On this episode of the Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton speaks to Chris Fair as they explore the future of tourism in our community. 

Can Whistler remain a world-class destination while leading the way in sustainability? Is it possible to preserve both our environment and local economy? We’ll dive into these important questions and consider how reimagining Whistler beyond just a winter resort could be the key to balancing growth, sustainability, and community well-being. Tune in as we challenge the status quo and explore what it means to create a sustainable future for Whistler.

This episode of The Whistler Podcast is the second in our two-part series on housing. Today's guest is Beau Jarvis, a born and raised Whistlerite and president and CEO of Wesgroup Properties. Beau shares his deep ties to the community, from his family's early days running the Keg restaurant, to his extensive work in real estate development.

Jarvis dives into the housing crisis, offering insights from his unique perspective in the development sector. He discusses the national and local challenges of housing affordability, the history of Rainbow Ski Village, and his enduring love for Whistler. Join us as we delve into the past, present, and future of housing in Whistler with Beau Jarvis.

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton explores Whistler's housing challenges with Dale Mikkelsen, a long-time Whistlerite who joined the municipality in 2023 as General Manager of Whistler's Climate Action Planning and Development Services Division.

Before his current role at RMOW, Mikkelsen was the Director of Development and Chief Operating Officer for Simon Fraser University’s sustainable community model, UniverCity, sat on the Whistler Advisory Design Panel, the Whistler Housing Authority board, and was the president of WORCA. Mickelson's insights are grounded in a passion for community and sustainability.

This episode explores rising land and construction costs layered with the challenges of natural and legislative constraints. How can we strike a balance by increasing density within these limits while preserving the spirit of our local spaces?

Join us as we unravel the complexities, possibilities, and future of housing in Whistler.

Kirby Brown,  Sea to Sky Gondola General Manager, speaks with Mayor Jack Crompton on the Don't Love It to Death campaign. 

Brown speaks about educating visitors who are experiencing nature for the first time and Sea to Sky locals together. How do we balance the desire to travel to beautiful places and embrace tourism while managing experiences to navigate responsibly and respectfully? 

In this special episode of the Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton speaks with Wilson Williams, an elected Councillor in his third term and spokesperson for the Squamish Nation. This episode was recorded live at the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Lil̓wat7úl Cultural Center (SLCC) on July 1, 2023. 

There are some audio gaps in the recording. Listeners are encouraged to stick with this important episode. It discusses the recent history of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and how we are uniting to meaningfully include Indigenous peoples through dialogue, education, and action. Listeners are invited to learn how we can "paddle forward together."

Tune in as Mayor Crompton and Bob Brett discuss how we can foster coexistence with our natural habitat and wildlife, ensuring that Whistler remains a sanctuary for all its inhabitants. This episode discusses biodiversity in Whistler,  the vital importance of our old-growth forests, Grizzly Bears, challenges posed by invasive species, and the fascinating world of slime molds. 

Welcome to season three of the Whistler Podcast, where we explore the heart of our mountain community's pressing issues. In this episode, Mayor Crompton and Fire Chief Thomas Doherty shed light on Whistler's proactive measures in wildfire preparedness. Join us as they discuss the town's comprehensive strategies and the vital role residents play in safeguarding our environment. 

From innovative initiatives to practical tips, discover how Whistler is gearing up to respond to wildfires and learn how you can contribute to our collective resilience. Tune in for insights, advice, and a deeper understanding of our commitment to protecting Whistler.

Links
Sign up for Whistler Alert
Read the Sea to Sky Evacuation Plan
Learn how to prepare for a wildfire emergency

Join Mayor Jack Crompton in conversation with Braden Dupuis, Editor of Pique Newsmagazine. Braden shares his vision for the Pique and they discuss housing, the Northlands rezoning process, the upcoming election and transit. 

Join Mayor Jack Crompton as he talks to longtime Whistler resident and Pique Newsmagazine columnist, G.D. Maxwell.  Listen in to learn Maxwell's episode to learn his Whistler origin story as a self-proclaimed corporate dropout turned local legend. If you agree with his opinion pieces or not, this is a must-listen episode. 

Join Mayor Jack Compton as he speaks with the Chief Administrative Officer at the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), Virginia "Ginny" Cullen. Ginny shares her experience living in Whistler, how her role supports the RMOW and why the Whistler sessions were so important.  

Ginny explains that the intention behind the Whistler sessions was to clearly imagine Whistler's future. Listen to the episode to find out why Ginny aimed to provoke emotional responses to possible scenarios and make people uncomfortable to find solutions. 

Join Mayor Jack Crompton as he has a powerful conversation with Tanina Williams of the Líl̓wat Nation,  who shares her relationship with Canada, colonization, and her experience with systemic racism. Williams also speaks about healing trauma and her role working with youth. 

Join Mayor Jack  Crompton when he talks to Jen Ford about local, regional and provincial politics. Jen Ford is a councillor at the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Chair of the Squamish Lillooet Regional District. She is also the first Vice President of the Union of BC Municipalities. 

