Petition to the Resort Municipality of Whistler - Whistler Can't Wait: Make Climate Action Non-Negotiable in 2026

We, the undersigned residents, workers, and supporters of AWARE Whistler, call on the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to ensure that climate action remains a central, non-negotiable pillar in the development of the 2026 municipal budget.

The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat, it is unfolding now. From rising temperatures and shrinking snowpacks to increased wildfire smoke and ecosystem stress, the impacts are already affecting the health, safety, economy, and identity of Whistler. As a mountain town that relies heavily on a stable climate for its tourism, lifestyle, and natural beauty, Whistler cannot afford to sideline climate action.

Yet, recent public engagement efforts by the RMOW, including Add Your Voice events and the 2025 budget survey, have revealed an alarming trend: climate action was ranked among the lowest municipal priorities. This result does not reflect the urgency of the crisis or the responsibility that Whistler has in contributing to meaningful solutions. Furthermore, the structure of these engagements, asking residents to rank deeply interconnected priorities, was inherently flawed and likely drew from an unrepresentative sample of the population.

The interpretation of these survey results must not be used to justify a rollback in climate action. To do so would be a grave mistake.

We reject the following justifications for deprioritizing climate action:

• “Whistler is already doing a good job.” This is simply not true. In 2024, RMOW emissions rose to 140,456 tCO2e - a 3% increase from 2023, and more than double the 2030 target of 66,500 tCO2e. As the 2024 Annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Climate Action Progress Report presented by staff at the Committee of the Whole on September 16, 2025 indicates: We are not on track.
• “Whistler is too small to make a difference.” Every community matters. As a world-renowned resort, Whistler has an outsized platform and responsibility to lead. Dismissing climate action because of our size is a dangerous abdication of responsibility and only contributes to global inaction. Leadership is local.
• “Climate action is a provincial or federal responsibility.” Municipal governments are on the front lines of the climate crisis. Cities and towns have the tools to shape land use, transportation, energy use, and waste management. Whistler must do its part, alongside others, not wait for others to lead.

Moreover, we are deeply concerned that policy failures in other areas, particularly housing, are being used as reasons to scale back climate ambition. This false “trade-off” approach is unacceptable. These issues are interconnected and must be tackled together, not at the expense of each other.

Our Demands

We call on the RMOW to:

1. Keep climate action as a core priority in the 2026 budget, fully funded and meaningfully integrated across all departments.
   
   
2. Interpret recent public survey responses as indicative of broader communication and implementation failures, not as a license to scale back.
   
   
3. Commit to transparency and accountability on all climate targets, including not only publishing annual emissions data and progress reports, but actively promoting and communicating their publication with the community.
   
   
4. Invest in bold, systemic solutions in transportation, housing, land use, and infrastructure that align with Whistler’s Big Moves Strategy and 2030 GHG targets. Some examples include, incorporating the actions recommended in the September 16th report:
   
   - Transportation: RMOW commitment to advocate for and support regional transit.
   
   - Buildings: RMOW implementation of Provincially enabled policy and programs that support the transition of Whistler’s buildings to cleaner energy sources.
   
   - Waste: RMOW collaboration with resort partners to reduce solid waste in Whistler.
   
   
5. Engage the community more equitably and effectively in climate conversations, especially youth, workers, retired experts who have chosen Whistler for their future, volunteers who devote their time to make this community function, and Indigenous voices.

The climate crisis is already here, and failure to act now will have irreversible consequences. Whistler’s future depends on its ability to lead, not follow. We must rise to this moment with ambition, courage, and clarity. There is no thriving economy, no livable community, and no world-class resort without a stable climate.

We sign this petition to demand that the RMOW honours its climate commitments in the 2026 budget and puts people and the planet first, because if we fail to act, nothing else will matter.