Pique Newsmagazine 2839

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 ISSUE 28.39

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE

TO BE BETTER

Rec

koni MARK

14

WATER TESTING

ng

ING T HE FIR S T- E

Results from RMOW facilities show elevated lead, copper

with

o i t a i l i reconc

V E R N AT I O N A L DAY F O R T R U T H A N D R E C

22

CENTRE OF CARE A task force wants a non-profit primary care centre in Whistler

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EA THE S N I N O TI ONCILIA

40

KY TO S

SPENAISSANCE Spencer Rice, co-star of Kenny vs. Spenny, heads to Whistler

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TOGETHER Food Bank Appeal An unprecedented demand for food security continues here in Whistler, we are turning to all of our community to help feed our residents who still face the challenge of putting healthy food on their dinner tables. We know that when we join TOGETHER, so we ask that you consider a donation that you can afford in support of our TOGETHER Food Bank appeal in place now until October 18th.

Help us raise $50,000 to ensure everyone in Whistler has access to healthy food options, regardless of what challenges we may face.

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

36

40

30 Reckoning with reconciliation Whistler and local First Nations mark Canada’s first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. - By Megan Lalonde

14

GETTING THE LEAD OUT

After water

26

GAME CHANGING

Whistler and Squamish are

testing at RMOW facilities found elevated levels of lead and copper, the

teaming up with the Community Energy Association on a project to reduce

municipality is working on mitigation.

embodied emissions.

16

CHANGES COMING

Vail Resorts releases

36

WORLD CHAMPS RETURN

After losing

its winter operations plan for Whistler Blackcomb and announces new

the 2021 Luge World Championships, the resort has once again been

investments into lifts.

awarded the event—this time, for 2025.

22

CENTRE OF CARE

A task force presented its

40

SPENAISSANCE MAN

Spencer Rice, co-star

vision for a non-profit primary care centre in Whistler aimed at improving

of the hit Canadian reality TV series Kenny vs. Spenny, will be playing his

doctor accessibility amid an ongoing shortage.

brand of music and comedy at Buffalo Bills on Oct. 3.

COVER

Today is a good day to acknowledge the past and point your heart towards the future. We can’t blindly move forward without learning from the

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS As we catch our breath from a busy summer, spend some time learning

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

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

about national and local issues that matter to you.

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter writers this week call on readers to learn and reflect on the

Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Editor CLARE OGILVIE - edit@piquenewsmagazine.com Assistant Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@wplpmedia.com Production Manager AMIR SHAHRESTANI - ashahrestani@wplpmedia.com Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@wplpmedia.com Advertising Representatives TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com GEORGIA BUTLER - gbutler@wplpmedia.com Digital/Sales Coordinator AMELA DIZDARIC - traffic@wplpmedia.com Production production@piquenewsmagazine.com

first Truth and Reconciliation Day, and call out Vail Resorts for a bad plan to deal with COVID on the mountain.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Whistler is being confronted by climate change, courtesy of the melting glaciers in our own backyard. What will our future look like without them?

62 MAXED OUT Vail Resorts’ plan to deal with vaccine cards on Whistler Blackcomb makes no sense at all from an operational and safety perspective.

Environment & Adventure

Arts & Entertainment/Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com

29 THE OUTSIDER As we head out into the backcountry to enjoy fall, be prepared to encounter black

Social Media Editor MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@piquenewsmagazine.com

and grizzly bears writes Vince Shuley.

Reporters BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@piquenewsmagazine.com ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com HARRISON BROOKS - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com Classifieds and Reception mail@piquenewsmagazine.com Office and Accounts Manager HEIDI RODE - hrode@wplpmedia.com Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ANDREW MITCHELL, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON

Lifestyle & Arts

38 EPICURIOUS The new Cheese Pusherman Roadhouse in Mount Currie will combine a cheese-centric menu with a host of workshops for cheese lovers across the Sea to Sky.

44 MUSEUM MUSINGS Library usage grew from the minute the Whistler Public Library opened its doors in 1995, and that remains true today in the new building it has operated out of since 2008.

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.

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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.

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OPENING REMARKS

Contemplate, educate, activate THE PACE OF LIFE right now seems rather relentless. But with recent rainy weather, heading into (perhaps) a few weeks of shoulder-season and the federal election finally behind us, we can catch our breath.

For most of us, that means taking a moment to consider what is going on around us and taking stock.

With that in mind, here are a few things that have caught my attention as I pause and contemplate what’s going on in our community.

On the weekend I took some time to again examine and learn more about the history and experience of First Nations

BY CLARE OGILVIE edit@piquenewsmagazine.com

peoples as we honour those who have been affected by the intergenerational genocide perpetrated by our nation, and us, through the Indian Act and the residential school system. Today, Sept. 30, is Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The federal government declared in June that this date would be a public holiday for all federally regulated public and private employees.

the community at noon today and will be illuminating the Fitzsimmons Bridge in orange.

Other organizations are also involved in marking the day, including the library, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre and the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.

Like so many issues in our community, it is not enough to register this event and carry on. If we want real change to happen all of us need to educate ourselves about the issue and be involved in raising awareness amongst those around us and in the community.

This is true of issues from the local level, to provincial, national and global (certainly true for the climate emergency).

While the issue of our treatment of First Nations is one of the most important before us, let’s consider a recent local issue that has also caught our attention—the noise bylaw the RMOW is considering.

Last July, the RMOW gave first three readings to an updated noise bylaw, which led to a discussion about stiffer fines for infractions. Should the $250 penalty for noise infractions stemming from house parties or outside of designated quiet hours (10 p.m. to 8 a.m.) be increased to, say, $500, as it stands for the construction industry.

This made me ponder the current noise bylaws, as in the last several months we have certainly had a few loud all-night

[T]his is not a historical event—it is ongoing.

I was struck by the realization that I think of this as genocide—a deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. And this is not a historical event—it is ongoing.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is closing its offices and operations for the day, has lowered official flags to half mast, is asking for a moment of silence from

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house parties in my neighbourhood, and, to be honest, I am sick of construction noise on weekends.

This was particularly annoying on Sunday mornings when all one wanted to do was sit quietly on the deck, sip a cup of tea and read—but instead a neighbour decided 8 a.m. was the perfect time to use a jackhammer to break up concrete in their house renovation (and, yes, I went over and mentioned this

point of view and the construction worker kindly put off the work until 10 a.m… sigh).

On Sept. 7 the Sea to Sky branch of the Canadian Home Builders Association asked that council consider letting construction crews start even earlier than the set time of 8 a.m. Council is considering it.

For that, I applaud them—the community needs time to consider this. We understand, for example, that wildfire risk has made daytime work challenging during our short construction season. But do we want construction to start at 7 a.m.? Indeed I would encourage council to consider changing the bylaw so residents can have at least one weekend day free of construction noise.

In the last few weeks there has also been a robust discussion of council’s decision to lower the neighbourhood speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour. Many are opposed.

Well, where have you been for the last several years when this has been brought up before our local government for discussion?

The issue literally goes back to at least 2014 when it was brought up about the highway speed limit in Emerald. The highway is, obviously, a provincial responsibility, but it started the conversation.

In pilot projects run in 2019 and 2021, the speed limit was lowered in Function Junction for pedestrian safety. In August 2019, council received 82 pieces of correspondence urging it to reduce the speed limit on Nicklaus North Boulevard from 50 to 30 km/h.

It makes sense. Research shows the probability of pedestrian survival is about 90 per cent if struck by a vehicle at that speed, but reduced to 20 per cent if struck by a vehicle travelling at 50 km/h.

This August, council passed first three readings of a bylaw amendment to lower speed limits in neighbourhoods to 30 km/hr.

But here is the issue—people are behaving as if they had no say, and as if they are surprised. The RMOW has been looking at this and reporting on this for years, as has Pique.

Pay attention, educate yourselves, and get involved! n

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

How will you walk towards reconciliation?

Whistler Blackcomb should be a fully vaccinated operation

Today, Sept. 30, and Oct. 4 are two very important dates to educate, reflect, and pay respect to Indigenous people and those who have gone into the Spirit World. My dear local Whistler friends and community, you are blessed to live, play and enjoy the beauty of the unceded territory of Lil’wat and Squamish Nations. What settlers now call Whistler.

What are you doing on Sept. 30? On this day, National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, I challenge you to spend the day educating yourself and others and compose an action plan on what you, as a human being, will do to move towards walking together, beside and for Indigenous people in Canada.

On Oct. 4, I typically organize Whistler’s Sisters in Spirit Vigil, which honours the Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited who have gone missing or have been murdered in Canada. I decided not to organize a gathering/vigil due to COVID-19, but it is my hope to hold a vigil in 2022.

However, red dresses are installed around Whistler, so on Oct. 4, please visit a red dress location and honour the lives lost and show support for the families of those who have lost a loved one. Have a moment of silence, light a candle and reflect on the fact that each dress represents an individual.

Red dress locations are Maury Young Arts Centre, Whistler Public Library, The Beacon Pub

& Eatery, Blenz Coffee, Caramba Restaurant, El Furniture Warehouse Restaurant, Stonesedge Restaurant, Tapley’s Pub and the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC).

Thank you for supporting this cause and bringing awareness to others. Let’s all stand together with one heart, one mind and take one step towards reconciliation.

Please visit the Maury Young Arts Centre (MYAC) to see the red dress installation along with recommended books that are available from Armchair Books.

Go to the Whistler Public Library on Sept.

30 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., to see the red

There was good news and bad news from Vail Resorts last week.

Creekside will get two new lifts for the 2022/2023 winter season that will increase upload capacity by 35 per cent.

And now for the bad. Without even the pretense that decisions are made locally, Rob Katz, CEO, Vail Resorts, USA, declared that there would be no requirement for a vaccine certificate to ride Whistler Blackcomb gondolas. The unvaccinated will be permitted to upload, cheek to jowl, at full capacity, in a space as tight as an elevator, with the small windows often frozen shut.

Katz’s decision doesn’t align with an opening sentence in the press release, “Vail Resorts’ commitment to safety continues to be at the center of everything we do.”

The policy was not thoroughly analyzed.

These same unvaccinated riders will not be able to access any on-mountain restaurant, large or small, no matter how cold or hungry without a vaccine certificate.

Special secure corridors to washrooms will be required so that the unvaccinated can use the facilities but are prevented from entering restaurant areas. The Roundhouse, Rendezvous, and Glacier Creek restaurants all have several points of entry.

That will mean a lot of extra staff to check IDs and vaccine credentials when staff shortages are a certainty.

At lunchtime, normally hundreds of people file in and out of the lodges. This year there will be

dress display and pick up a recommended book on Truth and Reconciliation.

Write on the Truth and Reconciliation banner at MYAC or the library. Of course, go visit the SLCC and meet Lil’wat and Squamish ambassadors.

Buy something from their gift store and share this amazing culture with others.

Please educate yourself.

Have an open mind and see the humans behind the trauma. Canada’s best-kept secret is out. So, how will you walk towards reconciliation Whistler?

All my relations.

Linda Epp // Sechelt Nation

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR hundreds of people waiting outside for validation.

All of these problems will negatively impact your day on the mountain and can easily be avoided by making a vaccine certificate a requirement to ski or ride. It would be simple to administer at the point of sale—season pass holders would be registered as vaccinated and their vaccine status would be visible to anyone scanning their pass. There will be no on-mountain checks or confrontations.

International visitors are required to be fully vaccinated to enter the country. They will be more likely to choose Whistler if they know that local skiers/riders and all visiting Canadians have the same vaccination status.

Canada’s prime minister says a vaccine certificate will soon be a requirement for all air travel within the country.

A proof of vaccine certificate to access the mountain is not only good for public safety, but it will also be good for business.

B.C. health minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry probably don’t ski or ride, otherwise they would have included skiing and riding in the activities, such as going to the gym or playing tennis, that require a vaccine certificate.

Vail Resorts owns 37 mountain resorts worldwide. Whistler Blackcomb is the only Canadian resort. Thirty-three are in the United States, and that’s where policy is determined.

More than 20 states in the U.S. have banned vaccine passports. Whistler Blackcomb’s policy is made in the U.S. for the U.S. If you are concerned about Vail Resorts’ decision, please go to this link: https://chng.it/6dYWCrvx and let your voice be heard. Spread the word.

John Konig // Whistler

Speed is the real issue on Valley Trail I would like to respond to Chris Brossard’s letter to the editor in regards to banning e-bikes from the Valley Trail (Pique, Sept.23, “Should e-bikes be banned from Valley Trail?”).

I am very sorry to hear Chris was injured by an e-cyclist and required paramedic attention.

However, from what he has written about the 77-year-old cyclist (“ … had [she] not hit me, she would have gone straight into the swamp”), it seems to me it was the cyclist out of control, and not the fact that she was on an electric bike, that was the issue.

There seems to be a misconception that e-bikes have unlimited power and speed.

This is not the case. All e-bikes in Canada are regulated to cut power when a speed of 30 kilometres an hour is reached. This may sound fast to you, but I, as a fit, mid-40s woman, have no problem at all reaching and exceeding speeds of 30 km/h on my road or non e-mountain bike on the Valley Trail.

I try to be respectful of others on the trail and not go too fast, but with the hilly nature of the trail it can be hard not to.

I myself have been a pedestrian on too many occasions when, not unlike on the slopes, a pack of young guys goes racing past at breakneck speeds. Speed is the issue, not the bike.

It is now very common for people to use an e-bike instead of a car to get around

for a number of reasons. Shall these e-bike commuters, often with kids along in trailers, be relegated to the busy highway?

I have also noticed a tendency in Whistler to “hate on” e-bikes, and scorn those who ride them. Not everyone is a fit, young, ablebodied person. E-bikes get people out on bikes that otherwise would opt for the car, and e-bikes allow people to commute, haul a heavy payload, and go farther distances.

Shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to encourage people to get out of their cars and get on a bike, of any kind?

If your true concern on the Valley Trail is safety of all its users, then perhaps consider mandating speed control.

Trudel Kroecher // Whistler

E-bikes on the Valley Trail It was with some consternation that I read the recent letter to the editor about the unfortunate incident where a person was run off the Valley Trail by a 77-year-old female e-biker (Pique, Sept.23, “Should e-bikes be banned from Valley Trail?”).

Although I don’t know any of the details surrounding the incident, I hope that the victim has a full and complete recovery from the injuries.

But surely, this was accidental and there was no malicious intent on the part of the biker. Most 77-year-old gals that I know would be crushed by this. I say most because there are a few, “who could still tear your heart out with a song - o - o – ong,” but that’s another story for another time.

The point I’d like to make is that accidents do occur even on the trails and are not solely caused by people on e-bikes.

Although I haven’t any statistics on incidents that have happened on the bike/ walking trails, it seems like an inevitability to me that we all need to take extra care while using them and to do our level best to share the paths and most importantly, have respect for each other; no matter what our chosen mode of transporting ourselves along these wonderful amenities happens to be.

Let’s be grateful that we have the good fortune to just be here, and use them with care and respect for each other.

Wendell Moore // Whistler

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Beautiful home, treed and landscaped private lot, wrap around deck with mountain views – truly a rare and exceptional property.

White Gold is a highly coveted neighborhood, walking distance to the village, valley trail, cross-country skiing and hiking trails around Lost Lake.

$6,249,000 T 604.935.2287 E marshall@marshallviner.com marshallviner.com

Crosswalk a great start Thank you to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) for putting up the crosswalk at the Twin Lakes crossing. This is a great start.

Would you please also put some trafficcalming measures around the bus stop between Tamarisk and Twin Lakes outside West Side staff housing? Cars come at high speeds along Alta Lake Rd. moving eastbound towards Highway 99 around the blind corner and don’t even see the crosswalk, as witnessed twice this week when cars didn’t stop for children at the crosswalk.

If the RMOW can afford all those speed bumps on West Side Road (Alta Lake Rd) near the sailing centre, then surely it can afford a couple more in neighbourhoods also populated by families with young children.

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.

Engel & Völkers Whistler

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

11

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• Immediate possession available

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Nick Davies, Whistler local and experienced family lawyer practising across BC andYukon.

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Montebello II - Whistler Village 3.5 BATHROOMS

1585 SQFT

Montebello II is Whistler’s best located townhouse neighbourhood within a few minutes walk of Whistler Village and all its offerings.

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604.902.6106 josh@joshcrane.ca whistlerrealestatemarket.com Stilhavn Real Estate Services 208-1420 Alpha Lake Road, Whistler, BC, V8E 0R8

12 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Try living in a neighbourhood where there is plenty of space for new homes. The construction noise can be unbearable.

We live in Nordic and for the last three years we have had to put up with rock removal noise. Large machines pounding the ground to prepare the lots for construction of buildings, which, of course, is also noisy.

Moving to a 7 a.m. start time is not taking into consideration the people who live in these neighbourhoods.

Some contractors will ignore the starting time for various reasons. For the Resort Municipality of Whistler to even consider this is ridiculous.

Don Hosek // Whistler

Enforce the sign bylaw

4864 CASABELLA CRESCENT

$2,998,000

Traffic will increase as it does, and with new developments across from Tamarisk and Nita Lake, this is a bygone fact. Please ensure some of those development cost charges go to the residents on Alta Lake Rd. As for dropping the speed limit to 30 km/h, kudos.

Please ensure that the RCMP enforces these speeds.