Join Mayor Jack  Crompton as he talks to Audain Art Museum Director and Chief Curator, Dr. Curtis Collins about how he joined the Audain team and his connection to Indigenous artists and supporting their work.    

Join Mayor Jack Crompton as he connects with photographer and avid stand-up paddleboard athlete, Arne Gutmann to discuss the process and approach to his art. Arne speaks to the importance of working to address the impact of EPS styrofoam on Whistler's waterways. The podcast shines a light on places we need to pay attention to as a community. 

Alison speaks with Mayor Jack Crompton about her role as the curator of the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Center Curator (SLCC) and the path she took to step into her role. Alison shares her experience with speaking Ucwalmícwts, the Lil̓wat7úl (Lil'wat) Nation's traditional language, and how she feels about sharing her culture and history with the visitors to the SLCC. 

Join Mayor Jack Crompton as he talks to Whistler High School students Tomas Rasmussen and Hugo Steiner about where we need to go as a community. Learn more about how they imagine the future and how our decisions today will impact what Whistler will look like tomorrow. 

Join Mayor Jack Crompton and Claire Ruddy as they discuss how the pandemic has impacted a shift to working from home, environmentalism and the threat of our changing climate. Claire shares her vision for the big changes and conversations that we need to embrace to shift towards a more sustainable society. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton speaks with Tricia Smith, a four-time Olympian in rowing and current president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Smith talks about her multifaceted career in sport, including her early connection to the Whistler community, her experience as an Olympian and her career leading the Canadian Olympic Committee. 

In this episode Rob talks about growing up in the Okanagan, raising his family in Whistler and his experience as a Ski Coach and Real Estate Agent. Rob also shares details on his extensive ski career including behind the scenes of his 1989 World Cup Downhill win on Whistler Mountain. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton talks with Cheximiya Allison Burns Joseph, the Manager of the Indigenous Youth Ambassadors Program (IYA) at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. 

Cheximiya Allison Burns Joseph talks about the IYA Program, and the linguistic histories of the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. She also shares about her weaving under the mentorship of Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George and performing in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony. 

Transcript available on request. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Councillor Cathy Jewett speaks with artist Dave Petko (“Pepe”). 

Dave’s art spans from murals, paintings, sculptures, large scale installations for music festivals, and snowboard graphics to tattoos. You’ll find his work around Whistler: the mural on the Whistler Olympic Plaza washrooms, and at Black Ohm Tattoos. He was awarded the Whistler Champion of Arts and Culture in the 2021 Whistler Excellence Awards. 

Dave’s glow-in-the-dark exhibit Starry Nights is at the Gallery at the Maury Young Arts Centre. The exhibit is running until March 6. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Councillor Cathy Jewett speaks with multi-disciplinary artist Christina Nick. 

Christina Nick talks about her work, in particular her recent welded sculpture of a swan and her famous salmon pieces, as well as her Seppo sculpture at the head of Lost Lake Park. She also talks about her global travel and launching the art and performance show Artrageous!

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Councillor Cathy Jewett speaks with renowned contemporary indigenous artists Xwalacktun, from the Squamish Nation, and Levi Nelson, from the Lil’wat Nation. 

Xwalacktun and Levi Nelson collaborated with James Hart on the recently unveiled two-part work The Three Watchmen (by Hart) which is placed on a carved band called The Great Flood (Ti A7xa7 St’ak’) (by Xwalacktun and Nelson) outside the Audain Art Museum. The location is on the shared, unceded territory of the Lil’wat (Lil̓wat7úl) Nation and Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) Nation. 

The artists discuss the stories depicted in The Three Watchmen as well as their artistic methods, cultural influences, and the intent behind their work. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Mayor Jack Crompton and Cole Stefiuk speak to Chad Chomlack. Chad Chomlack is best known as a photographer, but is also a business person, wedding and celebration of life officiant, and facilitates the Soul Atrium retreat for men as part of his work as a life integration coach.  

Mayor Crompton and Chad Chomlack have been friends for almost 30 years. In this episode they talk parenting children on the cusp of adulthood, Sea to Sky culture, men’s mental health, and photography. Chad Chomlack describes his groundbreaking Deep Winter Photo Challenge slide show from 2016—It All Belongs—which captured local snowboarding legends JF Pelchat, Devun Walsh and DCP in their element both on the mountain and in their roles as fathers. 

In this episode of The Whistler Podcast, Councillor Cathy Jewett takes the reins as podcast host and speaks to renowned Whistler artist Isobel MacLaurin. 

Isobel MacLaurin describes how she and her late husband Don MacLaurin first moved to Whistler, the cabin they built for their family, life raising their four children (whose ski passes she obtained in return for paintings commissioned by the Garibaldi Lift Company) and her work as an artist in Whistler, as well as around the world. 

Isobel MacLaurin has lived in Whistler almost 60 years. She helped the arts scene in Whistler find its feet and was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award in 1991.  She celebrated her 90th birthday this summer when Arts Whistler threw the Fashion Garden Party in her honour. Her paintings, many of animals, flora and fauna, can be found around Whistler and on Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains.