Pemberton is growing—and its government is looking for residents’ input on what that growth should look like.
Following a public information session on complete communities, the Village has launched a survey through Engage Pemberton, asking residents of the Valley to weigh in on housing, transportation, infrastructure and daily needs as part of its efforts under the complete communities project.
“The objective is to evaluate how well the whole Valley is doing in terms of meeting its goals and needs,” said Peter Whitelaw, a planner with the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, during an April 8 public information session. “The focus of the provincial program is a spatial lens, so we’re looking at housing, transportation, infrastructure and basic needs as being the key physical elements."
In 2024, the Village of Pemberton was approved for $149,600 from the Complete Communities program, funded by the province. The program aims to help local governments and treaty First Nations in developing complete communities.
“So the province’s concept of a complete community is this idea that you can meet most or all of your needs within a 15- or 20-minute walk,” Whitelaw told the audience. “So the idea being that there's a variety of housing that you can access; nature, schools, grocery stores, banks, parks, libraries and so on, that can easily be accessed within 15 minutes.”
The survey asks respondents to rate the degree to which the Village is meeting key goals and provide suggestions on where it is falling short. Those goals are: improving transportation options and connectivity, ensuring the community is resilient and protected from natural hazards, enabling access to opportunities for leisure and recreation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring residents have access to essential services.
More details on each of those goals can be found in the survey.
“We're also engaging with youth, elders, staff and general members of the Lil’wat Nation,” Whitelaw told the Pemberton assemblage. “And after we've done all those conversations, we'll produce a bit of a summary. The last step is developing an implementation plan.”
The project mainly aims to address needs in the Village and Nation. But the Pemberton Meadows, D’Arcy, and the Lower Lakes Communities down to Tipella are considered secondary for WCS.
The engagement section of Pemberton's complete communities project wraps in June 2025. Visit Engage Pemberton to complete the survey.
