Tina James for Whistler Council How to voteVote

Thank you, Whistler.

The vote didn't go my way this time. Thank you to everyone who voted for me, volunteered, shared a post or stopped me in the village to talk.

Whistler still has real challenges ahead. I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep standing up for people, for our bears and for the land we share.

Follow my bear work at BearKind. You can also find me on Facebook.

My inbox is always open: tina@tinajames.ca

— Tina
Election day: Saturday, October 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Vote for Tina James for Whistler Council

I'll speak up for the voiceless: our wildlife, and the people here who don't get heard. A lot of Whistler works well, and I'll push for change where it doesn't.

Tina James smiling outdoors in a wide-brimmed hat Add me on Facebook

What I'll fight for

Watercolour illustration of Whistler Village square on a summer evening, with people strolling beneath the mountain

More transparency at town hall

Council decides how your money is spent. Right now, it's hard to see those decisions. And it's hard to question them.

What's wrong today
  • Records: Spending is buried in long PDF reports. Most bid pages don't say who won the contract. For most other records, you have to file a request and pay a fee.
  • Speaking up: At council meetings, you can only ask about things on recent agendas. To bring up something new, you have to write in first. Then the town decides if you get to speak.
  • Closed doors: Some big decisions, like land deals, are made in private. You can't see how each councillor voted. Those decisions stay secret unless council votes to release them.
What I'll do
  • Push to put town spending and contracts online, with who won and for how much.
  • Push to let you ask council about any town issue.
  • Push to release closed decisions once they no longer need to be secret.
  • Post my votes and reasons after every meeting.
Read my open-government plan
A black bear resting on a tree branch

Protect our bears better

Most people blame garbage or food left out. But poor berry crops, wildfire and new development also push bears in.

What I'll do
  • Ask the province for a non-lethal first rule when no one is in danger.
  • Ask what a local bear team would cost.
  • Help people swap out berry bushes that draw bears into town.
  • Back bear-proof bins and enforce the garbage rules.
Read my full bear plan

Bring our cinema back, and grow our film festival

Whistler lost its cinema, and we need it back. Our film festival should grow too. Both mean local jobs, a night out, and a home for our filmmakers.

What I'll do
  • I won't vote for property tax to run a cinema.
  • Find a private partner to reopen a screen.
  • Back festival grants that pay local crews.
  • A public vote before any town money is spent.
Read my full cinema plan

Homes and seniors

Housing for locals

More homes for the people who work here, mostly built and owned privately.

What I'll do
  • Push for faster permits for new homes.
  • Ask for a study of paying willing owners to keep homes for locals.
  • Ask about grants that get empty homes rented to local workers.
  • Ask for a Safe Park for workers living in vehicles.
  • No property tax hikes to pay for it.
Read my housing plan

Seniors

The people who built Whistler deserve to enjoy their retirement here, close to friends and family.

What I'll do
  • Ask council to list town land for seniors homes.
  • Ask Better at Home about winter driveway help for seniors.
  • Push for a year-round seniors space.
Read my seniors plan
A small idea, close to my heart Garden Pals A shared garden for seniors, with waist-high beds and free supplies. Book a helper online, or just show up.

Local business, smart tools, young voices

Local business

Business is not the enemy. Local shops and employers create our jobs.

What I'll do
  • Push to cut permit and licence delays for small businesses.
  • Before council adds a rule or fee, ask what it costs local businesses.

AI, out in the open

You should know how the town uses AI.

What I'll do
  • Push for a public list of where the town uses AI and what data it shares.
  • Push for stronger protection of your private data.
  • Push to put town spending and decisions online. People and AI tools should be able to search them easily.

Young people, really heard

Inviting teens to a meeting and then ignoring them is not listening.

What I'll do
  • Ask council to answer every youth idea in writing: yes, no, or not yet, and why.
  • Meet with young people to show how council works and how to get an idea passed. Not just nod and smile.
Portrait of Tina James

Who I am

I'm Tina. Whistler has been my home for more than 20 years. We are so privileged to live here, with the mountains and our bears. I built a small business here. Loka Yoga became the locals' space at Nita Lake Lodge for twelve years. It lives on thanks to our community.

