Pique Newsmagazine 2811

MARCH 18, 2021 ISSUE 28.11

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE THE HEEL

LEAVING A MARK Whistler’s little-known history of telemark skiing

14

EARLY STAGES Undeveloped land in village area is set to undergo complex rezoning

18

PAY PARKING AT PARKS

RMOW

introducing strategies to manage summer

44

CREATIVE KICKSTART Five Sea to Sky music acts are about to head to band bootcamp

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

15

40

36 Leaving a mark Whistler’s little-known history of telemark skiing. - By Steven Threndyle

14

EARLY DAYS

One of the last remaining undeveloped

32

PLAN FOR JOFFRE

The provincial government

pieces of land in Whistler’s core village area is set to undergo a

released its draft plan for the Joffre Lakes visitor-use management

rezoning—with community engagement at the heart of the process.

strategy and now they want your feedback.

15

40

BUILDING BOOM

After closing out 2020 on a

FEELING ON TOP

Former Whistler runner

hot streak, Whistler’s real estate market didn’t lose any steam in the first

Joseph Michael Kai-Tsu Liu Roqueni is plotting a barefoot run through the

months of 2021.

Northwest Territories and Yukon to support men’s mental health.

18

SUMMER OPS

Taking from lessons learned last

44

CREATIVE KICKSTART

Five Sea to Sky

summer, when local parks were overwhelmed by regional visitors, the

music acts are about to head to band bootcamp, which will culminate in

RMOW is introducing pay parking at parks.

some (hopefully) in-person showcases in the coming months.

COVER: Donnie Campbell was hired as telemark instructor by Whistler Mountain in the glory days of telemark skiing. - By Steven Threndyle 4 MARCH 18, 2021

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS It’s been six months since the province promised action on protecting

#202 -1390 ALPHA LAKE RD., FUNCTION JUNCTION, WHISTLER, B.C. V8E 0H9.

PH: (604) 938-0202 FAX: (604) 938-0201 www.piquenewsmagazine.com

old-growth forests, but to date little has been done.

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A letter writer this week suggests that all of Whistler should get

Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Editor CLARE OGILVIE - edit@piquenewsmagazine.com Assistant Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@wplpmedia.com Production Manager KARL PARTINGTON - kpartington@wplpmedia.com Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@wplpmedia.com Advertising Representatives AMY ALLEN - aallen@wplpmedia.com TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com Digital/Sales Coordinator AMELA DIZDARIC - traffic@wplpmedia.com Production production@piquenewsmagazine.com LOU O’BRIEN - lstevens@wplpmedia.com

vaccinated now in order to help shore up tourism for the province.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Writer Dan Falloon is leaving the pages of Pique and heading out for new adventures.

58 MAXED OUT It’s all about the numbers this week for Max as he analyzes statistics relevant to the pandemic—but they aren’t going to change with the “new normal,” he suggests.

Environment & Adventure

Arts & Entertainment Editor ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com

35 THE OUTSIDER Writer Vince Shuley is enjoying this month, even if the weather can sometimes be

Sports Editor DAN FALLOON - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com

uncooperative, as “March is for skiing,” he writes.

Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com Reporters BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@wplpmedia.com Classifieds and Reception mail@piquenewsmagazine.com Office and Accounts Manager HEIDI RODE - hrode@wplpmedia.com I.T. and Webmaster KARL PARTINGTON Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ANDREW MITCHELL, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON

Lifestyle & Arts

42 FORK IN THE ROAD Pemberton eighth-graders Sam Tierney and Patrick Tarling are pushing Pemberton council to adopt student suggestions for its first climate-action plan.

46 MUSEUM MUSINGS When Hillcrest Lodge first opened for business in 1946 in Whistler it was not meant to be a year-round operation, but by 1967 it was open to ski guests for $9.50 a night.

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.

In no event shall unsolicited material subject this publication to any claim or fees. Copyright in letters and other (unsolicited) materials submitted and accepted for publication remains with the author but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms.

Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, address and daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 250 words. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine.

Pique Newsmagazine is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact (edit@ piquenewsmagazine.com). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil. ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.

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OPENING REMARKS

Stand up for forests Friday I’VE WRITTEN in this space before about how I wish we could harness the focus we have for all things pandemic to face up to and make a plan for dealing with the climate crisis.

Several months ago we learned about the provincial NDP government’s plan to address concerns about logging of old-

BY CLARE OGILVIE edit@piquenewsmagazine.com

growth and old trees, and while addressing this issue is not going to solve our climatedestroying actions it does speak to government’s desire to act on a concern that is important to many voters.

I admit I was heartened when I read the report released to the public last September—A New Future For Old Forests: A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages for Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems.

The report had 14 recommendations that, if adopted, would significantly change the management of old-growth forests, and engages a process of government-to-government framework involving both the provincial and

the political will necessary for transitioning into a sustainable new forest framework,” states a release.

“To help with this, the provincewide action is also highlighting the links between deforestation and climate change and will ask the government to declare a forest emergency.”

The day also aligns with the global Fridays for Future movement, in which youth continue to draw attention to the climate emergency.

As well, the Association for Whistler Area Residents for the Environment and The Whistler Naturalists will together host An Inside Look at Forestry in BC and Whistler, an event designed to educate our community on best forestry practices and the realities of forestry in B.C. now and into the future.

You can also show your support on social media by posting a photo of yourself standing with a tree under the #TreePoseChallenge.

Don’t forget to add the hashtags: #treeposechallenge, #fridaysforfuture, #worthmorestanding, #marchforoldgrowth, and #forestemergency.

And you could also write to local MLA Jordan Sturdy about the issue. There will be a letter-writing blitz on Friday at noon.

We know from the work of AWARE and the Whistler Naturalists that pockets

“[T]he province-wide action is also highlighting the links between deforestation and climate change and will ask the government to declare a forest emergency.”

Indigenous governments.

So here we are six months later, and sadly, it looks like the province has done next to nothing on its commitments to protect old-growth. And so, despite the COVID-19 pandemic still dictating that people can’t gather to show their disappointment in the government, Forest March BC is organizing a day of protest this Friday, March 19.

“Forest March BC 2021 aims to ignite

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of spectacular old and ancient trees remain throughout the Whistler area.

Coring trees around Whistler has shown that our surrounding forests are home to trees that are 600, 800 and in some areas more than 1,000 years old. Whistler’s oldest documented living tree was found as part of the 2014 phase of tree coring projects, a 1,200-plus-year-old yellow cedar found in the Callaghan Valley.

Last week the Wilderness Committee, Sierra Club BC and the Ancient Forest Alliance released a report card which graded Premier John Horgan’s NDP government in five key areas on the report, failing them in all but one category.

They give a “D” for the logging deferrals the government introduced last fall. The three groups explained that the province only deferred logging in less than one per cent of what’s threatened in the province. They want the government to immediately defer logging of all at-risk old growth. Indeed, they went on to say that the plan itself was somewhat misleading, as it stated that 353,000 hectares was to be protected but in fact much of the area was not old-growth at all, or it was already protected.

“Government promised a ‘new direction’ for old-growth forests and then spent six months dragging its heels and refusing to protect the most endangered stands,” said Andrea Inness, campaigner for the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Of course, the report is outlining a huge change in the way our forests are managed and considered as part of our ecosystem, and this will take time.

As you consider this and plan how you will stand up for our forests this Friday, consider these words from Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, who said in a release the majority of old-growth forests that are at risk remain open to logging, including vulnerable, biodiverse areas like the Fairy Creek watershed.

“What governments and corporations need to do is to take a step back and view old-growth forests not as commercialized products to be harvested and sold, but as the bedrock foundations of a healthy, biodiverse environment that First Nations have been stewards over since time immemorial,” he said.

“Old-growth forests help sustain our livelihoods and possess incalculable cultural and spiritual value that is far from pecuniary.” n

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Consider Whistler for mass vaccination to support tourism Just saw on Global TV how Seattle was using a stadium to vaccinate 20,000 a day and how all of Prince Rupert was being vaccinated at one time this month. Why not Whistler?

We are a tourist town requiring tourists to feel safe to visit us. It would be a great boost to Tourism Whistler and all employees if we were all vaccinated.

The science is not conclusive but it appears vaccinated Whistlerites are [less likely] to spread COVID-19 to the tourists or get [a serious case of COVID-19] after two weeks post vaccination date.

We could then market Whistler as a safe place to visit and again go back to welcoming the world.

The province could copy this massvaccination idea for other small towns dependant on summer tourism such as Tofino, Revelstoke and Nelson.

Michael Blaxland // Whistler

coronary artery disease and cancer are all greater threats than is the current virus in circulation. Yet panic over the possibility of contracting infection has led to serious delays in diagnosing and managing these conditions for many individuals.

In the elderly, social integration has long been recognized as vital to maintaining mental and physical health, and yet they have been denied this basic right for over a year.

At any demographic level, anywhere in the world, the economic downturn due to political responses to the pandemic is causing and aggravating poverty, another factor intimately linked to poor health and premature death.

Fear of the virus has also discouraged ridership on public transport, even though it is 100 times safer than personal motor transportation, in terms of risk of accidental injury or death.

I would guess that the average age of the pandemic’s collateral victims is well under that of the average age of those who have succumbed to the infection, magnifying the ultimate tally of unnecessary life-years lost.

Like all other living things, human beings have always been dying of infectious disease.

History is a litany of waves of epidemics and pandemics, most far more deadly than the current one. I find it extraordinary and hypocritical that we suddenly have become so risk-adverse to a virus while we continue to blissfully play Russian roulette with so many fundamental life-sustaining elements of our biosphere, including climate stability.

Depending on the evolution of coronavirus strains, herd immunity and vaccination

I may ultimately lose due to this irrational overreaction to the disease, akin to an autoimmune response, bordering on anaphylaxis.

The media has done a brilliant job of documenting the daily death toll related to COVID-19, but the vast collateral damage of the drastic measures imposed to limit its spread will likely never be tabulated.

For most members of the population, conditions such as hypertension, diabetes,

We need herd immunity against brainwashing politicians

profoundly disturbed by the media’s role in creating and maintaining a constant state of hypervigilance regarding COVID-19.

Measured in terms of threat to quality human life years, coronavirus would not make the top 10 on my personal list of preventable or modifiable risks to human health and longevity. In fact, I have yet to lose a single patient to the disease.

But I do worry about how many clients

As a local general practitioner, I wish to support the sentiment expressed by Sue Saw in last week’s letter section (“Question all levels of government on pandemic,” Pique, March 11).

For the past 12 months I too have been

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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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR programs may ultimately provide at least temporary reprieve from propagation of the disease itself, but what I would really like to see is development of a vaccine versus paranoia and mass hysteria, to help us achieve herd immunity to brainwashing by fear-mongering politicians and members of the media.

Thomas DeMarco MD // Whistler

Let’s lobby Vail Resorts to change spring hours We are all disappointed with Vail Resorts’ decision not to extend the operating hours to 3:30 p.m. as normally happens starting in February. Sadly, we also know this is not going to change.

hours, but perhaps they could change them.

This is a public request for support to lobby Vail Resorts to change the spring hours from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Dave Stevens // Coquitlam

Speak up for seniors on vaccinations For many 70-plus seniors in British Columbia, it was a heavy blow when the four-month delay in their vaccine dose completions was announced.

After a year of sheltering in their homes, missing their children and grandchildren, their friends and colleagues, abandoning travel plans and other retirement pleasures, they looked forward to being fully vaccinated under the original schedule.

“Making plans for May and June 2021 kept them upbeat and afloat, but all that was swept aside without consideration for their wellbeing.”

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- DR BRIAN J LOW

But closing at 3 p.m. in the spring is even worse.

We all know once the spring weather rolls around you get a daily freeze/thaw cycle.

This makes skiing in the morning horrible, usually even on the groomers. Then at some point between about 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. depending on the sun and temperatures everything softens up and the real fun begins.

With the base and the amount of early season snow we got, this could be a great year for spring skiing.

But when the alpine closes at 2:30 p.m. it will result in the part of the day with good skiing being as short as a couple of hours. Vail Resorts will almost certainly not extend the

Making plans for May and June 2021 kept them upbeat and afloat, but all that was swept aside without consideration for their wellbeing, mental and physical, when the initial plan was scrapped.

Four months for a senior over 70 is time noticeably deducted from the balance of their lives.

They were told their lives were priorities for the B.C. government, suddenly not so.

Please advocate for an exemption for senior British Columbians from the four-month delay to be fully vaccinated—if just as a courtesy for having been British Columbian for more than seven decades.

Dr. Brian J Low, PhD., UBC // Vancouver ■

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Backcountry Advisory AS OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17 It looks like we are in for more wintery weather this weekend, with new snow, strong winds, and cool alpine air temperatures in the forecast. This will be a nice change for powder seekers, although basking in the sun at the mountain tops is surely also enjoyable at this time of the season.

As is typical during stormy periods, slab avalanches are expected and will likely drive the avalanche hazard this weekend. Both storm and wind slabs may develop during stormy periods and human-triggered avalanches should be expected in the days during and after the storm. Storm slabs will form where sufficient snow accumulates in terrain sheltered from the wind, while wind slabs will dominate in leeward terrain features near ridgetops where winds are stronger.

Don’t forget that cornices are very large at this time of year and can fail naturally or from the weight of a human or machine. They can result in very large, destructive avalanches when they do.

The best method to have a safe day is to understand where the avalanche problems are located and to avoid these areas. Check the avalanche forecast before heading out for the latest information on what elevation and aspects these problems exist.

When you’re out in the backcountry, look for clues of instability such as recent avalanches, whumpfing, or cracking at your skis. If you are uncertain, keeping a conservative mindset and avoiding consequential slopes is the prudent choice. Luckily, there are plenty of mellow terrain features and tight trees that are super fun to ride during stormy conditions. ■

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.

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MARCH 18, 2021

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PIQUE N’ YER INTEREST

Growing up in Neverland I’LL ADDRESS THE headline right off the bat: I didn’t come to Whistler until I was 27 and, to be crystal clear, it’s not meant to be some vain grasp for coveted local status.

Not that the next few hundred words won’t be vain, or at the very least, a little

BY DAN FALLOON sports@piquenewsmagazine.com

bit navel-gazey, but as my time with Pique comes to an end, I feel it’s worth sharing a few reflections on the past six-and-a-half years.

My first thought is how incredibly fortunate I was when I made the trip west from Manitoba in October of 2014.

Not only did I land in the most talented and fun newsroom I’ve ever been part of, but I felt welcomed right away as editor Clare Ogilvie was also kind enough to view lodging options on my behalf (I would absolutely not, a month before Opening Day, have secured my own space with wonderful landlords, thereby keeping my sanity, without her help.) Not to mention how generous athletes—Olympic gold medallists, up-and-comers, and everyone in between—were with their time.

The Whistler tale told over and over is that skiing, boarding and/or general outdoor

recreation won the day over everything else and you have no idea what your liftie or bartender aspired to be in a previous professional life. There’s a set of stories with diverse outcomes that start that way.

But it’s admittedly a little weird to post up here when your job is the reason you came. You do have the temptation to Peter Pan it a bit by enjoying all the resort has to offer: both in the village or on the mountain in some way, shape or form.

Ultimately, I feel that Whistler was the

(co-directed by colleague Brandon Barrett, no less). No matter who you are, you feel the innate need to tap into your sense of adventure in some way while you’re here.

I started dating my now-wife long distance before my siren song (well, more likely the marmots’ call) wooed her out west, and we got married here in the resort in 2018. That evening marked perhaps the most noticeable change: I arrived a landlubber who wouldn’t touch any seafood; the main course at our reception

“We’ll miss plenty about Whistler: the good friends made over the years; the locals’ hootenannies at The Point; the world-class dining; and, of course, the natural beauty.”

best place for me at this time in my life. It was incredible to be in a truly fun locale while also progressing up the ladder. I feel I grew my abilities immensely while with Pique and, for the past year, as a pinch hitter down in Squamish with the Chief. I was far enough away from the life I knew that it was a bit more of a sink-or-swim situation socially than I’d ever experienced. Hell, I even got on stage and acted for the first time

was the most delectable salmon ever and a heaping helping of lobster mashed potatoes.

It’s time to head home to Winnipeg, though. It didn’t take all that long to realize that our life in B.C. was not going to be sustainable in the long term. My wife’s skill set is better suited to jobs in Vancouver, and while I was not exactly keen to leave an incredible opportunity here to begin with, the ever-shrinking Lower Mainland print

MIDWEEK SPECIAL Caaghan Cruiser

journalism scene didn’t seem to promise much in the way of pastures, let alone greener ones. We seemed destined to be locked into horrific commutes for life when office life resumed. Couple that with some major family changes during the pandemic and the pull of home got more irresistible.

We’ll miss plenty about Whistler: the good friends made over the years; the locals’ hootenannies at The Point; the world-class dining; and, of course, the natural beauty.

The pandemic made it near impossible to fully enjoy those benefits for the past year, and it’s hard to say when we’d be comfortable to make the most of it again in the future.

We’ll lack re-connection with family and friends in Winnipeg for the foreseeable future, too, but with that joy on the horizon, as well as the practical factor of a lower cost of living, returning to the flatlands is the right move going forward.

I’d be remiss to end without acknowledging you: the reader, the supporter of local journalism. Obviously, the last year has further shaken up an evolving industry and your readership is more important than ever.

Whether you’re in the resort for good or for a shorter spell (or keep up after you’ve left), thank you for letting me into your life each week.

I’m honoured to have been trusted to capture and share what’s special about this place, and I’m already looking forward to a visit when it’s safe. ■

SAVE

25%

CARLETON LODGE | 604.938.1616 CANADIANWILDERNESS.COM MARCH 18, 2021

13

NEWS WHISTLER

Northlands rezoning represents ‘missing piece of the puzzle’ ENHANCED PROCESS TO ENGAGE WHISTLERITES ‘EARLY AND OFTEN’

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AN “ENHANCED” rezoning process is now underway for the largest remaining undeveloped piece of land in Whistler’s core village area, though the owners of the property aren’t ready to talk specifics in terms of what might be built.

First, they’d like to hear from Whistlerites.

