JANUARY 28, 2021 ISSUE 28.04
WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM
FREE EMPATHY
DON’T FORGET THE UNCOUNTED OF
CASUALTIES COVID-19 THEY WON’T STOP, UNLESS WE FINALLY ADDRESS THE FACT THAT UNEQUAL SOCIETIES ARE SICK SOCIETIES
14
COMMUNITY MEETING
A deep dive
into Whistler’s COVID-19 cases
16
CAT ATTACK
Man survives cougar
attack in Soo Valley
38
MAP IT OUT
Book of ski maps features
Whistler Blackcomb
THE WHISTLER REAL ESTATE COMPANY
CONGRATULATES IT’S MEDALLION CLUB MEMBERS
The Whistler Real Estate Company is honoured to acknowledge the achievements and success of our 2020 President’s Club & Medallion Club Members. Each year the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board recognizes its membership with the President’s Club (top 1% of all members) and the Medallion Club Individuals and Teams (top 10% of all members) based on units sold for 2020.
CLUB TOP| 1% MEDALLION PRESIDENT’S CLUB MEMBERS INDIVIDUAL
DEAN LINNELL*
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MEDALLION CLUB TEAMS TOP 10% MEDALLION CLUB MEMBERS | TEAM
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LYNNE VENNER & TRACEY CRUZ
RAY LONGMUIR
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ELIZABETH CHAPLIN JON CHAUDHARI*
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604 932 5538 WHISTLERREALESTATE.CA 604 932 5538 *Personal Real Estate Corporation WHISTLERREALESTATE.CA *Personal Real Estate Corporation
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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE
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30 Uncounted casualties of COVID And there are many. They won’t stop, unless we finally address the fact that unequal societies are sick societies. - By Crawford Kilian
14
STUNNING SPIKE
An 11th-hour online
26
COMMUNITY RALLIES
A Pemberton family
community meeting offered locals insight into Whistler’s high number of
is expressing its gratitude for how the community immediately provided
COVID cases, where they seem to be coming from, and what can be done.
support after its puppy died in a heart-wrenching tragedy.
16
34
COUGAR ATTACK
A man in the Soo Valley
FASHIONABLY LATE
Skeleton athlete Jane
did everything right when a cougar attacked him outside his home. A
Channell scores a bronze medal in her first IBSF World Cup event of the
conservation officer shares some tips on how to handle aggressive wildlife.
season in Königssee, Germany.
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LOCAL LEGEND
Whistlerite Grace Oaks is
MAP IT OUT
The man behind the hand-painted ski
remembered for her passion and talent for skiing, her zest for life, and the
resort maps from around the world releases a book filled with carefully
lessons she left behind for us all.
crafted pieces.
COVER For better or worse, one thing this pandemic has exposed is everyone’s varying levels of empathy. - By Jon Parris 4 JANUARY 28, 2021
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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE
Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS Often it can be clear if you’re struggling with mental health. But the
#202 -1390 ALPHA LAKE RD., FUNCTION JUNCTION, WHISTLER, B.C. V8E 0H9. PH: (604) 938-0202 FAX: (604) 938-0201 www.piquenewsmagazine.com
pandemic has made that murky middle ground of “kind-of-OK” a lot more common.
Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT
10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter writers this week talk about the great non-COVID
Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com
healthcare you can still get in Whistler, and argue why they should be allowed to attend in-person church service.
Editor CLARE OGILVIE - edit@piquenewsmagazine.com
13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Learning shouldn’t be reserved for the young, writes perennial
Assistant Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@wplpmedia.com
beginner Brandon Barrett.
Production Manager KARL PARTINGTON - kpartington@wplpmedia.com
50 MAXED OUT This week, Max speculates on the behind-the-scenes conversations that got Canada’s
Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@wplpmedia.com Advertising Representatives
outgoing governor general appointed in the first place.
AMY ALLEN - aallen@wplpmedia.com TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com
Environment & Adventure
Digital/Sales Coordinator AMELA DIZDARIC - traffic@wplpmedia.com Production production@piquenewsmagazine.com LOU O’BRIEN - lstevens@wplpmedia.com Arts & Entertainment Editor ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com
28 SCIENCE MATTERS This week, David Suzuki looks into Alberta’s public inquiry into “foreign-
Sports Editor DAN FALLOON - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com
funded anti-energy campaigns” and what, exactly, that means.
Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com
29 RANGE ROVER Columnist Leslie Anthony shares Part 2 of his list of 50 places, things or
Reporters BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@wplpmedia.com
experiences that have enriched his ski life. Get ready for some vicarious travelling.
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Lifestyle & Arts
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36 EPICURIOUS A Whistler couple is using Mom’s recipes as inspiration for their new line of traditional
Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ANDREW MITCHELL, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON
Mexican taqueria sauces.
President, Whistler Publishing LP SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of Whistler Publishing Limited Partnership, a division of Glacier Media) distributed to over 130 locations in Whistler and to over 200 locations from Vancouver to D’Arcy. The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2021 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.
40 MUSEUM MUSINGS Lordy, lordy look who’s 40! It’s… Tapley’s! Take a look back at the watering hole’s opening day.
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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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OPENING REMARKS
Let’s talk about the muddled, in-between space of being sort-ofbut-not-really OK HOW HAVE YOU been feeling lately? Chances are, even if you’ve never had a serious struggle with mental health in the past, you might be having a few down days—or even weeks. Even the most resilient people I know lately have been suffering from some “blah” moments where it feels hard to even get
BY ALYSSA NOEL
arts@piquenewsmagazine.com
out and do the things that make you happy (that you’re still allowed to do under current COVID-19 restrictions). While I struggle with the Pacific Northwest winter gloom in the cheeriest of years, the dark, wet days have felt particularly hard for me working from
feel like I’m living for the future instead of living for the moment, and it’s a tough adjustment. I suspect that might tap into a lot of people’s mental state right now. We’re all living for sunnier, COVID-free days when we can gather, do whatever activity we want, and leave our hand sanitizer at home again. Pemberton artist Aurora Moore got me thinking about this strange mental-healthmiddle-ground this week during an interview. Her art of Black Tusk was chosen for a pin that Arts Whistler and Whistler Community Services Society are creating for their new ReachOut! Whistler initiative (see page 39). The project is meant to raise awareness and funds for arts, health and wellness in Whistler. “One of the things that’s been on my mind is a lot of people don’t feel they deserve help,” Moore says. “People are like,
It just feels ironic that even with a vaccine rollout underway and some kind of end to this pandemic in sight, things still feel so heavy and relentless. home in my small apartment. I’ve struggled to find motivation to go for a weekend hike or a daily run—things I usually love. I’ve been an anti-homebody my entire life, but now I find myself revelling in the safety and ease of just not going out to contend with (what feels like) the sickly, COVID-ridden masses. For the first time I can remember, I
‘My life isn’t that bad. I shouldn’t complain about it.’ But one of the things I think is everybody deserves the chance to talk to somebody about issues they might have.” We talk often in this paper and in this community about seeking help when you’ve realized that you’re struggling with mental health. (In fact, Bell Let’s Talk day is set for Thursday, Jan. 28, dedicated entirely
Great opportunity to get into a single-family home in Whistler! This 3 bed/2 bath home sits on a large 12,420 sq foot property with views of Armchair Glacier. Its spacious and bright open concept kitchen/living area make it perfect for entertaining. Rejuvenate in the renovated spa like bathrooms after a day on the hill.
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to breaking down stigma around mental health.) But, like Moore pointed out, what if you’re in a more muddled in-between place where you’re feeling a little off, but you can’t articulate it without also rattling off all the ways you’re still so lucky? I know I’ve done that multiple times throughout the last 10 months. In fact, I can’t even count how many casual conversations have concluded in “but we’re so lucky to live here right now where we can still enjoy the outdoors, aren’t we?” It just feels ironic that even with a vaccine rollout underway and some kind of end to this pandemic in sight, things still feel so heavy and relentless. So what if we took a cue from this campaign and actually spoke a little more honestly about struggles that might feel lowlevel compared to more serious mental-illness battles, but still are battles nonetheless? I suspect if we dedicated the next few months to answering the rhetorical question, “how are you?” with an honest answer, we might find the person politely asking it could actually relate. “Actually, I’m pretty sick of being at home so much.” “I’m tired of heading into public places on edge and armed with masks and sanitizer.” “I’m so over not being able to make future plans.” “If I have to hear one more wellintentioned politician tell me I must remain vigilant, I’m going to lose it.” Full stop. No “but I’m so lucky to have a job,” or “my family is healthy, so I can’t complain” as an addendum. It’s OK to not be OK sometimes. It might not require a counselling session or medication, but who knows, it just might help to talk to someone about it. ■
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In-person church service should be allowed I’m writing this letter in hopes of getting the government to overturn their decision to not allow church services in person. This goes against our charter of rights in my opinion. What is the difference if a 12-step meeting can meet in person and follow the COVID-19 protocols and in-person church service where we would like to practice our faith with other members of the church. I attend the Whistler Community Church here in town and we have followed the COVID-19 protocols since Day 1. Two- to 50-person services with social distancing, wearing a mask at all times, contact tracing, disinfecting in between services. And knock on wood, there hasn’t been an outbreak or exposure from one of our services. [Sea to Sky MLA] Jordan Sturdy got back to me saying the worship session of the service— meaning the singing—won’t allow us to meet in person because of the amplified sound. They are behind the plexiglass as well and once again following the protocols. Who makes up these rules? I know we are not a restaurant or small business making money and trying to survive during the pandemic and even the restaurant industry has done an amazing job to curb the
spread. Going to a restaurant makes you feel human again and that’s what I’m requesting to change—being human and meeting with others in the church setting. And as for the 12-step groups, they need that human contact in person since I feel the ones struggling with addiction and substance issues were forgotten about with a record number of overdose deaths last year in B.C. If you read this, [Provincial Health Officer Dr.] Bonnie Henry please let us practice our faith in person sooner then later. Doug Ryan // Whistler
Snowmobile story misses the mark Dan Falloon’s article on the coming of age of Snowmobiling in Whistler misses the mark badly (“Snowmobiling’s coming of age,” Jan. 22). The sport is quite obviously “evolving,” but not so certainly “as the world is changing.” Nor for overall society is the evolution positive. Whistler Search and Rescue notes improvement in safety and training: “great.” [Ryan] Nadeau of the Powder Mountain Snowmobile Club notes that he and others appreciate the interests of both motorized and non-motorized users, “fine.”
Falloon might have added that there is considerable overlap of the two groups, but that is a separate issue. He could well have expanded on the disproportionate impact of snowmobiling on the land base, and of the increase in this as machines continue to evolve. He fails to mention the impact (especially below treeline) on ungulates, black bears, grizzlies, or even the iconic image of wilderness. But the real failing of this piece is the absence of any mention of the contrary impact of snowmobiles with the stated intentions of our local government, our provincial government, our Centre for Sustainability, to say nothing of the 65 per cent of British Columbians who want to see more climate action. In appearance, in Whistler and the Sea to Sky corridor, the snowmobiler needs to come equipped with both a machine (or two) and a truck preferably an F-350 or a large RAM. The truck seems to transport the machine to the grocery store, the ski hill parking lots, and back and forth to Whistler from Vancouver. The carbon footprint of this coupling is both large and unnecessary. I hesitate to shun anyone who loves the outdoors, but truly, if you want to preserve our winters, you must recognize that our greatest local contribution to greenhouse gases comes from internal combustion vehicles, and big crew cabs have a greater impact all around. Buying a big truck to transport a motordriven toy is hardly in line with combating climate change. And yes, the “world is changing” and we all need to act. A real evolution in this sport would be
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the adoption of electric sleds, transported by electric trucks, (but there would still need to be discussion of the other impacts to the environment, too). Perhaps Dan could update us on this future. Al Whitney // Whistler
Many thanks to the Whistler Health Care Centre This is not a COVID moment! This is to assure everyone in the community that the Whistler Health Care Clinic is still functioning as usual despite the COVID-19 pandemic that is raging through the world. I had a large mole on my back that had changed colour recently. I have fairly compromised skin so this was a concern. I
“[I]f you are thinking of putting off that call because you think your problem is not serious enough, please don’t!” - ALIX NICOLL
called to speak to my doctor, who was away, and was asked to take a photo and told I would receive a call from a doctor who was filling in. The call came through at the exact time specified and after some basic questions I had an in-person doctor appointment for the following week. I arrived on time and was immediately taken in to see the doctor who decided that a biopsy was needed. I agreed and the biopsy was done right away. I was informed that I might have to wait for a couple weeks for the result, but in fact the call came back in under a week. The biopsy was good news but the largish mole had to be removed—this is where my faith in the system usually falls apart. To book an appointment with a dermatologist is a long and frustrating project involving a referral and a trip to Vancouver. Believe me, I have been down this road before. What a breath of fresh air to hear the words, “I can do the procedure here if you would like? And we will send the whole removal off for a further biopsy to ensure that all of the mole has been removed.” I “liked” and the process was done at the clinic—five stitches later and I was on my way. The final biopsy came back benign and I just have to wait for the wound to heal. The stitching was top class and the whole process was seamless. All this took place while Whistler is in the midst of a pandemic, the likes of which the world has not encountered before and one that is putting all of our first responders under huge pressure. My message is that if you are thinking of putting off that call because you think your problem is not serious enough, please don’t!
Virtual appointments are available and follow up if necessary. My thanks to all at the Whistler Health Care Centre for all that you do for us and continue to do in these difficult and extraordinary times— you are the best! Alix Nicoll // Whistler
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Good gig, even after you resign Seeing as despite resigning, that [former Governor General] Julie Payette will receive $149,484 yearly for life as a pension and also being entitled to a lifetime expenses of $206,000 per year, I would like to apply to be the next Governor General of Canada please. If that doesn’t go though, then I will happily accept a position in our unelected Senate for life. Patrick Smyth // Whistler
Whistler or Blackcomb, today? We shouldn’t think they’re so different, really. Looking between the mountains, there is a great divide, but not so much of interest. Who doesn’t seem to have a chasm of sorts, between one thing and another, these days? It’s the environment, or the way things were. The internet, or the silent majority. The purpose and the perception would seem to be the same, but we are living in a place where at least it is obvious. Some love Blackcomb, and some love Whistler. Maybe this year, it is different than last. Maybe our eyes love to linger on the other side, while we stand in line imagining what it’s like over there. Like life, there is always another side, and it has something to do with why the old system of monarchy seemed to work. There was a way about judgement that was final. No matter how many sides could be seen in an argument, someone else was going to decide. This democracy thing, hardly ancient but surprisingly energetic, deals us another card. It leaves open the chance to trump even a wild card. We should know now, that sometimes having both in your hand offers a play that could get out of line. But who are we anyway? Just the neighbours. We don’t play by the same rules. It’s not everyone who can take an adventure from their doorstep, on any given day of the week. Most would find the idea of travel a necessary part of the diversion, and it is proof of how things work in a resort town. Those who are simply looking out their window, deciding on their own best advice what to do and where to go to seek it, have an advantage over the many who make a point of coming here. It’s why we travel, too, but for different reasons. Taking the namesake to heart, Whistler Village offers a look into two different worlds, without having to take an extra trip. There are choices here that go beyond our own decision to offer advice on which mountain is best today. Just take a ride up and see, and you will escape the sense of it, the need to answer for a choice. It will already be on your mind when you wake up. Like having a home far from the toil
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.
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Marshall Viner Register atWhistler’s marshallviner.com receive weekly real estate updates PremieretoLifestyle Neighbourhood
9400 Emerald Drive • Emerald Estate, large lot; 10,710 sq ft • Old timer house • Perfect investment for future build and current rental property income. • Lot is very bright
$1,399,000 T 604.935.2287 E marshall@marshallviner.com
marshallviner.com
Engel & Völkers Whistler
JANUARY 28, 2021
11
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AL PI NE ME A D O W S VIEW LOT Gently sloping, easy build lot, approximately 9750 sq.ft. with a generous 75-ft frontage. Design your custom home and take advantage of morning sun and inspiring views of Armchair and Wedge Mountains! Act quick and start building this summer, these lots are rarely available! O ff e red f or $1,285,000. Laura Wetaski • Engel & Völkers Whistler
Phone: 604-938-3798 Email: laura@wetaski.com #36 4314 Main Street, Whistler
Nick Davies, Whistler local and experienced family lawyer practising across BC andYukon.
Call at 604-602-9000 or visit www.macleanlaw.ca Maclean Law is headquartered in Vancouver with offices across British Columbia.
of work, but close enough to remember it when people arrive to find an escape, answers for a challenge in keeping close the warmth of hospitality. Whether we know it or not, there is no divide between the ways that word finds us. We can welcome it as much as anyone, and find it in the gift of those who return because there is a way to look at two worlds here. In the offing of an election, there are always those who mask participation with regret. It’s the excitement of the choice we give to illusion too often, when the return of our thinking must be covered up by a loss. As many leaders have failed as would be safe to count to the need of wisdom in keeping attention from wandering too much in the lead-up to candidacy, and so it is often the remembrance of those who try not to push too far. Democracy will always have a way with our sentiment left to the honesty of that try. It is safely discovered, when the person who we register as first to an effect of representation might actually score well in the promise of greater attention. It comes from that to a place where the higher causes within a country reach alongside the promise of some well being associated with the character of success, and with the like
of any community, a gap forms between the two essential roles charted to measure with personal opinion. The adventure in politics is not made out of answers seen to welcome all sides to the same position, but in how it answers for everyone taking part there is success out of the perception many may be welcomed to answer for it. Whistler is a perfect model of this example, and it has found consistent growth in a world divided of two. It is possible that will continue, for our world, though it is only 2,000 years or so, since democracy came along. It was meant for cooperation in the early days, and to relieve a sense of burden as it could so easily accumulate to those in power. The absolutes of reason will never find us all equal, but in owning something of the choice given to allow a sense of the working privilege in government a fair premise acting in favour of wisdom, most find thought of the next election still something to welcome home. It is there we return after all, and our neighbours will probably think twice as time goes by. They as we, may seem far apart for awhile, but still trying to build a community, just as always. Roger Duddridge // Victoria ■
Backcountry Advisory AS OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27 With a fairly stagnant weather pattern moving into the rearview mirror, the mountains will be refreshed with what is probably some much anticipated new snow! The Sea to Sky region will likely receive more than 30 centimetres of new snow over the weekend. The storm is expected to pack a fair punch, bringing heavy precipitation and strong winds with it. While the excitement of a 30-cm dump can be tough to suppress, we need to remember that conditions are going to change significantly with the arrival of the storm. This is especially true when a storm has been preceded by a period of relatively cold and dry weather. During these cool, dry weather patterns, what usually happens is the surface of the snow
begins to change, creating weak snow crystals. When that old snow surface gets buried under fresh powder, those weak crystals can be problematic as they can become a sliding layer for avalanches. Storm fever is a real thing, and the thrill of a powder day can tip the scales away from our usual levelheadedness, making us susceptible to less-than-ideal decision making. This can be especially true if we haven’t had a good powder day in a while. It’s important to remember that big changes to the snowpack are most often accompanied by an increase in avalanche danger. The theme for this weekend will be transitioning back into a conservative mindset, and keeping our wits about us when we venture into the backcountry. ■
CONDITIONS MAY VARY AND CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY Check for the most current conditions before heading out into the backcountry. Daily updates for the areas adjacent to Whistler Blackcomb are available at 604-938-7676, or surf to www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountaininfo/snow-report#backcountry or go to www.avalanche.ca.
Mountain Psychology and Neurofeedback Centre
Stephen L. Milstein, Ph.D., R. Psych. BC #765 -604.938.3511 Dawna Dixx Milstein, OT. COTBC # AA0201 - 604.938.3523 Whistler: #107 - 4368 Main St, Whistler, B.C. V0N 1B4 Squamish: 38077 2nd Ave, Squamish, B.C. // 604.848.9273
Serving sea to sky for 18 years
12 JANUARY 28, 2021
PIQUE’N YER INTEREST
In praise of sucking OK, THAT PROBABLY wasn’t the best headline, what with its suggestive nature and all. Despite initial appearances, I’m not here to wax poetic about the oral arts, no sir. I’m here to talk about the less literal form of sucking, the kind that I excel at: being bad at stuff. But even using the word “bad” isn’t really appropriate in this sense. I want
BY BRANDON BARRETT to get away from the idea of good and bad, because latching onto an outcome means we’ve already set ourselves up for disappointment, something we tend to do with greater frequency in adulthood. Think about it: When’s the last time, fellow grownup, that you tried something new, failed spectacularly, dusted yourself off, and jumped right back on that metaphorical horse? If you’re like me (God help you), you have a litany of halfstarted projects you dropped like a bad habit at the first sign of struggle. I think it’s partly why my restless mind and I became a journalist, a career tailor-suited to knowing a little about a whole lot. A vast ocean of shallow ponds.
For some reason, as super-important adults, we tend to have this notion that age and experience automatically equates to skill, that somehow we have to skip over the beginner stage right into success. Factor in the hyper-performative nature of social media, where most of us present the very best, highly filtered version of ourselves, and it’s no wonder that we too often give up
the wall using only a box of matches and a box of tacks. Often, people tend to struggle with the exercise because “they get hung up on the ‘functional fixedness’ of the box as a container for tacks, not as a theoretical shelf for the candle.” Care to guess which demographic tends to do pretty well at this whole candle problem? Five-year-olds.
[H]ave you ever seen a Kindergartner hold up his latest piece of macaroni art, monocle firmly affixed over his eye, and go, “Well, it isn’t my best work”?
before giving it the ole’ college try. For inspiration, researchers recommend adopting a child-like mentality to learn a new skill, even as your abilities and knowledge advance. In a recent Guardian article, Tom Vanderbilt writes about a cognitive test called the “candle problem” in which people are asked to attach a candle to
That’s because younger children are more likely to have a less rigid “conception of function” than their older counterparts, less fixated on the intended purpose of the box than all the different ways it can be used. I mean, all you have to do is watch a toddler with an iPad to see how quickly and easily they accept its myriad applications, without question, while I sit there and
marvel at how the magic screen does all that complicated computer stuff. The sheer joy (and sometimes, terror) of being a child comes from their inherent naiveté. They see the world around them with fresh eyes, are open to surprises, because, well, most things are surprising to a toddler, and are therefore less guided by any preconceived notions gained from lived experience. Just as importantly, they don’t care, or even have a conception of, looking bad. I mean, have you ever seen a Kindergartner hold up his latest piece of macaroni art, monocle firmly affixed over his eye, and go, “Well, it isn’t my best work”? (OK, that’s a very specific example.) What’s more, is because of their lack of shame, kids often get to access the kinds knowledge that the self-conscious adults don’t allow themselves to. “[Children] are more likely to pick up details that adults might discard as irrelevant,” Vanderbilt writes. “Because they’re less concerned with being wrong or looking foolish, children often ask questions that adults won’t ask.” Especially in this isolating pandemic, when most of us have much more time for self-reflection and self-improvement, I think we would do well embrace our inner neophyte and harness the curiosity of a child, because, after all, it doesn’t have to suck to suck. ■
Dogsledding
BOOK NOW 604.938.1616 CANADIANWILDERNESS.COM JANUARY 28, 2021
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NEWS WHISTLER
Everything you missed from Whistler’s virtual COVID update WHISTLER SAW 103 COVID CASES IN THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE YEAR
BY BRANDON BARRETT WHISTLER HAS continued to see a significant number of COVID-19 cases in the days since public health officials revealed, for the first time, the exact number of cases to hit the resort this year. “Unfortunately we’re still seeing a lot of people every day, and we’re still seeing a lot of positives every day,” said Dr. Karin Kausky. “Everyone should really double down on the basics of public health guidance around social distancing, wearing masks, hand hygiene and really sticking to an incredibly small bubble.” With the recent spike in cases, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) organized an 11th-hour community information session on Thursday evening, Jan. 21, with local health, business and community leaders taking a number of COVID-19-related questions from the public. Offering the most granular and up-todate figures on the virus in Whistler since the pandemic began, the Sea to Sky’s
ON THE RISE With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the resort, Whistler officials held a virtual community meeting on Jan. 21. SCREENSHOT
14 JANUARY 28, 2021
medical health officer Dr. John Harding revealed that Whistler had seen a total of 103 lab-confirmed cases up to that point. We also learned the resort had 271 cases for the entirety of 2020. (Vancouver Coastal Health [VCH] does not typically share communityspecific numbers in small towns when cases are below a certain threshold in order to protect medical privacy.) “We did see an increase in cases back in November,” Harding said on the wellattended Zoom call. “We’re not seeing as many this time around quite yet. But that said, COVID tends to travel in certain social circles, and the important thing is we have really good COVID safety protocols in Whistler. I can attest to that because of all the contact tracing: we’re not seeing the transmission happen, for the large part, in our businesses and restaurants, and that’s thanks to the COVID protocols people have.” Harding noted that the majority of the recent transmission has occurred within households, with about 60 to 65 per cent of cases hitting the 20- to 29-year-old demographic. That increases to between 70 to 80 per cent once extending that age range up to 40, Harding said. The disproportionate impact on Whistler’s young adults is largely a function of the resort’s customer-facing economy and cramped living situations, explained Kausky.
“The COVID pandemic has in our community disproportionately affected a really specific demographic, which are young people that work in the service industry or on the frontlines and in dense, large housing situations. That makes this really difficult,” she said, before commending the job the demographic has done to further prevent the spread. “It has been so striking to me how committed this demographic is to doing the right thing. I don’t think everyone knows that,” she said. “It is difficult to do the right thing in these situations if you are economically vulnerable—and they’re not doing it for themselves.” Numerous local businesses have reportedly been impacted by the recent uptick in cases. Whistler Blackcomb said last week that a number of staff may have been exposed and are in self-isolation. Splitz Grill also closed temporarily after a staff member tested positive last week, while Gibbons Hospitality confirmed Monday, Jan. 25 that it had closed the Longhorn Saloon temporarily after a staff member tested positive, as well as a separate potential exposure from guests of the restaurant. Meanwhile, Hy’s Whistler, El Furniture Warehouse and the Longhorn Saloon were added this week to VCH’s list of potential exposure sites, meaning health officials
have not been able to contact everyone who may have been exposed. The potential exposure dates are listed as Jan. 12, and from Jan. 14 to 21 at El Furni’s; Jan. 13, and 15 and 16 at Hy’s; and from Jan. 16 to 25 at the Longhorn. It’s the second time the Longhorn was added to VCH’s exposure list, after it first appeared there in the fall. VCH considers the risk of transmission to be low in all three cases, but recommended anyone who attended the establishments during the listed potential exposure dates to self-monitor for symptoms. At press time, the restaurants were temporarily closed.
COVID CARE During the meeting, local Dr. Olivia Bayley reiterated that COVID care is free and available to all in the community. “COVID care is free regardless of your immigration status and access to care,” she said. Given the importance of early detection, she also encouraged anyone who thinks they may have symptoms to call Whistler’s dedicated COVID clinic line at 604-9661428, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. “If people are noticing that they have some symptoms, don’t hope that they might
NEWS WHISTLER go away and push on through, but just stay home, give us a call, and get your test done,” she noted, adding that, typically, a patient will obtain a test within 24 hours of notifying the clinic. Local doctors have been partnering with the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) to provide relevant information on accessing other social services to anyone getting a COVID test, explained WCSS executive director Jackie Dickinson. “If you are an individual accessing a test at the Whistler testing site, you’ll get to your phone this piece of information that has your test results, but also how you can reach out to us, how you can book an appointment with us and how you can arrange a food bank delivery,” she said. “We’re trying to create those synergies so there’s less work on your end and it’s easier for you to make the connections.” For anyone experiencing food insecurity, the food bank remains open from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, while food-bank deliveries are also available by calling the WCSS office line, which is open six days a week, at 604-932-0113. Each delivery also includes hygiene kits for each member of the household to allow them to safely self-isolate. More information is available at mywcss.org.
WHY IS VCH SHARING COVID NUMBERS NOW? A common question that has come up since the onset of the pandemic is why public health authorities do not share specific COVID case numbers in smaller
“The review of our legal options made it clear we can’t prevent people from travelling to British Columbia. We can impose restrictions on people travelling for non-essential purposes if they are causing harm to the health and safety of British Columbians,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement. “Much of current interprovincial travel is work related and therefore cannot be restricted. Public health officials tell us what is most important is for everyone to obey health orders, wherever they are, rather than imposing mobility rules. Therefore, we will not be imposing travel restrictions at this time.” Horgan went on to say that if officials see transmission increase due to interprovincial travel, the province would impose stronger restrictions on non-essential travellers. Unsurprisingly, visitation to the resort slowed to a trickle after the new travel advisory was issued in November, with hotel occupancy hovering around 10 per cent, according to Tourism Whistler (TW). Occupancy rates climbed to 27 per cent in December, with regional visitors making up the vast majority of the uptick, said TW president Barrett Fisher. “However, when we hit January, that dropped right off, especially after the stay at home [advisory] was put in place,” she noted, adding that TW has halted all of its marketing for the months of January, February and March. In response to a question about quarantine monitoring, Harding acknowledged there will be some who don’t follow public health guidance “to a tee,” but that as long as the “vast majority of people are following the guidelines the
FULLY FURNISHED 1/4 OWNERSHIP CONDO/HOTELS IN WHISTLER CREEKSIDE
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JAMES COLLINGRIDGE
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AT FA I R M O N T C H AT E A U W H I S T L E R
“Everyone needs to respond.” - JACK CROMPTON
communities like Whistler. According to VCH’s communications policy, caseloads are not publicized in small towns under a certain threshold to protect medical privacy, “In a small town everybody knows everybody so there’s the concern around that. Secondly, it’s a lot of work to stay on top of these numbers and we do the best we can but it requires a lot of what we call data cleaning to ensure we get those numbers right all the time,” Harding said. VCH will publish firm numbers, however, “when we have a spike in cases like we currently have,” he noted. Pique has requested more information from VCH on the formula behind revealing specific case totals, and will update this story online if we hear back.
NO INTERPROVINCIAL TRAVEL BAN Thursday’s meeting coincided with an announcement from the province that it was not legally entitled to restrict travel into B.C., an option Victoria was exploring in recent days and one that many in Whistler had called for.
majority of the time,” the spread of the virus will slow down. “I appreciate some people can’t for a particular reason, whether it be economic, whether they have a loved one they need to care for, whether there’s a funeral,” he said. “Sometimes people have to make decisions that are very hard trying to choose between what’s best for the community and what they may need to do for themselves.” Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton reiterated that preventing further transmission is everyone’s collective responsibility. “The conversations I’ve been having with people online is about visitors. One of the things that’s really occurred to me today … is this is an everybody problem,” he said. “This is a traveller problem, it’s a problem for people who’ve lived here 50 years and people who’ve lived here for five months. Everyone needs to respond.” Anyone with COVID-like symptoms is advised to first consult B.C.’s selfassessment tool at bc.thrive.health/covid19/ en. If you meet the self-assessment criteria or you are still concerned, you should call Whistler’s COVID clinic line. n
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JANUARY 28, 2021
15
NEWS WHISTLER
Fighting back against cougar likely saved Soo Valley man’s life YOUNG, EMACIATED COUGAR SHOWED ‘PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR’ IN UNPROVOKED ATTACK, COS SAYS
BY BRANDON BARRETT FIGHTING BACK likely saved the life of a local man who was attacked by a cougar north of Whistler this week, according to the Conservation Officer Service (COS). The 64-year-old man was on his rural property in the Soo Valley on Monday afternoon, Jan. 25, when he was mauled by a young, emaciated cougar, suffering major injuries to his face and hand. (The COS originally reported the man’s age as 69.) “We all know cougars are opportunistic feeders, and judging by the condition this cougar was in, it was quite desperate for food and definitely showed predatory behaviour towards the individual that was attacked,” explained COS officer Brittany Mueller. Although cougar attacks are rare, Mueller said when they do occur, it’s commonly younger cats who lack hunting ability and experience. “Based on the age this cougar was, it more than likely got disposed from mom not that long ago, trying to find its own territory and it just isn’t an efficient
16 JANUARY 28, 2021
hunter,” she added. The agency stressed that the victim “took the right steps” during the incident by fighting back against the cougar. “For all of our large predators, typically it’s the same response: You want to make yourself look big and you don’t want to turn and run,” said Mueller. “If it was to attack like this cougar did, you want to fight back and you want to make sure that you’re trying to go for the face of the animal where you’ll do the most damage in fighting back. That’s what saved this individual’s life. He was able to deter the attack from continuing.” The cougar, which was reportedly still on the grounds when first responders arrived, was shot and killed by RCMP officers on the scene. At press time, the COS Predator Attack Team remained onsite to monitor the situation and ensure public safety. The incident marked the first reported cougar sighting in the Soo Valley in recent memory. Mueller did say that the wider Sea to Sky continues to see one or two cougar sightings a month, but “nothing out of the ordinary” for this time of year. An increase in sightings had been noted
COUGAR ATTACK A photo of cougar tracks left behind at the site of an attack at a Soo Valley property this week, north of Whistler. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CONSERVATION OFFICER SERVICE
in the Kelowna area, with reports more than tripling in 2019—from five sightings to 19. Just what was behind the uptick is tough
for researchers to pin down, especially considering how difficult it can be to track the elusive animal. “It’s hard to know [why] a lot of animal populations go up and down,” Adam Ford, Canada research chair in wildlife restoration ecology and professor at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, told Vernon Morning Star in a May 2019 interview. “Maybe there’s a link to changes to other sources of food. If the whitetail deer population went down, as they don’t do as well in the winter, you might see more cougars wandering around.” Mueller stressed that, despite their rarity, cougar attacks can occur “anywhere” in British Columbia. “Always be prepared and alert for an encounter and know what to do,” she added. In the past century or so, there have been a total of five fatal cougar attacks in B.C., with all but one occurring on Vancouver Island. For more information on what to do in a cougarencounter,visitgov.bc.ca/gov/content/ environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/ wildlife/human-wildlife-conflict/stayingsafe-around-wildlife/cougars. n
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NEWS WHISTLER
Council hears wide range of comments on Cheakamus Phase 2 PUBLIC HEARING HELD FOR LONG-AWAITED HOUSING PROJECT
BY BRADEN DUPUIS THE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is one step closer to building more employee housing in Cheakamus Crossing after a virtual public hearing on Jan. 26. More than 40 people tuned in for the public hearing, which comes after a related rezoning bylaw received first readings on Dec. 15. Once adopted, the bylaw will allow for about 295 additional units of housing in the neighbourhood, to be developed in stages and to include a mix of both rental and ownership (though the final mix is yet to be determined). Seven people spoke at the public hearing (along with 11 pieces of written correspondence), voicing concerns over things like increased traffic, maintaining recreation access, the cost of the new housing, the need for more ownership over rental, and more. “We live right on Mount Fee Road, so seeing an increase in traffic is concerning, but the main concern I have is that of access,” said Michele Stalker.
“With one access point to all of Cheakamus Crossing, and over a river, over a bridge, if there were an emergency evacuation, there needs to be some other way to get all of the residents out of the area in a quick fashion. “Is there a way that we can utilize the forest service road, and have that as a secondary access point so that there is this emergency access, and evacuation route?” From a recreation perspective, local kayakers are hoping to clarify access to the Cheakamus River, as the development will necessitate the rerouting of the westside Cheakamus Lake Forest Service Road. “We have no issue with the actual development itself, we just want to maintain good relationships between the recreational users and local residents,” said Pemberton’s Phil Middleton, who said he and other kayakers have been using the FSR as their main access to the river for more than a decade. “The concern is putting all of these recreational users through the entire neighbourhood,” he said. “We just worry that it will cause tension, and cause sour relationships down the line.”
In response to concerns about the removal of trees on the land, “my understanding is we were entitled to clear that no matter what the zoning of the property was, as the owners,” said
“The concern is putting all of these recreational users through the entire neighbourhood.” - PHIL MIDDLETON
Councillor Ralph Forsyth—which director of planning Mike Kirkegaard confirmed. “That [Parcel A] development was approved under the existing zoning, and a permit was approved [on Sept. 15],” he said. “And that permit provided for the site clearing, and so it was considered and approved through that process.” With a geopark project also in the works that aims to bring visitors to Loggers
Lake, and a gas station planned across the highway at Function Junction, the makeup of the neighbourhood is indeed set to change drastically in the coming years (though it should be noted that the RMOW can’t just build housing anywhere—it was granted the land at Cheakamus specifically for affordable housing through the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy agreement). “I am really, really concerned about Function Junction; that whole area with the gas station coming and everything, it’s going to be such a bottleneck, [with] people from Vancouver coming to use Cheakamus as a recreation area,” said Petra Gier. “[For] we who live here, you have to consider the noise pollution.” All public submissions will be compiled into a summary report, which will be presented to council before consideration of adoption, Kirkegaard said. “Staff will be reviewing each of the submissions, questions that are asked, and the issues that are raised,” he said. “And that report will be a public report presented to council in an open meeting of council.” n
Grace Oaks died Saturday January 23, 2021 at peace and on her own terms, just the way she lived her life. She was 86.
40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IS HERE! IN PRINT AND ONLINE!
Look for it in select hotel rooms, on stands, in shops… or call us if you would like copies delivered. 604-932-1672
Whistler’s premier visitor magazine since 1980
/whistlermagazine whistlermagazine.com 18 JANUARY 28, 2021
To say Grace was an avid skier is an understatement: During the 2017-18 Whistler season, she skied 2,437,162 vertical feet in 160 days. She defied the limits of aging and inspired all who met her to do the same. She was an accomplished athlete and every year she raced in the Peak to Valley as well as the Masters National Championships in the US.
She is survived by her sisters Audrey and Joyce, sisters-in-law Ruth and Myrna, daughter Danielle, daughter-in-law Janice and her four grandchildren, Doug, Jennifer, Dane and Michaela. They all wonder who they’re going to brag about!
She’ll be missed but not forgotten. She was Amazing Grace.
THANKS TO YOU,
WE DID IT!
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the community, the Whistler Health Care Foundation (WHCF) has surpassed its $1.5 million fundraising goal to upgrade the trauma rooms at the Whistler Health Care Centre. The campaign to raise funds for the trauma rooms at the 25-year-old Whistler Health Care Centre began at the end of 2019 and was the largest single campaign undertaken by the WHCF. The project - 100% funded by this campaign - will increase the size and functionality of the current trauma rooms, provide easy access to all available equipment, improve medical staff access, and bring state-of-the-art technical upgrades.
THE WHCF IS GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF OUR GENEROUS DONORS AND SUPPORTERS WITH SPECIAL MENTION TO...
VISIONARY: $300,000 + GFL Environmental, Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Rockowitz Family
FUTURIST: $100,000 - $299,999 Rockowitz Family, Squamish Hospital Foundation
INNOVATOR: $50,000 - $99,999 Katz Amsterdam Foundation, Creekside Market, Delesalle and Dayhu Group of Companies, Houssian Foundation, John K. Sloan Family John K.Sloan Family
BUILDER: $25,000 - $49,999 Shelagh & Reid Drury, Dan Russell, Bearfoot Bistro, Cindy & Ryan Beedie, Brownlie Family, Gordon & Leslie Diamond Family, Carol Leacy/Jon Dietrich, Szocs Foundation, Charles & Dale Young
DREAMER: $5,000 - $24,999 James Family Foundation, Meier Family Foundation, Andrew Mahon Foundation, Moffat Foundation, John Ryan, Raven Foundation Yeates Family, BlueShore Financial, One Hundred Women Who Care Whistler, Double Diamond Law Corp, Priscilla Brooks-Hill, Ginny & Kerry Dennehy, Bell Family Foundation, Jean Cataford/Bev Mitchell, Tim Dattels/Kristine Johnson, Kylie & John Delano, Jayne Lomas on behalf of the Rand Alexander Lomas Family Foundation, Liz & Tony Moser, Nesters Square Holdings Ltd., Old Spaghetti Factory, Pemberton Valley Supermarket, Taylor Phillips Foundation, Seymour Investments, Tracy & Richard Tory, Karen & Laurie Vanzella, Jonathon Wener, Averil & Jo Wiley, Bill & Heather Riedl, John & Typhoon Guiney, Jennifer & Andrew Lord, Deborah & Richard Crowe, WHCC Medical staff, Andrea & Jens Grabowski, Pacific Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, Sue & Bob Adams, Ann & Francis Chiasson, Shelli & Greg Dixon, John Nadeau/Mary Scott, Race & Company LLP, The Skeans Family, Tony Astles/Deb Hershberg, Michael Audain, Ian & Jane Austin, Monty (John) Clemens/Margie Krause, Cindy Dekker, Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation, Mary Konkin/Phil Eruera, Lindsay & Keith Lambert, John & Bonnie Schmelke, Briar Sexton/Craig Gauld, Rory & Jane Young.
BELIEVER: $1,000 - $4,999 Signy Eaton/Jeffrey Shier, Ann Duffy/Tony Kloepfer, Patricia Scott, Paul & Vanessa Skayman, William Grieve, Stuart & Elaine Rempel, Debbie Smythe, Gary Corbett, Vera Davis, Catherine Petrone/Russell Clark, Terry Salman, Kristy Cleaver, Carol & John Phillips, Rita Dodge, Dylan & Miranda Reece, Sheila Biggers/David Moonje, Richard Katrusiak, Bevin Heath Ansley, Karen & Doug Bell, Michael Borden, Dawn & Fred James Cadham, Bob & Sandra Cameron, Neil Chrystal, Gina Daggett, Sandra & Bill Epplett, Doug & Mary Forseth, Sea to Sky Golf Tournament, David Goddard, Richard Gibbons, Maureen Harriman/David Smith, Barbara MacCallum, Suzanne Marsh, Donald McFetridge, Keith McIvor, Robert McKenzie, Jim Moodie, Bruce Mohr, Kalpana Singh Rhodes, Mandy Simmons, Julia Smith, Justin Smith.
Additional thank you to the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District for their tremendous financial support for this project and Vancouver Coastal Health for their commitment to make it happen.
And to everyone else who donated, supported, promoted and cheered on the campaign – we couldn’t have done it without all of you! FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE: Sue Adams, Sandra Cameron, Bryan Cleaver, Greg Diamond, Carol Leacy and Sharon Tyrrell. Construction for the new trauma rooms is scheduled to begin this spring. Look for updates on the project on our social media or sign up for our newsletter through our website www.whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org
NEWS WHISTLER
With WAG temporarily closed, Pemberton animal shelter ready to step up, despite limited capacity WHISTLER ANIMALS GALORE ANNOUNCED JAN. 23 IT WAS CLOSING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE WITH TEAM IMPACTED BY COVID
BY MEGAN LALONDE IN DECEMBER, the Pemberton Animal Well-Being Society (PAWS) flooded, forcing the volunteer-run shelter to close for a month. Luckily for the animals in its care, Whistler Animals Galore (WAG) was able to step in and save the day. “WAG was there for us,” explained PAWS shelter manager and executive director Anna Scott. “They were able to take our animals.” That kind of assistance is nothing new, Scott said. As an animal rescue and rehabilitation organization with more space and a small team of paid staff members, WAG often takes on dogs from PAWS’ care that may have certain behavioural quirks requiring special attention and consistent care. “WAG are our No. 1 supporters,” Scott said. “I call them [with] anything—silly questions, stressful situations… honestly, I don’t know what I personally would do without having the girls at WAG to call.” Now, PAWS volunteers are standing by, ready to return those favours and help their
Whistler counterparts however they can. On Saturday, Jan. 23, WAG took to Facebook to inform the community that its doors were closing until further notice, after its team was affected by COVID-19. That means WAG—voted Whistler’s favourite non-profit for five years running— is currently unable to offer important services like municipal pet licence sales, accepting stray or at-large animals into its care, welcoming surrendered animals, or facilitating pet adoptions. It also means the shelter is pausing volunteer shifts and donation drop-offs. “We are hopeful that we will get through this isolation period and be ready to open back up in early February,” the post read. Staff directed anyone with animal rescue-related concerns to contact PAWS or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Squamish, and invited those who find or lose a pet to submit photos and important information electronically to WAG and the Sea To Sky Neighborhood Animals Needing Assistance Facebook page. WAG’s closure is the latest plot twist for the tiny Pemberton shelter since the pandemic began. While PAWS remains
open and available to care for animals in need, the facility is limited in both space and capacity. PAWS is “definitely set up well for cats,” but can usually only accommodate two dogs at a time, Scott said.
“I don’t know what I personally would do without having the girls at WAG to call.” - ANNA SCOTT
Those limits were tested when an “insane volume of animals” came into the shelter’s care this past summer, Scott explained. “We had the busiest summer I think we’ve ever had,” she said. “We adopted over 50 kittens this summer alone. And that’s not even including adult cats.” Alongside the higher-than-usual volume of animals came a massive uptick in people applying to adopt them, Scott added. That’s in line with a wider trend that’s seen far more
people looking to bring home a new furry family member amid COVID-19 restrictions. To that end, PAWS experienced “a lot of really frustrated people as well, that were really wanting to adopt but having a hard time finding animals available,” Scott said. In response to that frustration, Scott reminds the community that PAWS is entirely volunteer-run and donation-based. “Just keep in mind that, yeah, we are all working our best,” she said. “We’re all volunteers and we have lives and jobs outside of the work we do at the shelter.” Despite temporary funding from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and the Village of Pemberton, as well as funds raised from a haunted Halloween sunflower maze organized by Laughing Crow Organics, PAWS’ donations dropped this year due to a lack of in-person fundraisers. “At the start of [the pandemic], I was thinking, ‘Oh, you know it will just be one year, and we can recover from that.’ But if this is a continuing thing and we’re not able to do any in-person fundraisers this year then it’s definitely going be super challenging, I think, financially for us,” Scott said. For more visit pawspemberton.com. n
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2021 COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM The Resort Municipality of Whistler will be accepting Community Enrichment Program (CEP) applications from community groups looking for financial assistance for 2021. The application period runs from January 25 until February 15, 2021. The CEP provides funding to not-for-profit organizations or societies based within Whistler that are considered by Council to be contributing to the general interest and advantage of the municipality. The categories include ‘Environment’, ‘Community and Social Services’, ‘Recreation and Sport’ and ‘Arts and Culture’. Each interested community group will be required to complete a Grant Application Form and present to Council at a Committee of the Whole Meeting on March 16, 2021. All approved funding will be issued no later than April 30, 2021. Grant Application Forms will be available at www.whistler.ca/cep or at the reception desk of the Whistler Municipal Hall, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, B.C., Monday to Friday, from 8a.m. to 4:30p.m., excluding holidays. Please submit applications to: Legislative Services Department Resort Municipality of Whistler 4325 Blackcomb Way Whistler, BC V8E 0X5 Phone: 604-935-8121 Fax: 604-935-8109 Email: corporate@whistler.ca Completed applications must be received by 4p.m., February 15, 2021. No late applications will be accepted. Community organizations wanting to learn more about the CEP application and granting process are invited to contact the Legislative Services Department.
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NEWS WHISTLER
‘Double Your Impact’ at WCSS until Jan. 31 BREW CREEK CENTRE MATCHING DONATIONS UP TO $50K
BY BRADEN DUPUIS IN WHISTLER, as in many communities, the holidays inspire immense generosity when it comes to social services. “It really provokes a time of giving and supporting our community,” said Jackie Dickinson, executive director of the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS). “More than ever this year, though, the need continues past the holiday season.” It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented demand on WCSS services, including the Whistler Food Bank, in 2020. While demand has dropped since the record-breaking totals seen in spring (including 1,432 in-person visits in one month alone), surging cases in recent months have led to new challenges, Dickinson said. “What we have seen since the beginning of January is a surge in deliveries [to people isolating due to COVID-19],” Dickinson said. “This is unlike anything we’ve seen throughout the pandemic.”
With no end in sight, the Brew Creek Centre is matching all cash donations to the Whistler Food Bank up to $50,000 until Jan. 31. “A campaign like this is so relevant right now to keep those donations coming in so we can continue to do that important work,” Dickinson said. “And it raises a lot of awareness that, yeah, the need for our food bank program has not decreased after the holidays. If anything, especially for those food bank deliveries, [it is] on the rise.” The Brew Creek Centre has also supported WCSS with ready-made meals and snacks for clients, Dickinson added. “Every department from housekeeping to catering has played a role in producing fresh and nutritious meals for our community; it has also been a gift of purpose for our team through uncertain times,” said Brew Creek Centre general manager Liza Walli, in a release. “We hope that our food bank donation matching program will encourage our generous businesses and neighbours to donate and double the difference they can make for those who need it most.”
PERSISTING NEED Whistler Community Services Society outreach and food bank support worker Erin HarrisonBray shows off some of the self-isolation food and hygiene kits the organization is delivering to community members. All donations to WCSS up to $50,000 will be matched by the Brew Creek Centre until Jan. 31. PHOTO SUBMITTED
While several Whistler businesses and institutions have had to close their doors recently due to COVID—including the team at Whistler Animals Galore, which announced on Facebook on Jan. 23 that it will be closed until further notice—WCSS staff have yet to be heavily impacted. “We’re working in partnership with the infection control and protection team with Vancouver Coastal Health, so they come and review our protocols to ensure that as
we continue to support the community, we’re putting safety at the forefront,” Dickinson said. “We really have to recognize that our social enterprises and our doors are open for in-person support, and making sure those protocols are in place so that our staff stays safe. “Our goal is to keep doing what we’re doing, and we feel fortunate to do it.” Make a donation at www.mywcss.org. n
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NEWS WHISTLER
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‘Amazing Grace’ Oaks defied age—and expectations BELOVED LOCAL SKIER, BIKER AND ADVENTURER DIES AT 86
BY BRANDON BARRETT FOR AS COLOURFULLY as she lived her life, Grace Oaks recognized one colour above all. “She told me once, ‘There is only one colour: Gold, because I want to get first and if I get second, that’s just not good enough,’” recalled director Lois Neu, who featured Oaks in Orange Lily Productions’ awardwinning 2019 documentary, Ski Legends, which followed a trio of advanced-age skiers. “Legend” is no exaggeration for the 86-year-old Oaks, who passed away from cancer on Jan. 23. A mainstay of the mountain for decades, Oaks found skiracing in middle age and never looked back. If she did, she likely would have found a cavalcade of younger skiers in her dust. “At the Kokanee races, and even the Peak to Valley races, all the guys who don’t usually race but are still pretty good skiers, they would all go to the board and the first thing they’d look at was Grace’s time to see they didn’t get ‘chicked,’” remembered long-time friend Lloyd Henderson, who raced with Oaks since the late ‘70s. “I tell ya, that was so common! Everyone thought, ‘Oh boy, if I beat Grace, that’s good.’” It was even hard for Oaks’ teenage granddaughter, Michaela, to keep up. Oaks’ daughter Danielle remembers “the trip of a lifetime” the two took together to France a few years ago, and when she hadn’t heard from them by the end of their first day there, she assumed they were delayed in getting to their hotel and hadn’t found Wi-Fi. Nope. “It would have been 9 or 10 o’clock at night their time, and she sends a message and I thought it would say, ‘OK, we landed safely. All good!’ But it wasn’t,” Danielle said. “I kid you not, it was [a message saying] that they had done 16,000 steps that day and they saw the Sorbonne and the this and that. “I thought, ‘My mom is going to run her ragged,’ and she did. In fact, Michaela came back from her trip and said, ‘Never again.’” Not that there would’ve been any shame in trailing Oaks. A 21-year veteran of the Peak to Valley—including her last race, at age 85—she also skied in the U.S. and international masters ski events numerous times. A ski instructor, Oaks was committed to giving back to the sport she loved, thinking nothing of donating gear to newcomers. And even with all her accolades, she was never content resting on her laurels, joining Whistler Blackcomb’s Gatebusters training sessions twice a week to boost her skills. “Grace would always be bugging the coaches, ‘How was I on this?’” said
AMAZING GRACE Grace Oaks in a still from the award-winning 2019 documentary, Ski Legends. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL
Henderson. “Even last year, she wanted to improve, I’m telling ya. Improve, improve, improve. That’s the kind of person she was. She wanted to be better. She wanted to be faster than the people out there. She was definitely a competitor.” It was that competitive drive that first bonded Oaks to Neu, an athlete herself, during the filming of Ski Legends. A new filmmaker in her 50s, Neu said that Oaks, who began ski-racing in her 50s, seemed more focused on Neu’s budding film career than how she came across in the documentary. “She was super proud that I was doing something that I was passionate about and not becoming complacent in life and continuing to follow a passion of my own,” she said. “She was supportive of me and my journey just as much as me exposing her life on film. It wasn’t about her.” Being the stylish, convertible-driving, mountain-biking, occasional-beer-drinking octogenarian she was, Oaks was a shining example of how to live life, and live it well, into the golden years. But, to hear Danielle tell it, it wasn’t because of her age that she embraced adventure, it was simply who she was. “I don’t know that she had the agedefying thing. She wanted to have experiences,” she said. “She told me once that if she couldn’t ski—and I thought she’d say, ‘That would be a real bummer,’ but she didn’t. She said something way better, which was, ‘If I couldn’t ski, I’d so something else. I’d find something else to do. That’s what you have to do.’ I think that’s why she’s so beloved. It’s like I got this superstar as a mom, while I’m just me, a normal person.” In honour of Oaks, Whistler Blackcomb said it would add her name to a trophy she was won many times: The Owen Owens and Grace Oaks Inspirational Racers award, presented to the most experienced male and female competitors in the Peak to Valley race. Ski Legends is available on Amazon Prime and Vimeo On Demand. n
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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY
Rallying around a family after a tragedy GOFUNDME RAISES MORE THAN $2,700 FOR FAMILY AFTER ITS PUPPY WAS KILLED IN DOG ATTACK
BY DAN FALLOON A LOCAL FAMILY is grateful to the Pemberton community after it rallied around their children following a heartwrenching tragedy. On the evening of Jan. 18, the Corey children, 12-year-old Avi and eight-yearold Kade, were walking their puppy, Holly, outside their home in The Glen. A loose dog appeared and attacked Holly, who died of her injuries. The family had only brought Holly home from Kamloops on Dec. 21, a day after Avi’s 12th birthday. Word of the attack spread quickly in the community, which stepped up in a variety of ways, helping to support the children, according to parents Lindsey and Walter. The children were taking Holly out for a walk after dinner, just two houses down. While Avi was picking up after Holly, a large, dark-coloured dog approached. “It was wagging its tail as she was bent down picking up poo, and Holly went to come close to her and the dog just jumped right on her,” Lindsey said. “A neighbour heard the screaming: the dog screaming, the kids screaming, and tried to come down the stairs and help. “We went running and Avi was carrying this puppy home.” The Coreys sent the children to a neighbour’s and packed Holly into the car to head to the veterinarian, but with the nearest available doctor being in North Vancouver, they realized the puppy wasn’t going to make it. “When we talked to the vet on the phone, she walked us through all the checks and then we collected ourselves, phoned the neighbour that had our kids and came home,” Lindsey recalled. “It was traumatic, but it wasn’t a long, drawn-out piece,” Walter added.
REACHING OUT As word of the incident spread after a neighbour and friend posted on social
TRAGIC OUTCOME Holly, a puppy the Corey family brought home just last month, was killed after being mauled by another dog on Jan. 18. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COREY FAMILY
media trying to find the aggressive dog, the Pemberton community immediately began to extend support for the Coreys. “Within an hour, there was hundreds of people sending their condolences through her on Facebook,” Lindsey said. “The phone was blowing up on our end with people asking ‘Are you OK?’” Walter was appreciative of how creative people got, especially during COVID, as the family was overwhelmed with flowers, chocolates and cards, among other reminders that they were on their neighbours’ minds. Lindsey also expressed admiration for the maturity of her children’s friends, who made sure to pass along condolences to her as well.
In addition to the community at large, Lindsey said the Signal Hill Elementary School community quickly rallied, reaching out the day after the incident. “The school counsellor contacted me on her day off,” Lindsay said. “She came, social distanced, outside our house and talked with me and the kids.” Added Walter: “The flexibility of the school counsellor so quickly afterwards was really nice, to hit it right away.” When Avi and Kade were ready to return to school, they were given space to grieve and process what they had experienced. “The principal met us at the door and she had a room set up that the kids were welcome to bring their friends into and
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do whatever they needed to: crafts, board games, chat, cry,” Lindsey said. “The teachers were amazing. They welcomed our kids with tears in their eyes.” Avi and Kade, Lindsey said, are coping with the situation as best they can. “They’re trucking through it,” Lindsey said. “It’s hard. “It’s interesting to watch children go through grief. The grief part is OK. The trauma part is where they’re stuck.” To help the kids further, Lindsey said she has also connected with another specialist who “helps reprocess memories” and has booked an appointment for Jan. 29. A GoFundMe page, in just over 24 hours, garnered 65 donations totalling $2,720 and blew past the initial goal of $2,000. At that point, the Coreys asked that the campaign be halted. “The cost of counselling is not cheap, so we’ll definitely use it, and if there’s any money we don’t use, we’ll donate it,” Lindsey said. Shelley Nicoll, whose son is the same age as Kade, set up the page, saying it was only natural to try to do something to lend a hand. “We were all just looking for some way to help, and I know how much of an expense they were going to be going through,” she said. “It came to me that other people might want to help out as well, so we might as well put it out there and see what happens.”
DOG UNKNOWN In a Jan. 25 statement, the Village of Pemberton said it was aware of the incident, but had no further information. “The Village of Pemberton has received a report of a dog attack that took place on January 18th, 2021. At this stage, no one has come forward with information that would identify the dog responsible for the attack and there have been no reports to the Village of sightings of the dog,” the statement read. The Coreys said they are looking to move forward from the incident. “We’ve come to peace with never knowing who the dog was,” Lindsey said. n
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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY
New program inspiring Indigenous women INDIGENOUS WOMEN OUTDOORS LAUNCHES BACKCOUNTRY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
BY DAN FALLOON IT TOOK A SINGLE weekend of participation in the newly launched Indigenous Women Outdoors (IWO) backcountry mentorship program to get April Newman to reflect on some of her past experiences. Newman, who has “moderate” backcountry experience, had some epiphanies about past hikes, even low-level ones on the Petgill Trail, while taking an Avalanche Safety Training Level 1 course in the Callaghan Valley earlier this month. “We’d get slightly lost but we’d find our way back,” she recalled. “Thinking back, ‘Oh my gosh, that could have really gone wrong. Did we have the right resources? Would we have been prepared if we got stuck?’” Newman, from Squamish Nation, was one of six women selected to be part of the program, founded by another Squamish Nation woman, Myia Antone. Half of the participants originated from Squamish or Lil’wat nations and the remaining three come from elsewhere, but currently reside in the Sea to Sky. Newman said she learned plenty about proper trip planning, and looks forward to everything else she’ll pick up in the yearlong program. “We’re making sure that before we even go, we take all the right steps and are making all the right decisions,” she said. Antone started the program to help facilitate Indigenous women’s recreation in the backcountry and is aware of how imperative the right supports are, noting that several participants are “brand new” to the backcountry. “I really just wanted to watch more of my own women, more of our Squamish Nation women, to get out on our territory,” she said. “I, myself, am new to ski touring and I understand how important mentorship is, especially when we get outside.”
GETTING OUT While going out and achieving impressive accomplishments on the land is a driver, it’s not the only reason for the program. Antone highlights that just being out there is an important point. “Our people are all going out in the mountains and we’re still practising our cultures and speaking our languages, but in terms of skiing and snowboarding, we definitely aren’t represented in the bigger outdoor community,” she said. “That means that our understanding and our connection to land isn’t then shared with the outdoor community. “It’s really about getting on the land with each other and reoccupying these spaces that have been taken away from us.” The mentorship program, co-led by
Lil’wat’s Sandy Ward, will see participants take part in one to three workshops per month, as well as regular days in the backcountry to go apply that knowledge. Future topics range from snow science to backcountry cooking and nutrition, route finding and navigation, Antone said. Applicants were judged based on practical factors such as ability, but also some personality considerations as well, according to Antone. “[There’s] their desire to learn about other Indigenous cultures and share their own culture with us,” she said. Next year, the hope is that this year’s pupils become the mentors. “We would love to have the support for them to be part of the program in the Sea to Sky area next year, but also recognize that folks go back to their own communities or move,” Antone said. “As long as they’re sharing what they were taught, that’s the big piece that IWO does.” Ward connected with Antone through social media. Though they didn’t know each other previously, both are involved with the Indigenous Life Sport Academy.
STARTING UP Being part of the first weekend, Ward was thrilled to see the women share about their respective nations while learning practical skills. “It was amazing. I was so happy to see all of our hard work go into action. It was an amazing turnout and the girls immediately bonded,” she said. “[More Indigenous women in the backcountry] is what I’ve been wanting to see more of. “ Ward noted that it’s the winter season, in particular, where she sees a dearth of Indigenous people. “I feel like there’s a lot of people who go out for spring, summer and fall, for hunting or berry picking or hiking, but with winter sports, there’s such a high cost to get involved, there’s not a lot of people that get into it,” she said. However, IWO is looking to help with the cost to help people maintain the connection to the land during winter. Sponsors and volunteers have already stepped up to the plate to help provide deals on expertise and gear rentals. “We are trying to start a gear library with people donating their old gear to us,” she said. In addition to the mentorship program, IWO is also running separate snowshoeing programs with Melissa Arnott as the co-lead. The group is also eyeing summer programming including mountain biking clinics, rope climbing, and possibly a hiking mentorship with the hope to help participants achieve hiking or guiding certifications. n
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THAT ANYONE today could deny the overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence for human-caused climate disruption is shocking. You don’t even need a science background to see its worsening effects occurring worldwide, from record-high temperatures to increasing extreme weather events and wildfires. For a government— especially one in Canada—to spend taxpayer money on reports that deny climate science is deplorable. But that’s what the Alberta government has done. Its $3.5-million public inquiry into what it calls “foreign-funded anti-
BY DAVID SUZUKI energy campaigns” (“energy” only meaning fossil fuels and not renewable sources) commissioned and posted reports that University of Calgary law professor Martin Olszynski called “textbook examples of climate-change denialism.” One was written by a University of Calgary political science professor who once got caught setting up accounts to funnel donations to Friends of Science, a climate-science denial organization. Barry Cooper’s submission, for which the inquiry paid $6,125, falsely refers to “the growing scientific skepticism regarding the so-called consensus view regarding anthropogenic climate change.” Another commissioned report, costing $27,840, quotes British writer and climate-science denier James Delingpole. That report, by U.K. historian and homeschool teacher Tammy Nemeth, repeats arguments that numerous scientific studies have debunked. Olszynski says it “relies on generalizations, speculation, conjecture, and even conspiracy.” And, as University of Alberta economist Andrew Leach noted, Energy In Depth, an offshoot of the Washington, D.C.–based Independent Petroleum Association of America, which got $50,000 for its report, could itself be considered “a foreign funded advocacy group.” This use of tax dollars to discredit climate science is egregious, but it’s peanuts compared to the more than $1.5 billion the Alberta government has invested in the Keystone XL pipeline (with millions more in loan guarantees and lobbying)—a project that depended on continuation of the previous anti-environment U.S. administration for survival. Canada’s federal government also supported Keystone XL, which the new U.S. administration has now cancelled, and spent $4.5 billion of our money to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Texas-based company Kinder Morgan. Despite some strong federal climate policies, this ongoing support for a polluting, destructive, fading industry shows governments still don’t fully grasp
the severity of the climate crisis, or the many benefits—for everything from human health to the economy—of quickly reducing energy use and shifting to cleaner sources. The Alberta inquiry’s commissioned reports show that many efforts by industry, government and media to prop up the dying and damaging oil, gas and coal industries are little more than propaganda to stall adoption of cleaner alternatives for the sake of short-term profit. If the inquiry had better evidence for the need to continue extracting and shipping one of the dirtiest, most environmentally devastating fuels known, it wouldn’t have to rely on debunked misinformation, conspiracy theories and discredited authors. There’s no denying that extracting, transporting and burning oil, coal and gas pollutes air, land and water and is contributing to a dangerously warming world, and that oilsands bitumen is among the dirtiest, most inefficient fossil fuels. We’ve also known about its climate implications for decades but have failed to transition gradually and are now faced with having to do so with greater urgency. The most compelling arguments for keeping the fossil fuel industry going are economic: it contributes to GDP growth and creates jobs. But an economy that relies on destructive practices and on constant growth on a finite planet doesn’t fit with our current reality. And beyond the fact that we need to reconsider the ways we work—with innovations like shorter and more flexible work hours and better compensation— clean industries provide greater and better employment opportunities.
[C]lean industries provide greater and better employment opportunities. It’s somewhat of a relief that the new U.S. administration is indicating it will take climate disruption seriously, and has some promising policies and initiatives, from rejoining the Paris Climate Accord to cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline. But it will take more than that to get the U.S. and the world on track to meeting commitments the world’s nations signed onto to avoid the worst impacts of global heating. To start, we must move beyond the nonsensical denial that characterizes the recent Alberta inquiry reports, and we must stop subsidizing fossil fuels. We can only resolve the crisis if we recognize it and take it seriously. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org. ■
RANGE ROVER
Ski bucket list: Part II AS WE STAY PUT for winter (or at least should be), I began to compile a list of 50 places, things or experiences that have enriched my ski life. I shared 20 of them in my previous column, and the remainder are below. Let’s start where we left off: 21. Outside the funky ski town of Glacier, Wash., Mount Baker offers a throwback ski-area with the highest-ever recorded
BY LESLIE ANTHONY snowfall for a season: 29 metres in 1998–99. 22. Check into Hotel Taube in Schruns, Austria, a gateway to the historic Montafon ski region where Ernest Hemingway spent two memorable winters in the 1920s. 23. Relive your hippie roots in the B.C. Kootenay towns of Rossland, Nelson, and Fernie. Your head might not sprout dreadlocks, but you’ll see why these form a so-called Powder Triangle. 24. To see what a simple bootpack in the Alps can deliver, hike up to Maroiköpfle in Stuben, Austria. Descend to Langen and take a train back to St. Anton or taxi to Stuben. Mind blown. 25. Ski under the Les Suches cable car at La Thuile, Italy—steep and deep trees
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP At the Nozawa Fire Festival, a drunken torch-bearing mob breaks through a protective ring of 25-yearolds to burn down a log platform from which the town’s 42-year-olds have just escaped—both are astrologically unlucky ages in Japanese culture. PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY
with spaces you can drive a truck through. Then lunch at the bottom in underground Pizzeria Dahu. 26. Ride Switzerland’s Glacier Express, a seven-hour luxury train journey in an all-glass car from Zermatt to St. Moritz. But make it a multi-day ride, stopping to ski along the way. 27. In Aspen, have a drink at historic Hotel Jerome, a heritage building and bar where celebrities like Jack Nicholson and rabble-rousers like Hunter S. Thompson kept a stool. 28. Have a wiener schnitzel at Weisses Rössl in Innsbruck. It’s both historic and excellent. 29. Have lunch at Maison Vieille on the hill in Courmayeur, Italy, where the party and mayhem never stops—and host Giacomo Calosi is at the centre of it. 30. Ski a couloir. It’s good for your soul, skiing, and geological knowledge. Most aren’t as steep as they look, but bring someone experienced anyway. 31. Ride the Aguille du Midi Tram in Chamonix, a heart-stopping experience even when the cable isn’t dragging on the snow below as British vacationers quietly sob beside you. 32. If you can deal with occasionally obnoxious sledhead tourism, Revelstoke, B.C., also has the best mix of resort, cat, heli and backcountry lodge skiing in Canada, and development of Revelstoke Mountain Resort has pulled the town up by its cultural bootstraps. 33. Eat at Cloud 9 Alpine Bistro at Aspen Highlands, Colo., proof Americans can do Europe—mostly by letting Europeans run American mountain restaurants. 34. Ride the rotating tram system up
Punta Helbronner in Courmayeur, Italy. They used to be old, funky and scary, and though they’re now new, funky and scary, the views to Monte Bianco are worth it. 35. Hotel Portillo in the Chilean high Andes is a uniquely isolated cruise ship in the sky. Even if all you do is Instagram a photo of Inca Lake, the trip will be worth it. 36. Try night-skiing. Many in the Northern Hemisphere grew up with after-school skiing being all they knew. Scandinavia and Canada have hundreds of well-groomed night pistes, and Japan is amazing for night-skiing powder. 37. From Grindelwald, Switzerland, take the Jungfraubahn up through the interior of the Eiger to its summit, where you debark to an overlook of Europe’s largest glacier— the Aletsch. 38. A springtime ski-touring boat trip in Norway, Svalbard or Iceland is a oncein-a-ski-lifetime experience—even without the inevitable whales. 39. For a homegrown “wow” ride, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains; the world’s longest, highest connecting lift spans 4.3 kilometres at 400 metres off the deck. 40. Take someone skiing who has never skied before. It might kill you, but could give them a whole new life. 41. Race The Inferno in Mürren, Switzerland, world’s longest-running (since 1929), certifiably mad, citizen downhill race. 42. Try cat-skiing—the “poor man’s heli”—at any of 25 operations in B.C., where the gold-standard has been set. 43. Explore ski-touring beyond the lifts. The gear has never been better, lighter or easier to use—but the silence and majesty of the backcountry is still the same.
