Whistler employee starts new chapter at housing development
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Whistler employee starts new chapter at housing development

July 31, 2023

AT A GLANCE

  • Originally from Ukraine, Roman moved to Whistler for work in 2015 and struggled to find affordable housing.
  • Thanks to Whistler Housing Authority’s employee housing program, Roman eventually secured an affordable unit in Whistler’s Legacy neighbourhood.
  • When war broke out in Ukraine, he rescued his wife, her dog and his parents from the country and brought them to Canada.
  • Now settled in Whistler Housing Authority’s Granite Ridge development, Roman and his family have a safe, affordable place to call home.
Transcript

(Music fades in)

(Visual: A wide aerial landscape of a ski resort surrounded by snowy mountains. The camera cuts to a large sign that reads “Whistler Village” on a busy road. A series of images provide a glimpse into the day-to-day activity of a ski resort. A young man walks across a town square holding a snowboard. Skidoos emerge from over a snowy hill. A man grabs his ski equipment from a hillside rack. The sun is rising between the mountain tops revealing ski routes and ski lifts along the mountain side. A wide aerial landscape of a ski resort surrounded by snowy mountains. A ski lift moves upward disappearing into the distance.)

00:12
The Resort Municipality of Whistler was incorporated in 1975. It’s about an hour and 20 mins north of Vancouver. We have about 13,000 permanent residents but we see about a daily average population of 40,000 people through tourism season. 

(Visual: Jen Ford, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed outside a ski chalet.)

(Text on screen: Jen Ford, City Councillor, Resort Municipality of Whistler)

 (Visual: Skiers approach the entrance to the Whistler Village Gondola. Tourists walk in the market square carrying shopping bags. A large monument featuring the Olympic rings is shown in a park space.)

00:29
Whistler continues to be a very desirable place to live. When we co-hosted the 2010 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games with Vancouver, I that even put Whistler more on the map.

(Visual: Marla Zucht, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in her office.)

(Text on screen: Marla Zucht, General Manager, Whistler Housing Authority)

00:40
So, the rapidly increasing real estate prices just have driven the affordability levels out of reach for most people that are working within Whistler.

 (Visual: A glass plaque on a wall reads: Whistler Housing Authority Administrative Offices. Marla Zucht is working on her computer in her office. On the wall there are dozens of framed photos of different housing projects. The camera cuts to an aerial shot pushing in on Granite Ridge - a new low-rise rental building surrounded by snowy mountains and trees. A second aerial shots moves over the former Athletes’ Village neighbourhood.)

00:53
So, Whistler set an ambitious goal of housing a minimum of 75% of the workforce within our municipal boundaries and we’ve been achieving that. So, Granite Ridge is a 45-unit rental apartment building. It’s located down in our legacy neighbourhood of where the 2010 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games were housed. So, was formerly the Athletes’ village now primarily employee housing.

(Music fades out.)

(Music fades in.)

(Visual: The camera slowly pushes in towards the front entrance to Granite Ridge.)

01:22
My name is Roman I’m originally from Ukraine.

(Visual: Roman, the man speaking, appears on camera. He is facing the camera and is being interviewed in the living room of his home at Granite Ridge.)

(Text on screen: Roman, Resident, Granite Ridge, Whistler)

01:25
I started my Canadian journey from Vancouver, but my dream always was to Come to Whistler and enjoy those slopes.

(Visual: A hotel shuttle bus enters a parking lot outside a large hotel. A sign reads: Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Roman stands outside the hotel with a bell services cart assisting hotel patrons. The camera cuts to a glass plaque that reads: Whistler Housing Authority. The camera focuses on a framed photograph of Granite Ridge on the office wall. The camera cuts to a series of images featuring service industry workers in Whistler. A hostess greets patrons at the patio of a restaurant. A young man prepares food at a food kiosk.)

01:33
I started working for this fantastic company, Fairmont. And in 2015 I managed to transfer to Fairmont Chateau Whistler. I started living with WHA from 2018. It’s accommodation for locals and for long-term employees here with a reduced rate.

(Visual: The camera cuts to a painting on the wall of Roman’s home featuring a small dog. Roman and his wife Veronika sit on their living room couch with their dog Manchester.)

01:54
Roman: He has lots of friends here.


Veronika: He's the only Ukrainian beagle here in Whistler.

Roman: That’s what I was going to say. But, he’s a very popular guy.

(Visual: Roman and Veronika are shown in a series of photographs. They hug and pose for a photo on a miniature golf course. They hug at an outdoor music festival. They laugh and smile widely on their wedding day. A man holds a Ukrainian flag proudly as a crowd of worried people boards a train in Ukraine. Veronika sits on the floor of a train station. Roman and Veronika hold hands on the floor of the train station with their dog Manchester by their side.)

02:03
We met each other in Ukraine during one of my visits. The chemistry happened, and after one year we decided to get married. In February 2022, the situation in Ukraine changed and this nasty war happened. And it’s still going on. So, knowing that I had to go back to Ukraine and literally rescue my wife and my parents.