The lands at 4500 Northlands Blvd., 4711 Settebello Dr., and 4700 Blackcomb Way—collectively known as 4500 Northlands, and often referred to locally as the Holborn lands—have long been contemplated for development.

With the adoption of Whistler’s updated Official Community Plan (OCP) last summer, new owners Beedie Whistler Holdings, Ltd. are ready to begin the process in earnest.

“We’re still in the very, very preliminary stages of this; no active submissions yet, but [this is] really to outline a process that we can work together with, and have robust community engagement together,” said Curtis Neeser, VP of residential development with Beedie Living.

The enhanced rezoning process is similar to what is done with bigger projects in the Lower Mainland, Neeser added.

“What it does, to be candid, is it brings

ASPIRATIONAL VIEWS

An aerial shot of the site at 4500 Northlands Blvd., north of Whistler Village.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY OF WHISTLER

14 MARCH 18, 2021

the community along with the project, and it’s not like we go away for a year and all of a sudden come up with this concept and everybody’s like, ‘Well, hold on, I didn’t get any input on that,’” he said.

“So we are very much aligned with staff on this process, and have been working with them about what that would look like.”

In Whistler’s 1993 OCP, the property—a prime, five-hectare piece of real estate located at the end of Northlands Boulevard, north of Whistler Village—was zoned for a 450-room hotel and other amenities.

The current zoning allows for a ninestorey hotel with a Phase 2 rental pool covenant, along with density for indoor recreation and employee housing, said director of planning Mike Kirkegaard in a March 15 media briefing.

In the updated OCP, the lands are identified as being in the Whistler Village Core Commercial Area, “and that designation provides for a wide variety of potential uses,” Kirkegaard said, including visitor and residential accommodation uses, as well as commercial, recreational and institutional uses.

A restrictive covenant on title provides for a maximum of 837 bed units on the primary site, while a secondary lot has 48 bed units “committed for employee housing,” Kirkegaard added.

While Beedie has submitted a letter of intent to begin the process, the first step is to establish guiding principles, said general manager of resort experience Jessie Gresley-Jones.

“I think in general it is a pretty exciting location and opportunity for Whistler and for Beedie as well. It’s inherently wellpositioned to meet a lot of the objectives of good planning principles, [and] meet climate targets,” Gresley-Jones said.

“So I think there’s a lot of opportunity on the site, but that is going to have to be defined through the public process in terms of what gets landed there, and I think that’s really exciting.”

Discussions around what type of amenity might be delivered as part of the development are also premature.

“We think we can get creative in amenity delivery by working closely with staff and the municipality, and we understand there is a variety of important needs right now in the community, including employee housing, including family housing, including tennis and other recreational uses,” Neeser said.

“So it’s kind of understanding, as we go through the process, how to best address what we can, and what’s the highest and best needs for the community.”

The lands have had a tennis amenity associated with them since they were first granted development rights back in 1989, and the tennis courts currently on site will be “viewed as a stakeholder in this process moving forward, and be considered in their temporary nature and in the ultimate amenities for the site,” said Gresley-Jones, adding that the development will be phased over time.

“There will be considerations of what

parcel or what component makes sense to be built first, and maybe potentially allow some of those facilities to stay in place if possible for a period of time.”

The six hectares or so of land located at 4700 Blackcomb Way (bordering Fitzsimmons Creek) will remain as a conservation zone, Neeser added, whether by covenant or another mechanism.

As for the rezoning itself, Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff is planning to engage council and the public “early and often” throughout a three-phase process: establish planning and development principles; identify and evaluate alternative concepts that address potential site development and associated community amenities; and determine supported uses and community amenities (with direction from council) prior to the development of the actual zoning bylaw.

Community engagement opportunities are planned at “key points in the process,” as well as regular updates to council and consultation with community stakeholders (including the Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations).

Following that, the standard rezoning process would apply, including a public hearing.

The entire rezoning is targeted for completion in September 2022.

“The missing piece of the puzzle is going to get filled in,” said Councillor Cathy Jewett, after a lengthy and informative

SEE PAGE 15

>>

NEWS WHISTLER

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WEDGEWOODS SEES SURGE IN DEMAND

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AFTER CLOSING out 2020 on a hot streak, Whistler’s real estate market didn’t lose any steam in the first months of 2021.

Local realtors have recorded 205 sales so far this year, compared to 82 at the same point last year—a 150-per-cent increase.

Year-to-date total sales volume is also up significantly, from $102,498,415 to $273,106,624—a 166.4-per-cent jump.

“Twelve months ago, we thought, ‘Oh my god, real estate is going to fall through … the complete and utter opposite happened, and it was surprising,” said Maggi Thornhill, of Engel & Völkers Whistler.

“I’ve never seen it like this ever before.”

According to Engel & Völkers’ annual ski rankings, Whistler ranks among the top 10 most expensive ski resorts in the world— eighth for chalets and ninth for apartments.

Whistler’s highest-priced chalet in 2020 went for US$10.5 million (compared to $54.3 million for the highest-priced chalet in St. Moritz, Switzerland—No. 1 on Engel & Völkers’ list).

“I think the one thing that will probably keep us from getting to the top of that list is the fact that we don’t have a private airport,” Maggie said, adding that people tend to come to Whistler for a different reason than other resorts.

“I think people come here for lifestyle, for the fact that it’s a more casual approach to life here. We don’t have paparazzi following people around here.”

The majority of buyers are still coming from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, but “the high-end buyer has changed … it’s become a local buyer now,” added Max Thornhill, Maggie’s son and business partner at Engel & Völkers Whistler.

“We have a lot of clients that Whistler didn’t register on their radar 18 months ago, and now they’ve gone and bought $12 million

houses here, and they’re like, so shocked at how happy they are with it,” he said.

“Sometimes when we’re too close to something we don’t appreciate it. The pandemic forced people to wake up to their local surroundings.”

While the world-class skiing and biking are of course a huge selling point for buyers, “what they really want is the community,” Max said.

“Its not just the glitz and the glamour and all the things that we think the wealthy want, it’s that sense of home.”

And the demand hasn’t stayed confined to Whistler’s boundaries.

North of the resort, the bedroom community of WedgeWoods has sold about 25 lots already this year—three times what it sold all of last year, said developer David Earhardt.

“I think there’s one lot left in the first five phases. We’re basically sold out of everything that we had on the market, which is very, very gratifying,” Earhardt said.

Recent buyers at WedgeWoods are mostly Canadian, and predominantly from the Sea to Sky region, Earhardt said.

Part of the boom is due to word of mouth, Earhardt believes, but also the realization that working from home is now plausible.

“Suddenly [people] realized that out at WedgeWoods, they could have a home which would allow them to work from home, with the ability to have a designated work area etc., and they have the room, basically, to spread out,” he said.

Between houses already occupied and those under construction, Earhardt estimates that roughly half the subdivision is now developed, with a sixth and final phase yet to be delivered.

“The sixth phase is 20 lots, and we’ve serviced them last year, and we’re going to bring them to the market this year,” Earhardt said.

“So they’ll be the last 20 that will be available.” n

Nick Swinburne

Personal Real Estate Corporation Engel & Völkers Whistler Phone: +1 (604) 932-8899 Email: nick.swinburne@evrealestate.com

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NORTHLANDS FROM PAGE 14 presentation on the site and its history, as well as Whistler Village’s development.

“It’s pretty exciting, and I really like the idea of community engagement that we’re talking about, and I hope that everyone starts to think about what is going to go in that hole.”

In a related March 16 agenda item, Whistler council also gave first three readings to an amendment to its Land Use Procedures and Fees bylaw to create a new category for large and complex development applications that require more RMOW resources.

The “complex site rezoning” definition will apply to parcels of at least 45,000 square metres and for which the proposed

rezoning requires an amenity zoning or phased development agreement.

A complex site rezoning will come with a minimum fee of $150,000 for the first 10,000 square metres of site area, plus $350 per additional 100 square metres, to a maximum of $750,000.

Though council’s support was unanimous, Coun. Duane Jackson raised concerns over the parameters of the new definition, pointing out it could lead to affordability issues for future large sites like the Cheakamus Crossing lower lands.

“This concerns me just a little bit,” Jackson said. “[But] I guess council could always modify the policy if we bump into something that we didn’t consider in the future.” n

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15

Engel & Völkers Whistler

NEWS WHISTLER

Destination guests to Whistler Blackcomb made up 15% of total visits for quarter ACROSS VAIL RESORTS, SEASON-TO-DATE SKIER VISITS DOWN 8%, WHILE LIFT REVENUE FELL 9%

BY BRANDON BARRETT DESTINATION guests to Whistler Blackcomb (WB) dropped to 15 per cent of its total skier visits for the second fiscal quarter of 2021, a result of continued COVID-19related travel restrictions.

In its quarterly financial update Thursday, March 11, Rob Katz, CEO of WB’s parent company, Vail Resorts, said, “Results at Whistler Blackcomb were disproportionately impacted throughout the second fiscal quarter due to the Canadian border remaining closed to international guests (including guests from the U.S.), with destination guests, including international visitors, declining to 15 per cent of Whistler Blackcomb visits (excluding complimentary access).”

Destination guests made up 48 per cent of WB’s skier visits during the same fiscal period, ending Jan. 31, last year. It’s unclear if that ratio of destination guests includes any international visitors, given Canada’s continued border closure and COVID-19related travel restrictions. Vail Resorts

declined comment, but Tourism Whistler has historically defined destination guests as anyone from outside of B.C. and Washington state.

Katz added that, while the company’s U.S. resorts saw “material improvements” in financial performance since the holidays, “Whistler Blackcomb’s financial performance continues to be severely impacted by the continued closure of Canadian borders to international travel, a trend that will likely continue through the rest of the season.”

Company-wide, Vail Resorts’ season-todate skier visits have dropped 8.2 per cent from last season, while lift revenue fell 8.9 per cent.

Season pass unit sales have grown 20 per cent so far this fiscal year, creating “a strong baseline of demand heading into the season across our local and destination audience and will be one of the most important drivers of our performance and relative stability for this season,” Katz said.

For fiscal 2021, the company said 71 per cent of its visitation came from pass holders, compared to 59 per cent over the same period last year. Katz added that Vail Resorts remains “even more committed to

DESTINATION VISITATION Destination guests dropped from 48 per cent of WB’s total skier visits last year to 15 per cent this fiscal quarter.

GETTYIMAGES.CA

the benefits advanced commitment offers our company.”

The company’s 2021-2022 lineup of pass products will be launched on March 23.

Meanwhile, season-to-date ski school revenue has fallen 43.2 per cent, while

dining revenue has plunged 56.9 per cent, and retail and rental revenue went down 31.6 per cent.

In other quarterly results, net income was down US$147.8 million, or 28.4 per cent, while net revenue decreased $240.1 million over the same period. Resort reported Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) fell 27 per cent, from $378.3 million from the same quarter last year, to $276.1 million.

The company said it expects its resort reported EBITDA for the nine months ending April 30, 2021 to fall somewhere between $560 million and $600 million.

Vail Resorts noted that it has “significant liquidity” with $1.4 billion of cash on hand as of Feb. 28, and $597 million of availability under its U.S. and WB revolving credit facilities.

Katz went on to say the company would not be providing full-year financial guidance for fiscal 2021 as it continues to examine “the potential economic and operational impacts of COVID-19 on our fiscal 2021 fourth quarter results.”

For the full quarterly report, visit investors.vailresorts.com. n

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#SpringBreakGoals Skiing.

Outdoor playdates.

Family swim timeslots.

Card games.

Geocaching.

Fortnite.

NEWS WHISTLER

With 2020 fresh in mind, RMOW preps summer ops PAY PARKING AT FOUR PARKS, ENHANCED SHUTTLE AND BIKE VALET SERVICE ON TAP

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AS WARM WEATHER returns to Whistler

Whatever your #SpringBreakGoals, Make sure COVID-19 isn’t part of them.

Please continue to avoid all indoor gatherings with people not part of your household.

Whistler.ca/covid19 18 MARCH 18, 2021

and the valley snow begins to melt, municipal staff is preparing for an anticipated onslaught of visitors this summer.

“I think it is a bit daunting what we might expect this summer,” said Jessie Gresley-Jones, general manager of resort experience, pointing to the surge in demand for Whistler’s parks after just a few months of isolation last year.

“We’ve gone through an entire winter season now, where we’ve had multiple months of really sticking to our own households only,” he said. “People are going to be wanting to get out.”

With that in mind, Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff is applying lessons learned from last year in approaching summer 2021 operations.

On March 16, council adopted a new 2021 Summer Experience Plan, which lays out a number of key initiatives to help manage capacity in parks and at trailheads.

Key among the proposals is the introduction of seasonal pay parking at four parks (Rainbow, Lakeside, Alpha and Wayside); regular shuttles to Rainbow Park (with stops at Meadow Park and the Rainbow Lake Trailhead) operating out of the Day Lots; privately-operated bike rentals; expanded bike valet services; enhanced animation to help disperse crowds throughout the valley; and an increase to washroom facilities, garbage and compost bins, food service and park hosts.

Without proper forethought, Whistler’s parks and natural areas are at risk of “deterioration,” said manager of resort parks planning Martin Pardoe.

“There’s likely or potentially a diminished visitor experience, there’s potentially additional negative impacts to local neighbourhoods and businesses struggling,” he said.

“So the Whistler Summer Experience 2021 plan is based upon, clearly, what we learned last year, but also on baseline assumptions.”

Those assumptions include: a high demand for Whistler’s outdoors spaces, in line with last year or greater, and mostly coming from the Lower Mainland; while the U.S. border will remain closed, all British Columbians will have their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine by July, and travel restrictions will ease soon after; mask-wearing and physical distancing will continue, and major events will continue to be prohibited.

Along with pay parking at parks (rates for which will be in line with what is

charged in the day lots), the RMOW plans to upgrade neighbourhood parking signs where necessary, return the seasonal speed bumps on Alta Lake Road (while adding several others), improve safety, flow and capacity at parking lots and implement on-site traffic control.

“There’s a functional reason for seasonal pay parking,” Pardoe said, noting it’s been proven to encourage turnover in other jurisdictions.

“It also incentivizes sustainable transportation options, and then revenues generated would be used to support seasonal park shuttle and park operations.”

The free daily transit service between the Village and Lost Lake will also return, as will free weekend transit resort-wide.

The RMOW is also hoping to support local artists, service providers and other businesses through its 2021 summer operations plan, either by hiring them directly or by finding ways to direct crowds through their doors.

The RMOW’s 2021 budget includes $681,000 for summer initiatives, Pardoe

“There’s a functional reason for seasonal pay parking.”

- MARTIN PARDOE

said, including a bike valet location, new compost bins in parks, touchless features in washrooms and festivals, events and animation (FE&A) programming.

The initiatives in the Summer Experience Plan come with an additional price tag of $922,000, potentially offset by a $250,000 Canada Healthy Communities Initiative grant.

“No new funds are being requested, but rather, we’ll be looking to reallocate funds that have already been approved in the five-year financial plan from FE&A and from several capital projects, and reallocate funding to this current initiative,” Pardoe said.

“So we anticipate that the net impact of the budget will be zero, if the grant is successful.”

Mayor Jack Crompton was pleased to see the focus on locals, he said after a presentation at the March 16 council meeting.

“I love this: You use the words ‘local performers’ and ‘local businesses,’ and this whole project being focused around growing local business opportunities and growing opportunities for local performers, I think, is extremely exciting,” Crompton said. n

***Note: By submitting to our contest, you are agreeing for us to share your photos on our social media channels.

No personal information will be shared.

NEWS WHISTLER

To tackle systemic racism, Workplace Math taking a backseat: Sea to Sky School District OFFICIALS SAID INDIGENOUS STUDENTS ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN THE COURSE, WHICH IS HAMPERING THEIR OPTIONS

BY STEVEN CHUA CITING A NEED to end systemic racism, the Sea to Sky School District (SD48) declared it would no longer be encouraging people to take Workplace Math courses at its regularly scheduled school board meeting March 10.

“It’s high time that we took responsibility for the discrimination and the systemic racism that is evident in public education, and we’re holding ourselves highly accountable for it,” said superintendent Lisa McCullough.

School officials said Indigenous students are overrepresented in Workplace Math, a course which gives students practical skills, but does not meet the bar for admission to university-level math courses.

As a result, they said Indigenous learners were being unfairly disadvantaged (see “SD48 says Workplace Math class not off the table,” March 4). Other overrepresented groups included students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, officials said.

Much public attention has been given to the future of the course since Howe Sound

Secondary math teacher David Gregr raised alarms about the possible discontinuation of Workplace Math.

In a letter to the editor (Pique, Feb.11) Gregr criticized the school district, saying that taking away Workplace Math would remove a haven for at-risk students to learn practical math skills in a stigma-free environment.

While officials did not say they would cancel the program, McCullough said in an interview the school district would no longer be offering it up as a recommendation.

“It is designed intentionally to encourage all students to take Foundations [of Math] or Pre-Calculus, and nobody will be recommended to take Workplace Math courses,” she said.

“They will be recommended to take the upper-level courses with support, and then we will let students make their informed decision at that time.”

Her remarks were made after the March 10 school board meeting. During that gathering, the school board addressed concerns from the general public about the discontinuation of the Workplace Math program. No vote on the policy took place, but school officials took the opportunity

to speak to the public about the possible change in curriculum.

At its busiest, there were about 80 people watching the meeting via a YouTube livestream.

“ ... we don’t just sit idly by and watch a student failing a course, and say, ‘Gee, I hope this improves.’”

- LISA MCCULLOUGH

The policy in question, dubbed Board Policy 501 Student Registration, Enrolment, and Placement, is still in draft form, but its language suggested Workplace Math would soon be taking a backseat.

The Squamish Nation issued a written statement supporting the school district’s position.

“We understand that the district is working on a plan to ensure that appropriate

support for students is in place,” said Coun.

Syeta’xtn (Chris) Lewis. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the district so that each of our students has the support they need to succeed in every subject, in consideration of their unique needs and gifts.”

However, there have been concerns raised regarding the policy.

PJ Elliot, a parent of current and former local students, said she was worried Foundation and Pre-Calculus Math courses would become watered down if Workplace Math was eliminated.

