Pique Newsmagazine 2729 by Pacific Coastal Publications LP

JULY 16, 2020 ISSUE 27.29

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE

THE BEEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S KNEES

BESTOF PEMBERTON

WILDFIRE DEBATE Should Whistler rethink its approach to wildfire mitigation?

COVID IN CORRIDOR

Medical

officials advise people to wear masks

SCENIC SONGS

Leo Wood heads into

the wild for her music videos

WHISTLER.

WHERE THE OUTDOORS IS YOUR BACKYARD

Image: Tourism Whistler/ Justa Jeskova

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

32 Best of Pemberton In this year’s Best of Pemberton survey, we celebrate the people and places that make Pemberton so awesome. - By Brandon Barrett and Alyssa Noel

WILDFIRE DEBATE

Should Whistler rethink

RESERVE DECISION

With fare collection

its approach to wildfire mitigation? Competing schools of thought collide

down, Village of Pemberton council votes to use more than $10,000 in BC

as council weighs the benefits of fuel thinning.

Transit shared operating reserve money to cover the cost of service.

COVID IN THE CORRIDOR

Medical

RACE TO END ALL RACES

From

officials advise everyone in Whistler to wear a mask if physical distancing

competitors to crew, the Sea to Sky was well represented in “the world’s

is impossible, as first new case of COVID-19 since May is discovered.

toughest race,” the Eco-Challenge, which is now a docuseries.

TOUGH TIMES

Summer business is starting to

SCENIC SONGS

Squamish musician Leo Wood,

pick up, but Whistler businesses are still suffering thanks to COVID-19,

who recently released a video shot on a scenic Horseshoe Bay island,

according to a recent Whistler Chamber of Commerce survey.

heads into the wild for her music videos.

COVER Are sunny days, in fact, finally here again!? - By Jon Parris 4 JULY 16, 2020

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS This month, Whistlerites have a chance to take part in virtual townhalls

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

on our future—it’s your chance to get creative and voice your concerns and solutions.

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter writers this week call out Vail Resorts for its Epic Pass

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 Production Manager KARL PARTINGTON - kpartington@wplpmedia.com Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@wplpmedia.com Advertising Representatives AMY ALLEN - aallen@wplpmedia.com TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com

refund/renewal policy and the municipality for changing the name of a Whistler street.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Alyssa Noel had the perfect wedding planned for this month until COVID-19 struck. She shares some of the frustrations of being a Coronavirus-bride.

66 MAXED OUT Enough is enough argues Max in putting forth a case about why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to step down, and Chrystia Freeland needs to step up.

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 Reporters BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com JOEL BARDE - jbarde@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@wplpmedia.com

Environment & Adventure

30 SCIENCE MATTERS David Suzuki argues that, to end race-based discrimination, we include an examination of how environmental harm disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalized people.

31 RANGE ROVER Writer Leslie Anthony ponders an age-old question—where did sweet potatoes come from—and in doing so, shares an ocean-going adventure from 1947.

Circulation and Accounts PAIGE BRUMMET - pbrummet@wplpmedia.com

46 TRAVEL Writer Steve MacNaull headed to Tofino to catch some waves and enjoy surfing in the time

Office and Accounts Manager HEIDI RODE - hrode@wplpmedia.com

of a pandemic.

Classifieds and Reception mail@piquenewsmagazine.com

I.T. and Webmaster KARL PARTINGTON Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, MICHAEL ALLEN, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ALLEN BEST, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON President, Whistler Publishing LP SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@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. 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.

Lifestyle & Arts

50 FORK IN THE ROAD Writer Glenda Bartosh explores all the amazing berries on offer during wilderness walks right now.

62 MUSEUM MUSINGS One of the best ways to get a glimpse of local history is to look back at what was written about the people and places of Whistler. This week Whistler Mountain’s original newsletter offers some insights.

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).

ISSN #1206-2022 Subscriptions: $76.70/yr. within Canada, $136.60/yr. courier within Canada. $605.80/ yr. courier to USA. GST included. GST Reg. #R139517908. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40016549.

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OPENING REMARKS

The overtourismundertourism conundrum BEFORE THE COVID-19 pandemic, it was not unusual to hear complaints of the impacts of overtourism in our region. The weekend traffic on the Sea to Sky Highway was bumper to bumper, the lift lines, runs and restaurants were packed in the winter and the situation felt even worse in the summer months. With our mountain resort nowhere near capacity, it seems crazy to imagine those concerns now—but perhaps we should. After all, in a way, we have been given a chance to consider doing things differently as we move into this new tourism reality. It’s really an unprecedented opportunity to examine how to rebuild our tourism

BY CLARE OGILVIE edit@piquenewsmagazine.com

industry in a way that benefits our economy and also protects our green environment and our community. This month, Whistler is holding four townhall meetings—the first was this past Tuesday, while the second is today, July 16

“Our goal is to collaborate with the community on potential solutions to the challenges we face.” - JACK CROMPTON

(The environment: 5 to 6:30 p.m., co-hosted by Mike Douglas)—to talk about what we want to look like in the future. “Our goal is to collaborate with the community on potential solutions to the challenges we face,” said Mayor Jack Crompton in explaining these meetings. “Our challenges cannot be fixed unilaterally by the RMOW, or any level of government. This is an all-hands effort and

it will take individuals, families, businesses, community groups and government to deliver a shared response that is up to the challenge.” (Zoom details and registration information will be available at whistler.ca/ communityconversations.) We have been talking about this topic for some time and indeed, Pique’s columnists and reporters have touched on it in recent months as well. (Check out “Taking advantage of a hard reset,” Pique, May 14, 2020, for example.) It would be easy not to participate in the conversation, imagining that it is impossible to reframe what we do as a tourist mecca. But take heart, for we are not the only destination grappling with this dilemma and some pretty creative ideas have already been put on the table. Why can’t we do the same thing? Obviously what is being done in Southeast Asia through education programs, a tourist tax, visitor caps, serious penalties being imposed for those who cannot comply with destination rules and regulations might not work for us. But the fact that destinations are considering these pretty drastic steps is a sign that things must be done differently going forward. As UN World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said recently: “Sustainability must no longer be a niche part of tourism but must be the new norm for every part of our sector. “It is in our hands to transform tourism and that emerging from COVID-19 becomes a turning point for sustainability.” Consider Banff and Lake Louise, where tour buses now have to make reservations at destinations to avoid hours-long lineups, and New Zealand, which in the last year has revamped its tourism strategy to focus on the long term, making “visitorsustainability” a pillar of its approach. (The country has seen a 35-per-cent rise in visitor arrivals in the last five years.) “The recent pace and scale of visitor growth has effectively outstripped the capacity of our system to respond in some areas. This means

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that the economic and other opportunities afforded by this growth are not being fully realised, and the pressures created are not always adequately managed,” states the New Zealand strategy, found at www.mbie.govt. nz/dmsdocument/5482-2019-new-zealandaotearoa-government-tourism-strategy-pdf. Sound familiar? Venice, which hosts 30 million annual visitors, provides one extreme example. The sheer mass of travellers is destroying the very fabric of the historical community there. “The social ties Venice once enjoyed, its rhythm of life, even the vibrant artisanal trades, are now almost a thing of the past,” wrote Neal E Robbins, author of the justreleased Venice, an Odyssey: Hope and Anger in the Iconic City. Where 170,000 people lived there after the Second World War, only 52,000 call Venice home today. So now residents are demanding a reduction in cruise-ship traffic, a reduction in Airbnb bookings, and a system to manage tourist numbers. In Amsterdam, meanwhile, a petition is circulating on the future of tourism there. It already has 23,000 signatures. If it reaches 27,000, it would trigger a referendum. The principal demand is for tourist numbers to be limited to 12 million overnight stays per year, a return to the “manageable” levels of 2014. To do this, Amsterdam is looking at a total or partial ban on holiday rentals, no new hotels, stopping extensions (in rooms or beds) of all current hotels, increasing the tourist tax (if necessary) to limit the demand for overnight stays, assessing it every six months and using extra proceeds from the tax to counteract tourism problems and improve residents’ quality of life. It is also considering creating a “councillor for tourism and quality of life.” Their duties would include maintaining the cap on overnight visitors and proposing measures that would improve conditions for residents. So, as we take part in our townhalls on the Whistler we want to see, bring your creative ideas to the table. n

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JULY 16, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

How pathetic are we as Canadians?

When this policy goes sideways, what side will you be on? Natalie Rock and Jim Brown // Whistler

Vail Resorts’ pass policy unfair

Just heading back home to our place here in Whistler, B.C. While driving through Whistler Public Parking Lots 1 to 4, we noticed three American-plated vehicles. We took photos and presented [them] at the Whistler RCMP office—they refused to do anything about it, saying [there was] nothing they can do [and], “these people have every right to be here.” Really? That is the answer from the people in charge of protecting Canadians? According to news reports, a number of Americans were fined for being in Banff, Alta.—$1,200 each. The report informed Canadians to call the RCMP to handle any foreign visitor to the country. Do Americans now have more rights than Canadians? What about our rights to good health? [I’m sure] Canadians have no rights in the U.S.A. (none). The pandemic gong show that is currently happening down south is something to be feared and respected. If Americans need to go to Alaska, then fly or take the ferry from Bellingham to Alaska. There is no need to risk the lives and health system of Canadians. Shut the border, period, to non-essentials. Canadians are watching and will remember.

“The pandemic gong show that is currently happening down south is something to be feared and respected.” - NATALIE ROCK AND JIM BROWN

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.

My daughter wrote a complaint/request to Vail Resorts, and was basically told “too bad.” I’m sure there are many other unsatisfied customers out there. I followed up with a letter and have not received a reply, nor do I expect a satisfactory response. Attached is my letter. I’m sure there are many others out there in our situation. I hope that other Sea to Sky corridor, and Greater Vancouver Regional District customers will write with their complaints. Dear Vail management, My daughter purchased an Adult 10-Day Edge card for the 2019-2020 season. The cost was $879. This divides out to $87.90 per day. She used five days. She lost the use of the remaining five days when you closed the mountain. That is a loss of 5 x $87.90 = $439.50. You are stating that you will refund her $175.80. This equals 20% of the pass price. This means that you are keeping $263.70. This equals 30%! In short, you are stealing $263.70. Even the banks don’t charge this amount! To make matters worse, this is not a credit that can be applied to other products such as a 5-Day Edge card. In order to get this refund, she must buy another 10-Day Edge card. I cannot believe how little an amount you are refunding to my daughter. It is absolutely disgusting. At the very least, the credit should be transferable. In addition, she, and all those in a similar position, should be allowed to use

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10 JULY 16, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR their pass for unlimited summer sightseeing as a thank you for their loyalty. I request that you increase her credit to 40% of her pass. This equals $351.60. You would still be holding back an unearned 10% (still much greater than the banks’

113D EVOLUTION Modern 2 bedroom quarter ownership property located at the base of Whistler Mountain.

reconsider whether or not we will patronize Vail Resorts’ restaurants and shops. There are still plenty of other options in our little town, and guests often ask us where to dine or shop. Darren Watts // Whistler/Surrey

$195,000 WH IS TLER’S #1 RE/MAX AGENT

“I fully expect this letter to fall on deaf ears as Vail Resorts has made it very clear by their actions that their priority is destination visitors, and that local Whistler to Greater Vancouver area visitors are quite irrelevant.”

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interest charge) but at least it would be more reasonable. Also, make it a general credit applicable to all Vail products. I fully expect this letter to fall on deaf ears as Vail Resorts has made it very clear by their actions that their priority is destination visitors, and that local Whistler to Greater Vancouver Area visitors are quite irrelevant. As part-time Whistler residents for the past 20 years, we are a captive audience to the mountain. However, we will seriously

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IEW

V AL

Should street name be changed? Why would the Resort Municipality of Whistler council spend the time to change the name of the Squaw Valley Crescent? Will they also change the name of the 1960 Olympic Venue site? History shows that Whistler is the result of some dedicated local Vancouver individuals saying: We could also host the future Winter Olympic Games—and we did—in 2010. Peter Alder // Whistler ■

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It is with great sadness that the family of

Brigitte Eva Richters

announce her passing on Monday, July 6, 2020, at the age of 76. She will be immensely missed by her children, Adrienne and Bruce, and her extended family and friends. Brigitte was born in Schwerin, Germany and immigrated to Canada as a child. She enjoyed life in Whistler and Tsawwassen, spending her free time hiking, gardening, cross-country skiing, and swimming in freezing lakes and oceans. Brigitte instilled her love of nature, healthy living, and the outdoors in her children and also passed on practical skills, such as how to cut down a last-minute Christmas tree from one’s own yard... Brigitte could strike up a conversation with anyone, and was genuinely interested in others. Above all else, she cared greatly for her children and put others before herself. If you knew Brigitte, then you would know that nothing kept her from her daily walks; she especially loved walking around Alpine Meadows and Lost Lake in Whistler, the Dyke in Boundary Bay, and Lily Point in Point Roberts. Those that wish to remember Brigitte in the years to come need only to visit these beautiful areas to be close to her once again. Should friends desire, a “Brigitte Richters Memorial” GoFundMe page has been set up for “The Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society” and a memorial bench plaque. A Celebration of Life will occur at a future date. Please contact the family for details.

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Plans A through Z: Tales from a tired Corona bride TRIGGER WARNING: if you occupy the same orbit as any Corona brides (or, to a lesser extent, grooms), please skip the following column. You undoubtedly have reached your limit of listening to the notso-happy couple cycle through Plans A to Z and back again like a tulle-clad shit tornado that just wants to slap a ring on it and call it happily-ever-after already.

BY ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com

While there are many more important topics on which to opine this week, I’m (sorry-not-sorry) all-consumed with my impending nuptials, which will blessedly be over by the time you read this. (Hey, future Alyssa, hope you’re doing better than you were last week!) The COVID-19 pandemic has destroyed so many plans in the last four months— graduations, in-class post-secondary school, any kind of career advancement, baby showers, birthdays, and, of course weddings. Mine was 35 years and a few mistakes in the making. By the time I got engaged up at Echo Lake in October 2019, I had been a bridesmaid many times over and

celebrated many stagettes, showers, and weddings with my loved ones. While I never imagined myself donning a penis veil, sloppin’ my way through vodka shots with my nearest and dearest, and communing in the Garf’s bathroom with other sash-clad brides-to-be 10 years my junior, I was blissfully happy to see my big day on the horizon. To my fiancé’s somewhat muted horror, I began contacting venues the day after he popped the question—largely because I’ve edited Wishes wedding magazine for the last seven years and know how popular Sea to Sky weddings have become. By the time mid-March came around (six lifetimes ago in the Before Times, by my rough estimate), the big day was essentially planned: mid-July at Sunwolf in Squamish. An Alice and Brohm ice cream truck would roll up, family would stay in cabins onsite, and, finally, we would have the chance to show off our beautiful corridor community to our loved ones—many of whom were planning their summer vacations around the event. And then, along with the rest of the world, we were suddenly working from home, afraid to go to the grocery store, and unsure when we’d hang out with friends again. But surely, we thought, this madness

would be over by July. As the weeks wore on, my patience wore thin. I began to obsessively Google ridiculous things like “What will July be like COVID.” Come the beginning of May, it was obvious. We sent an email to our out-oftown guests: the wedding wasn’t happening this year. Instead, we launched into Plan B. At that time, it seemed unfathomable our parents and siblings (who had seen us through so much and I wanted so badly to witness the conclusion to this particular story arc) would be able to travel from Alberta and Ontario for what wedding website The Knot had newly coined a “Minimony.” Things were so bad everywhere and no one seemed to have any insight into when it might end. The last thing we wanted was for anyone to get sick on our account. So, we decided our consolation prize would be the freedom to do an epic, lowkey hiking elopement. Our officiant assured me she was up to the task and, in fact, had just run 10 kilometres that morning. Our photographer likewise seemed keen to hit the trails. And then, just as we began to put that plan in motion, the clouds parted and one little weak sunbeam shone through; things were getting better in both Alberta and

B.C. Maybe, just maybe, our parents could come. The idea of walking down the aisle with both my parents by my side—towards my future groom and his likewise lovely parents—filled my worn-out heart with so much hope. Twice bitten, thrice shy, we waited until the last minute for Plan C: a slightly over-the-top elopement with our parents at North Arm Farm, a venue we had initially dreamed of but ruled out for logistical reasons. Right now, six days away from that current and—PLEASE, GOD—final plan, it’s fun to daydream about how it might actually turn out. (It’ll be even more fun next year to look back and discover if our reception at Sunwolf could actually happen or not. Surprises abound!) While we were among the first wave of Coronacouples to have our wedding foiled, we will certainly not be the last as this pandemic winds on with no real end in sight. Why, you ask, would anyone else knowingly continue to subject themselves to this expensive, wrenching, grey-hairinducing process? Because if this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that nothing in this life is certain and if you have found the right person to weather the shit tornado with, that’s worth celebrating. ■

JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Should Whistler rethink its approach to wildfire mitigation? COMPETING SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT COLLIDE AS COUNCIL WEIGHS THE BENEFITS OF FUEL THINNING

BY BRADEN DUPUIS SOME COMPETING schools of thought concerning wildfire mitigation are clashing in Whistler. In a letter to council in early May, forester Rhonda Millikin, also a member of Whistler’s Forests and Wildands Advisory Committee (FWAC), requested a stop to fire thinning at Lost Lake and in other Whistler parks, positing that Whistler’s forests are “inherently resilient” and different from other dry, fuel-driven forests. “One of the major predictors of forest fire is snowmelt,” wrote Millikin, who spent 35 years working for the federal government, first as a terrestrial ecologist with Forestry Canada and then with Environment and Climate Change Canada. On April 30, Millikin conducted a 4.5hour study of the effect of fire thinning in Lost Lake on snowmelt. “The results point to decreased snow and decreased soil moistures where thinning has occurred,” she wrote. “As the literature and forest ecology experts suggest, fire thinning in our forest type will INCREASE fire risk.”