(Visual: Veronika, the woman speaking, appears on camera alongside Roman. They are sitting on their living room couch.)

(Text on screen: Veronika, Resident, Granite Ridge, Whistler)

02:14
I was in shock about the kindness of Canadian people. It’s like medicine for your soul, because you are in shock – all this year we were in shock and it’s still pretty difficult to live.

(Visual: In a photograph, Veronika and Manchester sit on a piece of cardboard in an undisclosed underground room. The camera cuts to Roman and Veronika’s home at Granite Ridge. Roman feeds Manchester a dog treat and smiles. Dozens of photos on their refrigerator show Roman, Veronika, and Manchester among family and friends. Roman and Veronika sit on the couch with Manchester.)

02:49
We’re hoping that everything will be good in Ukraine and the war ended soon and we can live full lives.

(Visual: Jen Ford, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed outside a ski chalet.)

03:05
Secure housing allows people to set down roots. We have families that are now able to put their kids in school with confidence that those kids will be able to stay and build friendships and that leads to a quality of life that is so, so vital to our community’s wellbeing.

(Visual: The camera slowly pulls away from the front entrance of Granite Ridge.)

(Music volume goes up)

(Visual: High drone shot of Roman and Veronika’s neighbourhood nestled among the snowy trees and mountains in Whistler.)

(Text on screen: Roman and Veronika have a safe and affordable place to call home in Whistler. Granite Ridge was supported, in part, by the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.)

(Text on screen: #NationalHousingStrategy, placetocallhome.ca)
(Music fades out)
(Visual: Text, the National Housing Strategy logo, Government of Canada logo, and CMHC logo fade in together. All text and logos fade to white.)


Manchester bounds around the living room, excited to have guests. The beagle’s owners, Roman and Veronika Misyura, try to calm him as they reflect on a 2-year journey that has included a long-distance relationship, the outbreak of war in their home country of Ukraine and finally, a new home, together at Granite Ridge, Whistler.

An avid skier, Roman arrived in Canada in 2010.

“I started in Vancouver for 3 months and then moved to Alberta. I started working for this fantastic company, Fairmont. And I spent pretty much 5 years with them. After that, actually at Jasper, I managed to get my permanent residency and then I was able to start moving to different properties.”

Originally from Ukraine, Fairmont employee Roman Misyura moved to Whistler for the slopes, but struggled to find suitable, affordable housing.
Originally from Ukraine, Fairmont employee Roman Misyura moved to Whistler for the slopes, but struggled to find suitable, affordable housing.

Through his work Roman explored Lake Louise and Banff. His dream, though, was to come to Whistler.

“I wanted to enjoy those slopes which I saw on TV and the Internet.”

He got his wish in 2015 when he secured a transfer to Fairmont Whistler.

For the first 3 months he lived in staff accommodations. Yet sharing a room with much younger co-workers was not ideal, so he began looking for his own place.

As he quickly found, navigating the private rental market came with its own set of challenges.

 

A DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE

Located about an hour and a half north of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to approximately 13,000 permanent residents and sees a daily average of 40,000 visitors through the tourism season.

“Why do people move to Whistler?” asks councillor Jen Ford. “Because of the skiing and biking and golfing and fishing; our connection to nature and the beautiful surroundings. We also have a really strong artist community.”

Jen says the desire to develop a strong, authentic community was sparked in the ‘80s.

“The council of the day went to Aspen to see what they were doing and they saw that there were no kids. They said we don’t want our community to be hollowed out. We want our community to be authentic. How do we build housing that allows families to stay and thrive here? And so, the housing authority was born.”

General manager, Whistler Housing Authority, Marla Zucht says Whistler’s employee housing program was created to help address the rapidly increasing housing prices.
General manager, Whistler Housing Authority, Marla Zucht says Whistler’s employee housing program was created to help address the rapidly increasing housing prices.

Created 26 years ago, the Whistler Housing Authority helps local employees to secure affordable housing.

“There needed to be some form of support and intervention to help address the rapidly increasing real estate prices which were outpacing what locals could afford,” says Marla Zucht, General Manager of Whistler Housing Authority.

The organization set an ambitious goal to house a minimum of 75% of the workforce within the municipality.
Then came the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“That put Whistler even more on the map,” says Marla.

We house approximately 80% of the workforce within Whistler…It creates this vibrant social fabric and support network.
– Marla Zucht, general manager, Whistler Housing Authority

Despite rapidly increasing real estate prices and declining levels of affordability, the Whistler Housing Authority’s employee housing program has been achieving its goal for more than 12 years.

“We house approximately 80% of the workforce within Whistler and you can feel and see the results of [that]. It creates this vibrant social fabric and support network. A visitor could be riding a chair lift with an employee who lives locally. That creates a different kind of energy than a strictly tourism-focused economy.”

