Whistler Official Community Plan Update Online

May 28, 2010... The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has re-launched Whistler's Games website (www.whistler2010.com) as an online resource for the year-long Official Community Plan (OCP) update. Whistler residents can now bookmark the website as source for information about the Official Community Plan update process, events and meetings, and opportunities for feedback.

"The new website provides Whistler residents with one easy online location to access information about the Official Community Plan update. The relaunch of whistler2010.com builds on the success of the website and celebrates the success of the community during the 2010 Winter Games. We encourage the community to visit the site and get involved in planning for the next chapter in Whistler's future," said Mike Vance, General Manager of Policy and Program Development.

The goal of the website, which was launched at  Après in Action--the OCP update kick-off event on May 26, will help to keep residents informed and engaged during the OCP update over the next year. Whistler residents are key participants in the Official Community Plan update and whistler2010.com provides them with concrete ways to get involved in planning for Whistler's long-term success. 

Feedback collected from site users will help the RMOW to continually update and revise content as needed. New features will be added to the website in the months to come. Some 2010 Winter Games information is available on whistler2010.com and a longterm Games legacy section is in development. To reference the site used during the Games, visit olympics.whistler2010.com or paralympics.whistler2010.com.

 Whether it's browsing the site or sending comments and ideas to ocp@whistler2010.com, getting involved is easier than you think.Monthly questionnaires on whistler2010.com will enable Whistler's engaged citizens to constantly evaluate issues and provide input on what is most important as we work together to update the OCP. 

Whistler2010.com is one of many tools that will be enable community members to provide input during the OCP update. Information will be provided through regular updates on whistler2010.com, Twitter, Facebook, and through enewsletters. The RMOW's highly interactive GIS map is also available at whistler.ca, for residents to view various neighbourhoods and areas in Whistler. In addition, community members will have opportunities to participate in open houses, community surveys, and document review workshops.

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 an important tool and a regulatory framework for its implementation. The OCP update will allow Whistler to answer important questions about its future, as it moves forward post-Games.

About the Resort Municipality of Whistler

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is Whistler's local government led by an elected council and administered by an executive team and staff on behalf of 10,000 residents and two million annual visitors. The RMOW manages municipal planning and development, park and Village operations, sports facilities and recreation, public utilities and environmental services, bylaws and enforcement, fire rescue, fiscal planning and financial services, legislative services, human resources, communications and the administration of the Whistler2020 Comprehensive Sustainability Plan and Whistler's Official Community Plan.

Whistler's vision is to be the premier mountain resort community as it moves toward sustainability. Whistler was the proud Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

-30-

Media contact:

RMOW Media Relations
TEL: (604) 967-3030
E-MAIL: media@whistler2010.com
WEBSITE: www.whistler.ca
TWITTER: @whistler2010com
FACEBOOK: RMOW