Patrick Smyth // Whistler

7 a.m. too early to start construction

604-905-8855 1-888-689-0070 Dave@DaveBeattie.com

3 BEDROOM

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Over the last few years the RMOW sign bylaw has been ignored, overlooked and not enforced.

Whistler’s image has been discounted and we have assumed the look of a cheap urban city.

Not only are sandwich boards everywhere, some businesses have multiple boards. There are vinyl banners and loud, illuminated electric signs. Signs and boards can be seen far away from the businesses they are promoting.

Windows can be seen covered on the outside with loud, insulting vinyl wrap.

Many signs are not only larger than permitted, but also have lettering beyond size limits.

With no enforcement and permitting it has become a complete free-for-all.

The situation has become out of control and I question why there has been no enforcement to preserve our brand as a pristine outdoor mountain environment.

It is insulting to the values and design guidelines drafted and passed by our respected founding municipal members.

I request mayor and council direct staff to review the situation and enforce the signage bylaw.

Paul Fournier // Whistler

Stop logging old growth Premier John Horgan—it’s time to stand up for old-growth forests.

After having my backpack searched by police, I hiked 14 kilometres up the forest service road to the Heli Camp at Fairy Creek.

Torrential rain and high winds didn’t deter me as I needed to see first-hand what the loggers were cutting, and what the activists were doing to protest and protect our forests from old-growth logging.

After I had hiked 10 km, a truck with two RCMP officers pulled up beside me. They were friendly yet curious with their questions, trying to figure out the intentions of this middle-aged man.

As the rain poured down, I took off my glove to squeeze water out. Through the open window

on the RCMP’s truck, a couple of raindrops landed on the officer’s shoulder. He said to me “second guessing life’s decision?” I looked him straight in the eye and without hesitation said, “no second guessing.”

I passed two university-aged kids walking down; soaked, cold, tired, and hungry. They looked battle beaten and yet I could tell, after exchanging a few words with them, that they were quite undeterred.

I arrived at the protesters’ camp in the woods.

Under multiple hanging tarps were 15 twentysomething youths. [Others were] huddled around a fire, drying clothes, eating porridge, and trying to stay warm while joking and singing. I was immediately welcomed. As they offered me a spot

“It’s time to stand up for old growth.

The youth in the forests are leading the way for all of us.

- PAUL DORLAND

by the fire they expressed their sincere thanks for the added support.

An hour before I arrived, the RCMP that had questioned me on the way up, had found this camp. They scoured through their belongings and retained anything deemed to cause mischief.

The camp leader is an intelligent young woman who had been protesting for months. I asked how long she intended to stay. “Until the end,” she replied.

She told me how they had been forced to change tactics. Instead of blockading the logging road the activists had moved into the forest.

The new tactics undertaken by the youth is a strategy they call “Cops & Loggers.” As the chainsaws roar the kids disperse and position themselves within two tree lengths of the trees being targeted. Loggers are not allowed to cut a tree if a human is within two tree lengths.

The RCMP then moves in.

The scene the day before I arrived sounded surreal. The Surrey-based Teal Jones Group, which holds licences allowing it to log in the Fairy Creek watershed, dropped their loggers in by helicopter.

The RCMP followed, also via helicopter. The forest activists dispersed throughout the cutting area.

The scene unfolds with multiple arrests and fallen old-growth trees.

The activists are passionate about the cause, resilient in the face of law enforcement, and determined to save our ancient forests.

They are doing all of this for us.

The forests are the lungs of the planet, synthesizing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They are the only proven way to remove carbon and halt climate change. We need more trees and not fewer of them. Old-growth forests are ecologically diverse, natural treasures.

The ancient trees make breathable air, and accumulate and store large amounts of carbon above and below the ground.

It’s time to stand up for old growth. The youth in the forests are leading the way for all of us. We now need you to be a leader.

Take action now to stop logging of all oldgrowth forests.

Paul Dorland // Whistler n

PIQUE N’ YER INTEREST

Appreciating disappearing places SCROLLING THROUGH the Whistler Summer Facebook group about a month ago (for work purposes, people), one post caught my attention.

Amid the endless stream of promotions, questions, recommendations, memes, complaints and for-sale posts was a photo of a glacier. Arguably, my favourite glacier,

BY MEGAN LALONDE located at the top of one of my top-three favourite hikes in the corridor.

It was shot by Whistler photographer Kyle Graham, who posted it alongside another photo that, while similar, didn’t seem quite as familiar. Another socked-in, rocky alpine zone, another blue lake, another patch of rippled, layered ice. But this patch of ice was far smaller—almost as if it was shot from a kilometre further back. I stopped scrolling and looked closer. It was still Wedgemount Glacier, just a series of “before and after” shots taken five years apart.

The “after” image shows a glacier that’s almost entirely unrecognizable due to the sheer amount of ice missing.

It was heartbreaking. To me and to hundreds of others, judging by the number

of people who interacted with the post.

The last time I hiked to the second lake (which I’ve since learned didn’t even exist a decade ago) was in the summer of 2019. Even armed with the knowledge that human-caused climate change is triggering the world’s ice to melt at startling rates, there’s something humbling about standing at the foot of thick ice walls in the middle of the summer, that have existed in the same location for thousands of years before I ever decided to lace up a pair of trail runners and walk uphill just to look at them.

It seems impossible for something so enduring to change so dramatically not over years, but in months—truly, a blip on the radar.

So I decided to ask a glaciologist about it, as well as a few citizen researchers whose families have been studying Wedgemount Glacier for generations, for a news story published in this newspaper a couple of weeks ago (“Wedgemount glacier nearly unrecognizable in historical comparison photos,” Pique, Sept. 16).

Thanks to researchers like University of Northern B.C. professor Brian Menounos, we know that between 2000 and 2019, the world’s glaciers lost on average 267 gigatonnes of ice per year, representing 21 per cent of the Earth’s observed sea-level rise in that time. That pace has only picked up in recent years, too, with Menounos

and his colleagues recording a four-fold increase in rate of glacial melt within the last decade. According to a three-part series published by The Tyee earlier this year titled “The Big Melt,” that amounts to more ice lost annually than the total volume of water used in Canada each year. Countless studies and reports predict that the vast majority of B.C.’s glacial ice will be gone by the end of the century.

Even knowing these startling statistics, I was still secretly hoping that University of British Columbia glaciologist Michele Koppes would tell me that, while jarring, there’s still plenty of ice left, and with a few societal tweaks and lowered emissions we could reverse course.

That’s not exactly the message she had to share.

“If we were to be able to stop our behaviours, it would still take several hundred years to reverse the accumulation of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere,” she told me, adding that even in that case, there would be lasting impacts like dirt and particulates on the ice’s surface that can accelerate melting.

That means “it will be difficult to change our behaviours to such an extent that we can reverse the trend of ice loss,” she said.

The fact is, there are aspects of our planet—like glaciers that are disappearing before our eyes, or like the old-growth forest

that’s already been chopped down—that will cease to exist within our lifetimes.

The idea of climate loss is no longer an abstract set of statistics or promised effects.

There’s visible, tangible evidence all around us. Even still, we don’t yet know the full extent of how this loss will impact us. For example, how diminished glacier runoff later in the season could impact aquatic and coastal ecosystems down the line.

More trivially, these parts of our environment are also part of what drives tourism to Whistler and keeps this town functioning economically.

But beyond the obvious feelings of sadness and helplessness they stirred up, seeing those comparison photos of Wedgemount—or more accurately, being hit over the head with what’s been lost in just a single summer—made me feel grateful for the privilege of spending time in these disappearing places. When it comes to the environment, experiences like hiking through an old forest to an alpine glacier in July or snowboarding to an ice cave in February have sent my give-a-f*ck levels skyrocketing in a way no statistic ever could.

My hope is that while these places still exist, we appreciate them as much as we can, promote safe and responsible access to them, and, ideally, let that appreciation fuel a commitment to better protect whatever we still can. ■

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

13

NEWS WHISTLER

Water testing at RMOW facilities finds elevated lead, copper DESIGN WORK FOR CORROSION CONTROL PROJECT TO TAKE PLACE IN 2022

BY BRADEN DUPUIS THE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is working on mitigation efforts for drinking water in municipal facilities— while continuing to work on longer-term solutions for the entire community—after testing done late last year found elevated levels of lead and copper on first samplings.

A report by Kerr Wood Leidal consulting engineers dated Dec. 10, 2020 shows the results for 11 RMOW-owned buildings: The Point Artist-Run Centre; the Maury Young Arts Centre; the Spruce Grove Fieldhouse (home of the Waldorf School); the Public Works Yard; Municipal Hall; the Public Safety Building (which houses the Whistler RCMP); the main firehall; Spring Creek Community School; the Whistler Museum and Archives; the Whistler Public Library; and a house at 7235 Fitzsimmons Road North.

Of the buildings tested, only the house at 7235 Fitzsimmons Road North showed levels of lead and copper below both the Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) and aesthetic objectives (AO) on first sampling.

Of the other buildings tested, all showed

WATER WOES In the Public Safety Building, one of several municipal buildings tested recently for water quality, the RCMP are bringing in bottled water to mitigate concerns around elevated levels of copper and lead.

PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS

14 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

lead levels exceeding the MAC on first sampling—between .005 mg/l and .299 mg/l— except for the Maury Young Arts Centre, which showed only elevated levels of copper.

Three buildings—the Public Safety Building, the Spruce Grove Fieldhouse and the library—showed levels of both lead and copper exceeding the MAC. The buildings tested were chosen as a representative cross-section of buildings owned

Research has shown that there is no safe chronic exposure levels to lead, and that blood-lead concentrations—even at low levels—are linked to lower IQ scores in kids aged three to five, and the associated declines in IQ are in fact greater at lower blood-lead concentrations.

According to Health Canada, short-term exposure to copper may result in effects in the gastrointestinal tract (such as nausea,

“Flushing works—getting to a cool, consistent temperature, whether that takes 30 seconds or five minutes, that provides safe water for all residents.”

- JESSE GRESLEY-JONES

and operated by the RMOW. They represent a wide variety of size and age—the oldest, Municipal Hall, was built in the early 1970s and moved to its current location in 1981, while the newest is the library, constructed in 2008.

In March 2019, the federal government updated its Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality to reduce the MAC for lead in drinking water from 0.01 mg/l to 0.005 mg/l.

For copper, the MAC is 2 mg/l, while the AO is 1 mg/l.

pain and vomiting, or diarrhea).

“Long-term effects are less welldocumented; current evidence indicates that, in the general population, chronic exposure to very high levels of copper may lead to effects in the liver and kidney,” reads Health Canada’s website.

A second round of testing at six of the buildings, conducted after a five-minute flush of the taps followed by 30 minutes of stagnation, showed levels of lead and

copper below both the MAC and AO. However, the report noted that a single flush at the beginning of the day is “likely not adequate,” and concluded that “all drinking water outlets in all RMOW owned/operated buildings should be flushed until cold every time they are used for consumption.”

The KWL report is comprehensive, and gives the RMOW certainty on the systems found in its buildings, said Jessie GresleyJones, general manager of resort experience.

“I think what continues to be true and consistent is that the water the municipality is providing to all of our citizens continues to be safe, and so what the report is really exploring is the level of, in many ways, complexity of the plumbing systems that are present in our bigger facilities, that cause stagnation of the water when it’s not run regularly,” Gresley-Jones said.

“And that’s where we start to see this issue with breakdown of internal plumbing systems that needs to be resolved by simply flushing the taps.”

The main takeaway from the study is that flushing the taps works, he added.

“Flushing works—getting to a cool, consistent temperature, whether that takes 30 seconds or five minutes, that provides safe water for all residents,” he said.

CORROSION CONCERNS The issue of corrosive water in Whistler (and indeed many communities on the West Coast) is not new, though it’s taken

NEWS WHISTLER a backseat to the COVID-19 pandemic and other priorities since early 2020.

In December 2019, an investigative report by The Star Vancouver, Global News and the University of British Columbia found that some homes in the resort had lead in their drinking water.

As part of the investigation, reporters collected water samples from 10 homes, two hotels and one Airbnb property and had them tested for lead.

All of the samples contained traces of lead, and seven contained lead levels exceeding Health Canada’s guidelines— though more testing done after flushing the taps showed results within the guidelines.

While Whistler’s water meets all of VCH’s operational guidelines, corrosive water can leach metals like lead and copper from plumbing fixtures, as was the case in the Village of Pemberton in 2016.

The RMOW has been working on longterm fixes to address the problem locally since at least 2018, with the last public update coming in January 2020.

At that time, the capital cost to adjust pH levels—one of the main drivers of corrosivity— throughout Whistler’s complicated water system was estimated at $5.7 million, not including any land acquisitions that may be required to do the work.

Staff also estimated an extra two fulltime employees would be needed to operate the systems, as well as $200,000 per year in chemicals, adding an extra $2 million to the current operating budget.

The final budget of the construction work for what is now being called the South Whistler Water Supply Project will depend on the design, which itself has a budget of $400,000, said chief administrative officer Virginia Cullen.

The original plan was to start the design work this year, but “the cyber attack [in late April] did impact that; we weren’t able to get the data and background information to the consultants at the time we wanted to,” Cullen said.

“So that is delayed, however, there is a significant amount of design work planned for next year that will catch us up, and then construction will follow after that.”

In the meantime, the message for the public stays the same: flushing your taps works.

“If everybody is flushing their taps to reach a cold, consistent temperature, the water that they’re receiving through the Whistler water supply is safe and meets all the regulations that we have through Vancouver Coastal Health,” Cullen said.

INTERIM MEASURES Until longer-term solutions are realized, the RMOW is also working to install filters (at a cost of about $1,000 each) in each of its public buildings to cut down on the amount of water wasted by flushing the taps.

The municipality has also put in “consistent guidance” for staff in all of its buildings around water flushing procedures.

“We’re tracking who is flushing the system in the building, so it is documented, it is clear for anyone who is coming to a tap to understand when it was flushed, and potentially how long that water may

be sitting there stagnant again,” GresleyJones said.

“So that’s been clearly rolled out and understood by everyone in our buildings.”

Most of the tenants of the buildings were understanding of the requirements, Cullen said, adding that schools and daycares have been flushing their taps since 2017.

“This isn’t a new mitigation, and is something that they already have in place, so our guidance to flush taps was in line with already existing practices,” she said.

As for water waste, the RMOW doesn’t have a volumetric estimate for how much water is being used to flush taps in the municipality, but “the biggest use of water in Whistler continues to be irrigation, and those businesses that have large water use,” added manager of communications Gillian Robinson.

In the case of the Public Safety Building, the Whistler RCMP has opted to bring in water coolers and bottled water rather than continuously flush the taps, said Officer-inCharge Insp. Robert Dykstra.

While flushing the taps does work, the RCMP opted for bottled water “so that it’s easy and convenient for the members,” Dykstra said.

“So then they can just focus on the job, and then of course we prevent anything from getting missed at any time.”

After the RMOW made its recommendation to flush the taps, a member of the Whistler RCMP submitted a freedom of information request for the KWL report.

While not seeing the testing results up front was a little bit concerning, “I believe that the RMOW was clear in terms of recognizing that there was an issue, and providing guidance to the people that were living and working in the building to take care of the water issue, so I wasn’t concerned about that,” Dykstra said.

“I think we all agree that communication can be sometimes a little confusing or not perfect, but no, I’m satisfied with what the RMOW has done. I would have liked to have seen [the report] in the first instance, but we got to that point.”

After seeing the results, the RCMP also conducted water testing in the houses it has for members, and found elevated levels of lead and copper similar to what was seen in the Public Safety Building, Dykstra said.

“So we’ve been providing bottled water for houses where this was an issue,” he said, adding that the RCMP is also working to install reverse osmosis systems in the houses.

Pique requested a copy of the KWL report, which the RMOW provided, along with a technical briefing.

Though it was shared with council via a verbal briefing, it was not presented at a public meeting, “because it essentially confirmed what we already knew,” Cullen said.

“The only change was the amount of time it took to get to a consistent temperature, and it wouldn’t have changed any of the guidance that we had already provided to the public.”

Find more info at whistler.ca/ drinkingwater. n

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

15

NEWS WHISTLER

Vail Resorts replacing Whistler’s Creekside Gondola, Red Chair ANNOUNCEMENT OF $320M INVESTMENT FOLLOWS COMPANY’S RELEASE OF WINTER 2021/22 COVID-19 OPERATING PLAN

BY MEGAN LALONDE MAJOR LIFT upgrades are in store for Whistler Blackcomb’s (WB) Creekside zone.

The existing six-seat Creekside Gondola will be replaced with a new high-speed, eight-person gondola, while the high-speed quad Big Red Express will be swapped out for a new high-speed, six-person chair, as part of a $320-million capital plan announced by WB parent company Vail Resorts on Thursday, Sept. 23.

That plan will see the ski resort behemoth install 19 new chairlifts across 14 of its North American resorts—“a fairly large undertaking,” noted Jennifer Smith, WB’s senior manager of communications and resort marketing. The commitment marks Vail Resorts’ largest single-year investment into improving the guest experience, she added, bringing the company’s total spent on infrastructure upgrades to $2.2 billion.

“The plan is to do all 19 projects within the [20]21/22 calendar year, so then we would be ready to roll for the next ‘22/[23]

season,” Smith explained.

