Pique Newsmagazine 2717 by Pacific Coastal Publications LP

APRIL 23, 2020 ISSUE 27.17

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IMAGINATIONS

EMERG PLANNING

Local government

is already planning for wildfire

CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS

Taking

time to cheer on those who volunteer

MOVING ON Writer, director, and educator Angie Nolan is moving to the city

WE’RE YOUR LOCAL SOURCE WHEN IT COMES TO REAL ESTATE Real Estate remains a local phenomenon We separate facts from feelings We’re working smarter to serve you better *Real Estate is deemed an essential service

FIND YOUR NEXT HOME ONLINE AT WHISTLERREALESTATE.CA

#103 LYNX

3201 BLUEBERRY DRIVE, BLUEBERRY

Townhouse Bedrooms: 2

1,173 Bathrooms: 2

Square Feet:

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$1,200,000

EMBARC POINTS WHISTLER

Timeshares

6243 PAR ROAD

#83 GLACIERS REACH

WHISTLER CAY HEIGHTS

Duplex Bedrooms: 4.5

4388 NORTHLANDS BLVD, VILLAGE

2,100 Bathrooms: 3.5

Square Feet:

DAVE BURCH *PREC daveb@wrec.com | 604 935 7913

$1,999,000

DONNIE CARMICHAEL donnie@wrec.com | 604 905 2825

1994

$40/point

557 Bathrooms: 1

Square Feet:

DEAN LINNELL *PREC dean@wrec.com | 604 935 9313

#2 FITZSIMMONS WALK

#222 GREYHAWK

Townhouse Bedrooms: 4

Condominium Bedrooms: 2

7124 NANCY GREENE DRIVE, WHITE GOLD Year Built:

Townhouse Bedrooms: 1

2,707 Bathrooms: 3.5

Square Feet:

ELIZABETH CHAPLIN elizabeth@elizabethchaplin.com

$3,245,000

$699,000

3309 PTARMIGAN PLACE, BLUEBERRY

1,163 Bathrooms: 2

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ERIN MCCARDLE STIEL erin@wrec.com | 604 905 0520

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604 932 5538 WHISTLERREALESTATE.CA *Personal Real Estate Corporation

SOME WORDS FROM OUR “DOOR GUY” WAYNE Love my job and feel grateful to be doing something for my community.

I think our role is to control the flow, allowing for the space needed to help our guests and colleagues feel comfortable and be safe while in the store.

I joke that we provide Cart Valet Service, but our guests should know that every cart and basket is sanitized before they use it.

Happy Shopping!

Thank you for your patience and understanding while entering the store,

Wayne, “Night Train”

and courtesy for each other when shopping.

Long time local

EARTH’S CHOICE

HONEST TEA

Selected Varieties, 398ml

Assorted Flavours, 473ml

2 $5

$ /EACH .69

Organic Beans

FOR

Pharmacy & Wellness PRESCRIPTIONS WHILE YOU SHOP

2019

9am to 7pm. 7 days a week.

Organic Brewed Tea

MCT Powder BY NUTIVA ORGANIC Made from 100% organic virgin coconut oil. To ensure that the quality fats blend perfectly into any beverage, gut-supportive prebiotic acacia fiber and a small amount of tapioca maltodextrin are added to deliver the same goodness in powdered form. NuMCT™ is simply pure, clean fuel. Available in Turmeric, Chocolate, and Matcha. Now on sale at Nesters Market.

604.932.3545 604.905.0429

Nesters Market Pharmacy

nestersmarket.com

7019 Nesters Road (Just 1 km north of Whistler Village)

Prices Effective At Whistler Nesters From: Thursday, April 23rd to Wednesday, April 29th, 2020. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Sale limited to stock on hand. Some items subject to Tax, plus deposit, recycling fee where applicable.

THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

34 38

Educating during a pandemic Experts say there’s valuable opportunity for unstructured learning during self-isolation. - By Alyssa Noel

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter writers this week remind

us of some of the forgotten victims of the pandemic and call for hydro billing changes.

SURPRISE HONOUR

Whistler Minor Hockey Association

female atom head coach Jeremy Robb received BC Hockey’s Fred Heslop Award for going above and beyond in the team’s first season.

PLANNING AHEAD

Whistler officials are planning for

GREENER PASTURES

A pillar of the Whistler arts scene

potential ‘dual-emergency scenarios,’ with unseasonably dry conditions a cause for

for more than two decades, writer, director and educator Angie Nolan is moving to the city

concern for wildfire.

to pursue her filmmaking dreams.

COVENANT DISCHARGED

VOP council voted to

MAXED OUT

It’s taking a great deal of patience to get through

discharge a covenant on the Tiyata lands, which called for developers to provide non-

this pandemic, but it also took patience and determination to finally turn Whistler into an

market housing and a community garden, but expect to renegotiate with a new buyer.

Olympic host.

COVER As a product of self-paced learning in the ‘90s, I can truly say classrooms aren’t the be all and end all of education. To be honest, I don’t think I ever learned much in them other

than how to let my eyes glaze over and roll back in my head! - By Jon Parris

#103 -1390 ALPHA LAKE RD., FUNCTION JUNCTION, WHISTLER, B.C. V8E 0H9. PH: (604) 938-0202 FAX: (604) 938-0201 www.piquenewsmagazine.com

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Editor CLARE OGILVIE - edit@piquenewsmagazine.com Assistant Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@wplpmedia.com

Reporters BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com JOEL BARDE - jbarde@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@wplpmedia.com Classifieds and Reception mail@piquenewsmagazine.com Circulation and Accounts PAIGE BRUMMET - pbrummet@wplpmedia.com Office and Accounts Manager HEIDI RODE - hrode@wplpmedia.com I.T. and Webmaster KARL PARTINGTON

Production Manager KARL PARTINGTON - kpartington@wplpmedia.com

Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, MICHAEL ALLEN, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ALLEN BEST, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON

Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@wplpmedia.com

President, Whistler Publishing LP SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com

Advertising Representatives AMY ALLEN - aallen@wplpmedia.com TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com

Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of Whistler Publishing Limited Partnership, a division of Glacier Media) distributed to over 130 locations in Whistler and to over 200 locations from Vancouver to D’arcy.

Digital/Sales Coordinator AMELA DIZDARIC - traffic@wplpmedia.com Digital Sales Manager FIONA YU - fiona@glaciermedia.ca Production production@piquenewsmagazine.com LOU O’BRIEN - lstevens@wplpmedia.com WHITNEY SOBOOL - wsobool@wplpmedia.com Arts & Entertainment Editor ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sports Editor DAN FALLOON - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com

4 APRIL 23, 2020

The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2019 by Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of WPLP, a division of Glacier Media). No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the Publisher. In no event shall unsolicited material subject this publication to any claim or fees. Copyright in letters and other (unsolicited) materials submitted and accepted for publication remains with the author but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms. Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, address and daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 250 words. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine. Pique Newsmagazine is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact (edit@piquenewsmagazine.com). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information. This organization replaces the BC Press council (and any mention of it).

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Every Wednesday and Friday morning, we will be holding an early morning shopping hour for SENIORS and HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS that are most vulnerable in our community. We will provide a clean and low stress environment to ensure we take care of our community in the best way possible.

FRESHSTMARKET.COM • 8 AM – 7 PM DAILY

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presented at time of purchase. Excludes applicable taxes, bottle deposits, tobacco, eco-fees & gift cards. This voucher has no cash value so we cannot give cash back. One voucher per person, per household, per purchase, per day. promotional voucher valid for in-store purchases only. This voucher is only valid at Fresh St. Market in Whistler.

4330 Northlands Blvd Whistler, BC V8E 1C2 Expires april 30, 2020

PR ICES E FFECT I V E F R I DAY, APRIL 24 – T HUR SDAY, APRIL 30

LOCATED IN WHISTLER MARKETPLACE VILLAGE NORTH

OPENING REMARKS

Creativity in the time of COVID-19 SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, as the world was watching the tragedy of COVID-19 unfold in Italy, we are also uplifted and mesmerized to hear physically isolated people singing from their balconies or playing music. Said RAI Orchestra violinist Aldo Sebastián Cicchini from Milan at the time: “Music is not a cure for the disease, but it is maybe a cure for our hearts. “I think that, in times like this, all the arts are very, very important. Right now, we need to survive, but surviving is not living. The beauty of art makes us united, and part of something that is bigger than us.

BY CLARE OGILVIE edit@piquenewsmagazine.com

“Here in my building, every time I played, despite the distance between us, we felt closer. It’s feels like we are a team, going forward together. And that’s the power of music.” I have also found myself playing music at home as I work—something I never do. In the newsroom’s online forum, where we all keep in touch every day, we often share songs, as we experience different feelings in

music is creating for, not just our communities in the Sea to Sky corridor, but globally. On Friday, April 17, The Hairfarmers held another virtual concert to raise spirits and money for local food banks—another success. Incredibly, they have raised over $100,000 in just a few weeks through these toe-tapping shows (done with physical distancing in mind, of course). This past weekend, the idea was taken to a global level with the One World: Together at Home virtual concert featuring some of the biggest names in music. Put together by the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and anti-poverty organization Global Citizen, it aimed to raise money to equip healthcare workers around the world in the fight against coronavirus. So far, the initiative has raised more than US$127 million. My artistic friends are taking time to paint and draw and share their creations, and I am loving that. In my own way, I am also being creative, though my heart finds its release in words. Music, art and culture are fundamental parts of Canadian society and I would say that, here in Whistler, our connection to these forms of expression is probably deeper than in many places.

“Right now, we need to survive, but surviving is not living. The beauty of art makes us united, and part of something that is bigger than us.” - ALDO SEBASTIÁN CICCHINI

our rather frantic new reality in isolation. Yesterday, I received a text message with a video from violinist Yuko Iwanaga, founder of the Sea to Sky Orchestra, that shows her playing different parts of classical selections on different instruments, which were all stitched together so what you hear is a symphony from a mini-orchestra (go listen at https://tinyurl.com/y74rnozm). Wonderful. And consider the incredible support

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6 APRIL 23, 2020

With World Art Day just past on April 15 (en.unesco.org/commemorations/ worldartday), and the pandemic creating a frame around art and expression unknown in generations, it’s time to consider the value art, in all its many forms, brings to us and think about what support of this sector could look like post-coronavirus. As with so many things—long underfunded and taken for granted by many—the pandemic might be offering us up some lessons about art and

culture, for Canada, B.C., and Whistler. But, while we are being inspired by those who pursue art in all its many forms right now, we cannot forget that those who work in this field are likely being impacted disproportionately when it comes to surviving financially. Recently, the Canada Council for the Arts launched a survey to better understand the needs of the professional arts sector in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, sending it out to over 30,000 of its clients. In the first two days of the survey, it heard back from 7,500 artists, groups or organizations, and learned that: No fields of practice supported by the Canada Council will be untouched by the crisis; certain aspects of the sector remain at risk, for example, organizations relying on selfemployed professionals and organizations with high non-payroll, fixed costs; but that 61 per cent believed the arts will get through the pandemic crisis with the support of the federal government’s emergency aid measures. Last week, the federal government announced it would give $500 million to Canada’s arts, sports and cultural sectors— though its not clear how it will be divvied up. “We need our artists to continue to make us dream, particularly in dark times,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his morning press briefing on April 17. It’s a welcome recognition. There have been many articles written about the amazing creativity of our cultural partners and how this is helping us survive isolation and physical-distancing measures, and it is uplifting to read these. But if there is a growing recognition that humans can’t survive this type of threat without artist expression, then what should this mean for life post-pandemic? I have read several times about how Shakespeare wrote King Lear and Macbeth while in isolation to escape the plague, but let’s remember he had patrons to support him. Why should we expect our creatives to be able to express themselves if their energy is being spent on worrying about how the next bill gets paid or how they will feed and house their kids? n

COVID 19 STORE ADVISORY

ORDER ONLINE!

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8AM-8PM DAILY

for delivery or pick-up visit:

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8am-9am reserved for the elderly & the high-risk individuals.

click on shopping cart icon

Please be considerate of this hour for them to shop safely in our Market.

Feeding the Spirit of Whistler Since 1988

ISOLATION PACKAGE GIVEAWAY!!! THANK YOU, WHISTLER, FOR CONTINUING TO BEND THE CURVE! Creekside Market would like to give away an ISOLATION PACKAGE for you rock-stars staying home and staying safe! We have what you need for cleaning, snacking, and a dinner for two (or two dinners for one!). To enter, please do the following:

1. 2. 3.

THANK YOU

FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Like our page on Facebook @CreeksideMarket Follow us on Instagram @whistlercreeksidemarket Post a photo of your best quarantine meal, tag us and 3 friends you’d share it with on either Facebook or Instagram.

You must do all three to qualify for the draw. Winner will be announced next Thursday.

“Be kind, be calm, be safe.” DR. BONNIE HENRY

Congratulations to last week's mini-package winners: Cleaning Pack: Ingrid Lillian Snack Pack: Greame Chalmers Baking Pack: Cameron Morgan

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Governments cannot stand by any longer As we settle into this new normal of greatly diminished and rapidly disappearing business, it is important to reflect on forgotten financial victims of this unfolding tragedy. Let us first discuss who is not suffering. The entire public sector currently employed and pensioned is being paid in full and even benefiting financially, as expenses go down and relative purchasing power goes up through the rapid erosion of asset values and prices. Ironically, one could say that this includes all decision makers and deliverers of news and regulatory requirements. So, we have the situation that all the financial decisions are being made by the sector that will suffer minimally, if at all. That is not a judgment with respect to the necessity of certain measures relating to health that have been taken. To be clear, no one is advocating the cutting of pensions or the firing of government workers. It is a judgment on other measures relating to the private sector that have not been taken. Here in British Columbia, we have many thousands of employees thrown out of work and now having trouble paying their rent. Fortunately, there is some assistance available that, in most cases, will allow the most basic bills to be paid. On the other side of the street, for small- and medium-sized businesses and for landlords, there is a vacuum and a loud sucking noise, as the work of years and decades in many cases, evaporates. Tenants are not paying rents. Small landlords (and yes, there are thousands of them that own one or two properties and rely on that income for non-government funded pensions and to build a future) are still required to pay property taxes, mortgages and bills. Banks are sometimes, and usually reluctantly, deferring, but not waiving, payments. The piper will have to be paid. In the commercial world, smaller landlords typically rent to smaller retail tenants. Tenants are bailing and closing the doors. These rents will never be collected. Vacancies are skyrocketing. Many [tenants] will not come back. For the landlord, the provincial and federal governments are doing … precisely nothing. Or, if you add in the fact that it is now impossible to evict a residential

revenue could qualify for 60 percent and so on.... At the end of this long Groundhog Day, we all recognize that lives saved are of paramount importance and the government’s and health care system’s responses to that aspect have been outstanding. Notwithstanding, the government also needs to recognize that we cannot allow parts of our society to be financially eviscerated whilst other parts emerge unscathed. Mike Holmes // President, Pemberton Holmes Ltd.

BC Hydro needs to stop two-tier billing now

tenant, one could say that the Province of British Columbia has made a conscious political decision to foist onto landlords a significant part of the cost of COVID-19. For small businesses, the government has offered a 10-per-cent wage subsidy. That has helped modestly. They have also offered some compensation to laid-off workers. That has also helped modestly. For the business owner who has suffered, and will suffer declines in revenue, the federal government has provided nothing of substance. It is political showmanship. The government has offered a subsidy of 75 per cent of wages for those businesses that suffer a 30-per-cent loss in gross revenue for April or May. Most businesses I know with rent and/or debt operate on margins of five to 20 per cent. When these businesses lose 10 to 25 per cent of their revenue, it is not a question of going home and hunkering down and watching Netflix; it is a matter of financial ruin. The hardest-hit sectors—the restaurant and retail businesses—are suffering in many cases 100-per-cent losses in revenue. For them, the wage subsidy is completely meaningless. They cannot afford to pay the rent, let alone 25 per cent of wages for someone who has no place to come to work.

Banks and landlords, in most cases, have personal guarantees. Deferring rent and deferring mortgage payments just kicks the can of bankruptcy a little further down the road. The entire financial cost of this pandemic is being borne by the private sector and by certain elements of that private sector disproportionately. Ironically—I use that word again, as it is more polite than other choices— it is also the same sector that will be asked to repay all the bills that need to be paid. What should be done? I do not have all the answers; however, I do believe the burden of this crisis has to be more evenly spread. There needs to be some rent relief and support for businesses that is not reliant on landlord generosity. There needs to be some property-tax relief for commercial properties. Cities, governments, and municipalities need to restructure, trim and cut expenses significantly. Cities should be provided a one-time exemption to borrow funds to subsidize property-tax relief for commercial properties provided these cost savings are passed onto rent-paying tenants. Finally, the wage-subsidy program should be nuanced: Businesses losing 30 per cent of revenue could qualify for 75 per cent of wages covered; businesses losing 25 per cent of

Write to us! Letters to the editor must contain the writer’s name, address and a daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 450 words. Pique Newsmagazine reserves the right to edit, condense or refrain from publishing any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine.

Nick Davies, Whistler local and experienced family lawyer practising across BC and Yukon. FULLY FURNISHED 1/4 OWNERSHIP CONDO/HOTELS IN WHISTLER CREEKSIDE

CONTACT JAMES FOR AVAILABILITY THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING? CALL JAMES FOR MORE INFORMATION.

8 APRIL 23, 2020

JAMES COLLINGRIDGE

CALL JAMES, THE LEGENDS & EVOLUTION SPECIALIST Direct: 604-902-0132 Toll Free: 1-888-689-0070 james@whistlerrealestate.net www.whistlerrealestate.net

Call at 604-602-9000 or visit www.macleanlaw.ca Maclean Law is headquartered in Vancouver with offices across British Columbia.