THINNED OUT While fuel-thinning near Lost Lake Park may be visually jarring to some, the work is part of an important ‘insurance policy’ for the resort, according to consultant Bruce Blackwell. PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE

14 JULY 16, 2020

At the July 7 meeting of Whistler’s Committee of the Whole, Bruce Blackwell of B.A. Blackwell and Associates—the guiding vision behind Whistler’s wildfire mitigation strategies for the past 10 years—addressed Millikin’s letter. In terms of the effectiveness of wildfire fuel reduction, there is no published science on fuel treatment effectiveness specifically, Blackwell noted.

forest fuel characteristics to reduce both the risk of ignition and the spread of, and ignition into, the canopy.” It’s difficult to capture changes in fire behaviour as it moves from an unthinned stand to a thinned stand, Blackwell added, noting that you need instrumentation and in-stand cameras to truly observe the measurable effects of fire. “Just to follow up on that, we are basing

“I have no qualms stating that I feel this is important, valuable work that is no different than an insurance policy.” - BRUCE BLACKWELL

“But we know from numerous examples in B.C., Canada and the U.S. that it limits fire growth, it reduces fire severity,” Blackwell said. “One of the big features of fuel treatments is it makes it safe for firefighters to access some of these areas, and it aids in fire suppression by allowing retardant or bucketing or other means of fire suppression, to get down on the ground and actually change the fire behaviour. “And really that’s what we’re doing by removing fuel—the focus is to change the

our decisions on scientifically understood behaviour in different types of forests … and hoping at some point to get evidence of forests similar to ours?” asked Mayor Jack Crompton. Blackwell used the analogy of a campfire increasing in heat as you add more logs. “If we don’t take some of this fuel out of these forests, they are going to burn at an intensity level that potentially destroys infrastructure and homes … and they will also sterilize the site,” he said. “If you look at what’s been happening in these hot fires,

you will not get a vegetation response. All these attributes that we’re talking about protecting—old growth, habitat—they will be sterilized.” One need only imagine the face of Whistler Mountain burning, and the resulting impacts on the visual scenery, to grasp the necessity of the work, Blackwell said. “Honestly I don’t think we need scientific measure to understand where we’re going to go with this,” he said, adding that fire science is built on the “fire triangle” of heat, oxygen and fuel. “The only thing we can control in anything we do is treating the fuel. If we don’t remove the fuel, we’re going to see significant fire behaviour under these dry conditions that’s going to damage valleys at risk. It’s as simple as that.” But many, like Millikin, question the necessity of fuel thinning, and the visual impact on the landscape. “Why have we cut down so many trees in Lost Lake?” asked Councillor Ralph Forsyth. “It’s quite shocking to people when they happen upon it.” The thinning work aims to open the canopy and reduce ladder fuels, Blackwell explained, adding that the majority of trees that remain are largely resistant to fire. “So if we have a surface fire in there, we expect that they’ll survive, and honestly, councillor, I believe that within the next two

SEE PAGE 15

NEWS WHISTLER

OCP adoption paves way for new development

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BEEDIE LIVING CONTEMPLATES PLANS FOR HOLBORN LANDS

BY BRADEN DUPUIS WITH THE ADOPTION of Whistler’s Official Community Plan (OCP) last month, the long-discussed parcel informally known as the Holborn Lands can finally be developed—but it’s still too early to say what might be built, according to new owner Beedie Living. “We purchased the site several years back knowing that we would have to be patient and wait for the resort municipality to sort out the issues with respect to the OCP … We look forward to engaging with staff,

probably see if we can progress towards a proper process. It’s going to involve quite a lot of back and forth between ourselves, the resort municipality, [and] the broader public in terms of public consultation.” An actual application at municipal hall “could be at least many months away,” Rafii added, “but certainly we do want to and plan to start the process, and we are both eager and enthusiastic.” Asked about potential community amenities to go along with the development, Rafii said Beedie Living is keeping its options open at this point. “We’ve spoken to many different community groups, organizations, private

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“We look forward to engaging with staff, council and the public with redevelopment plans.” - HOUTAN RAFII

council and the public with redevelopment plans,” said Houtan Rafii, executive vice president of Beedie Living. While in Whistler’s 1993 OCP, the property—a prime, five-hectare piece of real estate located at the end of Northlands Boulevard, north of Whistler Village—was zoned for a 450-room hotel and other amenities, it’s too early to say what Beedie might build on the site. “Really, it’s too premature to comment on anything like that,” Rafii said. “We do look forward to meeting with the resort municipality sometime in the coming weeks or months, and then

individuals and citizens, and so [we’re] trying to get a real sense of what the community needs and wants,” he said. “At the top of the list is housing, both in terms of market and potentially nonmarket housing, [as well as] recreation, of course, and other people have other ideas.” That said, it’s too early to commit to things like amenities, Rafii added. “I would expect that there would be something available that’s publicly accessed, but that isn’t predetermined,” he said. “It really depends on what council and staff are looking for as well.” n

WILDFIRE FROM PAGE 14 years we’re going to see more understory vegetation that’s going to be very pleasant to look at,” Blackwell said, adding that he’s also cognizant of people smoking and possibly causing ignitions in high-use areas like Lost Lake. “I ride on Tin Pants all the time, I have a home in Whistler, so I have as much stake in this as anybody, and I’m very cognizant of how people feel about it,” he said. “The jury is out, but I believe that most people will be accepting of what we’ve been trying to do.” The economics of investing in mitigation are clear, Blackwell added, noting that the Fort McMurray fire of 2016 amounted to losses of $9 billion dollars. “I did the fire management plan for Fort McMurray in February of 2015, and I regretfully can say that we failed. We didn’t

move fast enough, act fast enough. The fire that summer basically destroyed that town,” Blackwell said. “Whistler is as vulnerable as Fort McMurray and the economic, social, environmental impacts would be similar. “So I have no qualms stating that I feel this is important, valuable work that is no different than an insurance policy.” While Pique was unable to connect with Millikin before deadline, Councillor Arthur De Jong said he had spoken with her, and was working on setting up a meeting. “We’re going to get FWAC, and invite council, and invite Bruce Blackwell and Rhonda Millikin on a field trip in August,” De Jong said. “I have a personal interest in getting [them] on the same plot to listen to how they break it down.” n

6 0 4 . 9 3 2 .7 6 7 0 JOHNR@WREC.COM B AS E D O N C U M U L AT I V E N U M B E R O F S A L E S & TOTA L D O L L A R VO LU M E 1 9 8 8 – TO DAT E

JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

A simple message from Whistler’s medical director: ‘Be kind and wear a f---ing mask!’ DOCTORS URGE CAUTION AS SEA TO SKY SEES FIRST COVID-19 CASE SINCE MAY

BY BRANDON BARRETT DR. BRUCE MOHR has a simple yet effective message for both Whistlerites and visitors to the community: “Be kind and wear a f---ing mask!” That’s the directive from the Whistler Health Care Centre’s (WHCC) medical director after seeing crowds grow and the attitude around COVID-19 seem to relax in recent weeks as B.C. moves further into Phase 3 of its recovery plan. “[People are] flooding the trails, the parks, they’re not distancing, they’re not wearing masks, so we are seeing an increase in cases,” noted Mohr, who said the Sea to Sky had its first confirmed case of COVID19 since mid-May this past weekend. It would be the 19th lab-confirmed case in the corridor since the pandemic began. “It looks like there are lots of people around and people are looking much more relaxed about everything, maybe to the point of not thinking this is a problem anymore or an issue we need to be vigilant about,” said Dr. Karin Kausky of the Whistler Medical

Clinic. “I think the message is it’s still around. We still don’t have a vaccine or an effective therapeutic intervention, and as people move around more and recreate more, we need to stay vigilant around social distancing, maskwearing and the proper behaviour.” And while B.C.’s top medical officials have stopped short of instituting a provincewide mandate to wear masks in public—a directive that is unlikely to come down due to a relatively small number of people’s inability to wear a mask for medical reasons—Kausky strongly encouraged Whistlerites to “normalize wearing a mask in indoor spaces where it’s very difficult or impossible” to maintain physical distance. “While risk is effectively low, it’s a really good time to get your systems in place and improve your patterns of behaviour because we can make some mistakes right now, and likely that’s OK,” she added. “The more you practise behaviours that are useful, like wearing a mask, washing your hands, having sanitizer around, and are really mindful of them, I think we’ll be even better prepared should there be more influenza-like illnesses around [in the fall and winter].” Daily cases of the coronavirus have

been on the rise in B.C. recently, with 62 new cases over the weekend and a number of potential community exposure events, including 13 new cases in Kelowna believed to have stemmed from private Canada Day parties. At press time, the number of total cases for the province had reached 3,128. “There are more young people who are testing positive, particularly if you look at Kelowna with the big gatherings, and those are things that are starting to happen more because people are feeling safer. We need to be mindful that it is still around,” said Kausky. It’s also important to remember the science is still emerging on COVID19 carriers, Mohr said, noting that asymptomatic shedders can still potentially spread the virus. “You could come in contact with a carrier and then you could become a carrier,” he explained. “You don’t want to pass this on to someone whose health could be severely impacted, and that’s what [young people] need to know: They can pass it on to someone, who can then pass it on to someone else for whom it could be lethal. It’s a responsibility.” Patient volumes for both emergency

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and primary care are beginning to return to pre-COVID levels, and although the bike park, which reopened June 29 with strict safety measures in place, is a significant contributor to injuries at the WHCC, Mohr said he has seen just as many injuries in the valley as on the mountain. “There’s been an increase in injuries but the bike park is managing it very well. They’re doing a lot of work in terms of injury mitigation,” he said. “We’re seeing as many injuries from people on the Valley Trail as we are in the bike park. There are a lot of people up here from the Lower Mainland and they’re finding all kinds of ways to injure themselves.” With the experience of the past four months under their belts, Mohr said the staff at WHCC are better equipped to deal with a potential second wave—but he, of course, would rather see the corridor avoid such a development altogether. “We don’t have any prior experience with this or a second wave … and I would just say right now we should do everything we can to not have a second wave, to not have to shut down what we’ve just gotten opened up,” he said. “That, to me, is the simple message.” n

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Whistler businesses weathering COVID storm ENTREPRENEURS FRUSTRATED BY COMPLEX, EXPENSIVE RESTART MEASURES AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AS VISITORS slowly return to Whistler, local business owners are still very much weathering the COVID-19 storm in Phase 3, according to a Whistler Chamber of Commerce survey. The survey, which closed Monday, July 13, polled 114 chamber members on everything from revenue losses and staffing to B.C.’s restart plan and which government supports they’re accessing. The results show small business owners struggling to cope with complex and expensive new health measures, while painting a picture of uncertainty for both workers and employers. A full 10 per cent of respondents said they don’t anticipate they will bring all of their employees back, while 19 per cent said they won’t hit that mark until 2021. New health and safety regulations around physical distancing, disinfecting and capacity have proved frustrating in Phase 3, with 33 per cent of respondents saying it was very complicated to reopen. A further 38 per cent said the expenses involved with meeting the new regulations were expensive to very expensive.

“That tells you a story,” said Whistler Chamber CEO Melissa Pace. “It tells me that there’s some support needed there, for sure.” With its next fiscal year starting Sept. 1, the chamber will be looking into offering some COVID-19 health and safety training, she added. A whopping 87 per cent of respondents said they were accessing some form of government support (51 per cent using the wage subsidy; 28 per cent on commercial rent assistance; 27 per cent using the tax deferral and 26 per cent opting for the $40,000 loan available through the Canadian Emergency Business Account). While Whistler’s summer has started to take on an almost normal vibe, the uncertainty of the fall remains a valid concern. Forty-one per cent of respondents said that, once government support programs end, they will layoff or terminate employees, while 58 per cent said they will reduce employee hours. Twenty-five per cent said they will close temporarily, and 22 per cent said they would take a loan, or incur more debt. Two per cent of respondents said they will have to close permanently, and for a fortunate 16 per cent, it will be business as usual.

COVID CONFUSION As visitors return, Whistler business owners are grappling with complex and expensive measures to mitigate COVID-19 transmission. GETTY IMAGES

MLA Jordan Sturdy has been hearing from Whistler business owners as of late, “specifically on the [food and beverage] side, but also others, just that it’s been really challenging to get people to come back to work,” he said. Twenty-eight per cent of survey respondents said employees were reluctant to come back to work because of health and

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safety concerns, while 31 per cent said there were “other” barriers to bringing workers back. News from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on July 13 that the federal wage subsidy will be extended to December is welcomed, Sturdy said, though he hopes to see additional clarity around the eligibility criteria soon, including the requirement that businesses show a 30-per-cent drop in revenue. “With the extra costs associated with managing people as a result of COVID and with the reduced capacity, to meet the criteria for the wage subsidy I think will be problematic,” he said. “Hopefully there’s a little more clarity later on in the week as to what is going to happen and whether you have to meet that 30-per-cent reduction in capital ... Combined with the reduction in income and the increasing costs, that’s a worst-case scenario for businesses, and it could really put a lot of people very much on the edge of collapse.” In the meantime, the provincial government could further assist business owners through tax relief measures, Sturdy added, pointing to the Employer Health Tax as one example. British Columbians can weigh in on B.C.’s COVID-19 recovery efforts until July 21 at engage.gov.bc.ca/recoveryideas. ■

NEWS WHISTLER

WB opening more bike park terrain, bringing back DFX camps CREEKSIDE ZONE REOPENING TO RIDERS BEGINNING FRIDAY, JULY 17

BY MEGAN LALONDE STARTING FRIDAY, mountain bikers and hikers will have more terrain available when they upload Whistler Blackcomb’s (WB) lifts this summer. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park’s Creekside zone will be open for business as of July 17, the mountain operator announced Wednesday. “We talked about when we first reopened in the summertime, that if we found opportunities to be able to open more, we would do that,” said Marc Riddell, Vail Resorts’ West Coast director of communications. “In terms of the bike park, we think [opening more terrain] is really going to spread people out around the mountain more, and we’re actually going to be able to enforce more of the physical distancing that we introduced when we opened the bike park two weeks ago.” WB opened for summer operations on June 29, after shutting down for the winter in mid-March due to the COVID19 pandemic. Initially, available bike park terrain was limited to the Fitz and Garbanzo

zones, while the Whistler Village Gondola, Peak 2 Peak Gondola and Blackcomb Gondola opened to shuttle hikers and sightseeing guests up the mountain. The Creekside zone in particular is known for its flowy terrain, featuring an abundance of berms and technical trails better suited to advanced riders, Riddell noted. “It’s going to be a good offering to complement what we have in Fitz and Garbo right now,” he said. The bike park’s opening hours will remain the same, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the Creekside lift is open until 4 p.m. While WB’s bike school remains on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those interested can begin booking private mountain bike lessons as of July 17. After previously stating that kids’ DFX camps will not be running this summer, WB also announced this week that the popular program will in fact return on July 20, but will only be available to residents of the Sea to Sky. The program will have a few additional physical distancing restrictions this summer, including limiting groups to a minimum of three and and maximum of five riders. All participants must wear a face covering,

like a buff or a mask, in addition to their helmets and goggles while riding lifts. All groups will meet outside, and parents will not be permitted to enter any WB buildings during drop-off. To that end, program participants should be prepared to spend the vast majority of their time—including lunch—outdoors, weather permitting. The opening of the Creekside zone for riding will also coincide with the reopening of Dusty’s. However, it won’t be a return to normal for the WB-owned bar, said Riddell. With no hot food available, food and beverage options will be restricted to graband-go options like sandwiches, while seating will be limited to the patio. Beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Can-Ski’s Creekside location will also reopen for business, but will limit its operations to retail only—no bike rental or bike services will be available. Sightseeing will not be available from the Creekside base. Parking will be available in the first two levels of the Creekside underground lot, while levels 3 and 4 will remain closed. Visitors will find Creekside’s guest services located in Can-Ski beginning on Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Following the Blackcomb Ascent trails recent reopening to visitors, the mountain’s Overlord alpine hiking experience is also reopening to foot traffic in the coming days. “We started with a small footprint, because we knew that’s what we could deliver on,” Riddell said. “We always want to push it here in Whistler. But we were measured, and we were cautious about it, and we were able to operate in a manner that, you know, for the most part, I think people were just happy that we were able to open.” The opening of Overlord isn’t the only change to Blackcomb Mountain’s alpine area this summer: WB announced this week that it’s decided to remove the longstanding Horstman T-bar lift. “Over time, the Horstman Glacier’s profile has changed to the point the Horstman T-bar became inoperable and required us to remove it,” said a WB spokesperson in a statement. “The Showcase T-bar is in a better location and will continue to service the glacier for both summer and winter. We are looking forward to welcoming skiers and riders for the winter season, several months away, and our intent is to be back to summer glacier skiing in 2021.” n

FRESH TRAIL AIR IS THE BEST SELFCARE!

Enjoy the safe, vast outdoors with bike gear for the entire family at our Whistler Village locations: in the Hilton Whistler Hotel & Spa

in the Hilton Whistler Hotel & Spa

JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Anglers say DFO restrictions on Chinook fishing not science-based DFO POINTS TO STOCKS OF CONCERN, BUT SPORTFISHERS BELIEVE MORE COMPREHENSIVE RECOVERY PLAN NEEDED

BY BRANDON BARRETT A RALLY WAS HELD in Downtown Vancouver last week after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) put restrictions on Chinook fishing on the South Coast, a decision anglers—and one of the department’s own biologists—say wasn’t based in science. The Public Fishery Alliance-led rally was held Monday, July 6 in front of DFO’s Burrard Street office as a way to bring attention to the last month’s announcement that Chinook retention would remain closed for the majority of the South Coast and Vancouver Island until either July 15 or Aug. 1, depending on the area. Between Aug. 1 and 31, one Chinook between 62 and 80 centimetres is permitted for retention, while portions of Howe Sound, the Southern Gulf Islands, Vancouver Harbour and the mouth of the Fraser River will be prohibited, even to catch-and-release, until Sept. 1. The DFO said the measures were taken to protect Fraser River Chinook, whose populations have been in decline for years as a

result of a number of factors, including habitat destruction, harvest and climate change. “Chinook coastwide have been struggling for quite a number of years now and this is something that isn’t specific to the Fraser. There’s been a broad pattern of decline basically from California to Alaska,” said Jennifer Nener, salmon director for the

to the spawning grounds as possible.” Of 13 wild Fraser River Chinook populations analyzed, only one is considered not at risk by the DFO, but that assessment fails to paint the whole picture, according to Jason Assonitis, owner of Bon Chovy Salmon Fishing Charters. “Thirteen Chinook stocks are endangered

“[T]he decision making process at senior DFO levels obviously did not rely solely on scientific data or advice.” - SENIOR SOUTH COAST DFO BIOLOGIST

DFO’s Pacific region. “With that, we’ve also seen a decline in body size and that means that each female that comes back to spawn is going to produce fewer eggs. So there are a number of factors coming together, and with the very low returns and these others things, we really needed to take some actions to try and protect these stocks as much as possible and get as many spawners

or threatened, and that seems to be used over and over again. What they’re not saying is that on east Vancouver Island, as an example, over the last three years, the Cowichan, the Puntledge, the Campbell, some of these big systems are having near-historic highs. So you’ve got these 13 Fraser Chinook populations that are not doing well … and the run size for those populations may be 40,000

to 50,000 total spawners, but you’re putting it in a pool of a million other Chinooks, so it’s a very small portion but has been coined as being a problem everywhere.” Both sportfishing and conservation groups have criticized the decision as more politically than scientifically motivated, noting that if the DFO was so concerned about the health of Chinook, it would not have allowed commercial and First Nations groups to continue harvesting salmon. First Nations in the area have been given priority access for food, social and ceremonial fishing of mixed stocks in South Coast waters with the exception of the approaches to the Fraser. “Broadly, the BCWF is concerned the public fishery has been marginalized, with science taking a back seat to political agendas,” read a June 26 letter from the BC Wildlife Federation to federal fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan. “Specifically related to the latest round of regulation changes, our concern is DFO has imposed Chinook closures on public fishing under the guise of conservation. If extreme conservation concerns are truly the issue, then all fisheries, including commercial and

JOIN THE (VIRTUAL) CONVERSATION! Share your experience of the COVID-19 pandemic

Participate in virtual community conversations via Zoom meetings to inform community recovery plans.

SESSION FORMAT Part one: Introduction from the Mayor, CAO and guest community speaker Part two: Participants will join smaller breakout rooms within Zoom to discuss specific questions.

EACH SESSION has a unique discussion theme from the new community vision:

ENVIRONMENT

WITH GUEST COMMUNITY SPEAKER MIKE DOUGLAS

July 16: 5 to 6:30 p.m.

