JULY 23, 2020 ISSUE 27.30
WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM
FREE EMPATHY
Flaws in B.C.’s senior care system exposed by pandemic Systemic failures, financialization of care contributing to problems
12
WORKER WOES Whistler’s labour market will look ‘very different’ this winter
13
RMOW FINANCES Municipal SOFI report shows payroll costs rose slightly in 2019
38
WHISTLER FILM FEST The WFF unveils plans to go virtual for 20th anniversary
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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE
34
28
38
Flaws in B.C.’s senior-care system Systemic failures and financialization of care are contributing to problems. - A Glacier Media investigation by Jane Seyd and Jeremy Hainsworth
08
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letter writers this week call
34
POSITIVE SIGNS
The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association
out those who shame the drivers of cars with U.S. licence plates, and encourage us to
has held some successful fundraisers, including surpassing the $10,000 goal for its
take as much action on climate change as we are with the pandemic.
Chipmunk Rebellion trail.
12
38
WORKER WOES
Whistler’s labour market will look ‘very
FILM FESTIVAL
The WFF unveils plans to go virtual for
different’ this winter with fewer seasonal workers, while an exodus of immigrant chefs
20th anniversary with event featuring online film premieres, talent talks and industry
means employers will need to rethink recruitment.
programming.
22
54
CENTURY CLUB
Pemberton’s Miller Farms looks to the future
MAXED OUT
Max struggles with the yin yang of evolution and
after receiving a provincial Century Farm Award from provincial Minister of Agriculture
erosion. The hopeful, positive, glass-half-full part of him still clings to the notion
Lana Popham.
humans are evolving toward enlightenment … but then there is the dark side.
COVER The COVID-19 pandemic has had a way of exposing the flaws in B.C.’s healthcare system, particularly in senior care homes, which have been the unfortunate centre of several outbreaks province-wide. - By www.gettyimages.ca #103 -1390 ALPHA LAKE RD., FUNCTION JUNCTION, WHISTLER, B.C. V8E 0H9. PH: (604) 938-0202 FAX: (604) 938-0201 www.piquenewsmagazine.com
Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Editor CLARE OGILVIE - edit@piquenewsmagazine.com Assistant Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@wplpmedia.com
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Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ALLEN BEST, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON, ANDREW MITCHELL
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President, Whistler Publishing LP SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com
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Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of Whistler Publishing Limited Partnership, a division of Glacier Media) distributed to over 130 locations in Whistler and to over 200 locations from Vancouver to D’arcy.
Digital/Sales Coordinator AMELA DIZDARIC - traffic@wplpmedia.com Digital Sales Manager FIONA YU - fiona@glaciermedia.ca Production production@piquenewsmagazine.com LOU O’BRIEN - lstevens@wplpmedia.com WHITNEY SOBOOL - wsobool@wplpmedia.com Arts & Entertainment Editor ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sports Editor DAN FALLOON - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com
4 JULY 23, 2020
The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2019 by Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of WPLP, a division of Glacier Media). No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the Publisher. In no event shall unsolicited material subject this publication to any claim or fees. Copyright in letters and other (unsolicited) materials submitted and accepted for publication remains with the author but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms. Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, address and daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 250 words. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine. Pique Newsmagazine is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact (edit@piquenewsmagazine.com). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information. This organization replaces the BC Press council (and any mention of it).
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Parks infrastructure under stress GIVEN THE STATE of our local parks over the weekend and the clearly “inadequate” parking provided for them, there can be little doubt that Whistler is back as a No. 1 destination to visit—COVID-19 or not. To be honest, it was actually alarming here last weekend, from the bumper-tobumper traffic coming to town on Saturday (backed up from Lions Bay all the way up) to the overflowing parks—and their associated packed parking lots—the teeming trails, and the line-ups into stores serving food.
BY CLARE OGILVIE edit@piquenewsmagazine.com
And nary a mask in sight, for the most part, in line-ups or otherwise. As I’ve said before, walking parts of the Village Stroll was impossible to do in a physically distanced way due to the crowds of people at certain times of the day. We want visitors to come, but we want them to feel safe doing so and having such a free-
cases here, but across Canada, it’s people in their 20s who are getting coronavirus in greater numbers—I guess they think they are immune as they socialize? It’s totally understandable that people are flooding out of cities in the Lower Mainland to get into big spaces, just as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has suggested. But I’m not sure our local park infrastructure can cope with these daily visitors in these numbers on weekends. Clearly I am not alone thinking this as Council, at its regular meeting July 21, directed staff to address the parking challenges around municipal parks. Our park garbage containers were overflowing last weekend. Thank goodness for community-minded businesses like Backroads Whistler, which responded to social media posts on the garbage situation at night at Alta Lake Park and went and dealt with it themselves. Let’s not forget we are a Bear Smart town. And for heaven’s sake, can we please slow down on the weekends along the Valley Trail? It’s now effectively a second highway for bikes and scooters of every shape and speed and type—many fully motorized (I thought that
We want visitors to come, but we want them to feel safe doing so and having such a free-for-all vibe is not the way to do this. for-all vibe is not the way to do this. Even grocery stores were busy and again, masks were the exception, not the rule. Is it time for food shops to make masks mandatory when a threshold of customers is reached? (Of course, some can’t wear them and that’s just fine.) B.C. is fully entering the next wave of COVID-19 now with new cases in the double digits almost every day—and we’ve had cases in the corridor, too. Right now, people in their 50s have the highest number of
6 JULY 23, 2020
was banned?). It’s frightening trying to take a walk, as one feels it is just a matter of time before you are mowed down by hellhounds on wheels. It’s not a racetrack! Sorry if I sound exasperated, but I’m not sure the community had mentally prepared itself for these weekend onslaughts. And it’s not just Whistler. Every park in West Vancouver, all the way up the Sea to Sky Highway to Pemberton was full—no parking except along highways and byways.
Even the closed-off entrance to Garibaldi Park had parked cars there. We have heard that the park (and perhaps Joffre Lakes, too) are reopening using a free day-use pass system. While the crowds heading into the park are a concern, the province needs to address the opening of these spaces soon. It can’t spend $10 million on a campaign to tell British Columbians to get out and travel to places like the Sea to Sky corridor and Whistler and then keep large provincial parks closed. (Garibaldi is a 194,676-hectare park that includes 90 kilometres of hiking trails.) “The pandemic has shown that parks and nature are a part of our healthcare system,” Tori Ball, a campaigner with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society told the Vancouver Sun recently. “We saw a full closure of B.C. provincial parks right when people were needing safe spaces to get outside. I do think underfunding was the cause of that.” Ball said B.C. provincial parks receive about $3.50 in government funding per hectare of land, compared to $30 per hectare for national parks. There can be no denying that the provincial government has underfunded parks for years. Now is the time to invest in them when they are needed for respite from the pandemic and in recognition of the incredibly important role nature plays in our social and economic fabric. BC Parks is one of the world’s biggest and most diverse park systems, with 1,035 provincial parks, recreation areas, protected areas, conservancies and ecological reserves covering more than 14 per cent of the province’s land base. We want visitors to Whistler to feel our wide-open spaces and enjoy nature—that is what will bring them back. What will keep them away is highway driving at a standstill due to choke points, parks at standing room only, and crowds where COVID-19 can’t be avoided. Let’s sharpen our pencils as we plan tourism in pandemic times. n
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Re-thinking wildfire mitigation Thank you for bringing this important topic (wildfire mitigation) forward to our community (Pique, July 16, “Should Whistler rethink its approach to wildfire mitigation?”). I am just back from eight days hiking in the Chilcotin with no internet access. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), Bruce Blackwell and I agree on the need to protect our community and its assets from the increased threat of forest fires. (Bruce Blackwell of B.A. Blackwell and Associates is behind Whistler’s wildfire mitigation strategies.) I want to highlight the need to also support the health of forest ecosystems. I am suggesting we adapt our forest protection intervention in two ways: We monitor the impact of our fire avoidance intervention on the health of our forests and the ecosystem processes required, as well as the effectiveness in reducing fire risk over time; We modify our approach to reducing fire risk with a more integrated forest ecosystem management approach to leverage the natural ability of our forest to maintain soil moisture and buffer the forest with fire smart steps in areas of human development. With such an important impact on our forest ecosystem, we need to ensure we are monitoring and assessing the effects of our actions to reduce fire risk and support healthy forest ecosystems. As Mr. Blackwell expressed, there is no scientific evidence that fire thinning in our forest is reducing the fire risk. His actions are focused on reducing fuel, one of the three ingredients for fire. However, by opening the forest to increased airflow, especially along topographic features like the slopes in Lost Lake, we are increasing the second ingredient for fire (oxygen). The third ingredient is heat. There is currently no monitoring of how fire thinning is impacting wildlife or the ecosystem processes that maintain healthy forests. As Mr. Blackwell said, his strategy to reduce fire risk in Fort McMurray failed. Before we continue, we need to understand the environmental impacts of forest thinning.
reduce fire risk by planting native deciduous bushes on the human-developed perimeter of the forest as a moisture-holding buffer. We need to maintain the natural moisture of our multiage and multispecies forest and focus on reducing risk due to human behaviour such as campfires and smoking. Thank you for this opportunity to respond. I look forward to the field discussion with the RMOW council and Mr. Blackwell. Rhonda L. Millikin, PhD, MSc, RPBio, ITA Horticulture // Whistler
Real behaviour change needed to address climate change
“We can support ecosystem health and reduce fire risk by planting native deciduous bushes on the human-developed perimeter of the forest as a moistureholding buffer.” - RHONDA L. MILLIKIN
I conducted a preliminary study on my own in late April on fire-thinned and notthinned areas of Lost Lake to test the effects of thinning on soil moisture, snow melt and ground temperature. These are key indicators of fire risk. The preliminary results show increased snow melt where the forest was opened by fire thinning suggesting an increased fire risk. A follow-up study should be repeated in Spring 2021 as part of a fully controlled study of all firethinned areas in Whistler. My concern is based on my experience as a contributing scientist on research to assess the
Critical Size of Ecosystems with World Wildlife Fund in Brazil and later in Woss (Vancouver Island) with Forestry Canada. Both studies showed removal of trees resulted in an increased amount of “edge” to interior of the forest stand, which caused increased loss of species dependent on interior forest conditions—species which were critical to the intricate food webs and cycling of nutrients in a healthy forest ecosystem. With increased edge, air currents moved into the forest resulting in drier soils and successive falling of the remaining trees. We can support ecosystem health and
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.
WHISTLER VILLAGE RENTAL INVESTMENT PROPERTY!
Maintain social distance, wash your hands, sanitize frequently and now we are admonished to wear a “f-ing mask” ... societies worldwide have obediently adapted new behaviours, even new morals, to minimize the propagation of a disease that is essentially a temporary threat to a minority of the human population (Pique, July 16, “A simple message from Whistler’s medical director: ‘Be kind and wear a f---ing mask!’”). I suppose that now that I have turned 60, I am a member of the more vulnerable demographic benefiting from this swift cultural transition. But why can we not similarly develop new behaviours and new morals to address a threat that is far more ominous and more enduring than COVID-19, a menace that will undoubtedly affect the welfare of everyone under 60, as well as seriously impacting all future generations of humans and non-humans alike? I’m referring, of course, to global warming. When do we start to incorporate considerations of personal carbon footprint in the myriad decisions we make on a daily basis, all 8 billion of us? We could start with things a simple as bringing a “f-ing” bag to the grocery store and turning off your “f-ing” engine when you sit in your car chatting on the phone, or better yet, ride your “f-ing” bike. Tom DeMarco, MD // Whistler
Don’t assume story behind U.S. licence plates Not every U.S. licence plate that is spotted in town indicates a crafty American vacationer. My partner is a proud permanent resident of Canada who didn’t have the opportunity to import his vehicle before quarantine so he’s driving around with Washington plates.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Last week, someone wrote “go home” on the dust on his rear window. Our neighbours are Canadian-born, dual citizens who live in California and returned home a few weeks ago. After the required 14-day quarantine, they ventured out to the farmers’ market where a concerned citizen(?) keyed their car with California plates in the parking lot. I’m also aware of several situations of
Canadian citizens have been allowed back into the country, regardless of their location of so-called permanent residence, and regardless of where their vehicle has been insured. When governments worldwide made the call in March for citizens to come home, that was because they knew it was going to be hard to fly anywhere, not because they wouldn’t allow citizens to come home. Can you imagine the actual repercussions of what denying
“Our neighbours are Canadian-born dual citizens who live in California and returned home a few weeks ago. After the required 14-day quarantine, they ventured out to the farmers’ market where a concerned citizen(?) keyed their car with California plates in the parking lot.” - KAREN LAUGHLAND
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individuals with U.S. plates who are caring for elderly relatives and are worried about potential damage to their vehicles. It is the responsibility of Canadian border services to enforce who is admitted into Canada. In the words of Dr. Bonnie, “BE KIND, be calm, be safe.” Karen Laughland // Whistler
Try using some common sense? I wanted to follow up on the letter you published dated July 16, by Natalie Rock and Jim Brown (“How pathetic are we as Canadians?”). The assumptions made in that were astounding, and I am surprised it was published, honestly. Condoning Whistler locals going around photographing American [licence] plates, wasting our RCMP’s time, and assuming everyone who looks out of place is somehow sneaking into the country? How is that different than just assuming something about someone based on their skin colour? This is disrespecting our border guards and our government, and our neighbours in general, and showing quite a bit of ignorance on the part of locals in a tourist town. At any time since this pandemic started,
citizens access to their own country would look like to a democracy? Not to mention, in June our prime minister announced that any immediate family of a Canadian citizen could join them, to mitigate the separation felt by so many people with families on both sides of the border. Yes, they created a toll-free number to report American plates to. Has anyone ever considered that this was created to divert energy from the RCMP, not to add work to their plate? The worst part of this pandemic has been seeing neighbours turn on neighbours, and the return of localism instead of remembering the roots of our town. We are fortunate to not be on actual government lockdown like much of the world was or is, where a border guard or police officer would sooner shoot you than use common sense to decide what was important. I hope people start using some common sense and compassion instead of jumping on bandwagons, making assumptions based on one newspaper [letter to the editor], and wasting their time on something that should be left to those people who get paid to police these matters. Jenn Eyben // Sea to Sky resident since 1999 // Dual citizen since 1978 n
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A great loss to our family Sundance Star ”Sunny” Leo left this world too soon. August 21, 1980-May 27, 2020. She had many friends in Mount Currie, Pemberton, Whistler and Vancouver. Left behind: Brother Eagle, Sisters Raven & Chacha, Mama Bear Maureen. Memorial May 2021
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315-4369 Main Street
2938 Blackwater Lake Road
5-2552 Snowridge Crescent
1024 Windsor Place
Ski-in Ski-out 3 bed/2.5 bath 2 parking stalls Large sun deck
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604-935-4880
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mcallaghan@sutton.com
marion@whistlerskiinskiout.com
Callaghan Personal Real Estate Corporation
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PIQUE’N YER INTEREST
The great gaslighting THE WAY 2020 has gone, one of the best things that anyone can do is to keep a close eye on their own mental health and wellbeing. That’s not even meant to be a glib or snarky way of expressing “Weird year, huh?” sentiments. Pre-pandemic, we were starting to make progress reducing the
BY DAN FALLOON sports@piquenewsmagazine.com
stigma of caring for one’s mental health, and it’s especially important at a time when experts are expressing concern that social isolation, financial instability and any number of other offshoots of COVID-19 can wreak particular havoc on those who hadn’t before dealt with mental-health issues and may not have a toolkit in place to do so. Complicating matters, though, is constantly grappling with what’s safe or responsible. My wife and I are erring on the side of caution, placing online grocery orders or ordering takeout from restaurants to minimize our time away from home, and wearing masks when we are indoors in public. To be clear, we’re not cowering in fear, terrified to set a single toe out the door.
We’re generally homebodies anyway, so there hasn’t been a drastic change in quality of life, and it’s been our privilege that we’re in a good, bright space. We’re going about our lives, doing our work, spoiling our cats and keeping ourselves entertained. Writing this isn’t meant to strike fear into the hearts of readers in any way, but it’s admittedly difficult to navigate a situation where everyone has a different level of risk, though it’s not even necessarily possible to discern exactly what it is. For example, I have sleep apnea, and while there’s been no evidence that it’s a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in and of itself, it’s hard to know how much it’s specifically been studied and, anyway, it’s probably better to play it safe with a respiratory condition. At any rate, I’ve been made to feel weird about the level of precaution I’m taking. When I was out getting a coffee a couple weeks ago, I was in line when I realized that my online order was ready. I politely asked the lady crowding the pickup area to allow me to get our drinks out of the way, and while she backed off, she sneered, “You have a mask. You’ll be OK.” (Never mind that masks do more to protect others in public than the actual wearer.) I’m not out in public much these days, but even in indoor spaces, mask usage is startlingly low. That, combined with the well-documented hostility directed at
those wearing one, can’t help but make you second-guess yourself. I mean, COVID-19 is still very much a thing, right? It didn’t just vamoose overnight, did it? There are a few activities that are very clearly irresponsible, a few that are very certainly A-OK, and a heaping horde where the devil is absolutely in the details. That said, though, when there are (by definition) masses of people being very clearly irresponsible, you can’t help but question your own perception of reality. When pro sports are coming back (and in the case of Major League Baseball, with significant intercity travel) at a time when case counts in the United States are spiralling out of control, it doesn’t seem like their governments have generally done enough to justify pulling their shiny toys out of the toy box. Even more challenging is being in regular contact with friends and family in a place that, well, didn’t feel the full effects of the pandemic. My home province of Manitoba had, as of July 22, only 366 total cases and seven deaths. They’ve had 10 times fewer cases than B.C., and it’s hard to say whether that’s due to better rule compliance, better governance, far fewer travellers, dumb luck or some combination. The numbers are encouraging, and before a recent uptick, there was more than a week with no new cases.
But the new cases are primarily linked to travel, and, judging from social media, other aspects of life are starting to get pretty much back to normal. Sure, there are the same old distancing measures in restaurants and the like, but people are holding family gatherings, “Christmas in July” parties with friends or even wedding receptions with 150 people. (Though indoor events are generally capped at 50, they can be larger if groups don’t intermingle, so, hopefully that didn’t happen.) You want to give people the benefit of the doubt, trusting that they’re making informed and wise decisions. You don’t want to judge folks for how they live their lives, especially when they’re trying to grasp some joy in a dark time. But it’s a situation in which people can put others at risk, not just themselves. It’s not easy feeling like the wet blanket or the killjoy when, responding to someone telling you about their plans, you can only muster a “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” instead of a hearty “That sounds like great fun!” because, you know, global pandemic and all. As provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is hammering home here, just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s advised. The more we stay home, the quicker this virus can die, and the sooner we can responsibly enjoy our lives. ■
JULY 23, 2020
11
NEWS WHISTLER
Whistler’s labour market will look ‘very different’ this winter FEWER SEASONAL WORKERS, EXODUS OF IMMIGRANT CHEFS MEANS EMPLOYERS WILL NEED TO RETHINK RECRUITMENT
BY BRANDON BARRETT CHEF HAMZA Salim El Harrak landed in Whistler in late 2019 with one goal in mind: to obtain his permanent resident (PR) status. One of roughly 85 Moroccan chefs that have arrived in the resort since September 2018 through Ottawa’s International Mobility Program, which promotes Francophone immigration to French minority communities, El Harrak was faced with a dilemma when COVID-19 closed Whistler Blackcomb for the season and his work at the Rendezvous Lodge and Christine’s had suddenly dried up: Should he wait out the pandemic in the hopes of eventually being rehired, or maintain his employment status by finding work elsewhere? “We decided to leave Whistler and B.C. because it [is] hard for us to get the PR, not like here in Manitoba or Saskatchewan,” he said, referring to a group of fellow Moroccans he recently followed to Portage la Prairie, Man., where he was sponsored by Boston Pizza. It’s true that B.C. is one of, if not the most challenging provinces to secure PR status. Between the $700 processing fee
WHISTLER WORKERS L to R: Yahya, Zakaria and Abdou, Moroccan immigrants who arrived in Whistler last year to work as chefs at the Westin Resort. PHOTO SUBMITTED.