Premier Doug Ford of Ontario recently announced a change in Ontario One Hydro billing. Effective immediately, the two-tier billing regime has been discontinued, and all power usage by Ontario clients will be charged at the first-tier rate. With the lockdown of citizens in their homes, the kilowatt usage has climbed markedly. Those with children would have experienced a huge increase in their billing. This has been stopped. I commend Premier Ford for this leadership decision. Here in B.C., we pay $0.0945 per kilowatt for the first 677 kws and $0.1417 for all the rest per month. My bill (two-person household) for the past two-month billing period was $446 or $223 per month. Step-two usage cost is $284! Step one is $128. Total usage for the period was 3354 kws. If billed at the first-tier rate, my bill would have been $317—$128 less! I can just imagine the amounts families with children are paying! Scary! BC Hydro is doing and saying nothing about this massive rip-off of their clients. Their website simply says that if you can’t pay the bill or are about to be cut off for lack of payment, they would defer payment, if you qualify. Premier Horgan must order BC Hydro to immediately reduce the rate as Ontario’s Premier has done. Otherwise, BC Hydro will reap windfall profits over this pandemic. Peter G Parry // Birken (Editor’s note: The COVID-19 Customer Assistance Program provides customers the option to defer bill payments or arrange for flexible payment plans with no penalty. Customers are encouraged to call BC Hydro’s customer team at 1 800 BCHYDRO (1 800 224 9376) to discuss bill payment options.) n

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PIQUE’N YER INTEREST

Civic-minded actions will help shape Whistler’s future LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I never imagined that a global pandemic would upend my life. Such things, I blithely thought, were a thing of the past—at least in wealthy, technologically advanced countries like Canada. The coronavirus has put the lie to this fantasy, exposing just how pernicious certain

BY JOEL BARDE jbarde@piquenewsmagazine.com

viruses can be and how ill-equipped our healthcare systems are to deal with them. Within the blink of an eye, the Canadian economy was ground to a halt, with Canada losing more than a million jobs in March. Like other industries, newspapers (which face a challenging business model at the best of times) have been hard hit, with layoffs and shutdowns taking place across the country. Pique can offer its award-winning journalism thanks to the support of local businesses that place ads within it, but today many of them are closed and are no longer in a position to buy them. (To those businesses and organizations that continue to purchase ads, or individuals who are supporting the paper through its

new pledge campaign, thank you.) After being temporarily laid off from Pique at the start of the month, I am adjusting to life in self-isolation, holed up with my old man in our Sun Peaks home. We’re enjoying ourselves, but this certainly isn’t how I expected to be spending the spring. (And seriously, how nice would it be to enjoy a couple sunny Whistler laps and a beer at Seppo’s right about now?) What’s become clear is that normality— as in pre-COVID 19 normality—is a long way off. Economies the world over have taken an unprecedented hit that could take years to recover from, and many are questioning the long-term likelihood of international tourism at pre-COVID 19 rates. All this spells major challenges for Whistler’s economy—and especially its local, independent businesses landscape. “Since closing my store mid-March, I have taken in zero dollars, and by the end of April, I should be able to make an income of zero dollars again,” wrote Peter Elzinga, owner of The Beach Whistler store, in a recent Letter to the Editor that appeared in Pique. “If something significant isn’t done immediately for commercial landlords and their tenants, not only will the weak not survive, but it will also take a significant toll on the strong.” Despite the promise of a rent-relief program for commercial tenants, it’s difficult

to imagine a scenario in which some Whistler businesses don’t fail, especially given skyhigh commercial rates here. In a town with more than its fair share of American franchises, this will represent a major loss to the community. That said, there is no reason to imagine that everything will be worse once we (finally) make it to the other side of this.

“[N]ot only will the weak not survive, but it will also take a significant toll on the strong. - PETER ELZINGA

While Whistler’s booming economy has created many winners in recent years, it’s also produced a rental market that’s unsustainable, forcing countless people (who have worked hard and contributed directly to the economy) to now leave. The fact that it’s widely accepted that young people will pay north of $1,000 to share a room in a home that should probably be condemned is not a sign of a healthy economy.

It shouldn’t have been accepted for as long as it was, and let’s hope that this is a thing of the past. Whistler’s well-established, stalwart organizations will undoubtedly play a major role in shaping what’s to come. But as reported last week (“Whistler groups face tough choices as COVID-19 wipes out funding”), many of them are themselves facing major funding cuts from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW). Like other municipalities, the RMOW is facing revenue losses and is scrambling to balance its budget while helping to maintain the essential services we need mow more than ever. I look forward to hearing more about how the RMOW’s current council envisions Whistler’s future. Does it anticipate business as usual? Or will the community need to adapt to a new reality? Earlier this month, Victoria’s city council passed a motion to grow plant seedlings in the city’s greenhouses. The baby plants will be distributed to citizens with low incomes or who lost their jobs to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a bold initiative that seems perfect for these challenging times. Here’s to hoping we see similar, innovative ideas coming out of municipal hall. There is, more than ever, an appetite for them. n

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HELP REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 TAKE STEPS TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19):

Follow the advice of your local public health authority.

Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

SYMPTOMS

Cough and sneeze into your sleeve and not your hands.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Stay home as much as possible and if you need to leave the house practice physical distancing (approximately 2 m).

IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of COVID-19 may be very mild or more serious and may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus. Isolate at home to avoid spreading illness to others.

Avoid visits with older adults, or those with medical conditions. They are at higher risk of developing serious illness.

Call ahead before you visit a health care professional or call your local public health authority.

If your symptoms get worse, contact your health care provider or public health authority right away and follow their instructions.

FEVER (greater or equal to 38 Â°C)

COUGH

DIFFICULTY BREATHING

FOR INFORMATION ON COVID-19: 1-833-784-4397

canada.ca/coronavirus

m o .c e id s e p lo S r le t Whis

to our besties: George, Marnie Anastasia We are grateful to our local TD Canada Trust for their help. You have lifted a huge weight off of our shoulders!

We thank Pique for everything you bring to us

The staff at Foto source would like to thank the truck drivers supplying our town with the basic essentials. Also a big shout out to the team at Pique Newsmagazine for keeping us informed and entertained.

Look at the label. Buy Canadian. On behalf of CUPE Local 2010, RMOW Municipal Workers, we wish to extend our hear elt thanks and solidarity to the front-line workers serving our communi es through this public health crisis. To all health care-workers and first responders, to every worker that is making sure cri cal public services are s ll being delivered, all of those working in our grocery stores and pharmacies, everyone delivering meals and supplies, and to those helping the most vulnerable in our communi es get through this crisis – Thank you! We can all be proud of the extraordinary courage and commitment shown by these workers on the front-line of the coronavirus pandemic. And to everyone in Whistler and Pemberton – Thank you for staying home! You are doing your part in stopping the spread of coronavirus and helping keep front-line workers safe. CUPE 2010 is commi ed to helping and serving Whistler and Pemberton during these incredibly challenging mes. As ever, we are here for you and our communi es. In solidarity, Pete Rozsa, President, Local 2010 Canadian Union of Public Employees

Thank you Whistler www.whistler.life

An opportunity to share a note of thanks, greetings or celebration for a frontline health care worker, helpful friend or colleague, or celebrate a birthday in print! Or a personal reminder to donate to the foodbank or another worthy Whistler cause. At an affordable cost for you to share some thoughts of compassion:

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Thanks for eating so many Helmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; organic potatoes!

THANK YOU! TO OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND TO ALL ESSENTIAL SERVICES WORKERS. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COURAGEOUS EFFORTS DURING THIS CHALLENGING TIME.

STAY WELL! www.peakventures.ca

We are thrilled that so many of you enjoy our spuds. Did you know you can live on potatoes? They have fiber, more potassium than bananas, protein and carbs (the ones that make you smart), plus almost all the vitamins and minerals you can name. And thank you to the Pique, for keeping us connected. helmersorganic.com

Thank You

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THANK YOU!

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Mama and Rudy send a huge THANK YOU to the healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and all our community for keeping our humans healthy and fed. You are truly our heroes! Please Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Be Gentle & Be Kind We are All in this Together

E: rob@wrec.com W: robpalm.com T: 604-905-8833 TF: 1-800-667-2993

Singing the Praises to Whistler's essential workers for all that you do and to the Community For keeping your safe distance

Together we can beat this

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler officials planning for ‘dual-emergency scenarios’ UNSEASONABLY DRY CONDITIONS CAUSE FOR CONCERN; RESIDENTS REMINDED TO STAY VIGILANT ON WILDFIRE

BY BRADEN DUPUIS EVEN WITH COVID-19 taking the bulk of the attention of local elected officials in recent weeks, other potential emergencies haven’t been forgotten in the meantime. “From the beginning, when the Whistler [Emergency Operations Centre] was activated, one of their early tasks was to advance a number of different dualemergency scenarios, so the consideration of COVID-19 and wildfire, or the consideration of COVID-19 and a flood freshet,” said Mayor Jack Crompton. “The Province of B.C. has also directed all local governments to prepare for flood and wildfire emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. [So there is] significant planning across the province.” The EOC is regularly going through potential scenarios and sharing details with the provincial government, which then provides feedback, Crompton said. An out-of-control wildfire in the Squamish Valley last week only served to heighten the urgency. As of Wednesday, April 22, the fire was 203 hectares and classified as being held, with an evacuation alert still in effect for properties in the area. “It’s important to note that there’s been

CAUSE FOR CONCERN An out-of-control wildfire

in the Squamish Valley last week highlighted the need for preparedness at Whistler’s municipal hall. PHOTO BY ROBERT KEIR

14 APRIL 23, 2020

extensive work done in recent years on wildfire, poor air quality and evacuation planning in Whistler, so we’re well prepared for all of these areas,” Crompton said. “Now, we’re primarily reviewing those plans through the COVID-19 lens.” It’s hard for officials to accurately predict what a fire season might hold, said Dorthe Jakobsen, fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service’s Coastal Fire Centre. “What we’re hearing currently from

is reminded to report suspected wildfires immediately by calling 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone. The potential for a dual emergency is not lost on Whistler Councillor Arthur De Jong, who oversees council’s environment portfolio. “It’s been hard to sleep, in these times of a pandemic, when certainly as a councillor I worry about our community’s physical and mental health, the survival of our local businesses, and now, likely, potentially,

“This start obviously puts us in a vulnerable situation going forward...” - ARTHUR DE JONG

our predictive services unit is that we’re going to have a normal wildfire season, however, we did see an unseasonable dry April throughout southwest B.C., which did increase the fire danger ratings a little bit,” Jakobsen said. So far this year the Coastal Fire Centre has seen 16 fires burn a total of 235 hectares, compared to six burning 160 hectares at the same point last year (and a 10-year average of two). “It’s pretty normal for us to get a blip in April as the backyard burning starts up, and people start cleaning their yards and so on,” Jakobsen said, adding that the public

facing real extreme fire threats going into the heart of summer,” De Jong said. De Jong follows forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration out of the U.S., which can be applied to B.C. and Whistler due to their proximity to the border. “In their April, May, June forecast, they have about a 60-per-cent probability of less-than-seasonal average precipitation … for temperatures, same range, 60 per cent higher-than-normal temperatures, through April, May and June,” he said. “So this start obviously puts us in a vulnerable situation going forward, unless

we get a change in the weather pattern.” If wildfire protection took a back seat to COVID-19 in March, “it’s in the front seat now, because of the dry conditions we have,” De Jong added. “We’re also very challenged, obviously, financially, but we cannot compromise public safety. “So FireSmarting, fuel-reduction projects, in my view, we must continue on.” Whistler’s 2020 budget earmarked $4.1 million over five years for community wildfire protection (to be used for fuelthinning work) and $260,000 for trail and access road upgrades to maintain the ability to fight wildfire in urban interface zones next to Crown lands. It remains to be seen how exactly COVID-19 will impact that budget. “We’ll be considering the budget this week, so no changes have been made yet,” Crompton said. “I would say as it relates to wildfire prevention, plans are in place to continue to advance many of the activities within Whistler’s wildfire protection area, including fuel thinning and FireSmart.” With so many self-isolating at home, now is a great time to FireSmart your property, Crompton added. Resources are available online at whistler.ca/firesmart. “The best defense to manage a wildfire is early detection, so please keep your eyes peeled and report wildfires within Whistler to 911,” he said. “One of the challenges we face with fewer people in the community is that there are fewer eyes on the valley, so we count on our community to keep their eyes open.” n

NEWS WHISTLER

Expanding COVID-19 testing won’t have major impact for Whistler SYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS INTERESTED IN TEST SHOULD CONSULT FAMILY DOCTOR OR VIRTUAL CLINIC

Engel & Völkers Whistler Phone: 604-938-3798 Email: laura@wetaski.com

are the incidents in hospitalized patients, in long-term care homes, or in healthcare workers. At times, even some of that was limited, so now I think we’ll get a better idea of prevalence in the community of symptomatic people,” she said. Last week, provincial officials said B.C. could begin lifting some restrictions by mid-May, like allowing elective surgeries, if the spread of the virus is kept in check—but warned that a surge in cases could follow if restrictions are loosened too early or not heeded by the public. “We need to stay the course for now, even as we plan how we’re going to loosen restrictions … in a measured, thoughtful and careful way,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in the April 17 technical media briefing. “We are on the right track. What we have done has made a difference—but we must hold the line.”

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“We need to stay the course for now...”

W E N

Computer modelling by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and Simon Fraser University showed how lifting restrictions to allow the public to return to 80 to 100 per cent of normal social contacts would result in a massive spike in hospitalized cases in just weeks. The modelling also demonstrated that the widescale restrictive measures put in place, such as closing schools and physical distancing, have helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. And while some measures could be lifted in a matter of weeks, Henry was clear that distancing guidelines would likely remain in place in some form for a while longer. “We’re looking at both the economic side and the healthcare side and making sure we’re able to manage if we start to have a surge in outbreaks,” she said. “Things that will not change is our need for safe distancing, but we need to look at how we can support more family interaction.” Travel restrictions are also likely to remain in some capacity over the long term, Henry warned. “I don’t see us having a lot of travel in the near future,” she noted. “The travel we were doing for business, the travel we were doing to go to places and getting together for conferences and meetings and things, that type of thing we have to start to think isn’t going to come back for another year to 18 months, until we get a vaccine or we get to a point where this disease is under control.” n

- BONNIE HENRY

guidelines were amended so that anyone with symptoms can now be tested—but the process to obtain a test isn’t likely to change for Whistlerites, explained two local physicians. “As we don’t have a testing centre here, I still think the best advice is that if someone is ill or concerned, they should reach out to their family doctor or through our virtual walk-in clinic and have a virtual appointment either by phone or telehealth, and then with their GP, they can decide the next best steps,” said Dr. Karin Kausky of the Whistler Medical Centre. Last month, the Sea to Sky Division of Family Practice set up a virtual clinic for locals without a family doctor. Through that portal, accessed at divisionsbc.ca/seasky, patients can consult with a GP and set up a primary care appointment by phone or teleconference as required. Other patients are asked to contact their family physician or specialist for all nonurgent matters as they normally would in order to arrange an appointment via phone or teleconference. All Whistler practices have telehealth in place. “We advise clinicians that they can test a patient who presents with respiratory symptoms, or is concerned that they might have COVID-19,” said Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, in a virtual town hall held last week. Any physician or nurse practitioner can order a coronavirus test for a patient based on their clinical judgment. The public can also be referred for testing by calling 811. Dr. Bruce Mohr, the medical director for the Whistler Health Care Centre (WHCC), stressed that, whether tested or not, the treatment for potential COVID-19 cases would remain the same. “If people have symptoms of the flu, the cough or whatever, they could consult with their doctor about getting the test, but it’s not going to change the treatment. In other words, if they’ve got [cold- or flu-like symptoms], they’re going to be told to selfisolate and take care of themselves and go to emergency if they’re really sick,” he said. At present, coronavirus tests are administered locally by family physicians or at the Whistler Health Care Centre. Mohr noted that there has so far been no direction from the province to set up a testing centre in the Sea to Sky. The loosening of testing criteria will give officials a better idea of the scope of the disease in B.C., Kausky noted. “Right now the only statistics we have

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LAST WEEK, B.C.’s COVID-19 testing

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NEWS WHISTLER

Council holds workshop on COVID-19 budget impacts; amendments to come in May COUNCIL BRIEFS: NEW CAO VIRGINIA CULLEN TAKES THE REINS; CEP REALLOCATED TO COMMUNITY SERVICES

BY BRADEN DUPUIS BURNING

QUESTIONS about municipal budget cuts, tax increases and more in light of COVID-19 will have to wait— Whistler mayor and council will consider them today, April 23, in a budget workshop. “We had just gone through a really long and exhaustive budgeting process coming into 2020, and so I’m not eager to make reactionary decisions that damage the rigour that was inserted into that process originally,” said Mayor Jack Crompton after a regular council meeting held by Zoom on April 21. “My intention is that we move quickly to respond, but do so with the same kind of rigour that we gave the first process.” A related budget amendment bylaw is expected to come before council in May. “We are summarizing and getting our heads around what does this crisis mean in terms of what the 2020 budget now looks like, what are the revenue losses because of our changes in operation?” said new chief administrative officer Virginia Cullen in a presentation to council.

“And so the senior management team is working hard on getting that information together so that we can get together with council on Thursday and go through what are the likely adjustments that are going to be needed going forward, including a review of … 2020 projects, and what will the impacts be to operations and services because of this.” The COVID-19 crisis is demanding new levels of flexibility and creativity from businesses, government and the general public, Cullen added in a follow-up statement. “How we did things in the past may not be available to us for a long time. My focus at the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) right now is to see where we have flexibility to provide services given the current distancing measures,” she said. “This is why updating remote access capabilities and rolling out of new safe work guidelines has been key in getting our service levels close to where they were. We will also need to find creative solutions to programming and community engagement so that we can revitalize the community when the time comes.”

NEW CAO TAKES THE REINS It was the first meeting for CAO Cullen, who officially started with the RMOW on April 20. Cullen spent the last month embedded with the RMOW’s Emergency Operations Centre on a volunteer basis. “The experience was great. It was really an unusual situation to be able to observe a team before joining them, but it was really impressive to see everyone just operating with calmness and clarity in every meeting,” she said. “It’s really been trying to get up to speed with as much information and context as I can, as quickly as possible, which is why I joined when I did, because I knew that it was not going to be easy once I stepped in, so I wanted to learn as much I could as soon as possible.” Check back with Pique in the coming weeks for an interview with the new CAO.

COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FUNDS REALLOCATED Also at the April 21 meeting, Mayor Jack

Crompton announced that more Community Enrichment Program (CEP) funding has been reallocated to social services throughout the region. The RMOW is now giving $31,000 to the Whistler Community Services Society; $20,000 to the Howe Sound Women’s Centre Society; $13,000 to the Zero Ceiling Society of Canada; $12,000 to Sea to Sky Community Services’ Better at Home program; $7,000 to the Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society; $5,100 to the Whistler Multicultural Society; and $4,000 to the Whistler Community Foundation. “That means that we have taken the resources that are typically allocated generally as part of the CEP and focused them in this time of need on the social services programs in Whistler, our goal being that through this summer season, as we sort through how we manage a physically distanced life together, those social-service organizations that serve us so well are funded,” Crompton said. “That doesn’t mean that the CEP will not fund sports and environment and arts and culture, but if it does that will be a decision made later on.” n

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16 APRIL 23, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Men firing bear bangers spook police, public hours after worst shooting in Canadian history POLICE BRIEFS: STOLEN VEHICLE ABANDONED IN DITCH; SUSPECTS STILL ON THE LOOSE

BY BRANDON BARRETT ON THE SAME day the worst mass shooting in Canadian history claimed the lives of 22 victims in Nova Scotia—including an RCMP officer—Sea to Sky police responded to multiple reports of two men dressed in camouflage on Blackcomb Mountain carrying what initially appeared to be rifles. As it turned out, the men, a 52-year-old Coquitlam resident and a 42-year-old Delta resident, were firing bear bangers with a launcher “that looked like a modified rifle” and produced sounds the public mistook for gunshots, police said in a release. At approximately 3:10 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, RCMP members from Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton RCMP attended the area around the 4800 block of Painted Cliff “just hours after a horrific mass shooting in Canada,” police said. The men were “cautioned as to their action and advised that setting off bear bangers for fun in the resort area had caused a lot of concern for police and residents in the area.” Nova Scotian authorities have yet to

identify a motive for the 12-hour rampage that started late Saturday in the town of Portapique, but said there was clear premeditation: the shooter wore a fake police uniform and made up his car to look

and woman after recovering a stolen vehicle that had been abandoned in a ditch while the suspects were fleeing police, according to a release. At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Friday,

The men were “cautioned as to their action and advised that setting off bear bangers for fun in the resort area had caused a lot of concern...” - WHISTLER RCMP

like a police cruiser. As of Tuesday, police were examining 16 different crime scenes across the province.

