Jeff Murl

Council · Whistler

Alpine Meadows 23 yrs

About

Jeff Murl's career has spanned finance, hospitality, and education, and he currently operates his own accounting practice. When he's not working with clients, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons, skiing and exploring Whistler.

Policy commitments

Buildings

We all want healthy, affordable, and comfortable homes. These policies will help to lower energy bills, cut pollution, and improve indoor air quality.

✓ Support electrification of new buildings. Supportive

✓ Incentivize electric heat pumps and air filtration systems. Supportive

✓ Incentivize renewable energy, battery storage, and smart-grid technologies in new and existing buildings to improve energy security. Supportive

✓ Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings. Supportive

~ Implement a 'right to cool' bylaw to protect tenants during extreme heat events. Neutral

Climate Justice

Our community is already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution, and taxpayers are on the hook to upgrade and repair critical infrastructure.

~ Endorse the fossil fuel treaty and commit to phase out fossil fuels. Neutral

✓ Collaborate with Indigenous peoples as partners in the stewardship of the land, air, and water, and work towards reconciliation. Supportive

Ecosystems

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all rely on healthy ecosystems. Nature can also help protect our community from extreme weather by controlling floods, protecting shorelines, and cooling neighbourhoods. Access to nature improves the health and well-being of residents, and supports biodiversity.

✓ Protect and restore ecosystems, which are essential to human survival, health, and economic well-being. Supportive

✓ Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater. Supportive

✓ Create connected urban greenways for people and wildlife. Supportive

Land Use

We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.

✓ Build affordable homes near jobs, schools, shops, and transit. Supportive

✓ Upgrade critical infrastructure for heat, fire, flood, and storm resilience. Supportive

✓ Increase food security by supporting local agriculture and community gardens. Supportive

Transport

Connecting neighbourhoods through public transit and active transportation networks will cut pollution, improve public health, and make our communities more affordable (and fun!).

✓ Deliver reliable, frequent, affordable local transit. Supportive

✓ Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities. Supportive

✓ Build bike and roll networks that are safe for everyone. Supportive

✓ Expand EV charging infrastructure. Supportive

Watersheds

Climate change, increasing populations, and overconsumption threaten our water security. Healthy watersheds and forests are critical to support clean drinking water, stormwater management, climate resilience, and biodiversity for future generations.

✓ Implement water conservation plans and educate the public to conserve drinking water. Supportive

✓ Protect and restore watersheds as vital municipal infrastructure. Supportive

✓ Develop and implement a water security plan. Supportive

Zero Waste

Zero waste policies reduce pollution, keep waste out of landfills, build resilient local economies, and safeguard public health by shifting society away from a disposable culture toward a sustainable circular economy.

✓ Implement zero waste bylaws to divert organic waste and recyclables from disposal. Supportive

✓ Support the development of a circular economy to eliminate waste and improve resilience. Supportive

✓ Implement bylaws to eliminate waste from new buildings, renovation, and demolition projects and to use existing buildings as efficiently as possible. Supportive

✓ Supportive

~ Neutral

× Opposed

– No response

Climate action

How have you contributed to climate action in your community through advocacy, past work, advisory committees, volunteer work, and/or reducing your personal carbon footprint?

Contribution starts at home, so we, as a family, are focused on reducing the waste we create and the things we buy. We reuse everything we can and try to minimize our footprint in the world. We've installed a heat pump, added insulation, and continue to invest in our home to reduce GHGs. My kids and I have participated in firesmart events, community cleanup and invasive species pulls, all to encourage volunteering as a foundation of our contribution to our community. Being on council, you are afforded the opportunity, through the decisions we make, to make significant progress and sometimes small incremental changes. I think of our investments in transit, the increased hours, and the expanded service as part of our big moves. On a smaller scale, the introduction of the wood recycling program and creating an option to divert some waste as a small decision with incremental impact.

Questions for Whistler

What should Whistler's top priorities be over the next four years to prepare for climate-related risks such as extreme weather, wildfire impacts, and changing environmental conditions?

