Whistler, B.C., has long suffered from a lack of affordable housing for the hundreds of seasonal workers who keep the resort running through the winter. Earlier this fall there were plans to house them in temporary container-style homes on a site at the northern edge of Whistler Village.
When that fell through, due to lack of financing, seasonal workers were forced to scramble for lodging. But, now another builder is floating a plan to create temporary housing, using the same site that was being set aside for the container-style homes.
"We've been running like crazy to make this thing happen,'' said architect Alvaro Ponce de Leon, the builder behind the latest housing project.
It has been prompted by the lack of accommodation, which has forced many seasonal workers to live in packed basement suites and pay a lot of money for the privilege of doing so.
De Leon is also looking ahead to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the perception that temporary wood-frame homes will help to ease the housing crunch by providing the accommodation that may be needed when the Games are on.
An earlier plan to put seasonal workers in temporary container-style homes fell through when the U.S. builder failed to come up with the financing.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Sarah Galashan