Bears are my heart. I've worked around them for more than two decades. I'm a director of BearKind, and I helped found it. I'm also on the Whistler Bear Collective's Fast Response Team. On the ground, I help locals and visitors learn to live with bears. Helping people is my life's work too. I've spent decades in injury, rehab and mental health. When people are struggling, I can't stand by and watch.

We need truth and transparency at town hall. You should see how decisions get made and where your money goes. We must all sit together rather than hide problems. So I'll push for more ways for you to have your say. And I'll be a voice for the voiceless, for people and for wildlife.

Read more about me

While I was born in Cheltenham, England, Whistler is now my true home. I'm a mum and a proud nan. I volunteered on the Whistler ski patrol. At Loka we trained new teachers. We brought a yoga festival to town.

I know how hard it is to keep a business going here. Twice I've had no home in Whistler. I slept in my car while running my business. Local shops can't find staff when there's nowhere to live. Town hall should help, with faster permits and more homes for local workers.

When conservation officers shot a mother bear in Kadenwood, our town came together. Kadenwood residents and locals from every walk of life searched together. We looked for her cubs morning, noon and night. We never found them. But that's the Whistler I know. Town hall should stand for that too.

Tina helping a student into a yoga twist during a class
Teaching is how I've given back here. I led a teacher training in Whistler with First Nations Elders. I believe in truth and reconciliation.

I'll also stand for

  • Cheaper, faster permits. Less cost and less red tape to build or fix.

    I'll push to lower permit fees that cost more than the work behind them. I'll push to publish the wait time for each permit type. I'll push to fix town rules that cause needless delays.

  • Lower taxes, smarter spending. We can do so much more with the money we have.

    Business is not the enemy. It brings our jobs and income. Raising taxes on homes and businesses every year is not a plan. I won't vote for a property tax increase. I'll push to run what we have better. I'll back partnerships with private businesses to get things built. Those deals happen in public, not behind closed doors.

    See the tax numbers

  • Wildfire. Listen to the people who fight fires.

    Our firefighters are the ones at risk, so their voice should count most. Whistler is updating its wildfire plan now. I'll push to have outside wildfire experts review it before council votes. I'll keep asking for second opinions, and more voices. I'll back FireSmart work, fuel thinning, and the 24-hour fire crew at Spring Creek.

  • Privacy, not a police state. No cameras that track every car and face in town.

    U.S. small towns filled their streets with surveillance cameras (Flock), then regretted it. There's little proof they even cut crime. I'll vote no to making Whistler a surveillance state. Any town camera needs public rules first.

Don't see your issue here?

Our town has thousands of concerns. I can't list them all. Before I decide, I'll listen to all sides, and to you.

Tell me what matters to you: tina@tinajames.ca or find me on Facebook.

My promises to you

I'm one vote of seven. I'll post my votes and reasons after every meeting.

Will you raise my property taxes?
No. I won't vote for a property tax increase at any point in my term. I'll bring savings to every budget vote, so we spend smarter instead of taking more.
Will you vote yourselves a raise?
No. I'll vote no to any pay raise for the mayor or council.
Will you keep town records hidden?
No. Records and discussions that should be public belong online. I'll push to release closed decisions once privacy is no longer needed. I'll vote against fighting freedom of information requests.
What about conservation officers?
I'll ask for answers. A public reason after every bear death, and I'll publish it.
Will you change your mind?
Yes, when I'm wrong. Before a big vote, I'll ask people who know the subject better than me. I'll listen to the other side too. If they show me I'm wrong, I'll change my mind and say so.
Are you taking donations?
No. I'm not taking donations.

How to vote

In 2011, just 4 votes decided the sixth council seat. Yours could be one of them.

Sat, Oct 17

Election day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Myrtle Philip Community School

Everything you need to vote

Whistler is on the shared, unceded territory of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. I believe in truth and reconciliation.