12 JULY 23, 2020
(compared to, say, $350 in Saskatchewan) and the higher number of “selection factor” points required to qualify, the process is cheaper and less onerous elsewhere. Factor in the added barriers of cost of living and housing in a community like Whistler, and eastern provinces begin to look like a more attractive option. “The issue that the Moroccans have is that they’re here on a particular status, so
as visitors begin to return to town that they are more than willing to deal with the added costs and bureaucracy that comes with sponsoring an employee. “I don’t suppose you know of any workers that are looking to be a cook here in Whistler that we could go through this process with and get them here within 10 days?” asked one of Chevalier’s clients in an email this week that was shared with Pique.
“I hope that employers figure out how to take advantage of locals and local youth looking for work.” - JOEL CHEVALIER
most of them are here on closed visas. In other words, they are linked to a particular employer,” said Carole Stretch, program manager for the Whistler Welcome Centre. “That means if the employer says goodbye, there’s not going to be employment for you, and they can’t just go out and find another job. They have to find an employer somewhere who is prepared to either do a [Labour Market Impact Assessment], or sponsor them on a visa, and that is hard.” Despite the barriers, Joel Chevalier of Culinary Recruitment International, which has been instrumental in the recent influx of Moroccan chefs Whistler has seen, said some local employers are so short-staffed
Add in the anticipated decline in both seasonal staff and working holiday visa holders that have historically been the backbone of Whistler’s frontline workforce, and the labour market “will look very different” this winter, Chevalier said. “There’s no silver bullet to it. It’s a complicated formula and now is a good time to figure it out.” Both Stretch and Chevalier were hopeful employers will look within the community to source staff. “I hope that employers figure out how to take advantage of locals and local youth looking for work,” Chevalier noted. “If there was ever a good time to re-figure out local
and domestic hiring, for groups like First Nations, for youth, for mature workers looking to get back into the workforce, now is the perfect time.” Stretch said immigrants already in Whistler could be an option and encouraged employers to rethink how they have historically approached recruitment. “I think what they need to do is think seriously about who they recruit, how much they’re prepared to train, look at potential rather than experience, and really look at managing a more diverse workforce,” she said. Even pre-COVID, Stretch was adamant that local businesses would have to consider their workplace culture as Whistler has increasingly brought in more immigrant workers, like the Moroccan chefs, who often have different needs than the resort’s historical seasonal workforce, which typically come here with an emphasis on lifestyle over career. “I think it requires talking to people and trying to understand their expectations … What does the employer expect? What does the employee expect? What would they like to have?” she said. “Maybe you have to look at jobs in a different way. Maybe you need to say, ‘I have this person I value and I’d like to bring on.’ How can we organize the workplace to support that person? Potentially, this is a long-term change. “Take the opportunity. We have been talking about it for years. As a community, we can really start using who we’ve got here and making the most of it.” n
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127 STAFFERS EARNED MORE THAN $75K LAST YEAR; $82.5M SPENT ON SUPPLIERS
BY BRADEN DUPUIS WHILE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) payroll costs rose slightly in 2019, it was payments to suppliers that saw the real jump, climbing to $82,516,638 last year from $69,940,003 in 2018, according to the 2019 Statements of Financial Information (SOFI) report received by council on July 21. The increase can be attributed to more capital and project work in 2019 compared to the year prior, particularly a pair of big Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) builds, said director of finance Carlee Price. “The SOFI includes the consolidated results for the RMOW, so this includes the work of the municipality as well as its subsidiary corporations, which include the WHA,” Price said. “So the increase in 2019 over 2018 includes a slightly higher level of projects at the RMOW as well as a meaningfully higher volume of work at the WHA.” Payroll costs totalled $33,110,798 in 2019—up from $32,712,568 in 2018. “My philosophy around payroll is ensuring or balancing the needs of the community with the capacity of the organization to deliver the appropriate level of service within a fiscally prudent budget,” said chief administrative officer Virginia Cullen.
THE TOP EARNERS—$75K AND UP Not including Mayor Jack Crompton, whose total 2019 remuneration (which, for all employees on the SOFI list, includes things like employee contributions to the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance and health benefits) was $100,988 in 2019, the RMOW counted 127 employees making more than $75,000 last year—up from 113 in 2018 and 105 in 2017. While there’s been a clear trend of rising payroll costs in recent years, COVID-19 will no doubt bear weight on next year’s SOFI report. “I’d say we’re definitely impacted … staffing and payroll will look different this year,” Cullen said. “We had to make major reductions during the response, and now as we return to more normal levels of reopening I’d expect us to be kind of back to normal levels by the end of the year.” Former CAO Mike Furey was once again the top earner in 2019, with a total remuneration of $260,332 (up from the $246,043 he earned in 2018), followed by now-retired general manager of resort experience Jan Jansen ($184,209, up from $180,795), general manager of infrastructure services James Hallisey ($170,664, up from $161,583), general manager of corporate
and community services Ted Battiston ($163,041, up from $144,026), director of human resources Denise Wood ($165,318, up from 161,930) and director of planning Mike Kirkegaard ($155,065, down from $162,810). Whistler’s firefighters were also once again well represented on the list, with 23 members of the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS) earning more than $75,000 in 2019 (up from 21 in 2018). Of the 23 listed, only five earned less than $100,000. Whistler’s firefighters are on a pay scale based on length of service, and also benefit from overtime pay (firefighters called in on short notice earn time and a half). Find the complete list in the July 21 council package starting on page 130: https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/ council/meeting-agendas-and-minutes.
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THE SUPPLIERS The RMOW doled out close to $76 million to 266 unique suppliers in 2019, as well as another $6.8 million to suppliers under $25,000. The biggest single payment was $7.87 million to Durfeld Log Construction for work on 1020 Legacy Way and 1330 Cloudburst Drive in Cheakamus, followed by $7 million to Tourism Whistler (its share of MRDT revenues) and $6.8 million to BC Transit for bus service to the community. In terms of 1020 Legacy Way, the Passive House building was paid for largely by a $9 million federal grant, while the WHA paid the rest. Other big payments included: $3.56 million to Coastal Mountain Excavations (for the White Gold Water Main and Baxter Reservoir projects, as well as snow and ice removal); $4.6 million to Kindred Construction (for the WHA build on Bear Paw Trail); $1.5 million to Jacob Bros Construction (conference centre parkade rehabilitation); $1 million to Mar-Tech Underground Services (for sewer trunk main lining); $888,964 to ISL Engineering (for bridges, trails, road upkeep, sanitary sewer and manhole work); $779,625 to Merletti Construction (for the Spruce Grove Sewer Lift Station project) and $755,959 to Rocky Mountain Phoenix for a new fire truck. More than 300 municipal employees, WFRS staff included, are without a contract as of Dec. 31, 2019, with negotiations delayed due to the pandemic. There is no timeline for when they might resume. Council also received Whistler’s 2019 Annual Report at the July 21 meeting. Both documents will be made available for public viewing on the municipal website and at municipal hall until Aug. 7, followed by an administrative report to council on Aug. 18. n
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JULY 23, 2020
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NEWS WHISTLER
Whistler sports, community groups to get CEP funding COUNCIL BRIEFS: PAVING CONTRACT AWARDED
BY BRADEN DUPUIS LOCAL
SPORTS and community organizations will soon get some slight relief thanks to the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) Community Enrichment Program (CEP). Though the CEP—which traditionally offers small grants to a wide range of community groups—was redirected specifically to social services at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, $50,000 will now be made available for other organizations. The change is just one element of a budget amendment introduced and given first three readings at the July 21 council meeting. Also included is a brand new project to begin water and sewer servicing work for employee housing in Cheakamus Crossing’s Phase 2. The total estimated cost of the project is $5.8 million over three years, but “there is potential here for 73 per cent grant funding. We will have clarity on the actual availability of that grant amount by year
MASK UP With Phase 3 of B.C.’s COVID-19 reopening in full swing, the visitors are returning in droves—but many
people aren’t adhering to guidelines around physical distancing. Whistler mayor and council donned masks to pass the final resolution of the night at the July 21 council meeting in hopes of encouraging the practise. SCREENSHOT
end,” said director of finance Carlee Price, in a presentation to council. “For the purposes of that grant application, the RMOW will provide financial backing for the remainder of the expense, and will recover this cost from the
developer of those properties.” The RMOW unveiled its preliminary plans for Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 (with a target of at least 550 rental units and a move-in date as early as spring 2021) at an open house in late 2018.
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But the budget amendment’s main drive is formalizing the adjustments introduced back in May as a result of COVID-19 (see Pique, May 7: “Whistler stays the course on 2.8% tax increase”). While still a far cry from the January outlook, the municipality’s finances have shown signs of promise since the last update to council in May, Price said. “I’d note that the tourism recovery, while gradual, is indeed underway, [and] we will continue to maintain the strategic spending on visitor-facing infrastructure,” she said. “And I’d also note that the increasing visitor volumes mean additional volumes of work relative to what we expected back in May. [But] generally speaking, non-tax revenue is in a recovery mode.” Municipal and Regional District tax revenue expectations—trimmed significantly in the May update—have been left as-is in the new amendment, while things like parking and transit fares as well as permit revenue are being adjusted upward. The net result is that the RMOW’s in-year pressure on reserves eases, Price said. “You’ll recall from the May 5 amendment
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NEWS WHISTLER that we were seeing significantly lower contributions to operating reserves than we had planned in the original budget—that pressure eases with these changes, meaning a lesser draw on the operating reserve and a quicker return to a healthy balance in that particular fund,” she said. Looking further afield, the RMOW is targeting a 2021-2024 window for a return to 2019 reserve levels, Price added. “In the case of the operating reserve, it does remain available to correct dislocations that can result from things just like a global pandemic,” she said. “So the reserve is serving its purpose, but it will need to be rebalanced over a number of years as we look forward.” Also a good sign is the health of permit revenues, which came as a bit of a surprise, Price said, adding that it might be indicative of a reasonably healthy construction environment in the resort. “These can be significantly swayed by individual large projects, but there’s reason for a bit of optimism there,” she sad. The budget amendment reflects the RMOW’s most current understandings of its revenue outlook, Price pointed out—and if recent history is anything to go by, more changes can be expected. “These could at any point change if, for example, we go back into lockdown, if something negative as far as the community management of this pandemic changes,” Price said. “These are all subject to further revision
The Right Advice for Your Whistler Property
TRAIL TROUBLE A portion of the Valley Trail that’s set to be repaved this year.
SCREENSHOT
“All the businesses on Main Street will be contacted by a member of the project team to let them know about the schedule and take in their feedback.” The contract award came after a controversial decision at the June 9 council meeting to begin sourcing asphalt for local projects from the plant in Cheakamus Crossing (see Pique, June 11: “Whistler votes 4-2 to change asphalt procurement policy.”)
“(Main Street) will be a really nice road to re-do and upgrade; as you know it’s a very busy road.” - TAMMY SHORE
and we do commit, again, to keeping the community informed of what our current expectations are.” Budgeting for 2021 will be underway shortly, she added, “so conversations around priority projects and longerterm expectations, particularly on the reserves—that’s sort of a TBD, stay-tuned piece of the puzzle.”
PAVING CONTRACT AWARDED Also at the July 21 meeting, council awarded a contract for Whistler’s 2020 paving work worth $506,495 to Alpine Paving Ltd. The work includes upgrades to Main Street, Nesters Road and Lorimer Road, the Meadow Park Sports Centre parking lot and portions of the Valley Trail near Lost Lake and Crabapple Drive. In addition to new asphalt, work on Main Street includes redoing curbing and crosswalks as well as improving accessibility, said capital projects manager Tammy Shore in a presentation to council. “So that will be a really nice road to re-do and upgrade; as you know it’s a very busy road,” she said.
As part of the resolution to award the contract, council also directed staff to explore a new partnership agreement with Alpine Paving to pursue safety improvements, including paving the access road to the quarry to help manage dust and noise. “It will also include installing a screen berm to help the visual effects from Cheakamus Crossing to the asphalt plant,” Shore said. In response to comments from Cheakamus residents about air quality, RMOW staff will be doing an assessment of the location of the current monitoring station to ensure it’s in the best location, she added. Staff will also be compiling information on air quality, the number of days the plant operates as a result of Whistler’s paving work, and the result of dust and noise abatement measures to bring back to council next year. Alpine Paving’s bid was about six-percent lower than the RMOW engineer’s estimate, which Shore attributed to decreased trucking costs. “It is in around what we were expecting if we were to source the asphalt from Whistler,” she said. ■
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This summer, we’re encouraging a change of pace, and inviting all of us who love Whistler to keep our passion for adventure alive, while exploring responsibly, playing simply, interacting considerately and enjoying patiently. We’re also offering P: Blake Jorgenson
up tools to help you do just that. Get information on how to Adventure Differently with our “Doors Open Directory” or get tips from our live chat “Ask Whistler”.
HEALTH
ACTIVITIES
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
Let’s Interact Considerately
Let’s Play Simply
Let’s Explore Responsibly
Let’s Enjoy Patiently
Whistler is committed to upholding the highest standards in health and safety. Let’s all interact considerately and follow the latest recommendations of health authorities to keep ourselves and each other safe. Together, we’ll cultivate an environment where health and well-being are second nature.
Whistler challenges you and pushes your boundaries by its very nature. During these times, let’s play simply, by emphasizing fun, wellness and a connection to nature while staying in our comfort zones to avoid burdening local health resources.
Respect for this place and each other is in our DNA. Let’s explore responsibly, by leaving no trace, keeping wildlife wild and respecting the amenities, people and nature around us. During peak times, this could mean seeking out quieter spaces to help maintain physical distancing.
We’re working hard to re-open and revitalize Whistler responsibly and safely. Let’s enjoy patiently, by being courteous to each other, by understanding that some things may not be the same right away, and by sharing the Whistler we all know and love, as we navigate this new normal.
WHISTLER.COM/SUMMER | 1.800.944.7853
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NEWS WHISTLER
Tourism Industry Association of BC floats $680M recovery package for tourism, hospitality PROPOSAL CALLS FOR CAPITAL GRANT, SUPPORT FOR COVID ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAIN
BY BRANDON BARRETT THE TOURISM Industry Association of BC (TIABC) is calling on the B.C. government to adopt a proposed $680-million COVID-19 recovery package, without which the province’s tourism and hospitality sectors could face economic ruin, said the organization’s chair. “If we don’t do these things, then we have serious risk,” said Vivek Sharma. “We are at the end of the runway. We’re not coming to the end, we are at the end of the runway. We are hopeful that through this support, we will get to the other side.” The stimulus proposal, which was presented to provincial officials last week, calls on Victoria to allocate $680 million from the $1.5 billion already committed to COVID19 recovery as an initial investment to “help mitigate the unprecedented impacts” of the pandemic on B.C.’s visitor economy and workforce, according to a release. The proposal breaks the funds into three streams, the bulk of which—$475 million—is recommended for a working capital recovery grant that would help maintain solvency for
businesses that have prospects to return to profitability within the next 18 or so months. This could include low- or no-interest loans with an extended payback period. “The biggest challenge that is being faced within the industry is liquidity, the fixed costs that are needed to happen on a day-today basis,” Sharma explained. “Most of the federal grants or even the provincial ones haven’t been able to address that.” Another $190 million would go towards helping businesses adapt their operations to newly mandated health and safety protocols, as well as to develop new ways of delivering tourism experiences that would “augment and accelerate” recovery. “There are some immediate criteria where we know that businesses have had to reduce capacity due to greater physical distancing and increased sanitation protocols, but over and above that, today we are not able to host large events, we’re not able to host large conferences,” said Tourism Whistler (TW) president Barrett Fisher, who also sits on the TIABC board. Citing the TW-operated Whistler Conference Centre as an example, Fisher added that the destination marketer is
that are one way, or we could host guest speakers to smaller groups,” she noted. “It’s really a combination of looking at how businesses adapt in the short term to support safety, but then how might they evolve their business models to find new revenue sources.” The third piece of TIABC’s proposed package asks for $15 million to be earmarked for the development of more resilient, B.C.-focused tourism supply chains. The goal would be to support tourism-adjacent subsectors, such as accommodation, transportation, food services and retail, and forge new connections with B.C. suppliers as a way to improve the industry’s resilience post-pandemic. “When we talk about a $20-billion industry … the industry doesn’t survive in a vacuum,” Sharma said. “You talk about tour bus companies, you talk about the cruise sector, you talk about excursions, angling guides, hunting guides, and then all of these are supported by their local supply chain. They’re supported by their local vendors, so this has been devastating
FOCUS SHIFT As tourism businesses look at ways to attract visitation in a new COVID-19 landscape, Tourism Whistler is reconsidering the kinds of events it holds at the Whistler Conference Centre, pictured. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOURISM WHISTLER
already exploring different kinds of events it could host at the village facility. “Looking forward, we might look at adapting that business model to host smaller educational groups of less than 50, or we might look at creating exhibits
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BE SAFE. BE KIND. BE WHISTLER 223 GREYHAWK
Weiler talks COVID recovery, WE scandal, and more
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CATCHING UP WITH THE SEA TO SKY’S FEDERAL MP
BY BRADEN DUPUIS IF SOME MEMBERS of Parliament had trouble adjusting to a new physically distanced world in the wake of COVID-19, the Sea to Sky’s Patrick Weiler wasn’t one of them. “In some ways, it’s actually kind of levelled the playing field a bit, because it’s a new way of working for everybody,” Weiler said during an interview in Whistler Village on July 20—his first trip to the resort since the pandemic forced people into isolation. “I‘ve worked on international teams before, so using—back then it was Skype, now it’s Zoom—but I have experience coordinating across time zones, and so for a lot of other people, they didn’t have that. Working online was a learning curve—just learning how to use the mute button was tough for some.” Despite the challenging circumstances, Weiler said he was fortunate that his staff, and Parliament itself, was able to adapt quickly. First elected in October 2019 at 33-yearsold, Weiler was just starting to find his way as a rookie MP when the pandemic struck in March. “I was just kind of getting my feet under me,” he said. “I had gotten my whole staff together, and had kind of gotten settled in and everything and then the pandemic hit, and everything kind of got thrown for a loop.” Of two committees Weiler sits on—
Government Operations and Estimates (GOE) and Natural Resources—only GOE has continued to meet throughout the pandemic. It’s one of three committees that will look into the contract at the heart of the Liberal government’s WE charity scandal, in which the government doled out a solesource contract worth almost a billion dollars to the charity, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family (as well as other ministers) having close ties with the organization. “I think people rightly want to know all the details of that spending … Pretty clearly, there was some mistakes made, and the prime minister and the finance minister admitted as much,” Weiler said. “They should have recused themselves from that decision, that’s pretty obvious.” While some mistakes can be expected when you’re rolling out programs to respond urgently to something like a pandemic, “at the same time, something like this, where there is a real apprehension of bias, those decisionmakers should have recused themselves from that,” Weiler added. Though much of the government’s recovery spending has been focused on immediate relief to date, there is real potential for a “green recovery” moving forward. In rebuilding the economy, “likely what it’s going to mean is a lot of investments that would take place over the next 10 years, and a lot of that is going to be frontloaded,
SEE PAGE 20
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TOURISM RECOVERY FROM PAGE 18 all across, but the epicentre has obviously been the tourism industry.” Unsurprisingly, the outlook for B.C.’s tourism industry appears bleak, at best. More than 100,000 full- and part-time tourism and hospitality jobs have been temporarily or permanently lost during the pandemic, with another 120,000 job losses predicted by the end of the year. Destination BC, meanwhile, is projecting a 69-per-cent decline in tourism revenue from $20.4 billion in 2018 (the most recent data available) to $6.7 billion in 2020. In Whistler, at least, there are positive signs of recovery. Fisher said room-night occupancy on peak weekends this summer are now hovering around the 70-per-cent mark, while midweek continues to be an uphill climb, at about 30 per cent. “Ideally, we would encourage people to think of shifting their patterns so we can ensure the weekends do not get too busy. It’s really important that we maintain social distance in the village and in the parks and we’re able to move people around the resort and spread people out,” she said. Fisher added that TW has had to rethink its emphasis on early-bird bookings, as
visitors want more flexibility given the uncertainty around a possible second wave of the virus. Pre-COVID, TW was considering launching a spring book-by campaign, particularly for the Australian market, but moved that early-bird date to Sept. 7 after the pandemic hit to better align with Whistler Blackcomb’s pass purchase schedule. She noted that TW has implemented a flexible cancellation policy that will include a 100-per-cent refund in the event of another COVID-caused shutdown. Although acknowledging Whistler has never quite faced a challenge like the pandemic before, Fisher is reassured by the resiliency of a community that has had to weather major economic downturns in the past. “We have gone through ups and downs before, whether it was 9-11 or the global recession of 2008,” she said. “This is a very challenging time but it does allow us the opportunity to really reset and think about what lessons we can take from this downtime and how to come back stronger as a community and as a destination.” n
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NEWS WHISTLER
While grizzlies do their best to adapt, recovery is an uphill climb MANAGING GRIZZLY CONFLICT IN WHISTLER’S ALPINE WILL TAKE ‘MORE ENERGY AND MORE EFFORT,’ RESEARCHER SAYS
BY BRADEN DUPUIS AS THE CONVERSATION around grizzly bears continues in Whistler, new research is shining a light on how the species responds to human pressures. In a study published July 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, researchers concluded that human-dominated landscapes are highly lethal for grizzlies, particularly younger bears, and that as bears age, they avoid times when people are most active—in some cases even becoming nocturnal to avoid conflict. “The studies showed us that bear mortality was very high near people … Most people would not be surprised by that, but
it was especially high for younger bears, and that kind of led us to the question of, ‘Well why is that?’” said lead author Clayton Lamb, a University of Alberta biologist. “What is it about an older bear that makes it able to better survive on the exact same landscape? It’s in the same footprints of a younger bear, but somehow it lives longer, so what is it about how that bear is using that landscape that allows it
to live longer?” The researchers found that the animals that survived had adapted to nocturnal patterns, reducing conflicts with humans by using more of the nighttime. “So that kind of makes you think that the bears are actively responding to that risk at some point. It takes them a long time to learn how to do that, obviously, because a lot of them kinda don’t learn fast enough,
Weiler said. Key to Whistler’s economic recovery will be access to labour, and while it was announced in February that a new subcategory would be created specifically to capture the Sea to Sky corridor’s unique labour market data (which would provide greater access to foreign worker programs for local businesses), the pandemic threw a wrench in those plans as well. The labour market data in question is generated through the EI program, which was rolled into the new CERB program when it launched, Weiler explained.