POLICE RECOVER STOLEN VEHICLE; STILL LOOKING FOR SUSPECTS Whistler RCMP is on the lookout for a man

April 17, police noticed a purple 2000 Honda Civic enter the area of the village bus loop. A male passenger then exited the vehicle and approached the police car, telling the officer they were lost and low on gas. At the same time, a check revealed that the car was reported stolen out of Abbotsford. Police said the man immediately ran back to the vehicle and, with a female driver,

fled the area. Officers located the car a short time later, abandoned and half-submerged in a ditch near the intersection of Easy Street and Corral Place. They haven’t had the same luck tracking down the suspects. The male passenger is described as 35 years old, Caucasian, of medium build, weighing approximately 91 kilograms (200 pounds), 1.88 metres tall (6-2), with a bald and/or shaved head with black facial hair or stubble. He was wearing all black clothes at the time. The female driver is described as Caucasian, with a slim build and shoulderlength hair worn in a ponytail and ball cap at the time. Whistler RCMP is asking any residents in the area of Easy Street and Corral Place to review any home security footage they might have from April 17 between the hours of 2:30 and 5 a.m. and to contact police if they notice any suspicious activity. Anyone with further information on this incident or who remembers seeing the vehicle or its occupants is asked to call the detachment at 604-932-3044, or Sea to Sky Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous. n

APRIL 23, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

COVID-19 has reiterated importance of backcountry self-rescue, says WSAR manager WSAR SAW SLIGHT DROP IN CALLS LAST YEAR, BUT ‘INTENSITY’ OF RESPONSES STILL HIGH

BY BRANDON BARRETT IN YEARS PAST, March has typically been a busy month for Whistler Search and Rescue (WSAR) crews, but with the COVID-19 crisis in full swing, the volunteer organization hasn’t had a callout in nearly two months. “We haven’t had a call since March 3—and March is usually our crazy month,” explained WSAR manager Brad Sills. “I think there are probably still incidents in the backcountry but nobody wants to be the poster child for going into the backcountry right now and getting hurt … I suspect there are injuries going on that we would maybe normally get called to but people are just sucking it up.” Despite a dramatic increase in people recreating outdoors with stayhome measures in place, Sills believes the public’s reluctance to put additional strain on the healthcare system during a pandemic is leading to less risk-taking in the backcountry. It has also reiterated the importance of self-rescue. “You don’t need us unless you’re

immobile,” Sills said. “You’re supposed to be responsible, prepared and be able to get out of there.” Last month, Sills publicly called on the province to consider closing the backcountry to recreation, as search-andrescue volunteers don’t have the same access to personal protective equipment as other first responders. He said the move “ignited a bit of a firestorm” in the community; however, Victoria ultimately did wind up closing all provincial parks a few weeks later to help prevent the further spread of the virus. Even before the novel coronavirus hit locally, Sills said WSAR had been “offering more assistance to people to figure it out on their own and make their own way out [to safety].” WSAR’s annual Manager’s Report, presented late last month, showed there were 88 requests for assistance for the year ending March 1, 2020, and, of those, 14 were resolved by promoting self-rescue. This included providing instructions to download GPS apps to subjects’ phones, medical instruction regarding fatigue, muscle strain, dehydration, nausea and “simple,

systematic assurance/comfort while subjects overcome challenges and find their way back to safety,” the report said. Fifty-five of the requests resulted in actual team mobilizations, down six per cent compared to the same period the year prior—although “the intensity of the responses remains high,” the report went on. “Basically, we’ve done a better job of weeding through the more routine calls,” Sills noted of the trend. In all, 33 calls required medical rescue, while 19 were considered search missions. Three incidents resulted in death. The report also noted an increase in medical evacuations, which Sills said is the result of BC Ambulance’s longstanding policy of deferring calls outside of its organized response area or beyond its training capabilities. “This is a practice [BC Ambulance] adopted about 12 years ago, and it continues, and it’s a major reason why SAR teams are increasingly more busy,” said Sills. Last year, WSAR’s summer callouts outpaced the winter for the first time, but in 2019-20, the numbers were closer to the historical trend, with 36 winter responses versus 19 in the summer.

Ski mountaineering (14), hiking (12), snowmobiling and mountain biking (both at seven) made up the top activities requiring SAR responses. There were also six out-of-bounds skiing incidents and two out-of-bounds snowboarding incidents requiring SAR assistance. The Spearhead Range was the busiest area in terms of SAR activity, at 10 responses, followed by Whistler’s municipal area (eight), the Garibaldi Lake area (seven), Powder Mountain (six), and the backside of Whistler Mountain (six). The responses involved 78 individuals in all, 54 of whom were male, and 24 female. Twenty-six- to 30-year-olds made up the highest number of responses, at 20, with 31- to 40-year-olds close behind with 19, followed by 41- to 50-year-olds (12) and 51- to 60-year-olds (10). Local-area residents accounted for 10 responses, while residents from elsewhere in B.C. accounted for 14, and 33 from other Canadian addresses. Foreign nationals represented 21 of the 78 subjects involved, with Americans topping that list, at 19 subjects. The report stressed that subjects’ origin data is anecdotal, and not confirmed. n

Whistler Seniors (55+), here is a way to contact us with absolutely no commitment on your part. A way for you to reach us and get an idea of what we do and how we may be of help, especially now with the protocols recommended during the COVID-19 threat. Go to www.whistlermac.org it is full of information and more importantly, it is an easy way for you to contact us with any questions, concerns, helpful suggestions, etc. Don’t be alone, we all love Whistler the way you do and we are here for you, your MAC Board of Directors.

LOCAL EXPERTS GLOBAL REACH The SLCC raises our hands to health care and essential service workers maintaining our communities’ health and well-being, and to Pique Newsmagazine for their unwavering dedication to keeping our community informed through a local lens. Huy Chexw / Kukw`stumc`kalap SLCC.ca/FromHome 18 APRIL 23, 2020

The same team that you trust with your print advertising can assist in creating your digital footprint

Glacier Digital Services in partnership with Pique Newsmagazine offers solutions in website design, SEM, SEO, social media and so much more. Call your sales representative today for a free digital consultation! 604 938 0202

NEWS WHISTLER

BC Parks closures putting pressure on rec spaces PROVINCE EXTENDS SHUTDOWN UNTIL END OF MAY, WHILE SOME ADVOCATE FOR MIDDLE GROUND

BY ALYSSA NOEL THE

PROVINCIAL government announced last Monday, April 20, that it will be extending BC Parks closures until May 31, following in the footsteps of national park closures. But with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry repeatedly encouraging residents to get outside and exercise in their home communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, some outdoor enthusiasts are wondering if there’s an alternative to full closures. “For the most part, people are appreciative of the fact that we live in B.C. where both the government and community as a whole have been taking this virus very seriously, and we’re very thankful we’re not facing a situation that a lot of other places are facing with larger numbers of deaths,” said outdoor recreation advocate Steve Jones. “I think people are also understanding it will take the government time to return to a new normal … We’re starting to get a bit antsy and wanting to see [plans] because park closures make the situation worse in other areas and a number of us are anxious about how close people are

in the remaining green spaces.” Officials first closed all BC Parks and recreation sites until further notice on April 8, ahead of the Easter long weekend, hoping to encourage would-be visitors to stay home. The goal, BC Parks said in an email, was to reduce transmission of the virus. “It also responds to ongoing concerns from First Nations, regional and local governments about the increase of park visitors and the resulting impacts on neighbouring communities,” the email said. “Many parks have already experienced peak-season levels of use that has resulted in overwhelmed parking lots, trails and trailheads, making physical distancing impossible in some locations, and resulting in facility and environmental damage.” As the pandemic wears on, though, Jones said a middle ground could be struck to get people outside in a physically distant manner and take some of the pressure off of non-BC Parks trails to which people are now flocking. To that end, BC Parks could apply the research it has done in recent years on how to control visitation to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, he added. “Some of the areas, if they take the parking lots, barricade them in half and anyone who parks outside the area will be towed, that’s one good [idea],” he said.

CLOSED FOR NOW Visitors to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park enjoy the view back in spring 2018.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL

“Especially the ones you have to travel a little further to, do a day pass you could sign up for online. Then, where it’s an option, minimize different types of uses on the trails and establish a preferred direction of travel to create a loop. I’m quite optimistic they should be able to do that and it will relieve pressure on other areas.” Jones also suggested opening up access to high-risk groups like seniors first (“I think they are struggling right now to get fresh air in these close urban areas,” he said); limiting certain trails to certain sports; and examining how to implement safety measures to run campgrounds, where sites

are already spaced apart. Meanwhile, in Whistler, Mayor Jack Crompton said most people are respecting physical distancing rules on local trails. It helps that visitation is down drastically, he added. “We received information from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure that there’s been a 55-percent reduction in traffic between Squamish and Whistler with no spike on the weekends,” he said. Pemberton has had a different experience. While BC Parks’ closures were necessary, along with closing local parks, it does make other spaces busier, said Mayor Mike Richman. “There’s no question,” he said. “It’s been part of the question we’ve asked with any closures: are we putting pressures elsewhere? That—and having the mental health outlets of our beautiful trails being open—has been part of the conversation.” Numbers might be down, but people are still travelling outside their home communities to recreate, he added. “We’ve … been told we need to keep [physical distancing] up,” he said. “We will look at what we can re-open and maintain in the weeks to come. It’s a moving target, so it keeps changing all the time.” n

APRIL 23, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Joy Project looks to give thanks ONLINE ‘GAME’ BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR GRATITUDE, WHILE SQUAMISH SISTERS SUPPORT HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

BY DAN FALLOON WHEN THE COVID-19 pandemic took hold, Andrew Long and Gina MolliconeLong knew they were going to need to adjust on the fly. The Whistler entrepreneurs run Connectify, an online “team-based, problem-solving challenge” designed to engage, support and connect employees working from home. With businesses tightening budgets, however, the duo pivoted to making the program accessible free of charge to the general public, all the while providing encouragement to hardworking healthcare staff. “We wanted to use what we had as a way to give back and connect people who are all at home right now,” Long said. “The Joy Project is basically a general-public version of what we’ve been offering to corporate groups.” After a recent beta test, the Joy Project debuted on April 18. To participate, a team captain can head to connectify.net/joy and register a group of at least two members. When the game starts, teams log in to a web conference such as Skype, Zoom, FaceTime or Hangout, and receive

instructions through the Connectify app. “They have a number of different things that they have to do that are taking photos, taking videos and answering questions. They’re fun, they’re creative and some of them are just fun to do,” he said. Challenges will include finding ways to support essential workers, such as by making a hand-drawn sign of gratitude. Participants can be from the same household or, in Mollicone-Long’s case, she can bring in her parents and her Seattlebased brother and his family. “It’s basically like a virtual party,” Mollicone-Long said. “It doesn’t matter where you are, or where your friends are.” Teams will earn points for completing as many of the challenges as possible in the allotted 22 minutes. “The tasks are designed to bring people’s awareness to thanking people, making a difference, bringing gratitude, being joyful, having fun,” Mollicone-Long said. “Even though this game has a points total and there’s a winner, the real point of the game is everybody collaborating to creatively extend joy and gratitude.” The April 18 game was the first foray into the wider world. The plan is to host a game each week at a convenient time in the Pacific time zone, but if it catches on, which

“We felt really bad and we wanted to help the people that were helping us.” - ISABELLA KAVANAGH-WILLIAM

the pair hopes it will, they will do what they can to accommodate demand. “If we get a great response and word spreads and there’s a need to operate in other time zones, then we may offer something for people in Europe or Australia or New Zealand,” Long said. “There’s no geographical limitation to who we can offer this to.” Ultimately, Mollicone-Long said the project combined a desire to connect with a need to be of assistance. “People want to help. They want to thank. They want to be part of it,” she said. In other helpful news, two Squamish sisters are raising money for personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers in the Sea to Sky. The Kavanagh-William sisters, Isabella and Quinn, quickly became aware of the

community’s need for help, but weren’t sure how to raise the funds. Their early brainstorms included holding a run or another event, but with no way to do that safely, they organized a GoFundMe at gofundme.com/f/kids-supportingfrontline-workers. The proceeds will go to the Squamish Hospital Foundation, which serves the corridor. “What became obvious was the need to support frontline staff,” their father Chad said. “We decided we’d go down that road and see if we could raise some money to buy some PPE or to support the [Squamish] Hospital Foundation.” Isabella acknowledged it was difficult knowing workers were struggling, and so she was determined to find a way to help out. “We were feeling a bit helpless,” the 11-year-old said. “We felt really bad and we wanted to help the people that were helping us.” The GoFundMe had raised nearly $700 as of April 17, but the girls hope to crack the $5,000 mark. Isabella said it was a gratifying feeling seeing the first donations roll in at the beginning of the month. “It felt really good and it felt like we’re actually getting somewhere,” she said. The family plans continue the fundraiser until late April or early May. n

WMSC extends an enormous thank you to the dedicated volunteers who help produce the club’s successful race events throughout the season. No matter what the weather, our humble, enthusiastic volunteers are there to help! Please know your efforts never go unrecognized. And to our community front line workers, we would like to say how grateful we all are for your extraordinary efforts during this most difficult time. Thank you! Be sure to check out our virtual year-end awards presentation, broadcast on our website (wmsc.info) Saturday April 25th.

20 APRIL 23, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

More help on the way for tourism, small business WHISTLER CHAMBER HOSTS VIRTUAL MEETING WITH SEA TO SKY MP AND PARLIAMENTARY SMALL BUSINESS SECRETARY

BY BRANDON BARRETT MORE SUPPORT is on the way for tourism operators and other small businesses hit hard by the ongoing COVID19 crisis, assured Ottawa’s secretary for small business and the Sea to Sky’s MP in a virtual meeting with local business leaders. The Whistler Chamber of Commerce hosted the webinar over Zoom on Tuesday, April 21 with Rachel Bendayan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, and Patrick Weiler, federal MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, who both went over the federal assistance programs currently available to business owners and assured that more help is on the way for the tourism sector. “One of the ideas being talked about is having the wage subsidy be extended, especially for businesses that work in that sector,” Weiler said. The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which opens for applications on Monday, April 27, provides eligible employers affected by COVID-19 with a 75-per-cent wage subsidy for up to 12 weeks, retroactive from March 15 to June 6. Recognizing the impacts on tourism will likely be longer lasting than other sectors, Weiler is hopeful that June 6 date will be pushed forward. “This is one particularly that would be really, really important for a lot of businesses in tourism and hospitality,” he added. “I’m hoping that we will have more to talk about on this very soon.” Bendayan also clarified that the wage subsidy program allows businesses to recover wages they paid to employees since March 15—even if they are not currently working and have applied for employment insurance or for the $2,000-a-month Community Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). “There are a lot of businesses for whom the doors are closed and people are either working from home for a few hours or in some cases not at all. You are still eligible for the wage subsidy even if your employees aren’t currently working,” she explained. “The idea is to keep your business family together, to keep your employees as part of your team and therefore be ready to go as soon as these measures are lifted so you don’t have to start rehiring folks back.” Weiler urged companies to begin rehiring their staff “right away” if they were thinking of waiting until the next CERB eligibility period begins on May 9. “There is going to be a [financial] reconciliation down the road but I wouldn’t necessarily be scared off by that,” he said. “We’re quite aware that this is a situation many companies are facing and the major cash crunch that there is right now.” One of the biggest pinchpoints facing

small businesses is rent, with companies across the country calling for some form of commercial rent relief in the same vein as what has been rolled out for residential tenants. Given landlord-tenant regulations fall under provincial jurisdiction, Bendayan said Ottawa is currently negotiating with the provinces to introduce the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program. “This is incredibly important for us to land and we’re working hard with premiers across the country to make sure we can roll out these measures as quickly as possible,” she noted. Responding to a question over whether tourism-adjacent sectors, such as food and beverage, would be eligible for a piece of the nearly $1 billion announced last week to support regional economies as well as the national network of Community Futures Development Corporations, Bendayan said those funds are intended for companies that have been unable to access other forms of assistance. She specifically highlighted businesses that don’t meet the $20,000 payroll minimum to be eligible for the $40,000 interest-free loan offered through the Canada Emergency Business Account. “For some very, very small businesses— I’m thinking the small boutiques and tourists stores you have in Whistler from memory when I was there last—if the $20,000 payroll is something that is a hindrance, we’ve introduced these additional measures in order to address that,” she said. Bendayan assured local entrepreneurs that Ottawa is listening to their concerns and adjusting programs on the fly as necessary. “The federal government would like to do everything in its power to make sure our businesses come out on the other side of this crisis,” she said. “I like to describe it as building the plane as we’re flying it. I know it’s not an ideal situation but I think in a crisis context it is exactly what government should be doing to respond as quickly as possible to the needs of Canadians.” For an overview of all of the assistance available to businesses during COVID-19, visit canada.ca/coronavirus. n

BY THE NUMBERS 82%: Whistler businesses surveyed reporting a drop in sales volume 73%: Whistler businesses surveyed that have seen revenue drop by 75% or more 63%: Whistler businesses surveyed that have laid off employees 65%: Whistler businesses surveyed that have closed temporarily 2%: Whistler businesses surveyed that have closed permanently *Based on Pulse survey data provided by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce n

Give back when your community needs you most Sea to Sky Community Services is accepting applications for our

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Share your leadership skills to build and strengthen our communities in the Sea to Sky Corridor. For more information or to apply:

community@sscs.ca or

(604) 892-5796 APRIL 23, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler seniors well supported during COVID-19 HELP AND RESOURCES FOR SENIORS AVAILABLE ONLINE

BY BRADEN DUPUIS WHEN WHISTLER’S Mature Action Community (MAC) was first formed in 1995, one of the key goals was to help local seniors (aged 55 and over) feel connected. Twenty-five years later, in the age of COVID-19, those connections have never been more important. “Because our membership has so many years of experience in living here in Whistler, many of them have formed their own coffee groups, their own networks of calling each other and supporting each other over the phone, and then MAC is a backup for that, to say if you need other services in the community, we are here to help you,” said MAC chair Kathy White. “So we’re self-distancing, self-isolating, but we’re not alone.” About 25 per cent of Whistler’s population is over the age of 50, White said, and MAC itself boasts more than 200 members—but Whistler “seniors” don’t fit the typical description. White pointed to local ski instructors Marcel Richoz and George Tjelios-Nicholas—

highlighted in a recent documentary called The Fit Generation—as just one example (see Pique, Jan. 20: “The Fit Generation offers inspirational look at aging”). “They are a great example of active, engaged seniors who are very healthy here,” White said. “So we wouldn’t be your atypical senior—we’re not sitting around very much.” That said, COVID-19 could present stressful situations for seniors, especially those who are at a higher-risk of developing symptoms and needing hospitalization if infected. Is there a greater fear or anxiety amongst Whistler’s senior population these days? “Sure, and rightly so. So we have to take extra measures,” White said. “I think a lot of people are taking extra measures to stay safe, and not go out as much right now.” Delivery services and earlier hours for seniors at grocery stores are appreciated, White said, as is the free transit offered by the Resort Municipality of Whistler. For those struggling with mental health, the Whistler Community Services Society can offer counselling, White said. “I think people forget to ask for help, so we’re asking our seniors to reach out,”

ON THE GO Whistler’s seniors—like ski instructors George Tjelios-Nicholas (right) and Marcel Richoz, who were both featured in the recent documentary The Fit Generation—don’t always fit the stereotype. But those who need help during COVID-19 can find resources through the Mature Action Community. PHOTO COURTESY OF EYES MULTIMEDIA

White said. “We connect with them through a newsletter that says, here are the places to go to get that help. We aren’t going to push you, but you need to find motivation to get help where needed.” White also recommended a free mental health skill-building program called BounceBack (find more at bouncebackbc.ca). More health resources, including a page dedicated to COVID-19 information, can be found at whistlermac.org. During these days of physical distancing and self-isolation, it’s important to stay connected—even if only with the people in

your neighbourhood, White added. “The families in town, too, they might be missing their grandparents. Sometimes just reaching out to the local senior in the neighbourhood, for kids and seniors out and about in the community, it kind of reminds them of their families,” she said. “I would just remind seniors and people in the community that we’re not alone, and that Whistler MAC is filled with a group of 55-plus people that have been younger, longer. “We’ve been here through this before, through many life challenges. Nobody is alone in this community, that’s for sure.” n

To all Resort Municipality of Whistler and community volunteers – thank you! Volunteers are an integral part of Whistler’s passionate and engaged community. This National Volunteer Week, we recognize your dedication and service. Thank you for your contributions during these challenging times and always.

