Williams Lake, BC

The Whistler Centre for Sustainability is the project lead in the development of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) and Official Community Plan (OCP) Revision for the City of Williams Lake. Using innovative participatory video, community feasts and other engagement techniques, the WCS will facilitate the co-creation of a sustainability vision, priorities and strategy areas, and the actions required to make Williams Lake's vision a reality. Integrated into this process is an
economic / diversification approach to support a growing
tourism economy in the region.

• Williams Lake Project Profile
• FCM Sustainable Community Award Winner in 2010 for Planning (project video)

Whistler2020, Whistler BC

Whistler2020 is an award-winning vision and plan for a successful and sustainable Whistler - and it is much more than this. It is a living, ongoing action planning and monitoring process that mobilizes citizen and organizational commitment and passion into action, moving Whistler ever closer to making the community-created vision a reality. Whistler2020 has helped lay the foundation of a transferable community sustainability planning framework and process that is scalable to other communities.

• Visit the Whistler2020 site
• The Whistler Sustainability Story: The Natural Step & Whistler2020 

Whistler Official Community Plan Update

We are designing and leading an innovative public engagement strategy that incorporates the Whistler2020 process into OCP development. The WCS is also assisting with the development of the OCP framework that will enshrine the principles of Whistler2020 into the regulatory document.
Visit Whistler's OCP Update site

The WCS is assisting the thirteen resort communities in BC with the development of common indicators and a reporting system on their tourism development initiatives, and to provide support to these municipalities in developing their individual programs to promote a successful and sustainable tourism economy.
RCC Project Profile

We are assisting Ucluelet with the preparation of an OCP amendment that will describe how the community will incorporate GHG targets into land use planning. This is a requirement that all local governments in BC were to have met by May 31st, 2010.
Ucluelet Project Profile

The purpose of the Energy Resilience Task Force is to identify potential strategies to support energy resilience in the region. The WCS is supporting SLRD staff with the development and facilitation of the task force process, including providing background materials, synthesizing feedback from members, and creating a final report with energy resilience recommendations to the regional district board.
SLRD Energy Resilience Task Force Project Profile

Climate Smart is a comprehensive, business case-based training that takes enterprises through the process of creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and developing reduction strategies with a focus on cost savings and brand lift. WCS assisted in the development of the curriculum content, delivers the training to businesses, and provides support and guidance in their
GHG inventory and reductions strategies.
Climate Smart Project Profile

The WCS assisted the RMOW in the development of its Carbon Neutral Operations Plan, which outlines the steps necessary for the Resort Municipality of Whistler to achieve its carbon neutrality commitments under the BC Climate Action Charter (by 2010, 2 years ahead of the deadline). The plan expands the scope of emissions to
include employee travel on staff business (not currently
required by the Province’s Carbon Neutral Local Government strategy document), and includes aggressive GHG reduction targets as well as a business case for energy conservation investments.
Carbon Neutral Plan Project Profile

We provided case study workshops along with the Natural Step Canada on strategic approaches towards sustainability at the 2005 President's Summit on Community Sustainability in Edmonton, AB. Whistler's approach to integrated sustainability was the basis for the AUMA Municipal Sustainability Planning toolkit (http://msp.auma.ca/), and staff provided specific content to the Task Force Vision to Action Implementation approach.