Marco Zunino

In order to achieve progressive change within the environmental debate it is essential to have a voice at the table. I have been involved in Green politics since 2017 at both local and national levels. I have been part of teams that have achieved electoral success through listening to the community we seek to serve. Many are anxious not just of the state of the environment but of broader systemic issues that have locked us into this deeply unsustainable current path of consumption.

Aside from politics, I am a keen gardener and I volunteer for a regenerative farm in Pemberton, trading labour for amazing local produce. I also have a gardening box at the Cheakamus Community Garden and grow and preserve my own produce.

I sit on the board of Whistler Valley Housing Society, Whistler Farmers’ Market, and the Recreate Our Community Kitchen Society, all of which have an element of sustainability within their mission.

In terms of personal behaviours, I e-bike and travel by bus most often around town. As such, I understand the problems with our disconnected active transport network, especially to the south, and the terrible congestion that affects those travelling by bus.

I would love to live in this community without a car and I didn’t have one for 15 years that I lived in London. However, we don’t have a transportation network or sharing economy infrastructure to allow this… yet!

There are two key areas: planning and resilience. Regarding planning, nature-based solutions must be used wherever possible to mitigate climate risks. The risks are well understood but we must move to action to ensure our community is prepared and the municipality is not currently on track to meet its climate targets.

Indigenous knowledge-based solutions should be investigated wherever possible through partnerships with First Nations communities to understand the experience learnt about preserving these lands since time immemorial. We must identify synergies between this experience and current provincial and federal funding opportunities for mitigation, to find solutions that fit the Whistler context.

In addition, we need a full emergency planning exercise to model a worst-case wildfire scenario involving a major summer event in town and Highway 99 blockage, with an immediate action plan to address shortcomings.

In terms of resilience, diversification is a core element and we can place climate action and a transition to a circular economy at the centre of policy to enable this. For example, a Harvest Hub in Cheakamus would diversify local food supply, provide economic opportunities for Pemberton farmers, and address a lack of amenities in the neighbourhood.

More broadly, we need to ensure economic resilience through diversification. Creating a comprehensive arts, culture, and heritage strategy to strengthen the local cultural scene will provide activities for both residents and visitors during adverse weather conditions. The strategy would also provide safe spaces in such circumstances, for example cooling centres during extreme heat or poor air quality.

Partnerships are vital to ensure a resilient future. I am inspired by the actions that took place after the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in 1992. The conference was crucial in recognising the importance of sustainable development and it spurred a range of partnerships at the local level through Local Agenda 21 and the notion “think global, act local”.

Integrating a more circular economy into Whistler is crucial to achieve these aims. Models and frameworks already exist within urban planning so we can take these and adapt them for our local context. A more circular economy goes hand in hand with resilience, climate action and biodiversity conservation, while also offering the community the tools to support social equity, local job creation, public health, and community wealth.

In practical terms, I would transition the RMOW’s Smart Tourism Committee into a Circular Economy Committee to understand our local assets and engage both small and big businesses in town to start the transition now. Partnerships with community organisations, as well as the business community, and First Nations will be critical to achieve systemic change, to build capacity, and enhance the ability of our community to act. Whistler has a unique opportunity to showcase to the world how tourism can be done in a sustainable way.

I also want to promote a culture of constructive criticism from community partners in feedback to the RMOW. No organisation should fear repercussions for truthful feedback and we all benefit if diverse views inform governance.

As part of a circular economic policy, I would implement well-known metrics in this area to monitor progress.

Examples already exist locally and Nanaimo, BC claims to be the first city in North America to adopt ‘doughnut economics’ as its foundational economic policy. In September 2025, the city launched a Living Systems Programme to connect areas of social, economic, and environmental wellbeing. To monitor progress, the city has implemented 23 indicators across these goals to measure not just prosperity but also community wellbeing. These indicators give a much broader view of the health and sustainability of the community and can be used to guide decision-making.

Other Canadian examples exist such as the work undertaken by Sustainable Calgary, a non-profit organization committed to building a healthier, more sustainable city through data and community collaboration. This organisation measures 42 indicators to track long-term sustainability across seven areas: economy, education, natural environment, resource use, wellness, governance, and community.

We can use these models and adapt them for the Whistler context to help shape decision-making throughout municipal hall. Indeed, work is already underway locally such that of the Whistler Community Foundation through its highly informative Vital Signs report.

Whistler’s environment is essential to the wellbeing and success of the community. Firstly, I would ensure that all municipal development is restricted as much as possible on land zoned as a Natural Protected Area. If done conscientiously there is no need to put the needs for housing in conflict with environmental protections. However, the rezoning of natural assets and parkland in Cheakamus should not be the first priority to increase supply in a neighbourhood that is already dense by local standards.

Secondly, I would look to ensure funding continues and collaboration is enabled among the non-profits that support the environment in Whistler, including AWARE, WORCA, and the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council. The municipality can play a key role in ensuring organisations are supported and aligned in their missions and I believe this is a key responsibility of the mayor: to listen and help advance shared goals.

Thirdly, through a circular economy strategy, we can demonstrate that our economic success and wellbeing is intrinsically tied to Whistler’s natural environment. These issues do not need to be in conflict with each other if we take the right approach, through transitioning the economic model that sits at the centre of municipal decisions. If we move now, we can be a beacon for how to do tourism in a long-term and sustainable way.

A core issue that needs immediate action is transit and transport emissions. For anyone that lives south of town, congestion is becoming an increasingly pressing problem. These are provincial powers and solutions may not be immediate. But Whistler is a huge economic engine for the province’s tourism sector and we generate a substantial amount of provincial GDP for a town of our size. Therefore, through coalition building and pressure, we can achieve change.

In order to transition to more sustainable transit options, we need to make travel by bus a more attractive alternative to the car. A dedicated bus lane (possibly a counterflow model similar to that used on Lionsgate Bridge) or go-around lanes can alleviate congestion for buses and coaches so they can pass through congestion without significant highway widening. This solution can be combined with a park-and-ride system to the south of town.

Additionally, our active transit system needs review as the valley trail, especially to the south, is not a suitable commuter network. I would look to create dedicated bike lanes for workers to use that avoid the highway and existing valley trail network as much as possible.

In terms of the broader tourism economy, I would look to circular economy indicators to determine development. Our economy needs diversification and I would focus on an arts, culture and heritage strategy to achieve this. The outcome is to enhance visitor experience as climate change impacts the sports tourism sector rather than substantially increase overall visitation.