Whistler Residents Invited to Aprés in Action on May 26

May 12, 2010... The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is launching the comprehensive update of its Official Community Plan (OCP) with a community event, Après in Action, on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Building on the success of previous Après in Action events, the OCP kick-off will offer opportunities for residents to participate in important discussions about Whistler’s future. To get involved residents and business owners are invited to complete this Hot Topic Questionnaire. 

Issues identified in the questionnaire will be used to guide discussions at Après in Action. The deadline for questionnaire responses is Monday, May 24, 2010 at noon.

This year’s Après in Action will launch the OCP update process and provide Whistlerites with:

• An understanding about what an OCP is, what it means for Whistler, and how it relates to Whistler2020, the community’s comprehensive sustainability plan and vision;
• An understanding of the timeline for the OCP update process and ongoing opportunities to get involved;
• Opportunities to highlight issues, concerns, and priorities for the OCP update process.

The event will feature a talk by guest speaker Patrick Condon, an expert in sustainable urban design and senior researcher with the UBC Design Centre for Sustainability. Participants will take part in small table “World Café” style discussions about important community priorities hosted by RMOW and Whistler Centre for Sustainability. Free beer and nachos will be served.

What:  Après in Action – Official Community Plan Update Launch
 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Arrival and mingling
 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. – Guest speaker
 5:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – Small table “World Café” discussions

When:  Wednesday, May 26, 2010 – 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Where:  Whistler Conference Centre, Grand Foyer

About the OCP

The OCP is a provincially-mandated regulatory document and set of high-level plans and policies, such as land use designations that guide land use planning, social, economic, and environmental policies, and civic infrastructure investments.

Whistler’s OCP was last comprehensively updated in 1993, although amendments to the document have been made continually, and a vast amount of functional policy has been developed over the last 17 years.

The OCP doesn’t replace Whistler 2020, Whistler’s comprehensive sustainability plan and vision; Whistler 2020 is Whistler’s highest-level policy and guide for the OCP update, and the OCP provides the regulatory framework for its implementation. The OCP update will allow Whistler to answer important questions about its future, as it moves forward post-Games.