She was concerned the superintendent said students aren’t given failing grades during the meeting.

“Is she asking to inflate graduation rates, because no student fails?” said Elliot.

“I have a concern that the superintendent and the board are asking for the curriculum to be watered down now with the intention of inflating grad rates. What does that say, exactly? And my issue is, I think, Workplace Math is needed, and I think it should be a place and an option and a choice.”

McCullough later clarified that while it may be possible for some to fail, the school district will be providing as much support

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to struggling students as possible, so as to prevent it from happening.

“I’m sure there are situations where that does happen, but what I mean by that is we don’t just sit idly by and watch a student failing a course, and say, ‘Gee, I hope this improves,’” she said.

Alaine Brawley, another Squamish parent, said she was concerned about how the consultation process was carried out.

She said the school board meeting— which relied on emailed questions from the audience—did not answer concerns she had.

Both parents said they believed the platform for addressing concerns and questions from the public was inadequate, and were critical that the majority of the board didn’t ask questions on behalf of the public during the meeting.

McCullough did spend significant time answering questions during the meeting, but the two parents said she either oversimplified or ignored their queries.

With respect to concerns about watering down education, McCullough said learning will be personalized for students, with faster learners given assignments that stretch them. Those needing more help will be allowed to slow down.

The current graduation path for students will not be affected, she said.

McCullough also added there will not be quotas for demographics of students in each course.

“There won’t be quotas—these are human beings,” she said. n

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MARCH 18, 2021

21

NEWS WHISTLER

Last week’s callout to Fissile Peak marked a first for search-and-rescue in B.C. IDEAL CONDITIONS AND NIGHT-VISION IMAGING LED TO MIDNIGHT-HOUR RESCUE

BY BRANDON BARRETT A JOINT WHISTLER and North Shore mission last week was not only a happy ending for two ski tourers stranded on Fissile Mountain, it also marked a first for searchand-rescue in B.C. “We certainly do lots of mutual aid calls and we do them at night, but this heralded the first time in the history of British Columbia that two teams came together to do a night helicopter rescue,” said Whistler Search and Rescue (WSAR) manager Brad Sills of the joint callout with North Shore Rescue.

Ideal weather conditions combined with the use of a North Shore Rescue’s (NSR) newly acquired night-vision imaging system to facilitate the helicopter mission.

In December, NSR became the first volunteer search-and-rescue group in the country to get the greenlight to pilot the technology after the night-vision goggles were previously restricted to official organizations such as the police and military. The organization currently has seven pairs of the goggles, and its partner,

22 MARCH 18, 2021

Talon Helicopters, has purchased an aircraft equipped with night-vision capability.

“It’s really new,” Sills said, adding that WSAR will be trained on the technology soon. “It took North Shore about 18 months to get approval for the pilot project and it was supported by all the SAR teams in the Lower Mainland.”

The mission got underway last Wednesday evening, March 10 after Whistler crews were alerted to an apparent Size 3 avalanche that had trapped the two skiers on the fragile, bed surface of the slide, according to an incident report. There was initially concern that the 30-centimetre snowpack “would continue to step down around the pair on the very steep, exposed southwest slope,” the report went on.

Adding to the concern was the party’s apparent lack of preparedness to spend the night in the elements. Although Sills said the pair had an extra down jacket, they brought a summer sleeping bag and did not pack a rope that could have enabled a self-rescue in the steep terrain. “‘I find the practice of ski tourers that are on the Spearhead Traverse without a rope to be extremely troubling. There are just so many instances where you could self-

extricate with it, and because you don’t, you necessitate somebody else coming to your aid,” he said.

After consulting with WSAR avalanche technicians, the skiers “eventually inched their way back up onto the established route and relative safety,” WSAR said in its report.

With a plan to fly at first light to extricate the pair, the skiers were coached to dig a snow cave and bundle up to spend the night out. However, at 9:20 p.m., the skiers texted volunteer crews to say they were in the process of building a shelter but were experiencing cold chills and requested rescue.

Sills also noted the Spearhead Huts Society’s Kees and Claire Hut—which, although closed in the pandemic, has a rescue vestibule where parties can take shelter—was just a few kilometres away from the scene, but SAR personnel chose not to direct the pair there as they were “just happy to get them off of the face, onto the ridge.”

Faced with -12-degree-Celsius temperatures and 20-kilometre-an-hour winds, “SAR managers had to make a difficult decision,” WSAR went on. “The risks of balancing a ground rescue effort and placing the rescue party on the same slopes against the current

safety and situation of the subjects was a resolution that needed to be weighed very carefully.”

After connecting with NSR and Talon Helicopters, a plan was formulated to send a helicopter to the scene in order to lower overnight kits to the stranded party.

However, an assessment determined a helicopter landing was possible nearby, so the decision was made to rescue the skiers and transport them to Whistler’s Municipal Heliport. The operation ended successfully around 12:30 a.m.

“Whistler SAR would like to thank NSR for their careful consideration in this matter,” WSAR said in its incident report. “This type of rescue is not unlike other SAR operations in which there exists an inherent element of risk. The volunteer SAR community will continue to explore and develop tools that seek to mitigate these risks and that is the lens through which [night-vision imaging system] rescue should be viewed. Recreationalists should not be interpreting this as a solution to poor planning. The conditions for this type of operation were almost perfect and clear starry nights are not a common commodity in the Coast Mountains.” n

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COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION FOR SENIORS

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Questions about COVID-19: Call 1-888-COVID19 or visit gov.bc.ca/covid19

MARCH 18, 2021

23

NEWS WHISTLER

Naturespeak: Why the need for Forest March BC? issued a statement declaring the protection of nine areas throughout the province, totalling almost 353,000 hectares. While the number sounds impressive, researchers have discovered that 25 per cent of the area included in this figure is not even forest, 25 per cent is young forest, and less than one per cent is high-risk old forest.

But there is hope! Any improvements to the way we manage old forests will need to be directed by the premier’s office. And it’s pretty reliable that politicians will make decisions to ensure reelection. So, as long as more and more of us let politicians know that we want B.C.’s (and Whistler’s) old forests protected, there is a chance for meaningful change.

BY KRISTINA SWERHUN THE FOREST MARCH BC planned for March 19 is a grassroots movement with events across B.C., including one here in Whistler.

The movement brings attention to the fact that B.C.’s old forests are “Worth More Standing.”

We need movements like Forest March BC to help set the record straight on the state of old growth in B.C. and to bring change.

Misleading statistics from the province are a big obstacle. For example, the province says that old-growth forests comprise about 23 per cent of forested areas, and most people envision these as being productive forests with big trees and unique habitats. In truth, less than one per cent of B.C.’s forested land comprises these productive forests, which are largely unprotected and will not recover from logging.

After increased pressure by B.C. residents to preserve old forests, the NDP government commissioned an independent review of old-growth forest management. In April of 2020, A New Future for Old Forests: A Strategic Review of How British Columbia Manages for Old Forests Within its Ancient Ecosystems was released.

This document details 14 recommendations on what needs to be done to meet society’s demands to

TREE POSE Redcedar on the Whistler Golf Course is part of the #TreePoseChallenge in support of protecting B.C.’s old-growth forests PHOTO BY JULIE BURROWS

maintain ecological values and provide jobs. This direction is much different from what the province does now, which is to set volume goals and make money for some people. One recommendation is a paradigm shift in old-forest management: • From: Manage for timber subject to constraints. To: Manage for ecosystem health.

• From: Old forests are renewable. To: Old forests are non-renewable in many cases.

• From: Forests exist to provide value to humans. To: Forests have intrinsic value for living things.

• From: Forests can be fully understood.

To: Forests and ecosystems will never be fully understood.

Even though the province committed to implementing all 14 recommendations, they have utterly failed so far. For example, in response to the review, the government

FREE WEBINAR FRIDAY, MARCH 19

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Naturespeak is prepared by the Whistler Naturalists. To learn more about Whistler’s natural world, go to Whistlernaturalists.ca. n

Whistler Transit System

Service Change Effective April 6, 2021 End of core Winter service Start of Spring-Summer-Fall service: } Seasonal service changes on select routes } Additional late Winter service available from April 6–18, 2021

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Five-Year Financial Plan Invitation for Public Consultation Regional Districts are required to adopt a five-year financial plan, setting out the proposed expenditures and funding sources for each service. The financial plan is to be made available for public consultation.

Accordingly, members of the public are encouraged to provide written submissions and comments on the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s 2021-2025 Draft Financial Plan. Submissions and comments should be forwarded to the SquamishLillooet Regional District by one of the following means: Mail: Box 219, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0 Email: info@slrd.bc.ca

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MARCH 18, 2021

25

Unsung Heroes

Celebrating the unsung heroes who keep Whistler’s good times rolling during the COVID-19 pandemic SKIING AND DINING OUT MIGHT NOT BE ESSENTIAL, BUT BOY, DO THEY MAKE LIFE MORE ENJOYABLE IT’S BEEN ONE full year since the COVID-19 pandemic stormed into North America, leaving nothing untouched—our mundane routines, our big eagerly-awaited plans, even our ski season.

Ever since, our community has been clawing its way back to normalcy, with the help of necessary protocols that make both essential and non-essential outings safe while the coronavirus is still on the move.

As we’ve learned to cope over the past 12 months, taking comfort from many of the non-essential activities has not only been a way to maintain sanity, but has offered us a deep appreciation for the little things that used to feel so ordinary, like hopping on a chairlift and heading up the mountain or sitting down to a meal prepared somewhere other than your own kitchen.

Among those most deserving of credit for carrying us into this new normal are the public-facing staff tasked with implementing these new protocols and public health orders—the unsung heroes of Whistler’s COVID-19 response.

BY MEGAN LALONDE

her ability to go to work in a time where so most part—you get an incredible sense many couldn’t, but also the community of community when working in a publicconnections and conversations it fostered. facing role.”

In the early days of the pandemic, that “I don’t know how my mental health But inevitably, not 100 per cent of role and the accompanying risk of would have been had I not had the work guests fall into the “wonderful” category. exposure was something that brought on to go to,” she said, adding, “I’ve been super “I think it’s important to always have more anxiety during an already stressful grateful to have had consistency in my own compassion when dealing with people time, remembered La Cantina service life and routine throughout the whole thing, in public, we don’t know what someone’s manager Laura Colclough. While all but people, for the most part, are just happy life and personal struggles are like and all restaurants were closed for indoor dining, to be here. Even [the ones who] aren’t really we can do is treat them with kindness,” some, including Cantina, opted to stay supposed to be travelling. People are just Coghlan continued. open for takeout. happy to be here so it makes for a more The restaurant hit a bump in the road “Those first few weeks were really pleasant experience.” in the fall when staff tested positive for slow for us,” Colclough recalled. “In the La Cantina’s sister eatery The the virus. Alongside several other Whistler beginning, I was a little bit unsure—like, I Mexican Corner, on the other hand, establishments that suffered the same just didn’t know how I felt about working.” remained closed during the onslaught of fate during that outbreak, the restaurant She added, “My housemates were all the pandemic, opening for indoor dining temporarily closed. out of work, so I was the only one that was on June 29, 2020.

“It was certainly stressful, managing going to work and seeing the general public Ever since, “It’s great to see people my personal stress and anxiety for my … so if the virus was going to come into the have a safe place to sit back, relax and personal health and that of my family as house it was me who was going to bring it in. enjoy company in a place other than well as doing what’s best for my staff and That was the fear for me in the beginning.” their homes,” explained Sarah Coghlan, the community,” recalled Coghlan.

But once the establishment’s safety The Mexican Corner’s general manager.

“The decision to close once we found and social-distancing procedures were “Guests have been so wonderful and out we had positive COVID cases was an dialed, she came to appreciate not just grateful through out this year for the easy one,” she added. “Pepe, our owner, was

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Unsung Heroes so supportive and we have such a great team. Going through that was a learning experience and equipped my team with the knowledge and know-how to get through the second wave in January.”

But just as the autumn wave of cases crashed into Whistler, the community was gearing up for what was not only the most anticipated Opening Day in the resort’s history, but its most unique.

SKI SEASON: SAVED Though Whistler Blackcomb and its parent company Vail Resorts had managed to take a long list of new safety protocols for a successful test-drive during biking season, winter presented a unique set of challenges that began long before the snow began to fall.

In order to operate safely “We have had to reimagine how we line people up and get them up the mountain,” explained Mike St. Eve, senior manager lift operations. “A lot of time and energy has been spent on that,” from redesigning how the mountains’ bases flow to facilitating extra-early daily uploads.

These new procedures may have resulted in morning line-ups that snake back further than ever before (as captured in countless photos and social media posts) but miraculously seem to dissipate once above the valley floor.

“Those are intentional,” said St. Eve. “We don’t want people to be standing close to each other, so long lines are a by-product of what they should be doing.”

Through those queues, guests may also have noticed increased staff presence and visibility in gondola mazes, with management and greeters standing by reminding skiers and riders to keep their masks pulled up and maintain distance from others.

That’s a result of increased collaboration between departments, explained Ellody Spike-Porter, Whistler Blackcomb’s senior manager of Product, Sales & Scanning. “It was a really great collaborative effort, a meeting of the minds, with opening safely and remaining open until the end of the season at the forefront of our minds,” she said.

To that end, it’s safe to say resort staff has successfully navigated the sea of challenges to save ski season, even if it’s not always easy.

“Nobody likes change… but everything’s different—how we build our bases, how we interact with our guests—everything has just changed so much,” said St. Eve. “I think everyone’s tired of having to have restrictions, and people who decided to come do a ski season, maybe they have come alone and hoped to meet people, and the ability to meet, socialize is pretty much eliminated, so I think that’s been tough for people.”

But as Spike-Porter pointed out, there’s always a bright side. “The other day, I stopped at the base of the mountain and I was able to engage with one of our staff members and stop and say, ‘Look at where we are and look at what we’ve achieved, stop and enjoy the moment that we’re in,’” she said.

She continued, “Everyone has had this need to get outside and enjoy the outdoors … I’m very proud and grateful that we’re able to deliver and keep this experience going for our guests. That is the best part of the job—seeing the staff and the guests excited.”

This praise isn’t meant to take anything away from the local employees who quite literally keep us alive: the health-care workers who keep us safe and the front-line essential workers who keep our fridges stocked and prescriptions filled. Even with those 7 p.m. cheer sessions, no amount of “thank yous” will ever adequately convey the gratitude they deserve.

This is to show appreciation for all of Whistler’s unsung heroes that continue to offer relief through tiny pockets of run-of-the-mill joy—whether that’s the perfect powder run or a perfectly-made margarita—and who have made this community one of the most fun places to ride out a not-very-fun pandemic.

“We are living in a place where we’re able to keep skiing and riding. There’s a lot of places in the world that until recently weren’t able to do that,” said St. Eve. “There’s a lot of things that aren’t going well but we’re fortunate in that regard.” ■

When we think of “front-line worker” these days, we generally think of those in the medical profession.

But there are so many other professions that are also front-line workers that have had to face the public everyday and do it with a smile on their faces.

Therefore Whistler’s independent Grocery store would like to thank their staff for their courage and hardwork during the past year.

THANK YOU

Adara Whistler’s Modern Boutique Hotel would like to thank all of our staff for your excellent work during a very challenging year. You are all heroes.

You are the best!

Would you like to join the Adara team?

We are currently recruiting for a Front Desk Agent Please send your resume to info@adarahotel.com Att: Doug DeYagher MARCH 18, 2021

27

Unsung Heroes

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Whistler

SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBOURS. BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES. CUPE 2010 members are proud of how we’ve worked together over the past year.

Thank you to all frontline workers for keeping our communities safe and healthy.

28 MARCH 18, 2021

Thank You To All of Our Heroes Healthcare Workers

Essential Workers

Emergency Responders

THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS FOR ALL OF YOUR DONATIONS RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. .. AND A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR WCSS STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE TIRELESSLY WORKED IN OUTREACH SERVICES, FOOD SECURITY, SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND ADMINISTRATION ALLOWING US TO CONTINUE OUR ESSENTIAL SERVICES UNINTERRUPTED THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.

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Unsung Heroes

Our heafelt thanks.

It’s been quite a year. We are humbled and grateful for the support we have received from the incredible community of Whistler, and we are honored to continue serving you in these difficult times.

Our loyal and dedicated employees are truly the heart of Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

We thank the entire team for their contribution to our success, and we look forward to brighter days ahead!

30 MARCH 18, 2021

To Our Creekside Market Team – Thanks for your dedication and commitment to the Market. You are all amazing!

TO CAM AND JOANNE FROM GARIBALDI WOODWORKS

TO THE WHISTLER COMMUNITY AND THE FRIENDS OF CREEKSIDE MARKET:

who VERY QUICKLY updated our market to be safe to shop, Covid style!

Thanks for your continued support, all your kind words of encouragement and the donations to our Team!

To Tessa and Lou from the Pique – for being so amazing to work with on our ever changing ad and Covid updates.

To Tammy and her team at CreekbreadThanks for the pizzas!

To Lululemon Whistler – Thanks for the gift bags!

TO ARIN & HIS TEAM AT SANIS CLEAN

for coming in the market EVERY NIGHT to deep clean and sanitize.

To Starbucks Creekside – Thanks for the coffee and treats!

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To McDonald’s Whistler- Thanks for the coffee and donuts!

NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

Joffre Lakes visitor-use strategy aims to tackle popularity problem, but critics says issues abound LIL’WAT NATION POLITICAL CHIEF SAYS DRAFT PLAN COULD GIVE SOME MUCH-NEEDED CONTROL BACK FOR TRADITIONAL USE

BY ALYSSA NOEL OUTDOOR ADVOCATE Steve Jones wants people to know that the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park Visitor Use Management Strategy could have a longer-lasting impact on the popular area than they think.

“I’m really concerned people don’t fully appreciate how significant this document may become in planning decisions over the next decade or longer,” he says. “The government goes through this process where they don’t have a lot of time, they’ll choose one park at a time, do public consultation, and once they lock down the strategy and sign off on it, it’s very hard to do anything inconsistent with that strategy for decades.”

The draft strategy is currently open for public feedback until April 4. Developed

by B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, in conjunction with the Lil’wat and N’Quatqua Nations, it aims to manage the growing number of visitors to the park and protect its natural and cultural features.

Highlights include: • Continuing the First Nations Park Stewards Program, first introduced in 2019.

• Protecting important habitat for plants and wildlife through strategies like continuing the dog ban, increasing bear caches, and rehabilitating illicit trails.

• Addressing safety concerns with tactics like keeping campsites closed during the winter, enforcing no parking zones, and creating an emergency response plan.

• Ensuring sustainable use at the park by maintaining some winter parking and possibly developing facilities and trails to disperse visitor use.

• Managing visitation by establishing a park capacity, exploring day-use permits for commercial and non-commercial visitors, and enforcing camping reservations for the backcountry campground.

• Fostering appreciation for and

PARK PLANS A new draft strategy aims to tackle problems at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. It’s open to feedback from the public until April 4. Photo by Alyssa Noel PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL

knowledge of the park with messaging.

• Understanding visitor trends.

• Managing the park in a financially sustainable way.

Facing a 222-per-cent increase in visitation since 2010, BC Parks has already implemented several short-term measures such as increasing parking capacity from 250 to 350; adding washroom facilities; managing 26 backcountry tent pads through a reservation system; partnering with the RCMP, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the B.C. Conservation Officer Service to address illegal and dangerous parking on Highway 99; and adding a satellite phone at the trailhead for emergency response.

“Feedback from the public and stakeholders will be considered when finalizing the strategy,” a Ministry of Environment spokesperson wrote in an email to Pique. “BC Parks will work with Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua to finalize the strategy, which will then guide the management of the park.”

One example of an issue Jones has with the plan, however, is its approach to winter

604-962-0050 info@50north.ca

use. “When we have a strategy that says things like, ‘We don’t think there should be winter camping,’ that’s a preposterous claim,” he says. “Of course there should be winter camping. It’s a year-round destination. It’s one of the parks with a highway that runs right by it, making it accessible in the winter.”

While he laid out his other feedback in a personal blog post, another overarching criticism he has is that the government shouldn’t be planning for individual parks “in a silo” and ignoring the domino effect plans for one area can have on others in the region. For example, the plan suggests capping numbers with day-use permits, but Jones suspects that could impact other Pemberton-area trails without facilities.

“They’re deciding in the document there will be no fees for the permit, which means it has to be taken out of another park’s budget,” he added. Jones’ main praise for the document, however, is its collaboration with the Lil’wat and N’Quatqua Nations (no one from N’Quatqha could be reached by deadline).

For Chief Dean Nelson, political chief of

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32 MARCH 18, 2021

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the Lil’wat Nation, the overrun area has had a direct impact on the Nation’s ability to use the land for traditional purposes.

“We’re so affected in so many ways,” Nelson says. “The actual use of the place, the traditional use, has been ignored or overlooked … The traffic, the amount of visitors, who’s allowing that? It just got way out of hand. We had no say in any of it. We were just the receiving end of everything.”

He is hopeful that the strategy will help ease some of these burdens and allow the Nation some control over its traditional land again.

“It’s a beautiful place, but it does have history too,” he said. “We are part of that history. We’ve been overlooked on the needs of the Nation, as far as traditional use and medicines and plants and spirituality.”

The strategy, meanwhile, is in stage three of four stages, the next being the development and approval of the final version. (Currently, it should be noted, the park remains closed due to COVID-19.)

Find more details and the public feedback form at bcparks.ca/planning/ management-plans/joffre-lakes. n

NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

A glimpse into Pemberton’s future with five-year pan FUTURE GOALS LAID OUT IN LONG-TERM PLAN THROUGH 2025

BY ALYSSA NOEL THE VILLAGE OF Pemberton’s Committee of the Whole held its fourth budget session on Tuesday, March 16, looking at final tax implications for 2021 and the five-year year financial plan.

While there were only small tweaks to the 2021 budget—holding the line at a proposed four-per-cent tax increase— Lena Martin, manager of finance and administration for the VOP, laid out the draft long-term financial plan.

“A long-term financial plan stimulates discussion and engenders a long-range perspective for decision makers,” she said, during the meeting, held via Zoom.

CONSOLIDATED VIEW OF FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN The details laid out in the plan are based on an estimated consumer price index (CPI) of 0.8 per cent for 2021, one per cent for 2022, 1.5 per cent for 2023, two per cent for 2024, and two per cent for 2025. In addition, growth and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic were factored in. “We have also included additional capital projects that we have identified moving forward,” Martin said.

While the plan lists a surplus carry forward of $691,000 for 2021, the estimates aren’t available for the following four years.

“Where that is reflected is in… taxation value,” Martin said. “The taxation value between 2021 and 2022 is $900,000, but about $600,000 to $700,000 of that would be surplus that is potential to carry forward.

The remainder is the five to seven per cent we will hopefully see in growth over the next five years.”

The numbers are similar from 2022 to 2025. “So, 2022 to 2023, we see a slight decrease in taxes,” Martin says, pointing to $3,301,619 and $3,257,112 in tax revenue, respectively. “That’s just less projects we’re working on.”

There’s a slight increase to $3,404,748 in 2024 and a higher increase in 2025 to $3,735,572.

“That’s mainly due to those very large projects that we want to keep on our mind, but we’re not sure if we’re going to complete in 2025. That would be things like the new fire hall or new municipal hall. We want to make sure we’re still having these discussions, but they may or may not start in 2025,” Martin said.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET Martin highlighted two capital projects in 2024: an estimate for a municipal hall

building for $2 million and $150,000 for an electric vehicle charger at municipal hall if the building happens.

For 2021 (as had already been discussed) $45,000 is budgeted for a new bylaw truck.

FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET “We’re limited on growth in the fire services agreement because it is a shared service with the Squamish Lillooet Regional District and the Lil’wat Nation, so growth is fairly steady here, and based on CPI,” Martin said.

“The only differences are some estimates for potential future capital improvements, which would be the replacement of [fire] engine 10, engine 11, and potentially a new fire hall in the future.”

For 2025, $12 million is set aside under capital building costs for a new fire hall, something that caught the eye of Councillor Ted Craddock.

“The numbers we got previous to this meeting were a high-level number of $6 million,” he said. “So I don’t think in four years from now that should double in cost.”

Staff clarified that the $12 million is a very high estimate for the sake of budgeting, but that it would never move forward without council’s approval.

PUBLIC WORKS BUDGET “We have a lot of very high level and highvalue projects,” Martin said. “We don’t have those future projects earmarked yet; we get those on an annual basis. We have some capital improvements that we’re looking at for public works and parks.”

For 2022, there has been discussion for drainage projects, the public works’ roof, and possibly the boardwalk. The total expenses from 2022 to 2025, however, remains steady around $1.6 million for 2022 and 2023 before dropping off to closer to $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025.

WATER BUDGET “We’re seeing a lot more projects coming in for water and a lot more capital and future improvements that are required for water, which is why we have that reserve set aside,” Martin said.

Some projects on tap include a feasibility study for the Fernwood water main and a design and build over the five years for a new well. That culminates in $5 million estimated for 2025 to build the well.

The committee voted to have staff prepare the five-year financial plan, which includes the 2021 budget, and for it to be brought forward at the next council meeting. n

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Ross Parker, CPA / ross@gskllp.ca / 604.892.9100

CHEAKAMUS COMMUNITY FOREST OPEN HOUSE

Monday, March 29 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Review 2020 operations and learn about harvesting and wildfire project plans proposed for 2021.

To pre-register for the virtual open house visit whistler.ca/ccf

For more information, please contact Heather Beresford at 604-935-8374 or hberesford@whistler.ca

www.cheakamuscommunityforest.com MARCH 18, 2021

33

Friends of the Whistler Public Library NOTICE OF WAIVING OF PUBLIC HEARING ELECTORAL AREA C McGillivray Falls

50/50 RAFFLE 2021

Public Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 467 of the Local Government Act that a Public Hearing will be waived regarding the following bylaw: 1.

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 765, 2002, Amendment Bylaw No. 1696-2020

The zoning amendments address the provincial requirements for land use contract termination by June 30, 2024. Local governments are required to have zoning bylaws in place by June 30, 2022 that will apply to the land once the land use contracts are terminated. The proposed zoning amendments will replace the underlying Rural 1 zone with a zone that reflects the development on the property. The zoning amendments will apply to all properties that are subject to the McGillivray Falls Land Use Contract Bylaw No. 87, 1976.

These properties will now be subject to the Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 765, 2002 and specifically regulations set out in the RR MCG Zone (McGillivray Falls)

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Whistler 2021 Community Life Survey Tell us what you think!

When you share your input in this survey, it helps Council and RMOW staff see community priorities, trends and concerns, as well as receive and action feedback on municipal plans and services.

INFORMATION & SUBMISSIONS? The proposed bylaw and relevant background documents may be inspected on pages 185 to 196 of the following Board Agenda: https://slrd.civicweb.net/document/128290 Third reading of Bylaw No. 1696-2020 is scheduled for Wednesday March 24, 2021. All persons who believe that their interest in the property is affected by the proposed bylaw shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the bylaw. Written submissions (mail or email) must be received at the SLRD office no later than 9 am Wednesday March 24, 2021.

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Box 219, 1350 Aster Street, Pemberton, BC, V0N 2L0 • www.slrd.bc.ca P: 604-894-6371 • TF: 1-800-298-7753 F: 604-894-6526 • E: info@slrd.bc.ca

34 MARCH 18, 2021

• If you receive a call, please take 15 minutes to complete the survey • To ensure you have the opportunity to share your input, visit whistler.ca/survey to sign up for the online survey to be sent directly to your email

The 2021 online survey will only be available to community members who have subscribed to the email list. Sign up today!

To view past survey results and for more information about signing up, visit www.whistler.ca/survey

OUTSIDER

March is for skiing I CAN ALREADY HEAR the Squamish and Pemberton locals yelling from their respective ends of the highway… You can mountain bike in those communities for most of the year, to their credit. That’s a luxury we don’t really enjoy as Whistler

BY VINCE SHULEY locals, as evidenced by our spring and fall highway commutes in search of clear trails.

But we’re not talking about biking here. After all, March is for skiing.

I’m not sure exactly when it became a thing, but sometime in the last few years around the spring-ahead Daylight Savings time change I’d start to hear locals bellyaching about an early spring tease and having to put

MARCH MADNESS Ski touring conditions at Whitecap Alpine in late March are often excellent.

PHOTO BY VINCE SHULEY

up with winter conditions a bit longer. Skis and boards were furry and battered. Bikes were built, lubed and ready to roll. Decks had been cleared and barbecues fired up. But it didn’t matter, March snowstorms promptly doused any semblance of summer stoke. The frustration was maddening for some. More than one northern English friend of mine would mutter: “All this snow can fook off.”

I’m not a year-round winter addict, far from it. I did my tenure of hemisphere hopping chasing the endless ski season, which got old pretty fast. I love my summer adventures slogging up to summits and exploring trails. Having dabbled in it once or twice, I can’t think of anything more pointless than portaging plastic and fibreglass up mountains to ski a dozen turns on patches of sun-cupped snow in July. But March… March is for skiing.

The end of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival around Mid-April has historically signalled seasonal change in Whistler. One mountain closes, the other keeps the spring skiing dream alive a bit longer. The bike park may still be a month away, but bikers

are already poking around trails that clear early (I’ve never seen a line up to ride Cut Yer Bars until the pandemic spring last year) or getting a head start on shitkicking sensitive trails. I’ll consider a bike ride in April. But March? March is for skiing.

If you had the privilege to ski in the backcountry in the last couple of weeks, you were greeted with longer and brighter days, consistent powder and a (mostly) stable snowpack. The kind of days where you rally your mates, climb into the proverbial helicopter clown car and start checking off the big items on your backcountry to-do list. We sometimes wait an entire season for these kinds of hero conditions to come around. Good thing March delivers.

I didn’t witness the shift of the seasons in Whistler’s Golden Years of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but I like to think that back then, April was when you had the hero ski conditions that we have right now. March was still a month of nuclear winter, kind of like when the January storms arrive with a respectably low freezing level. “March Madness” people still call it, I think. Now, the odd balmy day

sees runners out in shorts and golf course staff firing up snow blowers and shaking their fists at oblivious dog walkers.

We might not be able to upload the alpine lifts for that late afternoon soul shred this spring, but that’s a small sacrifice to make given how locals—for the most part—had mid-week skiing all to themselves since early January. Record-breaking initial uploads notwithstanding, I can confidently say this was one of the better years for skiing Whistler Blackcomb. That includes March, because, you know, March is for skiing.

As I write this, my sometimes-rightsometimes-not 14-day weather forecast shows a couple stretches of sun coming before the end of the month with a sprinkling of mixed freezing level dustings. Multi-sporting will no doubt be the theme of people’s social media messaging. But I know what I’ll be doing.

Hand me my Gore-Tex. Let’s go skiing.

Vince Shuley believes March is for skiing. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email vince.shuley@gmail.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■

Connection building grants Responsive Neighbourhood Small Grants (R-NSG) provides grants up to $500 to support projects that build community or connect through skill & talent sharing. Apply today!

Investing in a thriving community, together. whistlerfoundation.com/grants

MARCH 18, 2021

35

FEATURE STORY

M

urray Sovereign, owner of Valhalla Pure Sports in Squamish, knows how rare it is to come across another telemark skier in 2021.

“I’m not sure I have spent a single day at [Whistler Blackcomb] skiing with another telemarker in the 22 years I’ve been here. I see them in the lift line and watch the odd one go by while I’m riding the chair, but it’s such a large ski area, and there are so few of us there on any given day, it’s a bit like two sailboats out on the Pacific Ocean; the odds are against them catching sight of one another.”

Had Sovereign arrived here in 1982, he would have witnessed a very different scene. Although there were probably fewer than 300 telemark skiers on both mountains combined on a busy day, it was a sport, which combines elements of alpine and Nordic, that punched well above its weight, especially in mountain town newspapers and magazines.

Downhill skiers would often watch in awe as telemarkers submerged themselves in the depths of Coast Range powder.

“For me, it all started in 1980 when I was loading the Blue Chair and watched the bartender from the Boot tele down Chunky’s on a powder day. And I thought to myself, this is a cool thing,” says Whistler environmental consultant and telemarker David Williamson.

Indeed it was, and Whistler town councillor and retired ski patroller Cathy Jewett is the first to admit it. “It sounds pretty lame but I guess I started telemarking because all the cool kids were doing it,” she says.

For many skiers—alpine and crosscountry fanatics, especially—telemarking proved to be the perfect vehicle for exploring the glorious Coast backcountry.

Lightweight skis, boots and bindings— almost a third lighter than the current crop of alpine touring gear—offered the opportunity for quick missions into the Whistler backcountry, which was a lot closer to town and not as widely lift-serviced as it is now. “We didn’t really need climbing skins back then; there were bootpacks to the most popular bowls,” Jewett says.

Then there were those restless young men and women who washed up at Whistler in the early 1980s and were simply bored with downhill skiing— especially the ones who’d spent their teens slavishly devoted to ski racing.

They wanted to try something new, and ironically what they got was a ski trip

LEAVING A MARK Whistler’s little-known history of telemark skiing STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVEN THRENDYLE

36 MARCH 18, 2021

FEATURE STORY through memory lane courtesy of a Norwegian skier named Sondre Norheim and a handful of American hippies.

Where downhill and cross country meet Telemark skiing in the late 20th century was a meeting place between downhill skiing— which originated in the Alpine countries of Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy— and cross-country skiing as practiced in the somewhat flatter Nordic nations of Norway, Sweden, Finland and many parts of Russia.

It was first developed in the 19th century

by Norwegian ski jumper Sondre Norheim as a method of stabilizing his landings by kneeling and extending his front ski while staying balanced on the rear ski. By the 1860s, Norheim was one of the top ski jumpers in the world and his landing style soon became the standard for ski jumpers everywhere. In fact, it’s still in use today.

The telemark position has been compared to Catholic pilgrims bowing on bended knee, and indeed some believe telemarking in boot-top powder can be a religious experience. The key to this flow state lies in mastering the lunging motion that marks the transition from one turn to the next. It’s a move that requires balance, grace, power, coordination and, more than anything, an intuitive feel for the snow.

Unlike their alpine brethren, Nordic jumping and cross-country skis are pretty much straight from tip to tail, meaning that they have next to no sidecut or shape.

A lightweight pair of cross-country skis is literally impossible to turn unless you throw your entire body sideways, although as we know, skiers like Donnie Campbell, one of Whistler’s early telemarkers, can make magic out of pretty much anything on their feet.

Quite improbably, the rebirth of this elegant turn would take place tens of thousands of kilometres from Norheim’s telemark birthplace, at a small but mighty mountain in southwestern Colorado. A ski instructor at Crested Butte named Ric Borkovec is widely-regarded as the sport’s Messiah, spreading the gospel to the rest of western North America. When Campbell and Binmore drove to Crested Butte to compete in the North American Championships in the early ‘80s, they were astounded at the number—and seriousness—of the racers in attendance. Telemarking, initially derided as some granola-eating hippie sport, was growing up.

Grandpa Telemark Campbell is a wiry 67-year-old affectionately known as the Sea to Sky’s “Grandpa Telemark” largely because he’s one of very few ‘80s-era skiers who never converted to alpine touring. Campbell still has the wooden Bonna skis that he first learned to cross-country ski on at Manning Park; the ones with the screw-in edges and Villom three-pin binding. “The first time I saw anyone telemark was in the late ‘70s. My brother and I were staying in a hut down near Mount Baker and this mountain guide

took us out and showed us how it was done— in three feet of fresh powder.”

Campbell’s gear—and the places he’s been with it—has evolved a lot since that time. “Last year, I had Johnny “Foon” [Chilton] make me a pair of custom skis and those cost $1,500. The Design 22 bindings cost $700, but I still use a pair of Scarpa TWXs that are a few years old,” he says. As of March 13, Campbell’s racked up 53 days for the season, including a stretch of nine in a row.

