Leveraging Aboriginal Tourism Legacy Benefits from the 2010 Olympics: A Case Study of Whistler

This study examines how the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (the Games) were used as a path creation tool to generate a set of positive tangible and intangible legacies for those First Nations on whose traditional territories this mega-event was hosted. More specifically, it explores the ways in which the Squamish and Lil-wat First Nations leveraged these legacies through a variety of relationships they nurtured with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the official Host Mountain Resort for the Games. The case study of Whistler is informed by a review of official documentation identifying the more tangible legacies captured, as well as key informant interviews with stakeholders familiar with the evolution and governance relationships prior to, during and after the Games. Specific attention is placed on understanding the factors influencing the evolution and on-going momentum of governance relationships between the First Nations during these phases of the Games. The research identifies the influence of three path creation forces (i.e. human agency, power and urgency) as being especially influential in shaping the form and extent of First Nations’ governance engagement and growth in Whistler. While significant social capital emerged in the ramp up and delivery phases of the Games, this social capital’s momentum has been diminished by a lack of institutionalized collaboration frameworks between the affected parties. Without past personal relationships being transferred into more formalized institutional policies and protocols, the sustainability of past gains in collaboration and partnership are not guaranteed. This study’s findings suggest that a mutual acknowledgment of legitimacy, a formalization of relations, and cross-cultural training is necessary to embed more collaborative governance relationships. Recent court rulings have furthered the need for more collaborative governance relations to be re-established, and also signaled that the power the First Nations will likely increase with respect to local and tourism governance within British Columbia. Considerable uncertainty exists as to how this new relationship will evolve, but future acknowledgment and dialogue is necessary to create a mutually beneficial relationship.