A version of this letter by John McBean originally ran in Pique in May, 2001. McBean resubmitted it this week in light of recent discussions about growth.
This was printed 23 years ago... it is still the same problem.
If a town isn’t growing, it’s dying.
Our unique little piece of paradise will certainly at some point grow past its “cap.” Whistler will need to use its considerable leverage to acquire what it needs, when it needs it, by allowing others to build what we can accept. I agree with a number of letters and statements I have seen in the paper, regarding the lack of foresight council is using. Whistler will have to begin some form of ongoing sustainable development.
Most people when they come to Whistler want to work and have fun. We are pricing the fun out of Whistler. The demand for housing has the prices for the few available units so high, people cannot afford to utilize what we have. That fantastic boot-fitter will be gone next year, most of his paycheque went to rent. A season pass, to many of us a necessity of life, has become a luxury to the seasonal worker. The people who came here for the sole purpose of being in the mountains can’t find a decent, affordable place to live. The stories of five/six people in one- or two-bedroom suites aren’t fantasy. We (my company) go into these units at the end of every season and clean them up. The units have too many people in too little space, the unit gets destroyed and the people can’t wait to get out. We are losing our edge. Whistler was where everyone wanted to be. Whistler is now that place that is so expensive, “don’t even bother checking it out.”
I was outraged when I read that a number of the latest proposals were being dumped. The concerns impeding these projects were not serious enough to cripple this valley. That is what will happen. We have a lot of growing to do still, and no one is going to be there to mind the store.
The people here seasonally want a bed, a kitchen and a TV. The people who move here want a place to call home for a number of years. We need different spaces for these essential people of Whistler. The only one making out in this whole thing is the landlord who puts his home out to the highest bidder.
Good young families are leaving. The people that grew up, fell in love, and got married in Whistler can no longer afford to live here. Living here is tricky, and you have to manage yourself carefully. But it could be done. We are no longer giving the backbone of our community much of a chance.
I remember at the last election, the analogy of a pyramid was used to describe our housing needs. The bottom was the employee housing and the point was the “trophy” home range. With an important amount of affordable and market-value housing resting in between. I think our pyramid has turned into a lollipop. If council keeps doing this to us, we are all going to be suckers.
