Whistler university would provide Olympic legacy: educators

Bal Brach, Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, February 18, 2008

WHISTLER - Two prominent B.C. educators say their idea to establish a university in Whistler would provide an Olympic legacy like no other.

Doug Player and former University of Victoria president David Strong say a Whistler university would provide much-needed diversity for the local economy and create a new pool of potential workers.

The idea started when John Zen, the owner of a 31-hectare (77-acre) property was looking for something to do with the land three years ago, according to Player.

The university, with undergraduate and graduate programs, would include student residences in an area known as Alpha Lands.

Player, a retired superintendent of the West Vancouver school district, said the university would use no more than 10 hectares (25 acres) of the Alpha Creek Lands across from the 2010 Winter Olympics athletes' village in Whistler.

"I did a focus group with business people there and their response was overwhelmingly positive," he said.

After taking the same presentation to Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed, Player said he hit a brick wall and the project has been stalled since.

"His issue is he doesn't want anything on the land."

Melamed, however, said he supports the idea of a university in Whistler, but one that's consistent with the community plan. "We have a self-imposed growth plan," said Melamed. "We don't have additional development rights to give out, unless the community decides it's appropriate."

Melamed said the proposal also conflicts with Whistler's commitment to environmental stewardship. "I'm quite aware this proponent is saying their site is environmentally sensitive, and only developing on the non-sensitive areas, but our environmental mapping suggests the whole area is sensitive," said Melamed.

Player describes the university as a good, clean industry that meets many of the objectives of the Whistler 2020 plan. According to Player, environmental studies show 50 per cent of the land could be developed and the university would only use 25 per cent.

The area, which was originally zoned for schools, is now zoned for housing. "We have lots of million-dollar homes up there. A university would contribute $30 million into the economy each year."

The university would be a satellite of University Canada West, a private, for-profit university that started up a couple of years ago and offers classes in Victoria and Vancouver. It would be the second private university along the Whistler corridor.

Quest University in Squamish was opened six months ago by former University of B.C. president David Strangway. While Quest has a focus on the arts, Player said Whistler U would have programs related to tourism, leadership and business executives.

"In Whistler you have all the hotels and they're screaming for help - it's a great training ground for people to do things such as international hotel management."

Player said the programs would include work experience and provide a steady stream of part-time workers, of which Whistler is in constant need.

"The occupancy rate is just over 50 per cent and that's not enough for these hoteliers to survive."

He believes a university in Whistler would result in conferences and meetings that would attract visitors and boost the local economy.

"A university attracts executives for programs, it attracts conferences. We wouldn't use university facilities for that, we'd use Whistler facilities."

More than half of the 1,200 prospective students would be international students. The proposal for the university has yet to be taken to Whistler council.