 

A LONG JOURNEY HOME

Roman heard about the employee housing program on his first day in Whistler and immediately added his name to the wait list.

As his name edged toward the top, he navigated the challenges of the private rental market, including landlords who switched his accommodation to AirBnBs or short-term rentals with very little notice.

“When it happens during the wintertime or Christmas it’s nearly impossible for you to act fast and find something,” says Roman. “Lots of my friends in this situation had to leave Whistler.”

Then one day, he woke up to an email.

“It said, Hey, you’re next! We have this studio available, just basically right around the corner. At Legacy Way. Do you want it? Obviously, I said Yes!

When my wife joined me in Canada, and again with the situation which is happening in the country, we were able to rescue our dog—our little beagle, Manchester. Unfortunately, the previous place at Legacy Way was not pet friendly so…they were able to relocate us to this place where we are.”

 

FROM ATHLETES’ VILLAGE TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING

“Granite Ridge is a 45-unit rental apartment building developed, owned and operated by Whistler Housing Authority,” says Marla.

“It’s located down in our Legacy neighbourhood, so formerly the Athletes’ Village and now a permanent neighbourhood for primarily employee housing. It’s very close to transit, with access to beautiful green spaces and local amenities.”

The building includes a mix of studio, one-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments. It is also extremely energy efficient.

“It has scored close to what a Passive Haus would be,” says Marla. “That in turn relates to the affordability that we can pass on to tenants.”

 

SOMETHING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Roman and Veronika’s one-bedroom apartment includes an open concept kitchen and living room.

“We have a fantastic balcony, with a fantastic view. We have a decent-sized bedroom with a quite nice bathroom. There is a storage room which is tremendous. It holds all our belongings. Your skis, your bicycles, your clothing, your luggage can be here without cluttering this place.

We are Ukrainian and we like to cook so the kitchen is great.

And I mentioned this fantastic feature of the heated floors, right? Our dog loves it. The minute we turn on the button he lays on the floor, legs spread out.”

 

PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO SUCCESS

“Granite Ridge is a great example of how important partnerships are for bringing these projects to fruition,” says Marla.

We don’t build a single unit without a partnership.
– Jen Ford, councillor, Resort Municipality of Whistler

“The land originally came from the BC government as part of Whistler co-hosting the 2010 winter Olympics with the City of Vancouver. That land had to almost exclusively to be used for community benefit.”

“It’s vital to make affordable housing a community effort.” Councillor Jen Ford, Resort Municipality of Whistler says the desire to develop a strong, authentic community was sparked in the ‘80s.
“It’s vital to make affordable housing a community effort.” Councillor Jen Ford, Resort Municipality of Whistler says the desire to develop a strong, authentic community was sparked in the ‘80s.

CMHC provided a seed grant to facilitate preliminary work on the project, BC Housing provided construction financing and given the building’s energy efficiency, affordability and accessibility, CMHC was able to provide additional funding through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.

“We don’t build a single unit without a partnership,” says Jen. “We truly cannot do this by ourselves.”

In terms of advice for other resort municipalities who are struggling to provide affordable housing Jen says, “It’s vital that you make this a community effort, a community mantra that housing your people in smart locations really drives innovation.

We have families that are now able to put their kids in school with confidence that those kids will be able to stay and build friendships. That leads to a quality of life that is so, so vital to our community’s wellbeing.”

 

A NEW CHAPTER

Despite a challenging year and the ongoing conflict in her home country, Roman’s wife Veronika is grateful for her new home and surroundings.

Roman rescued his wife, Veronika and her dog, Manchester from the conflict in Ukraine. They are starting a new chapter at Whistler Housing Authority’s Granite Ridge development.
Roman rescued his wife, Veronika and her dog, Manchester from the conflict in Ukraine. They are starting a new chapter at Whistler Housing Authority’s Granite Ridge development.

“It’s a pretty interesting period for me because you know you have like strange new feelings,” she says.

“First of all, I was shocked about the kindness of Canadian people. You know it’s like medicine for your soul because you are in shock and it’s still pretty difficult to live normally when you know that part of your family, your friends are still in Ukraine and are still not safe in your country. So for now, we feel great here. It’s like heaven for me because Whistler is such beautiful nature here and it’s like treatment for you so it’s nice to be here, I’m happy.”

KEY FACTS

  • Granite Ridge was supported through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. This National Housing Strategy initiative supports projects that target the needs of vulnerable Canadians, including single mothers, Indigenous Peoples, persons with a disability, Veterans, seniors and recent immigrants, with approximately one-third of the new homes dedicated to Black families.
  • The project is the result of a partnership between CMHC, the Province of BC, BC Housing, the Resort Municipality of Whistler and Whistler Housing Authority.
  • Whistler Housing Authority was created by the Resort Municipality of Whistler to help local employees find suitable housing. The organization manages an inventory of 7,000 beds of affordable rental and ownership housing, dedicated to qualified employees.