“It essentially made so much of that data unusable,” he said. “And until the CERB is phased out, until we move into whatever the new EI system is going to look like … we’re not going to be able to have the subcategorization.” Proposed changes to the Investment in Canada infrastructure program could prove beneficial to the corridor as well— specifically for advocates of regional transit. If the proposed changes go through, things like regional transit could potentially be covered by the 12-year, $180-billion fund, Weiler said.
The change could finally pave the way for regional transit in the Sea to Sky, which is expected to come with a $3.32-million price tag (see Pique, July 4, 2019: “Province rejects funding model for regional transit.”). While it’s been incredible to see residents, businesses and others step up and adapt to challenging circumstances, “we’re not out of the woods yet,” Weiler said. “For me, I’m here for everybody. If people have a question about a program, I’m happy to answer it. If there is an issue with something, if we’re missing something, I want to hear about it.” n
WEILER TALKS FROM PAGE 19 so we need to make sure that when we’re making those investments, it’s going to go into areas that will count and that are going to set us up for success in the future,” Weiler said, adding there is an energy and environment caucus within the Liberal Party that he’s been working with on the issue. The caucus recently heard from officials in the European Union about their own economic recovery, which directed about a third of a $750-billion recovery plan to green recovery efforts. “That’s really important input for us,”
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NEWS WHISTLER in its alpine areas in recent years, as more and more people flock to newly opened alpine trails (see Pique, April 16, “RMOW goes back to drawing board on grizzly management”). Whistler is in some ways catching up to places like Banff, Fernie and Sparwood in terms of grizzlies conflicting with recreation, said Bruce McLellan, a renowned B.C. researcher with more than four decades of experience, who also worked on the paper. “It’ll be a challenge, but we’ve lived with challenges of grizzly bears and recreation in many, many areas. It just seems to be it’s
McLellan said, and bears will react differently given the situation: some will shift to nocturnal patterns, and some won’t; some will leave, and some may become habituated. “But as I say, lots of places deal with that, it’s just going to take more energy and more effort,” he said. “I mean, Yellowstone puts a huge amount of effort into keeping their bears around, and safe, as well as over 4 million people every year, so it’s doable.” For Lamb, the research tells a “bittersweet” story: it’s positive to see bears making changes to survive, but the mortality rates near humans are discouraging. “I’d say that even though it sounds a
“The mortality rates are faster than the learning rates.” GRIN AND BEAR IT New research is shining light on how grizzly bears respond to human pressures—and how far some will go to adapt.
- CLAYTON LAMB
GETTYIMAGES.CA
and end up dying near people,” Lamb said. While some bears adapt, “the mortality rates are faster than the learning rates,” he added. “The mortality rates are so high near people that the persistence of bear numbers in these areas is really heavily reliant on bears kind of moving in or immigrating from adjacent secure habitat.” The research provides a landscape-level look at carnivore co-existence in B.C., Lamb said, and shows how seemingly isolated
incidents—like, say, a bear being put down after a conflict in your backyard—can have unseen ripple effects. “These aren’t isolated systems; we don’t just lose one [bear] from the local area, because that local area is really only viable because it’s hooked into such a large landscape,” he said. “So that effect ripples a long ways from towns, at a population level.” Whistler has been grappling with the issue of a rebounding grizzly population
new to Whistler because the population of grizzly bears in that area has really just … started to increase, it seems to me, in the last 10 or 15 years,” McLellan said. “It’s doable, it’s just one little more dimension to think about when you’re doing things.” But could Whistler’s Alpine Trail Network—with its thousands of annual users—damage the local grizzly population at a crucial moment? There’s a risk of having some impact,
bit bleak at times, I think it’s interesting to know that grizzly bear populations are currently sustaining themselves near people in many places,” he said. “They’re expanding in that Whistler area, and we’re seeing that in southwest Alberta and the eastern Okanagan near Big White … There’s a lot of areas that we’re seeing them slowly reclaim some of their previous historic range, and I think that’s largely due to some secure areas that are being looked after next door.” n
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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY
Miller Farms honoured by provincial government CENTURY FARM AWARD COMES TO PEMBERTON
BY DAN FALLOON WITH THE MILLER FAMILY having purchased its land near Pemberton in 1911, the family has been eligible for the provincial Century Farm Award for nearly a decade, but only received the honour recently. Head of sales and operations Will Miller explained that the honour wasn’t something the family was aware of until receiving a gentle nudge. “It’s kind of funny because it’s actually something we never thought about,” he said. “Someone who used to work at the Ministry of Agriculture suggested that we should apply. “It was kind of a pleasant surprise to be reminded by someone.” Miller said that the process wasn’t overly cumbersome, especially since the family had its paperwork well in order. “It was pretty simple. We were lucky because we had all our land ownership documents, the original copies, so it was pretty simple to show the chain of possession,” he said. “You just have to have the family name and the specific lot number that it was.” In normal times, there would be a ceremony hosted on site, but the Millers still
FARM FRESH The Miller family with hundreds of kilograms of barley they grew on their farm property in the Pemberton Meadows.
FILE PHOTO SUBMITTED
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received some physical recognition with a commemorative plaque as well as a statement from Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham. “I love hearing the stories of British Columbia’s farming pioneers and the Miller family’s story is inspiring,” Popham said in a release. “From potatoes to cattle to beer, they have done it all. Congratulations Miller Farms on your Century Farm Award and cheers to many more.” In 1911, William Miller and his wife
be connected to some of those eras because a lot of these people, even my grandfather, died when I was very young. “You feel that connection to people you’ve never met.” Miller’s parents, Brenda and Bruce, made some changes roughly two decades ago by having the farm certified organic, setting the organic trend for the region. More recently, the family made the foray into craft beer by opening The Beer
“It’s kind of a risky line of work to be in and if you’re not leading the way, you can be left behind.” - WILL MILLER
Teresa bought the farm from her brother, John Ronayne, clearing the land to grow vegetables and raise livestock, and even logging and prospecting when possible. Son Donald took over after returning from serving with the Canadian Engineers in the Second World War, focusing on potatoes and cattle, while Bruce Miller took over after Donald passed away in the early 1990s. “I’m the youngest of the four generations, and it’s interesting because the family history, given my dad was the youngest child and his dad was the youngest child, even with four generations, it’s quite spread out,” Will Miller said. “It’s really fun to hear those stories and
Farmers, with Brenda as head brewer and Bruce as head grower. “For us, and I think a lot of farmers would say the same thing, it’s always about looking at what your opportunities are and taking risks and being bold in some senses. It’s kind of a risky line of work to be in and if you’re not leading the way, you can be left behind,” he said. With The Beer Farmers, the brewery was a rarity in that it could grow its own barley onsite. Coming soon, though, is the ability to process it as well through a malting facility on the property. “We can brew beer that’s never left our
farm,” Miller said. “That’s pretty unique. There’s only a handful of breweries like that in North America, so we’re pretty excited to get that going.” It also comes at a time during the global pandemic when the buying public are more cognizant of how many people and how much distance is involved in bringing a product to market. “Even for us, it’s a good reminder, even with how much trouble there was with the grocery stores or certain supplies, or things come from China, you realize that although it’s really efficient and we’ve got stuff from all over the world, the global supply chain is very exposed to risk and disruption,” Miller said. “It’s just really reminded us to double down on the local supply and self-reliance. “In small communities in the farming mindset, not everything has to show up on a truck from the other side of the world.” All told, with the vast space available on the farm, Miller said operations have continued mostly as normal during COVID19. The sunflower patch, a popular and Instagrammable attraction last year, will reopen Aug. 12. The global upheaval also comes at a time when he and his generations are preparing to take the lead of the farm. “My parents are thinking about unwinding from farming, and I have four brothers, and we’re thinking about how we can participate in farming as well,” he said. “It’s that spirit of reinvention and taking chances.” n
NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY
Pemberton Lions grow vegetables for local seniors NEW PROGRAM OFFERS WEEKLY FRESH VEGGIES IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC
BY ALYSSA NOEL MANY THINGS THIS summer don’t look like they used to—including Paul Selina’s Pemberton farm. In place of his usual hop crops, there are now vegetable beds that are in the midst of producing healthy food for local seniors. “The idea came from myself and Wendy [Paulson]—she’s a professional farmer, horticulturist,” said Selina, the former president of the Pemberton Lions Club. “With the onset of COVID-19, we realized the importance of keeping the immune system high for seniors.” When the pandemic first hit, Selina realized there would likely be less demand for his hops as restaurants and bars closed down. The idea of using the space for vegetables to give away instead seemed like a win-win, he said. “To be honest with you, it’s not going to hurt me economically. The hops won’t be going to market anyway. It’s a case of putting it to good use,” he added. While the Lions run the Pemberton Villas, which houses seniors, the program is open to any seniors in the community who feel they could benefit from a weekly box of vegetables. Currently there are roughly 20 people signed up, with a full capacity for 50 to 60 people. “It’s an ongoing project and we’re getting more and more seniors signed up for it,” Selina said. “It’s free, it’s funded by the Lions and other generous donors.” The other benefit of the new program: With events like Canada Day, the Slow Food Cycle, and the Barn Dance all either cancelled or uncertain, the Lions have seen most of their volunteer opportunities dashed. To that end, the garden gives them new focus. “It’s healthy to have a project that keeps club members together,” Selina said. “We can social distance, we’re outside, we can farm safely.” Exactly what is being harvested each week changes with the growing season, added Paulson. They’re growing everything from cauliflower, chard, cabbages and beans to lettuces, carrots, and beets. They also spearheaded an adopt-atomato-plant program. “We adopted out 108 to various people who wanted one,” Paulson said. “We started [the program] back when we were all isolated so they could have something to care for. I think it’s something to look forward to in the future.” Further out in D’Arcy—where residents were too far away to have a weekly box
GARDENING FOR GOOD The Pemberton Lions Club has been busy this spring and summer growing vegetables for a new program. PHOTO SUBMITTED
delivered—they adopted out a variety of other plants, including broccoli and cauliflower. “I got a lovely thank-you letter from a lovely woman in D’Arcy,” Paulson said. “I think this year the concern was the prices [of fresh produce] would rise and that nutrition would become more and more expensive. Food security was important in improving the health of seniors and most vulnerable.” As for the club itself, it has been beneficial to have a space to connect in person after months of Zoom meetings. “It’s a way to gather and social distance,” Paulson said. “The Lions are an amazing group. I pretty much keep it to [attending] once every two weeks … It was a lot more work initially. But the burden is not as much as you would think, considering we always have so many volunteers.” The Pemberton community is also on board with the project, she added. Nearly every business organizers asked for help has been eager to take part. “So many people have been so generous,” said Paulson. “We’ve had so many donations from the community.” In the meantime, if the group ends up with more vegetables this season than seniors in need of them, they will donate the leftovers to the food bank. “We are able to accommodate more seniors, weather depending,” Paulson said. “Originally, we planted the garden for between 50 and 60 people. If we don’t find someone who needs it there’s always the food bank or we can sell to Lions and donate it back that way.” n
JULY 23, 2020
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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY
Sea to Sky Backcountry Map launches PROJECT DESIGNED TO HELP ATHLETES ADVENTURE SAFELY
BY DAN FALLOON TWO VETERAN backcountry enthusiasts
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are looking to share their knowledge. Athlete and race director Eric Carter and Zenith Mountain Guides owner Evan Stevens are launching the Sea to Sky Backcountry Map, which documents the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Creek Basin areas. “It really just stems from the fact that both Evan and I have spent a ton of time up in that area,” Carter said. “Between the two of us, it’s impossible to count how many days we’ve got in that zone. “We’ve been on all the trails. We’ve been on every line that’s marked on there, so we do know it really, really well.” Stevens said that with the Sea to Sky Gondola creating easier access to the terrain, it’s an important time to offer such a resource. As well, combining his notes with Carter’s made for a smooth process. “People have been exploring it forever but with gondola access, it’s opened up to a whole new level for folks. There’s not a lot of documented information about it,” he said. “Me, personally, I’m a bit of a map geek and I like keeping track of everything I do and all the places I go.” Stevens took inspiration from past mapmakers such as John Baldwin, who has created several maps all over the province, including a ski-touring map of Duffey Lake and the Whistler Backcountry. “There’s a lot of local knowledge. It’s kind of like a cheat sheet for finding the good places to go,” he said. “We love Squamish and everything it has to offer. “Here’s one of the crown jewels of Squamish, go explore it.” The map, Carter explained, contains high-resolution satellite imagery with topographical lines and route lines overlaid on top, essentially bringing the topographical map and Google Earth into one document. “You see where the trees are. You see where the gullies are,” he said. “It’s almost like Google Earth, so I think that’s a really big advantage to it.” With the recent growth in the number of people accessing the area, Carter acknowledged that some might be displeased to see the map further document the region. However, in addition to providing a resource for those people to explore it safely, he and Stevens also took care to clearly establish access points and define ascents and descents in the area. “I’m anticipating that there are people that are going to be not psyched about sharing the ski lines and all that,” he said. “What we wanted to do is focus on the safe up tracks and try to get some consistency in where people are setting the skin tracks when they’re touring and maybe not climbing up some of the lines where people
MAP IT OUT The Sea to Sky Backcountry Map will help athletes navigate the Stawamus Chief and Shannon Creek Basin areas.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
are skiing down. “There was a big focus on making sure those access routes were in the right places and really well described. That’s a key portion of each section of the map, and then we’ve got a mix of the existing descent routes.” Though the map only covers 24 square kilometres, Carter said the possibilities in that area are boundless, with ski mountaineering, hiking, alpine climbing and mountain running on offer. “When you compare it to a paper map of any comparable areas in the Sea to Sky, it’s tiny, but there’s so much to do up there,” he said. “We get a lot of questions about where to go, how to access [it] and all that. It was wanting to share that and get it down on paper.” With Squamish Search and Rescue being called upon regularly this summer, Stevens emphasized that while the map will help people stay safe, it is just one tool that those entering the backcountry should employ when they go out. In addition to bringing along all necessary items to stay safe, travellers should also leave a detailed trip plan. “We’re really encouraging people that information is power and it helps you make better decisions and be safer, but we also need to planned and prepared in the backcountry,” he said. Pre-orders of the map are available at seatoskybackcountry.com for $19.99 from July 22 to Aug. 12. Afterwards, the regular price will be $25. n
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25
VALLEY TRAIL NOTICE
ECOLOGIC
Coal? Are you serious? YOU’D BE FORGIVEN if you thought this title was plucked from the news a decade ago. The sadder reality is that it’s the recent response of 47 legal, environmental, health, Indigenous and faith groups who said as much in an open letter to Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson (https://bit.ly/2ZOERPD). The letter addresses the prospect of a major expansion by an Alberta-based thermal coal mine that wants to sell even more of its climate-compromising product into Asian markets… during a climate emergency. I know… Coal? Are you serious? But here’s the deal: Coalspur’s Vista Mine near Hinton, Alta. (outside Jasper
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www.whistler.ca/ covid19 26 JULY 23, 2020
BY LESLIE ANTHONY National Park), already the country’s largest such operation, is trying to finagle an even larger expansion than the one it originally proposed to federal authorities—including a previously undisclosed underground mine. Through technical and legal manoeuvring, the project has so far managed to evade environmental assessment despite the fact, according to EcoJustice, that “Canada’s current environmental laws would require an assessment for a new mine even one eighth Vista’s proposed expansion size.” That’s big news. And if it goes ahead without an assessment, the results will not only be bad for both the local environment and global climate, but also for whatever’s left of Canada’s international climate credibility. Recall it was our country that
the video impressed Douglas. “First, my daughter showed me her IG story feed and it was loaded with high-school kids reposting it. This demographic has never jumped on something like this that hard before, so it obviously struck a chord and it was nice to see them taking action. Another pleasant note was that the comments section of my posts were fairly civil compared to how they often can be.” The campaign turns on the notion that it’s up to our elected officials to say no to reckless expansions like this and to invest in a cleaner, healthier energy future— particularly in this moment when we have a once-in-a-generation chance to remake things from the bottom up after COVID. “We shouldn’t go back and try and fix all the broken things now, but build new—and better—systems,” says Douglas, an idea he averred in an environment-focused RMOW town hall last week. “The gist of the message was that we’ve done a great job in Whistler, but let’s think bigger. Let’s be the most eco-futuristic community on Earth—let’s multiply our climate action by a thousand.” How? Well, for instance… by opposing high-emission projects. Douglas notes that those who participated in the ultimately successful campaigns to scuttle the Teck tarsands mine have “erased their own carbon footprints until the end of time.” Some 39 per cent of global energy production comes from thermal coal, creating 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions. These compromise human health both directly and through their influence on climate, leading to over 800,000 premature deaths a year. Regardless, Coalspur now wants to grow its annual production from 7 million tons/yr to 11.2 million tons/yr, on
“We shouldn’t go back and try and fix all the broken things now, but build new—and better—systems.” - MIKE DOUGLAS
co-founded an international alliance for phasing out coal; having made progress on this, if we turn around at an even-morecritical climate juncture and allow thermal coal exports from Alberta to ramp up—all while telling other nations to “power past coal”—it will be the acme of hypocrisy. Which is why EcoJustice thought it important to tip off a few groups already fighting for climate justice—like Protect our Winters (POW) Canada. Which is how highprofile POW Canada ambassador and board chair, Mike Douglas, found himself at the forefront of the campaign, literally saying, on camera: “Coal? Are you serious?” When POW decided to build a campaign around the Vista Mine expansion, they asked Douglas to throw together a little video to help the letter-writing on social media. Channelling his inner Rick Mercer, Douglas’ effort was highly successful, generating about 2,500 letters in the first 10 hours. Two things about the reaction to
the road to a stated 20 million tons/yr—the exact opposite of what it should be doing. POW and other groups insist on a full environmental assessment that measures, analyzes, and reduces impacts wherever possible. If Minister Wilkinson fails to invoke this, the project will likely be approved due to an inadequate provincial assessment that doesn’t consider impacts on matters of federal jurisdiction (under Jason Kenney, Alberta assessments— always rubber-stamps—have reached a new low in many areas) such as Indigenous rights, downstream emissions, endangered species, and critical fish habitat. So far, almost 5,000 letters and hundreds of phone messages have called on the minister to order an environmental assessment for the Vista Mine expansion. You might also want to add your name to the #DeclineTheMine list: https://bit.ly/3hqRNkJ or give the minister a call: https://bit.ly/3eKUv2z. He’d love to hear from you! ■
OUTSIDER
Trail Karma Month is now AS MOUNTAIN BIKERS in the Sea to Sky, we’re pretty lucky to have such an extensive trail system, one that grows incrementally every year. The best part is that you can access all those trails without paying a single cent, a welcoming prospect if you had to shell out thousands of dollars for
BY VINCE SHULEY a mountain bike. It’s a liberating experience taking off into the woods and getting one’s kicks riding these trails, but as country music singer David Chamberlain put most eloquently, “Freedom Don’t Come Free.” I’ll confess I was late purchasing my WORCA membership this year. We did, after all, have a pandemic spanner thrown in the works in the early spring and that cast WORCA’s most popular event—the weekly Toonie Race—into digital territory. You can still do the weekly race virtually (without the traditional, not-so-physically distanced mass starts) during a weekly time window by tracking the course with the trail app Trailforks. You then are automatically entered into the draw for the
TOOLS OF THE TRADE Trails need support from
the mountain bikers that ride them.