Smith said a new gondola in Creekside will “dramatically reduce” lift-line wait times by increasing out-of-base uphill capacity by 35 per cent, while replacing the four-seater Red Chair with a highspeed, six-seater will increase uphill capacity by nearly 30 per cent.

“The intention of this upgrade project is really to move people up onto the mountain as quickly as possible …” she said. “This is really about making sure that we maximize your day.”

The gondola that currently services Creekside—the site of WB’s first-ever lifts—was originally installed in 1996, while Big Red Express began spinning the following year.

Thursday’s announcement is part of Epic Lift Upgrade, a large-scale initiative that Vail Resorts claims “will significantly improve and enhance the guest experience and make getting on and around its mountains easier, faster and more enjoyable.”

The project and its completion date are subject to government approval, the company cautioned.

VAIL RESORTS, WHISTLER BLACKCOMB RELEASE WINTER OPERATING PLAN New lifts aren’t the only changes coming to Vail Resorts’ properties. The company on Sept. 21 released its winter operating plan for the 2021/22 winter season, outlining a slate of new and adjusted health and safety protocols.

Gone this year is the mountain reservation system implemented last winter, as are last year’s gondola loading procedures. Lifts will be loaded at normal capacity, Smith confirmed. Proof of vaccination will not be required to board gondolas or chairlifts at this time, as per Vail Resorts’ company-wide plan.

Reservations will, however, still be required to visit any on Vail Resorts’ on-mountain quick-service restaurants, as will proof of vaccination for guests aged 12 and older. The vaccine requirement extends to guests aged 12 and up who are participating in any WB ski and snowboard school programs that include lunch.

“Consistent with many other large-scale indoor activities and venues, we believe the vaccine requirement is important for the protection of our guests and our employees,

given the number of people using these facilities and the fact that guests will not be wearing face coverings while eating and drinking,” Vail Resorts’ plan read. “This is currently the only part of our experience that will require proof of vaccination, unless required by local public health.”

On Whistler Blackcomb, face coverings won’t need to be worn in outdoor spaces like lift lines, chairlifts, and restaurant patios. They will be required on gondolas and indoors, including restrooms, restaurants (while not eating or drinking), lodging properties, and retail and rental locations, in accordance with B.C.’s current provincial health order. WB will communicate more details about how proof of vaccine checks will be rolled out locally closer to opening day, Smith said in a follow-up email.

Vail Resorts is also mandating that all of its employees be fully vaccinated. The requirement answers U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent order that all American employers with more than 100 employees mandate vaccines or weekly COVID-19 tests.

Whistler Blackcomb is set to open for the winter season on Thursday Nov. 25. n

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

17

NEWS WHISTLER

Can multi-home lots address Whistler’s ‘missing middle housing?’

BC REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION SAYS DENSIFYING SINGLE-FAMILY LOTS ONE WAY TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE

BY BRANDON BARRETT IN THE LEAD-UP to the recent federal election, the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) called on Canada’s newly elected government to begin seriously looking at housing policy through a climate lens, two issues that have historically been treated separately.

Given the realities of a place like Whistler, what with its longstanding housing shortage and inherent connection to nature, the two issues are inextricably linked. That’s why the BCREA is pushing for policies that would create more “missing middle housing” through gentle densification as one piece of the puzzle.

Specifically, its recommendation is to make better use of residentially zoned land located close to existing community amenities and infrastructure by densifying single-family-home lots with three, four or five units on the same plot.

“The solution for housing is not to just build 10-storey high-rise towers with onebedroom units and it’s not to just build 500 new single-family units further up the road towards Pemberton,” said BCREA’s advocacy projects manager Mark Sakai. “The

solution is to look at creative ways and create options for different groups of people who are underhoused in well-located areas.”

The billion-dollar question then, is, given the steep value of land here, the emphasis on green space and views, and the proliferation of second-homeowners who may not be as keen as permanent residents to subdivide their lots, does Whistler have an appetite for this kind of strategy?

“I think there is,” said Councillor Jen

WHA can’t do it all. [The Whistler 2020 Development Corporation] can’t do it all.

We need everyone to do this.”

Formed in 2016, the task force came back two years later with an extensive report that listed a number of recommendations aimed at addressing Whistler’s housing shortage, including increasing densification in single-family neighbourhoods that would ideally “address the loss of market homes historically more available to locals for

“The solution is to look at creative ways and create options for different groups of people who are underhoused in well-located areas.”

- MARK SAKAI

Ford, board chair of the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA). “When the Mayor’s Task Force on Resident Housing was giving their recommendations, one of the things was to bring back the infill housing policy from Alpine and applying that to other neighbourhoods and making that more accessible to other property owners. That was a statement that said we want the market to bring this housing online as well.

rental and ownership and provide the opportunity for existing owners to stay in the community and ‘age in place,’ while releasing equity in their homes.”

The takeup so far, however, has been minimal, with just two infill lot splits over the years, in Alpine and Emerald. The muni has also amended zoning regulations to encourage auxiliary suites, including detached suites.

“Is it popular? Depends on who you ask,” Ford said. “But I think there are other communities larger than ours making bold moves with their policy changes, such as upzoning all properties to multi-family and doing away with the idea of a single-family home in a large lot.”

With tales of seasonal workers crammed into bedrooms, attics and hallways not uncommon in the winter, Sakai said Whistler in some ways has already adopted a densification approach.

“What you need to do is create a system where a proper type of housing structure is allowed and incentivized so that it’s not like you have people sleeping in hallways or on the floor in bedrooms,” he said. “If you were able to build these types of units, particularly in a place like Whistler, you’re going to be building new buildings that are intended to be energy-efficient, better insulated, with more efficient heating systems, better air quality and all those things. You’re also hitting a number of intended outcomes for housing in addition to providing proper housing for an underserved group.”

Key to those incentives, Sakai said, is streamlining the zoning and permit approval processes, which have been

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NEWS WHISTLER

Elections Canada confirms Weiler wins West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country LIBERAL INCUMBENT FINISHES WITH 21,470 BALLOTS—A POPULAR VOTE OF 33.8%; CONSERVATIVE CHALLENGER FOLLOWS CLOSELY WITH 19,062 VOTES—30% OVERALL

BY BRENT RICHTER North Shore News ELECTIONS CANADA has confirmed Liberal incumbent Patrick Weiler is the winner of West Vancouver-Sunshine CoastSea to Sky Country’s seat in Parliament.

Weiler was leading Conservative John Weston by more than 2,000 votes by the end of election night on Sept. 20, but there were still more than 6,000 mail-in ballots yet to be counted.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, all remaining ballots had been counted and Weiler was confirmed the winner.

Weiler finished with 21,470 ballots—a popular vote of 33.8 per cent. Weston’s final count was 19,062 or 30 per cent overall.

The NDP’s Avi Lewis tallied 16,262 votes—25.6 per cent overall. The Green Party’s Mike Simpson totalled 4,113 votes (6.5 per cent) and the People’s Party’s Doug Bebb netted 2,306 (3.6 per cent).

According to Elections Canada, 64.56 per cent of the riding’s 98,256 registered

voters cast ballots (although that number does not include voters who registered for the first time at their polling station).

Weiler previously told Pique that when he returns to Ottawa, addressing the climate crisis and implementing the

Liberals’ childcare plan are top priorities.

“We need some of those spaces to be built in Whistler,” he said.

Extending the COVID-19 wage subsidy for tourism businesses and other hard-hit industries is also a priority, as is swiftly

rolling out new investments through the National Housing Strategy—and working with organizations like the Whistler Housing Authority—to help improve housing affordability.

- with files from Megan Lalonde n

SINGLE FAMILY LOTS FROM PAGE 18 severely hampered in Whistler due to a confluence of factors, including staff shortages at municipal hall, April’s cyber attack handcuffing the RMOW’s digital services, and an unprecedented, pandemicfuelled renovation boom. Part of the Liberals’ election platform, for instance, is to create funding incentives for local governments to develop electronic permit processing—the RMOW is hopeful to move to a completely digital permit approval process in the next two years—as well as streamlining approvals for priority housing.

“They can certainly work towards implementing some of these policies to encourage denser housing, and I don’t have a problem with that, per se, but

it needs to be done thoughtfully,” said Chris Addario, president of the Sea to Sky chapter of the Canadian Home Builders Association. “You have existing stakeholders that have purchased property under certain expectations, and now if you’re going to change the bar, change those expectations, that’s going to be a complicated matter to deal with. I think in general it could be a positive thing if they were to go about it thoughtfully.”

Like so much in the era of COVID19, Ford said there has been a shift in philosophy in Whistler towards a more fulsome approach that fulfils the spectrum of housing needs here.

“There are several non-profits that have

been working really, really well together to come forward with their recommendation or their hope for the community to create … supportive housing all the way up to single-family market lots and everything in between,” she said, making specific mention of supportive housing provider, Zero Ceiling. “We do really well in certain things. We’ve got lots of WHA ownership, we’ve got lots of WHA rental. It’s never enough but it’s certainly more than other communities have. Then, how do we fill in the gaps? So transitional housing and below-market rental housing that’s produced by the market. That’s something else that can fill in some of the gaps along the spectrum.” n

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NEWS WHISTLER

Invasive plants and animals can be now be identified and reported using an app THE INATURALIST APP WILL HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LOCAL INVASIVE SPECIES

BY MEGAN LALONDE IT’S UNDERSTANDABLY difficult to tear your eyes away from the views while out on Whistler’s trails, but experts are reminding locals and visitors to look down once in a while—at least before winter arrives.

Reporting any invasive plants or animals you spot in the great outdoors—thus alerting the experts who can get to work containing them—can play a major role in protecting the region’s biodiversity, said Clare Greenberg, executive director of the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC).

“The main concern is that invasives usually have more than one way of propagating themselves,” she said. “Some of them have a huge seed output and some of them have creeping roots that basically help that invasive really dominate an ecosystem or a site.

“And what that does is it outcompetes and out-shades other native species that are important to have there for the integrity of the ecosystem.”

Greenberg continued, “some native plants will provide habitat and food for our

native animals, so having an invasive that comes in and takes over that ecosystem will alter the function of that vegetation assemblage.”

It’s been a busy summer for the SSISC’s small-but-mighty team, said Greenberg.

“We have three teams of two who work all the way from Lions Bay up to D’Arcy and everywhere in between,” she said.

Along with the yellow plant, Greenberg identified knotweed, Himalayan Blackberry and Purple Loosestrife as species of particular concern for the resort. “They’re the four that I would say are our highest priority for control, because they haven’t become well established yet,” she said. “We don’t have enough money to deal with all the invasives, so we have to prioritize.”

“We don’t have enough money to deal with all the invasives, so we have to prioritize.”

- CLARE GREENBERG

Though Scotch broom is known to cause problems in the Sea to Sky corridor— particularly around Squamish—the SSISC team has been successfully maintaining a “containment line” near Brackendale, preventing the shrub from gaining northern ground.

Greenberg estimates that there are more than 100 sites where her team actively handpulls (or cuts and digs out) the species prior to seed-set. “That’s our focus in Whistler in the springtime,” she said.

Meanwhile, there are other species that are already well established and impacting the area, Greenberg said, “So there is effort needed to be spent on those species too.”

With that in mind, community members can often contribute by grabbing a shovel and a pair of gloves and rolling up their sleeves to help reduce the impact and limit the spread of common, well established invasive species like Burdock, Lamium and Mountain Bluets.

The SSISC is also working with landowners

to help prevent Orange Hawkweed from moving into higher elevations, now that the dandelion-like flower has become common in the valley, Greenberg added.

But the first step is to learn how to identify invasive species, Greenberg said.

Through the Canada-wide iNaturalist app, “You don’t have to be an expert,” she explained. “You can take a photo of the plant and it will suggest what it might be to you, and then even if you submit [the photo] with a guess of what it is, the iNaturalist community can verify that sighting.”

Species can be reported directly through the SSISC’s website, through the province’s “Report Invasives” app, or by joining iNAturalist’s “I Spy and Identify” project. With the latter, users’ observations are added to a database that aims to track both invasive and non-invasive species.

Greenberg also recommends following the SSISC’s social channels, signing up for the free, online SSISC Aquatic Invasives 101 course, or subscribing to the organization’s e-news to learn more about the region’s invasive species in bite-sized pieces.

Plus, “People can always email us,” she added. “If people need help identifying the species we’re happy to help.” n

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NEWS WHISTLER

Task force presents vision for community-led primary care centre NON-PROFIT MODEL WOULD SHORE UP GP SHORTAGE AND DRAMATICALLY TRANSFORM HEALTHCARE IN WHISTLER

BY BRANDON BARRETT WHISTLER’S PRIMARY Care Task Force presented its ambitious vision for a community-driven primary care centre last week that would dramatically transform healthcare delivery in Whistler.

Formed in 2019 in response to Whistler’s family doctor shortage, the group has spent the past two years looking at the local primary care landscape and analyzing a variety of different models in play. At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 21, the task force gave elected officials the fullest view yet of its concept for a community-led, non-profit primary care centre aimed at improving physician accessibility and offering a more holistic care model that would include general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and a range of other healthcare professionals under one roof.

“Canadians across British Columbia are seeing shortages of family doctors, but we know if we don’t do something about it then something is going to happen that might

be suboptimal for the community. Things like virtual healthcare are going to come in and fill the gap, and we know that’s not a substitute for the continuity of having a family doctor,” said task force chair Carol

counts between seven and eight full-timeequivalent GPs, and with B.C.’s health ministry recommending one physician per 800 to 1,000 patients, Whistler would need to add another six to eight doctors to meet

“It could ... mean the community could decide what healthcare services are to be provided on our own as opposed to being told by an entity what that would be.”

- CAROL LEACY

Leacy. “We have an opportunity to really come up with a solution that is going to keep the best interests of Whistler in mind.”

With two family practices as well as two naturopathic clinics closing in recent years, the task force estimates that around 40 per cent of Whistlerites do not currently have a family doctor. Today, the resort

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the community’s needs.

Whistler is especially challenged with recruiting family physicians, particularly because of the steep costs of living and commercial rent here that only add to the high overhead family practices already contend with.

“Family doctors run small businesses:

they find a location, they pay their rent, they hire staff, they manage them, they train them, they do all their billings if they manage their electronic medical records,” Leacy said. “So family doctors have always had these small businesses in Canada … but it really has changed in the last 10 years, let’s say, where it’s become much more complex.”

The task force looked at eight different primary care models from across B.C., and while none were a perfect fit for Whistler, they took elements from each when considering a new centre. Aligning closest to what the group has in mind is Shoreline Medical, a not-for-profit primary care network based in Sidney and Brentwood on Vancouver Island where doctors work in a team-based model, collaborating with nurses, pharmacists, social workers and dieticians. The original Sidney clinic started with just four physicians, and now counts 14, while the Brentwood location started with no doctors, and now has seven.

Core to the clinics’ recruitment is the fact that the administrative workload that many physicians take on in family practice is handled by a dedicated

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executive director, who is tasked with everything from hiring and training staff, establishing procedures and protocols, and managing billings and medical records. Under this model, physicians would pay a portion of their billings to the non-profit society managing the clinic, something Leacy said they have been more than willing to do at Shoreline to lighten the administrative burden.

“If we can take all the day-to-day administration away and take all of those barriers that make people choose to work at the clinic and not in full-service family practice, we think we can get more people over to that medicine that we know is equally satisfying,” she said.

Ideally, the primary care centre would be co-located either inside the existing Whistler Health Care Centre (WHCC), a renovated one, or as a standalone facility close by, making use of existing lab and imaging services and easily accessible from the village. Vancouver Coastal Health has tentatively agreed to helping find space—the task force is hopeful for two offices—within the WHCC to begin the process of adding providers.

Task force member Dr. Karin Kausky of the Whistler Medical Clinic said co-location is “critically important” both for providers and patients.

“A lot of the literature shows that the ideal is co-location,” she explained.

“I think one of the reasons the Whistler Medical Clinic has had such longevity … is

CENTRE OF CARE The Whistler Primary Care Task Force has presented its ambitious vision for a communitydriven, non-profit primary care centre that would ideally be co-located within or close to the existing Whistler Health Care Centre.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH / FLICKR

because we’re in this location where we’re adjacent to the public health nurses and the homecare nurses and our acute-care colleagues and lab and x-ray.”

Co-location also helps facilitate teambased care, a model intended to fill in potential gaps.

“In addition to GPs and nurse practitioners, we would also have things

like mental health support, addictions counselling; it could be social workers all working and really allowing people to do the work that is best suited to their skillset,” Leacy said. “So you might show up thinking you need to see a doctor but it turns out you might be better off actually speaking to an addictions counsellor. That seamless transition can happen there.”

The implications of such a centre would be immense, Leacy said, providing any resident who wants one timely access to a family physician. “But it could really mean more than that,” she added. “You’ve got a whole team that can proactively monitor your health and not just looking for bad health outcomes, but staying on top of regular screenings or blood work. It could mean that employers know that their employees are going to have healthcare. It could also mean the community could decide what healthcare services are to be provided on our own as opposed to being told by an entity what that would be.”

The task force has a long road ahead to make the centre a reality. Planned in three phases, the first step is achieving charitable status so the managing Whistler 360 Collaborative Health Society can start to fundraise in earnest. Phase 2 would involve the recruitment of physicians and nurse practitioners and establishing a professional management system. The third phase would require the securement of additional space before launching the full-service primary care centre.

While there are many issues to sort through before that happens, it was clear at last week’s meeting that Whistler’s mayor and council were supportive of the concept, with the presentation closing with claps from elected officials.

“I think that’s the first time we applauded a presentation,” said Mayor Jack Crompton. n

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

23

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler MAC keeping seniors connected AGE-FRIENDLY ASSESSMENT NEARS COMPLETION

BY BRADEN DUPUIS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT end-of-life planning aren’t always easy to broach—after all, who wants to confront their own mortality?

But a guest speaker at a recent Whistler Mature Action Community (MAC) event aims to ease people into what can be a very uncomfortable subject.

“In general, people don’t want to talk about dying, let alone talking about having degraded capability or chronic illness in aging or the whole concept of aging,” said Marc Seguin, author of Advocacy in Aging.

“So it’s about opening that conversation and planning for it.”

In his book, Seguin outlines his “five pillars” for doing just that: financial planning, power of attorney, downsizing, healthcare directives and gradual transitions.

“It’s a very difficult subject, so the goal was to make it an easy read, an easy concept to grab, with relatable stories and so on and so forth,” he said.

“I’m providing a simple framework for people who can say, ‘You know what, this makes sense.’”

For those who missed the virtual MAC session on Sept. 15, Seguin said the first step

to making a plan is to be aware.

“A lot of people don’t like to talk about it, but it’s better to recognize it, accept it, and start being aware of the need to plan,” he said.

“So I basically say the time is now to put a comprehensive plan [in place], to build and nurture your team of advocates around you, to communicate yearly with your family and team, and to start the transition process.”

The monthly online guest speaker sessions are just one way MAC is keeping

she said, including staying engaged with the rezoning process for 4500 Northlands Blvd.; participating in Arts Whistler’s LIFTing the community charity event; and preparing for National Seniors Day on Oct. 1 (which also coincides with MAC’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held online from 4 to 6 p.m.).

As it relates to the pandemic, members can reach out at whistlermac.org for things they may need help with, White said.

“Generally speaking, I would say our

“We are there as a resource, but I think a lot of people have quietly kind of handled COVID on their own quite well.”

- KATHY WHITE Whistler’s seniors connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, said chair Kathy White.

The local advocacy organization now has its own Facebook group (Whistler Mature Action Community) and even a WhatsApp group used to connect members with each other for things like hiking, golf and more, White said.

Members are also keeping busy with various other projects in the community,

55-plus community is very resourceful in finding answers to their questions on their own. They’re connecting with friends and family and community resources directly,” White said.

“We are there as a resource, but I think a lot of people have quietly kind of handled COVID on their own quite well.”

That said, MAC recognizes that the mental health of seniors is also important as

the pandemic drags on, and a program run through the Whistler Community Services Society has helped in that regard.

Called Activate and Connect, the program has hosted monthly events like socially distanced group walks, art projects and guest speakers, White said.

“September we’re going for a walk at Lost Lake, October we’re going to tour the Audain—we’re trying to keep people engaged mentally, physically and to the best of their ability,” she said.

With a $24,418 grant from the Union of BC Municipalities, the Resort Municipality of Whistler is working on an age-friendly assessment and action plan that aims to help Whistler’s seniors age in place. An overall project report is expected in October (head to whistler.ca/agefriendly for more info).

With its membership growing to close to 400 members, MAC has moved to a free, by-donation membership model, White said, adding that she encourages everyone to join the virtual AGM on Oct. 1—and to consider the message in Sequin’s book.

“A lot of people in our community are in their late 40s to early 50s—are they planning ahead?” she said.

“Being positive and proactive about it will actually help alleviate a lot of that stress.”

Read more at advocacyinaging.com. n

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Pick up the latest issue of your favourite read in Whistler.

24 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

NEWS WHISTLER

Dr. Rob Burgess ‘carried this community in a white coat for over 40 years’ PIONEER OF WHISTLER FAMILY PRACTICE AND MOUNTAIN MEDICINE DIES FROM CANCER AT 71

BY BRANDON BARRETT IN MANY WAYS, Dr. Rob Burgess defied the stereotypical image of a family physician.

He was an avid rock fan who attended Woodstock, a daredevil skier with a need for speed, and a prankster with a bone-dry sense of humour, but when the call came to help his community, whether in-valley or on-mountain, you couldn’t ask for better care.

“His work ethic was really something. There was no question he was there for everyone.

He’d throw the pager down the hallway when somebody would call him, and he would leave the house slamming doors, but he’d get home, and I would ask him if he was OK, and he’d look at me and go, ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?’” remembered wife Jan. “He never ever thought twice about going to see somebody at all hours of the night, for anything.”

The long-time local physician, chief medical officer, Whistler Medical Clinic founder, youth hockey coach and ski patroller died at his Whistler home Sept. 14 following a short battle with cancer. He was 71, and leaves behind his wife, son Johnny and daughter Micky.

A precocious medical student, Burgess had been challenging expectations from a young age, said best friend Dr. Bill Akeroyd, who attended the University of Toronto with Burgess in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

“I think a lot of the professors initially had a hard time warming up to him because a lot of them were kind of old-school, and with his really long hair and outfits that he wore, they were thinking he was kind of a wacko. But because he was so smart, they warmed up to him,” he said.

Following graduation, Akeroyd convinced Burgess to join him on a short stint in Banff, a time that led them both to realize “we weren’t going to spend our lives in Ontario,” he said.

Wanting to be closer to the mountains, they spent their residency at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital, a period when Burgess first familiarized himself with Whistler, which was then a sleepy ski town of a few hundred people.

Eventually Burgess made the move to the community full-time and established Whistler’s first 24-7, on-call doctor service.

He also joined the ski patrol as Whistler Mountain’s in-house doctor—in part to cover the bills when the medical business here wasn’t exactly booming—establishing many of the health and safety protocols that are still in place today, said Roger McCarthy, the former director of safety and lift operations for Whistler Mountain who hired Burgess in 1978.

“I worked in ski areas all over the world and … in all those places, he’s an icon. For me, he was the standard by which others

were measured,” McCarthy said.

“He carried this community in a white coat for over 40 years.”

For many years, Burgess was the only game in town, and he perfectly exemplified the ethos of the old-school country doctor.

Between his job on-mountain and the valley clinic he established—not to mention side gigs as a heli-ski guide and the national ski team doctor—it wasn’t unheard of for him to work 35 hours straight. If a baby was being born, he got the call. If there was an accident on the highway, he got the call. If he attended a ski injury on the mountain, he was usually the first one there, like the time a helicopter whisked him to the peak of Whistler to treat a women with two broken legs, only to find himself in waist-deep powder, still sporting his dress shoes and slacks.

“I would guarantee he never did a 9-to-5,” McCarthy said. “The coverage he provided was extraordinary.”

With the well-being of an entire town resting on his shoulders, Burgess made sure to take whatever moments he could to enjoy himself. A prolific practical joker, McCarthy recalled a time he was leading a tense meeting with the patrol team when Burgess began blaring Frank Zappa from the bump room nearby.

“So I’m having a meeting with the patrol and we’re trying to get them straightened out, and all of a sudden this record pipes up, ‘You’re an asshole! You’re an asshole!’”

McCarthy remembered with a laugh. “Of course, all the rest of the guys knew exactly what was going to happen. It was a big joke and it went on and on.”

But there’s no denying Burgess took his role as a family physician seriously. He regularly went out of his way to mentor young doctors, like 2021 Citizen of the Year Dr. Karin Kausky, who began working at the Whistler Medical Clinic in ’93 when it was still housed in an old Atco trailer.

“He was very generous about mentoring people, about helping them figure out how to work in an environment that was pretty unique when I started here,” said Kausky.

“He really was the pioneer of family practice in Whistler. He did whatever it took.”

Serving as a physician in Whistler for 43 years, it’s clear Burgess leaves an enormous legacy behind, one that will carry on through a fund set up in his name by the Whistler Health Care Foundation, which will support primary care initiatives in the Sea to Sky corridor. (See page 22 for related story.)

Donate at whistlerhealthcarefoundation. org/make-a-donation.

“I just think he would be so proud as it reflects how much of a pioneer he was,” Kausky said. “This carries forward the legacy of his commitment to full-service family practice, that longitudinal, relationship-based, cradle-to-grave care. I think it’s beautiful.” n

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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

Whistler, Squamish team up on ‘game-changer’ emissions grant ONCE COMPLETED, EMBODIED EMISSIONS GUIDE COULD BENEFIT ALL B.C. MUNICIPALITIES

BY BRADEN DUPUIS THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY of Whistler (RMOW) and District of Squamish are collaborating with the non-profit Community Energy Association (CEA) on an embodied carbon guide that could benefit all municipalities in B.C. Whistler council heard a presentation on the project from climate action coordinator Luisa Burhenne at its Sept. 21 meeting.

“Embodied carbon emissions, most of them happen before the building is operational, or thereafter, and they can make up to 50 per cent of the building’s whole lifecycle emissions,” Burhenne said.

“So they are huge, and they happen in only a short amount of time.”

Embodied emissions refer mainly to emissions related to the manufacturing of products and services—the extraction and transport of raw material, or production and transportation of building materials, for example.

“And then in the end, after the building has finished its lifecycle, demolishing the building and getting rid of the waste [are considered embodied emissions],’ Burhenne said.

BODY BREAK A new collaboration between Whistler, Squamish and the Community Energy Association aims to tackle embodied carbon emissions, like those found in the production of building materials or when demolishing buildings.

PHOTO BY NATHAN4847/GETTYIMAGES.CA

26 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

“So there are many opportunities here where we can tackle those embodied carbon emissions.”

In collaboration with the District of Squamish, RMOW staff submitted a joint expression of interest to the CEA’s GameChanger Grant Program, which will provide about 440 hours of the CEA’s senior professional staff time to help build an embodied emissions guide for municipalities.

consequences,” Littlejohn said.

The guide itself will distil all the insights and experience gleaned through the process to be used by other municipalities, he added.

While it’s too early to tell at this stage how the guide will impact policy making, or what affect it will have on builders, “we’re going to explore a variety of options,” Littlejohn said.

“[T]here has to be some simple fundamentals that the industry can learn from this process ... I can see this being a really complex topic.”

- DUANE JACKSON

Total RMOW staff time for the two-year project is not expected to surpass 126 hours.

The work will include “doing some of the math” and research to dial in on where municipalities can have the greatest effect, as well as stakeholder interviews to ensure the guide works for the community, said Dale Littlejohn, CEO of the CEA. “And then there is the art and science of drafting policy—so what the legal powers of the municipality are, and exactly how you leverage those for the maximum impact, and avoid as much as possible unintended

“We’re going to look at opportunities around deconstruction to help ensure that, when we tear down a building, as much of that gets recycled as is practically possible.”

The work will also take into account decisions made by the municipalities themselves on things like materials purchased.

“Part of the research that we’re doing is not just math on emissions, but it’s also looking at the costing side of things, and what impacts these things will have on costs and how that plays into everything,”

Littlejohn said.

While he supported the research, Councillor Duane Jackson expressed concern about “going down the rabbit hole on all sorts of things” at the Sept. 21 meeting.

“You can pour concrete here, but you can buy a cement-based siding that’s made on the other side of the world and shipped here, and then who’s going to calculate that difference, and is that going to be on the building permit application?” he said, noting that the embodied carbon makeup of any given project could include concrete, siding, wood, insulation, plumbing, electrical, roofing and more.

“So there has to be some simple fundamentals that the industry can learn from this process … I can see this being a really complex topic,” Jackson said.

“How do you see this working out for the industry?”

Burhenne agreed that the guide should favour practicality over fine details.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s [off by] one or two grams of CO2 over the lifecycle of a building ... it matters that it’s practical, that we know where the big ticket items are, and how a municipality can easily implement change and how the industry can do the same,” she said.

“That’s why we say it’s a guide for B.C. municipalities … there’s a lot of research out there, a lot of detailed analyses on different materials—we want to hire the CEA to gather all of that information and have a couple of high-level scenarios and decision-making tools.” n

MAY 31 – JUNE 2, 2019 Oct WHISTLER 9th -OLYMPIC 11th, 2021 PLAZA

whistlerhalfmarathon.com

SUPPORTING WAG

LOST LAKE TRAILS Beaches and Sandcastles, Parades and Carousels and Gin and Tonics at 5.

The extraordinary life of a man who touched so many people’s hearts. Richard Stancliff Langtry, known to us as Dad, Stan, Grandfather, Uncle Stan, and a true friend, arrived in his favourite outfit, on June 28, 1930. He studied interior design at the University of Manitoba, graduated, and then headed to London, England to work abroad.

Please be advised that the Lost Lake Park trail system the runners soSUN, if you plan FRI, MAY will 31, be hosting SAT, JUNE 1, JUNE 2, 9am 3:30pm & 5pm 7:30pm to use the park trails please expect heavy traffic.

Run with Rob Krar

Opening Presentation OCTOBER 9, 10, 11 Register online by Rob Krar whistlerhalfmarathon.com/ whistlerhalfmarathon.com/ guided-trail-runs 7:00am - noon each day dog-jog whistlerhalfmarathon.com/ film-festival

Stan returned home to Winnipeg to marry Shirley, his life partner of 50 years, raising their two sons, and worked as a designer for the CBC, where he was the most sought-after designer for big productions and movies. He was the staff’s ad-hoc social coordinator planning outings, canoe trips and events, was always the life of the party, and his moto was “today is another great day”.

Stan and Shirley moved to Whistler in 1986, starting up Stancliff House Bed and Breakfast, he organized Whistler’s first Canada Day Parade, was a founding member of the Whistler Player’s Theatrical Guild and the brainchild of ‘The Chairlift Revue’.

Stan and Shirley were recognized by the Whistler community as Citizens of the Year in 1994 for their many and ongoing contributions to the community. After moving to Vancouver in 1999, Stan continued his volunteer efforts; at Tourism BC helping visitors explore the city, at PAL Vancouver, at Wreck Beach, he was named Grand Master Sandcastle Builder, and at Victory Square helping design the new park and Remembrance Day ceremonies. Next time you pass by Victory Square, look up at the lamp standards, they are soldiers’ helmets, designed by Stan.

We will all remember Stan by his warm smile, his laughter, his friendship and contributions to our communities and lives, gin and tonics with him at 5, hosting dinners with Shirley, his sandcastle building, paper mâché pinatas filled with mini liquor bottles, his ingenuity and spirit, love of design, art, all things creative, and the ballet.

A week prior to his stroke, Stan was hiking the stairs at UBC to his favourite beach. As in life, with his peaceful nature, Stan passed away peacefully, comforted by his family and friends at his side in Vancouver on Thursday, September 9, 2021. Stan will be immensely missed by his family, Scott, Marni, Peter, Sheila, Zach, Tyler, Owen and Jessica, his extended family, and dear friends Annie, Ian, Linda, Dong, Tim, and Jennifer to name only a few.

We will celebrate Stan and his wonderful life during the afternoon of Saturday, October 16, at PAL Vancouver, 581 Cardero Street, Vancouver, BC. Due to Covid-19 protocols, please send an email, on or before October 8, 2021, to Linda Marshall at linda@whistlerweddingplanners.com or Jennifer Carlson at falsecreek42@gmail.com if you are planning to attend the celebration for contact tracing. Masks are required. Clothing Optional.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Stan’s favourite foundations, PAL at www.palvancouver.org or The Wreck Beach Preservation Society at donations@wreckbeach.org.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

27

SCIENCE MATTERS

Diane Mitchell B.H.S, RDH

Registered dental hygienist with over 20 years experience.

Now accepting patients on Saturdays at Mountainview Dental Hygiene in Market Pavillion Building in Whistler Village. Gentle, caring and professional treatment with a focus on preventive gum health.

Changing animal food could solve big problems THE ENVIRONMENTAL implications of feeding 8 billion people are enormous.

That’s also true for keeping the everincreasing population of domesticated animals fed, whether pets or livestock.

Just as there are better ways to feed people, there are better ways to feed animals. In some cases, it would be best not to raise or keep the animals at all, but for others, simple solutions could substantially reduce environmental damage.

With farmed animals, including fish, it’s about the ways we feed ourselves, and the animals we eat. Extensive research

Please visit www.dmdentalhygiene.com for more information and to schedule.

Looking forward to meeting you and being of service to our local community!

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Estate Planning Real Estate Family Law Business Law

Meet with us via videoconference, telephone, and email.

604.932.3211 332-4370 Lorimer Road

RACEANDCOMPANY.COM

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

©Andy Everson

September 30 A message from the Sea to Sky Teachers’ Association

28 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

BY DAVID SUZUKI shows that raising animals for meat, especially cows and sheep, creates massive environmental problems, from nitrogen runoff into waterways to greenhouse gas emissions, including methane.

A 2019 Lancet review concluded that “a diet rich in plant-based foods and with fewer animal source foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits.” It found switching to more plant-based diets and improving food production practices would help reduce negative impacts related to climate change, land system change, freshwater use, nitrogen and phosphorous cycling and biodiversity loss.

In the short term, we should strive to reduce some impacts of raising animals for food. One solution is changing their feed. Methane from livestock manure and

companion and service animals. Cats and dogs, especially, consume a lot of meat.

The estimated 8.2 million pet dogs and 8.3 million cats in Canada and 80 million dogs and 60 million cats in the U.S. often eat relatively high-quality meat products, so the impacts are substantial.