TOURISM-BASED ECONOMY

WITH GUEST COMMUNITY SPEAKER DANIELLE KRISTMANSON

July 20: 4 to 5:30 p.m.

COMMUNITY

WITH GUEST COMMUNITY SPEAKER CHRIS WRIGHTSON

July 23: 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Visit whistler.ca/CommunityConversations now to submit your insights now through the Thoughtexchange platform and to pre-register for the Zoom sessions. Return to Thoughtexchange frequently until July 25 to contribute additional ideas and rate new thoughts added by others.

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/CommunityConversations

20 JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Rainbow Park

Alta Lake Park

Whistler Olympic Plaza Whistler Village Lost Lake Park

FISHY FRUSTRATION Local angler Dave Brown addresses the camera at a July 6 rally in front of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Downtown Vancouver office.

PHOTO BY KK LAW

First Nation [food, social and ceremonial fishing], should be curtailed.” For its part, Williams Lake-based Tŝilhqot’in Nation has welcomed stronger regulations on Chinook exploitation from the DFO, but said the measures recently put in place aren’t enough to reverse the population’s decline and mitigate the risk of extirpation. “We are pro-actively exploring strategic emergency enhancement approaches and will work with our partners to implement management measures to mitigate extirpation risk and facilitate rebuilding and recovery,” read a July 1 release from the nation calling for an “immediate meeting” with Minister Jordan. “The only way to meaningfully address this is to work together, based on the recognition of our Title and Rights, and our common interests.” Whatever the underlying motivation, it would appear at least one of DFO’s own biologists agreed the Chinook closure was not entirely based on science. In an email last month that went out to dozens of sportfishing groups, a senior DFO biologist for the South Coast wrote, “As you guys point out the decision making process at senior DFO levels obviously did not rely solely on scientific data or advice.” Nener said everyone will interpret the data differently, but it’s her belief that the closure was “very much” a science-based decision. “I’ve seen the information, and when you have the kinds of very low numbers of spawners we’ve seen in the last few years, you have a choice of how you’re going to respond, and I think the view is always to take a precautionary approach,” she said. A major frustration of recent years for sportfishing and conservationist groups is the lack of what they see as a comprehensive management and recovery plan at the DFO for Fraser River Chinook. Local angler and Squamish-Lillooet Sportfish Advisory Committee member Dave Brown said he and Assonitis met with

then-fisheries minister Jonathon Wilkinson last spring to discuss “the importance of taking meaningful action addressing waterextraction issues in the habitat where these stocks of Chinook concern are. “The number of these fish are so low that hatchery enhancement is going to be one of the tools needed to recover these stocks,” he added, noting that they even brought a proposal to Wilkinson on behalf of the Spruce City Wildlife Association to increase funding for hatchery enhancement in Prince George. “The issue was totally ignored,” he said. Brown also pointed to 23 Chinook gillnet openings that have been allowed to go ahead on the lower Fraser River this year as a sign that conservation is not the main priority for the DFO. Nener said the department is doing as much as it can to effectively manage and conserve Chinook, “but it’s not just a DFO issue.” “I really want to emphasize that DFO can’t do this alone, it’s going to take a collective effort with other levels of government, including First Nations, the province and local governments,” she added. “We’re all really going to have to work together, and the people of B.C. as well, to do what they can for these fish.” This is the second summer of restrictions on Fraser River Chinook after the DFO relegated the public fishery to catch-andrelease last summer. Assonitis believes the closures only serve to erode the Canadian public’s longheld connection to salmon. “I think what this is doing is breaking down the sinews that tie the public to salmon. People are super frustrated because they know there are options and unfortunately they don’t matter enough to continue a tradition that’s been tied to B.C. for over 100 years,” he said. “Fish are being used as a currency and a chess piece. In turn, it will destroy the public’s tie to salmon and it will destroy people that rely on a public fishery to make their living.” n

JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

DIY housing models becoming attractive option as more Whistler seniors look to age in place LOCAL SENIOR POPULATION GREW 68% BETWEEN 2011 AND 2016 CENSUS

BY BRANDON BARRETT WITH COVID-19 reinforcing concerns around long-term care facilities, members of Whistler’s growing senior population are thinking creatively to find ways to age in the community they call home. One of those seniors is Sue Lawther, board chair of the Whistler Community Foundation, who has been exploring a concept with a handful of other seniors that would see them fund the hiring of two caretakers to tend to the group of 12 and live onsite in a spare bedroom at two of their townhomes in Cheakamus Crossing’s The Rise complex. Along with preparing meals for the group, the caretakers would also ferry the seniors around in a wheelchair-equipped, eight-passenger van they are contemplating buying. “We just thought that would be a more viable option, to bring the caretaker into our environment and create our own little betterat-home homecare unit,” she said. “It’s only a concept, but I think it indicates that seniors are trying to think outside the box.” Making up seven per cent of the resort’s

permanent population, the proportion of seniors in Whistler still falls well below the national average of 18.3 per cent, unsurprising for a community that relies so heavily on a younger workforce. But the rate at which Whistler’s senior demographic is growing is astonishing nonetheless: between the 2011 and 2016 census, the resort’s senior population rose by a whopping 67.7 per cent. And with long-term care facilities sitting at the centre of numerous COVID-19 outbreaks across the country, seniors may be looking to other housing options as they move into the later stages of life. “Going into these long-term care homes, that’s now become something people really want to avoid,” said Councillor Cathy Jewett. “The other thing is we have a wonderful place to live here, so trying to stay in the community is really important. I know that’s my intention, but at what point will that be impossible?” Whistler’s relatively low ratio of seniors has added to the challenge of accessing resources here. Many seniors are forced to travel outside of the resort for medical care, and even determining the need for

a hospice—a four-bed facility opened in Squamish last year—was based off of the Sea to Sky’s entire population, rather than just Squamish. And while the Whistler Housing Authority has built designated seniors housing in Cheakamus and Rainbow in recent years, it’s not realistic to think the resort will be home to a long-term care facility anytime in the near future. “I think it’s being realistic and working with the conditions we’ve got at this time,” Lawther said of her DIY housing concept. “Sure, I could sit there and say, ‘I wish the government was doing everything,’ but I don’t think we can look to the government to solve all our problems. I think it’s possible to do things on our own.” Alternative housing models, like co-op living, are another option, Lawther believes, although similar projects floated in the past have failed to gain much traction. “Pat Frewer, his company is called Seniorhome, we’ve met with him many times and he’s expressed a huge interest in developing some sort of facility that would respond over time to seniors,” she noted. “He’s built quite a few of them throughout the Lower Mainland and on the island.

They’ve been very successful, but they take a huge population. He’d really have to sharpen his pencil and council would have to come to the table not necessarily with free land but really cheap land, and they don’t have that to give him.” Kathy White, chair of the Mature Action Community (MAC), said the group is working with the municipality and other organizations to try and make Whistler a more welcoming place for seniors, based on the World Health Organization’s concept of an “age-friendly” community. “Behind us, there are a bunch of people in their late forties and fifties going, ‘With COVID, how do I want my senior years to look? Do I want to stay here? Do I want to downsize out of my house and buy a onebedroom condo and a townhouse, and have an investment property? How do I want to structure my life?’” she said. “Those kind of conversations are the next priority: Communication and engagement not only with the resort, but with other community organizations to figure out how we can help each other.” To share ideas with MAC on aging in place, email info@whistlermac.org. n

The Resort Municipality of Whistler is open for business. Most municipal services are available online: Pay property taxes • Planning services • Building services • Online payments

Please visit www.whistler.ca/virtualservices For COVID-19 information visit www.whistler.ca/covid19 Resort Municipality of Whistler www.whistler.ca/covid19 22 JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler’s Sister City faring well during pandemic KARUIZAWA, JAPAN CURRENTLY HAS NO CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19

BY ALYSSA NOEL WHILE THE COVID-19 pandemic has affected towns and cities around the world differently over the last several months, it turns out that sister cities Whistler and Karuizawa, Japan have had remarkably similar experiences. From a shuttered resort, to low cases and a slow reopening, Karuizawa appears to have encountered a very similar impact from the pandemic as this mountain resort. Karuizawa itself has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, but in Nagano Prefecture, the jurisdiction where it’s located, there have been 77, said Mayor Susumu Fujimaki through a translated email. Japan declared a state of emergency on April 16, he added. “We were requested to refrain from non-essential outings and especially avoid

visiting outside of the Nagano Prefecture [with] the aim of decreasing personto-person contact by 80 per cent,” said Fujimaki. “Therefore, many of the shops, excluding daily necessity shops, restaurants, hotels and tourist facilities were voluntarily closed. Those restaurants that sustained operations were mainly for delivery and take-out.” Many second homeowners left their high-density urban homes to spend their quarantine in Karuizawa, he added. Since the state of emergency was lifted on May 25, the community has also entered a new normal with physical distancing, masks in public and hand washing—like Whistler. While the term “new normal” is familiar in Whistler, Karuizawa is also abiding by a rule to avoid the “three Cs,” which include “enclosed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places, and close contact settings.” Looking ahead, the community is also

SISTERLY LOVE Whistler and its Sister City, Karuizawa, Japan, have had remarkably similar experiences through the COVID-19 pandemic.

GETTY IMAGES

welcoming guests back this summer, but with safety measures in place. “Almost all the events have been cancelled,” Fujimaki said. “We would like to hold the upcoming events based on the social activity roadmap that Nagano Prefecture drew [up]. This means the events involving nationwide or a wide geographical movement of people must be cancelled and the number of people who participate in the events must be approximately half of its venue’s occupancy limit and must be commenced in a phased manner.” Then, of course, there’s the Sister City Exchange program, in which youth from

both communities visit each other’s homes. In the spring, the exchange program had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. “Students in Karuizawa were very much looking forward to their visit to your community,” Fujimaki said. “They were so shocked when they were told that the program had to be cancelled and some of them burst into tears. When they faced the reality of the global pandemic, they wished the people of Whistler safety, low financial effects, and few infected by the virus.” This year marked the 21st year of the formalized Sister City program between the two communities. n

Take on the 68 bikes trails at Whistler Blackcomb

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JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Gathering potentially disastrous data MINERVA INTELLIGENCE LAUNCHES SEA TO SKY LANDSLIDE MAP

BY DAN FALLOON A VANCOUVER COMPANY is synthesizing and analyzing data to unearth more information about landslide susceptibility in the Sea to Sky area. Minerva Intelligence has launched the Sea to Sky Landslide Map, available with an account at map.sea2sky. minervageohazards.com, as a pilot project. The company’s geohazards lead, Dr. Gio Roberti, explained that the project brings together a wide variety of publicly available data from the provincial government and uses its cognitive artificial intelligence to synthesize the information. “The software that has been developed mimics the human thinking process,” he explained, noting that the software can act more quickly than the human mind. Roberti explained that the project was built off the company’s work in mineral exploration. Tracking granite, for example, could lead to veins of useful minerals or gold. “After this first application in the mineral domain, the idea was, ‘Why not try to do the same thing in the natural-hazard domain?’” he said, noting that the process for geologists is fairly similar when analyzing for not only

MAPPING IT Minerva Intelligence has launched its Sea to Sky Landslide Map. landslide events, but floods, earthquakes and wildfires. “They gather all the data, look for a specific type of soil and some categories of log stiffness, for example, because we know that some slopes are worse than others in terms of landslide likelihood.” The software considers information such as soil layers, rock layers and slope maps. An example of a situation that the software looks out for, Roberti explained, is one in which there are weak rocks on a steep slope in an area where the trees have

SCREENSHOT

recently been clear cut. “We know that when the trees are clear cut, the roots die and they don’t hold the soil together,” he said. “That’s where it’s likely to have a landslide in the near future.” The maps’ long-term applications will likely include insurance assessments to disaster reduction to real estate. “When you buy a house, you don’t know if it’s on a good slope or a bad slope,” Roberti said. “We hope this can bring some transparency to the process.”

The map also includes 24-hour and 48-hour forecasts, which Roberti explained could be used for emergency management situations, as the software can track factors such as precipitation and ground movement. “You want to know where it’s going to rain the most [so] you can take a mitigation measure,” he said. “If you know it’s going to rain a lot in a creek, then you can monitor it.” Though the map is currently accessible for the public free of charge, the company will move to a subscription model in the future. While nothing has been explicitly determined at this point, Roberti said options could include subscribing for information regarding a specific property, or for those looking for more information, by regional district. “We are exploring different scenarios,” he said. “This is the first phase, so we [will] see how many people sign up. Then through a user interview, we can understand what the user needs.” While the project started in the Sea to Sky, Minerva plans to expand into other regional areas in the months to come. Other additions include incorporating more data, and showing individual houses on the map. For a tutorial of how to use the map, visit youtube.com/watch?v=YRCPrNkX9EA &feature=youtu.be. ■

Thank you: Therese at Back In Action Physiotherapy for the reusable masks, Montis Distillery for the hand sanitizer, Nina, Christian and Roger at Whistler Sport Legacies And clients for returning when I reopened - graciously and with patience around new protocols. Collecting donations for WCSS in exchange for a disposable mask. For more info and to book online, visit www.juniperbullerrmt.com

24 JULY 16, 2020

FULLY FURNISHED 1/4 OWNERSHIP CONDO/HOTELS IN WHISTLER CREEKSIDE

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

604•902•1891 www.heikedesigns.com

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Looking for a (Wild)Life friendly garden? - part 2: • Plan for children and pets in the garden • Avoid thorns, toxic plants and other dangers • Consider including a pondless waterfeature

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Please consider wearing a mask when it’s difficult to maintain physical distancing. Wearing a mask does not replace other important protocols such as distancing and hand washing and most importantly, staying home if you have any symptoms of illness, but should be considered in places where physical distancing is challenging, such as Whistler Village. Please visit www.whistler.ca/covid19 for the latest updates from the RMOW. www.whistler.ca/ covid19

Last Spot Prawns of the Season! Pick up your live Spot Prawns $20/lb at the Whistler Farmers Market this Sunday! Order online at howesoundseafood.com before 5pm on Friday and we'll have them ready for pick up Sunday or turn up and purchase at the Market!

Quality frozen at sea to stock up your freezer: Frozen Albacore Tuna loins ................ $14 each Frozen Lingcod portions..................... $15/lb Frozen Spot Prawn tails...................... $25/lb Frozen King Shrimp tails .................... $20/lb Frozen Octopus ................................... $750/lb We're at the Squamish Farmer's Market on Saturday This is the LAST weekend Live Prawns will be available!

CAUGHT IN THE GEORGIA STRAIT & DELIVERED LIVE TO WHISTLER! JULY 16, 2020

NEWS WHISTLER

Critter Care wildlife centre in desperate need of interns, donations LANGLEY FACILITY HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT DROP IN INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS DURING PANDEMIC

BY BRANDON BARRETT THE CRITTER CARE Wildlife Society, the only wild mammal rehabilitation centre in southern B.C. and one that has been home to countless Whistler bear cubs over the years, is in dire need of interns and cash donations as the Langley facility deals with the effects of COVID-19. “A lot of volunteers are scared to come because of COVID, so we lost a lot of volunteers. And with our internship program, I would say at least 80 to 90 per cent of our interns come from overseas,” explained operations administrator Brandon Dean. With COVID-19 closing the Canadian border and limiting international travel, Critter Care has seen its number of interns— who assist in feeding, caring and cleaning for the hundreds of wildlife onsite—slow to a trickle. At one point during the pandemic, Dean said the non-profit was down to 10 interns, compared to the 25 usually needed to staff the facility. Critter Care is also challenged by the nature of its work and facility, Dean

said, as it is not possible for interns to physically distance. “We’re not the type of facility where we can social-distance, so if people do the internship program, we still ask them to do the two-week isolation period regardless, and then come onsite,” he explained. “They live in cabins, dorm-like style, where it’s bunk beds. They all share one bathroom, they share one kitchen but we have to be very cautious. We set a lot of things in place to ensure everybody’s safety.” The Langley centre has rehabilitated a number of black bear cubs relocated from Whistler, including several of the 29 cubs that passed through the facility in 2019— the second highest number of black bears Critter Care has seen since its inception. “That was a very, very crazy year. This year does seem to be a bit slower,” noted senior wildlife technician Nathan Wagstaffe. “People seem to be listening to the education side [about] preventing conflicts with bears. We seem to be better already this year. We have five [cubs] currently and it seems to be that people are getting more aware of conflict with bears, not leaving trash out, and that’s also thanks

to a lot of these bear societies, like the Whistler and North Shore bear societies.” Critter Care seems to hold a special place for many Whistlerites, as evidenced by the rush of interns who made their way to the centre at the onset of the pandemic—although that trend has slowed down since then. “We had a whole bunch of Whistler people, but as soon as Whistler Mountain started back up and running, they all left early,” Dean said. While contending with staff shortages as well as the cancellation of its two biggest annual fundraisers, Critter Care has seen an influx of animals during the pandemic. Wagstaffe said there are currently around 1,400 wild creatures at the centre, roughly 500 more than the same period last year. Critter Care has played a crucial role in the rehabilitation of Whistler bears, often giving them a second chance at life, said Ellie Lamb, the Whistler Get Bear Smart Society’s appointee to the Whistler Bear Advisory Committee. “If it wasn’t for having the rehab program available, these bear cubs most likely would not have made it, especially in Whistler where it’s quite cold,” she

said. “That has been a huge impact on the individual lives of these animals.” Volunteers’ primary responsibility is hand-feeding orphaned animals—which can range from skunks and racoons to fawns and river otters—so they can be released back into the wild. Other duties include food preparation, site maintenance and administering medication (under supervision). Previous experience with animals is welcome, but not required. “All the staff members here have been interns before,” Wagstaffe said. “You get a sense of conservation and helping the environment and doing something that is greater than yourself to give back to the community. You also build friendships from around the world that last a lifetime, as well as the added bonus of actually learning and being able to transfer these skills.” Interns typically live onsite for at least eight weeks, with food and accommodation provided, but the centre is now asking for a minimum stay of just four weeks. Questions about the internship program can be emailed to crittercare4@ shaw.ca. Donations can also be made at crittercarewildlife.org. n

Thank you Lori Pyne and Welcome back Jackie Dickinson The WCSS Board of Directors has recently had the opportunity to work with Lori Pyne in the role of Interim Executive Director. As we welcome back our Executive Director Jackie Dickinson, our Board would like to share immense gratitude and thanks to Lori for the incredible leadership she has shown through this time. “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” Coretta Scott King With compassion and courage, Lori and the WCSS team have shown an unwavering commitment to WCSS and its vision to provide inclusive support to build a resilient community. At a time when many were forced to close their doors, WCSS ramped up to serve a record number of community members in their time of need. This achievement speaks volumes to the incredible dedication of the entire WCSS team. ■

As we pass the torch back to Jackie, we are reminded that our resiliency is, in part, a reflection of the commitment and passion that many individuals have contributed to WCSS over the last 30 years. It is reassuring to know that Jackie, Lori and the Food Bank, Outreach, Re-Use-It and Re-Build-It teams will continue to build on WCSS’s legacy. Congratulations! Your commitment to our community is so appreciated.

26 JULY 16, 2020

■ ■ ■

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We are pleased to welcome family and estate lawyer, Caitlin MacDonell to our newly opened Squamish location to better service the needs of the Sea-to-Sky corridor.