44. Catch the mid-January Nozawa Fire Festival in Nozawa Onsen, Japan, the most insane winter event that this country of insane events serves up. 45. Do a hut-to-hut high traverse; the Chamonix-to-Zermatt Haute Route is the classic, but also crowded. The Urner Haute Route between Engelberg and Andermatt, or the Ötztal and other Austrian classics have better quality skiing. 46. Take an avalanche course; you can question the wisdom of my other choices, but not this one. 47. Ski with a certified mountain guide to gain knowledge about safety, mountain travel, the best snow and… let’s face it, everything you’ve been doing wrong all these years. 48. Ski under the midnight sun. Sweden, Norway, Svalbard, Finland, and Iceland all offer ski experiences above the Arctic Circle, and Stefan and Pia Palm’s Heliski Guides Sweden know the vårvinter ski-touring and flying scene in these places best. 49. Night skiing is great, but what about fully lit early morning skiing during winter’s dark months? Check out this fresh-groomed, top-drawer experience in Åre, Sweden. 50. European World Cup ski races are the best way to understand what skiing means to a national sensibility. The Hahnenkamm Downhill in Kitzbühel, Austria, reigns supreme as a test-piece for both racing and rowdiness. For Part 1 of this story, which was published Jan. 14, go to piquenewsmagazine.com. Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. ■
JANUARY 28, 2021
29
FEATURE STORY
DON’T FORGET THE UNCOUNTED OF
CASUALT IES COVID-19 AND THERE ARE MANY. THEY WON’T STOP, UNLESS WE FINALLY ADDRESS THE FACT THAT UNEQUAL SOCIETIES ARE SICK SOCIETIES
By Crawford Kilian
30 JANUARY 28, 2021
FEATURE STORY
M
any of us, myself included, have developed an obsessive concern about COVID-19 numbers. Perhaps it’s understandable, given the resurgence of the pandemic worldwide in the last couple of months and the economists’ saying: “If you don’t count it, it doesn’t count.” But even the case and fatality numbers issued by reliable sources like Johns Hopkins University really tell only part of the story, and if we ignore the uncounted casualties of the pandemic, we only ensure that the final tally will be far higher. First of all, practically every country on Earth got off to a slow start with COVID-19. We have only a rough idea of how long it was spreading in Wuhan late in 2019 before Chinese doctors began to notice it. Its origin may have been outside China. A very recent study in a British medical journal reports a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 in a woman in Milan in November 2019. A rash on her arms had been misdiagnosed as a rare autoimmune disorder, but we now know rashes are a common COVID-19 symptom. Uncounted cases like hers must fill the databases of healthcare systems around the world. Being uncounted, they don’t count. Scientists are keenly aware of such missed cases and try to estimate them indirectly by comparing current mortality rates with those of previous years. A consortium of health departments runs the European Mortality Monitoring Project, a mortality-monitoring website. The graph in a recent bulletin shows vividly how excess mortality spiked in three waves last year. Not all such deaths are simply due to missed cases of COVID-19. Many of the deaths and illnesses in a pandemic or serious epidemic are due to routine health problems, missed or neglected by a stressed healthcare system. People tend to avoid clinics and hospitals during such outbreaks, or are turned away because no one can attend to them. In Africa’s recent Ebola outbreaks, measles may have killed more people than Ebola itself. Those unvaccinated African children who died of measles were the victims of political decisions made long before they were born: decisions that kept their countries’ healthcare systems underfunded, understaffed and under-equipped. Even after Ebola, Liberian doctors had to go on strike to get an adequate health budget. They were all too typical of healthcare workers in poor countries. Many of the excess mortalities in North America are due to similar decisions— to ignore the health problems of marginalized people, to please one political base or another, or to cut funding from public health programs. Such decisions seemed to work until COVID-19 put our systems—and our politics—under the greatest stress they have seen in at least a century. Now we can see the disastrous consequences of our political negligence. Unemployment has long been known to increase mortality, especially among men, whether from suicide or cardiovascular disease. A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in the U.S. looks at the unemployment shock caused by the pandemic. The abstract is a shock as well. “We estimate the size of the COVID-19-related unemployment to be between two and five times larger than the typical unemployment shock, depending on race/gender, resulting in a three-per-cent increase in mortality rate and a 0.5-percent drop in life expectancy over the next 15 years for the overall American population. We also predict that the shock will disproportionately affect African Americans and women, over a short horizon, while white men might suffer large consequences over longer horizons. These figures translate in a staggering 0.89 million additional deaths over the next 15 years.” In other words, 890,000 Americans, mostly Black people and women of all races, and some white men, may die prematurely between now and 2036 because they lost their jobs in the pandemic. That is over twice the U.S. death toll of COVID-19 as of mid-January. They will not be the only unnoticed casualties. Another National Bureau of Economic Research report looks at excess mortality during the pandemic. The study estimated that the U.S. suffered about 250,000 excess deaths between March and October 2020. Of those, just 17,000 were likely a COVID-19 undercount. Some 30,000 deaths were “deaths of despair,” the results of drug overdoses, suicides and alcohol. Men aged 15 to 55 were the chief victims, including those between 15 and 25. “Local data on opioid overdoses,” the study concluded, “further support the hypothesis that the pandemic and recession were associated with a 10- to 60-per-cent increase in deaths of despair above already high pre-pandemic levels.”
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FEATURE STORY Canada has seen similar excess mortality: from May to October, Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported excess deaths of 1,385 Canadians under 45—four out of five of them males. These were especially notable in Alberta (298 deaths) and B.C. (260). StatsCan mentions “increased substance use” as a likely cause of such deaths and cites the BC Coroners Service as reporting such increases—with 153 suspected overdose deaths in November alone. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief medical health officer, has pointed to inequality as a major factor in the uneven impact of COVID-19 on Canadians of different classes and ethnicities. Her comments seem to have been ignored, and an American survey by the Rand Corp. and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds a similar attitude in the U.S.: “Between COVID-19 and calls for racial justice, 2020 appeared to be a turning point for tackling the root causes of inequities in health. Findings from the first and second waves of the survey show that many people—even those who may have been hit hardest by the pandemic and longstanding inequities—still do not see systemic racism as a barrier to good health.” Affluent white communities have largely escaped the worst of the pandemic, and they have never much cared about deaths of despair anyway. Millions of Americans, and some Canadians, think the pandemic is overblown, or an outright hoax organized by corrupt healthcare workers and politicians. Sickness and death in poor or marginalized communities don’t seem to register with these people. Failure to recognize that unequal societies are sick societies will only ensure that the next pandemic will flourish at least as well as this one. And unequal societies will be in no position to deal with pandemics plus the climate disasters that have already descended on us. It will take very courageous leadership, in both the U.S. and in Canada, to hasten the end of COVID-19 and then prepare us for worse to come. Otherwise, we ourselves may die uncounted. This piece originally appeared in The Tyee on Jan. 20 and is reprinted here with permission. Crawford Kilian has published 21 books and has written hundreds of articles. He taught at Vancouver City College in the late 1960s and was a professor at Capilano College from 1968 to 2008. ■ WWW.GETTYIMAGES.CA
“Findings from the first and second waves of the survey show that many people—even those who may have been hit hardest by the pandemic and longstanding inequities—still do not see systemic racism as a barrier to good health.”
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SPORTS THE SCORE
Channell hits podium in return AFTER A TOPSY-TURVY OFFSEASON, SKELETON ATHLETE ENDS UP WITH BRONZE IN EUROPE
BY DAN FALLOON AFTER A JUMBLED-UP and uncertain offseason, it was only appropriate that Jane Channell’s return to the IBSF World Cup tour was nearly as wild. In the North Vancouverite’s first World Cup in nearly a year, at Königssee, Germany on Jan. 22, Channell hit the podium in a tie for third. It took a shakeup to do it, though. The top two sliders after Run 1, German Tina Hermann and Russian Elena Nikitina, had both blazed down the track in unprecedented fashion, but struggled the second time down to end up in 10th and fifth, respectively. Channell, whose home track is the Whistler Sliding Centre, trimmed her time in the second attempt, posting the secondfastest run to jump from seventh into a tie for third with Austrian Janine Flock. “It was a bit of a crazy race. The top two both set track records in Run 1, so it was a shock to end up on the podium at the end of it all,” she said. “It was definitely an exciting race and I’m definitely excited for the outcome, to keep that momentum moving forward.” Jacqueline Loelling of Germany came away with the win, while Czech Anna Fernstaedt placed second. The other
STRONG RETURN Canadian skeleton athlete Jane Channell, from North Vancouver, scored a thirdplace finish in her first action of the 2020-21 IBSF World Cup season. FILE PHOTO BY DAN FALLOON
34 JANUARY 28, 2021
Canadian in action was Elisabeth Maier in sixth. Despite a mistake on her first attempt, Channell said she focused on everything that was going right, including equipment and line choice, and cleaned up in her next try. “I was just really focused on executing what I could do and what I could control,” she said. “I was putting enough purpose behind each steer so that it was enough. That was the big mistake I made in Run 1, I was complacent with one of the steers and it caused a hit and skid. “If I didn’t do that, with the splits and the speed, I would have been right in the pack there otherwise. “It was a big confidence builder to execute Run 2 how I did,” she added.
CHANGE OF PLANS Taking home a World Cup medal didn’t seem in the cards for Channell this season as she originally intended to forgo overseas competition and race closer to home. “Originally, I wanted to stay local and only sled in Whistler,” she said. “I knew that going into the Olympic year next year that that would not be ideal. I’d be missing out on those races and being able to perform on demand, so to speak.” Channell was hoping to stick to the North American Cup circuit, but when she was planning out her season, she could not compete on that tour without risking her World Cup ranking. The IBSF subsequently changed the rule, but Channell already had her itinerary settled where she’d stay in Germany,
competing only at Königssee and Altenberg, the site of next month’s World Championships. “Essentially, I’d be flip-flopping between only two tracks in Germany. I’d have my own rental car. I’d have my own hotel room. I felt OK and safe with the plan I had set out,” she said.
A DIFFERENT FEEL Even with a season planned in such a way to prioritize safety, Channell admittedly has mixed feelings about taking part. While she misses staples of the tour like socializing with friends on other teams and checking out the shops at each stop, Channell is well aware that the sense of loss is a universal experience. “It feels like we shouldn’t be here, to be quite honest,” she said, noting the IBSF has advised athletes against wearing team gear in public. “Everyone here is shutdown, locked down as well. “It’s a little bit like Twilight Zone in that you go from the track to the hotel and then back, and that’s it.” Channell added that she’s grateful and feels fortunate for all those who put in extra work to plan out and enforce the protocols to allow athletes to compete in a safe manner this season. That also goes for those here in Whistler, where she trained with the development group, the Snipers. “The fact that the Whistler Sliding Centre is open right now and we’re still able to train in our sport is incredible,” she said. “Being out there with the young athletes
and them challenging me to be the best that I can be, it was very humbling and brought me back to why I started sliding.”
BOBSLEDDERS NARROWLY MISS PODIUM In bobsleigh action at Königssee, Canadian sleds were just off the podium. In the women’s race on Jan. 24, in taking fourth place, Christine de Bruin and Sara Villani were 0.10 seconds out of the medals and 0.56 seconds out of first. Germans Kim Kalicki and Ann-Christin Strack earned the win over Stephanie Schneider and Tamara Seer, also of Germany, and Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman. In the men’s two-man race on Jan. 23, Justin Kripps and Cam Stones were also fourth as German sleds took the top two spots. Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis topped the podium while the Johannes Lochner and Eric Franke duo was second and Austrians Benjamin Maier and Kristian Huber placed third. Chris Spring and Mike Evelyn, meanwhile, were 10th. In the four-man contest on Jan. 24, Kripps piloted his crew of Stones, Ryan Sommer and Ben Coakwell to fifth as Friedrich drove to the win over Maier and Lochner. Spring’s sled with Evelyn, Chris Patrician and Mark Mlakar took eighth. Lastly, in men’s skeleton action on Jan. 22, Canadians Kevin Boyer and Mark Lynch placed 19th and 22nd, respectively. Germany’s Alexander Gassner earned the win over South Korea’s Sungbin Yun and Russia’s Alexander Tretiakov. n
SPORTS THE SCORE VIRTUAL TOONIE #4: When: Feb 1 – 6th Where: Lost Lake Challenge: go to www.whistlernordics.com for details Sponsors: Whistler brewing, Whistler Chocolate and Hammer Coffee. More Details at www.whistlernordics.com Registration at www.Zone4.ca
PODIUM APPEARANCE Whistler ski-cross racer Marielle Thompson (right) stands on the FIS World Cup podium at Idre Fjäll, Sweden with winner Fanny Smith of Switzerland (centre) and runner-up Alizee Baron of France (left). PHOTO BY GEPA COURTESY OF FIS
Thompson takes pair of podiums in Sweden SPORTS BRIEFS: CRAWFORD CLAIMS FIRST TOP 10; BLOUIN FOURTH AT LAAX
BY DAN FALLOON WHISTLER’S Marielle Thompson banked more needed points as she looks to chase down her fourth FIS Crystal Globe. The local ski-cross star took two podiums in three tries in World Cup action at Idre Fjäll, Sweden last week. She kicked things off with a secondplace showing on Jan. 20, sandwiched between two Swiss racers, overall leader Fanny Smith in first and Talina Gantenbein in third. In the Jan. 23 race, Thompson placed eighth as Tiana Gairns took the top-Canadian mantle in fifth and Courtney Hoffos placed sixth. French racers took the top two spots as Alizee Baron earned the win over Marielle Berger Sabbatel and Smith. Thompson saw a return to the steps on Jan. 24 after another Smith win while Baron placed second. Hoffos also made the top 10, taking seventh. On the men’s side, Reece Howden enjoyed a breakout weekend with back-to-back wins. He topped two Swiss racers, Ryan Regez and Jonas Lenherr, on Jan. 24 after coming through ahead of Lenherr and Germany’s Niklas Bachsleitner on Jan. 23. The Jan. 23 race saw another Canadian, Chris Del Bosco, place seventh. Howden kicked off the week with a fifth-place showing on Jan. 20.
CRAWFORD CLAIMS FIRST TOP 10 Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) grad Jack Crawford posted his career-best result in FIS World Cup action at Kitzbuehel, Austria on Jan. 25. Crawford charged into the top 10 for the first time, finishing sixth in super-G racing at the venerable track. Crawford was 0.56 seconds off his first podium and 1.11 seconds back of winner Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria. Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt and Matthias Mayer of Austria rounded
out the podium. Jeffrey Read (18th) and WMSC grad Brodie Seger (21st) also made the top 30. “Today was simple I executed my plan and tried to have no expectations,” Crawford said in a release. “This is the first time all the boys have been in the top 30 together and it has to be the best day for us as a team.” Canadians finished outside the points in both downhill races on Jan. 22 and 24. In slalom action at Schladming, Austria on Jan. 26, meanwhile, Erik Read took 22nd as Austrian Marco Schwarz topped Clement Noel and Alexis Pinturault, both of France. In women’s racing, Marie-Michele Gagnon put up a pair of top-15 finishes at Crans Montana, Switzerland. In the Jan. 23 downhill, she took 11th as Italy’s Sofia Goggia bested Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami and fellow Italian Elena Curtoni. Gagnon then placed 13th in the Jan. 24 super-G, won by Gut-Behrami over Austria’s Tamara Tippler and Italy’s Federica Brignone. No Canadians finished in the points at the giant slalom race at Kronplatz, Italy on Jan. 26.
“We keep you playing” Physiology, Sports, Spinal & Hand Physio, Concussion Rehab, Braces, Orthotics, IMS, Book online at backinactionphysiotherapy backinactionphysiotherapy.com com or call 604 962 0555 for an appointment appointment.
BLOUIN FOURTH AT LAAX Canadian snowboarder Laurie Blouin narrowly missed the third step in FIS World Cup slopestyle action at Laax, Switzerland on Jan. 22. Blouin was just 2.22 points off the podium and 12.39 seconds back of winner Jamie Anderson of the United States. Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand took second and Australian Tess Coady placed third. No Canadian men made the final. Meanwhile, Derek Livingston made the halfpipe finals on Jan. 23. Livingston ended up taking fifth, finishing 24.75 points back of winner Yuto Totsuka of Japan. Australia’s Scotty James and Japan’s Ruka Hirano rounded out the podium. No Canadian women cracked the final. n
JANUARY 28, 2021
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EPICURIOUS
From mom’s Mexican kitchen to your table, Whistler couple launches taqueria sauce line TRADITIONAL TAQUERIA SAUCES INSPIRED BY YEARS OF FAMILY RECIPES the first things I noticed is that the Mexican restaurants are more traditional.” For now, the Escobars are selling the jalapeno sauce (a 250-millilitre bottle retails for $8), with plans to eventually expand the line. Potential additions include a smoky sauce made from chile de Arbol, and a traditional peanut sauce that you’re unlikely to find north of the Yucatan.
