Generally speaking, municipal reports tend to be drier than sandpaper. Endless pages of sterile facts and figures, paired with the kind of highly technical, legislative language that would put even your high-school civics teacher to sleep. So, when Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff take a different approach to their council presentations, it stands out.
That was apparent at the regular meeting of council last Tuesday, Aug. 1, when climate coordinator Maria Thorlakson opened her presentation of the findings from Whistler’s 2022 annual greenhouse gas inventory and climate action progress report with a thought exercise.
“I want all of us to imagine a Whistler where our culture aligns with the vision of a net-zero, climate-resilient, sustainable resort community; a Whistler that is car-free, because we have electric shuttles and zero-carbon rapid transit connecting neighbouring communities; a Whistler where parking lots have been converted into parks; a Whistler where the tourism economy is diversifying with offerings in eco-tourism; a Whistler that is seen as the most climate-resilient resort town; and a Whistler that has achieved net zero by 2050,” she said. “This is the Whistler I want to live and work in and leave behind for the next generation.”
Taken from the RMOW’s oft-touted Whistler Sessions, Thorlakson is referencing one of four possible futures envisioned in the exercise, specifically Scenario 2, “Weather the Storm,” which “aims to realize Whistler’s vision as a climate-resilient resort that preserves a sense of belonging for its residents.”
At present, the scenario remains in the realm of imagination, but it does speak to a local government eager to find new ways to inspire concrete action in a populace that has grown weary of the same doom-and-gloom messaging it often hears associated with the climate crisis.
“It really spoke to us about how every single person has a part to play in where we’re going,” said Councillor Cathy Jewett following the presentation. “People feel that, ‘Oh, if I don’t compost, what’s the worst that could happen?’ Sure, that’s just one person, but if everyone doesn’t do it, then it does make a difference. If you can save one car trip a week, you’re making a difference.”
GHG emissions still climbing
Whistler continues to lag behind many of its 2030 climate and GHG emission reduction targets, with 2022 data showing the resort generated 138,859 tonnes of CO2, seven-per-cent higher than 2021 and one-per-cent higher than pre-pandemic levels from 2019. Emissions were also four-per-cent higher than 2007 levels; the RMOW has set a target of cutting emissions by half from 2007 levels by 2030.
“This number indicates that Whistler has returned to pre-pandemic-level emissions,” Thorlakson said. “This means we’re at a turning point where, now more than ever, action is necessary. The journey to achieving the Whistler we envision in that Weather the Storm scenario is not a comfortable one; it’s one where innovation, leadership and challenging the status quo is required.”
The primary contributors to the uptick last year were passenger vehicles and building-related emissions, which, combined, made up a whopping 88 per cent of Whistler’s carbon output. Vehicle emissions in particular were way up—11 per cent relative to 2021—a sign of Whistler’s post-COVID rebound.
Getting more drivers out of their cars and into active transportation is listed as the first goal in the RMOW’s Climate Action Big Moves Strategy, and some of those efforts highlighted by staff over the past year include: the adoption, in September, of the BC Transit Future Action Plan; the launch, in May, of a community e-bike share program with Evolve; increasing service on Whistler Transit’s Route 10: Valley Express; and the continued development of Whistler’s Active Transportation Plan.
On the e-bike front, the RMOW estimated a quarter of all users on the Valley Trail so far this year are on an e-bike, up from 14 per cent in 2022, although it’s unclear how many are utilizing their e-bikes for recreation, and how many as a mode of active transportation.
Coun. Arthur De Jong believes it’s these small victories we should be recognizing in the community.
“The one thing that motivates me the most currently is watching mothers with their young and their groceries on e-bikes—and that bike being a principal vehicle,” he said. “They’re like climate heroes to me. We need to celebrate these small wins to build momentum.”
Gaining momentum on building-related emissions—which rose five per cent in 2022 compared to the prior year—could prove a taller task. Making up 35 per cent of Whistler’s GHG output last year, it is large commercial buildings, such as hotels, that are the largest contributor. Although there are financial incentives available for commercial operators to retrofit their buildings for energy efficiency, there has so far been little take-up locally, the RMOW said. With few policy levers to rely on, municipal staff is planning to sit down with hoteliers and BC Hydro representatives this fall to better understand the issue.
Coun. Ralph Forsyth thinks it could be a matter of cost.
“I’m old enough to remember sitting at this table back in the day when natural gas was reason to crack the champagne,” he said, referring to the municipality’s push, in the early 2000s, to switch from propane heating. “But if you’re a hotel and you invested millions of dollars into infrastructure that was supposed to last 30 years and now, we’re asking you, 15 years on, to change it, that could be a big ask.”
Trying to lead by example
The RMOW’s own corporate emissions make up a small fraction of the wider community’s carbon output, but it’s more than just sheer numbers that matter at municipal hall. In many ways, staff view the RMOW’s own mitigation efforts as a benchmark for the wider community and beyond.
“It’s very important for us to have something to work towards. I think often grant funders and people we’re working with want to understand that we have a plan to work towards and they want to see we’ve thought this through and have these numbers to resort back to,” Thorlakson said. “Without them, we can’t have action. Having a goal comes first—and it’s not an easy journey.”
In 2022, corporate GHG emissions at the RMOW represented 2,509 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, an 11-per-cent increase compared to 2021, and six per cent over 2019 levels. Direct emissions, meaning output linked to municipal operations, represented 69 per cent of the RMOW’s emissions. Contracted emissions, meanwhile, linked to services provided by hired municipal contractors, made up the remainder.
Given those figures, the RMOW is developing a corporate GHG emissions reduction plan, slated for council consideration later this year. The municipality has also committed to cutting its corporate emissions in half by 2030, prompting Forsyth to wonder aloud “why we would set goals we have no hope achieving,” based on current trajectories.
In response, RMOW environmental stewardship manager Luisa Burhenne said the 50-per-cent target is “not that unrealistic” because the municipality has complete control of its own output.
“We can, if we put the right resources towards it, completely electrify our fleet, and in fact we have a procurement plan to achieve that,” she added.
Applauding the vision for climate action municipal staff set out before him, De Jong acknowledged the long, uphill battle it’s going to take to get there.
“I really appreciate the vision, but I’m struggling deeply to put the numbers and the actions into a priority that make the vision real,” he said.
“Whistler needs to step up and lead as it once did. Currently, we are just a reflection of the global failure to fix the climate crisis.”
View the report in full at whistler.ca/climate-action/big-moves/implementation-monitoring-and-accountability.