RAINY DAYS Fungus guru Paul Kroeger admires fruits of the rain. PHOTO BY JOERN ROHDE / WHISTLER NATURALISTS

Naturespeak: When it rains, it spores BY KRISTINA SWERHUN WITH ALL THE WET weather, it feels a bit like fall, and it even looks like fall with mushrooms popping up all over the place. So what’s going on? A casual observer may think that mushrooms seem to pop up from nowhere. To understand what’s happening, let’s first look at what a mushroom is. Mushrooms are to a fungus what apples are to an apple tree—they are the fruiting body, and their purpose is to release tiny seeds (spores) to reproduce. Continuing with the analogy, an apple is quite small compared to the tree, which is the same with mushrooms and fungus. A fungus that makes mushrooms is made up of mycelium (the fungal equivalent of roots) that branch and spread widely in substratem, such as soil or a dead tree. Making a mushroom takes two steps. First, over a few months, the fungus grows tiny buttons on the mycelium layer, which stay hidden in the ground or under the bark of a dead tree. The second step is triggered by rain. These buttons are tightly bound structures, like a compressed, dry sponge that expands quickly when exposed to enough water. With our wet weather lately, the mycelia in our soils have been drawing in huge amounts of water, which expands the buttons and results in full-grown mushrooms popping up everywhere. This is great news since mushrooms, or more exactly the fungi that produce them, are a vital part of our environment in Whistler and the world. About half of our fungi are decomposers. To feed themselves, these fungi have evolved enzymes for digesting dead plant and animal materials. Just by eating, fungi are replenishing the soil by breaking down

complex organic matter into simpler, reusable compounds. Without fungi working as decomposers, the ecosystem would not be able to recycle matter and wastes would build up. The ecosystem would collapse. The other half of our fungi are in mutually beneficial relationships with plants. These fungi attach to or can grow into small feeder roots of plants and help absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. Then, in exchange, the plants provide carbon-based food for the fungi, which they produce through photosynthesis. These fungi are called mycorrhiza, which means “fungus root,” and we wouldn’t have our forests without them. Humans have a similar symbiotic relationship with the billions of bacteria that live in our guts. Recent studies investigating these mycorrhizal fungi found that they transport food from trees between themselves, fungus to fungus, but they can also connect trees together. Scientists like Susan Simard from UBC have found that big, old trees are hubs for this massive network that pretty much connects all the trees in the forest—a Wood Wide Web. The underground network can shuttle food from a big tree to surrounding trees, and the ones that benefit the most are the youngest, most vulnerable trees. They’re really being nurtured and grown up as a community—a family almost. So next time you’re in the forest keep an eye out for these incredible organisms. It’s amazing what you find when you start looking! Explore more: Watch “What are fungi all about?” and “The fire of life” talks, part of our annual BioBlitz event: WhistlerNaturalists. ca/lecture-series. Naturespeak is prepared by the Whistler Naturalists. To learn more about Whistler’s natural world, go to Whistlernaturalists.ca ■

Pettit and Company is also excited to announce the expansion of our family law practice at our North Vancouver, Westview location with the addition of senior family law lawyer Janneke Lewis and paralegal Joanna Phillips. They bring a wealth of experience joining our family law team alongside lawyers Alexandra Booth and Amanda Grove. Pettit and Company is proud to be a member of the Sea-to-Sky community.

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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

Pemberton Council taps into BC Transit reserves COUNCIL BRIEFS: PLANT LIST APPROVED; COUNCIL RECEIVES DRINKING WATER REPORT

BY DAN FALLOON WITH MINIMAL dollars coming in via the fare box and hoping to offset transit expenses as much as possible, Village of Pemberton (VOP) council opted to tap out its BC Transit shared operating reserve funds at its regular meeting on July 14. A July 6 letter from BC Transit to chief administrative officer Nikki Gilmore outlined that $78,270 from its year-end operating reserve would automatically be included in the 2020-21 draft annual operating agreement (AOA) for the fiscal year that began on April 1, 2020. The letter then asked if the Village wanted to also apply the remaining $10,697 in the funds toward its operating expenses, which are shared with the province. The letter included a deadline of July 17. BC Transit had also previously offered a lease holiday to offset the loss of revenue for the stretch in the spring where fares were not collected. Councillor Ted Craddock sought Gilmore’s opinion on whether the move would be prudent. During the meeting, she said that she had put forth questions to BC Transit earlier in the day and had not yet received a response. Among her concerns was whether the reserves would be replenished for future years. Regardless of the response, Gilmore

TRANSIT DECISION Village of Pemberton council

opted to use its BC Transit shared operating reserve money to cover the cost of service. FILE PHOTO BY JOEL BARDE

28 JULY 16, 2020

reasoned that while draining the pot wasn’t ideal, it beat the alternative. “If we don’t reallocate this, then we’re going to need to go back to the taxpayer and amend our budget because there could be additional shortfalls,” she said. “I’m very curious what the annual operating agreement (AOA) is going to look like and tell us where we’re at because we haven’t been given any information.” Added Craddock: “We’re using up all the reserves and we don’t know if they’re going to help us out for the rest of the money that we’re going to be behind. I’m worried about us having to go to the taxpayer for, potentially, multiple tens of thousands of dollars to make up the difference.” Ultimately, while frustrated at the murky picture, Mayor Mike Richman reasoned that these are the rainy days for which reserve funds are built. “That’s why we build reserves in this silo,” he said. “It would be really nice to know if within this next AOA that we have something and whether that includes a new reserve allocation being put away so we don’t find ourselves in a pickle six months or 12 months from now.” With the motion approved, Gilmore expects to receive this year’s AOA “quite soon.”

PLANT LIST APPROVED The second time was a charm. After being sent back to the drawing board by council a month ago, planner Joanna Rees’ update to the Pemberton Plant List passed with some changes. Rees’ original report proposed removing

a handful of plants considered wildlife attractants from the allowable plants list, but Couns. Amica Antonelli and Leah Noble pushed back and the report was sent back for review. Through the review of the Get Bear Smart Society and District of Squamish Wildlife Friendly Landscaping list, the Nootka rose was granted a reprieve and will still be allowed, though wild rose, kinnickkinnick and red osier dogwood remained on the naughty list as mediumor high-risk plants. Rees also added 15 new species to the allowable list: ponderosa pine; western yew; big leaf maple; sitka alder; snowbrush; golden euonymus; oceanspray; common juniper; false azalea; mock orange; ninebark; smith sumac; birch leafed spirera; spreading yew; and western honeysuckle. “I think there are a few restrictions on here that I don’t agree with, but I think it’s, overall, a good list,” Antonelli said, with Noble echoing the sentiment.

COUNCIL RECEIVES DRINKING WATER REPORT Council received the 2019 drinking water report from manager of operations and projects Tom Csima at its June 30 regular meeting held via Zoom. During his report, Csima noted that the department is testing new well sites as samples from Well 3 are approaching the limits for the aesthetic objective levels of manganese, while, as mentioned to council during the department’s first quarter operations report, samples from the second backup well are exceeding aesthetic

objective levels of iron and manganese, though these levels are below the maximum allowable concentrations. Craddock pondered alternatives to drilling wells such as testing surface water on Pemberton Creek. “We can’t keep drilling wells and [spending] a lot of money without finding good water,” he said. “If the cost to test that surface water isn’t expensive, it would be nice to know what the value is there.” Chief administrative officer Nikki Gilmore confirmed that surface testing at multiple sites is part of the process, but cautioned against putting too much stock in that option. She noted that Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is wary of using surface water as a source, while the cost of treating it not necessarily for poor quality but for its turbidity (or cloudiness caused by large amounts of individual particles) could be prohibitive. Csima said a treatment plant could cost up to $10 million. The issue of low pH water, first made public in 2016, is one the department continues to monitor, Csima said. The department adds sodium carbonate to the water to increase pH, to reach the target level of seven, and alkalinity, to the target of between 40 and 80 milligrams per litre. Over the course of the year, pH levels ranged from a low of 6.7 to a high of 7.5. Health Canada’s operational guideline is between seven and 10.5. As for alkalinity, at all sites sourced from the Pemberton Creek Aquifer, there were three dates on which there were tests showing levels lower than the target, though two of these occasions were a narrow miss of 39 mg/L at a single site.

NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY The Industrial Park site, meanwhile, is supplied through an agreement with Lil’wat Nation, which comes from the Birkenhead Aquifer. In every test of the year, the alkalinity was significantly lower than the VOP’s prescribed targets, though its pH ranged from 6.8 to 7.5. In a follow-up email, Csima explained that the Birkenhead Aquifer water is naturally close to a pH of seven, unlike the Pemberton Creek Aquifer. He added that alkalinity refers to “the capacity of water to resist changes in pH that would make the water more acidic,” and is not an operational requirement in the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. “We measure this not as a quality measure of the water, but as a parameter in our treatment process, and is recorded as an equivalent concentration of Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3),” he wrote. “As the data shows, the industrial park has a consistent pH >7, therefore alkalinity at this site is of marginal importance to the Village, especially since we are not involved in the treatment of this particular water, and are simply a customer of Lil’wat Nation.” Water with low pH levels is corrosive and can result in increased levels of lead in drinking water from interactions with pipes. The report recommends that residents continue to follow VCH’s recommendation to flush water until it is cold, especially for drinking, cooking and preparing baby formula. The complete water report, including consumption levels, is available at https:// www.pemberton.ca/public/download/ files/127023.

COUNCIL UPDATES COMMUNITY AMENITY CONTRIBUTION POLICY Council voted to allow staff some more freedom when negotiating with developers as it approved changes to the Community Amenity Contribution Policy. The main thrust of the draft policy is to provide the Village with the ability to negotiate a wider range of amenities from developers during the rezoning process. The report recommends utilizing a density bonus process, which would allow developers to build at an increased density over and above the base density in exchange for an amenity contribution, which was not present in the 2007 document. However, the VOP used the approach to secure contributions for soccer fields from hillside developments Sunstone Ridge Developments and The Ridge at Pemberton. The tactic is allowed in the Local Government Act, with municipalities most commonly using it to secure on-site amenities such as affordable housing or social housing for people with special needs. It can also be utilized for open space, public art, childcare facilities, or cash-in-lieu to be placed in a municipal reserve fund for a major project. While allowed and standard practice, contract planner and report co-author Cameron Chalmers explained that frameworks around the practice “range wildly throughout the province.” “Amenities really started outside of the

framework of any statutory tools to do it. What happened 20 years ago is you would start negotiating. The municipalities would use their contract powers and their ability through a rezoning to entice benefits for the community,” he said, noting that the Development Cost Charges framework, for example, provides clearer guidance. “Amenities are still out in this netherworld. “They’re getting much more refined with things like affordable housing contributions. Local governments are being given some really powerful tools to incorporate affordable housing, but when it comes to things like parks and recreation, there’s still a fairly limited suite of tools available.” The report underlines the importance of considering each application individually and to avoid setting targets or rates to avoid the perception that council is using rezoning applications as a revenue stream or that the process itself is up for sale, which could shake the faith of developers or the public. Chalmers also said the VOP should consider community benefits, such as a developer extending a water line to help fire flows for an existing community, for example. While operating case-by-case is sometimes considered unfair because it does not have “rigid predictability,” Chalmers argued that both sides benefit more overall. “Each side is going to bring in its own different considerations,” he said. “As long as amenities factor highly in the conversation in the beginning right through, it is the best way to ensure that each project provides its proportionate share of the amenity back to the community.” The draft policy also avoids directly considering “land lift,” or the increase in a land’s value as a result of the change in zoning and increase in density, to calculate the anticipated amenity value, as it is not considered a best practice. However, the fact that the zoning change increases land value can’t be ignored, Chalmers said. “We are going to, as part of these negotiations, ensure that developers are accountable for their project’s lift value, where it’s being allocated, and we’re going to be very accountable to the community to make sure that a portion of it comes back,” Chalmers said. There was also a discussion regarding creating a framework of what the amenity fund could be used for, with Chalmers noting that flexibility is important. Though there is a list of desired amenities in the Official Community Plan, Mayor Mike Richman is hoping to develop a companion list to accompany the policy. Craddock agreed, noting smaller projects could potentially be included in the companion list. Chalmers added that the policy was written with the anticipation of having a list of both aspirational goals and shorter-term priorities, while manager of development services and co-author Lisa Pedrini noted that the report included lists of potential amenities compiled from existing lists, which will provide a starting point for when council discusses its priorities at a future meeting. Council approved the draft policy and directed staff to seek feedback from developers. n

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SCIENCE MATTERS • • • •

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Human rights lens needed to prevent environmental racism DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH. That’s

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true in nature and human affairs. But recent painful events have shown society has yet to grasp this. The appalling deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Toronto’s Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and many others—all at the hands of those tasked to serve and protect—have ignited awareness of the intense, often violent racial discrimination that continues to oppress Black, Indigenous and people of colour in Canada and the U.S.

BY DAVID SUZUKI

STAY APART, STAY SAFE. • Stay at least 2 m (6 feet from others) • Recreate, don’t congregate. • Wash your hands and don’t touch your face. • If you feel ill, even with very mild cold symptoms, stay home.

STAY

2 METERS

APART

For non-emergency health concerns, contact 8-1-1, your family doctor or the Virtual Walk in Clinic www.divisionsbc.ca/ sea-sky/your-division/telehealth-appointments For urgent or emergent medical care, call the Whistler Health Care Centre at 604-932-4911. Call 911 for an emergencies.

www.whistler.ca/covid19 30 JULY 16, 2020

The overwhelming call to end racebased discrimination demands we take stock and action. This needs to include an examination of how environmental harm disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and marginalized communities. Canada’s main pollution-prevention law, the 269-page Canadian Environmental Protection Act, doesn’t include one mention of environmental justice, human rights or vulnerable populations. Yet, in urban areas, 25 per cent of the lowest socio-economic status neighbourhoods are within a kilometre of a major polluting industrial facility compared to just seven per cent of the wealthiest. Income inequality in Canada also has a racial dimension. A 2019 analysis found racialized men earned 78 cents for every dollar non-racialized men earned, while racialized women earned 59 cents (nonracialized women earned 67 cents for every dollar non-racialized men earned). About 40 per cent of Canada’s petrochemical industry operates within a few kilometres of Sarnia and the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, exposing community members to a range of harmful pollutants. Inuit in Canada’s North are at greater risk of economic losses and poor health as a result of climate change, with rapid Arctic warming jeopardizing hunting and many other activities. Marginalized communities can also be more susceptible to insidious toxic exposures. For example, endocrinedisrupting chemicals, even at low levels, can interfere with hormone functioning. We’re all exposed to them in myriad ways, from food pesticide residues and personal-care product ingredients to textile treatments, product packaging and industrial air pollution. American researchers identified higher exposure levels in ethnic minorities and a corresponding higher disease burden. They hypothesize that cultural behaviours, consumption patterns and proximity of industrial facilities and waste sites could contribute to these disparities. These are just a few examples. Unresponsive environmental policies

systematically result in concentration of pollution risks—and inadequate access to environmental benefits—in disadvantaged Canadian communities. This year, MP Lenore Zann introduced Bill C-230, the National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act. It begins by recognizing that “a disproportionate number of people who live in environmentally hazardous areas are members of an Indigenous or racialized community.” The bill would require the environment minister to examine the link between race, socioeconomic status and environmental risk, develop a strategy to redress environmental racism and report regularly on progress. Canada should recognize the human right to a healthy environment in law, as most countries do, and legislate requirements to protect vulnerable communities from pollution and toxic substances. Human rights impact assessment offers one approach to operationalizing environmental rights. It involves a process to identify, understand and address potential discriminatory effects of a proposed action, and a commitment to prevent adverse human rights impacts. Often this begins with something as basic as gathering data to better understand racial dimensions of potential effects. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recommends it in its Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct for corporations operating abroad. Last year the UN Human Rights Council adopted guiding principles for human rights impact assessment for economic reform policies. A parallel process for environmental regulation could ensure everyone benefits from environmental protection measures. In their mandate letters, Canada’s ministers of health and environment were tasked with “better [protecting] people and the environment from toxins and other pollution, including by strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.” In 2020, strengthening environmental legislation must incorporate human rights. A human rights lens would remove a blind spot and hard-wire into the decisionmaking process a commitment to ensuring a healthy environment for all. It would help prevent environmental racism, while MP Zann’s bill aims to redress harm already done. When Parliament resumes, MPs should prioritize passing Zann’s bill and amendments to strengthen the Environmental Protection Act, including environmental rights provisions. The unequal effects of environmental harm must be part of the reflection on systemic racism. But more is needed. Integrating a human rights lens into environmental decision-making is long overdue. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Lisa Gue. ■

RANGE ROVER

Where did sweet potatoes come from? ONE OF MY favourite things about modern technology is how rapidly new information is cancelling, reinforcing or just plain shaking up old ideas. One of these involves the South Pacific.

BY LESLIE ANTHONY Few adventures have captured the public imagination like Norwegian explorer-anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl’s daring 1947 attempt to prove that settlement of the South Pacific proceeded east-to-west from South America and not, as per the received view of the day, by Asians voyaging east to western Polynesia about 3,500 years ago, then, using masterful and well-documented navigation skills, making it to eastern Polynesia by around 1,000 years ago. Despite computer simulations showing that winds and currents at that time would have indeed carried a vessel from northern South America to the Polynesian islands, and Heyerdahl’s compelling arguments around statue iconography and the presence of South American-derived sweet potatoes all over Polynesia (including use of its Indigenous Peruvian name, kumara) have yet to be adequately addressed, it has never been widely accepted that seafaring

SWEET MYSTERY Sweet potatoes are their own sweet mystery.