Campbell’s either found the secret fountain of youth or maybe it’s all of that organic Pemberton produce. More than anything, it’s likely that practice makes perfect—and like Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule, he’s honed his technique since taking his first lessons from Jamie Sproul at Forbidden Plateau in the early ‘80s. Moving to Whistler in the spring of 1984, Campbell became a fixture on the local racing scene as well as Whistler Mountain’s first telemarking instructor. (A second instructor, Lori-Anne Speed, was added the following year).

The Whistler Connection Seeking a career in the ski industry, Whistler’s Wayne Binmore travelled to the United States and enrolled in the Colorado Mountain College in the high-altitude town of Leadville.

He saw telemarkers on the slopes of Summit County near Breckenridge, picked up some gear and started fooling around with it at Ski Cooper. “It was a flat hill with slow lifts; perfect for learning,” he says.

There were no instructional videos at the time, though most mountain town bookstores carried Steve Barnett’s Cross Country Downhill (Pacific Search Press, 1976). Filled with classic photos of hippie dudes aggressively attacking manky snow conditions on super-lightweight gear, Cross Country Downhill became a seminal text.

Barnett, who lived over in the Methow Valley in eastern Washington, even attended one of Whistler’s telemark races in 1985.

The hippie part is worth mentioning, because as the sport gained followers in Whistler and elsewhere, there were many early adherents whose interest in telemarking was as a tool for exploring the backcountry. In Utah and Colorado, telemarkers are seen as the original dirtbags; far closer in personal hygiene and spending habits to the climbers and mountaineers inhabiting Yosemite, the High Sierra, and the San Juans. The idea of spending money on a day pass was anathema to their very lifestyle. Even in Whistler, the combo of climbing skins and light gear—along with a lift policy that only checked day tickets at the base of each mountain—led to a secret outlaw culture of poaching lines without paying for a ticket.

There was a vexing contradiction to telemarking, however, that even skilled alpine skiers had to deal with. It was brutally difficult to learn, and most of the knowledge was passed along by skiers who might only have a few days’ more experience than you did.

“I’m pretty sure I mostly taught myself.

The first few weeks were incredibly

Lori-Anne Speed tackles Whistler’s steeps just like the guys do. Speed and Donnie Campbell. (OPPOSITE) were hired as telemark instructors by Whistler Mountain. humbling,” says telemarker and mountain guide Ramin Sherkat. “I was just getting hammered on green-dot runs after years of skiing double blacks on downhill gear.”

Though he converted to lightweight alpine touring gear many years ago, telemarking proved to be a valuable waypoint on his way to becoming a certified Canadian mountain guide.

Telemarkers needed a support network.

And looking back, it’s ironic that telemark racing would become the glue that held the sport together.

The racing circuit By the mid ‘80s, enthusiasm was high but access to gear still lagged. Traditional specialty downhill ski shops wanted nothing to do with tele skis, Mountain Equipment

Co-op was slow to respond and their product selection was oriented to softer flexing backcountry gear.

It was left to scrappy Coast Mountain Sports, a flashy new specialty store on West Fourth Avenue, to take up the telemarking flame and run with it. Owner Randy Hooper went all-in, creating a B.C.-wide telemark racing series, with events at Tod Mountain in Kamloops, Apex Resort in Penticton, Mount Washington on Vancouver Island and Red Mountain near Rossland. Jewett even remembers driving down from Whistler to compete in night events at Cypress and Grouse.

“We’d have races over at Red and all of these hippies would come up from Montana and Idaho. They styled the baggy wool knickers and pointy (and itchy) brown alpaca wool hats that one writer christened the ‘telemark helmet,’” recalled former

MARCH 18, 2021

37

FEATURE STORY

(TOP) Coast Mountain telemark series, dual slalom format. (INSET) Finn Saarinen was one of Whistler’s top telemark racers. (BOTTOM) #17 Andrew Walsh duelling against Robin Ferrier in telemark dual slalom.

racer Wayne Binmore. “They really added a lot to the vibe.”

It was all fun and games for the “pinheads,”as they became known. Races often ended by all of the participants linking arms and attempting to telemark in sync, a manoeuvre that might last for a few turns before the human chain fell apart.

Not every town rolled out the welcome mat, though. “A couple of friends and I were sponsored by Karhu in the beginning,” Binmore says. “We went up for an event at Tod Mountain and were booked at a place in downtown Kamloops. We dropped a bunch of skis in the lobby and went up to check our rooms and when we got back, half a dozen pairs of skis were gone. It was bizarre because there were staff persons at the front desk the whole time.” Thanks to Karhu’s generosity, Binmore and co. were able to successfully compete in the races.

There is, of course, a tendency to view this mid-‘80s period through rose-coloured glasses, and maybe even a haze of B.C. bud. (Jewett recalls being billeted at the Canadian Championships in Fernie. “The spare bedroom had all of these bright lights and green plants everywhere. We were told to sleep on the couch.”)

Binmore raced in three North American championships, all of them in Colorado— where the sport’s Second Coming had arrived in woodsy, counterculture towns like Breckenridge, Telluride and, most notably, Crested Butte. “You would find quite a few [ex-U.S. ski team] and college racers at these events. Dropouts who had become bored by alpine skiing but who also wanted the speed and performance they were used to from alpine racing,” he says.

Hence, Asolo Extreme or Merrell Comp boots would be stiffened by all sorts of hacks to increase edge control. The oldfashioned “Jet Stix” that freestyle skiers used to shore up the back of their plastic downhill boots were pressed into service to prevent getting in the “backseat.”

One prized piece of gear was what became known as “the Frankenboot.”

“We’d scour garage sales, ski shops and our parents’ basements looking for those rock-hard, old-leather downhill boots that had been replaced by plastic boots such as Langes,” Binmore says. “Of course, those boots were made for ‘parallel’ skiing, so we would take these boots to a cobbler over on Commercial Drive and he’d manually sew

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38 MARCH 18, 2021

FEATURE STORY on a three-pin duckbill Vibram sole to work with the popular bindings at the time.”

Campbell’s hack was even more outrageous. “We would cut the entire toe area out from a downhill boot and stuff a telemark boot through it. This allowed the Vibram sole of the telemark boot to flex freely under the ball of the foot, while providing enormous power transmission to the edges by allowing the ankles and knees and hips to roll as one unit,” he says.

By the time that Binmore competed in his final international race, “I was now on Kazamas, a Japanese ski company that had been around at the very beginning. The brand was really trying to focus on racing, and they supplied me with a speed suit and these ridiculously stiff skis with five holes drilled through the tips. The skis were fine on the course, but you couldn’t go anywhere near powder or tight trees with ‘em.”

The last major event held at Whistler was the Telemark World Championships in 1996, which, as its title implies, hosted athletes from all over the world. There had been many changes in the previous decade: While there was still head-to-head racing, competitors had to enter the incredibly daunting event known as “Classic Telemark,” where skiers must first flash around a series of gates, fly off a gelandesprung-style

jump—and land perfectly in the telemark position, herringbone uphill for several hundred metres, ski back through more gates and, for the grand finale, complete the reipelokke—“the banked circle”—where each skier has to skate 360 degrees before crossing the finish line. Unlike timed or head-to-head giant slalom races, these competitions push racers to lung-busting exhaustion in times lasting from five to seven minutes long. Classic Telemark was invented to ensure that ex-alpine racers would not dominate events due to their superior technical ability.

Sounds like fun, eh? Well, it’s worth noting that the Masters champion in this event held 25 years ago was none other than Donnie Campbell. And you wouldn’t bet against Grandpa Telemark again.

There were many locals who contributed to the telemark scene over the years that unfortunately didn’t make it into this piece, so a shoutout goes to some of the other members of the Whistler telemark tribe: the Jette brothers (Pierre and Andre); Jean-Louis Arsenault; Sue Boyd; Paul “Finn” Saarinen; John Townley; Andy Hoppenrath; Mary McDonagh; Dave Patterson; Rumi Merali; Wendy Ladner-Beaudry; and former Pique scribe Michel Beaudry. ■

“We would cut the entire toe area out from a downhill boot and stuff a telemark boot through it. This allowed the Vibram sole of the telemark boot to flex freely under the ball of the foot, while providing enormous power transmission to the edges by allowing the ankles and knees and hips to roll as one unit.”

- DONNIE CAMPBELL

(TOP) Andy Hoppenrath (left) and Donnie Campbell (right) negotiating some serious death cookies on Blackcomb Mountain. (BOTTOM) Dave Patterson was one of Whistler’s top telemarkers on and off the race course.

WHISTLERS FAVOURITE CLOTHING STORE

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39

SPORTS THE SCORE

Planning an Arctic expedition FORMER WHISTLER RUNNER CHARTS CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH

BY DAN FALLOON AFTER A FEW years off, barefoot runner Joseph Michael Kai-Tsu Liu Roqueni is getting set to resume his Run2theEnd project.

This time, he has a strong mental-health message with him.

Liu is plotting a trek up north, set to happen this summer. However, preparations haven’t been easy as he suffered a significant snowboarding injury three years ago that left him with chronic spinal pain.

It took Liu, who moved to Canmore, Alta. in 2019 after struggling to find housing in Whistler, nearly a year to recover from his injury, but he is back up and running.

“When it comes to training, everything is on track,” he told Pique. “I have a training plan that I put together in December. It’s a gradual, conservative plan of increasing mileage for me to be able to run 30 kilometres in a day, five days in a row.”

Most recently, Liu was up to 20 kms and heading out three times per week.

“I started from scratch,” he said. “I wasn’t able to even walk. I spent my first few months in bed. Because I had such a nasty fracture— the bone pretty much shattered in four pieces on my femur—it took longer [to heal] than the average fracture for femurs.”

While Liu’s chronic pain is mostly in

FEELING ON TOP Joseph Michael Kai-Tsu Liu Roqueni is plotting a barefoot run through Northwest Territories and Yukon to support men’s mental health.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPH MICHAEL KAI-TSU LIU ROQUENI

40 MARCH 18, 2021

check, flareups can sideline him for days at a time.

However, he has a laundry list of tactics to use to head off the pain, and others to use if he does indeed have a recurrence.

“It takes a few days. There are a bunch of tools, such as medication,” he said.

“Basically, your injury is healed. Your body is OK, but your system is still sending signals to your brain, so the pain actually happens only in your brain.

“You have to do things that you enjoy and that you like, so you have to create these new connections to make your body and your brain stay away from those connections that make your pain trigger.”

SUMMER RUNNIN’ Liu is currently staring down a journey of roughly 1,600 kms, though he will have to do it at a much slower pace than he previously did.

During the first leg of his project in 2013 and 2014, which took him from Montreal to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, Liu ran up to 55 kms in a day. The leg was supposed to end at Ushuaia, Argentina, but Liu said financial considerations forced a stoppage, noting it is difficult to land sponsors for initiatives spanning multiple years.

“Breaking the project into smaller legs is a lot more manageable,” he said.

Liu’s journey will start in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories before wending southwest through Inuvik, Fort McPherson, Tombstone Territorial Park, Dawson City and Whitehorse before finishing at Teslin, just north of the British Columbia border.

“It’s a trial and error. It’s something

new. I’m bushwhacking, something that I’ve never done,” he said.

While the tentative plan is to start on Aug. 1, there are some practical considerations to take care of: First and foremost, setting up plans with relevant authorities to ensure the project is being done properly from a COVID-19 perspective.

Liu said other planning is on tap as well.

“We don’t want to just go and do something that we shouldn’t,” he said. “It all depends on how restrictions are going to be due to COVID. “I still have to figure out how I’m going to go through any mountains. I have to check temperatures. I have to check how much snow we’re going to get, and wind.

There are so many things to consider.”

In terms of support, Liu—who previously pushed supplies in a baby carriage—hopes to have an RV to support the effort, much of which will take place on dirt roads.

“There’s not a lot of infrastructure up there, so we have to have all our supplies with us. What we’re trying to do is ideally have an RV so we can sleep there and shower there and charge all our stuff,” he said. “Worst-case scenario, we’ll have a rooftop tent and just camp on the side of the road.”

Also coming along are Liu’s life partner, Iris, and two filmmakers and former Coast Mountain Photography colleagues in Anna Dziczkaniece and Helen Burt.

MENTAL HEALTH JOURNEY After dealing with emotional challenges due to the injury, Liu is running in support of men’s

mental health awareness, though he has not yet aligned with a specific organization.

The son of a Chinese father and a Mexican mother, Liu said he was raised with two vastly different perspectives regarding handling challenges.

“On my father’s side, his way of thinking and his cultural behaviour is you have to make it on your own. If you ask for help, it’s a sign of weakness, which is completely opposite of what my Latin American or Mexican side is,” he said. “In that culture, if you run into trouble, the first thing you do is ask for help.

“For me, there was always a conflict and an issue in my life.”

Throw in the North American tendency to bottle up problems, and Liu admitted struggling with his mind going to dark places when dealing with the uncertainty in the accident’s aftermath.

“It can be devastating,” he said. “You don’t know if you’re going to be able to walk.

You don’t know how long it’s going to take to heal. You don’t know if you’re going to be able to do all the activities that you’re used to.”

All the while, he said, he’s in pain and the doctors don’t have a timeline or clear path forward because each patient is different.

“Just to be mentally prepared: is it days? Is it months? Is it years? Is it going to go away?” he recalled. “Just knowing that, it puts you in the mindset for you to move forward.

“It makes you vulnerable. It feels awkward. It feels weird. But I think having the support of other people … it helps a lot,” he added.

Liu has started a Kickstarter to support the initiative. n

SPORTS THE SCORE

Whistler halfpipe skier d’Artois takes silver at World Championships SPORTS BRIEFS: CANADIANS CLAIM BIG AIR MEDALS IN ASPEN, ANOTHER WIN FOR B.C. SKI CROSS SUPERSTAR

BY MEGAN LALONDE IT WAS Simon d’Artois’ first competition since injuring his knee two years ago, but no one would have known it.

The 29-year-old Whistler skier marked his comeback by winning a silver medal in the halfpipe at the snowboard and freeski world championships in Aspen, Colo. on Friday, March 12. It is his first career World Championship podium.

After qualifying for the finals in sixth place, d’Artois rallied through difficult conditions to put down a technical second attempt packed with four different doubles— including a left double cork 1080 and an alley-oop double flat spin 720—which the judges rewarded with a score of 91.25.

The clean run felt “really good,” d’Artois said in a release. “I’m happy to be back and to see the work and time that I put into coming back stronger from my injury pay off. It definitely gives me confidence for the year to come and lots of relief.”Added Team Canada halfpipe team head coach Trennon Paynter, “He has been out for a long time and it’s been a tough road to go without competing. With his first competition back being a second place at World Champs, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

D’Artois was bested only by New Zealand’s Nico Porteous, the reigning world champion, with a massive score of 94.50.

The Whistler local wasn’t the only Canadian skier taking home a silver medal, with Guelph, Ont.’s Rachael Karker winning second place in the women’s contest with her score of 94.25. Her teammate Amy Fraser of Halifax took ninth.

After qualifying for the finals in first and third places respectively, d’Artois’ teammates Brendan Mackay and Noah Bowman, both of Calgary, struggled to put down solid runs on Friday, after sunny skies in Aspen softened one side of the pipe. Mackay finished in seventh, followed by Bowman in ninth. Fellow Canadian halfpipe skier Evan Marineau ended the competition in 13th place.

CANADA WINS DOUBLE GOLD IN BIG AIR SNOWBOARDING, SILVER IN BIG AIR SKI Both Laurie Blouin and Mark McMorris are leaving Aspen with a little extra hardware.

The Canadian snowboarders were each crowned big air world champions after earning the podium’s top spot in their respective events at the big air contest in Colorado on Tuesday, March 16.

Bromont, Que.’s Max Parrot handed Team

Canada a third medal in the event, with his second-place finish. Fresh off his slopestyle world championship win on Friday, March 12, Norway’s Marcus Kleveland rounded out the men’s podium in third.

Earlier on Tuesday, Édouard Therriault of Lorraine, Que. also picked up a podium for Canada after winning silver in the men’s big air ski world championships in Aspen. It marked the 18-year-old’s first career World Championship medal.

“It’s amazing feeling,” said Therriault in a release. “I was able to land the tricks I came here to do and had so much fun today.

I came into the event with a game-plan and was aiming to at least get a top 10 with a good score, but I never thought I would get on the podium.”

“It definitely gives me confidence for the year to come...”

- SIMON D’ARTOIS

Veteran Evan McEachran of Oakville, Ont. was the lone other male Canadian competing alongside Therriault in the finals.

McEachran put down two solid jumps to land in fifth place.

Whistler local Teal Harle finished the event in 13th place, while Max Moffatt of Caledon, Ont., fell to 39th.

Meanwhile on the women’s side, Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont. followed up her bronze-medal-winning performance during Saturday’s slopestyle event with a fifth-place finish in Tuesday’s big air contest to wrap up the world championships.

B.C. SKI CROSS STAR REECE HOWDEN WINS 4TH WORLD CUP OF THE WINTER Reece Howden has already secured his first-ever Crystal Globe title, but now he’s continuing to prove why he deserves it.

The 22-year-old from Cultus Lake, B.C pulled out yet another world cup win in Sunny Valley, Russia on Saturday, March 13, marking his fourth victory of the season.

In the women’s race, Windermere’s Courtney Hoffos caught an edge in the big finals to land in fourth place, while Tiana Gairns of Prince George tied her personal best to finish fifth, Whistler’s Marielle Thompson, a threetime Crystal Globe winner, finished the event in 14th. n

Annual Creekbread (Take Out) Fundraiser When: Tuesday, March 23rd Where: In Your Own Home

Creekbread will generously donate a percentage of all take-out pizza sales to the club that are ordered between 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm on March 23rd.

Go to www.whistlernordics.com for details

BUILDING THIS YEAR? Download your application package now at www.whistler.ca/buildingpermits Drop-off times 9am - 3pm, Monday to Friday Only complete applications will be accepted.

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/building MARCH 18, 2021

41

FORK IN THE ROAD

One carton of mouldy leftovers at a time TACKLING OUR CLIMATE CATASTROPHE FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR KITCHEN GO AHEAD, I dare you. Take a deep dive into your fridge and see what you find.