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/volunteers

22 APRIL 23, 2020

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

‘If you can bring a little bit of joy to somebody, it’s pretty amazing’

Whistler Nordics would like to thank our wonderful local businesses who sponsored our Toonie Race Series this past Winter.

CELEBRATING WHISTLER FOOD BANK VOLUNTEER ELLY JOHNSTON DURING NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

BY MEGAN LALONDE FOR MANY WHISTLER newcomers, their initial reaction upon hearing that this bustling, expensive resort town has a food bank is one of surprise. Well, that reaction, in turn, always surprises longtime Whistler Food Bank volunteer Elly Johnston. “They’ll say, ‘A food bank? Whistler needs a food bank’? And then the next comment is, ‘Well, why don’t these people leave?,’” she said. “That, to me, is so, so shocking because why should they? What gives anybody else the right to live in a place any more than another person? “Sometimes it’s because they’ve had either injuries or car accidents and they’re not able to go to work. Or sometimes there are mental issues. Why shouldn’t they get help? That’s always been my answer—why should we not help anyone who needs help?” Johnston has been providing that help since she first started volunteering at the food bank in 1997, just two years after she and her husband relocated to the resort. Since then, she’s been spending two days a month, from 9 a.m. until noon., sorting through food deliveries, stocking fridges, checking expiry dates, and helping clients shop from the food bank’s supply. As Johnston recalled, she was volunteering as a Mountain Host when she was introduced to the food bank by fellow host Gail Fasken. “She’s another one who’s been there even longer than I have, was volunteering at the food bank and suggested to me I might be interested in helping out … I have been there ever since.” Johnston, who also volunteers with the Friends of the Whistler Public Library program in addition to her 15-year stint as a Mountain Host, has stuck with the food bank from its beginnings in a tiny trailer near the Catholic Church of Whistler, through to its Spring Creek facility and, now, to its current Nesters location (though the food bank is temporarily operating out of the Whistler Conference Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic). While the food bank may have changed its address over the decades, the need for its services—and its volunteers—has not. Johnston recalled seeing morning lineups outside the trailer on days the food bank was open. Even while Whistler has boomed, “there always is that need, and that is a part that is, I always find, kind of sad. I think it’s also a part of the reason that keeps me coming back, because even though a lot of us are doing fine and doing

well, there are still always those people that are struggling. It makes you sad and makes you want to help out.” Another constant is the group of volunteers Johnston works with each shift. “We do get new people come and go, but there is a core group that has stayed,” she explained. “It’s amazing because we all know what each other has to do—so when we get there in the morning, we don’t really need to be told what needs to be done, we pretty much know what needs to be done, and how. So, it works, and it’s a wonderful giving feeling that you get from doing this.” Over the years, those fellow volunteers have also become Johnston’s “best friends,” she said, often joining each other for vacations or cycling trips.

“... Why should we not help anyone who needs help?”

WHISTLER NORDIC DÉVELOPPEMENT CENTRE

CROSS COUNTRY CONNECTION AND CAFÈ

We would also like to give a special Thank you to the volunteers who donated their time especially Jeanette Callahan, Dave Kirk, and Mireille Turcotte. See you next season!

- ELLY JOHNSTON

THANK YOU to everyone

Though Johnston has undoubtedly served thousands of locals over the years, there are a few in particular that stick out in her mind. She remembers one individual who was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. “Through the help of the community— not just the food bank, but through Whistler Community Services [Society] and all the outreach people and everything, he got his life back together,” she said. “I remember him standing in the room and we were all in tears. It’s just so, so amazing.” Johnston continued: “There are times when people have come in and they have been so incredibly grateful that it brings tears to your eyes because you just know that you’ve helped them through a really rough patch in their lives. Nobody wants to be there; that’s the bottom line. And so, if you can bring a little bit of joy to somebody, it’s pretty amazing and that does happen on a fairly frequent basis.” To that end, a volunteer shift at the food bank doesn’t just entail doling out canned goods, Johnston explained. “The big thing that one has to do is to be non-judgmental and to be empathetic, and to listen—I think that’s a huge one. If people want to talk to you, take the time to listen. “Everyone has a story to tell and everyone’s story is worth listening to.” National Volunteer Week takes place in Canada from April 19 to 25 this year. n

supporting the Health Care Worker meal program!

Special recognition to two amazing volunteers who have worked so hard to make it a success! RACHEL LEWIS LENSWORK who raised $5000 through her ISOlove Photo Project to support the meal program!

S TAY H O M E!

JEN BLACK for her passion, time and commitment in the coordination and delivery of the meals every day! TO DONATE:

whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org APRIL 23, 2020

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

Whistler Community Builders Thank You! You keep us strong and resilient! whistlerfoundation.com

24 APRIL 23, 2020

Big fan of Whistler’s trail network? You have volunteers to thank for that LUKE DE JAGER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS WORCA’S TRAILNIGHT VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR ‘TOO OFTEN TO COUNT’

BY MEGAN LALONDE IN A TYPICAL SUMMER , hundreds of thousands of tourists travel to Whistler from all over the world to ride this resort’s epic trail network. But those trails didn’t magically appear in the middle of a forest. What some of these riders might not consider while cruising down a section of singletrack is just how much work goes into making these trails so legendary. For that, they have the Whistler OffRoad Cycling Association (WORCA) and its tireless crew of volunteers to thank. And with National Volunteer Week celebrated from April 19 to 25, Pique thought it was a great time to recognize some of our volunteers. Each spring and fall, the association hosts weekly trail nights every Tuesday, inviting volunteers to come help spruce up a section of trail. It’s an initiative that avid biker Luke de Jager jumped on when he first made the move to the Sea to Sky about seven years ago. After working as a professional trailbuilder in his native New Zealand, “part of the reason behind coming to Whistler was to experience the world-famous trails and get ideas for my trailbuilding work,” he explained, adding, “I used to do a lot back home with my local club, trailbuilding and volunteering with them, so it was just kind of natural to help out in my new hometown.” Like most imports who call the Sea to Sky home, B.C. life—and WORCA’s trail nights—hooked him in. During the season, de Jager drives down from Pemberton for the weekly trail nights, in addition to volunteering closer to home with the Pemberton Valley Trails Association. So, on most normal spring Tuesday evenings, you can find him and around 20 other volunteers, on average, digging out a line set out by WORCA’s trail crew. “I’ve got a lot of experience doing rock work, so [WORCA’s lead trailbuilder] Dan Raymond usually finds me a good rock work section to build. Also, with my experience, I also help out and mentor some of the other newcomers to the vollie nights,” said de Jager, who now makes his living as a carpenter. “Normally it’s a pretty good crew. We do a few hours of building and then we have a beer afterwards, a good chat. It’s a pretty good time.” De Jager, as Raymond explained in an email, “is one of our most dedicated Tuesday

WORKING FOR WORCA Luke de Jager helps dig out a bike trail during one of the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association’s trail nights. PHOTO BY DAN RAYMOND

Dig Night volunteers. He is passionate about trailwork and has developed impressive skills. I always set aside a more complex project for Luke to take on. Not only does he perform beautiful work, he also gladly shares his craft with others: spreading a culture of pride in a job well done.” This might be why the organization has named de Jager as its trail-night volunteer of the year “too often to count,” Raymond explained. For de Jager, that pride usually comes into effect when hearing feedback from other riders about a newly built trail or line. “They just get really stoked on it, so that kind of gets me stoked too,” he said. So, what would de Jager’s advice be for newcomers looking for an introduction to local trails and how to properly build them? “The easiest way is to come out and join on a Tuesday night—it’s open to everyone,” he said. “Get out there and help out as much as you can. Every little bit helps. From back home, trying to organize races and stuff like that, trying to get volunteers is always really hard. So anyone who wants to help out, it really makes a difference.” There’s a huge amount of work that goes into Whistler’s trail network, he added. “With all the volunteers and the paid trail crews, there’s hundreds of hours [of trail work] every year. The trails wouldn’t be able to stand up to the amount of tourists who are coming without all that help.” n

NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

VOP council votes to discharge Tiyata lands covenant VILLAGE EXPECTS TO RENEGOTIATE NEW AGREEMENT WITH INCOMING OWNER

BY DAN FALLOON VILLAGE OF PEMBERTON (VOP) council voted to discharge a covenant on the Tiyata Village at Pemberton lands during its council meeting, held via Zoom, on April 21. The move was made to help facilitate a sale from the current landowner to “a not-for-profit entity that seeks to develop the land for non-residential purposes,” according to consulting planner Cameron Chalmers’ report. However, council made the move after receiving assurance that it would be able to renegotiate the covenant with the new landowner, which the VOP is “not at liberty to share details of,” according to a spokesperson. The land in question is Lot 3, which is adjacent to Highway 99. “The reason for the discharge is some of the surplus lands at Tiyata have been largely unresolved in terms of their future development potential,” said Chalmers, who noted that the request came in early last week. “The vendor and the purchaser have reached an agreement for a development, which has not been made and hasn’t been disclosed yet. “It’s a different form than what’s slated in the covenant.” The covenant, made when the land was known as the Thuro Logging Ltd. site,

TIYATA LANDS The entrance to the Tiyata Village at Pemberton development is shown in this 2018 Google Street View shot. GOOGLE STREET VIEW SCREEENSHOT

obligated the developer to gift a community garden and a site for non-market housing, though Chalmers said upon reviewing the site, that those do not seem like reasonable uses for the land. “I did go and walk the site and have driven past it regularly. I’m not certain that that’s an optimal site for a number of reasons for either of those uses,” he said. If the landowner eventually wanted to pursue residential development on the site, council would require a rezoning and a new covenant with either the same or new

accepted for those amenities is no longer suitable for those purposes. “The covenant is our tool for securing these items and I don’t feel it’s in the best interests of the community to release that tool,” she said. “My preferred approach would be to have a much better understanding of how are we going to secure these amenities, such as belowmarket housing, for example. “If that place wasn’t suitable, what’s the substitute? Because that’s an important amenity for the community.

“I would feel much more comfortable working with the developer and working with the new purchaser to come up with a suitable covenant now.” - AMICA ANTONELLI

amenities could be negotiated, Chalmers said. “If a rezoning comes in, we would be in a position, absolutely … to secure whatever amenities we saw fit, including affordable housing or rental housing or something similar, and we would be in a better position to deliver something,” he said. Coun. Amica Antonelli was the lone representative to vote against the proposal. She raised several questions, including wondering why the land the Village

“I would feel much more comfortable working with the developer and working with the new purchaser to come up with a suitable covenant now.” Antonelli added that with the closing date still to come, it wouldn’t be a good idea to release the covenant mere days after receiving the request without researching further background information. CAO Nikki Gilmore reiterated that the village could negotiate a new covenant

should a rezoning application come forward, and removing it at this time was important to help facilitate the sale. “We’re trying to meet a request that has been placed before us and is quite timely,” she said. Antonelli’s motion to refer the request back to staff to work with the developer and the purchaser failed to find traction, while the motion to discharge the covenant succeeded.

FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN VOTE BUMPED BACK Council declined to give first four readings to the Five Year Financial Plan 2020-2024 and instead will hold a special meeting next week to discuss the plan further. Information regarding the Five Year Financial Plan 2020-2024 was not included in the original council package released on Friday, April 17, though there was a note that it would be released on April 20. However, councillors did not receive the report until after 9 p.m. on April 20, and with a morning meeting the following day, Coun. Ted Craddock said there simply wasn’t enough time to digest the information and ensure that council could ask all the right questions. While manager of finance and administration Lena Martin presented a thorough rundown during the meeting, council opted to hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 28 at 9 a.m. The meeting will be publicly accessible via Zoom. Instructions on how to join are available at https://www.pemberton.ca/ public/download/files/114052. n

APRIL 23, 2020

RANGE ROVER

The best summer job ever AS A NATURE-ADDLED kid, I spent most of my time combing the gardens and ravines of our neighbourhood, and my earliest memories are of watching ants build nests, spiders eating the ants, and birds hoovering the spiders. The web of life was my TV. Early on, I became interested in reptiles and amphibians, conveniently lumped under the same zoological rubric

BY LESLIE ANTHONY of herpetology. I obsessed to the point of wrestling four or five books on the subject home from the library every month. In high school, that focus waned when I discovered canoeing, girls, partying, and skiing (pretty much in that order). It wasn’t until I enrolled in a biology program at the University of Waterloo that I really dug back in, lapping up courses in invertebrate and vertebrate zoology, de facto extensions of the sandbox occupations of youth. Nevertheless, the only career aspiration I held was that whatever I did, the outdoors had to be involved. Maybe I’d find my way there through biology, maybe not. Who knew? But then, as for many during similar drift, an unexpected event set my course. After my sophomore year, I landed a summer job conducting biological inventories in an Environmentally Sensitive Area of southwestern Ontario.

RECALLING SUMMER Shakespearean dramatist extraordinaire: an Eastern Hognose snake pretends to play dead for a pair of field biologists. PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY

26 APRIL 23, 2020

Though this first opportunity to be paid for my biological knowledge made the wages at a car wash seem attractive, in every other way it was a dream job. There were four of us on the crew: three birder/botanists from the university’s Environmental Studies program, and myself, a bona fide zoologist responsible for fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and invertebrates. Our daily routine involved driving an hour to one of the green blots on our mud-stained topographic map, then debarking in the middle of nowhere as a rolling visage of The Far Side, swathed in rubber boots, nets, backpacks, binoculars, notebooks and insect repellant. We’d split up, pick a meeting time back at the cars, and

“Chthonic Domain.” Aristotle had ascribed worms, salamanders and snakes to this earthy, subterranean realm with its spirits and gods of the terra firma. It was where I belonged—a farmer working his fetid fields, reconnected and rekindled. Sightings of rare birds and plants accumulated rapidly from the others, but my work turned largely on confirming harder-to-find critters. One that presented as a gift significantly ratcheted up the area’s biodiversity quotient. Returning to the cars one day, we found the twisted, upturned body of a stout, arm-length snake lying between them. It lay in a cream-coloured ‘S,’ mouth agape, tongue lolling comically. “That’s pretty big,” said a nervous botanist.

[T]he only career aspiration I held was that whatever I did, the outdoors had to be involved.

tramp off. I then spent an entire morning doing what I’d self-trained much of my life for: laying careful, respectful siege to nature. I turned rocks and logs, peered into ponds and marshes, sloshed through flooded forests; I identified frogs by their calls, egg masses, and the way they leapt into water; I ogled distant turtles through binoculars, identifying species by the shape of their shells; I chased all manner of snake through high grass and rock piles. Wandering, wading, and wallowing, my nostrils flared with the pungent miasma of what 19th-century writers termed the

“Did we run it over?” wondered another. “It’s not dead,” I smiled. “Watch.” Leaning down, I slipped a hand under the moribund snake and gently flipped it, revealing the brown-and-gray-banded dorsum and upturned nose of an Eastern Hognose Snake. The animal rolled right back over and resumed its possum pose. I flipped it again. It rolled over again. All you could do was laugh. It was like a Monty Python skit. Me: “You’re not dead.” Snake: “Yes I am” Me: “No you’re not.” Snake: “I bloody well am!” Diurnal toad-hunters that prefer sandy

areas where they can turn out prey with their shovel-like snouts, Hognose snakes are also nature’s best attempt at a solo Shakespearean drama. When threatened, the curtain rises on a loudly hissing snake spreading its foreparts like a cobra. Unlike the real thing, however, this snake isn’t venomous—reason for the rest of the show. If the threat doesn’t back off, Act II involves a savage display of striking with its mouth comically closed. The finale, of course, is feigning death. This oftenmisinterpreted behavioural revue makes the Hognose one of Canada’s most persecuted— and rarest—snakes. That summer’s fieldwork also involved plenty of forensics. Long before CSI made it popular, I learned to confirm the presence of animals by their tracks, shed skins, bones, or scat. A flipside was that I personally served as a forensic lab for the rest of the crew, who determined the presence of poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettle and numerous insects by examining the welts, cuts, bites and stings blooming across my legs and arms. Regardless, I fell in love with fieldwork, a major reason why I went on to a Doctorate in zoology, stretching out the degree so I could bag extra field seasons. When I eventually switched to writing full time, it was the fieldwork aspect of my previous vocation that resonated most clearly in my work—crazy tales of woe, misery and mirth in the wild became staples of my books and magazine assignments. And now, whenever I’m out in the field, one thing is clear to me: that summer job turned a nature-addled kid into a nature-addled adult. Leslie Anthony is a biologist, writer and author of several popular books on environmental science. ■

THANK YOU TO OUR REGIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SPORT VOLUNTEERS!