GETTYIMAGES.CA

South Americans had a role in peopling the South Pacific. Lashing nine enormous balsa logs under a square sail and sheltering in a bamboo cabin, Heyerdahl and five companions spent 101 days sailing from Peru to Polynesia. Crazy and heroic in equal measure, the resulting book, Kon-Tiki, can only be read with jaw unhinged. Each page drips with the travails of the vast, open Pacific and its mythical denizens: squid and giant sharks thrash literally underfoot; fish fly into the crew’s faces; and they have but to dip a toothbrush into the ocean to have something bite it. Despite proving something that few believed mattered, Kon-Tiki was an instant classic of adventure literature, while later volumes in Heyerdahl’s substantive canon—The Ra Expeditions, The Tigris Expedition, Aku Aku—would never affect readers the same way. But public fascination with Heyerdahl’s sea-heroics belied a serious downside: yes, you could sit on a raft with a bunch of coconuts and drift 8,000 kilometres from the South American coast to Tahiti in a little over three months, but few academics working on the Polynesian question took Heyerdahl’s “wild theories” seriously. As a result, he was deeply ridiculed, as travel author Paul Theroux discovered—only to parrot—during 18 months spent travelling around a triangle anchored by Australia, Hawaii, and Easter Island. Preparing himself to visit Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Theroux complained of having to wade through “colorful and misleading information by the enthusiastic Thor Heyerdahl, who is regarded by many Pacific historians and

archaeologists as of minimal consequence to serious archaeology. Scientifically, his books have as little value as those of Erich von Daniken who theorized that the Easter Island moai [giant heads] were carved by people from outer space.” Theroux, however, had his own scorn to weather. By the time he published The Happy Isles of Oceania—a paean to being emotionally adrift in the Pacific—Theroux was a globally celebrated writer. Thus, the thundering denouncements of his book from oncestalwart supporters suggests the writer either blew it, or that many reviewers dismissed the overarching subtext—the desperation of a collapsing marriage and cancer scare that provided not just raison d’être for the trip, but a lens for his sweeping geo-cultural exploration. To wit: a man, angry at himself and an implacable world, attempts to escape himself and said world by going solo into their respective psychological and physical immensities. It’s clear from the outset he hopes to be swallowed by the vastness: “More than an ocean, the Pacific was like a universe, and a chart of it looked like a portrait of the night sky… like the whole of heaven, an inversion of earth and air [that] seemed like outer space…” But things aren’t quite the idyll imagined, and welded to Theroux’s own darkness result in a book whose major criticism is curiously ill-tempered descriptions of people, places, and nations that incur his ire, with Heyerdahl coming in for special condemnation. A recent study published in Nature, however, holds out the possibility of at least

partial vindication for Heyerdahl, a dreamer who never renounced his fancies: an analysis of DNA shows that over 800 years ago, Indigenous South Americans indeed crossed a huge expanse of ocean to reach a stillundetermined island in eastern Polynesia, where, in typical human fashion, they promptly mated with its original inhabitants. Though the location of initial contact remains unknown, the South American genes spread to other eastern Polynesian islands. DNA resembling that of Indigenous Colombians appeared on Fatu Hiva in the southern Marquesas by around 1150; these genes reached three nearby eastern Polynesian archipelagos between 1200 and 1230, followed by Rapa Nui around 1380. These results also provide support for a second possible scenario in which the original sea-going settlers of Rapa Nui travelled east to South America and returned home with sweet potatoes, then subsequently carried both that crop and South American DNA west to a majority of eastern Polynesian islands. With radiocarbon dating and linguistic studies suggesting that people first reached Rapa Nui nearly 200 years before the estimated arrival of South American genes, trade and cultural exchanges may indeed have connected Rapa Nui to South America before DNA did, accounting for Heyerdahl’s original suppositions about who populated the South Pacific—and why a South American potato was ubiquitous there when Europeans arrived. Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. ■

JULY 16, 2020

FEATURE STORY

BESTOF PEMBERTON

32 JULY 16, 2020

FEATURE STORY

WWW.GETTYIMAGES.CA

BY BRANDON BARRETT

n what is perhaps the understatement

we’ve all now been thrust into during the

of this young century: 2020 has been

pandemic—Pemberton continues to be a port

a doozy. Between a global pandemic

in a storm for many.

rewriting how we live and interact

This fact alone makes the Spud Valley worth

and the long-overdue demands for

celebrating, and especially so during such a trying

social, economic and racial equality taking

time. So we hope that you take some solace in

hold in societies near and far, it can feel trivial

Pique’s annual Best of Pemberton tradition, where

to celebrate something as minor as, say, our

we pay tribute to the favourite people, places and

favourite bike trail or breakfast spot.

things that make this incredible community tick,

But times of turmoil have a way of reminding us of the things we hold most dear, and in

as voted by you, our readers. You may notice a few changes this year. With

the face of such wide-scale, overwhelming

smaller issues and less space to work with (Pique

disruption, it’s often the little things—a meal

is, of course, not immune to the impacts of

shared with someone you love, a peaceful walk

COVID-19, either), we have streamlined the list of

through nature—that ground us the most, that

categories and included a handful of longer winner

connect us and remind us that, Hey, we’re all

profiles in lieu of our usual descriptive lists.

riding this strange rollercoaster together. And at least in comparison to its glitzier

We appreciate everyone who took the time to vote this year—at nearly 600 respondents, it

ski-town neighbour down the Sea to Sky

was our biggest Best of Pemberton poll yet. Until

Highway, Pemberton appreciates the little

next year, everyone here at Pique wishes you and

things. A long-time haven for those seeking

yours the very best.

respite from the breakneck speed of Whistler and the Lower Mainland—a slower pace which

Just remember: 2020 can only get better from here. JULY 16, 2020

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BC’s West Coast is known the world over for its colourful patchwork of land- and seascapes, but how often do we experience this wild beauty for ourselves? This summer, rediscover the seaside communities you love and the reasons you love them—places like Gibsons and Telegraph Cove, with their laid-back culture, raw nature, ocean adventures, and wildlife sightings. You may just rediscover yourself along the way. Whether you travel by floatplane or a ferry, a stunning journey is the icing on a decadent (coastal) cake.

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Laid-back West Coast Culture Celebrate a world of contrast, from sleepy seaside towns to buzzing cities. With every visit to the coast, you’ll discover a new gem—a funky coffee shop, a new brewery, a colourful art gallery, or a beachy boutique selling locally-made artisan goods. The burgeoning coastal culinary scene isn’t just reserved for cities like Victoria and Nanaimo. Head on a foodie adventure to the Cowichan Valley or Salt Spring Island to sample farm-fresh ingredients and craft provisions. Or, try Indigenous-inspired cuisine in Port Hardy.

Lively Resident Wildlife If you haven’t had a chance to experience the wilder side of BC’s coast, there’s still time. Take a whale-watching tour to see orcas surge through calm waters and listen to the cacophony of sea lions shouting from their rocky perches. On shore, you might glimpse grizzlies, black bears, wolves, and deer as they slink across the land. Venture on a cultural wildlife tour with an Indigenous guide to gain a deeper connection to the coast and the First Nations people who have been stewards of this land for thousands of years.

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From local gems hiding in plain sight to natural wonders further afield, it’s time to rediscover BC with a collection of experiences from around the province:

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From breathtaking views to charming mountain town culture, adventure is a way of life in southeastern BC. In Northern BC, discover ancient glaciers and marvel at nature like never before in the vast wilderness. From historic trails to the mighty Fraser River, follow your sense of adventure. Explore BC from sea to sky and be inspired by local arts, culture and a diverse culinary scene. Savour the unique flavours and lakeside lifestyle of BC, from the Fraser Valley to the Okanagan and beyond.

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QUINTESSENTIAL Favourite Pemberton Neighbourhood

Best Decision by Council

1) Pemberton Meadows 2) The Glen 3) Downtown Core

1) Village of Pemberton looks to expand daycare offerings 2) Pilot project to clear One Mile Lake boardwalk 3) Student-built home project goes forward

Most Desirable Amenity Missing from Pemberton

Favourite COVID-19 Self-Isolated Activity

1) Swimming pool 2) Ice rink 3) More restaurants

1) Gardening 2) Biking 3) Time with loved ones

News Story of the Year

Favourite Volunteer

1) COVID-19 in Pemberton 2) Survey shows majority of respondents supportive of day-use fees and daily visitor cap at Joffre Lakes 3) Lil’wat Nation says ‘no’ to unsanctioned parties

Most Dubious Decision by Council 1) Pemberton council considered asking for a speed reduction along Highway 99 2) VOP council votes to discharge Tiyata lands covenant 3) VOP takes over recreation services from SLRD

1) Pemberton BMX founder and chamber of commerce treasurer Graham Turner 2) Mike Richman 3) Pemberton Canoe Association’s Karen Tomlinson

Biggest Environmental Concern of 2019/2020 1) Logging of old-growth forest 2) Wildlife habitat destruction/alteration 3) Invasive species

Best Local Environmental Initiative 1) Salmon restoration 2) Integration with Lil’wat/N’Quatqua to learn traditional knowledge 3) Bear attractant management

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

Here to help answer your financial questions in uncertain times It is always emotional to see markets drop significantly. But depending on your personal situation, it may be beneficial to stay invested. Here’s why: Historically, markets have recovered from downturns and produced gains. Those who stay invested have realized these gains in the long term. Many can benefit from staying invested and sticking to their long-term plan – and we can all benefit from focusing on our health and the health of those around us.

Ultimately, your most important asset is your health. Be safe, stay well and show compassion for those around you. If you’d like assistance with questions or financial uncertainty, please don’t hesitate to contact me for a complimentary, no-obligation consultation.

Don Brett, MBA, CIM, CFP Wealth Advisor 1-888-612-9566 | don.brett@rbc.com www.donbrett.com

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©2020 RBC Dominion Securities Inc. All rights reserved. 20_90892_SEU_001

JULY 16, 2020

FEATURE STORY

BRAD KASSELMAN // WWW.COASTPHOTO.CA

MEDIA, ARTS Favourite Artist/Artisan 1) Painter Levi Nelson 2) Painter Vanessa Stark 3) Painter Karen Love

Favourite Photographer 1) Amie LeBlanc 2) Anastasia Chomlack 3) Toshi Kawano

Favourite Band/Musician 1) Dakota Pearl 2) Grateful Greg Reamsbottom (of The Hairfarmers) 3) Austin Ross

Favourite Writer 1) Lisa Richardson 2) Blair Kaplan 3) Anna Helmer

Best Cultural Event of 2019/2020 1) Slow Food Cycle 2) Community Barn Dance 3) Lil’wat Nation Rodeo and Powwow

40 JULY 16, 2020

ON THE RISE

evi Nelson has a good problem. “At least once a week, people are calling to inquire about purchasing paintings. I’m starting to run out,” the Lil’wat Nation artist says with a laugh. Having just finished a massive three-by 2.4-metre painting—featuring animals representing each of the Nation’s clans—for a new, green home down in the Soo Valley, Nelson now plans to spend his summer fixing up his Mount Currie art studio. “I’d like to get into my studio not only to finish it, but also move into it by winter,” he says. While he still has one semester left of art school at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Nelson’s career has been on a decidedly upward trajectory since 2018. That year, his colourful, abstract quadriptych called Biology won the IDEA Art Award. “I started painting really intensely about five years ago and since the IDEA art award, things have really started to take off,” he says. More recently, though, he became the first Lil’wat Nation artist to have a painting in the Audain Art Museum’s permanent collection. In March, it officially acquired Nations in an Urban Landscape, which depicts a crowded Downtown Eastside street with masks from the museum’s collection, as well as a bentwood box, and a basket made by his master basket weaver grandmother. That came on the heels of his first solo show, After the Blast: The Art of Levi Nelson, curated by Arts Whistler, at the Maury Young Arts Centre last November, the first time the gallery hosted a solo exhibit by a Lil’wat artist. “This recognition of my work, I’m just incredibly grateful that people are able to see something in it,” he says. Another surprisingly fruitful accomplishment has been having the Village of Pemberton choose his art to appear on banners and hydro boxes around town. “My university somehow heard about it and shared it over their Instagram feed,” he says. “I’m getting a lot of commissions out of it and other projects. Kudos to Pemberton for acknowledging Indigenous culture. Pemberton is on Lil’wat Nation traditional territory, so it’s fitting.” Next up, Nelson will have two pieces featured in a group show at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver in October. Running through to February, it will showcase work by Indigenous artists who identify as two-spirited or part of the LGBTQ community. For now, though, Nelson is taking in his new title as Pemberton’s favourite artist in Pique’s Best of Pemberton readers’ poll. “I’m incredibly honoured,” he said. “I’m grateful to have this spot.” - Alyssa Noel

Fisherman’s Wharf

TRAVELLING TO RICH CULTURAL AND CULINARY DESTINATIONS IS NOT ONLY NEAR, IT’S NOW IN RICHMOND.

the perfect summer road trip is

TO THE HAZELTONS

www.VisitNorthwestBC.ca JULY 16, 2020

FEATURE STORY

FOOD Favourite Overall Restaurant 1) Barn Nork 2) Mile One Eating House 3) The Pony

Best Value Restaurant 1) Mile One Eating House 2) Barn Nork 3) Grimm’s Gourmet & Deli

Best Breakfast 1) North Arm Farm 2) Blackbird Bakery 3) Mount Currie Coffee Company

Best Plant-Based Menu 1) Stay Wild Natural Health 2) Barn Nork 3) Town Square

Best Takeout 1) Barn Nork 2) Mile One Eating House 3) Fish & Rice

BRAD KASSELMAN // WWW.COASTPHOTO.CA

Best Dessert 1) Blackbird Bakery 2) The Pony 3) Town Square

Best Coffee 1) Mount Currie Coffee Company 2) Blackbird Bakery 3) Lynx Café

Best Burger 1) Mile One Eating House 2) The Pony 3) The Black Squirrel at The Meadows

Best Beer Selection 1) The Beer Farmers 2) The Pony 3) Mile One Eating House

Best Service 1) Barn Nork 2) Mile One Eating House 3) The Pony

Best Patio 1) The Beer Farmers 2) Fescue’s at Big Sky 3) Mile One Eating House

42 JULY 16, 2020

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY AT NORTH ARM FARM

community fixture for three decades, North Arm Farm offers a homegrown sense of comfort and familiarity that is especially appealing during these current disruptive times. A reader favourite year after year, in 2020, Pembertonians voted the family-owned acreage as its Favourite Farm, Best Breakfast and Best Wedding Venue—which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one who has had the pleasure of visiting the eminently Instagrammable property. Run by the Sturdy family, North Arm was positioned well at the onset of the pandemic after being closed for the months of January and February to complete a massive kitchen renovation. By the time it was ready to reopen, many other local farms were shuttering their doors to visitors due to COVID-19. “We stayed open and we felt we had a lot of space for people to do the social distancing they needed to do,” says Trish Sturdy, who owns the farm with her husband, former Pemberton mayor and current MLA for the Sea to Sky, Jordan. Amidst massive COVID-caused disruptions to Canada’s food-supply chain, Sturdy says Sea to Sky locals were keen to source local ingredients. “There was a real awareness about local products,” she says, noting that their produce sales skyrocketed. “I’m hearing that from other farms as well.” The spike in demand came at the exact right time, as North Arm saw its sales to restaurants dry up as businesses closed their doors. The pandemic has also pushed the farm, and its new chef, Windsor Brock, formerly of Bearfoot Bistro and the Sooke Harbour House, to rejig its dine-in menu to takeout-only—much to the dismay of breakfast-ophiles across the Sea to Sky. “You know, it’s funny because we ran a hot line before. We did a hot breakfast, plated, the whole bit. People loved that and they got to know it,” Sturdy says. “We obviously went straight to takeout when all the COVID stuff came down. Then we realized, honestly, we could even do a good breakfast to go. So I don’t know if that’s what people are voting about, the to-go breakfast, or maybe they’re just wishing we would start the old breakfast again.” At this point, Sturdy is unsure if the hot breakfast will return post-pandemic, but she is confident in the quality of the kitchen’s new breakfast wrap, loaded with farm-grown eggs, potatoes, and smoked bacon. “We like to think it’s really one of the best breakfast wraps around,” she says. Weddings have, of course, also been impacted by the pandemic, but North Arm continues to offer elopement packages for small groups, which have proven popular. With all the disruption COVID has wrought, Sturdy believes Pembertonians voted for North Arm in droves this year as a yearning for simpler times. “I honestly think people are maybe just remembering last year,” she says. “Everybody has a bit of yearning for the Before Times.”

Thank you Pemberton! Backcountry Motorsports is Proud to be Voted

Pemberton’s Best New Business

THANK YOU FOR VOTING ME

BEST REALTOR

At Backcountry Motorsports we live to ride, and we are excited to help you experience the fun and adventure that a quality Polaris® snowmobile, Sportsman® ATV, Ranger®, RZR® or Timbersled® snowbike can bring into your life! We are a motorsports dealership serving the Sea to Sky area and we service ALL makes and models of Snowmobile, ATV, UTV, dirt bike, and street bike. We are located in the Pemberton Industrial Park - Give us a call today!

AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS! I truly appreciate the support I have had over the years and I look forward to many more decades of helping Pemberton families realize their real estate goals

REALESTATEPEMBERTON.COM  604-698-5128  1-877-242-2488 ext.333 danielle@wrec.com

Call Or Text (604) 894-1797 HOURS Tue-Fri: 9am-5:00pm Saturday: 9am-4pm

Thanks to Everyone for your votes of confidence þ Best Breakfast þ Best Wedding Venue þ Best farm We’re open everyday 9am to 6pm JULY 16, 2020

FEATURE STORY

SPORTS Favourite Golf Course 1) Big Sky Golf Course 2) The Meadows at Pemberton Golf Course

Favourite Biking Trail 1) Happy Trail 2) Fat Tug 3) Cream Puff PHOTO SUBMITTED

Favourite Hiking Trail 1) Lumpy’s Epic 2) Nairn Falls 3) One Mile Loop

Favourite Lake 1) TIE: Anderson Lake and One Mile Lake 2) Mosquito Lake 3) TIE: Birkenhead Lake and Gates Lake

Favourite Winter Adventure Activity 1) Backcountry skiing and snowboarding 2) Cross-country skiing 3) Snowshoeing

Favourite Summer Adventure Activity 1) Mountain biking 2) Backcountry hiking 3) Boating

Favourite Athlete 1) Mountain biker and BMX rider Lucas Cruz 2) Freeskier Logan Pehota 3) Pro skier Austin Ross

Many thanks to everyone for all the love and support of Barn Nork!

44 JULY 16, 2020

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

round this time last year, Pembertonians “barely even knew we were here,” says Backcountry Motorsports co-owner Andrew McBride. What a difference a year makes. Flip the calendar over, and the motorsports dealership has grown into Pemberton’s Favourite New Business. Specializing in the sale of Polaris snowmobiles, RZRs and Sportsman ATVS, and servicing all manners of backcountry vehicles, Backcountry Motorsports operates first and foremost from a place of honesty, building a level of trust that most customers don’t usually expect from their mechanic. “We try to just work hard and give honest service, honest answers and opinions,” says McBride. “We try to run a no-pressure sales system, which gives us credibility where, if we’re recommending something, it’s because it’s needed, not because it’s being sold.” With the boom in motorized backcountry recreation, Pemberton was an ideal fit for the shop, capitalizing on its location as one of the “best places in the world to do so many different activities,” McBride says. “We’re probably the best place in the world to ride snowmobiles, and definitely the opportunity to explore the backcountry in the summertime is just as good.” While many other businesses have struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, COVID-19 has inspired all kinds of backcountry riders to dust off their off-road vehicle for a spin. “We feel very fortunate to have been quite busy during the pandemic. It seems like everyone wanted to pull everything they had sitting in the shed to get it fixed up and ride it. There are lots of people looking for new vehicles for themselves, too,” McBride says. “With international travel off the table for the foreseeable future, recreation in our backyard has become extremely important to people, so our goal is to help facilitate that.”

We’ve got you covered. Pick up the latest issue of your favourite read in Whistler.

FEATURE STORY

BUSINESS

Open spaces. Friendly faces.

Favourite Farm 1) North Arm Farm 2) Laughing Crow Organics 3) Rootdown Organic Farm

Favourite Sustainable Business 1) Stay Wild Natural Health 2) The Beer Farmers 3) Mile One Eating House

Learn more at oakbaytourism.com/summer

Favourite Wellness/Fitness Service 1) Kufuka Fitness 2) Kula Wellness Centre 3) Evergreen Fitness & Yoga

WHERE TO STAY IN OAK BAY

Favourite Building or Construction Company 1) BC Passive Haus 2) Fitzgerald Building Company 3) New Leaf Contracting

oakbayguesthouse.com

Best Wedding Venue 1) North Arm Farm 2) Big Sky Golf Club 3) Riverland’s Red Barn

Favourite Gas Station 1) Pemberton Petro Canada 2) Lil’wat Gas Station 3) AC Gas

Favourite New Business

HON O MEN URABLE TION The B : eer F mis a

oakbaybeachhotel.com

Use code Stay & Play to receive a $50 Oak Bay gift card when you book a two-night stay starting from July 20, 2020.

rme take Farm nly inclu rs [Pique de ers in categ the N d The Be enou ory, and d ew Busin er gh vo ess espit tes e were ultim to win in earning ately year 2020 ’s Bes , they t New ineligible as la Busin st ess w inner .]