Wildfire will continue to be at the top of the list of the risks we face. Mitigation efforts in fuel thinning, fire-smarting properties, and investments in our fire equipment, training, and personnel help reduce that risk. As infrastructure comes up for renewal, it needs to be future-proofed to account for what we expect in the future, not what happened in the past. I intend to continue to invest in our infrastructure, but also the data that supports those investments. Long-term asset management (LTAM) is an important part of the work staff do to provide council with information. It informs the projects that are proposed, but also the amount of reserves we need to maintain to provide for those projects in the future. Managing the projects list and its funding mechanisms is foremost for ensuring we can continue to adapt our infrastructure and repair where neccessary where unexpected events occur.

How should the Resort Municipality of Whistler strengthen its partnerships with community organizations to advance environmental sustainability, climate action, and community resilience?

The RMOW and the climate team are very active in engaging AWARE, SSISC, and the Whistler naturalists to consult on policy developments and leverage the expertise within those organizations to guide decisions. Our climate team is also active in seeking input from outside the community to bring ideas, initiatives, and funding from outside sources to magnify the work that is done locally. Through our work advocating to other levels of government, I have seen the positive reputation that our staff has throughout the province. They are able to leverage relationships and opportunities to advance climate action in Whistler and create opportunities for local organizations to succeed in their work.

What indicators should Council use to evaluate Whistler's success beyond economic growth and tourism, and how would those indicators influence your decision-making?

The RMOW tracks a number of variables, both qualitative and quantitative, through its Community Monitoring Dashboard. These data points have been consistently measured over time to create a valuable tool for staff and council to measure success across a variety of measures. Reports to council are informed by the data collection that occurs across the organization. Community engagement is fundamental to this work, and hearing from the community at every opportunity is the most important indicator and informs my decisions.

Whistler's natural environment is central to its identity, economy, and quality of life. What actions would you prioritize to protect local ecosystems, biodiversity, and watershed health over the next four years?

Water is a valuable resource to drink and to fight fires, but also for the health of our ecosystems. So when developing policy around a critical resource, we have to consider all the permutations and ensure we're considering the future in our decisions. Council has supported a rollout of water meters for commercial clients, with a planned rollout of residential in the next few years. This project will reduce usage, create equitable billing, and provide data on potential leaks to reduce waste. By conserving our existing capacity, we will reduce the need for additional water sources, with impacts on nearby watersheds and their delicate ecosystems. These types of targeted investments are able to provide value to a number of our strategic priorities simultaneously.

As Whistler continues to evolve, how would you balance growth and development with environmental protection and long-term climate goals?

We have to seek alignment between these two goals; otherwise, the friction caused will continue to create conflict. I believe there are paths that can achieve balance, but all the partners need to prepare for compromise; otherwise, progress will stagnate. There remains a lot of capacity that is underutilized in Whistler that can be used to ensure growth and development while increasing protection of what remains. Focusing on the shoulder seasons to increase utilization in slower periods can create value while leveraging existing assets. The Smart tourism committee is an example of bringing partners together to problem-solve issues that arise, but also explore opportunities to grow at appropriate times. Policies like the Priority Habitat Framework are important tools to ensure development is managed thoughtfully. Having this policy embedded in GIS, our mapping tool, informs work across departments in the future for staff and outside partners using RMOW data.

Campaign contributions

Public records from Elections BC — 4 contributions totalling $1,183.19.

2022 GENERAL LOCAL ELECTIONS

3 contributions · $818.84

Contributor	Date	Amount	Office	Jurisdiction
DUANE JACKSON	Oct 5, 2022	$250.00	COUNCILLOR	WHISTLER
WILLIAM KUNZWEILER	Oct 7, 2022	$250.00	COUNCILLOR	WHISTLER
JEFF MURL	Oct 13, 2022	$318.84	COUNCILLOR	WHISTLER

2018 GENERAL LOCAL ELECTIONS

1 contribution · $364.35

Contributor	Date	Amount	Office	Jurisdiction
JEFF MURL	Oct 18, 2018	$364.35	COUNCILLOR	WHISTLER

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