One study found “cats and dogs account for 25 to 30 per cent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States, and are responsible for creating approximately 64 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.” They also produce millions of tonnes of poop every year, much of it individually wrapped before being sent to landfill, and some contaminating waterways with bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Finding a good source of protein and other essential nutrients with fewer environmental impacts is one solution. Several companies, including big ones like Nestlé-owned Purina, are marketing pet foods made with insect protein. An Ontario company, Hope, is using a mix of black soldier fly protein, chickpeas, yeast and algae.

I once suggested it would be better to feed farmed salmon insects than other fish. Brad Marchant heard, and founded Enterra (which I invested in). It uses black soldier fly larvae for fish and other animal feed. The larvae are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorous, iron and zinc and are easy to raise. Combining them with the other ingredients results in a pet food that’s healthier overall than meat-based products, with far fewer environmental impacts—and it has spinoff benefits, such as diverting waste to feed the insects.

A 2017 Dutch review found insect farming requires much less land and water than

One U.S. company claims “an acre of land can produce about 192 pounds of beef annually, or 265 pounds of poultry,” but can yield “65,000 pounds of cricket or 130,000 pounds of black soldier fly larvae.” “gastroenteric releases” (burps and farts) makes up about 32 per cent of humancaused methane emissions. Although methane remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide, it’s a deadly pollutant and, over 20 years, up to 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas.

Researchers are exploring feeds made from or supplemented with everything from seaweed or algae to canola to reduce flatulence in cattle, and at ways to better treat, or even use, manure, such as covering or composting it, or using it to produce biogas. By simply mixing red seaweed into the fattening feed of 20 steers, University of California Davis researchers cut methane emissions by 80 per cent. However, critics point out this doesn’t address the far greater volume of emissions from pastured cattle.

Feed is also one area to help resolve a major environmental impact of

livestock, has lower greenhouse gas emissions and high feed conversion efficiencies, and is useful as animal or aqua feed. A U.S. company claims “an acre of land can produce about 192 pounds of beef annually, or 265 pounds of poultry,” but can yield “65,000 pounds of cricket or 130,000 pounds of black soldier fly larvae.” Insects are also a healthy protein source for people around the world and may gradually gain greater acceptance here.

The interrelated climate and biodiversity crises are at a point where many solutions are needed. Changing how we feed the animals we keep can make a difference. It might even make our animal companions healthier.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington. ■

THE OUTSIDER

Sharing our backcountry with the bears IF YOU’VE LIVED in Whistler or the Sea to Sky for a few years, you likely have a story or two involving our largest, cutest and arguably most intimidating local wildlife, Ursus americanus, commonly known as the black bear.

BY VINCE SHULEY No one forgets the first time they see a bear, whether a child on a camping trip or a wide-eyed seasonal worker stepping off the bus in Whistler Village. But after a few years, encounters around town start to become more commonplace. You see them grazing on the ski runs in the bike park, wandering the Valley Trail, and regrettably, sniffing around homes where the occupants don’t manage their garbage, recycling or barbecues properly.

I won’t go into the best practices of living with bears inside the urban confines of Whistler’s municipality, as there is more than enough great information on the Get Bear Smart Society website (http://www. bearsmart.com/bear-smart-whistler/).

All that information applies to visitors as well, who may not be educated on the importance of keeping your distance from bears, and not prioritizing one’s Instagram

BEAR WITH US Grizzly bear interactions are becoming more frequent in the Sea to Sky backcountry as the species expands its territory.

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES / LUCAAR

feed over the bear’s safety and livelihood.

Having a bear encounter in the backcountry can be a different experience altogether. In many cases, the lack of habituation will mean that bears keep their distance and will bolt in the opposite direction if they are startled. But there are exceptions, and the particular situation you are in can make a lot of difference.

My partner Frances and I had one of these exceptional encounters in early September 2020 in Cape Scott Provincial Park on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The trail out to the Cape is well travelled and sees hundreds of people on a busy summer weekend.

But from our campsite at Nels Bight, the hiking trail out to the Cape’s lighthouse is another eight kilometres or so, and sees far less traffic.

We were rounding a corner, our sightlines blocked by thick, high vegetation, when Frances, walking in front of me on the narrow trail, locked eyes with what looked like a juvenile black bear. The distance between them wasn’t more than two to three metres. We had (not intentionally) been quiet as we hiked, so the encounter startled all of us, the bear included.

Just as we realized the situation that we were in (standing on a narrow trail with very little room, very close to hulking wildlife) and began to yell and make noise to scare him off, he came bounding towards us. Frances screamed and tried her best to get out of the way as the bear shot past us, his fur rubbing against the back of Frances’ legs as he did so, and disappeared around the corner. Rather than run in the opposite

direction from us towards the beach, the bear must have seen the forest as the safest option, even if that meant charging straight in the direction of two humans.

We were on high alert for the rest of the trip, and even saw what could have been the same bear (this time from a safe distance) on the hike back to the campsite.

A camping encounter with a bear in the middle of the night is something I’m glad I haven’t experienced, but local Whistler photographer Abby Cooper did a few weeks ago while on an overnight camping trip in the Squamish backcountry.

“I woke up in my tent to the sound of teeth clacking and a bunch of rustling on the gravel surface near our tent,” she recalled.

“We heard it come closer, then—as if out of the movies—it started making these loud breathing sounds with a couple of snorts. “(My partner Jarrett and I) froze absolutely still, hearts beating out of our chests. It was sniffing around our backpacks in the vestibule, we’d taken every precaution of cooking some distance away from our camp, changing our clothes and hanging our food even further away.

We had bear spray and a Leatherman, so our last resort if it tried to enter the tent would be to cut our way out of the tent and use the bear spray on it outside.”

Their silence and relative calmness meant the bear slowly decided to move on, as it considered the tent’s occupants not to be a threat.

At first light the couple broke camp quickly and hightailed it back to their vehicle, making loud sounds along the way to make sure there was no return visit.

The nature of that interaction and obvious paw prints found the next morning confirmed it was indeed a grizzly that paid Cooper and her partner a visit that night. While they were more than diligent with having bear spray and managing attractants, the interaction reminded her of another precaution hikers take in her home range of the Rocky Mountains when backcountry camping in the fall.

“In Banff, (the rangers) won’t let you go camping this time of year unless you’re a group of four or more,” said Cooper.

“We don’t have as much interaction with grizzlies here on the coast, and that can make us complacent.”

While you’re statistically more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than killed by a bear, fatal encounters do happen. As of Sept. 2, 2021, hunting blog Field & Stream reported six bear fatalities so far this year in North America, three of those being in Alberta.

With the Sea to Sky’s backcountry areas seeing a rising grizzly population, it’s time to take bear safety seriously. Manage your food and attractants wisely. Pack the bear spray.

And consider travelling with a couple of extra buddies, especially in the fall months.

Bears want to simply enjoy their lives in the wilderness, so if we choose to enter their territory, it’s up to us to cohabitate with them the best we can.

Vince Shuley would be OK if he didn’t see any more bears in 2021. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email vince.shuley@gmail.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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FEATURE STORY

c e R reco

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THE

FIRST -EVER

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n c i l i at i o n

N AT I O

NAL D AY F O R TRUTH A N D R E CO N C I L I AT

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By Megan Lalonde

30 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

FEATURE STORY

Honouring a call to action

In recognition of Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, Pique asked Kúkwpi7 Skalúlmecw Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson to pen a personal essay on what the day means to him and what he hopes it will mean to all Canadians. Following that is a reported feature by Megan Lalonde.

Pique respectfully works on the shared and unceded territories of the L’il’wat7úl and Sk _wx _wú7mesh Peoples, and we honour their rich and distinct history, culture and language.

O

ne of my priorities when I was elected to be the Political Chief of the Lil’wat Nation was to complete spirit retrievals at all the residential schools attended by Lil’wat Nation citizens.

Spirit retrievals are ceremonial and designed to bring the spirits of those who did return from residential schools back to their traditional territory and allow them to rest. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented the deaths of more than 6,000 residential school students. We knew there was more. The children uncovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, and others, has brought awareness to that truth.

Sept. 30 was recently declared Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I believe the recognition of this day by everyone is an important step going forward toward meaningful reconciliation. The Lil’wat wish for this day is for people to use it to become meaningfully informed and educated on this disturbing subject. People must be willing to listen and understand why this day is vitally important. The history of the First Nations people needs to be told from the First Nations’ perspective, informing and educating readers and listeners of all ages on Canada’s history towards our existence as Indigenous people.

Lil’wat Nation members are working our way out of the Indian Act, and the Indian reserve system. The Lil’wat continue to unravel the trauma inflicted by the former residential school system.

The Lil’wat Nation believes in reconciliation but we also believe that there is much work to be done.

True reconciliation is multi-faceted and complex. It is not something that will change overnight. It will take participation from everyone in the understanding and process to make the changes that need changing. While this may cause some to become disillusioned or doubtful of the process, it only strengthens our resolve to complete the journey.

- Kúkwpi7 Skalúlmecw Lil’wat Chief Dean Nelson

IN SEPTEMBER OF 1973, then-six-year-old Phyllis (Jack) Webstad left her home on the Dog Creek reserve for St. Joseph’s Mission in Williams Lake, B.C., eager to start her first year at the Mission’s residential school.

“We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt,” Webstad, who is Northern Secwépemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, recalls in an online post.

“It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting—just like I felt to be going to school!”

The excitement didn’t last long. Upon Webstad’s arrival, she was stripped of her clothes, including her prized orange shirt.

“I never wore it again,” she writes. “I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine!”

Since, “The color [sic] orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing.”

Webstad’s is the story that sparked Orange Shirt Day in B.C.’s Cariboo Regional District in 2013, a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake in May of that year.

Today, she is the executive director of the Orange Shirt Day Society, and the initiative has since spread from coast to coast. Each year on Sept. 30, Canadians are encouraged to don orange to acknowledge what was lost to residential schools and help foster meaningful discussion about the lasting impacts and legacy these government-sponsored, mostly church-run schools left behind.

The date was chosen to mark the time of year during which Indigenous children were typically taken from their homes and brought to the schools.

But Sept. 30 will no longer just be known as Orange Shirt Day. Beginning this year, it marks the annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, after the Canadian government passed legislation declaring it a federal statutory day.

The decision fulfills No. 80 of 94 calls to action in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which recommended the federal government work alongside Indigenous people to establish a statutory day to “honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

Some provinces and municipalities have also chosen to mark the occasion.

British Columbia has deemed Sept. 30 a day of commemoration rather than a provincial statutory holiday, though most schools, post-secondary institutions, Crown corporations and B.C. government offices will be closed.

The bill was fast-tracked through both houses of Parliament earlier this year, shortly after the remains of about 215 children were discovered in May by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The legislation follows a private member’s bill originally introduced by the NDP in 2017 that similarly responded to the TRC’s call to action, but failed in the Senate two years later.

In the wake of that first devastating discovery, officials have used groundpenetrating radar technology to locate upwards of 1,300 more unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools across Canada this year. It remains unknown how many thousands of the approximately 150,000 First Nation, Inuit, and Métis children who attended residential schools between 1831 and 1996 died at the institutions, but it is clear an even higher number were sexually, physically and emotionally abused.

As the TRC stated, the residential school system “can best be described as ‘cultural genocide.”

Learning the way forward The significance of a federal statutory holiday dedicated to truth and reconciliation is “that there’s a commitment,” says Lil’wat linguist and educator Dr. Wanost’sa7 Lorna Williams. “And that there’s something to provoke that commitment in people. Otherwise, it wouldn’t happen.”

She continues, “A good example of that is that there are provinces that decided not to follow the federal mandate to make it a holiday. And so it’s important that it was named, and made a day for people to remember.”

Williams was also sent to St. Joseph’s Mission residential school as a child. But in 1973, the same year the institution took away Webstad’s favourite orange shirt, Williams was instead back in her home community working to establish Mount Currie’s band-controlled school—just the second school of its kind in Canada.

At that time, some Mount Currie children were already attending public school in Pemberton after the First Nations community’s federally run day school began closing grade by grade, Williams explains. She cites a plan

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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FEATURE STORY

A community tribute to Indigenous children lost to residential schools, now preserved in an SLCC dispay. PHOTO SUBMITTED. presented to the federal government in 1947 that proposed to “liquidate” Canada’s “Indian problem” within 25 years, through advancing assimilation, in part, by integrating Indigenous youth into non-Indigenous school systems.

The gist of the plan, explains Williams, “was that, ‘We failed in wiping the Indian out of the child in the residential schools,’ so they said, ‘Maybe if [children] sat and went to school with non-Indigenous people, then we might be more successful.’

“That’s why there was a move to put children into the public school, and so that was, in a sense, what motivated us to start the [band-run] school.”

Williams’ other goal was to prevent Mount Currie—which in the ‘70s fortunately had many residents who still spoke Lil’wat Nation’s traditional language, Ucwalmícwts—from following in the footsteps of other First Nations communities that had seen their languages largely replaced with English.

So, Williams got to work co-authoring the first curriculum and learning resources eventually used to teach the Lil’wat language in the school, while helping to develop a writing system for Ucwalmícwts—all without any federal support or funding.

Simultaneously, she and her colleagues were tasked with helping build relationships between students and their families, communities and the land (all relationships that residential schools worked to tear down) while easing parents’ ingrained concerns that learning about Indigenous culture could hinder their children from achieving success at school, in the Western sense.

Says Williams, “We had to figure out and to learn what colonization meant, and how to go about changing our identity from a colonized being to one in which we could have pride in being in being Lil’wat.”

In December 2019, Williams, a professor emerita and the first director of the University of Victoria’s Indigenous education program, was awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to Indigenous education and language revitalization.

Williams says she has seen a shift in recent years towards embracing landbased learning and acknowledging the importance of Indigenous culture and knowledge in education, while noting much of that shift has been driven by students themselves. With that in mind, she expresses hope that National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be used as an opportunity for Canadians to deepen their knowledge about their country’s Indigenous peoples, considering the many generations the country spent silencing Indigenous history.

32 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

One only needs to look at the information that has and has not been available in public schools and universities, Williams adds: “I can see a change, but there’s a lot more work that needs to be done.”

Part of Williams’ emphasis on education’s role in reconciliation stems from the fact that it was the primary tool used to separate Indigenous children from their languages, knowledge systems, and the land, she says. “Unless we can change it, in education, it’s very difficult for people to learn and to make sense of the place of Indigenous peoples in this country.”

But learning can continue outside of traditional classroom settings, too. For example, in the Vancouver Island city of Duncan, where a collection of more than 40 publicly displayed totem poles were first erected as a tourism driver in the ‘80s. In the last decade, the collection expanded to include comprehensive signage honouring the history of the Quw’utsun’ (Cowichan) people who created the totems, Williams explains.

Or, on the roads.

Williams recalls travelling to First Nations communities throughout B.C. around 20 years ago, and noticing that signage directing drivers to any of these areas was “non-existent” save for a handful of handwritten paper signs, often attached to trees.

“At that time, I remember I was part of a meeting with a number of different government departments, and Highways was there. And so I brought this up and it was easy for them to change it,” Williams says. “Our treatment of non-existence is so normalized, we have to do many things to actively change that mindset, and signage is one of the things that can do that.”

It’s these simple acts that can provide “an entry point for people” to begin their learning journey, Williams says.

Finding common ground Sharing Indigenous knowledge through storytelling is one of the things the Skwxwú7mesh Lilwat7úl Cultural Centre (SLCC) does best.

For example, consider the following old story: “Spo7ez was a village shared by the Squamish and Lil’wat Nation at the confluence of Rubble Creek and the Cheakamus River at Function Junction in Whistler,” reads the tale as written on

FEATURE STORY Dr. Wanosts’a7 Lorna Williams has dedicated her life to preserving and revitalizing Indigenous language, culture and knowledge.

FILE PHOTO, COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA PHOTO DEPARTMENT.

"I THINK IT'S QUITE BEAUTIFUL, TO BE HONEST … THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HONOURING THIS DAY ALREADY, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT, AND I THINK MAKING IT A STATUTORY HOLIDAY FOR SOME PEOPLE WILL HIGHLIGHT IT A BIT MORE." - GEORGINA DAN the SLCC’s website. “For many years the members of both nations lived peacefully engaging in trade and commerce.

“Over time the villagers began to disrespect one another and the Thunderbird decided to take action. He flapped his wings causing a volcano to erupt and a massive rockslide that buried the ancient village of Spo7ez under a hundred meters (sic) of rock debris. Hundreds were killed instantly as the massive rockslide swept down the mountainside to the ocean. The survivors were sent home with a message, that we’re friends, family and neighbours and we need to work together.

“This story is still told today, and is evidence of our longstanding relationship with each other and a reminder of the importance of cooperation and a peaceful coexistence.”

With that in mind, the SLCC was created to showcase the two First Nations communities that were the first inhabitants of the land now known as Whistler.

“Specifically, it’s really highlighting how Whistler was used by these two nations and still continues to be used, whether it’s in a modern way or traditionally,” says Georgina Dan, the SLCC’s cultural administration coordinator and a member of the Lil’wat Nation.

For those looking for a way to commemorate the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the centre can serve as “a stepping stone to finding answers to questions, or to maybe more questions,” she adds.

A full day of programming will be held at the SLCC on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission courtesy of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler (though donations are welcomed.)