PHOTO BY BIKE PIRATE/COURTESY OF WORCA
weekly prizes and also receive a voucher for food and a beer at one of the sponsoring establishments. In terms of maintaining value for a $60 annual membership fee during a summer of shutdowns and restart plans, WORCA has done really well. But paying that $60 every year really isn’t about racing, though many Toonie and Phat Wednesday race participants might see it as such. It’s about backing the organization that maintains our trails, that helps secure funding and government support for projects
programs this year (understandably, given the reduced revenue of the pandemic) and a lot of trail work falls into that category. So now is the time to contribute. You might be one of those Whistler mountain bikers that has never attended a WORCA event and never plans to, and that’s OK. You might feel that the $60 price tag is a little steep, especially if you’re not participating in any of the WORCA programs. Good news for you! You can donate however much you want to the trails
The RMOW has had to cut a lot of funding to non-essential programs this year (understandably, given the reduced revenue of the pandemic) and a lot of trail work falls into that category. So now is the time to contribute. such as Whistler’s Alpine Trail Network, the initiative that gave us Lord of the Squirrels. I’ve waxed poetic about this plenty before, but Whistler’s mountain bike community does need to be reminded from time to time that there are no trail fairies that come out at night like the Underpants Gnomes. All work is done by a limited crew of paid trail builders who are supported by volunteers. The RMOW has had to cut a lot of funding to non-essential
directly. Trailforks has a Trail Karma option that will forward your donation directly to the trail association of your choice, minus a small PayPal fee. Think about the trail network where you ride the most. When I grind up Sirloin to ride the sick-gnar that is Whistler’s Westside, I’m thankful for those new mini-bridges that keep my tires out of the muck. I’m thankful for the drained and improved sections of Industrial Waste after
the dismal weather we had the last couple of months. I can’t wait to ride Chipmunk Rebellion, once it’s completed, of course. For all of this convenience, I’m more than happy to give back more than a few bucks, especially if I frequent my favourite trails several times a week. If you’re still not convinced, Trailforks is holding Trail Karma Month for the duration of July with $16,000 worth of prizes. That means your donation might yield some new parts for your bike, and we all know how expensive they can be. Some trails in Whistler aren’t under WORCA’s jurisdiction to maintain, nor are they the responsibility of commercial operators such as the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. They were built by dedicated mountain bikers who ask for little in return. Signs for these trails can be found in the forest and implore riders to exercise good judgment such as not riding the trail in wet conditions. They will sometimes have an email address where you can e-transfer a donation that goes directly to the builder. If you love riding these particular trails over and over or—heaven forbid—use an e-bike to access them multiple times a day, don’t be afraid to give your trail karma score a boost. Vince Shuley hopes you enjoy the ride. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider, email vince@vinceshuley.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■
JULY 23, 2020
27
FEATURE STORY
Seniors’ care in B.C.: systemic failures GLACIER MEDIA SPECIAL REPORT | BY JANE SEYD JSEYD@NSNEWS.COM JSEYD@NSNEWS.COM
F
or families with the frailest of seniors in long-term care, the cracks in the system that led to a crisis when COVID-19 hit were not a big surprise. The virus brought problems into the open, but they had been there all along. For May Mikhail’s 94-year-old mother Isabelle Mikhail, it started with falls. Isabelle had been in North Vancouver’s Lynn Valley Care Centre a couple of months when she fell in 2014. Another fall soon after sent her to hospital with a massive bruise on her face. Previously, Isabelle had used a walker. “And after that, she never really managed the walker again. So she was in a wheelchair, but she continued to fall,” said Mikhail. “She fell numerous times off the toilet. I gave really strict instructions: ‘Please do not leave my mom unattended on the toilet because she will try to get off.’ “They said ‘Yes, yes, we will make very sure.’” But Isabelle continued to regularly fall off the toilet onto the floor. S u c h i n c i d e n t s a r e n’ t a n anomaly. For many years, long-term care has been under-resourced, understaffed and largely hidden from public view, say experts. “It’s unfortunate it took a pandemic to really wake us up to what we’ve been talking about for the past few decades,” said Habib Chaudhury, professor and chair of Simon Fraser University’s Department of Gerontology. Dr. Roger Wong, a clinical professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), agrees. “I th i n k what it has done is
Long-term care in the province
really revealed some of the systemic issues,” he said. There are 294 long-term care centres in B.C. with roughly 27,000 publicly-subsidized beds – not counting about 8,747 assisted living and over 19,248 unregulated independent living homes for seniors or those which are strictly privately paid. The average age of residents in long-term care is 85 and over 30% are dependent on staff for basic activities like bathing and getting out of bed. Almost 65% of residents have some form of dementia and 30% have severe cognitive impairment. Until it affects a family directly, however, long-term care for seniors tends to be out of sight and out of mind. And while most experts recomUnionized staff at Inglewood Care Centre during mend thatstaff residents receive over Unionized at Inglewood Care Centre in West Vancouver during a 2014 rallyin toWest drawVancouver attention to their a 2014 rallyofficial to draw attention to their of a contract. A Hospital four hours of direct care a day, lack of a contract. A Hospital Employees Union says the facility haslack practiced “contract flipping” to Employees care homes in B.C. continue to SHORE cut labour costs | PAUL MCGRATH, NORTH NEWS FILESUnion official says the facility has practiced “contract flipping” to cut labour costs | PAUL MCGRATH, NORTH SHORE NEWS FILES fall below that. O ne p erson who h a s b e en private sounding the alarm years is represents 82-year-old BillrepreShelreally revealed somefor of the sysBC Care Providers,dad, which O ne p erson whocare h a s home b e en whose province. “The B.C.’s Seniorshe Advocate Isobel operators dementia and operators is also in temic issues,” said. sentshas private care home sounding in thethe alarm for years is lard, message from the care care Mackenzie. atprovince. Lynn Valley Care Centre. There are 294 long-term care consistent in the “The consistent B.C.’s Seniors Advocate Isobel sector to the government is “These The Ministry of Health sets 3.36 home people whohome try really centres in B.C. with roughly messageare from the care secMackenzie. funding is too to run many hours care a day as guideline for dogovernment their best. is It’s a really tor toto the the fund27,000ofpublicly-subsidized beds – the The Ministry oflow Health sets 3.36 hard these how much care residents should of an impossible job ing isjob. tooBut lowit’s to run many of these not counting about 8,747 assisted hours ofcare carehomes a day assustainably.” guideline for hard Under those receive. found how there are not enough bodies care homes sustainably.” living andBut overMackenzie 19,248 unregulatmuch carecircumstances, residents should when to find ways to be ef- physically 70% of long-term carehomes homesfor in pressure to do circumstances, it.” ed independent living Under those receive. But Mackenzie found icient w it h l abou r homes costs is the province failwhich to meet that. For f70% Today’s long-term care seniors or those are strictly to find ways tosystem be efof long-term care in pressure contracted facilities the percentfirst w developed in rthe 1960s. privately paid. The average age of inevitable. f icient it h l abou costs is the province fail to meet that. For was age not meeting guidelines “If you ask why, that’s a mil- But unlike other government residents in long-term carerises is 85 contracted inevitable. facilities the percentto 82%. question,” said Chaucare long-term age not meeting guidelines rises health and over 30% are dependent on lion-dollar “If you askservices, why, that’s a milPerhaps that’s not surprising. was never put in the to 82%.“It’s a value question.... care lion-dollar question,” saidCanada Chaustaff for basic activities like bath- dhury. As in her 2019 We’ve donethat’s a verynot poor job in long Health there are no Perhaps surprising. ingMackenzie and getting noted out of bed. Almost dhury.Act, “It’smeaning a value question.... report long-term homes care.” standards. As Mackenzie noted in her 2019 national 65% ofon residents havecare some form term We’ve done a very poor job in long “Currently, are funded In theon case of Mikhail’s That’s why long-term care can long-term care elderly homes term of dementia facilities and 30% have severe report care.” at levels that may not meet this mother, caregivers different in different “Currently, facilitiesencouraged are funded beInvery cognitive impairment. the case of Mikhail’s elderly guideline.” to use a diaper rather at levels that may not meetthan this provinces. Until it affects a family directly, her mother, caregivers encouraged Contracts coveringcare block fundbathroom – describing it as a her In earlier wasthan also however, long-term for sen- aguideline.” to usedecades, a diaperthere rather ing care in hercovering pants’ – not because iors between tends to be out homes of sight and and ‘toilet tiered – approach to seniors’ Contracts block fund- a more bathroom describing it as a health authorities are complex. she incapable, ing was between carebecause homes they and care out of mind. inin B.C., experts. ‘toilet her say pants’ – not because But forwhile muchmost of the past two dec- didn’t time to help her, said she healthhave authorities are complex. And experts recomResidents in long-term was incapable, because care they ades, has beenreceive consistent Butdaughter. for much of the past two dec- home mend“there that residents over her diverse didn’twere have “much time to more help her, said downward pressure on fund“There’s enough care in “therenever has been consistent four hours of direct care a day, ades, of their needs,” said Jenherterms daughter. ing,” said Mike Klassen, acting Baumbusch, a registered to stay withon them long nifer downward pressure funding,” care homes in B.C. continue to aides “There’s never enough care CEO of BCthat. Care Providers, which enough,” andstay professor at UBC’s said Kelly Shellard, said Mike Klassen, acting CEO of nurse fall below aides to with them long
The consistent message from the care home sector to the government is the funding is too low to run many of these care homes sustainably sustainably.
][[]
MIKE KLASSEN ACTING ACTING CEO, CEO, BC BC CARE CARE PROVIDERS PROVIDERS
School of Nursing, whoShellard, specialenough,” said Kelly izes in residential whose 82-year-oldcare. dad, Bill ShelAbout years ago, lard, has20 dementia andhowever, is also in that beingCentre. placed care shifted. at Lynn People Valley Care into long-term care “had to be “These are people who try really fairly complex dependent to hard to do theirand best. It’s a really qualify.” hard job. But it’s an impossible job Critics have maintained the when there are not enough bodies move artificially reduced – temphysically to do it.” porarily – long-term the need for long-term Today’s care system care, while forcing in seniors into was first developed the 1960s. cheaper assisted living beds. But unlike other government But while needs of those in health carethe services, long-term long-term care increased, care was never put in the staffing Canada levels said Baumbusch. Healthdidn’t, Act, meaning there are no Many physical buildings that national standards. had beenwhy constructed forcare a more That’s long-term can capable seniors were be verypopulation differentofin different also now providing homes for inprovinces. creasingly frail residents. In earlier decades, there was also you go approach to any care home a “If more tiered to seniors’ you’ll long care insee B.C., sayhallways,” experts. where it’s easy for dementia patients to Residents in long-term care get lost,were and dining main home “muchrooms moreon diverse floors that residents have be in terms of their needs,” saidtoJennifer Baumbusch, registered brought down to, saidaChaudhury. nurseonly andadds professor at UBC’s That to the difficulties School of Nursing, of providing care. who specializes inother residential The majorcare. change that About 20inyears ago,2000s however, happened the early was shifted. Peopleprivatization being placed athat move to increased intocontracting long-term out careof“had to be and long-term fairlyfor complex to care seniorsand – independent part because qualify.” contracting those services was Critics for have maintainedthan the cheaper government move artificially reduced – tembuilding and operating new care porarily – the need for long-term homes directly.