Scott Robarts Photography

At our own venues Whistler Olympic Park and Whistler Sliding Centre, over 100 volunteers support our operations, programs and events each winter. Countless more volunteers support the many sport organizations in the corridor as amateur coaches, support personnel and event officials. On behalf of everybody at Whistler Sport Legacies, the sport organizations in the Sea to Sky Corridor, as well as all children, youth and adults participating in sports in our region, I would like to thank all volunteers for their valued contribution. You help us grow sport! Take care of yourselves and stay active at home in these challenging times. Roger Soane, President & CEO, Whistler Sport Legacies

Andrea Heal Adam Taber Photography

WORCA

This week, Canada is celebrating National Volunteer Week to thank the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12.7 million volunteers. Whistler Sport Legacies is grateful for the thousands of dedicated individuals who support sport delivery, programs and events as volunteers in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

FEATURE STORY

28 APRIL 23, 2020

FEATURE STORY

Experts say there’s valuable opportunity for unstructured learning during self-isolation By Alyssa Noel

very weekday morning at 9:30 a.m., you will find Grade 3 students from École la Passerelle in front of their computers or tablets. The class signs into a videoconferencing site, students get to see their classmates, and the teacher offers an assignment for the day. Later, they take a picture of that assignment and send it back directly to the teacher. “For us parents, it alleviates a bit of stress,” says Todd Lawson, whose eightyear-old daughter Seanna is in the class. “We’re there to help, but the kids know what they’re supposed to do and how to do it.” Lawson’s family takes recess and snack breaks and, generally, formal learning is over by lunch. In the afternoon, they usually head outdoors for unstructured learning. “We’re super lucky to live in Whistler,” Lawson says. “We spend as much time as possible outside to have any teachable moment. If they’re digging in the dirt and find worms, we’ll talk about worms and the importance of worms in the ecosystem. If we go for a little hike and see an interpretive sign, we take the time to read it. It’s nice, we’re not in a rush to go anywhere.” When the province ordered schools to close after Spring Break, school districts everywhere had to scramble to come up with a solution to an unthinkable problem: how to suddenly continue to effectively educate children self-isolating during a pandemic. In an April 8 School District 48 board meeting via Zoom, superintendent Lisa McCullough shared one anecdote about how far some administrators are going to help students adjust. A principal from one of the schools made a house visit to help a student figure out how to use the technology that would connect them to their teacher. With physical distancing in mind, the principal stood outside and, through a glass door, coached the family. “They walked the mom and dad and the child through their device and where to tap to get the kind of support that they needed from the device they had,” says McCullough. There are countless stories of teachers and administrators in the Sea to Sky corridor and the rest of the province finding creative solutions to these unprecedented problems. “We recognize that flexibility is absolutely key in times like these,” McCullough writes in a follow-up email. “While teachers know the importance of maintaining a sense of routine for students, they also recognize that depending on family circumstance, some students may not always be available at scheduled times. Teachers do their best to design a blend of learning opportunities that include live interaction, set activities, and suggestions for further learning.” But as families settle in to their selfisolation routines, the challenges for students potentially navigating the

remainder of the school year from home are becoming clearer. (Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said there could be a “gradual return [to schools] with smaller numbers in graduated classrooms,” this school year, but nothing is certain.) “It hasn’t all been sunshine and roses,” Lawson says. “I’ve got to say that. There are some frustrating parts. We’re mom and dad—we’re not teachers. So there are some disagreements. We’re approaching it: ‘Let’s not stress out about it too much. She’s only eight. She’s fine.’ We’re happy and healthy.”

An opportunity for life lessons The school district has been working its way through a list of guiding principles

put together shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic first hit locally. In priority order, they include: maintaining a healthy and safe environment for students, families and employees; providing in-school services for children of essential workers; supporting vulnerable students who might need special assistance; and providing continuity of educational opportunities for all students. The district has purchased 225 Chromebooks and are currently assessing who needs them; they’re working with internet providers to create a plan for families struggling with getting online; and, perhaps most pressingly, they have guaranteed that all students who were eligible to graduate before Spring Break will, in fact, graduate. “We want to assure everyone that learning will continue and our teachers are busy planning to provide students with ongoing learning opportunities,” says Chris Nicholson, assistant superintendent, in

GO GREEN Most days, Seanna Lawson heads outdoors in the afternoon. PHOTO BY TODD LAWSON

HOME SCHOOL Seanna Lawson reads a book as part of her new school routine. PHOTO BY TODD LAWSON

an email. “Our teachers are committed to ensuring all students have the opportunity to continue to grow, learn, and build the curricular and core competencies they will need in the future.” It might seem counterintuitive that learning is the last priority on the list, but experts agree in this time of crisis, formal learning that covers every subject matter and offers a full day shouldn’t be a family’s goal. “A lot of students in high school, they’re focused on grades, not learning,” says Marina Milner-Bolotin, an education professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) who has years of experience with online teaching. “It’s about getting high marks to get into university. In a way, they lose the real purpose of education. Maybe now it’s a pause to hit the break and think, ‘What is the purpose?’ The purpose of education is to learn how to learn, learn to be vulnerable and make mistakes.” To that end, she says, valuable lessons for children abound during this time of crisis. “I think the priority should be not to cover content; I think the priority should be to teach your family how you [work] together in a difficult situation,” MilnerBolotin says. “You are showing your children how to behave when times are tough. My grandparents went through [the Second World War]. Other parents went through some other challenges. Every generation has something they have to go through. That’s life. “To be honest, I think the parents are very stressed and it’s difficult. If they show their children how families support each other in the time of the crisis—and it is, to many families, a crisis with unemployment—I think it’s more important than teaching the kids math or science. And I’m a math and science teacher, so I have nothing against math and science.” Ultimately, Milner-Bolotin says, if they miss certain elements of the core subjects this year, they will learn it later. “But the lesson on how to behave, how to respect other people, how to support other people during a difficult situation, I think that’s priceless,” she adds. As tough as times might be, parents can look at this at-home education as a chance to learn with their child and decide together what they would like to study, she says. If parents are too bogged down navigating their own, new work-from-home reality, they can also try asking relatives to connect through online video conferencing. Even before the pandemic, MilnerBolotin met for an hour-and-a-half daily with her nephew in Israel over Skype. “We learn math and English and we learn together,” she says. “He teaches me Hebrew. We do mutual learning. I think it’s a bonding experience. “Maybe it’s an opportunity for families to connect to the children. If they live in

APRIL 23, 2020

FEATURE STORY different provinces, you still have Skype. You can connect.” Hartley Banack, a professor in UBC’s Faculty of Education who specializes in outdoor experiential education and learning, had similar advice for parents when it comes to children’s education during this crisis. “The first thing you should be thinking about is your child’s level of anxiety,” he says. “You’re not the teacher, you’re not trying to create a school culture. If your child is stressed out, let them have fun.” His advice for facilitating outdoor learning is not some complex lesson plan to count pinecones or craft a poem about trees. It’s much simpler than that. “I would recommend parents practice noticing—a sense of wondering and noticing,” he said. “That’s it … If you go out with the explicit intentions of wonderment and noticing, you have the criteria for why you’re heading outdoors. If something else occurs, that’s a moment for the adult to give pause.” That means encouraging a child’s natural curiosity. For example, Banack says, if a child is interested in sticks and loves to pick them up and bang things, try not to stop them. “Parents are constantly saying, ‘Don’t do that.’ They breed anxiety in their children,” he adds. As part of this process, parents need to work on “unlearning” some elements of their education. “Parents have a certain expectation with school and they impose it on their child,” Banack says. “They have to do unlearning to conceive of other ways—and unlearning is hard work … You can think about how adults often respond to insects—spiders, bees, mosquitos. They flail their arms around and try to kill it. If you do that the child sitting beside you learns that as well. It’s not a message of wonder or noticing.” In a way, the at-home learning offers an opportunity for kids to explore their interests, Milner-Bolotin says. “At some point, we can decide what matters,” she says. “I think it’s an opportunity [even] with all the negative connotations, to be more authentic—not to learn because somebody in the Ministry of Education decided that was important, but what are you as a parent thinking about? What is important for your child? What do

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you want to learn with your child?”

Online education resources for parents Both Milner-Bolotin and Banack, as well as the school district, have compiled a list of online resources for parents helping with their children’s education. “It’s overwhelming,” Milner-Bolotin

says. “That’s the reason I started combining those resources on my website … What I recommend is to look at the resources, look at who created the resources. It’s not enough to judge, but it gives you a clue.” (Find her full list here: blogs.ubc.ca/ mmilner.) Banack, meanwhile, volunteers for Wild About Vancouver, an outdoor educational festival, and while they had to to cancel this year’s edition, they have recently added a massive range of ideas for outdoor education activities to their website. “We decided to populate the website

with a ton of option for parents and teachers to think about,” he says. “Come to wildaboutvancouver.com, post to the blog if you have a story you want to share, look at different ideas of different educators. We put together a repository that’s local here for the [Great Vancouver Regional District] and the Sea to Sky corridor.” The school district also has a list of approved online resources and learning apps, and staff is continually purchasing new subscriptions to add to the list. That can be found at sd48seatosky.org/ resources-for-parents-2. ■

Outdoors and the Environment

www.wildaboutvancouver.com/ www.neefusa.org/education/environmental-education-home schmidtocean.org/ www.nationalgeographic.org/education/classroom-resources/

Arts and Culture

artswhistler.com/kids-online slcc.ca/fromhome/ royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/engage-us-home www.classcentral.com/subject/film-and-theatre www.mentalfloss.com/article/75809/12-world-class-museums-you-can-visit-online www.weareteachers.com/virtual-author-activities/ chancentre.com/talks/

Science and Math

medium.com/ubcscience/online-science-education-activities-for-kids-83c755007d4 www.exploratorium.edu/explore/activities blogs.ubc.ca/mmilner/outreach/math-science-education-for-all/ www.khanacademy.org/ beta.nsf.gov/science-matters/seven-nsf-supported-stem-resources-are-perfect-home-learning

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30 APRIL 23, 2020

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604 894 5166 | WHISTLERREALESTATE.CA APRIL 23, 2020

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Calamanian Islands COASTING THE

BY TIM MORCH

The “Amihan,” a northeast wind that blows from midDecember to mid-April in the Philippines, was howling and massive rollers hammered the Overcomer, an oversized banca boat bound from El Nido, Palawan, to Coron Town, Busuanga. Screams rang through the air with each deluge and the crew worked the hand pumps. These boats are built light, habitually overloaded—Overcomer was licensed for 40 passengers but carrying 52 today—and crossings can be sketchy, as the record of sinkings confirms. I was allowed aboard as a so-called “chance passenger” by the unconcerned port captain in El Nido. After a nerve-wracking 11-hour journey, we docked with a collective sigh of relief. Onshore, a kid grabbed one end of my kayak bag and lead me to a nearby guesthouse perched on stilts over the water. Sleep came fast. I awoke to a panoramic view of Coron Island across the strait and set to assembling my Feathercraft collapsible kayak on the deck. As usual, a crowd formed, fascinated kids gawked and an animated discussion

32 APRIL 23, 2020

about what I assumed was my sanity erupted as the kayak took shape. Once assembled, the challenge lay in loading gear while perched two metres above the water. With some acrobatics, everything found its place, and I clambered down the stilts and slipped into the cockpit. The Calamanian Islands are legendary for a Second World War battle in which the U.S. Fast Carrier Task Force sunk three Japanese warships and damaged half a dozen others, creating a modern-day mecca for wreck divers. Busuanga, Culion and Coron Islands are the largest, with dozens of smaller islands completing the group. The wind was whistling and each time I lifted the paddle from the water, it felt as though its force would rip it from my hands. I charted a course downwind, knowing full well that there was no chance of making headway in the opposite direction. The lee of Busuanga Island prevented waves from building up and I slipped behind the protection of several small islands. Spotting a banca emerging from the mangroves, I entered the narrow, sheltered, Ryukan Channel, popping out at Apo Island. Beaching next to Majika’s Island Resort,

Majika herself appeared and invited me to hang my hammock in front, enjoy a shower and join her for dinner. Filipinos are friendly and I was welcomed as family, enjoying a night of food, beverages and billiards. Next day, I paddled deep into the safe waters of Busuanga Bay filled with expensive yachts, resorts and even the remains of a Jimmy Buffett-style flying boat. Exiting, the wind had subsided, so I shot over to nearby Calumbuyan Island where Chris, the caretaker, treated me as a royal guest. Northward along the coast of Busuanga Island, I entered the Busuanga River, grateful the crocodiles were gone and feeling a little like Kurtz heading alone into the unknown. Exiting when the tide turned, I pointed aimlessly south before spotting the golden sands of Pass Island and bee-lining to the beach. The reward for a long day was a postcard perfect beach and superb sunset. Winding through a maze of mangrove channels below Lamud and Marily Islands, I emerged near Chindonan Island where I pulled in at a dive resort. Kenneth, a young Dane from Copenhagen, welcomed me to hang my hammock and indulge in some cold beers before he shared gossip of jealousies, rivalries and related challenges

of owning a resort as a foreigner. Next day, I crossed 17 kilometres west to Coron Island, a massive karst outcropping fringed by cliffs and dotted with beaches and the poster child of the region. Stopping at Banol Beach, I was welcomed with a cold beer by the friendly owners before carrying on further south, to Magtatangan Beach, a gorgeous, sunset-facing strip of sand for the night. Running south around the bottom of the island and up the east side, I poked into caverns, paddled under overhanging cliffs and paused to peruse deserted beaches and stretch. Just across the channel on Busuanga Island again, I stopped at Cabo Beach and, as fate would have it, bumped into two Canadians from Winnipeg. The northern end of Coron Island features lagoons, colossal cliffs and stunning scenery that are the signature of this part of the island. Concealed coves reveal restaurants and bars as the proximity to Coron Town ensures loads of day-trippers. I rounded to Banol Beach for the final night with the friendly owners before returning to Coron Town to take my boat apart under the watchful eyes of another group of kids. ■

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The Resort Municipality of Whistler has closed all non-essential facilities and suspended all programs and events until further notice.

Please visit www.whistler.ca/covid19 for the latest updates from the RMOW. RMOW services now available online include: Building services, Planning services, Finance services, permits and payments Visit www.whistler.ca/virtualservices

Resort Municipality of Whistler www.whistler.ca/covid19 APRIL 23, 2020

SPORTS THE SCORE

Robb receives BC Hockey honour WINTERHAWKS’ FEMALE ATOM COACH RECOGNIZED WITH FRED HESLOP AWARD

BY DAN FALLOON THE FIRST YEAR of the Whistler Minor Hockey Association’s (WMHA) female atom program was almost perfect, and this week the team received another touch of good news. On April 19, head coach Jeremy Robb was one of five recipients of BC Hockey’s Fred Heslop Award. Criteria for the award includes: making “significant contributions to minor hockey;” enhancing hockey programs within an association; making remarkable achievements; going beyond expectations, and; demonstrating “the compassionate character” that Heslop brought to the game. BC Hockey received nominations during Minor Hockey Week in January, and a selection committee determined the winners. “I had no idea that I was even up for the award, so it was interesting when I got the phone call,” Robb said. “A lot of work has gone into this season from so many people and so many community members, so it was an incredible nod, I think, for this whole little community of Whistler minor hockey.” Robb got word of his win shortly before it was made public, but he didn’t find out as early as he could have and missed the opportunity to be honoured by the Heslop family. “They called me on Sunday morning and unfortunately, I missed the first phone

COACHING HONOUR Jeremy Robb was recognized by BC Hockey for his work with the Whistler Minor Hockey Association female atom squad.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

34 APRIL 23, 2020

call because [Heslop’s] son was on the call to give me the award,” he said, adding that he connected with BC Hockey’s Stacie Couch to receive news of the award. The awards are presented annually during National Volunteer Week, and while Robb is being honoured with a post on the BC Hockey page on Facebook, he’s still unsure what physical commemoration he will receive. The award is usually presented in person at an annual conference. One of the major points in Robb’s favour was the team’s community contribution. At Christmas, the squad filled a truck with food and raised $450 for the Whistler Community Services Society, and the team also volunteered at last summer’s Ironman Canada race, even being honoured with the best-running booth award. Last month, just

Wickenheiser, who she is and what she is. This was before we won anything or knew anything that was going to happen with Hayley,” Robb said. “Then we win the contest and get to go and meet her, it was amazing.” In addition to being arguably the greatest women’s player of all-time, Wickenheiser is an inspiration off the ice, pursuing medical school after retiring in 2017 and, a year later, being named the Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant director of player development. After the late January event, Robb said

‘...it was an incredible nod, I think, for this whole little community of Whistler minor hockey.” - JEREMY ROBB

before the COVID-19-related shutdowns, Robb and eight players presented to the 100 Kids Who Care Whistler group, earning a $1,000 donation. The highlight of the year, however, was collecting $1,500 for Canadian Tire’s JumpStart program, earning the chance to take part in Canadian legend Hayley Wickenheiser’s WickFest tournament in Surrey. “All year, we built on Hayley

he saw a little extra fire in the players’ bellies as they pursued the sport with extra vigour, thanks in large part to Wickenheiser. “In person, she’s incredible,” Robb said. “Her effort there is to have a one-on-one with every girl there during the three-day weekend. It’s cool for them to meet their hero. “She did not disappoint at all.” With roughly half of this year’s players graduating from atom to the peewee age

group next year, Robb said the goal is to recruit enough players to run a team in each division when play resumes. “Our goal is to get the girls that have never played before to come out and play. We have 100-per-cent committal from the girls that played last year. They loved it, and not only did they enjoy it, but their families really enjoyed it. We had a really good parent base,” Robb said. “We’ve created a cool little community with this team. Even the other night, they all got online and watched a Netflix movie.” WMHA president Joe Baker praised Robb’s work within the female program, noting that all players are clearly enjoying their experiences. Baker also noted Robb’s contributions extended further within the organization. “Jeremy has been a wonderful volunteer. He’s getting the recognition for the female team, which is really a highlight, but he’s been instrumental in getting development opportunities for coaches, [especially] parent coaches that may not have the skill set,” Baker said. “He’s just really been super positive and very impactful as a volunteer in the organization, not just in the girls’ program.” Fred Heslop, for whom the award is named, served on BC Hockey’s executive committee from 1992 to 2006 and he was involved with the organization for more than two decades. The Trail native was honoured with the Diamond Stick Award, BC Hockey’s highest honour, in 2007. n

SPORTS THE SCORE

VALLEY TRAIL NOTICE

TWISTED TIMELINE Jesse Melamed is adjusting to new realities during the COVID-19 pandemic. PHOTO BY DUNCAN PHILPOTT/ENDURO WORLD SERIES

Melamed shifting gears as shutdown continues ENDURO WORLD SERIES RACER TRYING TO MAKE THE MOST OF SITUATION

BY DAN FALLOON IN NORMAL TIMES , Jesse Melamed would be a quarter of the way through the Enduro World Series (EWS) season. But clearly, these are not normal times, and with the season’s first two races postponed at this point until November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 28-year-old Whistlerite hasn’t raced since last September. Entering a season where he was looking to build on five top-10 finishes in six completed races, Melamed is holding up “as good as can be expected” in a situation where he can’t go for rides with friends and has to rein in the rides that he does. “It’s weird—I’m not stoked to go riding because I feel a little bit guilty because other people can’t do it and because there’s a lot of pressure to not crash and not hurt yourself,” he said. Though he’s still finding ways to train most days and continuing to live a healthful lifestyle, Melamed acknowledged that it’s difficult to maintain in a situation where, realistically, there’s no confirmed timeline of when racing might return. The next scheduled EWS race is in Italy at the start of July, but like everything, it feels very much up in the air. “It’s six months of building throughout the winter to get to the first race, and when that didn’t happen, I just really needed to step away. It’s so much physical and mental build-up, and you’re left with nothing,” he said. “I just took it easy and treated it like my offseason—no stress, no pressure—and now I’m trying to get back into a little bit of motivation. “You have to be careful because you don’t know when we’re going back racing. It’s just maintaining. Everyone’s talking about how you’re supposed to crush quarantine and come out with a million new skills. That’s a little bit unreasonable, so I’m just trying to do maybe one or two things that I can look back on and know that I came out of this time with something new.” Explaining that his life is generally

pointed in the direction of self-improvement already, Melamed said that it’s not so much newfound time, but energy, that has helped him find some more dedication to his pursuits. He’s found more time for baking and cooking unique recipes, whipping up everything from sourdough to black-bean brownies to homemade granola. He’s also taken more time for yoga, meditation and mindfulness, and hopes to be a more complete racer on the other side. “I want to come out of it with more of a handle on my mindset, which I’ve been able to work on now. I’ve been able to think, collect my thoughts and reflect a little bit more,” he said. Though on paper his job is to race and bring results for his Rocky Mountain team, Melamed has stayed active on social media, even recently doing a simultaneous interview and workout from home. While he enjoyed the experience, Melamed much prefers being able to ride. “It’s a weird position because sponsors are asking me for content but we are in a position where we can’t actually get content. It’s tough on all sides,” he said. “The marketing people at Rocky Mountain would say their job is to market us as a team, which is helped by having races to go to. Without that, more of their time is dedicated to figuring out how they can market the riders that they have.” In the pocketbook, Melamed said he’s on salary with the team and has some savings, so he has managed to weather the storm to this point. However, he doesn’t expect this situation to last forever, and when racing does return, would be surprised if the same prize money is up for grabs as before. “I’m expecting, at some point, to be on a reduced salary, which I think is fair,” he said. “It’s not really fair that I’m not taking a pay cut when people are getting laid off and others are taking pay cuts. The world’s in a crisis, obviously, so I wouldn’t expect to get out of that unscathed. “It will be unfortunate going forward. I would imagine that everything’s been hit pretty hard and there’s going to be a lot less money floating around for years to come.” n