1) Backcountry Motorsports 2) Moto Experience 3) TIE: Joffre Creek Cabins and Spark Event Rentals

Favourite Realtor 1) Danielle Menzel Tait 2) Katelyn Spink 3) Lisa Hilton

Thanks to your continued support we are still going strong. From the bottom of our squats - THANK YOU! JULY 16, 2020

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

CATCHING A WAVE

in in Tofino Tofino S By Steve MacNaull

urf instructor Ania Splawinski makes us feel awesome about being kooks. Kook, or a Barney, if you prefer, is a beginner surfer and depending on how quickly newbies catch onto the sport, the term is either affectionate or derogatory. “These longboards you’re riding will allow you kooks to catch the cruisy waves,” Splawinski tells my daughter Grace and I. The longboards we’re attempting to ride are 2.7 metres (nine feet) long and known as the couches of surfing. And cruisy waves, while sounding cool, are actually

neophyte-perfect since they are tiny. Grace and I are in the Pacific Ocean off Cox Bay Beach in Tofino, the small surfing town on the west coast of Vancouver Island that’s become an international tourist destination. Splawinski joins us in the water, picks our waves, gives us a shove, screams at us when to paddle, and eventually stand up on the board to ride the gentle crest of foamywhite water. My 17-year-old daughter is a natural and is soon showing off atop the board. I, on the other hand, spends most of the time struggling to stand up and then topple off the board. Splawinski works for Surf Sister, which isn’t about excluding men from lessons and rentals, but including women.

And men, women and children of all ages and abilities come to Tofino to surf. Tofino’s roots are in fishing, logging and hippie-surfer culture. But it’s remote, dramatic location, abundant natural beauty, other activities, range of accommodations and food scene have made it desirable to all kinds of visitors. The oceanside town had few cases of COVID-19 and was hesitant to welcome tourists back until provincial medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry gave the go-ahead for leisure travel, with precautions, within B.C. earlier this month. As such, Tofino’s summer tourism resurgence is thanks to B.C. locals, which are making up for the lack of Brits and Germans, who generally make up half of all

Whistler Transit System BC Transit and the Resort Municipality of Whistler want to inform the public about an upcoming service change on September 8, 2020.  A new website will be going live on July 10, 2020, where customers can learn about these upcoming changes  All proposed changes, community survey results, and data can be found on the new website  Visit engage.bctransit.com/whistler

20243

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LOCAL EXPERTS GLOBAL REACH The same team that you trust with your print advertising can assist in creating your digital footprint Call your sales representative today for a free digital consultation!

Glacier Digital Services in partnership with Pique Newsmagazine offers solutions in website design, SEM, SEO, social media and so much more. 604 938 0202

46 JULY 16, 2020 20243_WHI BC Transit Whistler Pique

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

PHOTO BY STEVE MACNAULL

WWW.GETTYIMAGES.CA

tourists to the region. A one-hour flight from Vancouver or a ferry and long drive will get you to Tofino from the mainland. But don’t let hours in the car, including time on winding Pacific Rim Highway, put you off. The drive is spectacular through dense forest with regular glimpses of jaw-dropping water views. In fact, in a province full of beauty, Tofino bats above its weight. Since we’re not diehard surfers, my wife, Kerry, and I and our daughter rounded out our quintessential Tofino itinerary with luxury accommodation, some fabulous dining, hiking and bear watching. And don’t forget quiet, reflective time for strolling the

beach in the mist, and absentmindedly staring at the ocean. Kerry declared those two simple pleasures the highlights of the trip. We stayed at Cox Bay Beach Resort in one of its 40 beach suites, which was handy for those aforementioned beach walks and ocean gazing, as well as breakfasts and sun-downer drinks on the patio. Fine dining took us to The Great Room at neighbouring Long Beach Lodge Resort for crab legs, Shelter in town for salmon surf bowls and the famous Wickaninnish Inn’s Pointe Restaurant in the next bay for pork belly and scallops. Casual eats included fish and chips at Surfside Grill at Pacific Sands Resort and beef and bean tacos at Tofino’s

institution-of-a-food-truck Tacofino in the back parking lot of the Ocean Break shopping complex. Bear watching with The Whale Centre took us onto the waters of the UNESCO Biosphere-designated Clayquot Sound in a 12-passenger boat. Besides enjoying the breathtaking scenery, we idled, close up, in front of a beach in the Fortune Channel where a big female bruin paid us no nevermind while she foraged for shore crabs and barnacles at low tide. Our hiking found us hugging an 800-year-old gigantic western red cedar along the Rainforest Trail in Pacific Rim National Park and strolling through the ethereal mist at Long Beach, which is also in the national park. Check out TourismTofino.com. ■

Now ng! Hiri

OPEN 10-8

WE CUT & COLOUR • NOW HIRING OPEN UNTIL 8PM • SINCE 1994

JULY 16, 2020

SPORTS THE SCORE

Sea to Sky well represented in ‘world’s toughest race’ AMAZON PRIME SERIES BY SURVIVOR’S MARK BURNETT DOCUMENTS GRUELLING, 671-KM ECO-CHALLENGE

BY BRANDON BARRETT YOU OFTEN SEE Fiji marketed as the perfect getaway for weary travellers looking to unplug with untouched, sandy beaches and tranquil, turquoise waters. But for the 66 teams that competed in last summer’s Eco-Challenge, a gruelling, multi-sport endurance race through treacherous jungle, mountain and ocean, Fiji was anything but a vacation. “The Eco-Challenge, like the name implies, is the world’s toughest race,” said Whistlerite and race director Kevin Hodder. “The Fiji course was 671 kilometres of selfpropelled travel, to give you an idea of how long and gruelling it is. Think of it as kind of like a scavenger hunt on steroids.” The focus of a 10-part Amazon Prime docuseries hosted by famed British adventurer Bear Grylls and produced by Survivor and The Apprentice creator Mark Burnett (we’ll forgive him for that last one), the Eco-Challenge includes a cavalcade of Sea to Sky participants, from athletes to crew. Four of the competing teams feature Sea to Sky residents—racers Jen Segger, Eduardo Baldioceda, Mark Sky and Ben Kwiatkowski, as well as assistant crew member Laure Lejeune—along with Hodder, technical race director Scott Flavelle of Pemberton, and former Whistler Mountain Bike Park manager Brian Finestone, who was tapped to organize the

END OF MY ROPE Team Bones Adventure,

featuring members Roy Malone, Mari Chandler, Charles Triponez, David Egbert and the Sea to Sky’s Jen Segger, during the 2019 Eco-Challenge adventure race in Fiji. PHOTO BY TARA KERZHNER/AMAZON

48 JULY 16, 2020

bike leg of the race. Dozens more from the corridor helped out behind the scenes. “The reason people live in the Sea to Sky corridor, in most cases, is the reason why they would be valuable crew members for the Eco-Challenge,” Hodder mused. “They’re used to pushing themselves in the outdoors, managing risk in the outdoors, being able to move efficiently in the outdoors.” Calling the Eco-Challenge the world’s toughest race is no hyperbole, either: the course remains open 24 hours a day for 10-and-a-half days, and competitors are required to hike, bike, climb, canoe and sail through the painstaking course, navigating their own way with map and compass. One leg of the race even had the competitors sail a camakau, a small, traditional outrigger that Pacific Islanders originally used to migrate to Fiji.

some of the physical limitations. We have teams that run out of food and become very depleted, teams that get dehydrated, and then, believe it or not, we had a lot of teams get hypothermic in Fiji.” Navigating the team dynamic is another challenge in itself, as teams are disqualified if any one of their members is unable to complete the race due to injury or illness.

“The reason people live in the Sea to Sky corridor, in most cases, is the reason why they would be valuable crew members for the EcoChallenge.” - KEVIN HODDER

“We have teams pushing their mind, body and spirit to the absolute limit of human capacity,” Hodder said. “We have teams that, at times, look like they’re literally sleeping on their feet. We have teams that get disoriented and report having hallucinations, and then there are

But the bond the groups form through such a harrowing ordeal can’t be replicated, Hodder noted. “You see it at the finish line,” he said. “People just cling to each other and you hear them exclaim how they are now considered family members and they will remember

these moments for the rest of their lives. They’ve shared something together that has changed the fibre of their being.” The Eco-Challenge originally aired on TV between 1995 and 2002 from locales around the world, before going on a 17-year hiatus. Generally regarded as the genesis of adventure-based reality TV, Burnett decided to resurrect the race and series for a modern audience. But lest you think Burnett is up to his usual reality-show tricks, Hodder said there was no need for producers to manufacture tension when the race itself was such a wellspring of human drama. “The jungle in Fiji, the ocean in Fiji, the rock-climbing route up the waterfalls that we designed in Fiji, those were stressors enough to organically create the amazing human dynamics we witnessed there,” he explained. “I think it’s good timing for people to watch a series about people working together and striving for a very ambitious goal, and in some cases, people being successful in achieving that goal, and other times, people falling short but learning a lot of life lessons in the process.” World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 14. Watch the trailer at youtube.com/ watch?v=NDC_2q692Ko. n

ME! O C ON’T

Whistler Health Care Foundation Responding with Care

VALLEY TRAIL NOTICE

THE BEST BALL YOU’LL NEVER ATTEND

SATURDAY JULY 25 Time: Whenever Location: Your house Dress: Whatever Who: You and your bubble What: DIY Everything

WIN A PADDLEBOARD!!

STAY

2 METRES

TICKETS • • • • •

Kids Table: $50 - 1 entry Community Table: $100 - 2 entries Celebrity Table: $500 - 10 entries VIP Table: $1000 - 20 entries Rock Star Table: $10,000 - 25 entries

All tickets sold are eligible for a 100% tax receipt and entered to win a Kahuna Paddleboard package!

More information and tickets... whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org

APART

• Stay at least 2 m (6ft) from others • No groups • Walk in single file on far right when passing others • Leash dogs • Avoid busy times Please visit www.whistler.ca/covid19 for the latest updates from the RMOW.

The WHCF needs your help fundraising for much needed upgrades to the Whistler Health Care Centre Trauma Room

www.whistler.ca/ covid19 JULY 16, 2020

FORK IN THE ROAD

Stopping to taste the berries is like stopping to smell the roses OUR COOL, WET SUMMER HAS MEANT A TON OF WILD GOODNESS WE HUMANS haven’t exactly been thrilled by this year’s cool, wet start to summer. But our wild fish and amphibians sure have been and, if plants could talk, they’d totally agree. Growers throughout the Sea to Sky region are reporting some of their best crops ever. With my tiny, but flourishing, patio garden, I’ll modestly count myself amongst them. And if you’ve been out on the trails getting your “nature bath” lately, I bet you’ve spotted some of the best-looking wild berries in years. Step 2 is bothering to stop and taste a few. If you do, you’ll

BY GLENDA BARTOSH discover that this year’s wild berry crop is also one of the tastiest ever. Last weekend, I was amazed how many people simply kept walking (or jogging) as we were gorging like hungry critters on sweet, delicious thimbleberries and Saskatoons (some call them service berries). So here’s a friendly nudge from me and ecologist and Whistler Naturalists founder, Bob Brett: Get out there and enjoy a wild berry feast. To get you started, here are some tasty tips.

1. GO WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS While growing up in Alberta, my parents and grandparents taught us to love wild berries. It was a much-anticipated treat in summer to pick the wild blueberries, strawberries and Saskatoon berries in the meadows

WILD PICK Nature lover Peter Lisicin enjoys taking his pick of things—delicious, Saskatoon berries simply growing wild.

PHOTO BY GLENDA BARTOSH

50 JULY 16, 2020

and forests around Edmonton. As kids, we were lucky enough to learn, naturally, from our elders who’d been there, done that for decades. They in turn had learned from their elders, since there wasn’t exactly a store down the road in 1800s rural Canada. Nothing like some Saskatoon berry jam to brighten up a long winter. Our Indigenous neighbours, whose ancestors were living here way longer, have relied on wild berries and plants for thousands of years and learned much the same way—passing along knowledge through the generations. First, an experienced berry hunter can show you where the best pickin’ is (more on that in a minute). Second, some berries out there aren’t exactly good for you (more on that, too). The best, safest way to learn where,

reliable sources for IDing berries and other wild plants, like the Royal BC Museum website and UBC’s E-Flora BC. Even Bob has a fun article on the Whistler Naturalists’ site on wild berries and includes some of his favourites—berries that are blue (and sometimes black or red) versus blueberries themselves, which also grow around Whistler. Tops in that category: black huckleberries. But you can’t beat a good nature guidebook when you’re out in nature versus squinting at a wee screen in bright sunlight. For a good field guide—wait, did I say good? How about the best? You can’t beat Plants of Coast British Columbia by Jim Pojar and Andy “Fungus Among Us” MacKinnon. Plants from Oregon to Alaska are included, but the guide is so clear you

Growers throughout the Sea to Sky region are reporting some of their best crops ever. when and what to pick is from a real, live person who knows the ropes, or at least the local berries.

2. IF YOU CAN’T FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS, THEN GET A GOOD BOOK I laughed when British Columbia Magazine—a source usually considered reliable—ran a feature on B.C.’s wild berries and included white mulberry. Bzzzt. Not! If you find them in the wild at all, it’s going to be southern Ontario. Also, white mulberry, which was introduced from Asia in the 1800s, is considered a tree killer by Tree Canada. Sure, you can go online to some reliably

won’t get muddled. The excellent photos and illustrations and concise, focused text—which includes word etymologies; traditional and historic uses; and all kinds of anecdotes—provides more good rabbit holes to go down than an internet search. Armchair Books in Whistler Village stocks it. Wild Berries of British Columbia is also excellent, if you can find it. Sadly, it’s out of print. Once you get your guidebook, you can look up two more, usually overlooked, Bob favourites: Bunchberries, which are more fun to eat than tasty. Nicknamed crackleberries, they have a centre with seeds that pops open when you crunch down. Best not to eat too many, he advises. Then there’s the five-leaved bramble—

miniature fruits related to blackberries and raspberries, and found mainly in subalpine locations. They have one to six drupelets (the individual parts of the fruit that make up blackberries and raspberries) that Bob really likes, plus they’re slightly astringent and leave a clean taste in your (or at least his) mouth.

3. IF YOU CAN’T BE BOTHERED WITH 1 OR 2, DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH As usual in the wild, common sense rules. It’s best to only eat berries, or any other plant parts, you can identify. At the very least, if you don’t know what it is, just have a little nip. Given the pandemic, Whistler Naturalists aren’t doing any guided tours right now to teach us directly about wildberry bounty. But I love what Bob has to say about wild berries in general: “You have to really go out of your way to poison yourself.” There is one berry, though, to avoid. Baneberries are pretty much the only berries around Whistler that are poisonous. So here’s another Bob tip: Avoid berries that look like snooker balls—meaning, they’re opaque, and either red or white. Baneberries, which, as the name suggests, could be the bane of you, look like snooker balls. (The Anglo-Saxon bana means “murderous.”) Lots of others might not taste good, he says, like berries from Oregon grape or Solomon’s seal, but they won’t cause you harm. Also, avoid berries along busy roads, since they’re coated in pollution, and near railway rights-of-way, since train companies spray pesticides to kill unwanted plants. Other than that, pick and eat away—the berries, right? And have fun! Glenda Bartosh is an award-wining journalist who loves the fact that most of the berries we eat are from the rose family. ■

Outdoor and online fitness classes now available MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Low Impact Class 7-8 a.m. - Steve

Body Weight Boot Camp 7-8 a.m. - Beth

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ARTS SCENE

Scenic songs SQUAMISH MUSICIAN LEO WOOD HEADS INTO THE WILD FOR HER MUSIC VIDEOS

BY ALYSSA NOEL LEO WOOD is amassing an impressive and unique video diary of her travels. Originally from the U.K., the singer has travelled around the world shooting videos showcasing her deep, smooth vocals and stunning locales along the way. When she and her boyfriend secured a two-year Canadian work visa and, last October, decided to settle in Squamish, she discovered a natural pairing of outdoor adventure and music. “When we first did it, it was more, ‘I have two iPhones on you and it’s a little video,” Wood says. “Now, we have drones, so it becomes a little more fun. I’m [also] editing now, so I have an idea of what I want these videos to turn into too.” The most recent release—“Siren” by Willem & McLeod, a drum and bass track featuring her soaring vocals—was shot on Whyte Islet near Horseshoe Bay. Attracting nearly 1,000 views in less than a week, it features Wood perched on a rock in front of her microphone while a

IN THE WILD Squamish musician Leo Wood recently released a video shot on a scenic Horseshoe Bay island.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

52 JULY 16, 2020

drone swoops around the tiny island. “The feedback has been awesome,” Wood says. “Once you got the drone in there, it starts to become more eye-catching. You really see B.C. in all its glory. I’ve been all over the world and this Sea to Sky zone is one of the nicest places I’ve been.” Wood became interested in music at an early age when someone gave her a small piano to play around with. Her dad was also a musician and would take her busking on

While she has a classically trained background, she also has an affinity for jazz singing. In recent years, she’s managed to fuse acoustic sounds with electronic genres. “I’ve never been genre-specific,” she says. “I like a lot of different kinds of music. I don’t want to hold myself back by any of that.” While musicians abound in the large U.K. music scene she comes from in Bristol and Devon, it was also competitive. The next natural move was to head to London,

“I was taught by an opera singer and from age 12 I was writing songs. I was always determined this was going to be my path, but getting your foot in the door is difficult.” - LEO WOOD

the streets near their home in Exeter, U.K. “I would go busking with him for the cute factor from a young age,” she recalls. “I was taught by an opera singer and from age 12, I was writing songs. I was always determined this was going to be my path, but getting your foot in the door is difficult.”

something she had no interest in. “I just wanted to see what was going on elsewhere, and, at the same time, do my music,” she says. “I wanted to fight against the norm. I wanted to go travelling and do everything.” That was how she found herself, in

the midst of her travels that spanned from California to Costa Rica, shooting her videos. When she and her partner decided to give Canada a try, they visited Banff and then Vancouver. But when they came up the Sea to Sky Highway around October last year, they were immediately struck by Squamish and decided to stay. So far, Wood has shot a video up on a lookout at Murrin Lake Provincial Park, and she also plans to add a Whistler location to her roster. “On the Murrin Park one, there were quite a few people knocking around going, ‘What is this girl doing?’ I’m wearing headphones and, in my head, I can hear the whole beat. They just see me singing into the wild on my own,” she says with a laugh. “Every single one we’ve done, there have been people around.” While she plans to travel around B.C. this summer, she hopes that there might be an opportunity to perform in front of a local, live audience at some point. “I’m going to travel around B.C. and when I see somewhere cool, we’ll film a video there,” she says. “Maybe by the end of summer, if enough people have shown interest of some kind, an outdoor gig would be wicked.” To see the “Siren” video, visit facebook. com/watch/?v=1173813369648508 or head to leowoodoriginal.com. n

ARTS SCENE + FINE DINING ART EXPERIENCE

NEW DUDS The Dream Big Vintage Clothing Pop-Up shop is returning after a pandemic-induced break. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Ditch the quarantine leggings at the Dream Big Vintage Clothing Pop-Up SHOP RETURNS ON FRIDAY, JULY 17 AT THE WHISTLER RACKET CLUB

BY ALYSSA NOEL THE COVID-19 pandemic might have quashed The Dream Big Vintage Clothing Pop-Up’s last event, but co-founder Helen Hamilton has managed to find the bright side. For their upcoming pop-up shop on Friday, July 17, at the Whistler Racket Club there will be a handful of new rules— including tickets, staggered entry, and distancing. Shoppers will remain two metres away from each other at all times with no more than 20 people in the space. “We should’ve been doing this structure anyway,” Hamilton says. “It’s a lot more organized now.” Up until mid-March, the pop-up event had been alternating locations between Squamish and Whistler with hand-picked vintage clothes, and often goods from local artisans. “The last Whistler one we had was in February and it was the best one yet,” Hamilton says. “We realized it would all have to come to a grinding halt. I had done a shop for the next event, we were fully stocked, and we had taken photos and done promotion. We were ready.” While they considered moving to an online store format, Hamilton says she realized half the point of hosting the popup shop is the social element. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to run a web shop,’” she says. “That’s not why I do this.” To that end, as the province entered Phase 3 of its recovery plan, she started looking at new places to host. That’s when the Whistler Racket Club serendipitously got in touch.