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28 JULY 23, 2020
FEATURE STORY
left facilities unprepared for pandemic has suffered chronic shortfalls of resources and staff, experts say care, whilewas forcing seniorsshare into The result a decreased cheaper assisted living of care homes owned andbeds. operated while the needsdirectly of those in byBut health authorities and long-term care staffing an increase in increased, those owned and levels didn’t, saidfor-profit Baumbusch. operated by the secMany physical buildings that tor. Today, roughly one-third of had been constructed forB.C. a more long-term care homes in are capable population seniors were operated by healthofauthorities, also now providing homes for inone-third are run by non-profcreasingly residents. its, and onefrail third are run by the “If you go to any care home private sector. you’ll see long hallways,” Increasingly, for-profitwhere care it’s easy forused dementia patients to homes that to be family-run get lost, and are dining rooms on businesses operated bymain corfloors that residents have to be porate chains that own multiple brought down to, said Chaudhury. care facilities. That only adds to the difficulties Jennifer Whiteside, secretary of providing care. of the Hospibusiness manager other major that talThe Employees Unionchange that reprehappened in theatearly 2000scare was sents care aides unionized a move to increased privatization homes, characterizes the early and contracting of long-term 2000s as “a realout deregulation of carelong-term for seniors – in part because our care system. I think contracting those services was there was a real perspective on cheaper government the part offor health authoritiesthan that building and operating newwere care long-term care operators homes directly. businesses. And the operating The result was a decreased share model wasn’t really the concern carehealth homesauthorities.... owned and operated of the I don’t by health authorities directly and think there were enough checks an increase owned and and balancesininthose the system.” operated the for-profit secTo avoidby higher labour costs, tor. Today, roughly of operators of nu rsione-third ng homes long-termhiring care homes in B.C.dirare stopped employees operated by health authorities, ectly and instead contracted those one-thirdthrough are run by non-profservices third-party its, and one third are run by the companies. private sector. “We have many, many examIncreasingly, for-profit ples of contract flipping overcare the homes that to be family-run years,” saidused Whiteside, pointing businesses are operated byWest corto Inglewood Care Home in porate chains ownexample, multiple Vancouver as that a prime care facilities. where the previous owner of that Jennifer Whiteside, facility “contracted outsecretary [with difbusiness managersix of the Hospiferent companies] times in 10 tal12 Employees Union or years,” she said. that represents care aides at unionized care Klassen said care home operhomes, characterizes early ators were forced by thethe govern2000stoas “a real deregulation of ment contract out their labour our long-term carewas system. I think costs as funding squeezed. thereonly wasway a real perspective on “The [many care homes] the part of health authorities that could actually operate and not be long-term care were constantly in theoperators red was to try
Habib Chaudhury, professor and chair of Simon Fraser University’s Department of Gerontology: “it’s unfortunate it took a pandemic to really wake us up to what we’ve been talking about for the past few decades” | SUBMITTED
businesses. And of the operating to address some the costs of model wasn’t really the concern labour.” ofThe theupshot health was authorities.... don’t many careIaides, thinkare there were enough who responsible forchecks about and balances theand system.” 67% of directin care previousavoidahigher labour costs, lyTo earned standard provincial operators of $25 nu rsi homes wage of up to an ng hour with stopped hiring benefits, found employees their wagesdirreectly and instead those peatedly cut – tocontracted as little as $17 services third-party an hour inthrough some cases. According companies. to BC Care Providers, the average “We have many, examstarting salary for amany care aide in ples of contract flipping over the B.C. is $19 an hour. years,” said Whiteside, pointing Care aides frequently needto Inglewood Care Home in West ed several jobs in different care Vancouver as aends prime example, homes to make meet. where the previous owner of that The consequence, said Whitefacility [with difside, is “contracted that it madeout working in ferenthomes companies] times in 10 care “verysix unattractive or people.” 12 years,” she said. to Klassen saidtocare operators “It tends behome a precarious were forced by the government to workforce,” said Whiteside. Most contract out labour as workers aretheir women andcosts many funding squeezed.commun“The only are fromwas vulnerable way [many caretemporary homes] could acities. Some are foreign tually operate and not constantly workers recruited tobe work in jobs in the red was to try to address some other health care workers have of the costs of labour.” rejected. upshot aides, The scale ofwas howmany muchcare changing who would are responsible for about that cost is evident in the
The needs of people in longterm care in B.C. have increased over the past two decades, but staffing levels haven’t, says Jennifer Baumbusch, a registered nurse and professor in the University of British Columbia’s School of Nursing | SUBMITTED
67% of direct care and previousover $10 million a month the ly earnedhas a standard provincial province been paying since wage of uptoto $25 an with the spring ensure allhour care aides benefits, found facility their wages rework at a single – while peatedly – to as little as $17 being paidcut a higher wage. anCare hourhomes in some cases.block According receive fundto BC Care Providers,individually the average ing that is negotiated starting salary for a care aide in with health authorities to subsidB.C.the is $19 an of hour. ize costs publicly funded Care aides frequently needcare beds. edHealth several jobs in different authorities specifycare the homes toofmake ends number direct caremeet. hours care The consequence, said Whitehomes are expected to deliver. side, is that it made working in Contracted long-term care care homes “very unattractive homes cost taxpayers almost $1.3 to people.” billion a year in B.C. But as Mack“It tends bethis a precarious enzie pointedtoout year in her workforce,” said Reasons Whiteside. Most report, A Billion to Care, workers are women and many there is inadequate transparency areexactly from vulnerable communon where that money goes ities.how Some are temporary foreign and much of it is spent on workers recruited to work in jobs direct care. other care have Staffhealth who work inworkers this environrejected. ment are under pressure to proThecare scale how much vide asof efficiently aschanging possible. that wouldgiven cost aiscertain evident in the “They’re amount over $10 million a month the of time to do a certain task,” said province has been paying since A lthea Gibb-Carsley, Mikhthe spring to ensure aides ail’s partner. “Andall ascare people’s
work at a single facility – while cognition changes, it’s very selbeingenough. paid a higher wage.is grossdom And it often homes receive block fundlyCare inadequate…. They’re pushed, ing that is negotiated individually pushed, pushed, in relation to that withlist.” health authorities to subsidtask ize the costs of publicly Theoretically, she said,funded every care beds.has a care plan drivresident authorities specify the enHealth by their unique needs. “And number of direct careofhours care theoretically, each the staff homes are expected tocare deliver. who comes in to take of the Contracted long-term residents is acquainted withcare that homes cost taxpayers almost $1.3 care plan.” billion a year is inoften B.C. But as MackThe reality different. enzie out this year insaid her “It’spointed feed, clothe, clean,” report, A If Billion Reasons Care, Mikhail. you’re lucky.to Everythere is inadequate transparency thing else falls by the wayside. on“To exactly thatwe’re money goes put itwhere crudely wareand howseniors,” much of it Chaudhury. is spent on housing said direct care.that someone could The idea Staffinwho in this environsleep late work or go for a walk in the ment are under garden has beenpressure replacedto byprothe vide care as efficiently as possible. need to make sure “they are fed, “They’re given they a certain they are clean, are amount calm,” of time he said.to do a certain task,” said Althea Gibb-Carsley, Mikhail’s According to Mackenzie, 25% partner. “And as people’s cognition of long-term care residents are changes, it’s very seldom enough. given antipsychotic medication And it often is grossly inadequate…. without a diagnosis of psychosis They’re pushed, pushed, pushed, in and twice as many residents take relation to that taskaslist.” anti-depressants those with a Theoretically, she said, every diagnosis of depression. resident a care plan driv“We usehas psychotropic medicaen by to their “And tions helpunique peopleneeds. calm down theoretically, each of the staff and stay put,” said Chaudhury. who comes in to take carefamily of the Putting a parent or other residentsinisresidential acquainted with that member care is often plan.”decision. acare difficult The reality is often different. “It’s not a light switch,” said “It’s feed, clothe, seniors clean,” said Wong. “Typically, and Mikhail. If you’re Everythei r loved oneslucky. or fa m i l ies thingreally else falls by the wayside. have struggled. They’ve “To put itfor crudely struggled a longwe’re time warein the housing seniors,” said Chaudhury. community with all kinds of supThe idea that someone could portive services, home care, etc. sleepthen in latefinally, or go forasa awalk in the And result of garden has beenconditions, replaced byand the multiple health need to make sure “they are fed, sometimes it includes things like they are clean, they are like calm,” mental health conditions, dehe said.or Alzheimer’s disease, or mentia Accordingdisability, to Mackenzie, 25% significant or signifiof long-term carethe residents are cant burnout from caregivers, giventhey antipsychotic then go in there.”medication without a diagnosis psychosis “Nobody says, ‘I’mof dreaming of
and twice many residents going to a as care home when Itake get anti-depressants as those with old,’” said Bauschbusch. “Anda diagnosis depression. we like so it’s notofsomething useabout psychotropic medicato“We think a lot. And when tions to help people calm down the government is having their and stay put,”informing said Chaudhury. calls around, the next Puttingthis a parent or necessarily other family budget, is not member in residential care isstood often an area that people have a difficult up for.” decision. “It’ssystem not a light switch,” said The in place until very Wong. “Typically, seniors recently where families hadand to thei the r loved ones or bed fa mini lthe ies take first available have really region has instruggled. itself beenThey’ve “a traustruggled for a long the matic experience,” shetime said.in “You community with kinds of supget a call from theall hospital saying portive services, home care,your etc. transport is coming to take And then finally, as aB.result of parent to care home People multiple conditions, have veryhealth limited choice.” and sometimes it includeslevel, thingssenlike At a fundamental mental health conditions, like deiors’ care is an uncomfortable mentiatied or Alzheimer’s disease, or topic, up with the issue of significant disability, or signifiageism, said Chaudhury, plus cant burnout caregivers, scarce healthfrom carethe dollars and a then they gopopulation in there.” with limvulnerable “Nobody says, ‘I’m dreaming ited power to advocate. of“Definitely going to a at care thehome policywhen level,I get said Baumbusch. it isold,’” a reflection of how we “And have so it’s not something we like devalued seniors’ care.” ■ to think about a lot. And when the government is having their B.C. seniors’ care crisis calls around, informing the next budget, this isin-depth not necessarily Glacier Media’s look at an area that besetting people have stood the problems care for up for.” the elderly in B.C. as the COVID-19 The system in place until very pandemic exposes deep weakrecently families had to nesses in where the system. See also: take the first available bed in the ■ What are the lessons learnregion has the in itself beenof“a traued from outbreaks matic experience,” she said. COVID-19 in long-term care “You get afacilities? call from the hospital saying Answers are starting transport is coming to take your to emerge. parent to care home B. People biv.com/article/2020/07/talehave very limited choice.” two-pandemics-protecting-senAtiors-homes-next-wave a fundamental level, seniors’ care is an uncomfortable ■ How do we fix the problems in topic, up with the issue of our tied long-term care facilities? ageism, said Studies pointChaudhury, to some solu- plus scarce health care dollars and a tions. vulnerable population with limbiv.com/article/2020/07/ itedfinancialization-senpower to advocate. “Definitely at the policy level, iors-care-has-failed-bc-famit isilies-critics-say a reflection of how we have devalued seniors’ care.” ■
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29
FEATURE STORY
‘Financialization’ of seniors’ care GLACIER MEDIA SPECIAL REPORT | BY JEREMY HAINSWORTH GLACIER INVESTIGATES
T
hat Canada’s seniors’ care system has problems has been made plain through the COVID-19 pandemic. It is, sa id B.C. M i n ister of Health Adrian Dix, “ a severe consequence of our ability to control the virus generally.” Langley Care Society CEO Debra Hauptman expanded on that. “It is evident that the COV I D-19 v i r us a ffects the elderly population more severely than other segments of our population,” Hauptman told Glacier Media. “It is more challenging to control, due to the advanced age and frailty of our residents, our facility physical design with communal spaces, but also the nature of this virus which is highly virulent and can be spread by asymptomatic, infected workers and visitors.” T he so c ie t y r u n s L a n g ley Lodge, where an outbreak was declared April 28. It left 25 dead before the outbreak ended. Hauptman said residents average 85 years old with complex care needs. “Care levels need to be augmented to meet the higher acuity levels of the elderly in long term care, and ensure that operators can also perform the more intense levels of infection prevention and control in typically large facilities more frequently than pre-COVID,” she said. “Due to the pandemic, there is an awakening nationally to the critical situation that we have for seniors’ care and there is momentum for change,” Hauptman said. “Those older adults deserved a good closing phase of their lives and a good death,” the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) said in a June analysis. “We failed them.”
As of July 16, 189 people died as a result of the virus in B.C. – 123 or more of them seniors in multiple assisted living or long-term care facilities. The system deals with a range of seniors – those needing assisted living to those who can no longer look after themselves due to physical or perhaps mental and dementia issues. A key issue, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) said in a June report, has been increasing government reliance on the private sector to deliver seniors’ care. There’s significant red tape to negotiate, training issues, now-pend i ng u n ion izations and the threat of pending legal actions that could hamstring the system. Victoria has moved on some issues, through visitation rules, staffing changes and addressing personal protective equipment concerns (PPE). Researcher Andrew Longhurst divides care into assisted living and long-term. The former is preventative care aimed at delaying entrance to long-term. If that’s handled, reliance on the latter is less, he said. But, he added, there’s a shortage of publicly funded long-term care. Severe staffing and training problems exist across the board and B.C.’s system needs a thorough review, he said. Also in June, the Royal Society of Canada said “profound, longstanding deficiencies in the longterm care sector” contributing to the pandemic’s magnitude, far worse in Canadian facilities nursing homes than in comparable countries. “The pandemic just exposed long-standing, wide-spread and pervasive deficiencies,” the RSC said.
Financing Financingofofcare care Some critics charge B.C. has moved too to far farwith with the the private private sector handling seniors’ care. “This financialization of seniors’ care – in which the real estate assets associated with this care are treated as financial commodities to be bought and sold on international markets – is at odds with the basic social purpose of providing care to vulnerable seniors, many of whom have low or moderate incomes,” a February CCPA report said. “It is the failure of provincial governments to invest in new public and non-profit-owned assisted living units that has contributed to the shortfall in publicly subsidized spaces.” The CCPA wants changes starting with increased funding for non-profit organizations and health authorities to increase publicly subsidized assisted living unit capacity. Second, it wants to see detailed disclosure and public of reporting of ownership, costs and quality of services to enhance accountability and transparency. Hauptman isn’t so sure. She said governments know what they spend and receive detailed financial reports from private operators at regular intervals. Financial model misinformation is frustrating, she said. “The private sector has invested in new facilities, we have mortgages, some organizations fundraise for equipment and quality of life programs for our residents,” Hauptman said. “We can only spend the funding that we receive from government, and it is much more apparent now that we have been underfunded for an appreciably long time.” For the RSC, though, it’s less about who runs or funds facilities than it is about staffing,
Increasing reliance on private sector
Langley Lodge was the site of B.C.’s most deadly nursing-home COVID-19 outbreak | GOOGLE
data, a lack of standards and a lack of seniors’ voices in the conversation. The RSC makes 16 recommendations for change, foremost of which are that funding must be adequate and sustained, with Ottawa leading the way. And, the RSC said, quality and end of life care are non-negotiable. Regulation Regulation At the legal heart of providing services to seniors sit the Hospital Act, the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Assisted Living Regulation. The RSC called provincial and territorial laws “disparate and piecemeal.” Buried in the fine print is the general health and hygiene section saying facilities must make a plan describing the procedures to be followed to promote general health and hygiene amongst residents and prevent the spread of infectious disease in the assisted living residence. The accompanying handbook specifically addresses this. Despite those requirements, provincial medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on June 29 had
to stress that facilities “must have required written safety plans.” The RSC goes further. “Prov i ncia l a nd territoria l governments must assess the mechanisms of infection spread from multi-site work practices and implement a robust tracking system,” it said. “When the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, nursing homes lacked capacity to handle the surge.” Further, it said, data collected must include resident quality of care and life, resident and family experiences, and quality of work life for staff. And, the collection should be independent of the sector and government. B.C.’s Office of the Ombudsperson said “the problem with having two different legislative frameworks is that different standards, fees, and monitoring and enforcement processes apply to each, and neither seniors nor their families are generally aware of which legislation governs their facility. This creates unnecessary disparities in the care provided to seniors in residential care.” Facilities also found themselves subject to inspections not by provincial government inspectors
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
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has failed B.C. families, critics say has contributed to “profound” problems with system, report finds but by health authority officials with results posted online. “Neither of these steps offers a long-term solution that provides seniors and their families with the confidence that consistent standards will apply no matter where in the province they receive residential care,” the ombudsman said. Inspections, though, won’t solve all issues. The Office of the Seniors Advocate of B.C. tracks inspections and complaints. However, complaints or past disease outbreaks don’t necessarily correlate with a COVID-19 outbreak, as is evidenced by the Lynn Valley Care Centre, which saw 20 deaths but few past problems. Hauptman said, “There are inspections, quality reviews, investigations, financial reporting requirements, WorkSafe requirements, accreditation, and food services licensing requirements. “This is due to the nature of our business, providing 24-hour care for the most frail in our population,” she said. “There are differences in the types of regulations. It would likely not have any measurable benefit to try to streamline these.” The ombudsperson has twice studied the situation – in 2012 and again in 2019. The second study found the government had not implemented multiple recommendations. For i n sta nce, t he omb uds p erson s u g ge s te d a l l B.C. health care assistants (HCS) be required to register with the BC Care Aide (HCA) and Community Health Worker Registry. But, only those working in publicly funded facilities were required to do so. The same applies to criminal record checks. “This leaves a significant gap in protection for seniors,” the office
Another threat, Singer said, is if the class action succeeds, it’s insurance companies that would pay out. That could lead to insurance companies refusing to insure such facilities in future, he explained. It’s not the first COVID-related legal action in Ontario. The Ontario Nurses Association got an April judge’s order that companies provide staff with masks and also to separate staff and clients to prevent disease spread. The need for such was to be determined by health professionals and not companies, the judge said. However, the PPE shortage has been a global issue for the health care sector, one the RSS said Lynn Valley Care Centre staff thank the community members who showedprovinces up to cheerneed them during a toon handle. nightly p.m. workers’ in April. centre suffered 20 COVID-19 deaths despite a to record showed7up to health-care cheer them on duringsalute a nightly 7 p.m.The health-care “We are just starting have of few past problems MIKE centre WAKEFIELD, NORTH SHORE workers’ salute in April.| The suffered 20NEWS COVID-19 deaths more supplies in the supply chain despite a record of few past problems | MIKE WAKEFIELD, NORTH SHORE NEWS and things have eased substantially,” Hauptman said. “In March said. begun in Ontario and lawyer Dar- and Another threat, Singer said, is April, there was very limited The RSC said hands-on care is ryl Singer of Diamond & Diamond if the class action succeeds, it’s supplies in Canada and it creatnow almost entirely given by un- firm said he’s had multiple inquir- insurance companies thatsector. would ed challenges across the regulated workers – care aides ies about similar actions in B.C. pay out. could lead to inOnce theThat federal government and personal support workers The law firm is behind a $120 surance companies refusinghad to announced that shipments receiving the lowest wages in the million class action case filed in insure facilities insent future, arrivedsuch and were being out healthcare sector with minimal Ontario aimed at several private he explained. to the provinces, the situation training. sector operators, some of which improved It’s not dramatically.” the first COVID-re“They often have insufficient also operate in B.C., Singer said. lated legal action in Ontario. University of Windsor Faculty time to complete essential care Ontario Nurses Association He said the situation is a prime The of Law class action clinic director and are at high risk for burnout example of private health care. got an April judge’s order that Jasminka Kalajdzic said companand injury,” the RSC said. with “This is a perfect example of companies ies not beingprovide sued willstaff be looking Workforce change, the RSC said why we don’t want to do this,” he masks also decision to separate for theand court’s so staff they is key. It wants national stan- said, saying private care can lead and clients to prevent disease can be proactive in providing dards and workforce benefits. to cases of maximizing profits spread. The need for such was care. Also lacking in many cases are through lowering staffing levels. to“If beprivate determined by actors healthcan’t promarket physical, occupational, speech companies, “The cost of contingency plan- fessionals do businessand in anot way that is efand recreational therapists and ning and the cost of having ad- the judge said. fective and safe and does harm technicians; recreational oppor- equate staff are all things that can toHowever, thethey PPE shouldn’t shortage has customers, be tunities and access to uninsured eat away at profit,” Singer said. been global issue for the health in theamarket.” medical services. “They knew or ought to have care oneleave the RSS said But,sector, would that a scarcity known if they failed to take these provinces to handle. of seniors’need homes if some withLegal steps it was reasonable to foresee draw “Wefrom are just starting to have Legalaction action the market? Further compounding problems that people were going to get sick more supplies in thethink supply Kalajdzic doesn’t so.chain for future care of seniors is the and die,” Singer said. and eased substan“Itthings wouldhave open up space for looming threat of class action said.she “In March What homes should be doing tially,” other Hauptman compa n ies,” said. lawsuits from families of those now is getting ready for a second and April, there was very limited “That’s capitalism.” who have died. They’ve already and third wave, Singer said. supplies in Canada andsituation it created But, she said, the
challenges acrossa need the sector. certainly indicates for disOnce the federal government cussion about the role of the state announced shipments had in regulationthat of homes. arrived and were being sent out PPE scarcity has also manifested to thein provinces, theamount situation itself B.C. in the of improved dramatically.” 2020 COVID-19 sickness claims of Windsor Faculty toUniversity WorkSafeBC. Some 337 of a of Law533 class action clinic director total were pandemic-relatJasminka said companed by JuneKalajdzic 1, 82 of those coming ies notlong-term being suedorwill be looking from seniors’ care for the court’s so they workers. It’s adecision situation that can be proactive in providing removes workers from the job, care. placing greater stresses on those “If private actors can’t remaining inmarket the workplace. doInbusiness a way efthe end, in the RSC that said,is“refective safe and does harm form andand redesign must tackle not to customers, theycrisis, shouldn’t be just the pandemic but also in the market.”systemic failures.” long-standing But,fail would that leave a scarcity “To in doing this leaves us of seniors’ homes ifwoefully some withwith our currently indraw from the market? adequate [long-term care] system Kalajdzic doesn’t that thinkthe so.next and the certainty “It would open up space for crisis will create similar or more other companies,” she ■ said. catastrophic outcomes.” “That’s capitalism.” jhainsworth@glaciermedia.ca But, she said, the situation cer@jhainswo tainly indicates a need for discussion about the role of the state in B.C. seniors’ care crisis regulation of homes. PPE scarcity has also maniGlacier Media’s in-depth look at fe s te d i t s e l f i n B .C . i n t h e the problems besetting care for a mou nt of 2020 COV I D-19 the elderly in B.C. as the COVID-19 sickness claims to WorkSafeBC. pandemic exposes deep weakSome 337 of a total 533 were pannesses in the system. See also: demic-related by June 1, 82 of ■How did a long-term care crisis those coming from long-term emerge? Pressure on funding or seniors’ care workers. It’s a and a move to for-profit care situation that removes workwere prime reasons, experts ers from the job, placing greater agree. stresses on those remaining in biv.com/article/2020/07/ the workplace. seniors-care-bc-systemic-failIn the end, the RSC said, “reures-left-facilities-unpreform and redesign must tackle not pared-pandemic just the pandemic crisis, but also ■What are the lessons learnlong-standing systemic failures.” ed from the outbreaks of “To fail in doing this leaves us COVID-19 in long-term care with our currently woefully infacilities? Answers are starting adequate [long-term care] system to emerge. and the certainty that the next biv.com/article/2020/07/talecrisis will create similar or more two-pandemics-protecting-sencatastrophic outcomes.” ■ iors-homes-next-wave jhainsworth@glaciermedia.ca @jhainswo
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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
Naramata Inn is back, baby CELEBRITY CHEF NED BELL TAKES OVER THE INN AND ITS RESTAURANT IN THIS SMALL OKANAGAN TOWN
Story and photos by Steve MacNaull
It’s Tuesday night and the new Restaurant at Naramata Inn is bumping. Every table in the high-ceilinged dining room is full, as are the tables on the heritage hotel’s covered veranda, which doubles as the restaurant’s patio (physically distanced, of course). Between plating meals in his dream kitchen, celebrity chef and inn co-owner Ned Bell is making a point of mingling at every table. He wants to make sure diners know he’s now at the helm, the food and wine are terroir-driven and that the Naramata Inn is back, baby. The 12-room inn, across the street from Okanagan Lake in small-town Naramata, B.C., was built in 1907 by town founder, land baron and tree-fruit pioneer J.W. Robinson. The inn attracted some of the first tourists to the Okanagan and Robinson, a fun-loving character, and his wife
32 JULY 23, 2020
threw some legendary parties at the Mission-style mansion. Over the past 113 years the inn’s history has been rocky. Several owners and operators have tried with various amounts of success to make a go of the business, only to all eventually call it quits and put the property up for sale. Naramata Inn was sitting empty two years ago when Bell, his wife, publicist extraordinaire Kate Colley, designer Maria Wiesner and retired A&W Canada CEO Paul Holland, decided to buy it and turn it into a boutique hotel and restaurant to die for. Bell is originally from nearby Penticton and went on to a storied culinary career, including being mentored by renowned chef Rob Feenie at Le Crocodile and Lumiere in Vancouver; chef at Yew Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver; appearances on TV shows Cook Like A Chef, It’s Just Food and Iron Chef Canada; writing the cookbook Lure: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the
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West Coast as Ocean Wise’s executive chef; and cycling 8,700 kilometres across Canada to raise awareness for sustainable seafood. “The Naramata Inn is a unique place, a true inn, a restaurant with rooms,” says Bell. “Being from Penticton, I feel I was destined to cook at the Naramata Inn. It’s my destiny. It’s a dream come true.” And Bell is dreaming big. His goal is to have the best restaurant in Canada and the top wine list in the Okanagan Valley, a region known for its 250 wineries. If the meal and overnight at Naramata Inn that my wife Kerry and I enjoyed is any indication, Bell is well on the way to his goal. We feasted on scallops with glasses of Albarino from nearby Terravista Winery and halibut paired to sips of Riesling from Synchromesh, another neighbouring winery. The rooms are stuffed with heritage charm, antiques, claw-foot bathtubs and comfy beds draped in all-white linens.
