Whistler Real Estate Co Ltd, #137- 4370 Lorimer Road, Whistler, BC V0N 1B4

THE MEETING AT A GLANCE

Disposal & Wildlife Attractants Amendment Bylaw

Simplifying the categories of wood and yard waste is intended to help reduce yard waste and tipping fees.

As a result, Council gave first, second and third reading to a Disposal & Wildlife Attractants Amendment Bylaw to amend the Garbage Disposal and Wildlife Attractants bylaw to clarify the disposal of yard and wood waste.

Currently, wood waste over two inches in diameter and yard waste (including wood less than two inches in diameter) are in separate categories with separate fees. Specifically, wood waste over 2” in diameter is tipped at $30 per tonne whereas yard waste and wood waste less than 2” in diameter is tipped for $75 per tonne. This creates the need to separate and separately transport materials, which ultimately end up going to the same place - the composter. Staff proposes creating one category of waste covering both wood over two inches in diameter and yard debris, and charging a single tipping fee of $30 per tonne.

The impact of lowering yard waste tipping fees from $75 per tonne to $30 per tonne would initially result in a minor loss of revenue on existing tipping ($14,775), but is anticipated to boost yard waste volumes as the public, and particularly commercial landscapers, learn about the easier unified system and reduced cost for disposing of yard waste. Currently, a number of area landscapers truck their yard debris to Vancouver partly or primarily because of the lower disposal fees. Such landscapers also bring soil into Whistler on the backhaul, reducing demand for Whistler compost-based soil and increasing the probability of importing noxious and invasive weed seeds.

On April 19, council passed a motion for staff to proceed with a bylaw to amend the Garbage Disposal and Wildlife Attractants Bylaw, banning the improper disposal of invasive species. The bylaw will include a definition of invasive species and make it mandatory for invasive species to be disposed of in designated bins at the Whistler transfer station or the garbage compactors at the Nesters and Function sites.

Firearms Regulation Amendment Bylaw

Council passed a motion to prohibit the use of bows for hunting in specified areas of the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

In the summer of 2010 a letter was forwarded to Whistler Council about potential safety issues and danger to habituated bears through the use of bows, including crossbows, within the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) boundaries. Council referred this issue to staff for review.

The current RMOW Bylaw No. 874 prohibited the discharge of firearms within the municipal boundaries other than by a “Peace Officer”. This bylaw, however, did not apply to bows or cross bows.

The amended bylaw addresses this gap and includes a prohibition on bow hunting including crossbows in the entire area from Emerald Estates to Function Junction, including Lost Lake Park and the Whistler Interpretive Forest. This will expand on current provincial protection, which specifies a “no hunting area” within 100 metres of homes, schools, farms, and buildings, and will mean that firearms use (including bow hunting) will be prohibited in all neighbourhoods and municipal parks in Whistler. 

Food-Waste Management

Net Zero Inc. would like to develop a regional food-waste composting facility north of Whistler, according to a presentation given by Mateo Ocejo of Net Zero Waste. The proposed site is located next to the Rutherford area between Whistler and Pemberton.

The facility proposed by Ocejo would process food waste and support the production of healthy soil in the same location. The presentation asserted the facility would provide many benefits for the RMOW such as green technology, lowering green house gas emissions, and economic growth. Similar presentations have been provided to Pemberton and Squamish and Ocejo indicated that would make sense to have buy-in from the entire SLRD region. The presenter recommended that the council consider a pilot project.

The RMOW currently manages a robust municipal waste management system which includes the municipal compost facility located south of Whistler. Any new projects would be considered if they demonstrated a net benefit within the overall municipal waste management program. 

Rainbow Park Access 

The Municipal waterfront parks are a cornerstone for summer time recreation in Whistler.

In an ongoing effort to have the RMOW recognized as a leader in recreational products and services, the Parks Department prepared a request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for Watercraft Concession at Rainbow Park.

Council supported a motion to sign a License Agreement subject to successful conclusion of negotiations with REO Rafting Resort. The agreement would see the Municipality enter into a two-year agreement with REO for Rainbow Park access to Alta Lake for guided watercraft tours down the River of Golden Dreams.

Council expressed concerns about preserving the natural environment and questioned the carrying capacity of the river. Based on a 2005 report, the river was not at full capacity.

The License Agreements would generate a minimum of $6,250.00 in revenues over the next five years as well as provide approximately $9,000.00 in-kind labour costs for the inspection and cleaning of Rainbow Park washrooms and lawn areas when the operator is on site at Rainbow Park.

Buffer Rezoning Sought for Gravel Pit

The proposed rezoning application would create a buffer area between the W6 Gravel Pit (Whistler Aggregates) and the Cheakamus Crossing Neighbourhood. The W6 Pit is run by Whistler Aggregates is located southwest of the Cheakamus Crossing neigbhourhood at 1200 Whistler Quarry Road. It is 32 Acres (13.7 hectares) in size.

The property is zoned for the manufacturing and processing of gravel and aggregate and the storage of industrial machinery, equipment and supplies and is active as a quarry operation.

The proposed rezoning would create a large buffer area between the Whistler Aggregates quarry and the Cheakamus Crossing Neighbourhood. The large buffer area would be rezoned and the area would be removed from the licence of occupation with the Province to ensure that it won’t be quarried in the future. A smaller buffer area will be preserved in the northwest corner of the site as well. The rezoning would also see a new area made available for quarry activity that would move away from the neighbourhood as opposed to toward it. The net change in the size of the site would be from 13.7 hectares to 13.8 hectares.

Council moved that it will not endorse the proposed rezoning application for the W6 Pit – Buffer Area until resolution of pending litigation.

The Alpine Paving asphalt plant, located on the Whistler Aggregates W6 Pit is not part of RZ1047 - W6 Pit- Buffer Area application. At Council’s direction, on April 11, 2011 Lidstone & Company sent a letter on behalf of the RMOW to Alpine Paving directing Alpine to cease and desist operating on or before May 13, 2011. Click here to read the letter.

Asphalt Tender

RMOW staff recommended that the tender for asphalt services be awarded to Alpine Paving, with the stipulation that the asphalt be produced at their Squamish plant given the municipality’s order for the Whistler plant to cease operations. To accommodate additional fuel, trucking cost and to ensure the product temperature satisfies Whistler’s technical criteria at the delivery site, pricing as submitted by Alpine would increase by 30%. The increase would require an amendment to the Five-Year Financial Plan 2011-2015 of an additional $223,000.

Council expressed concerns over the price increase and over working with Alpine Paving and carried a motion directing staff to proceed with a new asphalt tender to be issued in hopes to see more bids. The original tender process saw only one bid from Alpine Paving.

NOTE: Following the May 3 council meeting, staff was directed to amend the tender request to include a stipulation that all asphalt must be supplied from outside RMOW boundaries.

Results of the tender request, which closes May 19, 2011 at 2 p.m. will be presented at a special council meeting on May 26, 2011. View the tender request online.