“It’s a huge space in the middle of Whistler that I never knew existed,” Hamilton says. “We’ve been organizing it with them and doing it all really spread out and between a few different spaces within that complex. It’s going to work really well and allow shoppers to have way more time and space to look through everything without a big crowd.” Alongside their vintage clothes, the shop will also include local vendors selling hand-made items like jewelry, macramé, succulents and plants, art and candles. Onsite, there will also be outdoor axe throwing, lawn games, a barbecue and a bar. While there will be no change rooms, shoppers will be able to try on items at home and swap them at a later date if they don’t work. There will also be a one-way flow through the space and plenty of hand sanitizer on site. “We’ve nearly sold out of tickets,” Hamilton adds. There will likely be entry at the door as well, but the Eventbrite tickets will guarantee entry. After months of wearing leggings and hoodies through quarantine herself, Hamilton suspects locals will be keen to update their wardrobe on a budget. “When the pandemic set in, the first month or two it felt like it was about survival,” she says. “All the surface fun things like fashion and dressing up and going to parties suddenly became irrelevant. As life starts to get back to normal it starts to become more relevant again.” For more information or tickets, search The Dream Big Vintage Clothing Pop-Up at Whistler Racket Club on Facebook. n

+ PRESENT

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AUDAIN ART MUSEUM 4350 BLACKCOMB WAY, WHISTLER

JULY 16, 2020

MUSEUM MUSINGS

EXPRESS RUN Whistler Museum recently received four copies of The Whistler Expression for its collection. PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER MUSEUM

Whistler Mountain’s Expression BY ALLYN PRINGLE

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54 JULY 16, 2020

OVER THE LAST YEAR, we’ve looked at some of the newsletters we’ve come across in our collections, including one written by the Whistler Museum in 2001 and a whole series of newsletters published by Blackcomb Mountain (the Blabcomb) in the 1980s and ‘90s. While the museum has been closed to the public from March through June, we continued to receive donations to our archives, including a few issues of The Whistler Expression, Whistler Mountain’s counterpart to the Blabcomb. The issues donated come from the 1990-91 ski season, Whistler Mountain’s 25th-anniversary season. Much of the content of the newsletters is what you would expect to find in a company publication—a start-of-the-season welcome from executive vice-president and COO Don Murray, an end-of-season message from president Charles Young, announcements of new programs (for example, a paper-recycling program that featured prominently for two months) and introductions to new staff members (such as Bruce Warren, then the new controller for Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation (WMSC)). Though today, many visitors and even residents may not know that Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains were once competitors, there are a few references to a seemingly friendly rivalry throughout the newsletters. At the time, Charles Young served as the president of the fundraising committee for the Dandelion Daycare Centre and made a promise that Whistler Mountain would match any donation made by Blackcomb Mountain, which promptly donated $10,000, showing that this competition could be good for the community. Despite being published almost 30 years ago, many people, organizations, and even events mentioned in the newsletters are familiar today. In November 1990, the Whistler Mountain Social Club held a (by all accounts successful) ULLR party to sacrifice

skis to the Norse snow god, and in January 1991, Kevin Hodder won the contest to name the staff social club. His entry was Club Shred (Staff Having Really Excellent Days), a name that can still be found on staff passes. During this season, WMSC introduced Peak Performer Awards “recognizing those employees who contribute to giving Superior Guest Service at Whistler Mountain” (not unlike Blackcomb Mountain’s ICE Awards) and published the names of those who were recognized. If you worked at Whistler Mountain in 1990-91, there is a good chance you would find your name on the four-page list alongside Pat Beauregard, Ruth Howells, Pat Bader, Viv Jennings, and many more. The newsletters aren’t all made up of lists, and two of the most exciting incidents related in The Whistler Expression featured Bill Duff, fittingly the same person who donated the newsletters to our collections. One day in December, a call to all radios about a pair of stolen skis was promptly resolved when Duff saw a man exit the Express with just such a pair. He had apparently mistaken the skis for his own and so the incident ended with “one very happy skier who got their skis back, one very redfaced gentleman who had to wait until his own skis were brought down and one very proud validator who saved the day.” That same month, Duff (or “Ticket Validator Extraordinaire”) saw a family tobogganing on the busy run at the base of the mountain and went over to advise them of the danger. As reported in The Expression, “After speaking with the father, Bill said, ‘Has anybody ever told you that you look like Chuck Norris?’ To which the gentleman replied, ‘I am Chuck Norris!’” While we have almost a full run of the Blabcomb, we currently have only four issues of The Whistler Expression. Newsletters are a great source of information about an organization, who worked there, and what was happening in town around them. If anyone happens to come across copies while cleaning or reorganizing, we would love to see them! n

PARTIAL RECALL

1 COMET CAUGHT The Neowise comet, discovered in March by NASA’s Neowise infrared space telescope, is pictured over the Sea to Sky Corridor in this stunning shot. The comet will be visible to the naked eye over southern B.C. for the next few weeks. PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS. 2 FARM FRESH Vendors and shoppers were out in force at the Whistler Farmers’ Market on July 12. PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE. 3 NEW ARRIVALS Whistler Animals Galore has kittens! These cuties were born on July 5. The local shelter is currently raising money for the kittens’ care—like deworming, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries—through a “Name our Kittens” fundraiser. Head over to www.whistlerwag.com for more information. PHOTO BY KENDALL BENBOW. 4 RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY Paddlers with Backroads Whistler didn’t let a little bit of rain dampen their spirits or their adventures on July 11. PHOTO COURTESY OF BACKROADS WHISTLER CANOES AND KAYAKS. 5 SLO-PITCH SEASON Pique reporter Brandon Barrett of the Whistler Racket Club Racketeers hits one to the outfield on Sunday, July 12 at the Spruce Grove Park fields in the second week of Whistler Slo-Pitch Association action. PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS. 6 HOP HOP HOORAY This snowshoe hare was snacking along the Valley Trail on July 13. It’s named “snowshoe” for the large size of its hind feet, which prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. For camouflage, its fur turns white during the winter and rusty brown during the summer, though its flanks are white year-round. The snowshoe hare is also distinguishable by the black tufts of fur on the edge of its ears, which are shorter than those of most other hares. PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE.

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ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JULY 16 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “If the time is not ripe, we

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have to ripen the time,” wrote Aries educator and activist Dorothy Height. This approach worked well during her 98 years on the planet. Her pioneering advocacy for AfricanAmerican women generated a number of practical improvements in their employment opportunities and civil rights. In accordance with the current astrological omens, Aries, I highly recommend her guiding principle for your use. You now have the power to ripen the time, even if no one else believes the time is ripe. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’” A wise and talented woman said that: Nobel Prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s excellent advice for you to embrace during the coming weeks. You’re close to finding and accessing a mother lode of inspiration, and one of the best ways to ensure that happens in an optimal way is to make “I don’t know” your mantra. In other words, be cheerfully devoted to shedding your certainties. Lose your attachment to the beliefs and theories you tend to overly rely on. Make yourself as empty and clear and spacious as you possibly can. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini-born author Djuna Barnes (1892–1982) was a world traveller who wrote in several different genres, ranging from lesbian fiction to essays on boxing to plays that used poetic language. She was experimental and empirical and experiential. On one occasion, she voluntarily submitted to the force-feeding endured by hunger-striking suffragists so she could write about what it was like to be tortured. Another fun fact about Djuna: Every morning, she did up her hair and put her make-up on, then climbed into bed and wrote for many hours. In the coming weeks, Gemini, I recommend you draw inspiration from every aspect of her life— except the torture part, of course. The coming weeks will be a fine time to be versatile, exploratory, and committed to expressing yourself purely in whatever ways make you comfortably excited. CANCER (June 21-July 22): As a Cancerian, you have a natural propensity to study and understand what author Margaret Atwood describes as “echoes and emptiness and shadow.” I believe this aspect of your repertoire will be especially active and available to you in the coming weeks. For best results, regard your attunement to these echoes and emptiness and shadow as an asset, even a precious talent. Use it to discern what’s missing or lost but could be recovered. Invoke it to help you navigate your way through murky or confusing situations. Call on it to help you see important things that are invisible to others. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Time can turn a scab into a beauty mark,” said actor and screenwriter Nia Vardalos. That’s a rousingly poetic speculation—and more metaphorically true than literally. But I suspect that if it ever might have a useful and meaningful application to an actual human struggle, it will be yours in the coming months. In my view, you are in fact capable of harnessing the magic necessary to transform a wound into a lovely asset. Be bold and imaginative as you carry out this seemingly improbable feat—which is actually not improbable. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Would you like to boost your mental and physical health in the coming weeks? Try this: Immerse yourself in the understanding that you’re interconnected with everything in the world. Tell yourself stories about how the atoms that compose your body have previously been part of many other things. This isn’t just a poetic metaphor; it’s scientific fact. Now study this passage by science writer Ella Frances Sanders: “The carbon inside you could have existed in any number of creatures or natural disasters before finding you. That particular atom residing somewhere above your left eyebrow? It could well have been a smooth riverbed

pebble before deciding to call you home. You are rock and wave and the peeling bark of trees, you are ladybirds and the smell of a garden after the rain.” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s a favourable time to celebrate the fantastic privilege of being alive. Are you willing to believe that? Will you cooperate with my intention to nudge you in the direction of elation and exaltation? Are you open to the possibility that miracles and epiphanies may be at hand for you personally? To help get yourself in the proper mood, read this passage by Libran author Diane Ackerman: “The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one’s curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred, climb aboard, and gallop over the thick, sunstruck hills every day.” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): ‘”Deciding to remember, and what to remember, is how we decide who we are,” writes poet Robert Pinsky. That’s useful counsel for you right now, Scorpio. You’re entering a phase when you can substantially reframe your life story so that it serves you better. And one of the smartest ways to do that is to take an inventory of the memories you want to emphasize versus the memories you’d like to minimize. Another good trick is to reinterpret challenging past events so that you can focus on how they strengthened you and mobilized your determination to be true to yourself. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “A person must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur,” wrote Sagittarian author and activist Jean Genet. “And dreaming is nursed in darkness.” According to my analysis of your astrological omens, this is an apt description of what has been unfolding for you, Sagittarius—and will continue to play out for you in the next two weeks. If you’re aligned with cosmic rhythms, you have been nursing your dreams in darkness—exploring and cultivating and learning from the raw creative energy that is simmering and ripening in your inner depths. Keep doing this important work, even if there are not yet any productive results. Eventually, it will enable you to “act with grandeur,” as Genet said. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau said, “There are truths that one can only say after having won the right to say them.” In my estimation, you have recently earned the right to express a fresh batch of scintillating and useful truths. Please do us all a favour and unveil them—preferably with both candor and tact. On behalf of everyone who will benefit from your insights, I’m sending you congratulations for the work you’ve had to do on yourself so as to win them. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “After you make a fool of yourself a few hundred times, you learn what works,” testifies musician and singer Gwen Stefani. In my own life, I’ve had to make a fool of myself more than a few hundred times to learn what works. My number is closer to a thousand—and I’m still adding new examples on a regular basis. In the coming weeks, Aquarius, I highly recommend that you try what has served Gwen Stefani and I so well. You’re entering a phase when your foolishness will generate especially useful lessons. Being innocent and wildly open-minded will also be very useful. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “It is better to err on the side of daring than the side of caution,” wrote author and futurist Alvin Toffler. While I hesitate to declare that idea to be absolutely and always true, I do recommend it to you in the coming weeks. Given the fact that you have recently been expanding possibilities and cultivating breakthroughs, I’d love to see you keep on pushing forward until you climax your momentum. To boost your courage, try to think of a crazy cry of exhilaration you might exclaim as you make your leaps, like “YAHOO!” or ‘HELL YES!” or “HERE I COME!” Homework: What’s the best change you’ve experienced since the beginning of the pandemic? FreeWillAstrology.com

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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*Classes will go online if the weather is inclement

Full Time Maintenance Technician

When you buy your pass you will get an email 1 hr prior to class start to give you a link to access the online class.

www.whistler.ca/fitness 604-935-PLAY (7529)

160 +

• Extensive benefits package which may include; ski pass or wellness allowance, disability coverage, travel insurance and extended health and dental. • Travel Allowance and discounted employee rates at any Diamond Resort Interna onal resort. *eligibility and condi ons based on DRCL policies and prac ces set out in general terms and condi ons of employment.

TAX PER MONTH

4 HRS FREE TRUCK TIME

Email your resume with the position you wish to apply for to: embarc_hr@diamondresorts.com

Call Mike Walsh

604 698 0054

mike.walsh@walshrestoration.ca

Services

Eligible successful candidate may receive*:

• Full- me work year round and a FUN work environment.

8 X 20 CONTAINERS

Diamond Resorts Canada Ltd., Whistler, BC

Community

NOTICES HEALTH & WELLBEING big or small we do it all! Call 604-902-MOVE www.alltimemoving.ca

NORTHLANDS

STORAGE STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE

BEST PRICES IN WHISTLER FURNITURE, CARS, BOATS & MOTORCYCLES ETC STORAGE AVAILABLE

BEST

PRICES

GENERAL NOTICES PHYSICAL THERAPY

Sally John Physiotherapy COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS TAKEN PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT

REGISTERED PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN HOME PHYSIOTHERAPY AVAILABLE

CUSTOM-MADE ORTHOTICS at competitive prices for ski boots & shoes, including training shoes. 17 years of making orthotics

‘Sally John Physiotherapy’

IN WHISTLER

2997 Alpine Cresent (Alta Vista)

(604) 698-6661

www.sallyjohnphysiotherapy.com

604.932.1968

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.

U.S.

Exchange Rate

31%

The Sea to Sky corridor’s top civil construction company. We are currently recruiting professionally minded people to join our team: Junior Estimator/Project Coordinator Full Job Description:

http://whistlerexcavations.com/job-opportunities.html

Also required: Pipe Foreman Pipe Layers Construction Labourers Email resume to: info@whistlerexcavations.com

COUNSELLING as recommended by:

MEETING PLACE

Lost and Found? If you spot a stray animal or have lost an animal, call WAG at 604-935-8364. WAG operates a lost and found service to help reunite lost pets with their families.

www.whistlerwag.com

58 JULY 16, 2020

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

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 9.30-12pm.604-6985960 info@welcomewhistler.com FB: WhistlerWelcomeCentre

The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available:

HOUSEMAN ROOM ATTENDANTS afternoons starting 1 pm to 7 pm

VOLUNTEERS Big Brothers, Big Sisters Sea to Sky Volunteer to Mentor- just 1hr/week - and make a difference in a child's life. Call 604-892-3125.

Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca

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N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0

JOB POSTING

We are currently interviewing for Red Seal Carpenters (or equivalent experience) Please submit resume to: info@evrfinehomes

Whistler’s Premier Estate Builder

Gavan Construction Company is currently hiring for projects in WHISTLER and PEMBERTON.

PIQUE NEWSMAGAZINE

SUBSCRIPTIONS

52 ISSUES $76.70/YEAR

REGULAR MAIL WITHIN CANADA

$136.60/YEAR

COURIER WITHIN CANADA

Journeymen Carpenters (5+ Years) Skilled Labourers We offer competitive pay, a benefits package, company cell phone plan, interesting projects, a collaborative team environment, and a chance to improve your existing skills. We are looking for dedicated team players who want to join a rapidly growing company and establish a long-term career in construction. Please forward resume to office@gccltd.ca

$605.80/YEAR

COURIER WITHIN USA

PAY BY MASTERCARD, VISA OR AMEX TEL. 604-938-0202 FAX. 604-938-0201

We are looking for full and part-time sales people

What we want:

Outgoing, self motivated, mature and responsible individuals who love jewellery and accessories.

What you get:

A higher than average starting wage, a monthly bonus and A positive work environment. Apply in person at Ruby Tuesday or e-mail resume to info@rubytuesdayaccessories.com Located in the Town Plaza between The Beach and el Furney’s.

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 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.

JULY 16, 2020

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM/JOBS

THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0

JOB POSTING

POSITION: INFANT TODDLER EDUCATOR Nature of position: Regular, Full-Time Term: Ongoing Start Date: Immediately QUALIFICATIONS: • Valid Early Childhood Educator Certificate and License to Practice as an Infant Toddler Educator (or in the process of obtaining your License to Practice) JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES: • Planning & 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 and oral communication skills. • Maintaining positive communication with parents. • Collaborate with community service providers.

Fish & Rice Sushi and Beyond is hiring an experienced Japanese Chef. • • • • • • • • • •

Preparing Sushi and cooking other Japanese food. Ensure food meets quality standards. Estimate food requirements and labour costs. Instruct Kitchen Helpers and Cooks in preparation, cooking, and presentation of food. Inspecting ingredients for quality and freshness and supervising all food preparation. Create new menu, recipes and specials. Lead the team and ensure orders are completed in a timely manner and provide excellent customer services. Assist Head Chef and supervise cooks and kitchen helpers. May demonstrate new cooking techniques to kitchen staff. May act as a Sous-Chef and oversee the entire kitchen operation in absence of Head Chef.