It begins with a morning address from Squamish Nation’s Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George (her husband Skwetsimeltxw Willard “Buddy” Joseph will also be onsite to offer support, as will Gélpcal Cultural Chief Ashley Joseph and Saw’t Martina Pierre from Lil’wat Nation), followed by a spoken word performance from artist and SLCC ambassador, The Prophet.

A moment of silence will be held at noon, followed by a rendition of “Woman’s Warrior Song” by the Spo7ez Storytellers and Performance Team, while residential

school survivors from Lil’wat Nation will be on hand to share their stories and host a smudge ceremony. Throughout the day, visitors can participate in a tour, make crafts, listen to songs of reflection, and view the We were Children pop-up exhibit curated by Mixalhítsa7 Alison Pascal and installed in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A totem designed by Lil’wat Nation carver Q’awām Redmond Andrews and created alongside Squamish Nation apprentice Courtney Williams will also be unveiled, while both Andrews and Williams will speak about their summer project. Sheila Bikadi will lead an afternoon forest walk with tea.

“I don’t feel that it’s necessarily a day to celebrate, but it’s a day to honour those who have been affected, and to just take the time to listen and learn,” Dan says.

“I think it’s quite beautiful, to be honest … There are a lot of people who have been honouring this day already, but there’s also a lot of people who don’t know about it, and I think making it a statutory holiday for some people will highlight it a bit more.”

Admission will also be free throughout the weekend, from Oct. 1 to 3, courtesy of CIBC. Moody Dan, the SLCC’s manager of operations (also a member of Lil’wat Nation, but no relation to Georgina), invites the community to make the time to re-visit the centre, as each SLCC guide has unique stories and perspectives to share during their tours.

“They are all similar but each tour guide adds to their own touch to it, so [visitors] can learn from each and every single one of our tour guides here,” he says.

For those unable to make it to the SLCC in person, the centre has a host of resources available on its website, slcc.ca.

Listening and learning With the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) among the numerous communities formally recognizing Sept. 30 as National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton encourages all Whistlerites to use the day to pause and reflect.

Though the Whistler Public Library will remain closed on Thursday—as will Whistler’s municipal hall—the community is invited to stop by the library between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to receive a free book on the topic of truth and reconciliation. Included in the more than 100 fiction and non-fiction titles (for all

Sw i m . A c t ive . L i f e s tyl e - Vo t e d W h i s t l e r ’s Favo u r i t e C l o t h i n g S t o r e

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

33

FEATURE STORY

ages) being given away by staff are Phyllis’s Orange Shirt—written by Webstad—A National Crime, Indian Horse, and 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, to name just a few.

The topic of reconciliation and addressing the enduring impacts of colonialism “is something that’s been important for us to talk about, to find ways to work through personally and with our families,” Crompton says, noting, “One of the most effective things we’ve done as a family is just to talk about it at the dinner table.”

Flags will be flown at half-mast and the Fitzsimmons Bridge lit up in orange, while the municipality, in partnership with the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, will distribute Truth and Reconciliation toolkits to local businesses. The Meadow Park Sports Centre will remain open on Thursday, though no group fitness classes will be held.

Meanwhile, most full-time municipal staff will have participated in cultural awareness and sensitivity training by Oct. 1, according to the RMOW. Crompton says he’s “deeply grateful” not only to live and work on local First Nations’ unceded territory, but for the opportunity to build relationships with those communities as society embarks on “a long walk in the same direction” towards reconciliation.

“I believe a connection between Whistler and Squamish Nation and Whistler and Lil’wat Nation are critical to Whistler’s future,” he says, adding that, while beneficial, “reading a book or quiet reflection on our own simply cannot make up for what can be built by forming relationships.”

Up the highway, the Village of Pemberton (VOP) will be communicating with both staff and residents to spread the word that National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “[It] is a chance for us to commemorate the history and ongoing trauma caused by residential schools and to honour those who were lost and the survivors, families and communities who continue to grieve,” said VOP CAO Nikki Gilmore in an emailed statement.

“We will also be suggesting that we use this opportunity to recommit to

34 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

understanding the truth of our shared history, to accept and consider what each of us as individuals can do to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”

With the topic initially brought forward to Pemberton council in late August, officials discussed that, due the limited amount of time between the meeting and Sept. 30, the municipality will look at additional ways of recognizing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in the future, Gilmore added.

Outside of listening, learning and wearing orange, Williams has a tip for those looking to support reconciliation on Thursday and in the years ahead: “Maintain the pressure on leaders and people of authority to continue to work alongside Indigenous people to build our relationship in a way that’s respectful and honouring.” n

SLCC ambassador, cultural leader and Lil’wat Nation artist Qawam Redmond Andrews. PHOTO BY LOGAN SWAYZE.

September 30 National Day FOR

TRUTH

Thursday, September 30th is now a federal statutory holiday to recognize the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools. Everyone is encouraged to reflect on the intergenerational harm that residential schools have caused Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.

Reflect on our History. Connect to the Land.

Free Admission September 30, October 1 - 3: 10AM - 5PM

September 30 Programming lineup: 10:00 AM • Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George 10:45 AM • Spoken word Artist and SLCC Ambassador, The Prophet

NOON • Minute of silence 12:01 PM • Martina Pierre, Woman’s Warrior Song, Spo7ez Storytellers and Performance Team 2:00 PM • Stories from survivors 3:00 PM • Sheila Bikadi, Tea with the forest ALL DAY • What We Treasure Tours (11am, 2pm, 4pm), pledge crafts, songs of reflection, ‘We were children’ pop-up exhibit

LEARN MORE: slcc.ca/ndtr

Free admission made possible thanks to the generous support of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler September 30 and CIBC October 1-3.

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Visit Whistler’s authentic Indigenous experience Steps from the base of Blackcomb Gondola

4584 Blackcomb Way, Whistler BC

SPORTS THE SCORE

Whistler wins 2025 luge world championships bid DECISION COMES ONE YEAR AFTER 2021 WORLD CHAMPS WERE PULLED FROM WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE AMID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS

BY MEGAN LALONDE JUST OVER ONE YEAR after having the 2021 International Luge Federation (FIL) World Championships pulled from its events schedule, the Whistler Sliding Centre can look forward to hosting the prestigious event once again.

Whistler has officially been awarded the 2025 Luge World Championships, confirmed a vote by FIL Congress delegates in Salzburg, Austria on Sept. 25.

The last time the sliding centre hosted the Luge World Championships was in 2013—during Whistler Sport Legacies president and CEO Roger Soane’s first week on the job.

“I just think it’s great that it will then be 15 years beyond the [2010] Olympics, and we’re still hosting world-class events,” Soane said. “There were a lot of doubters within the community [and] within government that we could keep legacies performing as long as we have.”

The track built for the 2010 Games won the 2025 world championships with 14 votes, while Swiss challenger St. Mortiz earned 11 votes, according to a release.

Two other bidders, Lake Placid, N.Y. and Sigulda, Latvia, agreed to withdraw

WHISTLER WINS After losing the 2021 World Championships last year, the Whistler Sliding Centre will host the event in 2025. Pictured is local luger Reid Watts at the 2019 FIL World Cup. FILE PHOTO BY DAN FALLOON

36 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

their candidature prior to the vote considering Whistler wasn’t able to host the 2021 FIL World Championships due to the pandemic. The FIL last September decided to hold the season’s championships in Europe, considering Canada’s strict COVID19 border restrictions, which were in place at the time.

“It’s a great testament to the team at our venues that keep on producing these great events,” Soane said.

“We have facilities that are still looked

the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

Hosting world championships on home ice typically reduces Canadian athletes’ travel costs, opening up more spots and more opportunities for local athletes to slide on the world stage while on a familiar track, noted Soane.

“It really is entertaining to watch these kids who have grown up in Whistler finally reach the world stage,” he said.

“It’s what the legacies are all about.

And I’m sure by 2025, we will have a new

“It’s a great testament to the team at our venues that keep on producing these great events. We have facilities that are still looked upon as being some of the best in the world.”

- ROGER SOANE

upon as being some of the best in the world.”

That said, an opportunity to host events like a world championships often translates into an opportunity to improve WSL facilities, said Soane. “Every time we do something we realize that we are getting older.”

While the WSC track itself is “in great shape,” Soane highlighted the venue’s spectator facilities as one aspect of the event experience that could use some enhancement.

Adding to the excitement is the fact that the 2025 World Championships will be one of the final major luge events taking place before

crop of athletes that are willing to, and ready to take that next step. Whether they will make the Olympics, who knows, but our luge program is one of the programs that is populated by kids that are in the Sea to Sky corridor.”

Major international events are beneficial to the resort beyond the Whistler Sliding Centre’s walls, Soane explained, even if the vast majority of tourists flock here to slide down the mountain on skis rather than sleds.

“These events are always televised, and they’re televised in some of our biggest

markets where sliding is very much a key sport,” Soane said. “In Germany and Latvia, Russia, these will be on the highlight reels in these countries. So it sort of gives us exposure as a result, but it also attracts people so you know you have these people that will follow the circuit and go to different areas.”

Echoed Luge Canada sport director Stephen Harris in a release: “Hosting a World Cup in your own country is of great importance and offers great opportunities to promote the sport. The impact of the 2021 World Championships cancellation was seen both on the revenue side and in our ability to showcase the sport of luge across Canada.

“With the 2025 World Championships, we can raise awareness and increase recruitment of young talent to the sport of luge.”

Luckily, Whistlerites won’t have to wait until 2025 to watch some high-level sliding—even without any luge, bobsled or skeleton world-cup stops scheduled for the Whistler track this season. The sliding centre is currently gearing up to host International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) North American Cup races this fall, from Nov. 4 to 14.

The event will largely feature racers from smaller nations and up-and-coming North American athletes, said Soane, adding that the event is not ticketed.

“So you’ll be able to come in and watch them train for free, watch them race for free, and it’s a sort of a great introduction to see how the sport operates and see some of the young athletes that may be going to the Olympics in 2026.” n

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

37

EPICURIOUS

‘It’s like I found a cheese vortex’: Welcome to the Cheese Pusherman Roadhouse CHEF MIKE MUELLER’S NEW RESTAURANT AND CHEESEMAKING STUDIO TAPS INTO SEA TO SKY’S CHEESE OBSESSION

BY BRANDON BARRETT IT’S NO HUGE surprise that many, many people love cheese, but even Mike Mueller was taken aback by the response he’s received so far to his new Cheese Pusherman Roadhouse, a restaurant and cheesemaking studio set to open next month in Mount Currie.

“The love that I’ve gotten is just insane. It’s like I found a cheese vortex.

There’s no other way to explain it. It’s as if people have never had cheese before,” said the Quebec native.

Located in the farmhouse that used to be home to Barn Nork, Mueller’s shop is scheduled to open Oct. 17, and will include a dining and educational component. The restaurant will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and each and every menu item will be based on one of the cheeses Mueller makes in-house.

“So anything on the menu, whether it be onion soup or raclette or a grilled cheese sandwich or poutine, whatever it may be, there is no ethnic or food-style line to follow other than they all have to have cheese in them, and every cheese used has to be made by me here,” he explained. “All cheese, all the time—including the Saturday morning cheese brunch.”

CHEESE THE DAY Mike Mueller’s new Cheese Pusherman Roadhouse in Mount Currie will offer a variety of cheesemaking workshops along with a sit-down restaurant.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

38 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

The workshops, meanwhile, will be split into two: one for soft cheeses, held on Sundays, such as brie, feta, mozzarella, ricotta and cream cheese; and one for hard cheeses, on Mondays, for alpine-style cheeses such as Swiss, gouda, Jarlsberg, and one of Mueller’s favourites, the northern German-style Bergkäse. (For the vegans and lactose-intolerant, have no fear: he is developing a vegan cheese, but said he needs two to three months to perfect it.)

In case you couldn’t tell, Mueller is really serious about cheese, and he has taken to his craft in short order.

“My history in the world of cheese is rather short-lived,” he said.

For those first few months, Mueller said he questioned his newfound passion, but after connecting with an avid cheesemaking community online, he began to learn the ropes. Fast. It wasn’t long before several high-profile cheesemakers saw his potential and began mentoring him.

“For me, it turned out to be a creative passion. Milk for me is my blank canvas,” he mused. “There’s this whole creative, artistic aspect, which is why I call myself a cheese creator and not an entrepreneur or a fromage maker. I create pieces of art that you can eat at the end.”

Although he is no stranger to developing his own unique recipes, you could say

“All these things go back centuries and centuries. The older the recipe is that I can find, the happier I am.”

- MIKE MUELLER

In fact, it was only after the chef and hotelier was laid up with COVID-19, and like so many of us, was reflecting on the next phase in life, that he happened upon a cheesemaking video on YouTube. He was instantly hooked.

“It turns out that I have an affinity and a knack for it that I didn’t even know I had.

It’s like all of a sudden realizing, ‘Damn, I can sing. I have a voice.’ I always just thought I was screaming,” he said.

Mueller is something of a classicist when it comes to his art. He prefers wooden utensils over stainless steel, has scoured the province for the best milk he can find, and tends to rely on generations-old recipes from across northern Europe.

“Like my brie and my Bergkäse and all these cheeses I make, they have the name that everybody knows, but when you see my brie, it looks totally different than what you buy in the store. It tastes 10

times better. It has the same creaminess, but it’s even creamier. The bloom all of a sudden is intertwined with veins because of the way I turn it and age it on bamboo mats instead of plastic mats, so it gets those little grooves in there,” he said.

“All these things go back centuries and centuries. The older the recipe is that I can find, the happier I am.”

A prolific wanderer, Mueller spent much of his life ping-ponging from various locales around the globe. So how did he end up in a sleepy farm town not exactly known for its cheese? Well, it’s kind of a funny story. Mueller and his partner were on their way to Salt Spring Island, very much a haven for B.C. cheese lovers, to look at potential properties. Driving through Mount Currie, Mueller spotted a for-lease sign and realized it was the same location as the old Wicked Wheel he used to frequent more than two decades ago. “‘I used to hang there all the time. There’s no way that place is available,’” he thought.

Mueller pulled over and called the owner immediately, who was out of town for the week. So Mueller and his partner decided to stick around until the owner returned. Two days later, the shop was his.

“The last time I was in Pemberton was 25 years ago, so there is no way Pemberton was on my radar for cheese eclecticness because back then this was a rough, little town,” said Mueller. “Now all of a sudden it’s full of loving food hippies.”

Learn more at thecheesepusherman. com or follow Mueller on Instagram @thecheesepusherman. n

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ARTS SCENE

Spenny doesn’t want to be your punching bag IN AN AGE OF EGOTISM, THE KENNY VS. SPENNY STAR STICKS TO HIS MORALS

BY BRANDON BARRETT IT’S BEEN MORE than a decade since the award-winning, unlikely Canadian reality TV sensation, Kenny vs. Spenny, aired its final episode, but that hasn’t stopped scores of the show’s fans from playing into one of its longest running themes, which, to oversimplify, is essentially Spencer Ricer playing eternal punching bag to Kenny Hotz’s Machiavellian scheming.

“It was obviously a very popular show and something I love and am very proud of, but at the same time, I still get it,” Rice, 58, tells Pique.

“You know the show, The Office, the American version? I happened upon a YouTube interview with [Rainn Wilson, the actor who played beet farmer] Dwight Schrute. He goes through the same shit I do.

Obviously his show is monstrously popular, where he’ll post some meal he’s eating with his wife and all the comments are, ‘How come there’s no beets in it?’” he adds. “That’s my life. There’s nothing I can post where I don’t get, ‘You owe Wolfish money. You rape pugs,’ and all the gaslighting Kenny has done.

That’s still a part of my career.”

His latest tour, dubbed the Spenaissance, is at least in part an effort to get out from under the shadow of Kenny vs. Spenny, which saw the

SPENAISSANCE MAN Spencer Rice, co-star of the hit Canadian reality TV series Kenny vs. Spenny, will be playing his brand of music and comedy at Buffalo Bills on Oct. 3.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

40 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

lifelong friends and rivals compete in a series of increasingly outlandish competitions, with the loser forced to endure often unthinkable humiliations. (The one where Spenny eats the viscous, cigarette-laden mucous scraped directly from Kenny’s tongue is, for my money, one of the most disgusting things to ever hit primetime Canadian TV.) A blues player since childhood, Rice’s tour—which stops in Whistler next month— combines music and comedy, with Rice showing clips from Kenny vs. Spenny and his other, lesser-known productions, like X-Rayted and Confessions of a Porn Addict, as well as playing tunes on his six-string

professional life. When I speak with him, he is on his way to a live Kenny vs. Spenny stage show in Waterloo, Ont., and both Hotz and Rice have made public appeals for the show to be revived over the years.

Of course, much has changed in both comedy and the wider culture since the show debuted, somewhat unbelievably, on CBC in 2003. (Rice maintains the public broadcaster cancelled the series after its first season—it eventually wound up on Showcase—because it aired right before the evening news, and droves of Canadians tuning in to watch Peter Mansbridge were scandalized by the episodeclosing humiliations.)

“We’re both—and people are surprised by me— very against the cancel culture and how it plays out in comedy. That’s not just raw self-interest.

We live in a time, it seems, when there is no room for nuance and complication.”

- SPENCER RICE

acoustic, steel resonator and harmonica.