Overnight room rates start at $219 and entrees in the dining room start at $21. Book at NaramataInn.com. Kerry and I rounded out our South Okanagan foray by cycling from winery to winery in Naramata along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail and finishing up at Cannery Brewing in downtown Penticton for glasses of summer craft brews Okanagan Daze and Sunblink Berry Sour in the brewery’s new backyard. A quick jaunt down to Osoyoos near the Canada-U.S. Border saw us check into Watermark Beach Resort for pool time, paddle boarding with Wakepilot in adjacent Osoyoos Lake, which touts warmest-lake-in-Canada status, and a dinner of Cobb salad and rosé wine from Bartier Brothers Winery in Oliver at the resort’s Patio restaurant. We wandered off-site to taste at Osoyoos’ newest winery, Lakeside, and lunched on braised bison and Nk’Mip rosé with a view at Nk’Mip Winery’s patio. Check out VisitPenticton.com and DestinationOsoyoos. ■
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SPORTS THE SCORE
WORCA fundraisers help with projects SPORTS BRIEFS: LOUTITT COMPLETES CROSS-CANADA JOURNEY; HOCKEY HALL SEEKS ARTIFACTS
BY DAN FALLOON THE WHISTLER OFF-ROAD Cycling Association (WORCA) has been able to keep pedalling through the pandemic. Despite taking a major hit when its fee-for-service agreement with the Resort Municipality of Whistler was slashed by two-thirds, WORCA has held some successful fundraisers to keep other projects going. Heading the list is that WORCA surpassed its $10,000 goal for the Chipmunk Rebellion trail, garnering $10,444 to pay trail crew for the construction of the upper section of the exit for Lord of the Squirrels. WORCA raised $4,444, with Edmond Wong matching $4,000 of that and the Sundial Hotel adding $2,000. Wong donated $10,000 in all, with the remainder going to maintenance and other expenses. In his July 17 trail update, lead builder Dan Raymond said the section is coming together. “I’m really happy with our progress so far!” he wrote. Another fundraiser, held in conjunction with We Run Whistler and lululemon, is ongoing through the Trails For All
REBEL YELL WORCA’s Chipmunk Rebellion, a companion trail to Lord of the Squirrels (shown here), surpassed its $10,000 goal to construct its upper section. PHOTO BY DAN RAYMOND
34 JULY 23, 2020
campaign. Designed by Pique’s own Lou O’Brien, the shirts, available for $48, will provide another boost to WORCA. For more, visit amilia.com/store/en/whistleroff-road-cycling-association/shop/ products/7678674. Lastly, Santa Cruz Bicycles has donated two Heckler e-bikes, valued at more than $22,000, for the trail crew to utilize. For more, visit worca.com.
LOUTITT COMPLETES CROSS-CANADA RIDE When he set out on his bike from Whistler for Winnipeg on June 19, Jason Loutitt was open to the idea of carrying all the way on to the East Coast. That’s what the world-class ultrarunner ultimately did, reaching Halifax City Hall on July 11, blowing past his original turnaround point, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in the Manitoba capital, reaching the opposite side of the country in 21-and-ahalf days. The journey covered nearly 6,000 kilometres and he’s now on his way home. “I’ve been very lucky not to have any big mechanical problems. I only had one flat tire and broke only one spoke,” he said from eastern Ontario, where he was taking a day off, on July 16. “I’ve had more things happen on one training ride going to Whistler.” Louttit has also managed to avoid major injuries, taking a day off in Regina when he started to feel some nagging issues and holding up well the rest of the way.
“Sometimes I would stay in a cheap hotel if I needed to prioritize recovery, but sometimes I was camping on the side of the highway, so it’s been pretty adventurous. It’s been exciting to see new places,” he said. During training, Louttit’s biggest days were the 260 km covered during a round trip between Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood and Whistler. However, he managed to nearly double that some days on the flat prairies, racking up days of 400 or even 500 km. There have been challenges along the way, Loutitt said, as temperatures on roughly half the days have exceeded 30 degrees. However, his decade practising hot yoga helped him weather the heat. As he makes his way back, Loutitt has several missions for the challenge, as he is raising money for the Squamish Helping Hands Society’s Under One Roof program, while as a Métis man, he is hoping to give a boost to Indigenous rights and environmental awareness. “I thought about it in terms of, ‘Often, during times of great trials, there are great opportunities,’ and this is a chance to inspire people that are stuck at home,” he said. “I’ve already got so much great feedback from that in terms of people either buying a bike or being really impressed by what I’ve been able to do.” To support Loutitt’s Under One Roof initiative, check out canadahelps.org/en/ charities/squamish-helping-hands-society/ p2p/UnderOneRoof. He has also set up a
separate GoFundMe to help cover some of his costs incurred along the way at gofundme.com. While he’s not riding with an official deadline, Loutitt is hoping to complete the east-to-west trip in 25 days. “When I turned around and started coming back, it was my victory lap, so to speak,” he said. “There is quite a bit of a difference getting into some of the prevailing winds. My first day going into the wind, coming back from New Brunswick, was a little, not disconcerting or disheartening, but I felt so good the next day. I look forward to the challenge.”
BC HOCKEY HALL OF FAME CALLS FOR ARTIFACTS The BC Hockey Hall of Fame is looking to expand its collections. Earlier this month, the Penticton-based Hall put out a call for items showcasing the province’s rich hockey history, including sticks, pucks, jerseys, photos, equipment, game programs or other memorabilia. Hall of Fame executive director Blain Ford said there aren’t any specific items that they’re after and encourages those open to donating or lending items to contact him at executive.director@bchhf.com or 778-559-3263. Among the sections being considered are: Vancouver Canucks history, historical hockey leagues, women’s hockey, Indigenous hockey, championship teams, and influential people. n
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EPICURIOUS
Audain and Alta Bistro team up to explore the art of dining NEW DINNER SERIES COMBINES MUSEUM TOUR WITH CURATED OUTDOOR CULINARY EXPERIENCE
BY BRANDON BARRETT AT FIRST GLANCE, it may not appear like the Audain Art Museum and village restaurant Alta Bistro have much in common. But with a shared interest in showcasing the best that B.C has to offer, their mandates overlap more than you might think. “I always thought there was some type of synergy with the Audain and some type of opportunity to do something really unique there,” explained Eric Griffith, owner and wine director for Alta Bistro. “The synergy, I think, is on a qualitative level, too. The art experience at the Audain is a very high-level, high-quality experience, so we wanted to be able to transfer that quality when you come downstairs.” That crossover between contemporary and traditional B.C. art and top-shelf ingredients sourced from Whistler’s backyard will be on full display through a new weekly dinner series that will begin with a guided tour of either the museum’s permanent or temporary exhibit and end with a physically distanced, multi-course dinner underneath the Audain’s distinct, 56,000-square-foot building designed by Patkau Architects. Held every Friday evening until Sept. 4, each week will feature a new menu designed with seasonal ingredients at top of mind. “[The dinners] will be showcasing what we’re getting in the moment as far as ingredients,” said Griffith. “I never thought about it, but it will be [Audain’s photography exhibit] The Extended Moment paired with the ingredients of the moment, so there is a tie-in there.” With the pandemic in full swing, Audain director and chief curator Curtis Collins said the museum has been “reimagining itself and how we can offer different kinds of experiences. “It gives us an opportunity to begin to experiment with different ways of bringing visitors to the museum in addition to our
WHERE ART MEETS FOOD Audain Art Museum chief curator Curtis Collins, left, and Alta Bistro owner and wine director Eric Griffith. PHOTO BY DARBY MAGILL / AUDAIN ART MUSEUM
public hours,” he added, noting that in the fall, the museum will begin offering smaller, more intimate experiences that will align well with the new COVID-19 landscape. “It underlines the fact that the museum is a very safe environment.” Like other local businesses so reliant on tourism, both the Audain and Alta Bistro have had to rethink how they operate during the pandemic. Two years ago, Griffith finished renovating a 1967 vintage Airstream Bambi trailer that was converted into a full-service kitchen (and required some 200 hours of polishing!) that now allows the contemporary French bistro to take its award-winning cuisine on the road. And while most of the catering events on their calendar have been postponed until next year, the travel trailer has allowed the restaurant to offer a unique concept like the
new dinner series without much of a hassle. The Audain, meanwhile, has put a renewed focus on its digital programming, and its Tuesday Night Talks (TNT) series—which grants viewers access to the museum’s collection and an artist’s home or studio, with a focus on a new piece every week—has proved an unexpected success. “What we’re learning is that people really enjoy this kind of tight focus on specific works so that they can get a deeper understanding of some of the highlights in the collection,” Collins said. “I say that because TNT, as we call it, has been really well received from a general public perspective.” As it settles into its fifth year of operation, the Audain has struck a fine balance between catering to the whims of the Vancouver art scene and the more sport-oriented Whistler market. Ultimately,
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Collins wants to make the museum as accessible as possible and stoke the inner art critic in everyone who walks through its doors. “I’m a very strong believer that everybody has very good visual skills, particularly in the information environment that we’re now in,” he noted. “It’s just a question of giving people the confidence to use those skills and show them how to arrive at a bit of a deeper read on art. It’s all about letting people use the skills they have and not putting up any barriers to that and kind of democratizing the art experience.” Tickets to the Alta + Audain: Fine Dining Art Experience are $160 per person, and include the gallery tour, taxes, gratuities and service charges. Call the restaurant at 604-932-2582 or visit altabistro.com/audain to reserve your seat. ■
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ARTS SCENE
Whistler Film Festival unveils plans to go virtual for 20th anniversary EVENT WILL FEATURE ONLINE FILM PREMIERES, TALENT TALKS AND INDUSTRY PROGRAMMING
BY BRANDON BARRETT THE WHISTLER Film Festival (WFF) will celebrate its 20th-anniversary edition with 20 days of online programming this December—and the potential for a physical event attended by regional guests, depending on how the COVID-19 situation pans out in B.C. “At this point in time, it’s all moving online and it’s a decision that we had to make,” explained festival founder and executive director Shauna Hardy Mishaw. “We took a lot of time to see what was going on in the industry, best practices, and took some time to assess how other festivals had done by taking their programming virtually. We were able to come up with a plan we felt would work.” From Dec. 1 to 20, the festival will screen film premieres, filmmaker and talent talks, and industry programming online. The lineup will include up to 30 new feature films and five short-film programs, compared to 86 films, with 43 features and 43 shorts in 2019. Festival organizers are also exploring ways to combine virtual programming with an adapted five-day physical edition of the event, from Dec. 2 to 6, that could
DEEP DIVE The 2020 Whistler Film Festival’s Adventure Film Series concludes Aug. 24 with the Canadian premiere of Lesley Chilcott’s Watson. PHOTO SUBMITTED
38 JULY 23, 2020
potentially include the premiere of its full slate of films to a regional audience. All physical premieres would be physically distanced screenings, contingent on the province’s reopening health guidelines. Holding a physical event is crucial to festival organizers, as it would allow them to screen films from studios they otherwise wouldn’t. “If you have been following along with what’s going on with film festivals around the world, a lot of studios will not let film festivals that are only delivering virtual programs have their product, since they want to release them digitally themselves,” Hardy Mishaw explained. “By having a physical festival, it will potentially allow us to have films that other events won’t be able to acquire.” Organizers also announced plans this week for its Adventure Film Series, including five screenings of 10 films— both features and shorts—that range from extreme sports to adventure activism. The series will be presented online from Aug. 3 to 30 and will include film premieres, filmmaker introductions and live Q&As. Tickets to the feature films are $14, with the option of purchasing an Adrenaline Pass, which grants viewers access to the entire series for $50. WFF will also offer audiences access to the series’ five award-winning B.C. short films that have previously screened at the festival, including WFF’s 2019 Best Mountain Culture Film winner Coming Home and Becoming History, directed by
Whistler’s own Mike Douglas. The shorts will be available by donation (with a recommended donation of $20). The WFF is also still planning its annual awards celebration on Dec. 6 to hand out 15 juried awards and more than $41,500 in cash prizes and commissions. The deadline to submit films of any length and genre is Aug. 15. While acknowledging the challenge of moving its traditionally intimate atmosphere to a digital realm, Hardy Mishaw believes future editions of WFF could take on a larger online component. “Going forward, we think the festival will evolve to be a hybrid of both a physical and virtual festival,” she said. “That’s a prediction that we’re making at this point in time and it’s really looking at what’s going on with other festivals and having a lot of collaboration with them.” A decision will be made in September about whether to proceed with the physical event, Hardy Mishaw noted. Although the pandemic has ground film productions the world over to a screeching halt, interest in the WFF hasn’t waned in the film community, with the festival receiving more than double the number of submissions as last year. That will also include films from the corridor, with the festival presenting its first ever Sea to Sky Short Showcase. “Our regional audience is very important to us and we know the Sea to Sky is renowned for its creativity,” she said. Widely regarded as one of North
America’s most filmmaker-friendly festivals, Hardy Mishaw said WFF remains committed to delivering the slate of industry programming it is known for, which are slated to run for three weeks in December, but realizes moving the programs online may diminish some of its cachet. “On the professional development side, forming relationships is an absolute key part of the event and Whistler has a reputation for being very intimate and very inclusive. That’s something we’re trying to maintain even in this virtual experience,” she said. Like the rest of the entertainment industry, the WFF has been hit hard financially by COVID-19, with roughly 20 per cent of its revenue coming from ticket sales. Fortunately, however, an anonymous donor has pledged $150,000 to the festival, provided the public matches it. The festival has so far raised $100,000 of its goal, and has until Aug. 15 to secure the remainder. Donate at whistlerfilmfestival.com/ support/donate. “It’s our 20th year and wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Hardy Mishaw said. “We had a grand celebration planned but the fact that we are able to rely on this funding is going to really help our organization and ensure our programs continue to survive and thrive.” WFF will begin announcing 2020 programming in September, with passes and tickets available for purchase. Hardy Mishaw added that, if a physical event goes ahead, filmgoers will likely be able to purchase a combined virtual-physical festival pass. n
ARTS SCENE
Everything in its right place
+ FINE DINING ART EXPERIENCE
LIL’WAT ARTIST FRANCIS BILLY FINDS DOZENS OF PIECES OF DRIFTWOOD—AND HIMSELF—TO BUILD TOWERING EAGLE THRONE
BY BRANDON BARRETT AT THE HEIGHT of the pandemicinduced isolation so many of us have been feeling, Lil’wat artist Francis Billy sought an even deeper level of solitude. So he set out for the rustic North Thompson cabin he likes to visit whenever the weight of everyday life begins to bear down. It’s where he goes to feel the enormity of nature, to face his innermost fears head on. “Before, everyone tried to fight me all the time because I wasn’t like everyone else,” Billy explains. “I had to travel and be away from everybody and understand. To run on Mother Earth barefoot, to lift up my shirt and lay down on Mother Earth so she can give me something, and I can give something back. That’s where I let go of the hurt.” Standing there on a raft that late May day in the middle of murky Mud Lake, Billy was afraid. Then he jumped in. “I was scared. I wasn’t scared of the dark; I was scared of what was in the dark,” he recalls. “I faced my fears there. I faced my fear of hurting my family. I don’t want to hurt my family because I want to raise them to understand what I’m about.” One way Billy conveys what he’s about is through his art, and there is perhaps no work that better reflects who he is at this present moment than his latest piece: a towering throne made from driftwood, depicting a soaring eagle with a salmon clutched in its talons. “It’s really solid. That’s how I want to build things. I want to make sure they’re solid and people understand the work that goes into them,” he says. “It’s a lot of my love and hurt and my understanding of life.” For Billy, the imposing throne is as much political as it is personal: a reminder to the viewer of the harmonious cycle of life, the importance of allowing Mother Nature to just be as she is. “Sometimes you do too much to something, crowd it, and then it’s not worth as much as if you just left it original,” he opines. “That’s my original story, and that’s me sitting on it right there. When I sit down on the bench, it’s my throne, so I wanted to hold it down, take care of it, and respect it.” Made up of dozens of pieces of driftwood he either found himself or was gifted by friends, Billy says landing on the right pieces was a dialogue between him and the wood. “Sometimes I kick over a piece or I turn it. Sometimes it’s not the right way … Sometimes you’ll see the piece way over there and it’ll speak at you,” he explains. “It’s always about the chill. If I don’t get the chill then it’s not right. I kind of have a feeling a little greater than most people. Because I’ve been through so much pain, it
+ GAME OF THRONE Lil’wat artist Francis Billy’s
towering eagle throne was painstakingly assembled from dozens of pieces of found driftwood he refused to alter in any way, with each piece fitting in place exactly as it should. PHOTO BY BRANDON BARRETT
feels good to feel that way, instead of being beaten up or thrown around.” Estimating he has spent upwards of 65 hours gathering and assembling the throne, Billy hasn’t altered the wood in any way. Each piece fits in exactly as it should. A prospective buyer even offered Billy a hefty sum for the throne if he would only finish it with a torch. He politely declined. “I didn’t want to get rid of Mother Nature’s work. She helped me shape all these pieces,” Billy says. “I never changed them, I never cut them. It’s all just natural. I never cut anything. It’s all just meant to be.” Walking around Mount Currie, Billy will sometimes notice Lil’wat walking with their heads down. He’s hopeful his work—bold, powerful and impossible to ignore—will inspire other Lil’wat to explore their own creative side. “It’s a ripple effect. If somebody shows their artwork and that energy hits the 10 people standing around that circle, that’s what’s going to make them walk away and start their own circle,” he says. “I like gathering people. I don’t want people to be spread out because if we’re spread out, you can easily be broken. But if we’re all together, nothing can affect us. That’s why I’m trying to bring all the artists together, so we can send our story to the future, to our grandchildren, their grandchildren. Then when they see the story, they’ll feel it, understand it, and love it.” A condensed version of this story originally appeared in the 2020 summer edition of The Pemberton Visitors Guide. n
PRESENT
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NATURE WALKING TOUR With the
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TRACK SPEEDERS Speeder cars on the PGE Railway in the 1920s or ‘30s, like this one, helped put out fires behind trains, but also rushed people to hospital when the need arose.