Qualifications: • Completion of secondary school preferred and 2 years or more experience as a chef/cook. • Previous Japanese cook/chef experience including in a supervisory capacity an asset. Full-time, Permanent All season, 30+ hours per week $25 per hour Language of work is English. Benefits: 4% Vacation Pay Start date: As soon as possible. Address: 102-7433 Frontier Street, Pemberton, BC, V0N 2L0 Apply by email at fishandricesushi@gmail.com

• Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects

LOCAL EXPERTS GLOBAL REACH

• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team REQUIREMENTS: • Standard First Aid with CPR-C & Clear Criminal Record Check • Food Safe certificate, or willingness to obtain • Evidence that the candidate has complied with the Province’s immunization and tuberculosis control programs. Wage: Negotiable depending on experience Hours of work: 32 hours per week Location: D’Arcy, BC Closing Date: Until position is filled Submit cover letter &resume to: E-mail: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca

Career Opportunity at the District of Squamish Career Opportunity Career Opportunity at the District of Squamish at the District of Squamish

Bylaw & Animal Control Bylaw & AnimalOfficer Control Enforcement Bylaw & Animal Control Enforcement Officer Regular, Full-Time Enforcement Officer Regular, Full-Time

Regular, Full-Time

To find out more, please visit: squamish.ca/careers To find out more, please visit: squamish.ca/careers

To find out more, please visit: squamish.ca/careers

60 JULY 16, 2020

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR https://secure.collage.co/jobs/coastalmountain/15594

CIVIL CONSTRUCTION PIPE LAYER https://secure.collage.co/jobs/coastalmountain/15529 LOCATION – SQUAMISH MINIMUM 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE

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. GUEST SERVICES AGENT Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has an opening for a part time guest services agent. We are looking for a customer service professional who will help our guest enjoy their experience at our hotel. Duties include checkin and checkout of guests, concierge and reservations. Experience preferred but we will train the right person. Please contact Roger Dix rdix@pinnaclehotels.ca or ph: 604-938-3218

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We are the Spa for 3you 5 7

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Come join our Team! 3 6

$ at 8 1950 2 Housekeeping positions 6 starting 5

Vida Spa at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler is currently recruiting: REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST • SPA PRACTITIONER MEDIUM ESTHETICIANS • GUEST SERVICE AGENT

Guest service agents MEDIUM

# 41

4 # 42

On site parking • Shared staff accommodation Great team environment! Company paid benefits

To join our unique Vida family, email Bonnie@vidaspas.com Vida Spas - Vancouver & Whistler Live well. Live long. vidaspas.com Thank You for applying Only those considered will be contacted.

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If you are looking for a new place to call home: • We manifest positive energy • We have a long term and loyal team • We treat you fairly and look out for your wellness • You are listened to • We give you proper breaks and time to set up between services • We offer extended medical benefits • We have potential staff housing at affordable rates • You can enjoy $5.00 cafeteria meals • You have the opportunity to work for other Vida locations in slow season We are here for you.

THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

hr@blackcombspringssuites.com • 4899 Painted Cliff Road

3 7

EMPLOYMENT 6

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

6EMPLOYMENT 7 OPPORTUNITIES 3 5 8 9 9 4 5 WE’RE HIRING 8 DISHWASHERS 7 3 6 9 APPLY TODAY! 9 2 3 Staff Housing Available! Competitive Wage + Benefits 3 Package 6 1 2 4 taste 9 1 This storied restaurant offers a modern

***Local Automotive*** Automotive technician for year round position in Whistler. 604-905-9109 steve@localautomotive.com

Whistler Personnel Solutions 604-905-4194 whistler-jobs.com Temp, part-time, full-time jobs available. No cost, no strings.

of Italy and brings a fresh, contemporary style MEDIUM of dining to the mountain.

FINE FINISH PAINTING 2 7 8 HIRING EXPERIENCED 3 9 1 4 PAINTERS

9 1 6

COMPETITIVE WAGES AND BONUSES FUN CREW TO WORK WITH AND FLEXIBLE HOURS MEDIUM

# 43

# 44

Send resume to: finefinishpemberton@gmail.com

CUR R E N T OP P ORT U N I T I E S

FRONT-OF-HOUSE Host / Hostess

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Service Assistant # 41

8 9 6 3 4 7 gratuities, 2 5 1 We offer year-round full and part-time hours, 2 1 3 5 6 9 7 4 8 potential for future growth within the company, and an 5 4 7 2 8 1 3 6 9 employee discount at all Toptable restaurants. 7 5 8 1 2 3 4 9 6

3 2 9 4 5 6 1 8 7 4 6 1 9 7 8 5 3 2 Please email your resume & cover letter to careers@ilcaminetto.ca 1 7 4 8 9 5 6 2 3 9 3 2 6 1 4 8 7 5 6 8 5 7 3 2 9 1 4

www.sudoku.com

# 42

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Employment Opportunities 5 9 2 6 8 1 3 4 7

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# 44 8 3 7 Manager, 9 2 4 1 6Resort 5 9 2 8 · General Experience 4 2 9 5 1 6 7 8 3 6 4 7 6 5 1 8 Systems 3 7 2 4 9Technician –5GIS 3 1 · Computer 2 9 8 3 4 1 5 7 6 7 8 4 · Utilities 5 6 4 Operator 7 9 8 3 2 21– Water 3 1 6

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9 1Municipality 5 4 8 2 6of 3Whistler 7 Resort 3 8 6 1 7 9 4 5 2 whistler.ca/careers 7 4 2 6 5 3 9 1 8

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

We’re Hiring

DISHWASHERS APPLY TODAY!

Staff Housing Available! Competitive Wage + Benefits Package CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

Here’s to the Journey

Server Assistant

At Westin, we recruit the brightest, most energetic people in pursuit FRONT-OF-HOUSE of developing an exciting and rewarding career. Marriott International has 30 renowned hotel brands in Experienced Server (Araxi) over 131 countries around the world, and we’re still growing. Opportunities abound! Cocktail Bartender (Bar Oso) Server Assistant FULL TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE START Expeditor

ROOM ATTENDANTS

PERKS AND BENEFITS • STAFF ACCOMMODATION • EXTENDED HEALTH BENEFITS • FREE STAFF MEALS

HOUSE ATTENDANTS

BACK-OF-HOUSE

Dishwashers • FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES • MARRIOTT HOTEL DISCOUNTS

Host / Hostess Experienced Server Dishwasher Our outstanding team is looking to add individuals with a variety of skill sets and experience. Friendly, hardworking candidates are invited to apply. Please email your resume & cover letter to careers@araxi.com or present in person at Araxi between 3-5 pm daily. We offer year-round full and part-time hours, gratuities, potential for future growth within the company, and an employee discount at all Toptable restaurants.

Email your resume to work@westinwhistler.com with your Zoom / Skype contact info.

PLAY HERE

» piquenewsmagazine.com/jobs 62 JULY 16, 2020

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Accountant (Permanent F/T) Sachi Sushi is hiring experienced Japanese Chefs in Whistler. • • • • • • • •

Preparing Sushi and cooking other Japanese traditional food. Plan menu and ensure food meets quality standards. Estimate food requirements and estimate food and labour costs. Instruct Kitchen Helpers and Cooks in preparation, cooking, and presentation of food. Assist Head Chef and supervise cooks and kitchen helpers. Inspecting ingredients for quality and freshness and supervising all food preparation. Create new menu, recipes and specials. Work as a team and ensure orders are completed in a timely manner.

Qualifications: • Completion of secondary school and 2 years of cook/chef experience Full-time, Permanent All season, 30+ hours per week $25 per hour Language of work is English Benefits: 4% vacation pay Start date: As soon as possible. Address: 106 – 4359 Main Street, Whistler, BC, V8E 1B5 Apply by email at sushikoba@shaw.ca

Now hiring for the following positions: EXPERIENCED MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANPool experience an asset MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATEPool experience an asset • • • • • • •

Competitive Wages Associate Housing Wellness Allowance/Ski Pass Flexible Schedule Discounted Food Extended Medical Benefits Spa Discounts

Discover new opportunities and embark on a career in Hospitality with Pan Pacific Whistler To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to careers.ppwhi@panpacific.com

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is located in southwestern BC and consists of 4 member municipalities (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet) and 4 electoral areas. The region contains some of the most spectacular forests, waterways, and mountains in the province and affords an endless range of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the SLRD delivers a wide range of regional, sub-regional and local services to its residents. Services include land use planning, solid waste management, building inspection, fire protection, emergency preparedness, 911 services, recreation, water and sewer utilities, regional transit, trails and open spaces as well as financial support for various community services. The SLRD is seeking an experienced individual to perform asset management duties, grant administration duties and other intermediate level accounting duties in support of and under the direction of the Director of Finance. This is a new permanent, full-time position with diverse responsibilities. At this time, it is anticipated that this position will initially be remote due to the COVID pandemic but will, in accordance with the SLRD reopening plan, eventually be located at the SLRD office in Pemberton. The ideal candidate will have a Professional Accounting Designation, or be enrolled in such a program, with a minimum of 4 years accounting experience with a focus on and extensive experience with managing tangible capital assets. Candidates must have excellent Excel skills, experience using large data sets and superior communication skills with the ability to work within deadlines. The successful candidate will be responsible for: • Building, maintaining, improving and communicating the SLRD’s asset registry and asset management plans and strategies. •

Developing annual and long-term capital budgets and performing capital budget variance reviews & remediation strategies.

•

Assisting with capital projects as they relate to infrastructure asset management.

•

Assisting with capital project planning and procurement.

•

Reviewing various grant funding opportunities, compiling information and writing grant applications in coordination with the applicable SLRD department.

•

Reviewing and reconciling project financial records for completeness and for any grant eligibility requirements, ensuring the project stays within any respective grant requirements.

•

Completing grant funding reporting requirements.

•

Cross-training in all facets of the finance department to assist as needed.

•

Tracking financial funding resolutions of the Board, preparing funding letters to the recipients and completing cheque requisitions for funding disbursements.

•

Performing other related work as required.

For further information, please see the full job description at www.slrd.bc.ca/employment. Compensation will be determined commensurate with knowledge, skills and ability, includes a comprehensive benefit package and Municipal Pension Plan and offers the ability to work a compressed work week (nine-day fortnight). Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume with a covering letter by email, no later than August 3, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. to: Suzanne Lafrance, Director of Finance Squamish-Lillooet Regional District slafrance@slrd.bc.ca

We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

Employment Opportunities: www.whistlerwag.com

Looking for a dog to adopt? Look for WAG’s bright orange bandanas on dogs being walked by volunteers! These dogs are looking for their forever home. 604.935.8364 | www.whistlerwag.com

DO YOU LIVE IN PEMBERTON? THEN WHY COMMUTE TO WHISTLER?

Full Time or Part Time Night Audit Guest Services Agents

Apply to: jobs@pembertonvalleylodge.com

Competitive wages, health benefits, casual environment JULY 16, 2020

CALL THE EXPERTS

Want to advertise your service on this page? BLINDS ETC.

Call Pique at (604) 938-0202, or email sales@piquenewsmagazine.com

BLINDS ETC.

SUNCREST WINDOW COVERINGS

WINDOW COVERINGS Whistler’s Source for Blinds since 1989

Custom Blinds • Shades • Draperies

• BLINDS • SHADES

• SHUTTERS • DRAPERY

Connie Griffiths Tel: 604-935-2101 Email: windowcov@shaw.ca www.whistlerwindowcoverings.ca

David Weldon david@summersnow.ca 604-938-3521

Custom Window Treatments Contact us today for a free quote or consultation info@suncrestwindowcoverings.com

604.698.8406

• • • •

Wood blinds Sunscreens Shades Motorization

www.summersnow.ca

Summer Snow Finishings Limited

CARPET CLEANING

BLACK BEAR CARPET CLEANING LTD. • Carpets • Upholstery • Tiles • Car Interiors

WANT TO ADVERTISE

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• Furnace • Airducts • Dryer vents

Call Pique at (604) 938-0202, or email sales@piquenewsmagazine.com

100% ECO FRIENDLY CERTIFIED www.blackbearcarpetcleaning.ca • 604 698 6610

CLEANING COAST MOUNTAIN CLEANING est. 2011

We follow all VCH, Min of Health Covid 19 protocols Insured & Bondable Commercial, Residential and Nightly Rentals

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www.CoastMountainCleaning.com

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CoastMountainCleaning@gmail.com

Take advantage of the benefits and savings you will receive from new windows and doors. Call Whistler Glass for your onsite consultation

Wood Energy Technology Transfer Inc.

604.932.1132

604.932.5775 / 1.877.932.5775 blackcombchimney@yahoo.ca

whistlerglass.com NO OTHER ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE MAKES AS DYNAMIC A VISUAL STATEMENT AS STONEWORK

GLASS

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$5M Liability Insurance We donate $50 from every job to WORCA We look forward to earning the opportunity to transform your home this summer

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Our paint team has over 25 years combined paint sales experience, and we can help you get things right the first time. Now offering In Home Paint Consultations! Pemberton Valley Rona. Let us help you love where you live.

Book your in-home leen Consultation with Col today!

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64 JULY 16, 2020

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DOUG BUSH SURVEY SERVICES LTD DOUGLAS J BUSH AScT, RSIS p: 604-932-3314 c: 604-935-9515 Engineering & construction layout Topographic & site improvement surveys Municipal, volumetric & hydrographic surveys GPS - global positioning systems www.dbss.ca // dougb@dbss.ca

PUZZLES ACROSS 1

6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 36 37 39 40 41 43 47 48 49 52 54 55 57 58 60 62 63 64 65 66

Warren Buffett’s hometown A word to kitty Ascend Fiber plant Happen again Molar Put in a log Bounded along Kind of physicist More spacious Carroll heroine Sample Gives a glowing review Castle or Dunne Jukebox Put on guard Helen, in Spanish Employ Stare at Hard water? “-- you serious?” Dutch airline Tip one’s hat Onassis nickname Speed meas. Yokums’ creator Pager sounds Menlo Park inits. Bubbles Take it easy Secures a boat Espresso with milk Kind of engine Panorama Fragrance Paddled Person appointed

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128 130 135 137 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

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Splits open Once around the track Bumblers Sandpaper texture Actress Deborah -Orchestra leader -Baxter Hassocks Fortune Wine and dine Short note Box Montezuma, e.g. Edible seed Increase Candidate lists Silly Space station docking Fine wool Norse Zeus Well-known auth. Weakness Shutterbug’s need Not as hot River in Italy Loud noise All -- -- sudden Long banner Shabby shanties Steel girders (hyph.) End of some URLs Publishing execs Jaunty hats Edible tubers Skirt length Speedy Running track Bundles of hay Prickly sensation

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LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

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

2 1

6 4 8 8 9 6

7 1

6 3 3 5

6 3

6 7

3 3 5 6 8

6 2 7 1 4

MEDIUM Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 42

ANSWERS ON PAGE 61

JULY 16, 2020

MAXED OUT

Time for a change of leadership WITH APOLOGIES to Mother Goose— is that name safe from the current wave of political expurgation?—it seems ever more likely Justin Trudeau may well be the little piggy that went “WE, WE, WE” while staying at home. Perhaps, being fluently bilingual, he was actually saying oui in response to questions about his supersized conflict of interest. I have a friend, I think he’s seven years old, but might be eight by now, who admonishes me whenever I use the word “stupid” in his presence. I think I hear his mother speaking through him when

BY G.D. MAXWELL he does, but that is neither here nor there. I fear I shall disappoint him this week but then, he shouldn’t be reading this anyway. I could be wrong, but I’ve come to the conclusion JT’s inability to comprehend a conflict of interest when one bites him on the arse—which seems to occur with frightful regularity—has less to do with anything nefarious and more to do with his seemingly bottomless pool of stupid. If stupid could fuel cars, I’m sure Jason Kenney would be drilling the depths of JT to help make Alberta great again. And so, for the first time and quite possibly the last time, I find myself in agreement with Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet. It’s time for JT to take a long walk in the woods like his daddy did in the snow in 1984 and decide to step away from 24 Sussex Dr. and let someone else live in that dilapidated residence. The good news is there is an adult in the cabinet room to take over the reins of power. Remarkably, one without any conflict over the WE debacle we know about. Sorry Bill, definitely not you. This is particularly good news since there is no opposition leader I’d trust to lead a kazoo orchestra, let alone the country. I don’t believe Chrystia Freeland has a soupcon of stupid in her. Where would she hide it if she did? She’s sharp as a tack, strategic, no-nonsense and would likely be the best Prime Minister Canada’s had in several decades. I think it’s safe to say with her background as an investigative journalist, she is even capable of recognizing a conflict of interest when one pops up like a weed in summer. And if that’s not enough, the Orangutanin-Chief down south absolutely hated her during the negotiations for the petulant one’s torn-up NAFTA 2. It would be ripe for her to be a head of state wishing him a happy retirement in November. If the whole WE thing has eluded you, I commend you for leading a more meaningful life. It means you’re not paying attention and, quite frankly, there are days—weeks, months and quite possibly all of 2020—I wish I could join you. Let me see if I can sum it up as briefly as possible.

66 JULY 16, 2020

GETTYIMAGES.CA

JT and the Liberals were looking for another group of people to dole out money to. Students, whose hopes of finding summer employment were as scarce as a hot, sunny day in B.C., came immediately to mind. So they earmarked almost a billion dollars to pay them to volunteer, a phrase that in normal times would seem impossible but makes as much sense as anything else these pandemic days. Unnamed bureaucrats determined the only group capable of shovelling a billion dollars out to students before the summer turned to autumn was the charity WE. You

rock ‘n’ roll. Some opposition types suggested there was an uncomfortably tight link between JT and WE. JT, perhaps not understanding the allegation, said, “Non!” instead of oui. He went further when pressed and said no one in his family had ever benefitted from their uncomfortably tight link with WE. It was shortly after this someone at Canadaland, whatever that is, noticed JT’s nose visibly lengthening and dug a bit deeper. Now, you have to understand that what you or I might think of as a benefit isn’t necessarily what JT and his family think of

If stupid could fuel cars, I’m sure Jason Kenney would be drilling the depths of JT to help make Alberta great again.

can be forgiven for having never heard of them before... unless you were either part of JT’s family or a cabinet minister. Ironically, the unnamed bureaucrats have been the very people shovelling hundreds of billions of dollars out to almost everyone else in Canada but let’s not dwell on that. Let’s also not dwell on the opacity of this particular decision. Cabinet, meeting under their own dome of silence and secrecy tight enough to make the Star Chamber blush, rubber-stamped the “recommendation” and WE were set to

as a benefit. Mama Kemper, née Trudeau, née Sinclair, was paid $250,000 for speaking or appearing at 28 WE events between 2016 and this year. I would consider a quarter mil a benefit and I’m pretty certain you would. Maggie and JT? His brother and wife also made spare change speaking at WE events. But being neither his mother’s, brother’s nor wife’s keeper, JT couldn’t possibly have known about that. If he had, theoretically, known about it, he would have been being

economical with the truth when he said his family hadn’t benefitted, not to say lying. OK, lying. To make matters even more conflicty, Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s daughter worked a gig with WE in 2019 and another daughter did something WE-ish. The Natural Resources Minister didn’t want to be left out. He long ago raised funds for WE when they had a name that made sense. That’s more than you need to know. Cabinet ministers and the PM rubber stamped an untendered, opaque, billion-dollar contract to an outfit with a silly name with whom they had close contacts and/or monetary links. Bad enough. The PM prevaricated about the coziness of those links. Worse. He apologized. Of course he did. I’ve voted Liberal more often than I’ve voted anything else. If my memory was better than JT’s, I’d probably remember I’d always voted Liberal. Given the dearth of leadership among the other parties, I’m sure I will again. But Justin, it’s time to leave. Set Chrystia free and spare us yet a third charge of conflict of interest... this time a serious one. As much as I’ve enjoyed having a drama teacher, snowboard instructor and lad as PM, I’m thinking a Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, prize-winning author and journalist, etc., just might be a step up. And while politics did run in her family, she’s only held elected office since 2013, hardly enough time to dip a toe in the cesspool of corruption. I’d consider her squeaky clean. So, nothing personal, JT, but, time to do the right thing. Ask Chrystia if you’re uncertain, she knows what that is. n

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