“These are songs that I’ve loved. It’s not a commercial venture for me; it’s a labour of love,” he says. “And if people go in and haven’t heard me before, they sort of go in with low expectations and I can pretty easily exceed them because I’ve been playing for 40 years.”

As much as Rice wants to shift audiences’ perceptions of him, it’s clear the show he is most known for remains a huge part of his

So, could the show get made in today’s climate?

“Probably not. I think you could say that,” Rice says. “We’re both—and people are surprised by me—very against the cancel culture and how it plays out in comedy. That’s not just raw self-interest.

We live in a time, it seems, when there is no room for nuance and complication.”

For all its juvenile interests—I mean, the show included such competitions as “Who

Can Blow the Biggest Fart?”; “Who Can Produce the Most Semen?”; and, a personal favourite, “Who Can Wear a Dead Octopus on their Head the Longest?”—Kenny vs.

Spenny is the kind of series that snuck in deeper, philosophical themes of good versus evil, egotism versus empathy that have only become more prescient as time went on. All you have to do is look at Donald Trump, whose arrogant blustering and deceitful, winat-all-costs approach are taken right from the Kenny playbook. Spenny, meanwhile, turned his earnest, liberal worldview into one of the show’s long-running gags.

“The good guy became the bad guy, and that’s kind of how I looked at it. If they’re going to make fun of me for wanting to save gorillas and talking about the environment and things I think are really important, unbelievably important, frankly, then I’m going to up the notch and just be obnoxious about it,” Rice says. “You look at The Sopranos or anything, people have always liked the bad guy. But it never seeped into reality quite like I see it right now. With the pandemic and this whole thing with masks, 2,000 people a day are dying on average in the United States, and you’ve got these people saying that wearing a fucking mask is somehow tantamount to Nazi Germany or some kind of government anti-freedom [campaign]. It’s gone way past where I ever thought it could go, and it’s really happening, which is great for the Spenny persona because I can fight against that stuff.”

Rice will be playing at Buffalo Bills on Oct. 3, starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20, or $35 for a VIP meet-and-greet after the show, available at loveoflive.ca. n

ARTS SCENE

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ROCK AND A HARD PLACE Vancouver climber Harvey Wright climbs his way out of depression and anxiety in the short documentary, Crux, screening as part of the Whistler stop on the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival World Tour on Oct. 2.

PHOTO BY CASEY DUBOIS

Climbing film Crux anchors Whistler stop of VIMFF tour VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL IS FIRST IN-PERSON EVENT IN MAURY YOUNG THEATRE SINCE EARLY 2020

BY BRANDON BARRETT WHEN CLIMBER Harvey Wright is in his room alone, feeling the anxiety creep in, he doesn’t always understand what’s happening to him. But that all slowly melts away when he’s on the wall of the Stawamus Chief, dangling precariously from the rock face.

“The emotions when you’re actually climbing compared to him being isolated in his room, there’s a lot of parallels, but Harvey says it best about how when he’s on the wall, he can move through all that anxiety, the emotion, the fear, whatever he’s actually going through, and he understands what is happening,” says Squamish’s Casey Dubois, co-director of the award-winning short documentary, Crux, alongside North Vancouver’s Zac Hoffman.

The anchor of the Whistler stop on this year’s Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) tour, Crux tells the powerful story of Wright, a Vancouverbased climber and recovering addict who is open about his mental-health struggles that only seemed to worsen in the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Wright’s saving grace was and is climbing, a way for him to reconnect with nature and himself, and he serves as the centrepiece of the film.

“There are many reasons I think why [his story] spoke to us. One is his life story in general from our first interview and hearing how intricate his life has been and what he’s been able to go through and then how he got into climbing,” explains Dubois. “He’s someone who wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s able to really show his vulnerability in such a powerful and positive way.”

Shot primarily in Squamish, Crux is one of five VIMFF docs that will be playing Oct. 2 at the Maury Young Arts Centre, selected specifically for a local audience

by Arts Whistler. The other films are Par for the Course, about an African-American woman from Brooklyn who takes on California’s gruelling Broken Arrow Sky

Race; Metanoia, about the Mountain Tribe Crew’s ski-touring adventure through the Ötztal Alps; Motherload, about parents who adventure with their children in the great outdoors; and Venture Out, detailing the Venture Out Project, a non-profit that brings the LBGTQ community together on outdoor wilderness trips.

“What we aimed for this year when we were picking out from the main body of films were … films based on resilience and self-confidence and also reflections on things like mental health and wellness,” explains Anna Lynch, venue, sales and service supervisor for Arts Whistler.

Along with the usual themes of outdoor recreation and the wild, the VIMFF entries this year took on decidedly larger social issues as well, reflecting a wider trend in the outdoor world, says festival tour manager Dylan Morgan.

“I’m very excited to see this broadening of the community, and the festival and film communities starting to take on important social roles,” he says. “Traditionally the outdoor industry hasn’t dealt with it, because the outdoor community has been a bit of a snowstorm. It’s been predominantly white, largely male-dominated.”

To that end, Morgan says there are plans in the works for a series of clinics and outdoor events held next summer as part of the festival that will touch on some of these social issues.

Only the second official VIMFF Whistler tour stop after events worldwide were mostly shut down due to COVD last year, it also represents the first in-person event at the Maury Young Theatre since early 2020.

“We’re really excited to be able to have audiences back in the Maury Young this winter,” Lynch says. “It’s the first of many events we have coming up this fall, including many ski films.”

Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors at 7. The show is a 19-plus event, and tickets are $20, available at artswhistler. com. There will also be door prizes from Scandinave Spa, Jesse McNaught Styling, and presenting sponsor Arc’teryx. n

Become a Docent at the Audain Art Museum The Audain Art Museum is now inviting local and seasonal residents to volunteer as part of its growing Docent program. Docents are responsible for leading private and public tours of the Museum’s Permanent Collection of BC art and temporary exhibitions from across Canada and around the world.

Key Qualities of Prospective Docents •

Friendly and outgoing individuals with an interest in meeting visitors to Whistler as well as local residents, while engaging in dynamic discussions of art

•

Individuals who are interested in learning about art and sharing it with Museum visitors

•

Individuals that want to be part of the Museum’s larger effort to become a premier cultural venue in Canada

A meeting for current and prospective Docents will be held at the Museum at 11:00am on Wednesday, October 6 th.

To register for this meeting please contact: Paige Keith at pkeith@audainartmuseum.com or 604.962.0413 ext. 110.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

41

ARTS SCENE

Gail Anderson-Dargatz’ new novel checks all the thriller boxes—and then some BOOK REVIEW: THE ALMOST WIFE BY GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ

BY ALLI VAIL I HAVE AN internal checklist when I’m reading a thriller. Unreliable narrator.

Check. Mysterious past. Check. People behaving badly. Check. Big lies, little lies.

Check. Atmospheric setting and/or creepy or ostentatious house. Check. Hints that maybe the “great’’ guy isn’t as good as anyone wants to believe. Check.

The Almost Wife, by Gail AndersonDargatz, checks all my boxes and adds some elements I didn’t know I wanted, like a secretive teenage girl, a kidnapping, and a car chase.

Kira is our narrator, and this young woman is this close to getting everything she ever wanted: a wealthy, handsome (albeit older) husband, named Aaron. She has an adorable baby, a fiancé, a sullen teenaged almost-stepdaughter named Olive from Aaron’s first marriage, and a beautiful luxury home.

I don’t love the idea that a woman desperately wants to marry an older,

wealthy husband—it hurts my feminist brain—but Kira’s reasons help readers empathize with why she wants comfort and a safe harbour in her life. Despite her mercenary approach to her life choices, Kira displays naivety, which reminds the reader she’s still a very young woman.

The Almost Wife is a thriller, so readers can expect things to go from serene and comfortable to absolute chaos in a couple of pages.

Kira’s big problem? Madison, Aaron’s second ex-wife. If you’re a frequent reader of domestic thrillers, your alarm bells are already going off. This is what makes thrillers so devourable. The reader is already primed to jump at shadows and be suspicious of everybody—which is a valid response in The Almost Wife. Secrets abound and everyone is desperate to protect theirs.

Madison is trying to steal Olive, and turn her against Aaron. It’s working. After a physical confrontation with Madison while Aaron is away, Kira packs up both children and flees to the remote Manitoulin Island (where there is almost no cellphone service— another thriller staple). Madison, not to be

Grand Opening Block Party Oct. 2, 11AM-3PM

-Art Show and Silent auction -BBQ -Dunk Tank -Bouncy Castle

THRILL RIDE Gail Anderson-Dargatz will be reading from her new novel, The Almost Wife, at Thrills, Chills and Authors Who Kill on Oct. 16, part of the 20th annual Whistler Writers Festival.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

dissuaded from her mission to reconnect with Olive, follows her and the chase is on.

The descriptions of Manitoulin Island are alternatively idyllic and menacing. The wilderness provides a darkly oppressive atmosphere, both for Kira’s past (which comes to the forefront with a vengeance once she’s on the island) and for her fight for her future.

The Almost Wife is a new turn for the twice Scotiabank Giller Prize-nominated AndersonDargatz—it’s her first thriller. She nails it.

Alli Vail is a content producer and writer living in Vancouver. She works with the Whistler Writers Festival.

Gail Anderson-Dargatz reads at the Thrills, Chills and Authors Who Kill: A Murder Mystery and Discussion with Five Thriller Writers event on Oct. 16 at 1:15 p.m. and leads the From Literary Novel to Thriller: Crossing Genres to Add New Life to Your Craft workshop on Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. For tickets, visit whistlerwritersfest.com. n

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ARTS NEWS

DOG’S DAY The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, was one of the films announced last week for the 21st edition of the Whistler Film Festival.

PHOTO BY KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX

Whistler Film Festival unveils first films for 21st edition ORGANIZERS ANNOUNCE SIX WORLD PREMIERES AND ONE SPECIAL PRESENTATION FOR FESTIVAL’S HYBRID ONLINE/ IN-PERSON EVENT

BY BRANDON BARRETT MOVIE BUFFS got their first glimpse at the lineup for the 21st edition of the Whistler Film Festival (WFF) this week, with a number of world premieres on tap.

Kicking off Dec. 1, the WFF will feature six world premieres and one special presentation of the acclaimed Netflix film, The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, and directed by Academy Awardwinner Jane Campion (The Piano).

“After a challenging year where we truly

Valerie Buhagiar; Confessions of a Hitman, directed by and starring Luc Picard; Evelyne, directed by Carl Bessai; Inès, directed by Renée Beaulieu; and The Secret Society, directed by Rebecca Campbell.

“These have been exciting times for the programming team, as we were delighted to discover that the quality and quantity of new productions completed over the challenging last year were equal to, if not superior to, what we have seen in prior years,” observed Paul Gratton, WFF’s director of programming, in the release.

“Creativity and inspiration, especially from the Canadian artists that we support with direct revenue-sharing, have never been

“[T]he quality and quantity of new productions completed over the challenging last year were equal to, if not superior to, what we have seen in prior years.”

- PAUL GRATTON innovated, researched and reimagined our festival, we’re thrilled to be able to present a hybrid festival experience and welcome our film fans and filmmaker community back to Whistler to enjoy films in theatre while also bringing our online national audience along for the ride,” said festival executive director Angela Heck in a release. “As always, our lineup spotlights new regional, national, and international cinematic talent and amplifies diverse voices while offering connections to the industry through the Content Summit and Talent Programs. We’re excited to connect our audiences with the energy and vitality of independent film.”

The six world premieres, five of which are eligible for WFF’s Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature and the $35,000 prize package, are: Altar Boy, directed

by Serville Poblete; Carmen, directed by

more important to us as we look forward to much better days ahead. Hopefully, this year’s WFF lineup will help set the tone for recovery in the months ahead.”

Held in a hybrid online/in-person format, this year’s event will allow moviegoers to stream up to 100 films, access filmmaker Q&As and attend a virtual awards celebration through WFF’s online screening platform. The online portion of the festival is scheduled for Dec. 1 to 31.

In-person screenings and events will take place from Dec. 1 to 5, while the industry-focused Content Summit will be presented both in-person and online from Dec. 1 to 10.

Ticket packs and passes to stream WFF online are available through the festival’s online box office at whistlerfilmfestival. com/tickets. n

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

43

MUSEUM MUSINGS

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SHELVING IT Library usage grew from the minute the Whistler Public Library opened its doors in 1995, and that remains true today in the new building it has operated out of since 2008.

PHOTO BY WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION

Completing the library

BY ALLYN PRINGLE WHEN THE WHISTLER Public Library (WPL) opened in January 1995 at its portable location on Main Street, it more than doubled its space and was able to expand its collection and services. By the end of the year, visits had also more than doubled to 50,000 and the Whistler Public Library Association (WPLA) was already looking ahead to a new location.

WPL offered patrons more than the opportunity to borrow books. The new library had two public-access computers that, for a charge, could be used for internet access and word-processing. Patrons could also take home cassettes, CDs, videos and magazines and the library continued to offer popular programs such as storytimes and summer reading club. The increased usage of the library and constantly growing collection meant that WPL grew out of its temporary space quickly.

The lot on which the library portables were placed had been set aside for parking and the library was meant to move into a permanent location by 1999. The WPLA and staff expected to stay in the portables on Main Street for only three to five years. In October 1995, WPLA board members attended a building planning workshop, followed by a community workshop in November.

Anne Townley, then the chair of the WPLA, said it was important to gather comments from community members and library patrons, as “the Whistler library should be tailored to Whistler needs.” As an example of one such need, Townley mentioned that many people lived in “cramped quarters” and may be coming to the library because they didn’t have any place at home that they could read or work quietly. At the November meeting, the WPLA was told that, to the community, the library was a space for “research, socialization, relaxation and education” and a “cornerstone of the community.”

Despite early planning, fundraising efforts and a lot of hard work, the library remained in the portables past the 1999 deadline. Plans for the building went through various changes before the groundbreaking ceremony in 2005.

In 1996, the WPLA and Whistler Museum and Archives Society formed a joint building committee and went so far as to present plans for a shared building to council before parting ways in 2003. In 1997, the WPLA voted to become a municipal library. When millennium projects were announced in 1998, the municipality chose to make the library building its project, though it was delayed until after the completion of the community project (a new Whistler Skiers’ Chapel facility) to avoid direct competition. Finally, plans were confirmed and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in June 2005.

Changes were made not only to building plans over this time, but also to the library portables. By 2000, the combination of multiple leaks and carpeted floors led to complaints from library patrons of a slight smell of mildew, though it did not stop library usage from continuing to grow. In the summer of 2001, the municipal building department added an additional layer of shelves on top of the present stacks and then added new shelves to the children’s area that winter. To hold its growing collection in preparation for a new building, the library purchased a storage container in 2002.

To familiarize the community with the new building, the building plans were painted onto the parking lot outside the portables and patrons were able to wander (or play tag) through the future spaces of the library. Delays and cost increases related to a boom in construction, however, meant that they were not able to see the physical spaces until 2008.

Jan. 6, 2008, marked the last day of library operations in the portables. On Jan. 13, patrons took part in Books on the Move, when a long line of community members moved one book each onto shelves in the new building (the rest of the books were then moved by a professional moving company).

Just days before the official opening and ribbon-cutting on Jan. 26, library staff was still cataloguing and shelving books while electricians finished working around them.

Just like in 1995, library usage increased by more than 100 per cent during its first year in the new (and current) building.

The library continues to grow its collection and programs each year and adapt to meet community needs. n

PARTIAL RECALL

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SCHOOL’S OUT Whistler Waldorf High School’s outdoor education students kicked off autumn with a week-long excursion to Marriot Basin, near Mount Currie. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 2 ADRENALINE JUNKY Sliding season is fast approaching, but Luge Canada athlete Natalie Corless couldn’t wait any longer to put on her race suit and get the adrenaline pumping. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 3 WAM BAM Runners make their descent from Loggers Lake during the 60-kilometre Whistler Alpine Meadows race, put on by Coast Mountain Trail Running, on Saturday, Sept. 25. PHOTO BY TY HOLTAN. 4 PAR-TEE SHIRTS Jackson Cooper, Ella Clarke, Taylor Hanscom and Jonathan Eastwell from Whistler Community Services stuck to the theme during Zero Ceiling Society’s “Par-Tee” charity golf tournament, held at the Whistler Golf Club on Thursday, Sept. 23. PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH / OISINMCHUGHPHOTOGRPHY.COM 5 ROTARY RACKET The Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium gathered at the 1

Whistler Racquet Club on Thursday, Sept. 23 for the first-ever Rotary “Play for the Cause” pickleball event. The occasion raised more than $3,200 for the club’s projects—including working with First Nations groups, supporting youth and working to help protect the Sea to Sky’s natural environment. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 6 Crankworx B.C.’s Golden stop on Sept. 26. PHOTO BY CLINT TRAHAN.

BREW SHOE Revelstoke’s Casey Brown celebrates with a Whistler Brewing Hazy Trail Pale Ale shoey after winning the legendary Mt7 Psychosis downhill event during

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ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology 604•902•1891 www.heikedesigns.com

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Resort Municipality of Whistler

Valley Trail Detour ±

R

2.5 ha

R

_ ^

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_ ^ _ ^

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Potential Access Points

Stand Plots Threat Plots Trail Treatment Unit Highway 99 Road Private Land 20m Contours

0

37.5

75

150 m

On October 12, fuel thinning crews will begin treating areas near Whistler Secondary School. Work will take place between the high school and the Valley Trail as well as north of the school grounds. Closure of the Valley Trail will be required from the Rainbow neighborhood intersection to the Alpine Meadows intersection at Highway 99 and Alpine Way. Please use the Valley Trail on the west side of Highway 99.