THE JARDINE/BETTS/SMITH COLLECTION
Alta Lake speeders BY ALLYN PRINGLE TRANSPORTATION IN the Whistler
WHISTLER’S
CHAIR-ity PROJECT
40 JULY 23, 2020
Valley takes many different forms; people walk, bike, rollerblade, skateboard, bus, drive and even ski in some seasons from one place to another. In the early 20th century, Alta Lake residents had another way to get around the area: the railroad. Speeders—maintenance vehicles used by inspectors, work crews and other employees to travel along the track—are often mentioned in oral histories of Alta Lake. Speeders could be dangerous (in 1918, John Jardine was working for the Pacific Great Easter Railway [PGE] when he was killed after the speeder he was riding on collided with a train), but they could also be very convenient. In the 1950s, when there was still no easy road access to Alta Lake, those with speeders were some of the first to be called in the event of an emergency, such as when a section foreman and his speeder were called on to transport Marianne Golnick, who was in labour, to the hospital in Squamish. Eugene Jordan, the son of Russ Jordan, who operated Jordan’s Lodge on Nita Lake, spent some summers living at Nita Lake with his wife Lorraine and their children while he worked in fire suppression for the BC Forest Service. Fire suppression meant following the train on a speeder and putting out any fires found along the way. According to Lorraine, “There were quite a few fires, you know. People would throw a cigarette out. And the trains used to themselves; the brakes would give off sparks and start fires.” Fire suppression also brought Walt Punnett to the valley in 1947. Walt had served in the navy during the Second World
War and after being discharged began working with the BC Forest Service. Like Eugene, Walt used a speeder to follow trains on the PGE as a “spark-chaser.” He was stationed at Mile 83 (today known as Devine), but his section extended south to the Alta Lake Station and he would sometimes be entertained by Alex Philip at Rainbow Lodge in between runs. Walt explained that he and his partner would wait 10 or 15 minutes before following after the train, as “by that time if there was gonna be anything, a fire, it would have got started but not had time to do any damage.” Most of the fires would start in rotten ties and could be smelled while passing. According to Walt, the summer of 1947 was a quiet fire season, meaning the worst part of the job was filling out paperwork, which all had to be done, by hand, in triplicate. Despite a quiet summer, Walt’s last day of work for the Forest Service demonstrated both the danger and the convenience of speeders. A millworker had run his fingertips through an edger and the fastest means of transportation to reach medical care was by speeder. Walt phoned Squamish to find out what trains were running that day and the pair set out. Only one freight train was expected and it was meant to be quite a ways off. Near Anderson Lake, however, while heading downhill and northbound, Walt rounded a bend and found the steam engine coming straight at him. The speeder was moving too fast to jump off of so Walt held onto his passenger, threw on the onewheel brake, and at the last second, Walt and his passenger jumped off either side and watched the speeder flip high in the air. Speeders have now largely been replaced by trucks using flanged wheels to travel along tracks, but they were an important mode of transportation for Alta Lake residents, especially in case of an emergency. n
PARTIAL RECALL
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1 WEDDING BELLS Congratulations to Pique’s arts editor and assistant editor Alyssa Noel, who tied the knot with Darren Veres in a stunning ceremony in Pemberton last Wednesday, July 15. Your Pique family wishes you both a lifetime of love, happiness and hiking! PHOTO BY LOGAN SWAYZE. 2 GREEN SPACE Whistler Animals Galore (WAG) is grateful to the Whistler community for the help the shelter has received to landscape its dog run. “It has been a long road rebuilding our yard after all of the construction that has gone on around us over the years, but thanks to many caring supporters our animals are finally able to fully enjoy a safe, green, relaxing dog run,” WAG wrote in a message. “Thank you to everyone who made a donation, big or small. It all makes a difference!” PHOTO SUBMITTED. 3 COWORKER CAT Pique editor Clare Ogilvie enjoyed some company as she worked on this issue. “Please let COVID-19 continue so my people work from home,” say pets everywhere. PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE. 4 THINKING GREEN Ken Melamed, former Whistler Mayor and former Green Party of Canada candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country hosted a meet and greet on July 16 for Dimitri Lascaris (far right) who is running to become leader of the Green Party of Canada after leader Elizabeth May stepped down in 2019. Voting begins in September. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 5 BARKING BAY Remy the labradoodle headed to Barking Bay in Rainbow Park for a quick dip to help beat the 30-degree temperatures on Monday, July 20. PHOTO BY MEGAN LALONDE.
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Join our board. Make an impact. This is your opportunity to be a leader in community building. Contact Chair Sue at slawther@whistlerfoundation.com
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ASTROLOGY
Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JULY 23 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “The creation of the world did not take place once and for all time, but takes place every day.” Aries playwright Samuel Beckett made that observation, and now I’m passing it on to you as you glide into an extra-creative phase of your astrological cycle. I hope you will regard Beckett’s idea as an openended encouragement to improvise and experiment. May it rouse you to brainstorm about novel possibilities. May it inspire you to explore fresh trends you could launch. May it mobilize you to imagine the new worlds you might Big-Bang into existence. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Diane Ackerman tells us, “So often loneliness comes from being out of touch with parts of oneself.” That’s the kind of loneliness I worry you may be susceptible to right now, Taurus. You’re a bit out of touch with aspects of your psyche that are crucial for you to include in your total sense of self. You’ve been neglecting to nurture certain soulful qualities that keep you healthy and wise. Please note: It won’t be useful to try to find those parts of you in other people; you will have to locate them in your own depths. Here’s the good news: The coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Someone ought to do it, but why should I?” Author and activist Annie Besant identified that sentence as the motto of people who are moral cowards: those who know about an injustice but do nothing to address it. Very few of us have completely avoided that behaviour. Most of us, including me, have now and then chosen to serve our need for comfort instead of standing up against corruption or unfairness. But I think it’s more important than usual that you Geminis don’t engage in such moral cowardice now. More depends on your integrity and bravery than you realize. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Born in 1936, Cancerian author and activist June Jordan was a Black feminist bisexual woman born to Jamaican immigrant parents. When she was growing up, her father beat her and her mother committed suicide. Later, she raised her child alone as a single mother. Despite the challenges she faced, she published 28 books, won numerous awards, and wielded significant influence. How did she do it? She was a highly evolved Cancerian in the sense that she put a priority on treating herself well. “I must undertake to love myself and to respect myself as though my very life depends upon self-love and self-respect,” she testified. I’d like to make that your keynote for the rest of 2020. Your task is to achieve June Jordan-levels of self-care. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “How can I communicate to wild bunnies that I am their ally?” asked a Twitter blogger named Ghost Girl. That question is a good place to start my oracle for you. In the coming weeks, I think you’ll be wise to meditate on how to enhance your relationship with all kinds of wild things: animals, people, weather, landscapes, and your own exotic thoughts and fantasies. In my opinion, you will upgrade your intelligence and wellbeing by increasing your access to influences that don’t necessarily play by conventional rules and that draw their energy from primal sources. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s never too late to have a rebellious adolescence—hopefully bigger and better and smarter than any you’ve had before. And according to my analysis, now would be a favourable time to get started. Is there any stuffy authority you’d be wise to flout? Any dumb and oppressive conventions you would benefit from breaking? Any stale, old traditions you’re primed to ignore so you can create some lively new traditions? In my estimation, you will generate good fortune for yourself if you try some benevolent mischief and creative experiments. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your word of power for the coming weeks is ubuntu, a Zulu term meaning “I am because we are” or “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.” Nobel Prize-winning
theologian Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes, “A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished.” I hope that between now and Aug. 25, Libra, you will put ubuntu at the centre of everything you do. Make it an intensely practical practice. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them,” says Scorpio-born Liberian politician Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” I trust you’ve arrived at this realization on your own in the past few weeks. And I hope you have audaciously expanded and supercharged your dreams so that they do indeed surpass your current ability to accomplish them. If you have not yet done this daring work, please attend to it now. If you have done it, move on to the next step: making definite plans to acquire the power and resources necessary to achieve your new, improved dreams. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “The soul should always stand ajar,” wrote Sagittarian poet Emily Dickinson, “That if the heaven inquire, / He will not be obliged to wait, / Or shy of troubling her.” I’m confident that this will be a fertile meditation for you in the coming weeks. So what does it mean? By “heaven” I assume Dickinson meant marvelous interventions, sacred revelations, and lucky accidents—and maybe also soulful invitations, out-of-the-blue opportunities, and supernatural breakthroughs. What do you think, Sagittarius? What can you do to make your soul ajar for phenomena like those? CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Everything is complicated,” wrote poet Wallace Stevens. “If that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.” I agree! And therefore, I conclude, you should shed any resentment you might feel for the fact that our world is a crazy tangle of mystifying and interesting stories. Drop any wish that life will stop being so fascinatingly messy and confusingly intriguing. Instead, why not celebrate the deep riddles? And revel in the intriguing complexity? And give holy thanks for the paradoxical beauty? Everything I just said should prepare you well for the next four weeks. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll be extra sensitive to stimuli in the coming weeks. Every little event will touch you more intensely than usual. Every perception will flow into you with an unusually strong potential to move you and influence you. That’s why I think you should be vigilantly self-protective. Erect a psychic shield around yourself. Make sure your boundaries are firm and clear. Affirm your unshakable commitment to deflecting vibes that aren’t of use to you and welcoming vibes that will enhance your wellbeing. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Actress Gwyneth Paltrow founded Goop, a company that markets exotic, expensive health treatments. She claims that far-infrared gemstone therapy and crystal-based sound-healing baths will dissolve your negativity. Allowing bees to sting your scars will supposedly cause the scars to fade. Drinking “sex juice,” a blend of watermelon and alkaline water, will enhance your libido. The “collagen martini,” which is a mix of vodka, vermouth, olive juice, and collagen peptides, will smooth your skin’s wrinkles. I’m favourably disposed to you taking strong actions to improve your wellbeing in the coming weeks, Pisces, but I recommend that you try cheaper, more reliable modalities than those Paltrow recommends. Like what? Ample sleep and good food, for starters, along with fun exercise, time in nature, enjoyable meditation sessions, and tender expressions of love.
HELP STOP THE SPREAD 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
Homework: Are there any ways in which you would benefit from becoming more well-balanced? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com
In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates
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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.
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N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0
JOB POSTING
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR AND/ OR ABORIGINAL SUPPORTED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT WORKER The N’Quatqua First Nation is seeking a qualified Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker to fill a full-time position at N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre. The successful candidate will join our NCFDC team, the function of the Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker is to provide the extra staffing support to a child care center in order for children with extra support needs to fully participate in the child care settings chosen by their families. The Early Childhood and/or Support Worker works as a team member with child care setting staff and with all the children and families providing general support to the whole program to ensure effective inclusion of the children. The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in: • Ability to develop and maintain a warm, caring, responsive relationship with the child. • Ability to establish and maintain supportive, collaborative relationships with families and staff. • Ability to maintain confidentiality, positive, professional, nonjudgmental attitude. • Physically ability to carry out the duties of the position. • Planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community, inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children • Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations • Interpersonal, written, oral communication skills and maintaining positive communication with parents • Collaborating with community service providers, Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects In addition, the Early Childhood Educator and/or Aboriginal Supported Child Development Support Worker will have: • A minimum of 2 years work experience in a child care setting • Valid Early Childhood Education Certificate, Special Needs License to Practice or going to school to take Early Childhood Educator and/or special needs. • Special Needs certificate or relevant experience preferred • Clear Criminal Records Check & Current First Aid • Food Safe, or willingness to obtain • Some knowledge of curriculum and philosophies in First Nations Early Childhood settings Terms of Employment: • Full-time Permanent, Monday to Friday hours to be determined • Start Date: As soon as possible • Wage: (negotiable depending on experience) Cover Letter & Resume to: Title: Lisa Sambo, Manager Agency: N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre 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 23, 2020
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Now hiring for the following positions:
ROOM ATTENDANT
We are currently interviewing for Red Seal Carpenters (or equivalent experience) Please submit resume to: info@evrfinehomes
Whistler’s Premier Estate Builder
HOUSEPERSON • • • • • • •
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
is now hiring for
Relief Night Auditor This dynamic role includes the following Perks and Benefits:
• Year-round continuous employment • 10 hour shifts (approximately 3 per week) • Competitive wage and benefits program • Seasonal bonuses • Supportive management
FULL TIME and PART TIME POSITIONS WITH A COMMERCIAL CLEANING COMPANY
Please reply with a cover letter and resume to hr@listelhotel.com
• Competitive wages, $22.00 - $25.00 per hour (depends on experience) • Flexible working hours • Must have a valid Driver’s License
Thank you for your interest. Only those applicants being considered for an interview will be contacted.
Send resume to: teamcwhistler@telus.net Or call: 604-935-8715
• Fun Team environment
Locally owned & operated since 1986. is seeking
F/T DISHWASHERS COMPETITIVE WAGES, TIPS AND DINNER
F/T BUSSER COMPETITIVE WAGES, TIPS
Call 604-932-5565 in the afternoon and ask for Rolf or Jeff or email resume to info@rimrockwhistler.com
46 JULY 23, 2020
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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N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre PO BOX 88/64 CASPER CHARLIE PLACE, DARCY BC V0N 1L0
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.
PIQUE NEWSMAGAZINE
SUBSCRIPTIONS
52 ISSUES $76.70/YEAR
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
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. • Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects
REGULAR MAIL WITHIN CANADA
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team
$136.60/YEAR
REQUIREMENTS: • Standard First Aid with CPR-C & Clear Criminal Record Check
COURIER WITHIN CANADA
• Food Safe certificate, or willingness to obtain • Evidence that the candidate has complied with the Province’s immunization and tuberculosis control programs.
$605.80/YEAR
COURIER WITHIN USA
Wage: Negotiable depending on experience Hours of work: 32 hours per week Location: D’Arcy, BC Closing Date: Until position is filled
PAY BY MASTERCARD, VISA OR AMEX TEL. 604-938-0202 FAX. 604-938-0201
Submit cover letter &resume to: E-mail: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca
PLAY HERE
The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available:
HOUSEMAN AND ROOM ATTENDANTS » piquenewsmagazine.com/jobs
Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca JULY 23, 2020
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• You are listened to HARD • 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.
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***Local Automotive*** Automotive technician for year round position in Whistler. 604-905-9109 steve@localautomotive.com
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6• MARRIOTT 5 HOTEL DISCOUNTS 1 7 2 4 Email your resume to work@westinwhistler.com with your Zoom / Skype contact info. 1 4 9 8 1 EMPLOYMENT 2 8 EMPLOYMENT 4 OPPORTUNITIES 6 5 7 for you 9 3 We are the Spa If you are looking for a new place to call 2 home: 3 7 • We manifest positive energy • We have a long term and loyal team 8 6 1 • We treat you fairly and look out for your wellness
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Vida Spa at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler is currently recruiting:
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We’re Hiring
DISHWASHERS APPLY TODAY!
THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS
Grow. Contribute. Explore.
HERE
Staff Housing Available! Competitive Wage + Benefits Package CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES Server Assistant Host / Hostess
USE
er (Araxi) (Bar Oso)
ant
USE
s
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.
Ziptrek Ecotours is now hiring:
Outfitting & Check-in Agent Apply by sending a brief cover letter and résumé to hr@ziptrek.com
ResortQuest Whistler is currently hiring: • Room Attendants ($21.49 per hr.) • Maintenance Techs. • Guest Service Agents Benefits include - activity allowance, extended medical, RRSP match, opportunities for growth and more. To apply for this opportunity, please specify the position and email your resume and cover letter to: beth.fraser@vacasa.com We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Come join our Team!
Housekeeping positions starting at $1950 Guest service agents On site parking • Shared staff accommodation Great team environment! *Company paid benefits hr@blackcombspringssuites.ca • 4899 Painted Cliff Road JULY 23, 2020
49
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Want to Make a Difference?
WI’s excellent reputation around the World means we’re growing again. We immigrate people to cities and towns all over Canada (not just Whistler) and the work we do builds communities and achieves dreams. We are the experts at immigrating great people to a great country!
Support Lílwat Nation’s vision for a sustainable financial future. Inspire and mentor the team. Make a difference.
DUTIES: Perform administrative duties, co-ordinate office procedures, organize incoming communication, booking appointments, tracking payments and other tasks in support of administrative functions.
You are an inspiration leader ready to mentor your team. You will foster a collaborative and empowered team environment, looking for opportunities for continued growth and learning.
REQUIRED: • Post-secondary degree/diploma in political science, business administration or related field preferred. • At least two recent consecutive years in a skilled professional job with the same employer preferred.
• Very strong professional references.
1.
No drop-in, phone calls or faxes please.