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2 METRES

APART

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www.whistler.ca/ covid19 APRIL 23, 2020

FORK IN THE ROAD

Take this Earth as a whole PLEASE…TAKE IT, AND LOOK AFTER IT! WITH METRICS of a whole other order preoccupying most of us these days, I just wanted to take a breather here, channel my old inner hippie, and remind us all that Earth Day is marking its 50th anniversary this year. An anniversary like no other. Other than a few skimpy articles, and the odd science/enviro blogs and shows

BY GLENDA BARTOSH paying modest tribute, April 22, Earth Day, largely passed unnoticed this year, much as Earth Hour did nearly a month ago with “lockdown” rather than “lights out” preying on everyone’s mind. For Earth Hour 2020, B.C. only reduced its power use by about one per cent, or about half of our reduction last year. Whistler, though, can still stand proud for not letting a little virus get in the way of what’s unabashedly a symbolic gesture that started in Australia in 2007 to engage Aussies on climate change. The resort municipality, once again, was top dog in the province for darkening its doors and other fenestrations, with a six-per-cent power reduction. But wait, I can already hear the cynics cry: Is that all, what with

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Earth Day is marking 50

years in 2020.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

36 APRIL 23, 2020

the whole village shuttered and darkened like never before?! Go ahead, chalk it up to some kind of reductive symbolism, but with Abbotsford bearing the ignominious honour of delivering B.C.’s tiniest power reduction this year, there’s some kind of truth at play. History will reckon it all, I’m sure. In the meantime, let me dig out my Birkenstocks and flip-floppy hat and pull this longer hair out of my face—longer than usual, what with my favourite hair-cutter still shut down, but not as long as it was back in 1968 when Stewart Brand’s first Whole Earth Catalogue took the world by storm with that amazing photo of our entire precious planet gracing its cover. Brand, who’s been on the cutting edge of so many cool initiatives the past 50-plus years you lose count (see the CoEvolution Quarterly, Global Business Network and The Long Now Foundation, for starters), was part of Ken Kesey’s gang, though not a Merry Prankster per se, something I learned while living in California during those flower-powered days. In fact, you’ll find him, Brand, a Stanford-educated biologist, immortalized on Page 2 of Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, wheeling a pick-up truck through the streets of San Francisco that Wolfe is bouncing around in the back of. (Hey, you young bohohipster rebels, go check out that book as I just did mine, a crispy yellowed fifthedition bought back in ’69 when I was a young Edmonton kid who knew there had

to be a better way. The New York Times calls it “the best book on hippies.”) There’s Brand, “a thin blond guy with a blazing disk on his forehead and a whole necktie made of Indian beads” ferrying Wolfe to interview Kesey, already a highly regarded novelist after pumping out One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion before age 30! This is fun, but I digress... The so-called photo of the whole Earth that graced the front of that Whole Earth Catalogue in ‘68 was a magnificent composite of images taken by NASA’s ATS-3 satellite that Brand, along with Buckminster Fuller and others, campaigned hard to get into the public domain. It’s not as cherry (as we’d say back in hippiedom) as some of the later images of Earth taken from space, including the famous “Earthrise” photo Brand used on later editions. (That one was taken by astronaut William Anders from Apollo 8 as it circled the moon.) But it’s the ATS-3 image that first drilled the singularity and finiteness of our planet into our muddled mammalian minds. Enter Earth Day. The year after Brand’s first Whole Earth Catalogue, a massive oil spill hit the coast of Santa Barbara. Gaylord Nelson, then a junior Democratic senator from a place in Wisconsin with the lovely name of Clear Lake, had long been concerned about environmental degradation. With a Republican co-chair and student activist organizers like Harvard grad Denis Hayes, now an advocate of solar power, the first Earth Day kicked off on U.S.

campuses April 22, 1970, between Spring Break and final exams to gain the greatest student participation. Where would we be without our student protestors? This year’s Earth Day has been peppered with musings about the coronavirus and climate change, and all the pressure on our precious, singular planet with ever more of us crowded onto it. Mr. Hayes, for one, wrote a terrific essay in The Seattle Times pointing out that COVID-19 “robbed us of Earth Day this year. So let’s make Election Day Earth Day.” A piece worthy of your time, it outlines the two years of effort behind the scenes with the likes of Greta Thunberg and 350.org to make Earth Day’s 50th birthday party a real zinger. Their ultimate goal: politically activate people and get a global Green New Deal. With oil prices in negative territory (I’m not making this up!) as storage capacity is full and companies are paying customers to get rid of it, maybe Earth Day 2020 will go down in history after all. Maybe, just maybe, with our newfound “in this together-ness” and politicians of all stripes rediscovering the time-honoured tradition that they can, and should, work together for the common good, we might, just might, see a silver-green lining to this current cloud. Happy Whole Earth Day. Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who still wears floppy hats. n

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ARTS SCENE

‘I want to scare myself’: After 21 years in Whistler, Angie Nolan takes a chance on herself WRITER, DIRECTOR AND EDUCATOR MOVING TO VANCOUVER TO PURSUE FILMMAKING CAREER

BY BRANDON BARRETT ANGIE NOLAN LIKES to joke that she’s been self-isolating since January. Not because of some Nostradamian premonition of the global pandemic to come, but something more in line with her style: a roller-disco injury. It was while recuperating in her Easy Street home that Nolan, writer, filmmaker, theatre producer and educator, made the decision she’d been mulling over for months: it was finally time to leave the community she has called home for the past 21 years. “I remember one day just sitting there, not being able to move, and I had this really prolific thought: If I stay here, this is it. I already know this. I’m comfortable with this. I know this really well. It’s beautiful. But there’s more,” she says. Like so many before her, Nolan felt wrapped in the coziness and convenience of the Whistler bubble. And despite being a tireless creative in her time here, Nolan knew she had yet to hit her artistic peak. “I haven’t reached anywhere near the height of my creativity and I don’t think that I can here,” she says. “I want to scare myself. I want to not feel comfortable. I really want to be challenged and I want to work with people that really challenge me, that know more than me, and that work in a bigger pond.” When Nolan first arrived in Whistler full-

GREENER PASTURES Filmmaker, writer and arts educator Angie Nolan is leaving Whistler after 21 years to pursue a filmmaking career in Vancouver. PHOTO SUBMITTED

38 APRIL 23, 2020

time in ’99, she quickly found a grassroots arts scene that was a major change of pace from what she was used to. “Everyone just sort of says yes here, and I had never seen that,” Nolan recalls. “I had come up in the actual film industry and there’s a lot of no, no, no. “So having these opportunities here, I knew I was supposed to do it. It was non-stop. We were just creating. I can’t even tell you how many garbage films we made in a year.” She took part in the very first 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown (a contest she

in a lot of ways, for a lot of plays, Angie was always my secret weapon.” No matter what she was working on, Nolan always found a way to imbue the project with her characteristic ability to see the light in everything. “It could be vapidly disgusting, whatever she’s writing, and then there’s a line with heart at the core of the message,” Paul says. “She has to be serving a purpose for good no matter what comes out of her, whether it be her performance, her writing, her filmmaking or as a friend.”

“I want to scare myself. I want to not feel comfortable. I really want to be challenged and I want to work with people that really challenge me, that know more than me, and that work in a bigger pond.” - ANGIE NOLAN

finally won in 2016 after taking pretty much every other award available over the years), found her tribe of weirdos in the B-Grade (now Heavy Hitting) Horror Festival, and was consulted on and performed at the Cultural Olympiad a year before Whistler hosted the Games. “She was fearless,” remembers longtime friend and collaborator Heather Paul, who first cast Nolan in her pantomime rendition of Snow White in 2002. “Especially with pantos, you have to be completely free of worrying about what anybody thinks as you act like an absolute goof. She had absolutely no problem with that. I feel like

That underlying purpose is evident in Nolan’s time at the Whistler Film Festival (WFF) as well. Volunteering at the event’s first edition, she worked her way up to become the director of industry programming, helping forge WFF’s reputation as one of North America’s most filmmaker-friendly festivals. “She absolutely played a major part in our story,” said WFF founder and executive director Shauna Hardy Mishaw, who went on to call Nolan “an authentic catalyst” for arts and culture in Whistler. “She took arts and culture and theatrical and film arts in this community to a level

that didn’t previously exist.” The 2018 Whistler Champion of Arts & Culture, Nolan is also a sought-after acting and improv coach, with a knack for recognizing things in people they may not even see themselves. To hear her tell it, it’s less about the end result for an actor than it is the journey to get there. “What I get out of teaching is those moments you see the breakthrough in somebody’s eyes. ‘I don’t have to be stuck in what I thought I had to be stuck in? I don’t have to do that?’” Nolan says. “When you’re in it and we’re working together and pulling and pushing, I feel like that’s for me. It’s really for me. It means that I’m making a difference. I know it’s just acting, but I feel like in those moments, more than any other place in life, that’s where I make a difference.” Now, Nolan sets her sights on a Vancouver film industry she left two decades before, to finally take the chance on herself she has helped grant to so many other creatives over the years. In the days leading up to our interview, I’d been wondering how Nolan would write the story of her time in Whistler. I know it would be filled with warmth and empathy and the natural curiosity of a born storyteller, but I wanted to hear what she thought. She hems and haws, starting and stopping, unable to close the chapter on a story that began so many years ago. “Whistler just really got in my bones,” she says, tears welling in her eyes. “I wouldn’t even eloquently be able to describe what Whistler means to me. The other day I realized I can’t even write about it yet. It’s the story I can’t write about yet.” Fitting, considering that in many ways, Nolan’s story is only just beginning. n

ARTS SCENE

2019

the beach whistler Located near the Olympic Rings on the Village Stroll

WOLF PACK Introduce Wolves debuted two new tracks online, despite having to cancel their release show due to

COVID-19.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

When ninjas become wolves HEAR TWO NEW TRACKS FROM WHISTLER BAND INTRODUCE WOLVES

BY ALYSSA NOEL THE THING ABOUT NINJAS is you might not know when they’re around. It was in this stealth fashion that Whistler rockers Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin (DLNA) quietly transformed themselves into Introduce Wolves. “I think pretty much the entire time we had that ridiculous long name, it was always kind of a joke,” says bassist Liam McCook. “I feel like it was a joke to us, but other people thought we were being serious about it. And so we always kind of felt like it was somewhat of a hindrance. As we were moving into this new chapter of our life as a band, we thought, ‘Maybe we can come up with something a little bit better and a little more serious.’” Band name aside, their other big shift was moving from playing cover songs to showcasing original music. “We’ve become more serious about writing our own music and we have quite a full catalogue of new, original music. At this point, we decided that for us to get more global attention, we need to smarten up our name and image a little bit and focus on not being another local cover band in Whistler,” adds drummer Scott Barrow. DLNA played alt-rock covers ranging from Weezer to Smashing Pumpkins, and while the band discovered an audience with an appetite for the genre, local bars weren’t quite as receptive. “I think there was a point where we started getting kicked out and banned from venues we were playing,” Barrow says, laughing. “Because we were just too loud. We played a venue in Squamish and we kind of got told after the first 30 seconds we were too loud. We decided at that point maybe our material is not necessarily suited for the places we were playing that are more family-friendly.” So they made a decision.

“[We decided] if we’re going to be held back from playing covers we like, we might as well be held back from playing originals,” says Rory Malkin, guitarist and vocalist. “We had some discussions about playing cover sets of pretty pub-friendly music … We just kind of realized it wasn’t what we wanted to do.” To that end, they started prioritizing their original music. At first, the writing process was slow and labourious, but it didn’t take long until they figured out how best to collaborate. “I think the biggest thing was smoothing out the writing process as a band,” McCook says. “We sort of figured out what works for us and we can pretty much write a song in practice if we’ve got a little bit of an idea.” While they’ve amassed enough material for an album—and might record an EP this year, pandemic pending—last month, they released two singles, “The Rats Year” and “Way of the Ninja.” The former is steeped in heavy guitar fuzz, while the latter boasts a driving bassline. Both serve up hard rock with a side of accessible, melodic vocals. “Each of us said it independently, we were like, ‘Well, we have them ready. Everyone is at home doing nothing, why would we not put them out right now?’” Barrow says. “Everyone is on their phones, on computers all day, every day right now, so now might be the best moment ever to actually release them and promote them.” While the band had planned to launch their original material at Squamish Punk Night in April, that show—like all shows— was cancelled. “We’ve really been using this time to get in touch with people, try and get people to listen to the music, booking agents in Vancouver,” Malkin says. “It would be really nice to play down there later in the year, especially with bands similar to us.” For now, hear the new singles on Spotify (search Introduce Wolves) or Bandcamp at introducewolves.bandcamp.com. n

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NOTES FROM THE BACK ROW

Beastie Boys live and Quarantino 5 FINALLY, SOMETHING to get excited about: Spike Jonze’s Beastie Boys Story drops Friday on Apple TV+. Based off the 600-pluspage book of the same name released last year, this flick is being described as a “live documentary” which means it’s essentially clips of Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond

BY FEET BANKS on stage shepherding live audiences through what’s essentially a PowerPoint presentation of their lives in one of the most watchable and respected bands of the past 35 years. While some critics are deriding the “TED Talk” presentation (who wouldn’t want to watch a TED Talk by the Beastie Boys though?), the casual, conversational format provides a unique sense of intimacy, like going through old photo albums with the people who were there, except the photos are also the soundtrack of your life. There’s insight into the early days (yes, that bro-rock vibe was

DOC TALK Spike Jonze’s Beastie Boys Story comes out Friday on Apple TV+. PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLE

supposed to be parody, even if it eventually took over) and behind-the-music history on how the band was able to continuously re-invent themselves and their music. Much of the credit, it seems, lies with Adam Yauch, aka MCA, whose death from cancer in 2012 brought an untimely end to the group, and to whom much of the film’s emotional core is dedicated. While Jonze doesn’t totally capture that Beastie trickster spontaneity (Horovitz credits “f*king around” as their lifelong creative process), Beastie Boys Story is still a poignant bit of nostalgia, boosted by the lifelong familiarity and friendship of its subjects. Plus, it’s filmed in a packed theatre, for extra quarantine nostalgia. Oh, the warmth of a shared human experience… Moving on, Quarantino continues and this week, we need to make a short pit stop at Four Rooms, a 1995 anthology flick where four directors each make a chapter of a onenight-in-the-life-of-a-hotel-bellboy story starring Tim Roth. Fresh off Pulp Fiction (and a Palme d’Or at Cannes) Tarantino closes out the film with a 21-minute story set in the penthouse. While Bruce Willis cameos (alongside Jennifer frickin’ Beals), the star of the segment is Tarantino himself, playing the part of a coked-up Hollywood mogul on

a rampage to impress everyone in sight. It’s some of Tarantino’s best acting work, but the segment is also notable for its use of long takes, cinematic references, and Tarantino’s insight that, “In America, we might be right once in a while, but we are very rarely fair.” Four Rooms isn’t streaming anywhere, but you can rent it on Apple and the Tarantino penthouse segment can be found for free (in terrible quality) on YouTube. The main event, though, is 1997’s Jackie Brown, still the only Tarantino flick to come from another author’s source material (Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch) and a pretty brilliant follow-up to the madness surrounding Pulp Fiction. By this time, Tarantino was best known for violence, pop-culture homage, and screwing with the narrative timeline and structure. So he made a traditionally straightforward, character-driven heist flick featuring a middle-aged female black hero, with almost no on-screen violence— though there were plenty of homage to ‘70s music and film. And despite not living up to global expectations at the time, Jackie Brown makes a damn fine watch because, by Quentin’s standards, it’s subdued—the right mix of Leonard’s brilliant plotting and character with Tarantino’s tangential

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dialogue and style. And a cast to kill for. Pam Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown) slays it in the lead role, with legendary character actor Robert Forster (The Delta Force, Mulholland Drive) at her side. Then toss in Sam Jackson as the heavy Ordell (reportedly one of his favourite roles ever) and round that out with Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Chris Tucker (briefly) and Robert De Niro (in an underappreciated performance rich with physical comedy). It’s all-time. Not so much a “whodunit” as a “howshegonna” (how she gonna pull this mofo off?), Jackie Brown is a noir crime set in sunny Hermosa Beach, Calif. that seems occupied with the idea of growing old gracefully. “I look in the mirror, it still looks like me,” Forster’s bail bondsman Max Cherry says, later adding, “I’m 56 years old, I can’t blame anyone else for anything I do.” Jackie Brown also marks the end of Tarantino’s “realism” period; his first three films were all set in the area he grew up in and people speak the verbiage of the streets he knows. From here on out, Quentin’s already highly recognizable style gets a shitload more stylistic, poetic, derivative, and revisionist. See ya next week. ■

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MUSEUM MUSINGS

CATCH OF THE DAY Dick Fairhurst with a day’s catch. After his visit to Alta Lake, he said, “This is the place for me.” FAIRHURST COLLECTION

Dick Fairhurst of Cypress Lodge BY ALLYN PRINGLE THOUGH HIS NAME

Wayne Flebbe

passed away peacefully in his sleep at The Squamish General Hospital on April 16 at the age of 68. Wayne & his brother Rick where local music legends who lived in Whistler since 1988. As Whistler’s “Rock and Roll Soul Brothers” these iconic figures were present at every live show Whistler presented. Wayne’s music knowledge and collection were encyclopedic. Many may recall Wayne as the original Whistler Hipster with his bullet proof curly hair, skinny black jeans, John Lennon glasses, topped with cowboy hat and leather jacket. Wayne, you will be missed but will always be a part of Whistler’s music history. 42 APRIL 23, 2020

has come up several times in recent columns, we recently realized we haven’t specifically written about Dick Fairhurst’s story yet. It was a promise to Dick and Myrtle Philip that led Florence Petersen to found the Whistler Museum & Archives Society in the summer of 1986, as they worried that the stories of life at Alta Lake would be forgotten as skiing became the dominant activity in the valley. Both had lived at Alta Lake for decades and had already seen many changes. Richard “Dick” Fairhurst was born to Richard and Elizabeth Alice Fairhurst in 1914, the third of five children. His parents had come to Canada from Lancashire, England in 1906 and at the time were living in East Arrow Park, British Columbia. Dick’s father was a miner and so Dick grew up in mining towns in the Kootenays, moving first to Michel and then to Sandon before settling in Silverton in 1929. After graduating, Dick spent a short time working underground in one of the silver mines before he secured a job building tramlines for hauling ore. In 1940, Dick moved to Vancouver to work at the shipyards in North Vancouver during the war, a job he later said he hated. Dick’s first trip to the Alta Lake valley was for his honeymoon with his wife Doreen. The pair stayed at Jordan’s Lodge on Nita Lake. According to Dick, “I came up here on vacation once in 1943 and I thought, ‘Well, this is the place for me.’” Dick and Doreen bought two lots on the west side of Alta Lake the next year and