BY BRANDON BARRETT WHEN CLAUDIA ESCOBAR lost her job in the pandemic, she, like so many of us in these oddly idyll days, was looking for something to devote her newfound free time to. A Mexican native, Claudia’s homemade taqueria sauces had proven such a hit with friends that she and her husband decided it was high time to finally launch the start-up they had been talking about for ages. “This has been coming a long time,” said Luis of their new venture, Traditional Taqueria Sauces. “My wife and I have always wanted to do something and have a business of our own.” Coming from a family of restaurateurs, Claudia grew up in kitchens perfecting her mother Maria’s recipes, which have, over the years, earned rave reviews from dinner party guests. “Every time she made the sauces, everybody was like, ‘Oh, these are so good!’ Now that we were looking for something else for her to do, we thought, ‘Why don’t we do these sauces that everyone seems to love?’” Luis said. The couple started small, handing out bottles of Claudia’s famous creamy jalapeno sauce, made fresh daily from the spicy peppers and avocado, to friends, before moving online this month to test the waters. Vegan and gluten-free, the sauce uses lemon instead of vinegar and is free of the preservatives you often find in storebought hot sauce, which Luis believes is what separates the traditional Mexican approach from the Tex-Mex style. “It’s the simplicity,” he said. “I worked in restaurants for a lot of years—I spent 20 years in restaurants here in Canada—and one of the things I notice is a lot of time, there’s a lot of work put into the sauces, and a lot of ingredients. These sauces are simple, really. It’s really just the actual flavours of the ingredients … It’s just the pure jalapeno, the avocado, and it’s just that
“These sauces are simple, really. It’s really just the actual flavours of the ingredients … It’s just the pure jalapeno, the avocado, and it’s just that freshness that’s the difference.” - LUIS ESCOBAR
TACO TIME Claudia Escobar relied on her mother’s famous recipes when launching her new venture, with her husband Luis, called Traditional Taqueria Sauces. PHOTO BY PETRA KERLINOVA
freshness that’s the difference.” Originally from El Salvador, Luis said, at least compared to Ontario where he worked in restaurants for years, the West Coast seems to have a greater appreciation and understanding of the oft-misunderstood and overlooked traditions of Mexican
cuisine—something that bodes well for their sauce line. “Especially around this area, people travel quite a bit, so they know what it’s like going around Mexico and going to a taqueria down there compared to here,” he said. “When I came to Vancouver, one of
“It’s one of my favourites,” Luis said. “I love that one every time Claudia makes it. It’s a lot different than what you would see in Japanese or other Asian peanut sauces.” If all goes well, the couple plans to credit the original inspiration for their sauces right on the bottle. “We’ve been talking to Claudia’s mom, because, truly, it’s her recipes that we’re using,” Luis said. “Eventually it’s going to be Traditional Taqueria Sauces by Maria.” To grab your own bottle, visit facebook. com/taqueriasauceswhistler or email taqueriasauces@gmail.com to arrange pickup or delivery. n
Keep local restaurants on the menu with #FoodiesUnite It’s your favourite seat. Your Friday-night hang. Your go to for date night. That’s why we’ve started #FoodiesUnite to celebrate local restaurants and to encourage our community members to show them some support.
Join the movement at:
FoodiesUnite.ca
You can get involved by ordering up some delicious food and tagging your favourite local restaurants using #FoodiesUnite. To further support our communities, Sysco will donate 50,000 meals to Food Banks Canada.* Because as our country’s largest food service provider, everything we do is for the love of food. *Food Banks Canada’s conversion metric as of December 2020 is $1 CAD = 2 meals. Trademark of Food Banks Canada is used under license.
36 JANUARY 28, 2021
MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH OPEN DAILY: 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Timeslots can be booked up to 72 hours in advance
whistler.ca/MPSC
GROUP FITNESS SCHEDULE JANUARY 28
JANUARY 29
JANUARY 30
JANUARY31
FEBRUARY 1
FEBRUARY 2
FEBRUARY 3
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
I Low Impact I Open Strength and Studio - Beth Stretch - Steve
I Low Impact Strength and Stretch Andy
7:15-8:15 a.m.
7:15 – 8:15 a.m.
I Strength Builder Louise
I Low Impact Strength and Stretch Beth 7:15-8:15 a.m.
I Strong Glutes and Core – Jess 7:45-8:45 a.m.
I Low Impact Strength and Stretch Louise 8:45-9:45 a.m.
I Open Studio - Beth
I Low Impact Strength and Stretch Jess 9:15-10:15 a.m.
I Aqua Fit Shallow Marie-Anne 10-11 a.m.
R Gentle Fit for Seniors Marie-Anne 1-2 p.m. *ONLINE & IN PERSON
7:15-8:15 a.m.
8:45-9:45 a.m.
R Ballet for Children 4-6 yrs old - Jane 3-3:45 p.m. NEW! R Ballet for Children 7-10 yrs old - Jane 4:15-5 p.m. NEW!
I Slow Flow Yoga Laura 10:15-11:15 a.m. I Strong Glutes and Core - Jess 5:15-6:15 p.m.
7:15-8:45 a.m.
I Mountain I Low Impact I Low Impact Ready Strength Strength and Strength and and Structure - Stretch- Beth Stretch Steve Andy 8:45-9:45 a.m.
8:45-9:45 a.m.
8:45- 9:45 a.m.
R Gentle Fit for Seniors Diana 9-10 a.m. *ONLINE
I Aqua Fit Deep End Marie-Anne 10-11 a.m.
F Barre – Marie-Anne 10:15-11:15 a.m. NEW!
R Boys Strength Boot Camp - Andy 5:15-6 p.m.
I Tighten & Tone - Beth 10:15-11:15 a.m. NEW
R Gentle Fit for Seniors Diana 11-12 p.m. *ONLINE
I Mountain Ready Strength and Structure Steve 5:15-6:15 p.m.
F Subtle Power Yoga Laura 1-2 p.m.
I Mind and Body Stretch Heather 6:45-7:45 p.m.
R Boy’s Strength Boot Camp - Andy 4-4:45 p.m.
F FLEXIBLE REGISTRATION Flex-reg’ classes have a separate fee and allow you to register for classes on the days that fit your schedule. R REGISTERED FITNESS Registered fitness classes have a separate fee and a defined start and end date. Pre-registration is required for the entire set of classes.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler has a variety of options to help you celebrate Family Day on Monday, February 15.
Learn more at whistler.ca/familyday
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I Low Impact Strength and Stretch - Garret 5:15-6:15 p.m.
I INCLUDED FITNESS These classes are included with your price of admission for no extra charge. See exact schedule of classes at the sports centre or online at: whistler.ca/recreation
Select classes now in-person! Check the schedule or whistler.ca/fitness for more details.
WAYS TO PLAY THIS FAMILY DAY!
I Slow Flow Yoga - Laura 6:45-7:45 p.m.
White color box IN-PERSON Green color box ONLINE
ARENA PUBLIC SKATE SCHEDULE JANUARY 28
JANUARY 29
JANUARY 30
JANUARY 31
FEBRUARY 1
FEBRUARY 2
FEBRUARY 3
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
12:15-1:45 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
1:45-2:45 p.m.
1:45-2:45 p.m.
1:45-2:45 p.m.
1:45-2:45 p.m.
1:45-2:45 p.m.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
ARENA STICK AND PUCK SCHEDULE THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
8:15-9:30 a.m. (Adult)
MONDAY
TUESDAY
8:15-9:30 a.m. (Adult)
WEDNESDAY 8:15-9:30 a.m. (Adult)
10:15-11:45 a.m. (Adult)
10:15-11:45 a.m. 10:15-11:45 a.m. (Adult) (Family)
POOL SCHEDULE
Lap swim and family swim times available daily by reservation only at whistler.ca/swim.
whistler.ca/recreation | whistler.ca/notices | 604-935-7529 @RMWhistler |
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MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE IS OPEN FOR PASS HOLDER ACCESS ONLY. Bookings for the pool, fitness centre, indoor public skating, included fitness classes and squash/basketball are available to pass holders only. *Drop-in options are still available for Stick & Puck and online fitness classes.
Learn more at whistler.ca/notices 604-935- PLAY (7529)
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ARTS SCENE
Meet the man behind the ski maps ARTIST JAMES NIEHUES’ BOOK OF SKI MAPS—INCLUDING WHISTLER BLACKCOMB—IS AVAILABLE NOW
BY ALYSSA NOEL OVER THE COURSE of a 35-year career hand-painting maps of ski resorts, James Niehues has captured more than 430 maps on five different continents. That’s why, a few years ago at age 70, he realized it was high time to turn some of that functional art into a book. A $500,000 Kickstarter campaign and a few years later, The Man Behind the Maps: Legendary Ski Artist James Niehues has sold over 50,000 copies around the world. Pique caught up with Niehues by email to find out more about his technique, why hand painting is better than computer generated when it comes to ski maps, and his first memorable trip to Whistler. This interview has been condensed for length and clarity. PIQUE: The promo video on your website sparked a few realizations for me—one being just how long it must take to paint each map! What is the process like? And has it gotten any quicker or easier over the years? JAMES NIEHUES: The process is quicker today than in the early ‘90s mostly due to email approvals and digital images. I still compose the mountain with my mind, sketch the scene with pencil, and paint the finished image by hand. So all these things are basically the same, I am just a bit faster due to being so familiar with the process and medium. By far the greatest challenge is getting all slopes of a complex mountain in one flat representation of the real-life multi-
MAP IT OUT
James Niehues’ book The Man Behind the Maps is available now. PHOTO SUBMITTTED
38 JANUARY 28, 2021
faceted scene. Once the sketch is approved, all the detail must be transferred exactly onto the painting surface. The airbrush is then used to paint the sky and all the snow’s undulating surfaces. Steeper slopes usually are shaded to set them apart from the easier runs. The tree shadows on the snow are added next. The trees are the most time-consuming part of the painting. I have developed a technique that is creating a tree-like texture then rewetting the colour to blend and adding the highlights and shadows. You’ve painted so many ski areas around the world, but do you remember painting Whistler Blackcomb? From your list, it looks like you might have done Whistler and Blackcomb when they were owned separately before 1997, then Whistler Blackcomb when it became one company? JN: Blackcomb Mountain was my first Canadian ski map. The 1992 project included Blackcomb with insets and a regional view of both mountains for the Visitor’s Bureau. The photo flight was an incredibly dynamic trip from Vancouver. I was really taken back by the beauty of the area as we left the strait, passed Grouse Mountain and headed inland with Garibaldi Provincial Park on our right wing tip. As slopes of the two mountains came into view, I realized I had quite a job ahead of me! We had gained our altitude to shoot the shots necessary for the regional view, which would go through 10 rolls of film. After some initial high-altitude passes we dropped down to 1,000 ft [305 metres] above the summits to get more shots for the ski maps…then down to 500 ft [152 m] above the summits for detail shots. We had taken quite a long time getting all the shots and the coffee was coming through. I asked my pilot, a very capable
young lady, if there might be a place we could set the plane down before Vancouver, I didn’t think I could make that distance. She was actually happy that I had asked, seems she had the same concern! She knew of an airfield pretty close and she nosed the plane down. As we approached, a short single runway I noticed there was only a lone hangar, which meant no restroom. We pulled up to the hangar, turned off the engine and I headed to one end of the hangar while she headed to the other. It’s sure a relief when you’re overdue and been bumping around in the wind currents. I would not drink coffee before photo flights ever again. In 1993, David Perry called [to proceed] with their trail map [for Whistler Mountain]. I remember his insistence of emphasis on the high alpine bowls. I was honoured that David wrote a perspective to introduce the Canadian portion of my book. In 1998, I got another call from David Perry. The mountains had merged since the last time I visited and he wanted me to return to paint both mountains as one. During this trip, we used a helicopter for the photo flight. I was a bit better skier this time and skied from the summit to base…off the backside and around into West Bowl. What a great mountain, I wished that I was a better skier. From the air I knew I had only touched a small portion of what Blackcomb and Whistler offered. What’s it like to finally have so many maps in one book? You had a successful crowd-funding campaign to bring this project to life. What do you think it is about your work that captures people’s attention? JN: I think my popularity is partly because I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been able to continue painting trail maps through the decades, meaning adults today were kids
growing up with my maps pasted on their walls. I painted them as realistically and beautiful as I could to make them images that skiers could dream about. I had imagined a book by the mid-1990s since I had painted quite a few large resorts by then and felt that by the end of my career I would have quite a collection, which could be put into a coffee table book. [It] seemed like it should do well at all the resorts. The years passed, I didn’t know how to find a publisher and I just didn’t have the time to pursue it. After turning 70, I began to realize if I were to see the book I had so long dreamed about it had better be soon. It was in 2017 that a fan emailed me and asked if I had a book and if not, he would like to publish it. He was not a publisher. My thoughts were that he had no idea of how much was involved in the process, the layout, production, copyrights, printing, promotion and distribution. Through the next few months of communication and discussion, I began to have confidence that Todd Bennett had the ability to do what it took to be successful. Within that time, I also got a call from an established New York publisher that was eager to sign me up. We went back and forth between Todd, the avid, enthusiastic skier with no publishing experience, or the [proven] New York publisher. It was a risk with Todd, assured with the established publisher, but we felt it would be a better book if it were published by a skier with his experience in the skiing community. I liked how you talk about computer maps vs. hand-painted maps and what you bring to it. How has what you do changed since you first started in the ‘80s? I’m sure no one mentioned computers in the early years!
SEE PAGE 39
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ARTS SCENE
ReachOut! Whistler initiative launches with art pin AURORA MOORE’S IMAGE OF BLACK TUSK IS PART OF A NEW MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS INITIATIVE
BY ALYSSA NOEL BLACK TUSK might be a common symbol of Whistler, but to hear Pemberton artist Aurora Moore explain it, it’s also the perfect symbol for being part of something bigger than yourself. “Black Tusk is such an iconic mountain to the area,” she says. “It seems to stand out on its own, but, really, it’s part of a bigger range. It felt right for getting that message across: you might feel alone, but you’re really part of a huge network and it’s there for you.” Moore’s depiction of the mountain, surrounded by the words, “You don’t have to stand alone” is set to be emblazoned on enamel pins that will both help raise awareness and funds for arts, mental health and wellbeing programs. The initiative, dubbed ReachOut! Whistler is a joint project between Arts Whistler and Whistler Community Services Society. “Creativity and participation in the arts is a proven pathway for better mental health and community connection,” Mo Douglas, executive director of Arts Whistler said in a release. “The ReachOut! pins will help us build community awareness and enable pin wearers to identify themselves as compassionate supporters. The funds from pin sales will support future community arts initiatives.” Part of the reason Moore submitted her design for consideration is because the cause is important to her. “One of the things that’s been on my mind is a lot of people don’t feel like they deserve help,” she says. “People are like, ‘My life isn’t that bad. I shouldn’t complain about it.’ But everybody deserves the chance to talk to somebody about issues they might have.” The pin project is just one item on a growing list of community initiatives and exhibits that Moore has taken part in since she
RESERVOIR BY REBECCA BELMORE
first retuned to art in earnest four years ago. “I’ve always loved drawing,” she says. “I pretty much always had a sketchpad on the go. Really, I didn’t start taking it seriously and getting into it until I had my daughter. Then I had so much time just sitting around nursing her on maternity leave … It rekindled a passion for it and slowly it became necessary. From there, I’ve been improving over the last few years and seeing that is really exciting.” Her work—ranging from local landscapes and animals to portraits—has appeared in exhibits like the Anonymous Art Show, the Teeny Tiny Art Show, and the Pemberton Art Hop, to name a few. “I feel like I can’t draw something without a mountain in it,” she says with a laugh. “A few years ago I got really into drawing people and portraits. It’s been a lot of fun watching that evolve. I blend women into mountain landscapes as well, which was a super cool project to do.” More recently, she began to experiment with creating her own natural pigments from organic matter in the Sea to Sky. For example, certain rocks can be crushed with a pestle and mortar, grated and mixed with a binder to turn into watercolours or oils. “I’ve been keeping track of the pigments I’ve found in Pemberton,” she says. “There are some cool ones … It’s been fun to explore, especially with the kids. We’re finding things—like mushrooms. They make all kinds of dyes. I’d love to be able to bring that all together—get my set of paints and paint a mountain scene of the area.” The Black Tusk pin art, meanwhile, marked her very first project that was completed on a computer. “I was a little surprised to be chosen,” Moore says. “It was very cool.” Pre-purchase your ReachOut! pin for $7 at artswhistler.com/reachout for collection in mid-February. To see more of Moore’s art, visit instagram.com/auroras_art_page. n
JAMES NIEHUES FROM PAGE 38 JN: Certainly a computer is not the best way to portray the great outdoors. The image is a reflection of the office, not of an outdoor experience. When I use a brush, the watercolour comes off the brush in many variations providing better texturing and colour. But the difference comes much earlier in the process. To show all parts of the slopes, I have to manipulate many features in different ways. I do NOT feel the computer can match the human process of composing the ski map due to the many dissimilar perspectives it takes to portray the mountain and the computer rendering is NOT as realistic as the hand-painting method.