Sure, there’s probably some pretty good-looking stuff up front or “on top,” as it were, of the produce and meat drawers.

Maybe milk; some hummus; fresh veggies; a half-bottle of salad dressing or three; some chicken. But dig a little deeper, a little further back, and what do you find lurking?

BY GLENDA BARTOSH That sad, anonymous container stuffed with indecipherable leftovers sporting a fuzzy grey topcoat that should be donated to a biology lab? Some slimy lettuce that got away on you? A jar of something-or-other— tamarind paste?—years after its best-before date, something you know no one will ever use but can’t throw out, regretting why you never used it up while it was still good.

Well, the jury is in—yet again, folks— and we humans are wasting more food than ever. The 2021 UN Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index—aimed at sustainable development—is out, and it

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT Eighth-graders Sam Tierney (left) and Patrick Tarling are pushing Pemberton council to adopt student suggestions for its first climate-action plan when they aren’t eating lunch in the school cafeteria. (Note the reusable sandwich wrappers.)

PHOTO BY SAM TIERNEY

42 MARCH 18, 2021

reinforces we’ve still got things wrong.

Some 17 per cent of all the food we produce on this beautiful planet is wasted, even more than anticipated. It’s rotted, trashed, dumped, destroyed—in fields and on the hoof; in trucks before it ever reaches a shelf; in stores and warehouses once it arrives (just check the dumpsters outside one day); in the nooks and neglected crannies of our own fridges and shelves; in restaurants and school cafeterias.

It all adds up to more than 1 billion tons of food wasted each year. And the lion’s share of food waste—61 per cent—happens right at home. Retailers, by comparison, account for 13 per cent.

We Canucks are pretty bad offenders. At the household level, the average Canadian wastes 79 kilograms of food annually, or about 175 pounds.

Think of it! That’s the weight of a fullsized human adult, gone, wasted—in only one year, and that’s per person! Imagine if you had a 79-kg uncle living with you and you gradually started chipping away, “losing” a bit of him here and there, until finally he’s gone at the end of the year. Then another uncle or aunt moves in with you, and on it goes, year after year. Next thing you know you don’t have anyone asking to stay at your place (insert winking emoji). But seriously, think about it, including my irreverent metaphor bringing it all home, so to speak.

Surprisingly, when it comes to household food waste, we Canadians outrank our U.S. neighbours. The average American wastes 59 kg annually at the household level. Another 64 kg per capita are wasted in food service,

and 16 kg per capita at the retail level. (Sorry, no UN stats are available for Canada in these last two categories.)

That means each of us—since we all eat food, right?—holds a fair chunk of our changing climate and the future of our only home planet right at home in our kitchens.

I like how UNEP’s executive director Inger Andersen puts it: “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions,” she wrote in this recent UN report.

Luckily, in the Sea to Sky, we have some brilliant young people chipping away at food waste and the climate crisis.

This Friday, March 19, Fridays for Future—which arose from Greta Thunberg’s student strikes in 2018—is once again organizing a climate-action strike to remind us all we’re still a dangerously long way from the Paris Accord climate targets.

To support the action strike, Pemberton Secondary eighth-grader Sam Tierney and his good friend and classmate, Patrick Tarling, have come up with a cool project for their humanities class. The project had to create social change, and while Sam and Patrick wanted to do something for March 19, COVID19 meant they had to get innovative, since nobody can gather for a March march.

After learning that Pemberton is developing its first climate-action plan, Sam and Patrick put a “suggestion box” in the school’s front office to gather ideas for the plan that reflect “the voice of the student body.” After summarizing the suggestions, Sam intends to present them to Pemberton’s mayor, Mike Richman,

on March 19 along with a petition urging council to adopt the ideas.

While there’s a rich range of suggestions—from having more frequent bus service to educational campaigns about eating locally and in-season—about one third of them address food and related waste, such as feeding your dog food scraps if you can’t compost them, or replacing plastic wrap with beeswax food wrappers.

“I’m excited to see where this all goes,” says Sam. “I think the fact that Pemberton is making a climate-action plan is really good… We’re just a small town who want to do as good as we possibly can.”

As for incorporating students’ ideas into the local climate-action plan, “I think it’s important because we may have different ideas and different ways of looking at things than adults that they might not have thought of,” he says.

“I think we have every right to be taken just as seriously as the adults because we are the future.”

Hey, readers! Sam and Patrick encourage you to get outside March 19 and do something in nature you love or show what you appreciate and is worth fighting for. Post a photo of either with the hashtags #thisiswhatwearefightingfor and #nomoreemptypromises. Tag @powcanada and @FridaysforFuture.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who tips her hat to good teachers like Joanna Williams and Steve Evans at Pemberton Secondary for guiding our “students for future” in the right direction. n

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

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MARCH 18 THURSDAY

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MARCH 20 SATURDAY

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I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 7:15-8:15 a.m.

Beth

I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Louise

I Open Studio 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Beth

MARCH 21 SUNDAY

I Strong Glutes and Core 7:45-8:45 a.m.

Jess

MARCH 22 MONDAY

I Aqua Fit Shallow 10-11 a.m.

Marie-Anne

I Low Impact I Open Strength and Studio Stretch 7:15-8:15 a.m.

7:15-8:15 a.m.

Beth Andy

I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 7:15-8:15 a.m.

Steve

I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Andy

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Steve

I Tone and Shape 5:30-6:30 p.m..

Andy NEW! F FLEXIBLE REGISTRATION

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Marie-Anne *ONLINE

R Ballet for Children 3-3:45 & 4:15-5 p.m.

Jane

I Strong Glutes and Core 5:15-6:15 p.m.

Jess

MARCH 24 WEDNESDAY

I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Beth

R Gentle Fit for Seniors 9-10 a.m.

Diana *ONLINE

I Low Impact Strength and Stretch 9:15 -10:15 a.m.

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MARCH 23 TUESDAY

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R REGISTERED FITNESS Registered fitness classes have a separate fee and a defined start and end date.

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I Aqua Fit Deep End 10-11 a.m.

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ARENA PUBLIC SKATE SCHEDULE THU 18

FRI 19

SAT 20

SUN 21

MON 22

TUE 23

WED 24

12:15-1:45 p.m.

12:15-1:15 p.m.

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ARENA STICK AND PUCK SCHEDULE THU 18

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8:15-9:30 a.m.

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10:15-11:45 a.m.

(Adult)

10:15-11:45 a.m.

(Family)

4:45-6 p.m.

(Family)

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 |

The outdoor skating rink at Whistler Olympic Plaza is now closed for the season.

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ARTS SCENE

Five Sea to Sky bands handpicked for ‘band bootcamp’ ARTS WHISTLER’S CREATIVE CATALYST KICKS OFF THIS WEEK

BY ALYSSA NOEL FIVE SEA TO SKY music acts are heading to band bootcamp.

Selected from the performers who took part in Arts Whistler’s online Hear and Now music series, the performers will get a chance to take their music, performance, promotion, and business skills to the next level as part of the program, called Creative Catalyst.

“It’s been great to get the team together,” says Mo Douglas, executive director of Arts Whistler. “The goal was to get as many creative professionals together as possible.”

To that end, a wide range of creative professionals are on tap to host sessions as part of the three-phase program.

The first phase will be a professional development series with industry professionals including: Jess Robson talking about promotional writing; Ira Pettle on performance and improv skills; Scott McPhee, technical knowledge and stage readiness; Kristen Robinson, performer professionalism and producer expectations; Joanne Setterington, music publicity and promotional techniques; Michelle Leroux, social media and marketing; Sandee Bathgate, addressing the business of music

CENTRE STAGE Whistler band Introduce Wolves are one of five musical acts chosen for Arts Whistler’s Creative Catalyst program.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

44 MARCH 18, 2021

business; and Canadian alt-rock duo Dear Rouge, Drew and Danielle McTaggart. “[We’re] doing an evening with Dear Rouge to talk about audience engagement and how to build rapport—everything from performing to managing yourself, a bit about songwriting and inspiration, their path.

They’ve been self-made,” Douglas says.

Phase 2, meanwhile, dubbed the “media kit creation,” will offer each band a consultation with Whistler stylist Jessie McNaught to help them with their visual

about that prospect,” Douglas says. “We’ve got good COVID practices; we make sure everyone who walks into the building understands those rules. [We’re] excited to do something where we’re working with other people.”

The five artists selected, meanwhile, are equally excited about the series, which starts this week and culminates in showcases from mid-May to early June.

Little Earthquakes, Lozen, Cat Madden, Ev Kinsella, and Introduce Wolves were all

“They all compared notes of what they’d seen. [The goal] was to put forward bands with the talent, but also who are committed to working to further their career.”

- MO DOUGLAS

aesthetic before a photo shoot with local photographer Logan Swayze.

“It becomes more about who you are [rather than] the clothes and what you wear—it says more to the audience,” Douglas adds.

Finally, the third phase will be live showcases at the Maury Young Arts Centre where the bands can demonstrate all they’ve learned. Public health order-pending, a small live audience could be invited in, alongside a livestream of the show.

“Everybody working on this is excited

handpicked by the range of MCs who hosted all of the Hear and Now sessions.

“They came in and watched every show they were introducing,” Douglas says.

“They all compared notes of what they’d seen. [The goal] was to put forward bands with the talent, but also who are committed to working to further their career.”

Rory Malkin, guitarist and vocalist for Introduce Wolves, says in an email that the opportunity means a lot to the burgeoning group.

“When I joined the Zoom call just

before all the acts [for Hear and Now] started recording their shows, it really felt like I was talking to a lot of (really great) established local artists and that me and my band were relatively unknown—not too much of a surprise given the fact that a lot of bars in Whistler don’t like bands as loud as ours playing on a regular basis.

But we’ve continued to do what we do regardless. Well, at least until COVID hit us all,” he said. “So when Amelia [Browne with Arts Whistler] told us all that this opportunity was going to be available my initial thought was, ‘No way that’ll be us.

Everyone else has been playing way longer than us,’ shortly followed by, ‘We’re gonna show them what we’ve got and why we deserve this opportunity.’”

For Lozen, who has been performing in the Sea to Sky corridor for many years, the opportunity presents a chance for more growth.

“For me, this expansion is all about the balance between discipline and freedom,” she writes.

“I want to explore all the nooks and crannies of my craft while flowing with a beginner’s mind. Embracing the guidance and tools with child-like wonder, I can invite the spirit of play into it. When I was younger, I always dreamed of living this kind of life. Immersing myself in art, music, dance, fashion and now that it’s actually unfolding as the ebb and flow of my life, it’s pretty far out.”

For more, visit artswhistler.com/pressrelease/creative-catalyst. n

ARTS SCENE

RESERVOIR

BY REBECCA BELMORE

LIVE THEATRE The cast of Whistler Secondary School’s Objection! Disorder in the Court! pose for a photo.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Whistler Secondary School play brings a little whimsy, silliness, and escape OBJECTION! DISORDER IN THE COURT! SET TO STREAM ON FRIDAY, MARCH 19

BY ALYSSA NOEL IT’S TAKEN MONTHS and months for Whistler Secondary School’s drama program to splice together the individual pieces that make up last year’s Alice in Wonderland production.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the show was cancelled, with individual actors having to record their own scenes at home, to be cut together at a later date.

“We’re still in the editing process of putting all those home videos back-to-back together,” says Johanne Nielsen, WSS drama teacher and director. “And we’re almost done, but last year’s show we weren’t able to perform in person, we weren’t even able to meet, and it was hard enough trying to keep student morale—even my morale—up.”

That’s why, when it came time to pick this year’s play, she chose very specifically.

“I picked a play that is flexible enough to work within the safety protocols of a pandemic. If need be, the script itself was flexible enough to turn into a Zoom performance as well as also be adapted for the stage. I was like, ‘Heaven forbid, but at least this time we’ll be ready for it.’”

Turns out, that worrying was for nothing. Objection! Disorder in the Court! was livestreamed from the Maury Young Arts Centre stage for a matinee aimed at other students last Friday, March 12. While nearly 200 viewers logged in for that event, there will be another one-time stream on Friday, March 19 for community members.

“We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback and reviews and I’ve even got some reviews from friends in other school districts,” Nielsen says.

The play—starring Brillianna Carlson as Casey Licit, Jackson Moore as Mr. Scammerton, and Soren Weetman as Mr. Flops, with 10 other students in supporting roles—is about an innocent tourist, Casey,

who gets caught in a murder trial. When her amateur attorney, Mr. Flops, lives up to his name, the charming prosecutor Mr. Scammerton seems poised to win.

“The idea behind the choice for that one was to give a lighthearted, a little bit of comedy feel and to bring some whimsy and silliness and the idea that you can escape a little bit from what is happening in reality … It was a nifty way to escape all of this,” Nielsen says.

For Israel De Real, a Grade 12 student and promotions manager for the production, the escapism came from being able to work on the project in-person with schoolmates.

“This whole production in itself has brought so much joy to our lives, the cast and crew and our school community, and hopefully that whole feeling will transpire in the entire Whistler community,” De Real says.

“We will just reflect on this experience.

We were still able to be a light in these dark times. I just love that we made so many memories; it was just invaluable.”

Of course, it wasn’t exactly business as usual, but getting on a real stage—with safety precautious in place—helped make the production feel a little closer to normal, Nielsen says.

“Being in the theatre space gives the sense that this has purpose and this has meaning and the idea of having a theatre space can’t be replaced,” she says. “I’m so incredibly grateful because being there added this whole extra energy, added this whole extra sense of a weight and value to what is being made.”

Catch a second screening of Objection!

Disorder in the Court! online at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 19. Tickets are $16.52 at Eventbrite.ca.

Get them—and check out the trailer for the show—at sites.google.com/sd48. bc.ca/wssdrama/objection-disorder-inthe-court/tickets. n

OPEN THURSDAY TO SUNDAY | 11AM - 6PM

MARCH 18, 2021

45

Seeking Poetry

MUSEUM MUSINGS

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and the Public Art Committee invite submissions of unpublished, original poems for the 2021 Poet’s Pause poetry competition.

The poems will be displayed at the two Poet’s Pause sculpture sites in Alta Lake Park. Writers are invited to submit poems for one or both of the display sites. The poems should respond to the theme selected for each site, listening and togetherness.

Poems are due Thursday April 1, 2021 at 3:00pm and should be submitted to resortexperience@whistler.ca Learn more at whistler.ca/PoetryCompetition

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca

BRING YOUR OWN SLEEPING BAG You could get a room at Mount Whistler Lodge across Alta Lake in 1972 for just $8.50 a night if you brought your own sleeping bag.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MASON COLLECTION

Reimagining Hillcrest Lodge

BY ALLYN PRINGLE

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46 MARCH 18, 2021

WHEN HILLCREST Lodge first opened for business in 1946 it was not meant to be a year-round operation. Summers were so busy with regular visitors and guests that Jack and Cis Mansell, who built the lodge with their sons Doug and Loyd, would “say goodbye to each other in May and hello in October.” In October, Hillcrest Lodge closed for the season and Jack and Cis would often leave Alta Lake to spend winters in warmer climes. This seasonal closure would, however, change in the 1960s.

Jack and Cis retired in 1958 and Doug and his wife Barb took over the management of the lodge. In the early 1960s, Doug and Loyd kept the lodge open on weekends through the winter and even built a small rope tow on the property that they ran for skiers. In 1965, as the first lifts were completed on Whistler Mountain, Doug and Barb sold Hillcrest Lodge to a group from Vancouver led by Glen Mason. The lodge’s name was changed to Mount Whistler Lodge and, instead of attracting summer guests, it was marketed towards skiers.

By the winter of 1967/68, winter guests could pay $9.50/day to stay and receive three meals at Mount Whistler Lodge (for those who brought their own sleeping bags, the rate was only $8.50), conveniently located only 1.6 kilometres (one mile) from the gondola. The lodge also offered entertainment in the form of pizza and music, including a jug band on Thursday nights.

An advertisement from the winter of 1971/72 announced that the lodge was under new management and introduced “The Purple Ski Cabaret,” though it featured few details about what the cabaret included.

Through the early 1970s the Mount Whistler Lodge also marketed itself as “open all year round.” Its close proximity to the lifts appealed to skiers while the lodge also drew summer visitors with promises of swimming, fishing, boating and waterskiing on four nearby lakes, horseback rides through the valley, and more.

Mount Whistler Lodge also became popular among Whistler area residents.

According to an article from the October/ November 1979 issue of the Whistler Answer, Mount Whistler Lodge (which had by then ceased operations) was “quite simply, the best damn boogie, rockin, boppin, rip-roarin, down home, funky, shit kickin place to ever serve a beer.” The lodge itself was described as “a log cabin right on the lake, with cracked Tiffany lamps and mildew stains on the ceiling.” The Answer attributed the “looseness” of the lodge between 1973 and 1974 to managers Rob and Jen Houseman, who figured the best way to ensure rules were not broken was to have no rules. Before it closed permanently in the mid 1970s, Mount Whistler Lodge was even the venue for the first two Freakers Balls.

The Answer ended its article by declaring that, “The Whistler Lodge, although closed today, remains one of the few structures today in Whistler that could be labelled heritage buildings.”

Two years earlier, in 1977, Rainbow Lodge had been mostly destroyed by a fire on the other side of Alta Lake and other buildings, such as the Soo Valley Logging Camp and the Alta Lake Community Hall, had already been burnt down. In 1986 the main building of the Mount Whistler Lodge joined them and was burnt down as practice for the Whistler Fire Department. The cabins remained for some years, but today few physical traces can be found of Hillcrest or Mount Whistler Lodge. n

PARTIAL RECALL

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1 DO THESE CHAIRS LOOK FAMILIAR? Once upon a time, they brought skiers and snowboarders to the top of Catskinner on Blackcomb, before being retired. Now, they’re finding new life as works of art, as part of Arts Whistler’s new LIFTing the Community initiative, made possible by support from Vail Resort’s Epic Promise fund, in partnership with Tourism Whistler and the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. Up until this week, the project has been “secretly” underway at the Whistler Conference Centre, where 15 local artists teamed up with local organizations to transform the chairs into stunning pieces of art that reflect the theme of belonging. According to Arts Whistler, the story behind each reimagined chair will be shared online via video each week, beginning in May through August. All completed chairs will also be on display throughout the summer in Whistler Village, “for people to explore, experience and discover their own spirit of belonging,” says Arts Whistler. At the end of the summer, each chair will be auctioned off, with all funds going to each respective community organization to help support their programs that foster a sense of community belonging and wellbeing. Among the sneak peeks of chairs shown here is work from Whistler Museum and Archives. AWARE (Alyssa Bruijns), Arts Whistler (Anna Lynch), the Whistler Community Foundation (Stan Matwychuk), WCSS Kids on the Move (Laura Scarr), Alphabet Soup/Whistler Youth Centre, Audain Art Museum (Ace Mackay-Smith and Mercedes Nicoll) and the Mature Action Community (Tonnja Kopp). Can you guess who each chair belongs to?

