The Whistler Housing Authority (WHA), formed in October 1997, was created to oversee the development of resident restricted housing in Whistler through the use of the Employee Housing Fund. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW). We perform the combined functions of two other agencies: the Whistler Housing Authority Ltd, a municipal corporation that is legally responsible for resident restricted housing developments, and the Whistler Valley Housing Society (WVHS), a volunteer, non-profit society formed under the Societies Act as a legal entity qualified for acquiring CMHC financing.
The Whistler Housing Authority Board of Directors has seven members of the community appointed by municipal council. Four of these members also sit, along with three other directors, on the WVHS Board.
Providing reasonable housing options, be it rental units or home ownership, for those who live and work in Whistler has been the most challenging issue facing the community for the past 20 years. Creating an inventory of price controlled units that are only available to resident employees is the best means of reducing the impact of market forces that are driving the price of our housing out of reach for locals.
Comfortable, affordable living space fosters the well-being of both the community and the individual. Affordable housing attracts skilled and energetic adults as well as young families with children to become part of the community. This in turn helps to ensure a stable workforce and a vibrant and diversified community. The Whistler Housing Authority believes it is essential that the majority of Whistler employees live in the community in which they work, and thus is continually working towards finding solutions to the affordable resident housing issue.