Email cover letter and resume to: jobs@whistlerimmigration.com
CPA or similar designation with 8+ years senior level accounting and financial experience Proven collaborative leader who inspires and motivates teams Exceptional interpersonal skills, calm demeanor, with a track record in building and sustaining a high degree of trust with stakeholders, colleagues and team members Desire to lead with heart and to make a difference
Please visit lilwat.ca/careers/career-opportunities-2/for more information about the position and how to apply. There is no closing date. We will close the posting when we have filled the role.
WORK WITH US & GROW A CAREER FINE FINISH PAINTING HIRING EXPERIENCED PAINTERS COMPETITIVE WAGES AND BONUSES FUN CREW TO WORK WITH AND FLEXIBLE HOURS Send resume to: finefinishpemberton@gmail.com
• Incredible organizing and multitasking ability. • Good knowledge of Microsoft Outlook and Office
4.
• Strong writing skills, professional communication.
What you will bring:
2. 3.
50 JULY 23, 2020
Administrative Officer Full-time, Permanent $20/hour to start
Director of Finance for Lílwat Nation Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, this senior leadership role is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction in the planning, management, administration and reporting of the Nation’s financial, IT and administration areas.
Lead Assist Create Support Collaborate
WE ARE HIRING:
Glacier Media Group is growing. Check our job board regularly for the latest openings: glaciermedia.ca/careers
Resort Municipality of Whistler
Employment Opportunities · General Manager, Resort Experience · Village Host Program Assistant · Administrative Assistant - Resort Experience · Corporate Coordinator Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers
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
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Accountant (Permanent F/T)
EXCITING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES APPLY TODAY! Diamond Resorts Canada Ltd., Whistler, BC
Full Time & Part Time Housekeepers Full Time Maintenance Technician Eligible successful candidates may receive*: • Extensive benefits package which may include; ski pass or wellness allowance, disability coverage, travel insurance and extended health and dental. • Paid lunch break and 2 weeks paid vacation. • Travel Allowance and discounted employee rates at any Diamond Resort International resort. • Full-time work year round and a FUN work environment. *eligibility and conditions based on DRCL policies and practices set out in general terms and conditions of employment.
Email your resume with the position you wish to apply for to: embarc_hr@diamondresorts.com
H I G H M O U N TA I N BREWING CO. BREWHOUSE WHISTLER, BC
Be a part of our dynamic team at one of Whistler’s busiest spots! At The High Mountain Brewing Company, Whistler Brewhouse, we take pride in our product and service - From the busy patio to the cozy two-sided fireplace, from our exceptional pizzas to our hand-crafted beer. We are currently looking for
Dishwashers and Line Cooks
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.
with group bookings and social media experience.
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).
We offer comprehensive benefits packages after a probationary period, as well as competitive wages.
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:
Please come by with your resume or apply via email to mvedan@mjg.ca
4355 BLACKCOMB WAY
WHISTLER, BC, V0N 1B4
NORTH ARM FARM FARM FIELD LABOURER
Weeding, irriga ng, harves ng and processing fruits & vegetables. More than one season of agricultural experience required. Looking for hardworking individuals able to work in all types of outside condi ons. Minimum 40hrs/wk over a minimum 5 days/wk. $14.60/hr. Job Dura on: 32 weeks March 9th through to November 9th 2021 Applicants can mail, or email resumes to North Arm Farm PO BOX 165, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0 Email: info@northarmfarm.com
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: DO YOU LIVE IN PEMBERTON? THEN WHY COMMUTE TO WHISTLER?
Night Auditor (Full Time or Part Time Available)
Apply to: jobs@pembertonvalleylodge.com
Competitive wages, health benefits, casual environment JULY 23, 2020
51
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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
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Own up Family of lions Pillow filler Ballerina painter Breakfast nook Wallet stuffers Venetian blinds Gnawed away Pledged Passport possessors Expunged Actress -- Day Picnic intruders Narrow inlet Like certain owls Type of bean Not fitting Painter’s undercoat Do the floor Military runaways Thai neighbor Apartment Prior to
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Slogan Day pts. Tearooms Supply weapons “Bus Stop” blonde Nerdy Kind of flurry Huge hairstyle Ticked off Treadmill units Fumbler’s word Bait Wolf’s expression Minority groups Ump’s calls Shade-loving plant Lurk Let loose Rock band need, for short Health food “Breathless” star Depot info Fan noise Stoop High degrees, briefly Nuisances Email option, for short Hotfoot it Clink glasses Mr. Serling Borders on Put in Tea leaves readers Drop a glass Natal native Follows closely Poem on a grand scale Smoked salmon
94 95 96 97 99 101 103 105 106 107 109 114 116 118 119 121 122
Lickety-split Pinches off Loses Not deceived by Taste or hear Snake Gentler Wind up Terminator Trustees Former electronics mfr. Show grief Sturdy shoes Riviera summer Time of the mammals Popular fruit pie Held sway
123 125 126 127 128 130 131 132 133 135 136 138 142
Sparkling Carbonated beverages Gutter sites Camel relative Full of cargo Saying Get acclimated Centering points -- Davis of “The Fly” Ms. Teasdale Combust Heal, as a bone Jackie’s tycoon
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: HARD
1 4 3 2
7 6
6 4 3 5
9 9 8 2
2 5
3 4
3 5
4 7
5 8 1
HARD Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 42
ANSWERS ON PAGE 48
JULY 23, 2020
53
MAXED OUT
Is it one step forward or two steps back? ONCE AGAIN THIS WEEK , I’m struggling with the yin yang of evolution and erosion. The hopeful, positive, glass-half-full part of me still clings, ever more desperately, to the notion humans are evolving toward enlightenment while the hopeless, nihilistic, whisky’s-almost-gone part has nearly relegated humans to the trashbin of soon-tobe-extinct life forms. Part of what’s driving this high dive into the possible divergent roads ahead is the gong show south of the border, the part of North America I used to call home. Where to start? Gravity pulls me toward
BY G.D. MAXWELL the ever-petulant Orangutan-in-Chief but that seems too easy. Not that there isn’t an endless trove of misdeeds there to explore but like the current pandemic, it’s been done to death. But perhaps his invasion of Portland, Ore., is the prologue to a new chapter, the Occupation of Amerika, or at least what he reviles as Democratic America. Cribbing a page from the Dictator’s Handbook, the unspeakable man-child sent federal agents—decked out like adolescent trickor-treaters in camo tactical gear with no name tags—cobbled together from different federal agencies and “organized” as rapid deployment teams under the “control” of the Department of Homeland Security, to “protect” federal buildings from Black Lives Matter protesters, also known as anarchists. As part of their building-protection agenda, they engaged with protesters, beat them, snatched them off the streets and pulled them into unmarked cars, teargassed indiscriminately and generally acted like the storm troopers they’d become. Of course, this was done after the Democratic governor of Oregon asked for federal troops to put down the riots. Oh, wait a minute, I got that wrong. Actually, Gov. Kate Brown demanded the troops be removed from the state since, in her words, it was all just political theatre being played out to rally the Trump supporters. Political theatre seems a trifle nuanced to my way of thinking. This is out and out fascism from a president who seems to have a serious bromance issue with strongmen dictators around the world. Achtung, baby. But sadder still, and tipping the scale toward extinction, is the seemingly unshakable 30 per cent or so of Amerikans who slavishly support both the man and the actions. I’m not certain what their view of a Great America is, but it seems much more like Orwell’s 1984 than any version of evolving toward enlightenment I can think of. I’m sure within this cohort is embedded
54 JULY 23, 2020
PHOTO BY BRIANAJACKSON/GETTY IMAGES
many of those who believe the simple prophylactic of wearing a facemask in crowded public places is akin to slavery—a loss of political freedom they’re certain is protected somewhere in the U.S. Constitution, not that they are likely to have ever read it. “Ah don’t believe it is within the power of the government to force people to do something like this,” drawled one municipal lawmaker on the nightly news. There was, unfortunately, no footage of him getting into his pickup truck and driving home without having fastened his legally ordered seatbelt. “I’d rather die of COVID than wear a facemask,” said another libertarian snipped into the same story. I listened with wonder at his reptilian brain and its inability to conceive it may well not be him who would die and whether he’d be so cavalier about
There are no people who have personally experienced this pandemic or been close to someone who has who believe it’s a hoax. But there are plenty who haven’t who are sure it’s a nefarious plot to steal their liberty, or thwart their re-election. Such is the myopia of the true unbelievers. To avoid this being turned into a whiny rant so popular on this side of the border, looking south for all the ills of the continent, let us ponder the evolution-erosion continuum in the Great White North. Our very own, still-popular PM, once again facing conflict of interest allegations, chose a sick day Monday and failed to show up in Parliament to receive the wrath of the opposition over his oopsie in the WE charity, untendered, billion-dollar boondoggle, after having said he looked forward to it. I’m pretty sure it was a sick day because I can’t believe he’d use a well-day pass to stick his
This is out and out fascism from a president who seems to have a serious bromance issue with strongmen dictators around the world. Achtung, baby. having his spouse/partner die, his children, siblings or parents die because of his, or someone sharing his views’, refusal to so something so simple and other-directed. But then, it is reminiscent of all those lacking empathy who fervently hate homosexuals until their child comes out of the closet or march against abortion until their daughter needs one after being raped.
ministers with the job of dodging questions about the issue all day. Watching the various stand-ins deflect thinly veiled allegations of graft reminded me of a nearly hidden gem of a line in The Maltese Falcon. Asking Joel Cairo, who’d been questioned all night by the police after being pinched in Sam Spade’s apartment if he’d spilled the beans to the cops, Cairo
responded, “No, but I certainly wish you would have invented a more reasonable story. I felt distinctly like an idiot repeating it.” I saw the same look on their faces, coupled with a wistful longing to have phoned in their own sick day. Then again, I’m guessing JT needed a little more time to think of a good excuse for both the contract itself and his moment of forgetfulness when he said no one in his family had ever derived a financial benefit from WE. Apparently, “Because it’s 2020!” just rang hollow as an answer. Should we need more evidence of our collective downward spiral, let us pause for a moment and consider the crushing, if selfdestructive, sheer boredom of the newest cohort to feel the kiss of COVID—20- and 30-year-olds. Seems like just a few months ago they were tsk-tsking their parents for not taking the pandemic seriously and continuing to go to Yoga-For-Stiff-Old-Folks classes at the community centre. But now, having binge-watched everything on Netflix, having gained seven kilos baking sourdough bread daily for three months, having gotten to the hairpulling stage from Zoom working at home with bored children interrupting every few minutes to let them know the dog threw up on the living room rug... again, they’ve decided enough is enough. Time to par-ty. Ironically, the cocktail of drink, socialization, bars and house parties is setting the stage for an extremely difficult step— sending kids back to school—to become an impossible step in the face of a second wave of virus, thus sealing their fate to be housebound into the foreseeable future. It makes me wonder how, just a few generations ago, everyone coped with an endless war, rationing, deprivation and no Netflix. Evolving or eroding? You decide. n
Be Mindful
Stay Safe NEW LISTING
PRICE REDUCED
THE COURTYARD 14-2213 Marmot Place This is the time to buy. Complete reno, short walk to Creekside Gondola. Bathroom, heated flooring, carpeting, fireplace & drywall are all brand new. Legal Airbnb. More info? See website, http://14.digitalopenhou.se $649,000
Ken Achenbach
604-966-7640 Pierre Eady
BLACKCOMB BENCHLANDS 116-4800 Spearhead Drive Amazing ski in location in this 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom Apsens apartment. Unrestricted owner use & nightly rental. Remodel in 2019. HOA includes hot water, heat, internet & cable. Outdoor pool/HT, gym and storage. $835,000
Nick Swinburne *PREC
WHISTLER VILLAGE 43-4335 Northlands Blvd This large 2 bed/2 bath townhome overlooks the lagoon and boasts a million dollar view of both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Zoned for short term rentals or full time living this property is a must see. GST is applicable. $1,198,000
604-698-6748 Janet Robson
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE 1-2243 Sapporo Drive THE closest Gondola Village unit to Creekside gondola, this fully renovated 1 bed + loft condo comes fully furnished. Storage locker & large covered deck. Nightly rentals allowed. No GST $575,000
604-932-8899 Janet Brown
EMERALD 9205 Lakeshore Drive Stunning lakefront and mountain views—a slice of heaven on Green Lake! This gorgeous waterfront home has 64’ of shoreline and is situated on a large, private lot, with an immaculate lawn. A must see! $4,975,000
Gina Daggett
BRIO 23-3102 Panorama Ridge This bright and spacious 2 Bedroom, 1 bath, 904 sqft townhouse offers ideal living for Whistler residents. You’ll feel like you are on a permanent vacation with green space, children’s playground and tennis courts. Walking distance to Whistler village! $739,000
ALPINE MEADOWS 8361 Rainbow Drive This family home with one bedroom suite is located near valley trail & nearby Meadow Park. The Ri-1 Zoning can be explored for future renovations or building your future new Chalet. www.8361RainbowDrive. com. 1,690,000
604-935-0700 Kathy White
BLACKCOMB BENCHLANDS 226 4800 Spearhead Drive SKI-IN / SKI-OUT!! 2 bedroom 2 bathroom in the Aspens! Completely renovated, private forest views from 2 private balconies! Check out the 3D interactive walkthrough: www.226aspens.info $1,098,000
778-998-2357 David Wiebe *PREC
604-966-8874
604-938-2468
604-616-6933
SQUAMISH 39270 Mockingbird Crescent RAVENSWOOD! By Brennan Centre. Beautifully designed 3 bedroom Plus Den home with a loft. Features include: quartz countertops throughout, engineered hardwood floors, spa inspired ensuite with heated floors, large south facing sun deck. $1,188,000
Angie Vazquez *PREC
Engel & Völkers Whistler
Whistler Village Shop
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Squamish Station Shop
36-4314 Main Street · Whistler BC V8E 1A8 · Phone +1 604-932-1875
325-2063 Lake Placid Road · Whistler BC V8E 0B6 · Phone +1 604-932-1875
150-1200 Hunter Place · Squamish BC V8B 0G8 · Phone +1 778-733-0611
whistler.evrealestate.com
whistler.evrealestate.com
whistler.evrealestate.com
*PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.
778-318-5900
3D Tour - rem.ax/229greystone
SOLD
#228B - 2036 London Lane
$159,900
The best ski-in/ski-out location on Whistler Mountain with unbeatable amenities including: heated year-round outdoor pool with 2 hot tubs, BBQ, exercise facility, movie theater, kid’s games room and owner’s lounge. Offered fully furnished & equipped this air-conditioned property features a gas fireplace, gourmet kitchen & in-suite laundry
James Collingridge
2
604.902.0132
#217 - 2007 Nordic Drive
$574,900
If you are a Whistler resident/employee or Whistler employer this unit is for you. Offering 2 bedrooms/1 bath, this unit in Nordic Court has been updated with new windows, laminate flooring, granite counter tops and in-suite laundry (washer/dryer combo). This is a top floor unit with deck facing north/north east.
Laura Barkman
2
604.905.8777
#229 - 4905 Spearhead Drive
Ski in/Ski out. Located in Greystone which is an extraordinary complex with an outdoor pool and hot tub right on the ski hill. A property that doesn’t come on the market often because it is quiet and well managed. This 1 bedroom with lock off is one of the largest one bedroom units listed with zoning for Tourist Accommodation or unlimited personal use.
3D Tour - rem.ax/221eagle
$1,225,000
This condo is located in one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Whistler right on the 16th tee of the world-renowned Nicklaus North golf course. Floatplane access gives a luxurious arrival to your Whistler getaway & allows quicker access to the amenities this neighbourhood boasts including biking, hiking, boating, Scandinav Spa & more.
Madison Perry
2
778.919.7653
#102 - 2109 Whistler Road
Matt Chiasson
$1,699,000
2
604.907.2223
#38 - 8030 Nicklaus North Blvd.
$469,900
604.902.4260
$960,000
Stylish cozy, updated 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom in the heart of the Village - 7 minute walk to the base of Whistler and Blackcomb Gondolas, and our towns finest restaurants and shops just outside your front door. #221, situated in Eagle Lodge is on the sought after, quiet side of the building.
Matt Kusiak
$1,975,000
2
604.935.0762
Michael d’Artois
7
604.905.9337
4729-B Settebello Drive
2
#23 - 4725 Spearhead Drive
$1,068,000
Renovated one bedroom and den in Wintergreen townhomes on Blackcomb. This spacious townhome is all on one level and features a beautifully updated kitchen, 2 separate bedrooms, renovated bathroom, wood-burning fireplace and large patio which is perfect for outdoor entertaining.
Sally Warner*
WHISTLER OFFICE 106 - 7015 Nesters Road, Whistler, BC V8E 0X1 604.932.2300 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070 *PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
If you are a home owner, buyer, tenant, landlord, or small business in need of help during this time, please see our updated list of resources at: remax-whistler.com/resources
604.905.6326
1.5
$514 ,000
Enjoy owning a 1/4 share in this beautiful 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhome with absolutely incredible views of Blackcomb mountain. After a hard day on the ski hill, you can enjoy relaxing in your own private hot tub. It’s just a short walk to all sorts of shopping, restaurants and the village square, yet far enough away for peace and tranquility.
Michael Nauss
3D Tour - rem.ax/23wintergreen
The features of this property include a large kitchen with pantry, new appliances, laundry, electronic wall hookups in the master bedroom and living room, large garage, garden bed, and low monthly strata fees. Access to the trail system is steps away from the front door.
Richard Grenfell
.5
Englewood Greens is situated at the Nicklaus North Golf Course. In Winter the cart path is groom-tracked every night for x-country skiing which form part of the lost Lake trail network.In Spring through Fall Harbour Air Whistler Air Base is walking distance from your Whistler home.
3D Tour - rem.ax/302orion
#302 - 7350 Crabapple Court
604.935.9171
#221 - 4314 Main Street
3D Tour - rem.ax/38englewood
A beautiful 6 bedroom home on 1 acre of land minutes away from downtown Pemberton. South-facing views of Mount Currie from the top of the main home with large deck, wood-burning fireplace, updated kitchen with stone countertops & stainless steel appliances; heated slate & marble floors & updated bathrooms.
Meg McLean
$375,000
A unique opportunity to own a revenue property in the spectacular Whistler Valley. Zoned for nightly or long term rental, this studio apartment is situated on the ground floor, on the quiet side of the building. Located only a few minutes walk to the Creekside gondola as well as shopping, restaurants, and bars, with transit, only steps away.
3D Tour - rem.ax/1428collins
1428 Collins Road
1
Sherry Baker 604.932.1315
3D Tour - rem.ax/205nicklausnorth
#206 - 8080 Nicklaus North Blvd
$899,000
3
604.932.9586
3D Tour - rem.ax/lot1hjp
Lot 1 Heather Jean Properties
$950,000
Unique property opportunity in Lillooet Lake’s gated community, Heather Jean properties. This is a 4045 sq ft 7 bedroom home over two levels on 1.89 acres, with truly spectacular lake and mountain views from huge sundeck. Heating options include two woodstoves, two fireplaces and a forced air system with heat pump for AC purposes.
Ursula Morel*
604.932.8629
4
PEMBERTON OFFICE 1411 Portage Road, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1 604.894.6616 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070