Do you still paint maps or have you done pretty much every ski area out there? JN: Some years back, I was being interviewed and was asked how I had managed to produce so many ski maps. I was suddenly struck that I had indeed painted several hundred resorts around the world. Not a small task, and I started at the age of 40! I think I am most proud of the fact that I am an example of what is capable if you set your mind to it. For more, or to buy the book, visit jamesniehues.com/pages/the-man-behindthe-map. n
OPEN THURSDAY TO SUNDAY | 11AM - 6PM
JANUARY 28, 2021
39
MUSEUM MUSINGS
PUB PREMIERE Tapley’s Pub on its opening day, with a view straight through to the mountains. WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION, 1981
Turning 40 in Whistler Village BY ALLYN PRINGLE THE PAST FEW MONTHS have seen various businesses reach 40 years, including Whistler Magazine, Blackcomb Mountain, and even The Grocery Store just last week. This is not surprising, as at the beginning of the 1980s Whistler was undergoing huge changes and growth. The first buildings of the Whistler Village were being completed and, in turn, the first Whistler Village businesses were beginning to open to the public. While many of the original village businesses have changed over the past four decades, some have been constant fixtures, like Tapley’s Pub. The Windwhistle Building was one of the first lots to be completed in the Whistler Village, along with the Hearthstone Lodge, the Rainbow Building, and Blackcomb Lodge.
40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IS HERE!
While many of the original village businesses have changed over the past four decades, some have been constant fixtures, like Tapley’s Pub.
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Covid ’19’ Things To Do Comfort food Long-term locals Backcountry Bounty The Evolution of Ski Style Whistler Classic Homes
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40 JANUARY 28, 2021
According to the Whistler Question, staff included Roland Kentel, Geoff Fisher, Ross Morben, Al Mattson, Rod MacLeod, Steve McGowan, Sheryl, Nancy, Kim, Heather, and Janet (we are not sure why reports of the opening did not include last names for female staff, but would appreciate anyone who could help us fill them in). The day got off to a quiet start at 11 a.m., but steadily filled as people came for beer, snacks, and darts, leading to a packed house by closing time. Tapley’s was one of many businesses to open in the Whistler Village in 1981. Just a couple of weeks later, Stoney’s opened on Feb. 14, occupying the space now home to Araxi. Co-owned by Dick Gibbons, Jack Cram and Lance Fletcher, Stoney’s was the first business of Gibbons’ to open in the village. The Longhorn Saloon, his second, would open by the end of the year. Like Tapley’s, the Longhorn is still operating in the village today, though it too
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The plans for the building included a somewhat semi-circular shaped space just off Village Square that would house the village’s first bar. During construction, one of the more notable features of the building was the copper pillars that, on a clear day, reflected the sun. The pub’s original opening date of Jan. 23, 1981, was delayed when a section of Highway 99 at Culliton Creek was washed out on Jan. 21. The road reopened on Jan. 26 and, on Jan. 29, Tapley’s Pub opened for business. Opening day was presided over by John (J.R.) Reynolds, the pub’s first proprietor, who reportedly looked “relieved that it had all finally come into place.” All staff members were onhand to welcome both local residents and visitors.
looks a little different. The two businesses are now connected, as Tapley’s Pub was taken over by Gibbons Hospitality in 2004. The last 40 years have certainly seen some changes at Tapley’s. Looking at early photos from 1981, the many windows provided views straight to Sproatt and Whistler mountains, views that have since been blocked by further construction of the village and the Whistler Conference Centre. While the copper pillars are still there, other parts of the decor and furniture have changed along with the view and a smoking lounge built in 2000 has evolved into a large patio area. Keep an eye out over the next few months and years as more and more of Whistler’s businesses and organizations, founded during a decade of incredible changes, reach new milestones. n
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LAKE SKATE Everything came together to create the perfect conditions for a sunny skate on newly frozen Alta Lake on Saturday, Jan. 23. PHOTO BY PAUL FOURNIER. 2 PEAK VIEWS A few moody clouds made the always-stunning view from FLY OVER Student pilot Travis Smith snapped this shot while flying over Green Lake at approximately 1,060 metres (or 3,500 feet) on Friday, Jan. 21, while heading south towards Whistler. PHOTO BY TRAVIS SMITH. 4 AST ACES Whistler Waldorf School’s outdoor ed students successfully completed Avalanche Skills Training (AST1) recently, where they learned the fundamentals critical to safe backcountry travel in avalanche terrain. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 5 POT OF GOLD The real prize at the end of the rainbow is the snow on Harmony Ridge. PHOTO BY MEGAN LALONDE. 6 EAGLE EYE The Haida Eagle carving atop Piccolo Peak is about to be 1
the top of Whistler Mountain’s Peak to Creek run extra-photo worthy. PHOTO BY GRACE LAIRD. 3
engulfed by cloud rising from the valley of Garibaldi Provincial Park on Thursday, Jan. 21. PHOTO BY BRUCE DAVIDSON.
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Land Act:
Notice of Intention to Apply for a Disposition of Crown Land Take notice that The Resort Municipality of Whistler located at 4325 Blackcomb Way has applied to the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNROD), Surrey for a tenure situated on Provincial Crown Land for the purpose of a watermain utility to be located on that part or tract of unsurveyed Crown Land adjacent to District Lot 8073, Group 1, New Westminster District. The Lands File Number for this application is 2412372. Comments on this application may be submitted in two ways: 1 Online via the Applications and Reasons for Decision Database website at: https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications, or 2. By mail to the Senior Land Officer at 200 –10428 153rd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1.
Comments concerning this application should be directed to the Project Manager at 200-10428 153rd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1. Comments will be received by the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations until March 5, 2021. Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations may not consider comments received after this date. Please visit the Applications, Comments & Reasons for Decision website at https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ for more information. Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. For information, contact Information Access Operations at the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services in Victoria at: www.gov.bc.ca/citz/iao/.
Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JANUARY 28 BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the 1950 film Harvey, James Stewart plays a middle-aged man named Elwood whose best friend is a tall invisible rabbit named Harvey. The relationship causes problems with the people in Elwood’s life. At one point a psychiatrist tries to convince him to “struggle with reality.” Elwood replies, “I wrestled with reality for 40 years and I am happy to state that I finally won.” I’m happy to tell you this story, Aries, because it’s a good leadin to my counsel for you: I suspect that one of your long wrestles with reality will yield at least a partial victory in the coming weeks. And it will be completely real, as opposed to Elwood’s Harvey. Congratulations! TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The light of the North Star takes a long time to reach us, even though it’s travelling 186,000 miles per second. The beams it shows us tonight first embarked when Shakespeare was alive on Earth. And yet that glow seems so fresh and pure. Are there any other phenomena in your life that are metaphorically comparable? Perhaps an experience you had months ago that is only now revealing its complete meaning? Or a seed you planted years ago that is finally ripening into its mature expression? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to take inventory of such things, Taurus. It will also be a favourable phase to initiate innovations that will take some time to become fully useful for you. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard had the great privilege of landing on the moon in a spacecraft, then walking on the lunar surface. How did he celebrate this epic holy adventure? By reciting a stirring passage from Shakespeare or the Talmud? By placing a framed photo of Amelia Earhart or a statue of Icarus in the dirt? By saying a prayer to his God or thoughtfully thanking the people who helped put him there? No. Shepard used this sublime one-of-a-kind moment to hit a golf ball with a golf club. I’ll ask you not to regard him as a role model in the coming weeks. When your sacred or lofty moments arrive, offer proper homage and honour. Be righteously appreciative of your blessings. CANCER (June 21-July 22): William Shakespeare worked with another playwright in creating three plays: Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and Cardenio. The lucky collaborator was John Fletcher, who was popular and influential in his era. I propose that we name him one of your role models in 2021. Here’s why: You will have an enhanced potential to engage in fertile partnerships with allies who are quite worthy of you. I encourage you to be on the lookout for opportunities to thrive on symbiosis and synergy. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Canadian journalist Nick Ashdown is amazed that white people in North America are so inhibited about revealing their real feelings. He writes, “How bizarre that in English, the word ‘emotional’ is used pejoratively, as though passion implies some sort of weakness.” He marvels that the culture seems to “worship nonchalance” and regard intense expressiveness as uncool or unprofessional. I’m going to encourage you to embody a different approach in the coming days. I don’t mean to suggest that you should be an out-ofcontrol maniac constantly exploding with intensity. But I do hope you will take extra measures to respect and explore and reveal the spirited truth about yourself. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo actor Ingrid Bergman appeared in three movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In Notorious, set after the end of the Second World War, she played the daughter of a Nazi spy. During the filming, Bergman had trouble with a particular scene. She explained her doubts to Hitchcock, saying, “I don’t think I can do that naturally.” Hitchcock seemed receptive to her input, but in the end had an unexpected response: “All right,” he told her. “If you can’t do it naturally, then fake it.” I’m going to suggest that you follow Hitchcock’s advice during the next two weeks, Virgo. “Fake it till you make it” is an acceptable—probably preferable—approach.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The 17th-century Libran polymath Thomas Browne had a brilliant, well-educated mind. He authored many books on various subjects, from science to religion, and was second only to Shakespeare in the art of coining new words. He did have a blind spot, however. He referred to sex as the “trivial and vulgar way of union” and “the foolishest act a wise man commits in all his life.” Most of us have pockets of ignorance like that—aspects that qualify as learning disabilities or intellectual black holes. And now and then there come times when we benefit from checking in with these deficiencies and deciding whether to take any fresh steps to wisen them up. Now is such a time for you. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it,” declares actor and comedian Mindy Kaling. Is that an unromantic sentiment? Maybe. But more importantly, it’s evidence that she treasures her sleep. And that’s admirable! She is devoted to giving her body the nurturing it needs to be healthy. Let’s make Kaling your patron saint for now. It’s a favourable time to upgrade your strategies for taking very good care of yourself. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): All of us go through phases when our brains work at a higher level than usual. I’m guessing that you’re about to enjoy one of these times. In fact, I won’t be shocked if you string together a series of ingenious thoughts and actions. I hope you use your enhanced intelligence for important matters—like making practical improvements in your life! Please don’t waste it on trivial matters like arguments on Facebook or Twitter. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Today, the Capricorn artist Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) is regarded as an important and influential painter. Early in his career, though, he was rejected and even ridiculed by critics. One reason was that he loved making still-life paintings, which were considered low art. Of his 584 works, about 200 of them were of inanimate, commonplace objects. Fruit was his specialty. Typically, he might spend 100 separate sessions in perfecting a particular bowl of apples. “Don’t you want to take a vacation from painting fruit?” he was asked. In response, he said that simply shifting the location of his easel in relation to his subject matter was almost more excitement than he could bear. That’s the kind of focused, detailed attitude I hope you’ll cultivate toward your own labours of love during the coming weeks, Capricorn. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “We all want everything to be okay,” writes author David Levithan. “We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.” To that mediocre manifesto, I reply, OK. I accept that it’s true for many people. But I don’t think it will apply to you Aquarians in the coming weeks. According to my assessment of your astrological potentials, you can, if you want, have a series of appointments with the fantastic, the marvellous, and the outstanding. Please keep those appointments! Don’t skip them out of timidity or excess humility. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): DON’Ts: Don’t keep scratching an old wound until it bleeds. Don’t try to snatch away the teddy bear that belongs to the 800-pound gorilla. Don’t try to relieve your tension by pounding your head against a wall. Don’t try to convince a stone idol to show you some tenderness. DOs: Do ask supposedly naive questions that may yield liberating revelations. Do keep in mind that sometimes things need to be a bit broken before you’ll be motivated to give them all the care they need and deserve. Do extinguish the fire on a burning bridge, and then repair the bridge. Homework: I believe that you can’t get what you want from another person until you’re able to give it to yourself. Do you think that’s true? FreeWillAstrology.com.
In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates
Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca
42 JANUARY 28, 2021
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES In-depth weekly forecasts designed to inspire and uplift you. To buy access, phone 1-888-499-4425. Once you’ve chosen the Block of Time you like, call 1-888-682-8777 to hear Rob’s forecasts. www.freewillastrology.com
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Lee Carter Plumbing Ltd. Is looking for a full-time Red Seal Certified Plumber/Gasfitter. You will be paid up to $50/hr plus bonus and commission depending on qualifications and experience. Good variety of work, new builds, renovations and service work. Family run environment working individually and as part of a team. Applicants MUST have a BC Drivers Licence, local accommodation, Red Seal plumbing and BC Class B gas fitter qualifications. You will also need your own hand tools. You will be provided with a company work van, iPad and uniform. After a 3 month trial you will receive a ski pass and full healthcare benefits.
Email a cover letter and resume to lcarterplumbing@gmail.com
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I.T. OPERATIONS MANAGER Full Time, Year Round The I.T. Operations Manager provides a wide range of technical leadership relating to the network, software, and hardware for the Whistler Conference Centre, Visitor Information Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler.com, and Tourism Whistler’s administrative office. This role requires a hands-on professional with highly developed customer service skills, and a logical, formal approach to problem solving. Technical knowledge and abilities include: mastery of the latest Microsoft workstation and server technologies, network design and security, Windows security, and Office 365 administration; MSCE (or equivalent) certification; and knowledge of wireless technology. To view our career opportunities, and to apply, visit us online at: whistler.com/careers.
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FACILITIES ENGINEER
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FRONT OF 6 HOUSE MANAGER Full Time, Summer Seasonal
2 9 Reporting to the Food & Beverage Manager, the Front of House 8 7 The Facilities Engineer is responsible for the oversight, maintenance, repairs and efficient operations of all main Manager leads the front of house food & beverage team in mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, and the overall 4 1 7 product 6 and service to our guests, both 3 2 delivering an exceptional common areas at the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf on the course and in Palmer’s Gallery Bar & Grill. Course and Driving Range. 1 7 9 This position requires an individual who possesses a 4th Our ideal candidate has experience in food and beverage Certificate (or is currently enrolled), EMPLOYMENT experience9 with budgeting, scheduling and controls; 2 leadership; 2 9 7 Class 4 Power Engineering 5with five years complimented of related experience gained in 3 excellent customer service skills and the ability to deliver 1 3 7 5
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a commercial building or hotel. Experience and knowledge of # 49 MEDIUM direct digital controls, energy management systems and green initiatives is also important. Previous leadership experience, with knowledge of applicable buildings codes and health and safety practices is an asset.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES MEDIUM
Bucha Brew- Administrative assitant -Job Responsability/ requirements - Prepare, edit, invoices - Create and organize deliveries route - Search grants and procces applications -Knowledge of fermentation, kombucha -Must have knowledge and experience of Beverage manufacturing industry - Spanish/ English speaking -Own computer with Microsoft -Quickbooks, Basecamp, social media experience -6 months experience in a Kombucha Company -Salary: 21.50$/h. -30h./ per week -More information: https://bit.ly/3p7cF4F
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To apply for this position, please visit: www.whistler.com/careers.
To view our career opportunities, and to apply, visit us online at whistler.com/careers.
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***Local Automotive*** Automotive technician for year round position in Whistler. 604-905-9109 steve@localautomotive.com
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Career Opportunities at the District of Squamish
Velofix S2S Bike Mechanic Velofix Sea to Sky is currently hiring a full-time lead mechanic and operator who has a passion for cycling, possess outstanding customer service skills and has the ability to manage their own mobile bike shop. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, trained to build/repair all types and levels of bicycles, and has awesome MEDIUM communication skills.
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Annual comp $50-60k, plus tips, discounts on parts, usage of vehicle. ryan.torvik@velofix.com https://www.velofix.com/locations/sea -to-sky/
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PLANNING AND BUILDING ASSISTANT We are looking for an energetic, results-oriented individual with great customer service and interpersonal skills and a can-do attitude to join our busy department. As a Planning and Building Assistant you will help out with a number of tasks, such as: answering and directing phone calls (~15 per day), scheduling inspections, receiving and sorting communications, managing files, tracking applications and departmental statistics, helping to research property information and property titles, taking minutes (on occasion), uploading documents to the SLRD website, and a variety of other tasks that may arise.
The ideal candidate will be an upbeat team player with great attention to detail. You will also possess: • Some post-secondary training, preferably with an office administration diploma as well as experience with Microsoft Office software (including Word and Excel, and preferably, Publisher or InDesign), or an equivalent combination of education and experience. • Experience in a planning, municipal or local government environment will be an asset but we are willing to train the right individual. • Ability to work through interruptions and to work with minimal supervision. • Ability to communicate tactfully, clearly, and effectively, both verbally and in writing. • Ability to exercise mature judgment when dealing with colleagues, Elected Officials, clients and the general public. • Ability to positively contribute and work in a team-oriented environment. • An ability and willingness to identify what needs to get done, and to initiate positive improvements. This is a full-time position. The SLRD offers a flexible 9-day fortnight and a benefits package. A full job description is available on the SLRD website here: http://www.slrd.bc.ca/inside-slrd/ employment If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a cover letter and resume via email by 5 p.m. February 12th to:
Lil’wat Nation
Employment Opportunity Human Resource Manager Are you an experienced, passionate, and self-motivated HR professional? The Human Resources Manager will be responsible for providing leadership, professional knowledge and guidance while building strong relationships throughout the Nation and working closely with the HR team and internal departments to support workplace culture.