Dick began working for Alf Gebhart at the Rainbow Lumber Mill Company both in the mill and on the boom. He supplemented his income by trapping, taking over some of the traplines of Bill MacDermott and Bill Bailiff on Rainbow, Blackcomb, and Whistler mountains and catching mostly marten and beavers. Life at Alta Lake was very different from city life and was not to Doreen’s tastes. The couple divorced in 1948 and Doreen left the valley while Dick remained and decided to try his hand in the early tourist industry. He began by building two log cabins, a workshop, frames for two more cabins, a storage shed and a garage. Bert Harrop, who was well known in the area for his carpentry skills, taught Dick to build cedarbark furniture. Some cabins were rented by loggers so they could bring their families from the city. In 1953, Dick purchased an adjoining property (formerly known as Harrop’s Point), adding three existing cabins and a tearoom to his business. He changed the name to Cypress Lodge on Cypress Point and began accepting guests, while continuing to work in forestry in the valley. The next year, Dick secured the water rights to install a wheel and generator on Scotia Creek, providing mostly reliable power for Cypress Lodge, except when something plugged the nozzle and the lights would go out. In 1955, two people came to Alta Lake who would play a large part in the next stages of Cypress Lodge and Dick’s life in the valley. We’ll be bringing you more about Dick Fairhurst, Cypress Lodge, and life at Alta Lake in the 1950s and ‘60s next week, so be sure to check back online! n

PARTIAL RECALL

Normally, each issue of Pique is put together by its hard-working staff in our eclectic Function Junction office. But as we all practise physical distancing, Pique staff’s work spaces look a little different these days—so we thought we’d give our readers a tour… 1 MASTER OF MULTITASKING Production manager Karl Partington can talk Pique staff through their IT issues while making lunch. PHOTO BY THERESA THOMPSON. 2 LIVE FROM THE LIVING ROOM According to reporter Braden Dupuis’ quarantine dress code, pants are not required while “working” from home, but cowboy hats are mandatory. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 3 CHILKO CHATS Deputy arts editor Chilko looks to his human (actual arts editor Alyssa Noel) for help with a quick edit. PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL. 4 SNACK SUPPLY How does Pique editor-in-chief Clare Ogilvie stay motivated through a long day of editing? Her cats, and a seemingly endless supply of chocolate easter candy. PHOTO BY MATTHEW OGILVIE-TURNER. 5 TEEBO TIME Art director Jon Parris keeps his spirits high while working from home with his sweet plant collection (and his sidekick Teebo). PHOTO BY JON PARRIS. 6 ALL SMILES Sales rep Amy Allen may have traded her desk for her dining room table, but she’s got the champagne nearby and ready to pop when this pandemic comes to an end. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 7 PAJAMA DAY EVERY DAY Office and Accounts Manager Heidi Rode’s work attire has changed a little since working from home. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 8 ZOOM ZOOM Pique’s staff meetings look a little different these days. PHOTO BY CATHERINE POWER-CHARTRAND.

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ASTROLOGY

SNOW MELTS. POOP? NOT SO MUCH. Bag it & Bin it Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/dogs

Building Permits and Inspections are required for all renovation and construction projects in Whistler. The RMOW Building Department has adjusted procedures to enable application submissions, permit issuance, and site inspections during the COVID-19 outbreak. Permits are required for renovation and construction projects, as outlined in Building and Plumbing Regulation Bylaw no. 1617, 2002. For more information on permit applications, and current procedures, please visit www.whistler.ca/building.

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF APRIL 23 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the future, when the coronavirus crisis has a diminished power to disrupt our lives, I would love for you to have more of the money you need to finance interesting, new experiences that help you learn and thrive. Now is a good time to brainstorm about how you might arrange for that to happen. For best results, begin your meditations with vivid fantasies in which you envision yourself doing those interesting, new experiences that will help you learn and thrive. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Renowned Taurus composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) completed his first symphony when he was 43 years old—even though he’d started work on it at age 22. Why did it take him so long? One factor was his reverence for Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer who had such a huge impact on the development of classical music. In light of Beethoven’s mastery, Brahms felt unworthy. How could any composer add new musical ideas that Beethoven hadn’t already created? But after more than two decades, Brahms finally managed to overcome his inhibition. He eventually produced four symphonies and scores of other pieces, and left a major mark on musical history. For you, Taurus, I see the coming months as a phase comparable to the time when Brahms finally built the strength necessary to emerge from the shadow that had inhibited him. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A Gemini friend sent me and three of her other allies a poignant email. “This note is a tender apology to those of you whom I’ve hurt in the process of hurting myself,” she began. “I want you to know that I have been working hard and with great success to eliminate my unconscious tendency to hurt myself. And I am confident this means I will also treat you very well in the future.” I received her message with joy and appreciation. Her action was brave and wise. I invite you to consider making a comparable adjustment in the weeks ahead. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The Ojibwe are Indigenous people of North America. Bemidji State University professor of Ojibwe studies Anton Treuer writes that in their traditional culture, there have been men who act and dress like women and women who act and dress like men. The former are called ikwekaazo and the latter ikwekaazowag. Both have been “always honoured” and “considered to be strong spiritually.” Many other Native American groups have had similar arrangements. Transcending traditional gender behaviour is not unique to modern Western civilization. With that as inspiration, and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to explore any inclinations you might have to be your own unique gender. The time is ripe for experimenting with and deepening your relationship with the constructs of “masculine” and “feminine.” LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “The history of my stupidity would fill many volumes,” wrote Nobel Prize-winning poet Czesław Miłosz. Wow! If a highly respected genius like Milosz has spawned so much nonsense and ignorance, what about the rest of us? Here’s what I have to say about the subject: Each of us should strive to be at peace with the fact that we are a blend of wisdom and folly. We should be tenderly compassionate toward our failures and weaknesses, and not allow them to overshadow our brilliance and beauty. Now would be a good time for you Leos to cultivate this acceptance and perform this blessing for yourself. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Helen Traubel (1899–1972) was best known for her opera career, although she also sang in concerts, nightclubs, and musical theatre. But in her autobiography, she confessed, “Opera bored me.” She reminds me of Georgia O’Keeffe, famous painter of flowers. “I hate flowers,” O’Keeffe said. “I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move.” Now of course, most of us have to do some things that we don’t enjoy; that seems to be a routine part of being human. And since the coronavirus arrived in our midst, you may have been saddled with even more of

this burden. But I’m happy to inform you that the coming weeks will be a favourable time to brainstorm about how you could do more of what you love to do once the crisis has abated. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What’s the current state of the relationship between your ego and your soul? Is there an uneasy truce between the ambitious part of you that craves success and recognition and the lyrical part of you that yearns for rich experiences and deep meaning? Or do those two aspects of you get along pretty well—maybe even love and respect each other? Now is a favourable time to honour your ego and soul equally, Libra—to delight in the activities of both, to give them plenty of room to play and improvise, and to encourage them to collaborate in ways that will further your well-rounded happiness and health. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio author Voltaire (1694–1778) was a crusader for freedom of thought and civil liberties, as well as a key player in the Enlightenment. He was very prolific. In addition to producing 2,000 books and pamphlets, his carried on such voluminous written correspondences with so many interesting people that his collected letters fill 98 volumes. Would you consider getting inspired by Voltaire’s approach to cross-pollination? According to my calculations, the next phase of the coronavirus crisis will be a favourable time for you to intensify your communication via the written word. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I like musician David Byrne’s views on what constitutes meaningful work. It’s not just the tasks you do to earn money. “Sex is a job,” he says. “Growing up is a job. School is a job. Going to parties is a job. Religion is a job. Being creative is a job.” In other words, all the activities he names, to be done well, require a commitment to excellence and an attention to detail. They are worthy of your diligent efforts, strenuous exertion, and creative struggle. I encourage you to meditate on these thoughts during the coming weeks. Identify what jobs you want to get better at and are willing to work hard on and would like to enjoy even more than you already do. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): At its best and brightest, Capricornian love isn’t frivolous or flighty. It’s not shallow or sloppy or slapdash. When Capricornian love is at its highest potency, it’s rigorous, thoughtful, and full-bodied. It benefits anyone who’s involved with it. I bring this up because I expect the coming weeks to be a Golden Age of Capricornian Love—a time when you will have the inspiration and intelligence necessary to lift your own experience of love to a higher octave. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I hope you’re not one of those Aquarians who regards stability and security as boring. I hope you don’t have an unconscious predilection for keeping yourself in a permanent state of nervous uncertainty. If you do suffer from those bad habits, you’ll be hard-pressed to stick to them in the coming weeks. That’s because the cosmic energies will be working to settle you down into a steady groove. If you cooperate, you will naturally enhance your ability to be well-anchored, calmly steadfast, and at home in your life. Please don’t resist this opportunity. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I foresee the likelihood that you’ll be having brilliant and evocative conversations with yourself in the coming weeks. Your heart and your head may become almost blissful as they discuss how best to create a dynamic new kind of harmony. Your left side and right side will declare a truce, no longer wrestling each other for supremacy, and they may even join forces to conjure up unprecedented collaborations. The little voices in your head that speak for the past will find common ground with the little voices in your head that speak for the future—and as a result you may be inspired to formulate a fresh master plan that appeals to both. Homework: Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s Audio Horoscopes and Text Message Horoscopes.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

Resor t Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/building

44 APRIL 23, 2020

EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

In-depth weekly forecasts designed to inspire and uplift you. To buy access, phone 1-888-499-4425. Once you’ve chosen the Block of Time you like, call 1-888-682-8777 to hear Rob’s forecasts. www.freewillastrology.com

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As a social enterprise, these centres are the main source of funding for WCSS to operate the Food Bank, Outreach Services and many other services.

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Deer Lodge condo for RENT For Sale Kubota Tractor - Model B7100 (1500 hours) Good running condition. Bucket - log splitter . Snow blower 42" pca@whistlerbc.net 604-905-9717 1 bdrm condo available to Nov 30. Free WiFI, N/P, N/S. $1600/mo. 778-998-9512 sigomez00@yahoo.com

Furnished 2 bedroom Garden Suite This recently renovated garden suite is across from Whistler Village (5 min walk) and the ski lifts. Modern and clean. New carpet, paint and fixtures. Fully furnished and equipped. It is spacious, nicely decorated and makes you feel right at home. Patio area. One year lease. Driveway parking available. (Small dogs acceptable) Rent and term negotiable depending on qualifications. Owner managed 604657-1270 weden@telus.net

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Wiebe Construction Services

ROTARY CLUBS OF WHISTLER The Rotary Clubs of Whistler are now meeting virtually. The Whistler Club Tuesdays at 3. The Millennium Club Thursdays at 12:15. Contact us at info@Whistler-rotary.org for log in info. All welcome.

Serving Whistler for over 25 years

• Kitchen and Bath • Renovations & Repairs • Drywall • Painting • Finishing • Minor Electrical & Plumbing

Ray Wiebe 604.935.2432 Pat Wiebe 604.902.9300 raymondo99.69@gmail.com

Emotional distress can be difficult to manage on your own. The goal of Ashlin Tipper Counselling is to promote health and happiness by providing welcoming, kind, supportive, non-judgmental, goal-oriented, practical, clinically-based emotional support.

Website: ashlintippercounselling.com Email: ashlintippercounselling@gmail.com Phone: (604) 916 8979

Covid 19 precautions in place Counseling available through several video platforms

Come visit our showroom for all your renovation and supply needs For Free consults and Quotes call 604-935-8825 Located in function junction mariomarble@shawbiz.ca Showroom #103-1010 Alpha Lake Rd.

M.Ed., RCC, SEP

CREATE CHANGE

Rational, Compassionate Psychotherapy Youth, young adults, adults, family therapy and sport performance counselling. P: 604-935-0968 E: Greg@McdonnellCounselling.ca W: McdonnellCounselling.ca

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(604) 698-6661

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46 APRIL 23, 2020

Big Brothers, Big Sisters Sea to Sky Volunteer to Mentor- just 1hr/week - and make a difference in a child's life. Call 604892-3125.

FAMILY RESOURCES

Stewardship Pemberton Society and the One Mile Lake Nature CentreConnecting community, nature and people through education, cooperation, and community involvement. www.stewardshippemberton.com

Kids on the Move - Provides financial assistance to enable children of financially restricted families to participate in sport programs. Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 to speak with an outreach worker. www.mywcss.org.

Whistler Health Care Foundation raises funds for improving health care resources and services. New board members welcomed. Contact us at info@whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org or call Karen at 604-906-1435.

Outreach Services - Free confidential support for adults and families experiencing challenges with mental health, food insecurity, housing insecurity, substance use, misuse or addiction, employment, eating disorders, violence in relationships, roommate conflict or homesickness. Contact our office at 604.932.0113 to speak with an outreach worker or visit www.mywcss.org.

FOR SENIORS Activate & Connect - In partnership with Mature Action Community. www.mywcss.org Outreach Services - Free confidential support for adults dealing with the challenges of social wellness. Please call our office at 604.932.0113 to speak with an outreach worker. Senior Citizen Organizations - Is an advocacy group devoted to improving the quality of life for all seniors. Ernie Bayer 604-576-9734 or ecbayer2@gmail.com

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY Walk For Alzheimer's Remember and honour people affected by dementia in your community SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2020 Registration 10 a.m Walk 11 a.m - noon Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church 6229 Lorimer Road, Whistler Honouree: Erika Durlacher Register and fundraise at walkforalzheimers.ca

MEETING PLACE Welcome Centre at Whistler Public Library - Information, support, community connections and ESL practice groups for newcomers and immigrants. Meet people, make connections, volunteer, build your communication skills in English. Multicultural Meet Up every Friday 9.3012pm.604-698-5960 info@welcomewhistler.com FB: WhistlerWelcomeCentre

ARTS & CULTURE Services

CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

as recommended by:

COMMUNITY LISTINGS MEADOW PARK SPORTS

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Arts Whistler - Full arts & culture listings. Comprehensive artist directory & programs, events & performances yearround. For info 604-935-8410 or visit www.artswhistler.com Pemberton Arts Council - Connect with other artists, writers, artisans, musicians & help make Pemberton a vibrant arts community. Call 604-452-0123 or visit www.pembertonartscouncil.com Pemberton Writers - Meet with other writers to review and critique monthly. Opportunities for writing in a comfortable and creative setting. Email crowley7@telus.net

CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS Donate Used Clothing & Household Goods- To be distributed to local charities by Sharon 604-894-6656 for pick up. Playground Builders: Creating Play Building Hope - Playground Builders is a registered charity that builds playgrounds for children in war-torn areas. Learn more, volunteer or donate at www.playgroundbuilders.org Sea to Sky Community Services running dozens of programs in Whistler to help people through times of crisis and with everyday challenges. www.sscs.ca 1-877-892-2022 admin@sscs.ca

Earthsave Whistler - Providing info & support to people who are interested in making healthier, greener, more peaceful food choices. earthsavewhistler.com Healthy Home, Healthy Planet - Expert in green cleaning offers tricks, info & advice on the best way to green clean your home or work space! Call France 604-6987479. Free private presentation on request. www.healthylivingwhistler.com Regional Recycling - Recycle beverage containers (full deposit paid) electronics, appliances, batteries, Lightbulbs, drop-off times are 9am-5pm on Nesters Rd. Pick up service 604- 932-3733 Re-Use-It - Daily 11:00am to 6:00pm, Donate all household goods in good shape. Accepting bottles & cans, old electronics, anything with a cord, and light fixtures for recycling. All proceeds to WCSS. Call 604.932.1121, www.mywcss. org, reuseit@mywcss.org. The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) - Whistler's Natural Voice since 1989. Regular events, project and volunteer opportunities. www.awarewhistler.org info@awarewhistler.org The Mountain Village Social Gathering - WHAT IF... Housing wasn't just a place to live, but rather, a way of life? To find out more, visit our Facebook page @ themountainvillage or go to our website www.themountainvillage.ca

FAMILY RESOURCES Baby/Child Health Clinics - Free routine immunizations & newly licensed vaccines for purchase, growth & development assessments & plenty of age appropriate resources avail. By appointment 604-932-3202 Camp Fund - Provides financial assistance to enable children of financially restricted families to attend camp. Call WCSS at 604.932.0113 to speak with an outreach worker. www.mywcss.org Families Fighting Cancer In The Sea To Sky - We are a non profit partner with Sea to Sky Community Services. We provide financial and practical support to children and parents with dependants diagnosed with cancer. Please contact us on our confidential email: ffcseatosky@gmail.com, visit our Facebook Page or website www.familiesfightingcancer.ca KidsArt - Provides financial assistance to enable children of financially restricted families to participate in arts and culture education. Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 to speak with an outreach worker. www. mywcss.org.

SOCIAL SERVICES Access to Justice - Need legal advice but are financially restricted? Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 to find out more or visit www.mywcss.org. Counselling Assistance - WCSS subsidizes access to a private counsellor depending on financial need. Contact an outreach worker at 604.932.0113 or visit www.mywcss.org. ESL Volunteer Tutor Program - Volunteer one-to-one tutoring for new immigrants & Canadian citizens. For more information or to register, contact the Whistler Welcome Centre info@welcomewhistler.com or call 604.698.5960 Food Bank, Pemberton - Run by Sea to Sky Community Service. Open every second Monday. 604 894 6101 Food Bank Whistler - Located at 8000 Nesters Road, every Wednesday from 10am to noon. For emergency food bags, please call 604.935.7717. www.mywcss.org/food-bank Healthy Pregnancy Outreach ProgramLearn how to prepare healthy affordable meals at this outreach program. Sea to Sky Community Services 604-894-6101 Meadow Park Rec Credit - If you are financially restricted, you may be eligible for a $131.20 municipal recreation credit. Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 and speak with an outreach worker. www.mywcss.org. North Shore Schizophrenia Society Services for family, friends & community. Mental illness info, support & advocacy. Call Chris Dickenson at 604-966-7334 Pearl's Safe Home - Temporary shelter for women & children experiencing abuse in relationships. Locations in Whistler & Pemberton avail 24/7. All services are free. 1-877- 890-5711 or 604-892-5711 RMOW Rec Credit - If you are financially restricted, you may be eligible for a $127.60 municipal recreation credit. Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 www.mywcss.org Sea to Sky WorkBC Centre - Provides free one-stop employment services to job seekers and employers. Services available in Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton & Mt. Currie. For more information, call us: 1-800- 763-1681 or email: centre-squamish@workbc.ca Support Counselling - For women regarding abuse & relationship issues. No charge. Call 604-894-6101 Victim Services - Assists victims, witnesses, family members or friends directly affected by any criminal act or traumatic event. Call 604-905-1969 Whistler Community Services Society Outreach Services Now Available Monday to Saturday at our new location - 8000 Nesters Road (next to WAG) 604.932.0113 www.mywcss.org Whistler for the Disabled - Provides info for people with disabilities on what to do & where to go. Visit www.whistlerforthedisabled.com Whistler Housing Authority - Long term rental & ownership housing for qualified Whistler employees. Visit www.whistlerhousing.ca

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Whistler Mental Health & Addiction Services - If you or someone you know needs help with a mental health issue or substance misuse or addiction problem, we can assist. 604-698-6455

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Whistler Multicultural Network Settlement information, social support and programs for newcomers and immigrants living/working in Whistler. 604-388-5511 www.whistlermulticulturalnetwork.com

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PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0

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• Maintaining positive communication with parents.

