
