Please send your resume and cover letter to lee-anne.kauffman@lilwat.ca by February 11th, 2021. For a full job description, please visit lilwat.ca/careers
lilwat.ca
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Employment Opportunities
Squamish Lillooet Regional District Attention: Nathalie Klein Email: nklein@slrd.bc.ca Website: www.slrd.bc.ca
• Systems Administrator • Utilities Operator 2 - Water
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers
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WHAT’S ON YOUR CAREER HORIZON?
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 48 Squamish Whistler Pemberton
BUS DRIVERS School District No. 48 (Sea to Sky) is accepting applications for the following positions: Bus Driver - Part time - Pemberton/Whistler area Bus Driver - Part time – Squamish area These positions are covered by our CUPE Collective Agreement and offers a competitive rate of pay and benefits package. Further information regarding this position and the School District can be found at https://www.makeafuture.ca/regions-districts/ bc-public-school-districts/metro/sea-to-sky/ Please note applications for this position will be received up to 4:00 pm on Friday, January 29, 2021. 46 JANUARY 28, 2021
IRRIGATION TECHNICIAN
Full Time, Summer Seasonal (April – October) The Irrigation Technician is involved with all facets of maintaining and operating the irrigation system, and works closely with the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent on all irrigation repairs, troubleshooting, programming, and planning. This position requires an individual with formal education in Turfgrass Management, or experience in golf course maintenance and/or irrigation; an understanding of golf and how it pertains to the set up and maintenance of the course; and an ability to deliver “Whistler’s Attitude”! We are also recruiting for: Grounds Maintenance (Full Time & Part Time, Seasonal), Assistant Gardener (Full Time, Seasonal), Volunteers (Seasonal). To apply, please email your cover letter and resume to Andrew Arseneault, Assistant Superintendent: andrew@whistlergolf.com. For a complete list of summer positions at the Whistler Golf Club, visit: whistlergolf.com/careers.
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PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR INFANT TODDLER EDUCATOR The N’Quatqua First Nation is seeking 2 qualified Early Childhood Educators. One is a full-time permanent position, the other is a full time maternity leave position at N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre. The successful candidates will join our NCFDC team. The Early Childhood Educators work as team members with other 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.
YOUR NEXT CAREER ADVENTURE AWAITS.
• Ability to develop and maintain a warm, caring, responsive relationship with the child.
At Tyax Lodge and Heliskiing, rugged, glorious wilderness meets luxury. Resting on the shores of Tyaughton Lake in the heart of the southern Chilcotin Mountains, the resort is a base for unparalleled world-class heli skiing, mountain biking, horseback riding, paddling, fishing and hiking.
• Ability to establish and maintain supportive, collaborative relationships with families and staff.
We are currently seeking a General Manager.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in:
• 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
As the visionary at the helm you will build your team, tell the brand story, invigorate and reposition the resort, and manage the overall operations. Apply today to tyaxhr@gmail.com
• Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations
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• 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 Educators 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
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• Food Safe, or willingness to obtain • Some knowledge of curriculum and philosophies in First Nations Early Childhood settings Terms of Employment: • Full-time, Monday to Friday hours to be determined • 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
Glacier Media Group is growing. Check our job board regularly for the latest openings: www.glaciermedia.ca/careers
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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 48 51 53 58 59 61 62 63 65 67 69 71 72
Jeweler’s measure Arizona city Ore deposits Hooded jacket Plato’s final letter More achy Provide funding Leek cousin Piece of turf Pluck a banjo Kind of tactics Anwar of Egypt Develop Lagoon maker Well-aware of (2 wds.) Do in Chicago Loop trains Cabbage Car rental brand Roulette color Building wing Overcast Compare Pester Ice skater Babilonia Amuse Ptarmigan Sneeze cause Conquistador’s quest Rights-movement word Choose Bead Rain gear Nevada town Banned things (hyph.) Chinese skiffs Pocket jingler Hornless cattle
74 75 76 77 79 80 81 82 83 84 87 89 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 102 103 104 105 107 108 110 113 115 116 118 120 123 126 127 128 132
Klutz Least trusting Was too fond Muscle soother (2 wds.) Big ape Frothy dessert Washouts Lower in dignity Large movie ape Wyoming mountains Gurgled, as a brook Catered to Firing, slangily Eats a little Average guy Make a count of Ancient Germanic character Playing marble (2 wds.) Marathoner Farmland Unit of work Lured England’s FBI “-- Miserables” -- -- moment’s notice Occurred Did 18 holes Countdown format (hyph.) Hydroelectric project Castle feature Crumble away Volcano’s output -- Abner, of the comics Mellow fruit Box a bit “Kon-Tiki” craft Wonder
133 134 135 137 138 140 142 144 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153
Chatty starling Salami seller Holds up Collection of fauna Cowboy’s beat WWII sea menace (hyph.) Cricket sound Loan-sharking Vinegar bottle Highway Cousins’ moms Combine Cads Screwed things up Journey segments War-horse
DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21
Early camera Pablo’s girl Make merry In days gone by Toodle-oo! (hyph.) Caterwauling Europe-Asia divider Adult persons Shipmate of Jason Trace Audience’s cry Boise’s st. Scandinavian Great! Bouquet Miscellany Subway patron Down Under denizen Unable to sit still Kitchen appliance
30 32 34 37 41 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 52 54 55 56 57 60 62 64 66 68 69 70 71 73 75 76 78 79 80 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Absorb (2 wds.) Agrees silently Modifies Taiga denizen Club stint Feeling lousy Moves jauntily Descend a cliff “-- you serious?” Rabbi’s reading Curie daughter Chain dance Put up shingles Two-mile-high capital Mardi Gras follower Throws off heat Monikers Rumbles Lightened up Give up land Surpassed Take a snooze Cheesecake brand (2 wds.) Comes up Type of fir Threw Unsteady Glazed food item Commercials Talked on and on In style Bow down Weight rebate Commuter’s home Trace of color Please, in Vienna Not present Winter Games grp.
90 91 92 94 95 98 99 100 103 104 106 109 110 111 112 114
Brag Privileged few “Like a Rolling Stone” singer Workbench item Sate Peacefully Crevice Lab glassware Sheep’s cry Of paperwork Grass Pharm. watchdog Welcomed By word of mouth Leaves -- annum
117 119 120 121 122 124 125 127 129 130 131 133 136 139 141 143 145
Make current Coarse files Kind of conifer Not in a fog Sports locale Habituate Work Broken-arm support Sky-colored Smithy Fiddled idly New York players Math results Harden Not their Outcry Firmed up
LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS
Enter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that: • Each horizontal row contains each digit exactly once • Each vertical column contains each digit exactly once • Each 3x3 box contains each digit exactly once Solving a sudoku puzzle does not require any mathematics; simple logic suffices.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
7 8 6 8 2
6 1 2
4
4
1 9 6 9
7
8 7 3 2
2
1 3 7 5
9
2
9 7 4
5
MEDIUM Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 49
5
1 MEDIUM
9 8 4
3 4
9 1
3 2
7 2 1 5
7 9
4 6 7
7 8 6
9 # 50
ANSWERS ON PAGE 45
JANUARY 28, 2021
49
MAXED OUT
What do you get when you don’t properly vet? GETTYIMAGES.CA
“OBVIOUSLY THE vetting process that was in place was followed....” JUSTIN TRUDEAU SUMMER - 2017 “Allo. I wan to speak to da Prime Minister.” “Who shall I say is calling?” “Jean Chrétien.” “One moment, Monsieur Chrétien.” INSIPID HOLD MUSIC “Jean, Justin here. Good to—uh—hear from you. What’s up?” “I av da perfect candidate for Gov’nor General for you.”
BY G.D. MAXWELL “I already have a GG. David Johnston is doing a fine job.” “’E is not your JeeJee. ‘E is Harper’s JeeJee. Besides, ‘e’s an old man... like me. ‘E doesn’t fit your image of yout ‘n vitality.” “I—uh—hadn’t thought of it that way. Who do you—uh—have in mind, Jean?” “Julie Payette.” “Who?” “Julie Payette. She’s an astronaut... from Quebec... cute... blonde.” “Jean, you—uh—can’t say things like that.” “Like what?” “Cute. Blonde.” “Why not? She is.” “Because. It’s—uh—2017.” “Dat’s what you say two year ago.” “Astronaut, eh? Oh, wait. I remember her now. Wow! Great idea, Jean. Leave it with me.” And so, stars in his eyes with the thought of getting a celebrity that ticked all the boxes—well, at least the boxes that perpetuate the old boy/girl, white rule— young Justin Trudeau set out to ensure the Prime Minister’s Office thoroughly vetted Ms. Payette for the viceregal role of Governor General, the Queen’s representative whose most important role is to read the Speech From the Throne so we don’t have to listen to the Prime Minister(s) lie to us personally. Vetting in this case, as has become abundantly clear, consisted of JT saying to his Chief of Staff, “Oooooh. She’s famous... a—uh—celebrity. She’s French-Canadian. She was an ASTRONAUT!!! Flew jets!! Was on the Space Station!! I want her.” And so it came to pass. To say it was all downhill from the start would be—what’s the word I’m looking for— an understatement. As GGs go, Ms. Payette has been a disaster. If Donald Trump had been a woman, and thank God for humanity he wasn’t, and had no real power to go along with his self-absorbed, infallible, imperial attitude, and been an astronaut, something he had neither the brain nor will power to achieve, he’d have been Ms. Payette’s doppelgänger.
50 JANUARY 28, 2021
No single task in the long list of thankless tasks the GG is expected to perform seemed to interest her except maybe the ones that let her dress up in uniform and ribbons or ones that honoured her for being Queen-Lite. Depending on your perspective, the GG job is either a fundamental cornerstone of our political system or an antiquated titular role that ought to be put out of our misery. But regardless of which camp you fall into, Ms. Payette’s performance was miserable and brought both the office and most certainly the government and Prime Minister into even further disrepute, the latter being a formidable task. Only the Queen herself was spared and it’s not like she doesn’t have enough family issues to deal with. Let us be clear. The GG’s job is about as posh as it gets in a country that doesn’t have a local monarch. It comes with a palatial estate, upon which Ms. Payette squandered hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure her privacy and comfort. Had she ever actually resided there, it may have been money well spent but her stubborn reluctance to perform even that task made it a monumental waste of taxpayer dollars. By comparison, the Prime Minister’s home, 24 Sussex Dr., is a crumbling edifice, perhaps explaining why the Trudeau family is living in a cottage on the grounds of the GG’s palace. The GG has a formerly happy, now miserable staff—operating budget $24 million—that does all the heavy lifting. Other than reading briefing papers, all she needs to do is show up, smile, salute, bow
or shake hands, or the COVID-equivalent elbow bump. But Ms. Payette, as well as eschewing Rideau Hall, was famous for declining requests for public appearances, privacy, not only in her residence but apparently the rest of her life, being paramount. She found it too tiresome, or perhaps not sufficiently self-aggrandizing, to be patron of charities formerly enjoying long-standing support of past GGs. She was, in short, a total disaster as GG. But that may not have been so bad had she not been a holy terror to those around her. A CBC report last summer outlined a regime of belittling, berating and publicly humiliating staff on the part of Ms. Payette and her handpicked deputy, Assunta di Lorenzo. That’s when the questions started. Six months later, at a cost of almost $400,000, an external audit found, well, exactly what one reporter and her team at the CBC found for a fraction of that amount—a toxic workplace environment run by a tag team of bosszillas. When the initial reporting came out, Ms. Payette said she welcomed the inquiry. When the external consultant’s report came out this week, she neither admitted nor denied the allegations... she just resigned. While it’s pointless to suggest she could have done that in July and saved taxpayers the cost of the inquiry, the meter’s still, and will forever be, running on Ms. Payette’s deranged term in office. For her just over three years of service, she will receive a lifetime annuity of almost
$150,000. Of course, she pulled down more than $250,000 salary for her lack of service. But that’s not all; former GGs are allowed up to $206,000 per year for office and travel expenses. Seriously. I’m not blaming Ms. Payette for taking a job she clearly didn’t want. Heck, if JT called me up and offered me the job, I’d jump at it. Who wouldn’t? But my qualifications were more thoroughly vetted the first time I applied for a job that paid barely more than minimum wage at Blackcomb! Ever dodging and weaving, the Prime Minister won’t admit he screwed the pooch checking up on his rock star appointment. But Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc has, as reported in The Globe and Mail. He said the first anyone in the PMO’s office learned of Ms. Payette’s abuse in all of her previous jobs was when the CBC reported it. Caramba! So the beat goes on. It gets harder and harder to know whether JT is just clueless or believes as head of the Natural Governing Party he’s simply above such mundane matters. At this point, after repeated conflicts of interest, scandals, missteps and incredibly dumb decisions, his only saving grace, as it has been so many times in the past, is a weak opposition and a leader of the Conservatives who looks as though he wears clown shoes. If I believed in conspiracy theories, I’d almost imagine the little guy from Shawinigan set him up as neatly as he did Little Pauly Martin. Naw. ■
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3D Tour - rem.ax/107woodrun
9365 Flicker Way
$695,000
#107 - 4910 Spearhead Drive
3D Tour - rem.ax/108northstar
$1,799,000
WedgeWoods is a private 108 lot community with unique privacy and many larger properties. You can build a family home as well as an auxiliary building of 2150 sq. ft. Perfect for a workshop, studio or guest suite with extra garage. A select group of properties located in The Highlands at WedgeWoods have just been launched.
The Woodrun is one of the few concrete buildings in Whistler and #107 is conveniently located on the ground floor facing the green belt. The unit features a boot heater, huge owner locker, Washer, and Dryer in suite and the gym and pool access is just across the hallway.
Meg McLean
Richard Christiansen
604.907.2223
604.907.2717
2
#108 - 4355 Northlands Blvd.
$1,259,000
Thelargestofthe2bedroomfloorplansinthisprestigioustownhomecomplex,withjust over1,000squarefeeton2levels.Itissouth-facingsoallowsforlighttostreaminthroughthe windows.Italsofeaturesaspaciousfullyequippedkitchen,2fullbathrooms,largeliving/dining area,gasfireplaceandmountainviewsfromthesundeckandmasterbedroom.
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2
3D Tour - rem.ax/418alpenglow
#418 - 4369 Main Street
$444,786
Large Southwest facing studio on the 4th floor at the Alpenglow in the heart of Whistler Village. This unit features a cozy fireplace, big sun deck boasting wonderful views of the Village and surrounding mountains. Walk to all restaurants, shops, ski lifts and everything the Village has to offer!
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.5
604.932.8629
9253 Wedgemount Plateau Dr.
$862,500
#105D - 2020 London Lane
$125,000
WedgeWoods is a private 108 lot community with unique privacy and many larger properties. You can build a family home as well as an auxiliary building of 2150 sq. ft. A select group of properties located in The Highlands at WedgeWoods have just been launched and offer beautiful views.
This 1 bed/1 bath QUARTER OWNERSHIP property in Evolution offers custom finishings, contemporary design & comes fully equipped. Building amenities include: outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, games room, exercise room & media room. Enjoy 13 weeks per year of personal use and/or rental income.
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1
3D Tour - rem.ax/7115nesters
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$315,500
Enjoy your central village location in this bright corner of the building. It boasts a spacious sleeping loft, with ensuite bathroom, a separate den with TV and pullout couch, full kitchen and flexible living-dining area. Eight hundred square feet of living space is a rare find this close to both mountains, make this a must-see.
Bruce Watt
1.5
604.905.0737
7115 Nesters Road
$3,788,000
Thisisanamazing,wellmaintainedpropertywithbeautifullandscaping,plentyofparking andoutdoordeckspacewithalargecoveredhottubforguests.Arareopportunitytoown anaccommodationbusinessofthissize,locationandqualitywithsubstantialpotentialfor growth.Aseparatecaretakersuiteoffersprivacyforthemanagerorowner/operator.
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8.5
#515 - 4910 Spearhead Place
$98,000
Woodrun is the best of fractional ownership. This 2 bedroom ski in ski out condominium is arguably the best real estate location in Whistler. Woodrun is a concrete and steel building that features an outdoor pool and a large hot tub. The convenient ski storage room puts you on to the slope in minutes.
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604.902.2779
2
3D Tour - rem.ax/23SB
#23 - 3102 Panorama Ridge
$705,000
#322C - 2036 London Lane
$189,000
The perfect Whistler family home walking distance to Whistler Village. #23 Suncrest is a 2 bed, 1 bath, 904 sf townhome with deck & large crawlspace to store all the toys. 1 parking space + visitor parking. Updates include modern kitchen & hardwood flooring, new hot water tank & washer/dryer.
This very impressive almost 900sq ft 2 bedroom 2 bath has all the amenities a holiday requires, hot tub, movie theater, outdoor pool, ski lockers & ski in ski out access. The best location you could ask for right when you enter Creekside. 322C is on the mountainside, no highway noise, just a beautiful creek to listen to.
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Doug Treleaven
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2
WHISTLER OFFICE 106 - 7015 Nesters Road, Whistler, BC V8E 0X1 604.932.2300 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070 *PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
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2
#8 - 2213 Marmot Place
$718,000
Just a stone’s toss from Creekside village and gondola is this gorgeously updated 1 bedroom townhome, boasting vaulted ceilings, large private deck, wood burning fireplace, and an amazing view of Rainbow mountain - this gem is sure to please. Custom upgrades include cabin style wood feature walls throughout.
Laura Barkman
604.905.8777
1
PEMBERTON OFFICE 1411 Portage Road, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1 604.894.6616 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070