More than 200 Whistler residents appeared at the July 9 regular council meeting in a display of force to show their opposition to a recent closed council meeting decision to draw a line under the two-decade-long lease of municipal lands to the Whistler Waldorf School.
The decision, from June 25, was to give a one-year extension to the school to operate at Spruce Grove, where it has operated since 2000—and one year only to June 30, 2025.
In explaining the rationale behind the closed-door decision, a communications official from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) told Pique council made a decision it believed was in the best interests of the community, and the municipality wanted to secure the lands for public use after two decades of discussions with the school over a more permanent location.
“The step to offer a lease at Spruce Grove Park and Field House was taken as a temporary measure in the problem-solving continuum and efforts to relocate the school have been a constant in the two decades of public dialogue on the school,” they said in a statement.
The RMOW apparently ran out of patience, and staff were directed to write up a final lease extension after the school told the municipality in the last two years it couldn’t secure an alternative location and wanted to stay.
“Spruce Grove Park sits on land over which the RMOW holds a conditional Crown Grant. The Crown Grant requires that the lands be established and maintained for the purpose of a public park for outdoor recreational use. The long-term plan for Spruce Grove Park did not include an independent educational facility,” said the official.
The statement from the communications official was the most detailed explanation available—as the decision to end the lease happened in a closed council meeting, the rationale presented by staff, the cadence of council discussion, and how councillors voted is not available to the public. However, two of Whistler’s seven elected officials were recused as their children are enrolled at the school, including the mayor, meaning only five of the seven made the decision to direct staff to write up a one-year extension.
The news the lease would be extended only to June 30, 2025 was passed to the Waldorf School, which then alerted the parent community and staff in early July, prompting a letter-writing campaign in the days preceding the July 9 regular council meeting that saw more than 165 letters entered into the council package in opposition.
There was also a petition circulating in opposition to the decision that at time of writing had garnered more than 1,470 signatures, while the turnout at the meeting itself was capped at 200 people (which is the room’s capacity), and there were still more that turned up, and were turned away to watch a live feed instead.
The energy in the room was emotional, passionate, and unequivocal in its collective opposition to council’s decision on the matter.
Their input would be taken as advisement only, however, with acting mayor, Councillor Cathy Jewett, making clear no motions were going to be made, and no decision was going to be revisited at the July 9 meeting. Both Mayor Jack Crompton and Councillor Jessie Morden were again recused for their conflict of interest in having their children enrolled in the school.
“Council will not be making any decisions tonight regarding this matter. We are here to listen to the community,” said Jewett.
“I can assure you that the council has read all your letters; there are 187 of them.”
A total of 17 speakers came forward to say their piece, with input from parents, employees and former students.
The thrust of each speaker’s argument was different: Jen Dodds of the school took issue with the municipality citing 20 years of discussions in the search for a permanent home as reason to put their foot down, saying “the lack of successful resolution does not mean there has been a lack of effort, interest or desire,” and talked about the many attempts that have been worked on.
The next two speakers, including school board trustee member PJ O’Heany, implored the municipality to return to the table to negotiate a win-win for the community and the school.
O’Heany also spoke of knock-on effects on the rest of Whistler from the jeopardy the school was in.
“Communities are like a fabric, when one thread is pulled, it affects all the other threads,” he said.
Some speakers were emotional, with tears shed at the lectern, while others accused council of making decisions against the community’s interests.
“While in your words this was a hard decision, for us this was personal,” said Kelly Hand in her piece to council, later describing Waldorf as being treated like an “unwanted school in the corner of a park,” and imploring council to return to its decision.
Murray Kay said the loss of the Waldorf didn’t present just a logistical issue for parents and other schools, but “an emotional and intellectual loss for the entire Whistler community.”
Eric Callender brought up the most recent 2022 election, accusing the sitting council of having not revealed any ideological opposition to the Waldorf School existing where it was, before suggesting that if council was receiving legal advice, it should seek a second opinion.
Child-care played a pivotal role in many of the speakers’ arguments, with the difficulty of finding child-care and the danger posed by losing the spaces offered by the school highlighted by many.
Not all letters in the council package were opposed, however—a handful were submitted by community members defending the decision, and applauding the move to return the space to public use.
Many came from members of the Mature Action Community (MAC), which in its letter spoke of a need for space for other groups.
Lyn Stroshin, who is a director of MAC, spoke at the meeting, and said she was troubled the decision around the school had pitted community groups against each other.
“It takes a community to raise a child, and I think our community is broken,” she said, adding she believed Whistler needed to have its priorities changed so it could look after the young and seniors together.
Any move to get the school out of the space was not at the behest of MAC, she said.
“I don’t want our place to meet to be at the expense of children,” she said.
“It’s such a shame when a situation comes up like this, and it becomes an either/or. It’s not an either/or—as a community we need to band together to create collaboration and create solutions for everyone.”
As noted, the discussion around the decision is not publicly available—a move Stroshin took aim at.
“I’m sure there is a good reason here, but the problem is the closed doors… we don’t know what the reasons are.”
Vicky Bunbury, who is a co-founder of the Waldorf school, fought back tears when she described reading the complete council package, complete with letters applauding the decision.
“I was left with a feeling of deep sadness that this issue has pitted seniors’ needs against the needs of preschoolers, children, teenagers and parents,” she said.
Bunbury talked about her work at the school looking for solutions that met the school’s needs and that of the wider community, and how they had been set back over the years.
Speaking of the barriers facing the school and other non-profits operating in Whistler, Bunbury asked what it would take for the school to find success, despite the years of work.
“I wonder what it will take to recognize that supporting one group doing great community work should not mean not supporting another,” she said.
Bunbury invited council to shift its position to support the school’s efforts while still seeking solutions for all community groups.
“I urge you to support a big dream, to take bold action, and have the courage to pivot,” she said.
Following the public input, and speaking to the letters received, Jewett repeated that no decision would be made on July 9.
“As we said at the beginning, there will be no decision-making at this meeting, but we want to thank you for telling us your heartfelt messages about how much the school means to you,” she said.
O’Heany offered some follow-up thoughts on behalf of the school following the meeting.
“If this decision stands, it could have profound negative social, economic, and environmental impacts on the community, displacing over 170 K-12 students from 134 enrolled families and closing 45-50 daycare spots. Additionally, it would result in the loss of approximately 45 jobs,” he wrote.
“We hope the personal stories shared with the council Tuesday night inspire them to reflect deeply, and feel compassion and empathy for the fear and pain our community of all ages is experiencing due to their decision to set a final lease date.
“We eagerly anticipate Council’s response and hope for the opportunity to collaborate with the municipal team and the Whistler community to find creative solutions that will help us build a stronger and healthier community for all.”
As of writing, documents for the one-year lease extension have been given to the school, and are being reviewed by the board of trustees.
Should the decision to only renew the lease for one year be revisited, it would happen in a closed meeting as it still falls under legal, land and labour issues—all items that are pulled behind closed doors for council to consider.