2 1 7 • Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects 1 4 6 5 3 • Ability to work independently and as a member of a team • Collaborate with community service providers.

REQUIREMENTS:

2 6 5 8 9 • Food Safe certificate, or willingness to obtain 4 has7complied with the Province’s5 • Evidence 9 that the candidate immunization and tuberculosis control programs. 6 4 Wage: Negotiable depending on experience Hours of work: 1 32 hours per week 3 2 • Standard First Aid with CPR-C & Clear Criminal Record Check

Epilepsy Support Group- For individuals & families seeking guidance or support. Contact eswhistler@gmail.com Immigrant Peer Educators - Immigrants providing support and information for those who may be experiencing challenges adjusting to a new culture. 604-388-5511 info@whistlermulticulturalnetwork.com

Location: D’Arcy, BC

# 39

MEDIUM

Pregnancy and Infant Loss - Facilitated by a registered counsellor, this program is designed for couples and individuals who have experienced loss of a child, either before or after birth. Please call WCSS at 604.932.0113 and speak to an outreach worker for more information or visit www.mywcss.org.

# 40

Closing Date: Until position is filled Submit cover letter &resume to: E-mail: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca

Whistler Alcoholics Anonymous: 12step support group for men and women who want to stop drinking or are recovering from alcoholism. Evening meetings are held 8:00pm Tuesdays, Thursdays, # 39 9 8 1 6 5 2 7 3 4 Saturdays, and Sundays and 7:00pm 7 4 6Whistler 1 3 Medical 8 5 9Center, 2 Monday. 4380 2 3 Road, 5 9 2nd 4 Floor 7 6 multiple 1 8 purpose Lorimer room; 5 9604-905-5489, 3 2 7 4 1 8 6 https://www.bcyukonaa.org

1 5 3 7 8 4 2 6 9

4:30pm. www.jesusrockofages.com

Pageand 10 Whistler Church- Join us for worship fellowship around Jesus. Sunday 10 am at Myrtle Philip Community School, 6195 Lorimer Rd. Nursery, Sunday School to gr. 6, Youth gr. 7 and up. Call Pastor Jon 604-798-3861 / Kelvin 204-249-0700 or www.whistlerchurch.ca

PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0

• Interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.

4 1 2 3 8 6 9 7 5 8 6 7 5 9 1 4 2 3 RELIGION 6 2 8 4 1 9 3 5 7 Jesus 1 5 Rock 4 7Of2Ages 3 8Ministry6 9 A bible based church that holds services at 3 7 9 8 6 5 2 4 1 Millennium Place's main floor theatre at

N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre

• Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing Regulations.

Concussion Support Group - WCSS is offering a recurring 8 week program to support people living with persistent postconcussion symptoms. Contact WCSS at 604.932.0113 and speak with an outreach worker about upcoming sessions or visit www.mywcss.org.

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N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre

• Planning & implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children.

Birth, Baby and Beyond - Join a registered counsellor and meet other moms with the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences in a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental setting. Call 604.932.0113 for more information or visit www.mywcss.org.

4 6 8

JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

DRIVE

3 THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS 9 2

• MEDIUM Valid Early Childhood Educator Certificate and License to # 38 Practice as an Infant Toddler Educator (or in the process of obtaining your License to Practice)

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FIX

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4 3 POSITION: INFANT TODDLER EDUCATOR 3 7 Nature of position: Regular, Full-Time Term: Ongoing 1 5 2 8 Start Date: Immediately 7 5 QUALIFICATIONS:

SUPPORT GROUPS

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Whistler Opt Healthy Sexuality Clinic - Professional sexual health services at a reduced cost. Free HIV testing. Clinics at Whistler Health Care Ctr, 2nd floor on Tues 4:30-7:30pm. Winter hours Thurs. 5:00pm7:00pm. Confidentiality assured. Whistler Women's Centre - Provides confidential support, resources, referrals and advocacy for women living in the Sea to Sky corridor. All services are free of charge and include access to emergency safe housing, child/youth # 37 counselling, play space and computer access. DropIn Centre open Mon 12-230, Tue-Thu 125. 1519 Spring Creek Drive. You can also access our services at the Whistler Public Library on Mondays from 3-6 p.m. www.hswc.ca or call (604)962- 8711. 24 HR Crisis Line: 1-877-890- 5711

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SOCIAL SERVICES

RENT

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Carpenter Needed Residential renovation work in Whistler. From demolition to finishing, you must be happy to do it all. Must have own tools & vehicle. Must be healthy, practicing social # 40 7 2 and 3 6self 9 isolating 4 5 8 as 1 distancing, much as 1 possible. 4 8 5 Pay 3 7based 9 2 on 6 experience. 9 5 604-967-2138 6 8 2 1 3 7 4

8 7 9 1 4 2 6 5 3

4 3 us 1 out 7 5 online: 6 2 9 8 Check 2 6 5 3 8 9 4 1 7 piquenewsmagazine.com 3 9 2 4 7 8 1 6 5 6 8 4 2 1 5 7 3 9 5 1 7 9 6 3 8 4 2

JOB POSTING

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR AND/ OR ABORIGINAL SUPPORTED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT WORKER The N’Quatqua First Nation is seeking a qualified Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker to fill a full-time position at N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre. The successful candidate will join our NCFDC team, the function of the Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker is to provide the extra staffing support to a child care center in order for children with extra support needs to fully participate in the child care settings chosen by their families. The Early Childhood and/or Support Worker works as a team member with child care setting staff and with all the children and families providing general support to the whole program to ensure effective inclusion of the children. The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in: • Ability to develop and maintain a warm, caring, responsive relationship with the child. • Ability to establish and maintain supportive, collaborative relationships with families and staff. • Ability to maintain confidentiality, positive, professional, nonjudgmental attitude. • Physically ability to carry out the duties of the position. • Planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community, inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children • Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations • Interpersonal, written, oral communication skills and maintaining positive communication with parents • Collaborating with community service providers, Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects In addition, the Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker will have: • A minimum of 2 years work experience in a child care setting • Valid Early Childhood Education Certificate, Special Needs License to Practice or going to school to take Early Childhood Educator and/or special needs. • Special Needs certificate or relevant experience preferred • Clear Criminal Records Check & Current First Aid • Food Safe, or willingness to obtain • Some knowledge of curriculum and philosophies in First Nations Early Childhood settings Terms of Employment: • Full-time Permanent, Monday to Friday hours to be determined • Start Date: As soon as possible • Wage: (negotiable depending on experience)

Cover Letter & Resume to: Title: Lisa Sambo, Manager Agency: N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre 4/11/2005 Email: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca Fax: 604-452-3295/3280 Deadline: until position is filled We thank all those who apply. Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

APRIL 23, 2020

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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 48 51 53 58 59 61 62 63 65 67 69 71 72

Backslide Disguise Go together Make -- -- buck Softly lit Dull and unoriginal Milan’s land Glider’s place Radio part Humble Fishtailed Mushroom-to-be Cathedral town Violinist’s aid Designer -- Wang The younger Guthrie Deface Bird habitat Locale Votes in favor -- Dawn Chong Renown French farewell Rock layers Styling goo Sorer Bounced back Certified (2 wds.) Writer Harper -Highchair wear Donne’s “done” Bricklayers Dress part Hairless Not liquid or gas Came into conflict Clambake need PC owners

6 8 1

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133 134 136 137 139 141 143 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

5 7

4 6

515 16 91718 31921

3 7

MEDIUM

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# 37

Weighed down Lithe Stratagems Turf Aquarius’ tote Frequent visitor Absurd Trial VIPs Hotel amenity Interpret wrongly Finally (2 wds.) Sweater letter Make after expenses Serpent Hercules fought Lhasa -Popinjay Whiff Get lost! In that place Bandleader Count --

2 5 8

30 32 34 37 41 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 52 54 55 56 57 60 62 64 66 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 79 80 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

1 5 7

Isis’ husband Rochester’s Jane Tale Mai -- (rum drink) Winter ailment Society miss Outbuilding Accumulated 19th letter Phonograph record Halt Trojan War cause Hairstyle Hearth remains Performs Dry white wine Creepy Folk hero from Kentucky Sent a package Untidy condition Bureau parts Fail to keep up Traffic snarlers More recent Coffee makers’ need Make a run Fine as can be Subway in Paris Returns org. Rowed or sailed With, to Fritz Deluge Remains undecided Accused’s need “-- vincit amor” Roused Whammy Autumn color

6 5 3

89 90 91 93 94 97 98 99 102 103 105 108 109 110 111 113 116

Concur Asked out Winding Minor argument Arizona city Fruit ice Cracks a safe Pleasure craft Hive dweller Like Teflon Region of India Heredity helix Like a hawk Old masters Coats with flour CEO degree Say from memory

Rapiers’ kin Craft knife (hyph.) Early anesthetic Gets closer 5K and 10K As -- -- (usually) Journal Truck renter (hyph.) Buddy or buster Mug John, in Ireland Cook’s meas. Move to and -Gullet Ginnie or Fannie Charge

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

3 9 2

7 8 9

118 119 120 121 123 124 126 128 129 130 132 135 138 140 142 144

4 3 8

MEDIUM

6 3 7

# 38

Enter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that: • Each horizontal row contains each digit exactly once • Each vertical column contains each digit exactly once • Each 3x3 box contains each digit exactly once Solving a sudoku puzzle does not require any mathematics; simple logic suffices.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

7 3 5 8 2 4 2 6 4 9 6 8 5 1 9 4 9 2 3 5 1 3 1 3 8 2 7 6 MEDIUM Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 39

2 1 7 1 4 6 5 3

2 6 5 8 9 9 4 7 6 4 1 3 MEDIUM

5 2 # 40

ANSWERS ON PAGE 47

APRIL 23, 2020

MAXED OUT

Chasing a dream IT’S AN OVERLOOKED TRUISM we live through history. Most of us have difficulty contemplating our day-to-day experiences being historical. But clearly, our current day-to-day experiences will be historical. It’s been a century since the last serious pandemic, the 1918 flu pandemic. While we don’t know how our current historical experience will play out, the single biggest lesson we can learn from that pandemic is this: Patience, grasshopper. Everyone is getting antsy to move past this and get back to work, pick up the threads and proceed with our lives.

BY G.D. MAXWELL The same sense of fatigue was present in 1918. And when restrictions were lifted, the second wave of flu set in and more people died than had succumbed during the initial round. If you’re wondering what that was like in one city, you can read Peter Hartlaub’s sobering account in the San Francisco Chronicle here: https://www.sfchronicle. com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-s-1918Spanish-flu-debacle-A-15191518.php And now, on to less weighty things. Last week’s retelling of the development of 7th Heaven was kindly received. So let’s time travel further back and consider the spark that gave birth to Whistler. You’ve probably heard it was an Olympic dream that got Whistler started. True enough. But why Whistler? Why not some other snowy, mountainous place in B.C.? Let’s be honest, more than one naysayer has pointed out Whistler’s drawbacks: low elevation and challenging weather. And while both of those held true in 1960, they were the least of the challenges. To them you could add the fact that London Mountain, Whistler’s former name, wasn’t on anybody’s radar screen. There was no real road up here from Squamish and not a lick of infrastructure existed to fuel the dream of an Olympic ski hill. So how did it all come about? Let’s review. It was 1960. The Olympics were taking place in Squaw Valley. Dave Mathews was there covering the Olympics for CKNW, a Vancouver radio station. Erwin Swangard, newly appointed managing editor of the Vancouver Sun and formerly the sports editor was there, too. So was Sidney Dawes, Canada’s International Olympic Committee representative. Canadian skier Anne Heggtveit won gold in the women’s slalom, triggering a brainwave for Mathews. “Swangard,” he’s reported to have said, according to Sandy Martin (who will be introduced shortly), “we’ve got to have the Olympics in Canada.” Bringing Dawes into the conversation, Mathews worked to convince them both that Garibaldi Provincial Park would be a perfect place to host the Winter Games. Harebrained? Perhaps. But it was the

50 APRIL 23, 2020

PHOTO BY BRAD KASSELMAN / COASTPHOTO.COM

idea that culminated in Whistler being the mountain host town for the 2010 Olympics, 50 years later. As was readily apparent even in 1960, the north-shore mountains around Vancouver were no place to hold Olympiccalibre alpine events. So the search was on. Vancouver in 1960 was far from a worldclass city. While provincial backwater might be a bit harsh, one did not have to travel too far from Vancouver before one encountered Canadian wilderness. The search for an appropriate Olympic mountain was going to be an air search, not a ground search. Mathews enlisted Glen McPherson, president of Okanagan Helicopters and, along with Dawes, began looking for an Olympic-worthy site. Since they needed

down. Al said he was sure glad I was there and I said the same thing to him because, frankly, neither of us knew exactly where we were. But we skied it.” Dawes wasn’t convinced, though. He had misgivings about Diamond Head, given its proximity to the warming waters of Georgia Strait and its lack of development potential. The decision was made to continue the search further inland and to the north. After consulting topo maps, a foray was made to London Mountain. It looked promising. So on March 3, 1960, Martin, Menzies and Robinson were dropped off on the upper slopes of what everyone thought would become the Olympic downhill run. Sandy remembered, “There was a

You’ve probably heard it was an Olympic dream that got Whistler started. True enough. But why Whistler? skis on the ground as well as eyes in the sky, they enlisted Vancouver hotshot skiers Al Menzies, Bill Robinson and the aforementioned Sandy Martin. Because there was already a lodge— Diamond Head Chalet—in the meadows of Diamond Head Mountain in Garibaldi Park, they tried it first. Sandy recalled having skied at Diamond Head previously. “We used to take the Union Steamship up to Squamish and then Jeep up to the chalet. But this time, Glen dropped Al and me off on Diamond Head and we skied

couple of thousand vertical feet between where we were and this gorgeous valley. The snow was, of course, untracked and I’ll bet it was waist deep. There weren’t any runs, no gladed paths to the bottom, no nothing. But it was a great day to ski so Al led us and we picked our way down to where Whistler Village would eventually be built.” Dawes recalled, “Our helicopter landed (after dropping off the skiers) at the 2,000foot [610-metre] level, where the Olympic Village would be located. The snow, early in March, was still over six feet [1.8-m]

deep. The runs down from the top of the mountain would have a 4,000-foot [1,219-m] vertical drop and we were satisfied that all events should be held in this one location. The slopes were beautifully timbered so that we should find lots of soil that can be graded and grassed to prevent erosion.” With a good report from the skiers, subsequent evaluations from other outside experts and the backing of the newly formed Garibaldi Olympic Development Association, an outrageous bid was made for London Mountain to be the site of the 1968 Winter Olympics. Remember, there wasn’t as much as a road to the mountain, let alone a ski lift. The Canadian Olympic Committee, noting the fundamental shortfalls of the nascent site, backed Banff as the Canadian nominee. The 1968 Games were awarded to Grenoble, France. The rest, as they say, is history. As an aside, there was only one race ever run on Whistler Mountain that ended where the Olympic dreamers planned. In 1982, to showcase the opening of the new Whistler Village—on the site where Dawes had pictured his Olympic Village—organizers rejigged the by then time-tested downhill course that runs to Creekside. Instead of turning at the bottom of Toilet Bowl and heading down the Weasel, the course veered right, following the newly cut Tokum down the north side of the mountain to Crabapple and into the Village. After training runs, Austrian racer, Harti Weirather, battling Steve Podborski for the overall World Cup title that year, dismissed the course as too flat and unchallenging and seemed to lose interest. Pod took the overall title that year though Swiss racer Peter Mueller won the race. Play safe. Be patient. This, too, shall pass. n

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WHISTLER CAY HEIGHTS 6292 Palmer Drive Mountain Chalet just minutes from the Village! Amazing views from the floor-to-ceiling windows, stunning focal point wood-burning fireplace, room to entertain, private hot tub, ample deck space etc. Inquire today this home is something special. $2,899,000

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We fully appreciate this is not business as usual — or life as usual. Though many of the ways we operate are changing, rest assured the technology we already have in place provides us the capability of interacting with each other and our clients both locally and globally. While our physical real estate shops are temporarily closed, our local advisors and teams are still working hard conducting the business of real estate.

Stay Home, Stay Strong ♥

Whistler Village Shop

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36-4314 Main Street · Whistler BC V8E 1A8 · Phone +1 604-932-1875

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150-1200 Hunter Place · Squamish BC V8B 0G8 · Phone +1 778-733-0611

whistler.evrealestate.com

Engel & Völkers Whistler *PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

3D Tour - rem.ax/31stoneridge

#31 - 4822 Spearhead Drive

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$1,099,000

Renovated ski in, ski out townhome with 2 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms on the slopes of Blackcomb. Leave your car parked in the private carport and access to the slopes to enjoy a day of skiing on Blackcomb or a day of biking on the amazing series of bike trails around Lost Lake.

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#67 - 4355 Northlands Blvd.

A heartfelt thank you to our health care professionals!

$829,000

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#322 - 3309 Ptarmigan Place

$1,195,000

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2.5

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$2,748,000

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#256 - 4425 Sundial Place

$350,000

Enjoy your central village location in this Bright corner of the building. It boasts a spacious sleeping loft, with ensuite bathroom, a separate den with TV and pullout couch, full kitchen and flexible living-dining area. There are views of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and a peek a view of the outdoor pool.

Bruce Watt

1.5

604.905.0737

3D Tour - rem.ax/302wildwood

#520 - 4295 Blackcomb Way

$145,000

In the heart of the Village surrounded by shops and restaurants with an easy walk to ski lifts. This 5th floor studio apartment has a great revenue history. Whistler Peaks Lodge has an exercise room and Hot Tub facility. Concrete construction provides for a solid building.

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#302 - 4749 Spearhead Drive

$1,188,000

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss this bright, inviting and turnkey 2 bedroom with loft suite in the Wildwood Lodge. The soaring ceilings encourage plenty of light to enjoy the space that comfortably entertains 6+ guests with a large dining table and full kitchen, outfitted with stainless steel appliances and granite counters surrounded with slate flooring.

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WHISTLER OFFICE 106 - 7015 Nesters Road, Whistler, BC V8E 0X1 604.932.2300 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070 *PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

If you are a home owner, buyer, tenant, landlord, or small business in need of help during this time, please see our updated list of resources at: remax-whistler.com/resources

604.905.8855

2.5 PEMBERTON OFFICE 1411 Portage Road, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1 604.894.6616 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070