This letter was sent to Whistler’s mayor and council, and shared with Pique.
The Whistler community needs the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) support to establish a seniors’ meeting centre. A space that would not only meet some of the needs of the senior population but the community as a whole.
Whistler would not be the amazing success it is without the vision and tireless effort of community members who have spent the last five decades building this resort community. Those same visionaries and builders are now Whistler’s senior population. The RMOW uses age 55+ to determine when someone should be called a senior. According to the 2021 Stats Canada census that means more than 4,000 people, or 29 per cent of Whistler’s population, are seniors. Seniors who are continuing to work and volunteer in this community because they are passionate about its success.
In 2023 the RMOW was recognized as an “age-friendly community” by the province, but unlike most communities our “age-friendly community” doesn’t even have a dedicated space for seniors to gather. Seniors are meeting ad hoc at the benevolence of other groups in town.
Social connections and engaging person-to-person in various activities are key for healthy aging. Many communities with far fewer resources have dedicated space supported by local government and private initiative, where seniors meet and engage in many different activities. Spaces where seniors support each other and find a sense of purpose are so important as we age. This is especially true in an active town like Whistler where many seniors face the daunting challenge of, “What do I do now that I can’t ski anymore?”
In 2016, the RMOW allocated more than $800,000 to build and improve a skate park. In 2019, the RMOW spent $3 million on an artificial turf field for the soccer club. Those facilities primarily serve the younger population. It’s time for the seniors to have a space.
The RMOW turns 50 next year and council and staff are wanting the community’s input into how to celebrate this special event. In the Oct. 18 edition of Pique, Mayor Jack Crompton was quoted as saying, “It feels to me we should find ways to really invest into this and bring value to it, and if that is sponsorships or more investments out of MRDT or taxation, I’m eager to see us do a really good job of this.”
I encourage council to create a Legacy Senior Centre as part of its 50th anniversary celebration to truly celebrate the seniors that have spent much or all of the last 50 years helping Whistler fulfil the vision of being a world-class resort. It’s time to build a world-class community for all the people who live here.
I encourage you to act now to consult with the seniors and create a plan that will not only benefit the seniors and those about to enter their later years, but will benefit the community as a whole. We have some very creative minds in this community that could help create an amazing legacy project.
Thank you for your consideration of this timely request.