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS! Send your recent snaps to arts@piquenewsmagazine.com

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47

Celebrating 19 Years

ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF MARCH 18 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Ocean Vuong speaks of the Hawaiian word kipuka. It refers to a patch of earth that doesn’t get covered with lava when an active SUNDAY, MARCH volcano exudes its molten material. “Before the lava GLC descended,” Vuong writes, “that piece of land was insignificant, just another scrap in an endless mass of green.” But now that piece of land is special, having endured. I encourage you to identify your metaphorical NT.Aries. It’s an excellent time to equivalent A S L EVof Ekipuka, A GA U IN T N E IR P celebrate the power and luck and resilience that have V IS HAP PENIN G AS A S R A enabled you to persevere.

L H L T P 27 O CH RA G FOR DO LLE TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Extraordinary things are ANRTSMISAH om BALDIN FOR V D E always hiding in places people never think to look,” writes UAL rdollars.c T G o f g IN IR in D V ld L a BA Taurus author Jodi Picoult. Luckily for you, Taurus, in the h istlerb t www.w a s il ta near future you’ll be prone to look in exactly those places— e “Shave For The Brave” d Get where no one else has thought to look. That means you’ll help us raise aise $15,000 be extra likely to find useful, interesting, even extraordinary in suppo support of kids with cancer things that have mostly been hidden and unused. You and blood disorders at may also discover some boring and worthless things, but B.C. Children’s Hospital the trade-off will be worth your effort. Congratulations in advance on summoning such brave curiosity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice,” said Gemini author Saul Bellow. So if you have come here today to read my horoscopes, it’s possible that you’re seeking an accomplice to approve of you making a decision or a move that you have already decided to do. OK. I’ll be your accomplice. But as your accomplice, the first thing I’ll do is try to influence you to make sure your upcoming actions serve not only your own selfish interests (although there’s nothing wrong with that), but also serve the interests of people you care for. The weeks ahead will be a favourable time to blend self-interest and noble idealism.

WITH SUPPORT FROM CANCER (June 21-July 22): A character in Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Lacuna is told to “go rub his soul against life.” Now I’ll advise you to do the same.

Why? While it’s true that you have a beautiful soul, you sometimes get in the habit of hiding it away or keeping it secret. You feed it a wealth of dreams and emotions and longings, but may not go far enough in providing it with raw experience out in the messy, chaotic world.

In my judgment, now is one of those times when you would benefit from rubbing your soul against life. Please note: I DON’T mean you should go in search of rough, tough downers. Not at all. In fact, there are plenty of pleasurable, safe, educational ways to rub your soul against life.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you love the work of self-help author Paulo Coelho, you might be inclined to adopt his Opening Night Nov 2nd motto as your own: “Being vulnerable is the best way Doors: 6:30 to allow my heart to feel true pleasure.” But maybe you wouldn’t want to adopt his motto. After all, what he’s suggesting requires a great deal of courage and daring.

Who among us finds it easy and natural to be soft and receptive and inviting? And yet according to my analysis of the astrological omens, this is exactly what your assignment should be for the next two weeks. To help motivate yourself, remember the payoff described by Coelho: the possibility that your heart will feel true pleasure.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Michael Ondaatje celebrates “the hidden presence of others in us—even those we have known briefly. We contain them for the rest of our lives, at every border we cross.”

As you approach your own upcoming border-crossing, dear Virgo, I encourage you to tune into memories about seven specific people who over the course of your life have provided you with the most joy and the most interesting lessons. Close your eyes for 20 minutes and imagine they are all gathered together with you in your favourite sanctuary. Remember in detail the blessings they bestowed on you. Give thanks for their influences, for the gifts they gave that have helped you become your beautiful self.

Whistler W s stler

Register online today whistlerbaldingfordollars.com

WHISTLER M USEUM VIRTUAL SP EAKERS SER IES

March

25th 7pm

For more information visit: whistlermuseum.org/events

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “A balance that does not tremble cannot weigh. A person who does not oscillate cannot live.” So wrote biochemist Erwin Chargaff, who did crucial research leading to the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. Since you’re the zodiac’s expert on balance and oscillation, and because these themes will be especially meaningful for you in the coming days, I’ll ask you to meditate on them with extra focus. Here’s my advice: To be healthy and resilient, you need to be aware of other possibilities besides those that seem obvious and simple and absolutely true. You need to consider the likelihood that the most correct answers are almost certainly those that are paradoxical and complicated and full of nuance.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In her poem “Sandra,” Scorpio poet Ariana Reines testifies that she has too many feelings—and that’s not a problem. On the contrary. They are her wealth, she says, her “invisible splendour.” I invite you to regard your own “too many feelings” in the same way, especially in the coming weeks. You will have opportunities to harness your flood of feelings in behalf of transformative insights and holistic decision-making. Your motto: Feelings are healing.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Historian and author Thomas Berry described “wildness” as the source of our “authentic spontaneities.” He said it’s “the wellspring of creativity” at the root of our lust for life. That’s a different definition from the idea that wildness is about being unruly, rough, and primitive. And Berry’s definition happens to be the one that should be central to your work and play in the coming weeks. Your assignment is to be wild: that is, to cultivate your authentic spontaneities; to home in on and nourish the creative wellspring of your lust for life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some of the great discoveries in the history of physics have been made while the trailblazing physicists are lolling in bed or in the bathtub. They have done the research and carried out the rigorous thinking, and are rewarded with breakthroughs while relaxing. I think that will be your best formula for success in the coming weeks. Important discoveries are looming. Interesting innovations are about to hatch. You’re most likely to gather them in if you work intensely on preparing the way for them, then go off and do something fun and rejuvenating.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My typical horoscope is an average of 108 words long. In that limited space, I can’t possibly tell you all the themes and threads that will be active for you during the upcoming phase of your cycle. I have to make choices about what to include and what not to include. This time I’ll focus on the fact that you now have an opportunity to deepen your relationship with your sense of smell—and to purposefully nourish your sense of smell. Your homework: Decide on at least five scents with which you will cultivate an intimate, playful, delightful connection in the coming days. (PS: You may be surprised at how this practice will deepen your emotional connection with the world.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): No one had ever proven that there was such a thing as electromagnetic waves until Piscean physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) did so in 1886. He was the innovator who first transmitted and received controlled radio waves. Alas, he didn’t think his breakthrough was useful. In 1890, he confessed, “I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application.” But other scientists were soon capitalizing on his work to communicate long distances.

Radio broadcasts were born. I will encourage you not to make a Hertzian-type mistake in the coming months. Always follow through on your initial labours. Have faith that the novelties you dream up will eventually have practical value.

Homework. If you believed everything you see in the “news,” you’d be so full of despair you couldn’t move. Describe how you protect yourself. Truthrooster@gmail.com

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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

48 MARCH 18, 2021

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MARCH 18, 2021

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The N’Quatqua First Nation is seeking a qualified Aboriginal Supported Child Development Educator to fill a full-time position at N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre. The successful candidate will join our NCFDC team, the function of the Aboriginal Supported Child Development Educator is to provide the extra staffing support to a child care center in order for children with extra support needs to fully participate in the child care settings chosen by their families. The Educator works as a team member with child care setting staff and with all the children and families providing general support to the whole program to ensure effective inclusion of the children.

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• Ability to establish and maintain supportive, collaborative relationships with families and staff.

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• Planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community, inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children • Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations • Interpersonal, written, oral communication skills and maintaining positive communication with parents • Collaborating with community service providers, Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects In addition, the Educator will have: • A minimum of 2 years work experience in a child care setting • Valid Early Childhood Educator Certificate, SNE Licence to Practice.

GENERAL NOTICES

The Rotary Clubs of Whistler are now meeting virtually.

The Whistler Club Tuesdays at 3.

The Millennium Club Thursdays at 12:15.

Contact us at info@Whistler-rotary.org for log in info. All welcome.

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• Clear Criminal Records Check & Current First Aid

The Pemberton Museum is calling for tenders for reconstruction and rehabilitation of two historic buildings at the Pemberton museum site. Tender documentation, including terms of reference and selection criteria, can be obtained from: Niki Madigan, Curator, 7455 Prospect St., Box 267, V0N 2L0, 604-894-5504. info@pembertonmuseum.org. The tender closes on Monday, March 29th 2021 at 4:00 pm 604-8945504 info@pembertonmuseum.org www.pembertonmuseum.org

MEETING PLACE Welcome Centre at Whistler Public Library - Information, support, community connections and ESL practice groups for newcomers and immigrants. Meet people, make connections, volunteer, build your communication skills in English.

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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 Thursday hours to be determined • Start Date: As soon as possible • Wage: (negotiable depending on experience) Cover Letter & Resume to: Title: Lisa Sambo, Manager Agency: N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre Email: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca Fax: 604-452-3295/3280 Deadline: until position is filled We thank all those who apply. Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

50 MARCH 18, 2021

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Lost and Found?

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

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Front of house positions The Pony Restaurant in Pemberton is looking for a few new members to join our front of house team!

We are currently looking for: Full Day shift bartender: (thursdayMonday 11:30-5pm) this job requires previous bartending experience, a good knowledge of local bc craft beers, and wine. Have a good positive work ethic and be comfortable in a fast paced setting.

Servers: Must have previous serving experience in a similar style fast paced restaurant, full & part time positions available, variety of day/night shifts.

Must have up to date SIR cert. events@thepony.ca C-Mac Contracting Ltd Small machine operators/hardscapes labor Looking for operators for small excavators and loader/skid steers. Experience w/paving stones, masonry and other landscaping construction skills an asset as you will be having to work on the ground if the machine is not running. Wage negotiable upon experience.

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Please email resumes to cmac.cont@gmail.com cmac.cont@gmail.com www.cmaccontracting.com ***Local Automotive*** Automotive technician for year round position in Whistler. 604-905-9109 steve@localautomotive.com MountainView Accommodation Room Attendent This is a fulltime, year-round position.

Excellent pay and benefit packages for full-time employees. Previous reservations and guest service experience.

Job description includes checking in guests, providing local information and entering in reservations. christina@mvawhistler.com

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Lil’wat Nation

N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre PO BOX

Employment Opportunity

IT Technician The IT Helpdesk Technician, (‘the Technician”) will support the Lil’wat Nation’s internal computer and system users. You will be first line of response to help resolve internal user’s helpdesk requests. With the support from the IT Team, the Technician will diagnose, troubleshoot software and hardware problems, help install applications and programs and help configure hardware ready to be deployed.

If you are interested in this very fast paced and exciting opportunity please send your resume and cover letter to melanie.williams@lilwat.ca by April 2, 2021.

For a full job description, please visit lilwat.ca/careers

lilwat.ca

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JOB POSTINGS

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.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in: • Ability to develop and maintain a warm, caring, responsive relationship with the child.

• Ability to establish and maintain supportive, collaborative relationships with families and staff.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality, positive, professional, nonjudgmental attitude.

• Physically ability to carry out the duties of the position.

• Planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community, inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children • Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations • Interpersonal, written, oral communication skills and maintaining positive communication with parents • Collaborating with community service providers, Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects In addition, the Early Childhood Educators will have: • A minimum of 2 years work experience in a child care setting • Valid Early Childhood Educator Certificate, ECE Licence to Practice or going to school to take Early Childhood Educator courses.

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• Clear Criminal Records Check & Current First Aid • Food Safe or willingness to obtain • Some knowledge of curriculum and philosophies in First Nations Early Childhood settings.

Terms of Employment: • Full-time, Monday to Friday hours to be determined • Start Date: As soon as possible

CASHIERS

(FULL TIME AND PART TIME)

• Wage: (negotiable depending on experience) Cover Letter & Resume to: Title: Lisa Sambo, Manager Agency: N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre Email: lisa.sambo@nquatqua.ca Fax: 604-452-3295/3280 Deadline: until position is filled

AVAILABLE ON STANDS IN THE SEA TO SKY

We thank all those who apply. Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM/JOBS

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Communications Coordinator (Permanent Full-Time) The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is located in southwestern BC and consists of 4 member municipalities (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet) and 4 electoral areas. The region contains some of the most spectacular forests, waterways, and mountains in the province and affords an endless range of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the SLRD delivers a range of regional, sub-regional and local services to its residents, including land use planning, solid waste management, building inspection, fire protection, emergency management, 911 services, water and sewer utilities, recreation, trails and open spaces, and financial support for various community services.

The SLRD is seeking an experienced and energetic full-time Communications Coordinator to provide communications and public relations support in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. The position encompasses a range of responsibilities, including communications and issues management planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The Communications Coordinator is also responsible for grant administration, including writing/editing funding proposals.

The ideal candidate will have post-secondary education in communications, public relations or a related field, as well as five or more years of related experience, preferably in a local government context. The ideal candidate will also possess skills and experience in the following areas: • Communications, community and media relations, marketing, and issues management principles, practices, strategies and evaluation techniques; • Digital communication and social media principles, practices, strategies and analysis; experience working with (and writing for) web-based content management systems, social media channels and other electronic forms of communication;

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• Strong writing, editing and proof-reading skills with excellent attention to detail; able to conduct research and compile, synthesize and explain complex information in a relatable way; • Strong computer skills; graphic design skills and experience will be considered an asset; • Highly organized and self-motivated; able to handle multiple projects under tight deadlines with limited supervision;

Whistler’s histler’s Best Pa o + Lounge + Restaurant

• Sound judgement, tact and diplomacy; able to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion; • Outstanding verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills; able to build and maintain effective and respectful relationships with a variety of internal and external contacts.

WIDE OPEN WELDING IS CURRENTLY LOOKING TO FILL THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:

For further information, please see the full job description at www.slrd.bc.ca/employment.

Compensation will be determined commensurate with knowledge, skills and ability, includes a comprehensive benefit package and Municipal Pension Plan, and offers the ability to work a compressed work week (nine-day fortnight).

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume with a covering letter by email, no later than March 21, 2021 to: Nathalie Klein, Executive Assistant Squamish-Lillooet Regional District nklein@slrd.bc.ca We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

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The successful candidate is an enthusiastic individual who can share their passion for Whistler and close the sale. Excellent communication skills, commitment to customer service, and knowledge of Whistler is essential for this role. Shifts are 4 x 10 hour days per week and start date is flexible.

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WHISTLER WHISTLER PUBLISHING PUBLISHING Limited Partnership

Limited Partnership

Pique Newsmagazine is seeking a News/Sports/Social Media Reporter Deadline for Applications: April 2, 2021.

Pique Newsmagazine has a rare opportunity for a talented, committed journalist to cover world-class sporting activities, local news, mountain culture and share this in print and across all social media platforms in North America’s premier mountain resort.

You are passionate about sports, both individual and team, and you know what makes a compelling local news story and how to craft it and present it. You seek to engage and inform your community on whatever platform they want to use, print, online or mobile, and are an enthusiastic participant and leader in social media. You have an understanding of SEO and social media optimization, and proven storytelling/or interest in various media platforms, such as Instagram. You also know the mechanics of newspaper layout and can drive InDesign and Photoshop skillfully and efficiently. Ideally you also have at least three years experience at the community media level.

To apply, send your resume, clippings, videos demonstrating your ability as a writer and in editorial layout and social media, and in lieu of a cover letter, a column (maximum 450 words) making the case for why we should hire you, by 4 p.m. on April 2, 2021 to: Please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence to Clare Ogilvie at edit@piquenewsmagazine.com We look forward to hearing from you!

No phone calls please.

Lightning Mobile Heavy Duty Mechanical Repairs is seeking a full time Heavy Duty Mechaninc for a Foreman/Supervisor position wage negotiable starting at $35 / hr.

Working from Whistler in provided Service Truck.

Reply to: bazzlesmith@icloud.com

Aspire to great heights!

Join the District of Squamish.

Deputy Fire Chief, Training and Operations – Full-time Project Manager – Full-time Executive Assistant to the GM of Community Planning/Administrative Technical Coordinator– Full-time Executive and Project Assistant to the Mayor and CAO – Full-time IT Support Specialist – Full-time IT Application Specialist – Full-time Recreation Program Leader, Biking – Casual Recreation Program Instructor 1, Biking – Casual Engineering Technician – Part-time Senior IT Business Analyst – Full-time

Find out more by visiting squamish.ca/careers

LOCAL EXPERTS GLOBAL REACH The same team that you trust with your print advertising can assist in creating your digital footprint Glacier Digital Services in partnership with Pique Newsmagazine offers solutions in website design, SEM, SEO, social media and so much more.

The Listel Hotel Whistler is now hiring for the year-round leadership position of

FRONT OFFICE MANAGER • Responsible for leading a dynamic front office team and daily operations • Competitive Salary and incentives provided • Extended Management Health and Wellness Benefits available For more information and application, please send resume and cover letter to hr@listelhotel.com Thank you for your interest. Only those applicants being considered for an interview will be contacted.

MARCH 18, 2021

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

3 2 6 4 1 7 4 7 3 1 6Regional8 Business Liaison Full-time) 5 7 9 2 3 5(Temporary 6 The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is located in southwestern BC and consists of Lillooet) and 4 electoral 4 areas.

8 54 member 6 municipalities (Squamish, Whistler, 1 Pemberton, 2 The region contains some of the most spectacular forests, waterways, and mountains in the province 7 8 and2affords6an endless9range3of opportunities 4 for outdoor adventure.

Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the a wide range4of regional, sub-regional 2 SLRD delivers 7 3 and local services to its7residents. 6 Services include land use planning, solid waste management, building inspection, fire protection, emergency preparedness, 911 services, recreation, water and sewer utilities, trails 9 9 5 8 1 and open spaces as well as financial support for various community services.

The SLRD is seeking to fill the temporary (one year), full-time position of 8 Regional Business Liaison. Reporting to the Communications and Engagement Manager, PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM/JOBS

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position will encompass a wide range of responsibilities for the development, coordination # 49 EASY and implementation of the Rural Business and Community Recovery Program for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. This position will work closely with existing business support agencies in the SLRD to support local businesses through the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and connect businesses with resources to navigate the challenge of COVID-19 recovery - potentially the transition to online, curbside and delivery services, and initiatives such as “buy local”.

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8 5 5 4 8 1 3 7 The ideal candidate will have post-secondary training in economics, business administration 7 9 4 2 5 4 or management, and will also possess demonstrated skills, and experience in the following areas: 8 4 • Excellent research and analytical skills; • Sound 1 analytical thinking, 6 decision-making, 2 planning, prioritization and execution 4 skills 9 2 culminating in results-oriented problem solving; 5 2 8 •7High9degree of resourcefulness, flexibility8and adaptability; • Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills; 5 1 6 3 9 • High level of integrity, confidentiality and accountability; The RBL must Regional District.2 8 reside 7 within the 9 Squamish-Lillooet 5 # 51

# 50 WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Guest Experience Agents – Attentiveness and Above & Beyond Attitude Reservation Agents Patience and Interpersonal Skills Spa Experience Attendants Team Spirit Night Cleaners – Night Owl Guest Experience Team Lead Empathetic and Supportive Maintenance Helper Handy with tools and Efficient

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WHAT WE ARE OFFERING Free bath access for you and a friend Free massage after 3 months probation Extended health benefits Subsidized staff accommodation Great work environment focused on work life balance

3 8 1 •6 • 5 1 2 • 6

For further information, please see the full job description at www.slrd.bc.ca/employment.

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March 31st to April 6th.

•

Collaborating with Economic Development Officers and organisations, the Regional Business Liaison will help to advance the economic development strategies and initiatives throughout the SLRD region, from Porteau Cove to rural Lillooet and the Upper Bridge River Valley. In addition to acting as a liaison, the position provides services to communities, local businesses, non-profit organizations and Indigenous-owned businesses within the SLRD, to source, access and utilize the support programs made available in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Regional Business Liaison provides business planning support for small businesses, coordinates access to funding opportunities and may assist with identifying grant opportunities.

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Don’t miss out. Apply now at www.scandinave.com/en/careers/ location/whistler

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume with a covering letter by email, no later than April 8, 2021 to: Nathalie Klein, Administrative Assistant nklein@slrd.bc.ca We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

Resort Municipality of Whistler # 49

Employment Opportunities

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# 50 2 8 9 3 7 4 6 5 9 4 8 2 5 1 3 7 5 7 1 4 6 2 9 8 4 9 2 1 3 5 8 6 6 3 4 7 8 9 1 2 1 2 6 5 9 3 7 4 8 Resort 1 7 9Municipality 4 6 5 3 of Whistler 7 5 3 6 2 8 4 1 whistler.ca/careers 3 6 5 8 1 7 2 9

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Administrative Clerk (Permanent Full-Time)

Marketing & Graphics Coordinator

SECRET SHOPPERS ON CONTRACT

SUMMARY: The Marketing & Graphics Coordinator supports the Marketing & Communications Manager all marketing initiatives The Whistler Chamberwith is seeking supervisors, lead hands and and graphic anyone in advancing theirexciting customer service skills to a big part in design needs at interested the Chamber.

This role plays secret shops between Jan 14 – March 9, 2020. promoting the conduct Chamber, our events and training, boosting our online You have: presence, and assisting with the implementation of • An interest in elevating Whistler’s service initiatives and campaigns.

• marketing Great observation and writing skills •

Commitment to complete 3-5 shops per week RESPONSIBILITES: (an average of 3-5 hours) for an 8 week period

PRIMARY get website to experience local activities, restaurants, • CreateYou andwilledit content and get paid for it!

• Drive engagementretail across all Whistler Chamber social media channels To apply, please go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/62NGPJP • Create and execute annual social media marketing plan • Design To ads, posters and other marketing for complete this application please be prepared tocollateral review a recent shopping experience where you asked questions. events and campaigns • Maintenance of Whistler Chamber image and collateral libraries • Compile and interpret marketing metrics to report to team • Assist in preparing and executing marketing plans for Whistler Chamber products and services KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS: Be Reliable • At least 2 years’ experience in marketing • Ability to work independently and think creatively • Strong administrative skills and impeccable attention to detail • Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite • Talent with Adobe Creative Suite • Knowledge of web content management software an asset Be Responsive • A sound knowledge of the Whistler business community • Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously • Flexibility to work evenings as per event requirements Build Relationships • Strong interpersonal skills • Strong marketing and customer service focus • Ability to work in a small, cross-functional team environment This position is temporary, 20 hrs/week For full details, visit the Job Board on Whistlerchamber.com Please submit your resume and cover letter to lauren@whistlerchamber.com

by Monday, March 29.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is located in southwestern BC and consists of 4 member municipalities (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet) and 4 electoral areas. The region contains some of the most spectacular forests, waterways, and mountains in the province and affords an endless range of opportunities for outdoor adventure.

Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the SLRD delivers a wide range of regional, sub-regional and local services to its residents. Services include land use planning, solid waste management, building inspection, fire protection, emergency preparedness, 911 services, recreation, water and sewer utilities, trails and open spaces as well as financial support for various community services.

The SLRD is seeking to fill the permanent, full-time position of Administrative Clerk. The purpose of this position is to carry out a range of clerical and administrative duties in support of the SLRD’s Legislative and Corporate Services Department.

The ideal candidate will possess demonstrated skills and experience in the following areas: • • • • • •

Strong customer service focus.

Reception/front counter/mail duties.

Maintenance of office supplies, corporate records, databases, and manuals.

Preparation of routine correspondence.

Assist with organization of office, including coffee and lunch room duties.

Liaise with suppliers/vendors and external organizations.

For further information, please see the full job description at www.slrd.bc.ca/employment.

Compensation will be determined commensurate with knowledge, skills and ability, includes a comprehensive benefit package and Municipal Pension Plan and offers the ability to work a compressed work week (nine-day fortnight).

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume with a covering letter by email, no later than midnight on April 11, 2021 to: Nathalie Klein, Executive Assistant Squamish-Lillooet Regional District nklein@slrd.bc.ca We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 48  Squamish  Whistler  Pemberton

MECHANIC School District No. 48 (Sea to Sky) is accepting applications for the following position: Mechanic - Full time – Squamish area

WE ARE HIRING: Foremen, Carpenters, Labourers, Apprentices Please contact Marc@balmoralconstruction.com

This position is 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 Tuesday, March 30, 2021

MARCH 18, 2021

55

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Root vegetable Conical shelters Grant territory Struts Grain morsel Eventful periods More peeved “It pays for --!”

Contrived Limerick starter Rabbit feet Still Cajole Pan’s opposite Kind of soup FDR’s wife Carpet Keogh relative Round Table titles Kind of coffee, for short Make like a snake Freezing Bunk Sit-ups strengthen them “Faint heart -- won ...”

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DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 31 33

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Sheds Thin strip “-- & Order” Festoon Lowest ebb Monastery head Reflection Wards (off) Prompting Quit Observed Secret rendezvous Comedian -- Kovacs Oasis abodes Heavy flyers

# 49

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Saltpeter, e.g.

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35 37 38 39 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 52 53 54 56 58 61 62 63 64 68 70 71 73 76 78 80 81 82 83 84 86 87 88 89

(hyph.)

Walks in water Monsieur’s islands Wheeze Crumbly cheese Soothes Dorm decor Motel sign Stratagems Major Japanese port Feelings College offering Take the dais Potato Eat away at Tribal adviser Modeling media Microscopic Flood KGB counterpart Talented Dry run Like some yogurt (hyph.)

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LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

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EASY

# 50

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: EASY

5 4 7 1 7 9

7 1 3 8 5 8 7

8 9 6 5

6 2 7 4 1 9 5

1 3 4 2 8 2

EASY Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 51

4 9

8 5 7 2 5 4

4 9 2 8 6 3 9 2 EASY

1 3 8 9 6 7

8 7

3 8 1 6 5 1 2 6 # 52

ANSWERS ON PAGE 54

MARCH 18, 2021

57

MAXED OUT

The new normal will see the same old problems “When times are mysterious Serious numbers are easy to please.”

- Paul Simon

NO ARGUMENT that times are mysterious. But serious numbers?

Early in the pandemic, last June to be exact, much alarm was raised over the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI) report, Pandemic Experience in the Long-Term Care Sector: How Does Canada Compare With Other Countries?—and no, I’d prefer not to explain my reading habits.

Commentators were shocked to discover

BY G.D. MAXWELL that 81 per cent of the country’s COVID-19 deaths occurred in long-term care (LTC) facilities. They were more shocked to read that was nearly twice the average of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. I’ll leave it to you to decide if you’re interested enough to discover which countries those are.

I’m not sure if they were shocked to discover Canada’s deaths among LTC residents as a proportion of total pandemic deaths, 18 per cent, compared favourably to, say, France at 51 per cent or the U.K. at 73 per cent, but I do remember reading about their shock at that number compared to Australia’s fewer than one per cent.

And no summary I read in the popular press mentioned Canada’s proportion of infected LTC residents who died from the disease, 35 per cent, was nowhere near Norway’s 83 per cent.

Why am I bothering you with all those numbers?

Seven years ago, the Conference Board of Canada—op.cit. reading habits— produced a report highlighting the dismal numeracy skills—”The ability to access, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information and ideas in order to engage in and manage the mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life”— of Canadian adults. While grading the countrywide level of resident’s numeracy a C, over half scored at the lowest two levels.

We all passed thanks to the folks at the high end of the bell curve.

Who among us fail to be shocked when we hear local COVID-19 cases increased by 100 per cent? Who among us are surprised when we discover that means the number went from six to 12? Who among us are still unsure percentages, fractions and decimals are the same thing expressed different ways? Who cares?

But I digress. Quelle surprise.

Now that we are anticipating emerging from the pandemic, people are wondering

58 MARCH 18, 2021

GETTYIMAGES.CA

and writing about how our society will change. Playing with the CIHI’s report, many are calling for fundamental changes to the way the country cares for its old folks.

Of course, many more are calling for fundamental changes to the way the country cares for its youngest folks, those in daycare. Quite a few are calling for fundamental changes in the way the country cares for poor folk, racialized folk, Indigenous folk, and other folk whose tribal, self-identification is too nuanced to mention without pissing off the ones I forget to mention.

to expect, we are ramping up to a financial day of reckoning.

I am not a budget hawk and I believe the federal and provincial governments have been correct to spend money like drunken sailors to keep the country grinding toward the future instead of turning us all into panhandlers. But to imagine there is going to be the kind of financial muscle remaining to deal with LTC, childcare, financial and social inequality, healthcare, affordable housing and environmental problems facing the country is naive.

Late last week, the OECD released

“The newest of new normals is beginning to look sadly like the year-old normal…”

And while I love you all, I’d suggest none of you hold your breath awaiting the changes you’d like to see. Unless you’re willing to make those changes yourself.

It’s not because Canada is broke. Well, maybe it is. In some ways Canada is broke.

But whether Canada is financially broke or just the usual kind of socio-political broken but highly aspirational society we’ve come

an aspirational paper outlining what an inclusive Canadian pandemic recovery might look like, “inclusive” being a very hot buzzword these days. The recommendations include addressing all those social and economic inequalities—distortions?—listed above. While the laundry list was long, the economic wherewithal to effectively deal with those problems was absent. But we

all know identifying problems is so much easier than crafting solutions. Don’t we?

You might think the low-hanging fruit would be tackling issues at both ends of the life continuum: caring for the old and young. But is it?

LTC, for example, underscores the basic nature of financial inequality. Governmentfunded care is affordable but scarce and, well, spartan. Private, for-profit care is expensive and it too runs the gamut of very good to questionably safe. Fixing either will take oodles of money and not begin to deal with the underlying issues such as the lack of qualified staff and how grossly underpaid they tend to be, regardless of which stream they work in.

Childcare is, in many ways, even more problematic. Whistler’s own experience is illustrative. While there is a crying need for more daycare in town—and a proposal for a new facility in Rainbow has passed local hurdles—there is a history of difficulty finding qualified staff that are willing to work for the wages offered. More pay equals higher cost and the promise of $10/day daycare, underpinned by government (tax) dollars continues to be a mirage floating in an undefined, distant future. So far, but never within reach.

Money changes everything, or so the song goes. And money isn’t going to be there. Already the federal government’s oftsung rationale for the incredible budget deficits COVID-19 has wrought is vanishing like a fart in the breeze. Cheap money—low interest rates—has been the, “Hey, don’t worry about it,” salve for fiscal insanity.

Monetary policy will ensure low interest rates for years to come. Fiscal policy? Not so much.

So, one final Fun With Numbers example.

The yield on the federal government’s 30-year bonds has increased by 122 per cent since August! More than double. “So what,” I hear you say. “So it’s risen from a miniscule 0.9 per cent to a tiny two per cent. Big deal.

Heck, I remember 23-per-cent prime lending rates in the early 1980s.” But that rate, and more importantly that increase, represents the cost of borrowing for the government, the cost they’re counting on to make all this deficit spending manageable. All indications are the likely direction it’s headed is up, not down.

Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, this pandemic tsunami has a third wave. It’s already hit some countries—and, at least, Ontario—and despite the nascent spring weather and the hopes for herd immunity through vaccination, the numbers across Canada continue to be stubbornly high and have, for the most part, plateaued. The last time they did that the next move was up, not down.

The newest of new normals is beginning to look sadly like the year-old normal... but with a lot more debt to deal with and the same old problems. ■

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Allyson Sutton

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604-938-3798

SOLD

322C - 2036 London Lane

3D Tour - rem.ax/251deerlodge

$189,000

C week will give you Christmas and New Years 2021-2022! What an opportunity to spend 14 glorious nights in Whistler with the pandemic behind you! 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.

Doug Treleaven

2

604.905.8626

#251 - 4314 Main Street

$630,000

Deer Lodge is a centrally located property right in the heart of Whistler Village. #251 is a bright and spacious studio suite on the quiet side of the building with a great view of the mountains to the west. Inside, the unit has a full kitchen, a full bathroom, a space saving Murphy Bed and a spacious patio, and has a neighbour on only one side.

Madison Perry

.5

778.919.7653

2034 Watson Way

Unique Opportunity! Enjoy views overlooking Nita Lake and mountains in all directions.

Close proximity to Nita Lake in Whistler’s Creekside, and all of Whistler Creek’s amenities. Current Cabin has 2 bedrooms and a studio suite for use or long term rental, and is prime for redevelopment. Call today to arrange a viewing of this rare property.

Matt Chiasson

3D Tour - rem.ax/107woodrun

#101 - 4220 Gateway Drive

$280,000

A renovated 635 sq ft studio right in the heart of Whistler Village and within a 2 minute walk to the ski lifts. These fully furnished properties include a fully equipped kitchen and sleep 6. Blackcomb Lodge has undergone extensive renovations and upgrades to the indoor swimming pool, hot tub and other Common Area facilities.

Michael d’Artois

.5

604.905.9337

#107 - 4910 Spearhead Drive

$1,799,000

604.907.2717

604.935.9171

3.5

3D Tour - rem.ax/1005altavista

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.

Richard Christiansen

$1,750,000

2

#1005 - 3050 Hillcrest Drive

$1,299,000

One level 3 bedroom townhome in Alta Vista Pointe. It is a great recreational home with space for all the family. Bright and airy, it features a fully equipped kitchen, open plan living/dining area, wood-burning fireplace, 3 spacious bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, laundry and a sundeck to relax and live the dream. All withing a short walk or bike ride to Lakeside Park on Alta Lake.

Sally Warner*

3

604.905.6326

3D Tour - rem.ax/304wrc

#304 A/B - 2129 Lake Placid Rd.

$885,000

9099 Corduroy Run Court

$1,495,000

2030 Tiyata Blvd. Pemberton

$399,000

RARE OPPORTUNITY to own a unique PHASE 1 lock-off with TWO SEPARATE RENTAL UNITS which generate great cash flow in Whistler! This bright, renovated top floor, lock-off floor-plan gives the option to have 1 two bedroom unit, or 2 separate units. Rent through short or long term platforms or use for your own personal usage.

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Ann Chiasson

Chris Wetaski

2

604.932.8629

3D Tour - rem.ax/333greystone

#333 - 4905 Spearhead Pl.

604.932.7651

3D Tour - rem.ax/8164alpine

$1,588,000

8164 Alpine Way

Enjoy the proximity to Meadow Park Sports Center, Green Lake, Alpine Market, Whistler Secondary school and easy access to the Valley Trail system from Whistler’s favorite residential area of Alpine Meadows. This 4 bedroom home is situated on a large lot of over 11,000 sq.ft.

Darryl Bowie

Dave Beattie*

604.220.5751

2

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

604.905.8855

3D Tour - rem.ax/301woodrun

$1,899,000

Ski-in Ski-out, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, at the coveted Greystone Lodge. Children can ski to the Magic Chair and Whistler Kids in mere minutes. Walking distance to all the Upper Village amenities, 5-star hotels, Lost Lake and world class golf. Super location. Move-in-ready, or generate nightly revenues. video - rem.ax/333ski

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#301 - 4910 Spearhead Drive

$145,000

Own this ultra unique 5 week ownership in a 1470 sq ft condo that gives you ownership of the best ski weeks of the year. Start your day with a few warm up turns that take you to the base of Blackcomb and the new 10 person gondola. Ski home for lunch if you like and at the end of the day you are just steps away from your Pool and large outdoor hot tub.

4

Dave Sharpe

604.902.2779

3

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