The project is expected to take one month to complete.

Learn more about these and other fuel reduction projects at whistler.ca/FuelThinning.

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 30 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blogger AnaSophia was asked, “What do you find attractive in a person?” I’ll reproduce her reply because it’s a good time to think about what your answer would be. I’m not implying you should be looking for a new lover. I’m interested in inspiring you to ruminate about what alliances you should cultivate during the coming months. Here’s what AnaSophia finds attractive: “strong desire but not neediness, passionate sensitivity, effortlessness, authenticity, innocence of perception, sense of humour, vulnerability and honesty, embodying one’s subtleties and embracing one’s paradoxes, acting unconditionally and from the heart.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus author Roberto Bolaño confessed, “Sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.” I appreciate his honesty.

I think what he says is true about most of us. Is there anyone who is always ready for the heavy responsibility of pursuing greatness? Doubtful. To be great, we must periodically go through phases when we recharge our energy and take a break from being nobly ambitious.

What about you, dear Taurus? If I’m reading the omens correctly, you will benefit from a phase of reinvention and reinvigoration. During the next three weeks, you’ll be wise to hang out in the shadows of greatness.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having,” wrote religious writer C. S. Lewis. That advice is 10 times more important right now than it usually is. For the sake of your body’s and soul’s health, you need to indulge in sprees of playful amusement and blithe delight and tension-relieving merriment. And all that good stuff will work its most potent magic if it stimulates pleasures that are unique to you— and not necessarily in line with others’ tastes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “It is one thing to learn about the past,” wrote Cancerian journalist Kenneth Auchincloss. “It is another to wallow in it.” That’s stellar advice for you to incorporate in the coming weeks. After studying your astrological omens, I’m enthusiastic about you exploring the old days and old ways. I’m hoping that you will discover new clues you’ve overlooked before and that this further information will inspire you to re-envision your life story. But as you conduct your explorations, it’s also crucial to avoid getting bogged down in sludgy emotions like regret or resentment. Be inspired by your history, not demoralized by it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Would you like to deepen and strengthen your capacity to concentrate? Cosmic rhythms will conspire in your favour if you work on this valuable skill in the coming weeks. You’ll be able to make more progress than would normally be possible. Here’s pertinent advice from author Harriet Griffey: “Whenever you feel like quitting, just do five more—five more minutes, five more exercises, five more pages—which will extend your focus.” Here’s another tip: Whenever you feel your concentration flagging, remember what it is you love about the task you’re doing. Ruminate about its benefits for you and others.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What’s your favourite feeling? Here’s Virgo poet Mary Szybist’s answer to that question: hunger. She’s not speaking about the longing for food, but rather the longing for everything precious, interesting, and meaningful. She adores the mood of “not yet,” the experience of moving toward the desired thing. What would be your response to the question, Virgo? I’m guessing you may at times share Szybist’s perspective. But given the current astrological omens, your favourite feeling right now may be utter satisfaction—the gratifying sensation of getting what you’ve hungered for. I say, trust that intuition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the English language, the words “naked” and “nude” have different connotations.

Art critic Kenneth Clark noted that “naked” people depicted in painting and sculpture are “deprived of

clothes,” and embarrassed as a result. Being “nude,” on the other hand, has “no uncomfortable overtone,” but indicates “a balanced, prosperous, and confident body.”

I bring this to your attention because I believe you would benefit from experiencing extra nudity and no nakedness in the days ahead. If you choose to take on this assignment, please use it to upgrade your respect and reverence for your beauty. PS: Now is also a favourable time to express your core truths without inhibition or apology. I urge you to be your pure self in all of your glory.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Anne Sexton wrote, “One has to get their own animal out of their own cage and not look for either an animal keeper or an unlocker.” That’s always expert advice, but it will be extra vital for you to heed in the coming weeks. The gorgeous semi-wild creature within you needs more room to run, more sights to see, more adventures to seek. For that to happen, it needs to spend more time outside of its cage.

And you’re the best person to make sure that happens.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) could be a marvellous friend. If someone he cared for was depressed or feeling lost, he would invite them to sit in his presence as he improvised music on the piano. There were no words, no advice—only emotionally stirring melodies.

“He said everything to me,” one friend said about his gift. “And finally gave me consolation.” I invite you to draw inspiration from his example, Sagittarius. You’re at the peak of your powers to provide solace, comfort, and healing to allies who need such nurturing. Do it in whatever way is also a blessing for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): At age 23, Capricornborn Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764) became French King Louis XV’s favourite mistress. She was not born into aristocracy, but she wielded her Capricornian flair with supreme effectiveness. Ultimately, she achieved a noble title as well as high prestige and status in the French court. As is true for evolved Capricorns, her elevated role was well-deserved, not the result of vulgar social-climbing. She was a patron of architecture, porcelain artwork, and France’s top intellectuals. She ingratiated herself to the King’s wife, the Queen, and served as an honoured assistant. I propose we make her your role model for the next four weeks. May she inspire you to seek a boost in your importance and clout that’s accomplished with full integrity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The bad news is that artist Debbie Wagner was diagnosed with two brain tumours in 2002. The good news is that surgery not only enabled her to survive, but enhanced her visual acuity.

The great news is that on most days since 2005, she has painted a new image of the sunrise. I invite you to dream up a ritual to celebrate your own victory over adversity, Aquarius. Is there a generous gesture or creative act you could do on a semi-regular basis to thank life for providing you with the help and power you needed?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A self-described “anarchist witch” named Lars writes on his Tumblr blog, “I am a ghost from the 1750s, and my life is currently in the hands of a group of suburban 13-year-olds using a ouija board to ask me if Josh from homeroom has a crush on them.” He’s implying that a powerful supernatural character like himself is being summoned to do tasks that are not worthy of him.

He wishes his divinatory talents were better used. Are there any resemblances between you and him, Pisces? Do you ever feel as if you’re not living up to your promise? That your gifts are not being fully employed? If so, I’m pleased to predict that you could fix this problem in the coming weeks and months. You will have extra energy and savvy to activate your full potential.

Homework. Describe the status quo situation you’re tired of, and how you’re going to change it. https://Newsletter.

FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

Resort Municipality of Whistler Whistler.ca/FuelThinning

46 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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

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Whistler Superior Properties Front Desk / Guest Services Agent This is a full time, year round position which will require working some evenings and weekends.

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Warehouse Lien act the following Registered Owners below are indebted to Cooper’s Towing Ltd. for unpaid towing and storage fees plus any related charges that may accrue.

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1. Latorre, Paula 2008 Honda Civic VIN: 2HGFG12338H005625 $1,421.70 2. Jervis, Timothy 2008 PJ Trailer VIN: 4P5CC142581108387 $1923.60 3. Yeongdong, Seo 2003 Ford Focus VIN: 1FAFP36353W265013 $1482.60 4. Kailum, Mackenzie 1997 Toyota Camry VIN: 4T1BG22K1VU160642 $1453.20 The vehicles are currently being stored at Cooper’s Towing Ltd 1212 Alpha Lake Rd Whistler, BC, V0N 1B1 For more information, please call Cooper’s Towing Ltd. @ 604-902-1930 PMFA NOTICE OF AGM Pemberton Meadows Fire Association’s AGM will be held at the Riverland Red Barn October 7 2021 at 7PM. Everyone welcome!

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STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING HAS SUCCESSFULLY TURNED INTO WHISTL ER’S FAVOURITE WATER SPORT

16

EMPLOYEE DROUGHT for help from the feds

Employers hoping to find workers

20

CAUGHT IN CLOSURE A

rescue from behind a

hiker recounts washed-out trail

32

FESTIVAL’S FUTURE Angela

the reins of the Whistler

Heck takes Film Festival

WWW.PIQUENEWSMA GAZINE.COM

AUGUST 26, 2021 ISSUE 28.34

FREE WHEELIN’

14

SUMMER LOVIN’

17

RMOW mostly happy

with Summer Experience Plan

ELECTION PREVIEW

38

The environment and

labour are top of mind in B.C.

and Whistler

PUBLISHING MACHINE The Sea has produced a lot of published

to Sky

authors

November 1 - November 8: 9am - 5pm

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Rescuing a rarity THE WINDING TALE OF A STOLEN CLASSIC CAR AND

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 ISSUE 28.35

WWW.PIQUENEWSM AGAZINE.COM

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PERMIT PROBLEMS

20

Municipal hall

contends with a lengthy backlog

(NO) NEED FOR SPEED

40

Whistler

council votes to lower speed limits

SPIT TAKE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS Seeking sobriety on the local scene

www.whistleradventureschool.com

THE

EMPLOYMENT

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OVER

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OF

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SQUAMISH SPIT

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Encore Whistler Positions Join our team!

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 ISSUE 28.36

Encore is currently hiring multiple positions for the Whistler team.

14

WHAT A RACKET Neighbours frustrated as Racket Club membership grows

WWW.PIQUENEWSMA GAZINE.COM

16

YOUTH MOVEMENT Whistler employers tap local youth to ease labour crunch

48

FREE

BACK ON THE SCENE Musicians in the resort reflect as live gigs GRIND TOreturn

https://jobs.encoreglobal.com/searchjobs/Whistler Phone#: 604-255-1151 ***Local Automotive*** Automotive technician for year round position in Whistler. 604-905-9109 steve@localautomotive.com

d Kittens The Real Wil of Whistler’s and the rise te scene women’s ska

28.37 ISSUE to meet with 2021Whistler officials SEPTEMBER 16,UBCM

14

provincial ministers at annual convention

15

VAX PASS

WWW.PIQUE NEWSMAGA ZINE.COM Whistler’s three main

B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine card

comes into effect Sept. 13

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SING-ALONG

FREEN

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INFORMATIO

1 YO U R VO T E 2 0 2

TION EDERAL ELEC A DA’ S 4 4 T H F UIDE TO CAN THE PIQUE G

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM/JOBS

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50 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

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apply at hr.whistler@scandinave.com

Whistler Premier Resorts, Whistler’s leading property management firm is currently recruiting!

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Whistler’s Premier Estate Builder

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Garibaldi has aa full full time, time, long long term term position position available availableininaabusy busyprinting/retail printing/retail Garibaldi Graphics Graphics has store located in in Function Function Junction.

Junction. Must Must have have computer computer skills, skills,enjoy enjoymulti multitasking, tasking, store located be have reliable and have friendly and demeanor. professionalDuties demeanor. be reliable and a friendly anda professional include customer Duties include customer service and executing a variety service and executing a variety of print jobs.of print jobs.

Wellness Benefits Program offered to the right candidate.

Please apply in person to #104-1200 Alpha Lake Road in Function Junction or email resume to whistler@garibaldigraphics.com

• Full Time Positions • Competitive Wages • • Discounted Ski Pass • Discounted Employee Rates • • Supportive Team Environment • Staff Housing • • Opportunities for growth & more • • Signing Bonus •

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ROOM ATTENDANT GUEST SERVICE AGENT ROOM •ATTENDANT NIGHT AUDIT HOUSEMAN/INSPECTOR GUEST• SERVICE AGENT PARTNIGHT TIME MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN AUDIT • HOUSEMAN APPLY TODAY AT PEOPLE@WHISTLERPREMIER.COM

NORTH ARM FARM FARM FIELD LABOURER

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Job duration: 32 weeks Jan 1st-Aug 31st -or- March 3rd-November 3rd 2022 Applicants can mail, or email resumes to North Arm Farm PO BOX 165, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0 Email: info@northarmfarm.com

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

Join our Team!

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Cultural Delivery Ambassador Sharing the rich history and amazing culture of Squamish and Lil’wat communities is the core of this role. As part of a fantastic team, the Cultural Delivery Ambassador greets guests, leads tours and creates an interactive and engaging experience for anyone visiting the SLCC. We are looking for a Cultural Delivery Ambassador who will create cultural understanding using their knowledge of Squamish or Lil’wat cultures, land, history and peoples.

We offer a flexible schedule, transportation from Squamish Nation and/or Lil’wat Nation, discount on food, great wages and a supportive workplace. If you are interested in this position, we would love to hear from you. Please send your resume to human. resources@slcc.ca by October 14/21. For a full job description, please visit our website at slcc.ca/careers.

Apply today! APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 14/21 See full job description: slcc.ca/careers

• Fitness Trainer • Equipment Operator II – Roads • Planning Analyst • Materials Management and Youth/Public Service Specialist

PLAY HERE

» piquenewsmagazine.com/jobs

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

EXCITING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, APPLY TODAY! Diamond Resorts Canada Ltd., Whistler, BC

Full & Part Time Housekeepers Full Time Member Experience Associate Full Time Maintenance Technician

Eligible successful candidates may receive*:

• Extensive benefits package which may include; ski pass or wellness allowance, disability coverage, travel insurance and extended health and dental.

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• Full-time work year round and a FUN work environment. *eligibility and conditions based on DRCL policies and practices set out in general terms and conditions of employment.

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

52 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

www.whistlerexcavations.com

The Sea to Sky corridor’s top civil construction company.

We are currently recruiting professionally minded people to join our team.

Required: Heavy Duty Red Seal or Commercial Vehicle Technician Please send resume to: Email: info@whistlerexcavations.com

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WE ARE

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Behind every spectacular moment at @fswhistler is someone who made it happen. And behind them, a story. The people who live here are made up of adventurers-from home and from around the world. Wanderers who share their passion for the mountains and truly appreciate the magic of our backyard.

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN US? Guest Room Attendant | Laundry Attendant

squamish.ca/careers

Commis Chef | Overnight Cleaners

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APPLY

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jobs.fourseasons.com Search: Whistler

1 X ALL YEAR ROUND MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATE AND WINTER LEAD 1 X MECHANICAL SNOW REMOVAL / SNOW PLOW OPERATOR 1 X WINTER SNOW REMOVAL LEAD - Manual 8 X SNOW REMOVAL TEAM MEMBERS

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Email Resume to: snowburstwhistler@gmail.com

Domino’s Pizza in Whistler is

NOW HIRING:

is now hiring for a

Global IT Support Specialist.

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WE OFFER: Competitive wage • Health benefits Staff parking • Flexible schedule • Ski pass Opportunities to travel to our other locations Great working environment

To apply, go to our website: https://ziptrekeco.bamboohr.com/jobs/ or email your cover letter and resume to HR@ziptrek.com

ALL POSITIONS

• Customer Service Representative • Delivery Experts (Drivers) • Assistant Managers All positions can earn 20$/hour minimum Subsidized accommodations and profit sharing available Apply in store between 11am-4pm Monday thru Sunday at 4368 Main Street, Whistler

604-932-0410

MAEGAN@BCDOMINOS.COM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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4

8 3 7 3 5 2 8 7 9 3 9 2 4 INCLUDED IN YOUR HIRING6PACKAGE! 6 8 3 9 we also provide our staff with: 1 2 5 Competitive Wages, Health Benefits, Gratuities, 8 4and Staff Housing 9 3 Employee Discounts 7 5 4

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PERKS • Competitive wage – Depending on experience • Access to medical and dental benefits for full time applicants • Percentage discount from store bought goods • Flexible and set schedule • Relative training

54 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

8 9 3 PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME TO: CAREERS@ILCAMINETTO.CA 7 5 6 8 5 5 1 6 9 Employment Opportunities: 2 4 7 4 Guest Services Agents 8 5 7 Maintenance 5• Housekeeping 2 4 9 Apply to: jobs@pembertonvalleylodge.com Competitive wages, 6 health 3 benefits, 1casual environment 2 4 EASY

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UNLIMITED SEASON SKI PASS Included in your HIRING PACKAGE! we also provide our staff with: Competitive Wages, Health Benefits, Gratuities, Employee Discounts and Staff Housing

JOIN OUR TEAM Server Assistants, Hosts, Servers, Bartenders, Cooks, Expeditors, Office Manager, Bar Manager, Restaurant Manager

Submit your resume to:

ARAXI

elle.boutilier@araxi.com

BAR OSO

jorge.munoz@baroso.ca

Whistler Mechanical Ltd. is hiring plumbers and gas fitters.

Applicants must have completed 1st and 2nd year Canadian Red Seal training. Applications are also accepted if you have an out of country journeyman qualification.

Please e-mail your resume to whistlermech@hotmail.com or call the office (604)932-6219 and ask for Sandy.

Valid B.C. Drivers license is required.

We offer competitive wages, use of company vehicle, gas, tools, phone, extended health benefits etc.

We've Got You Covered

NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Full Time, Year Round

Tourism Whistler is looking for a tech superstar to join our talented I.T. team as a Network Administrator.

The Network Administrator provides technical leadership relating to the network, software, and hardware for Tourism Whistler’s administrative office and operational centres.

What we offer: a flex schedule, excellent benefits, training & development, and a great team environment.

What we’re looking for: a candidate who is passionate about mountain culture and customer service, with a technical aptitude and the desire to rise to a challenge.

VISITORS’ GUIDE 2017-2018 FREE

TO VIEW OUR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, AND TO APPLY, VISIT US ONLINE AT WHISTLER.COM/CAREERS.

MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN/ CLEANER Full Time, Year Round

Working within the Building Operations team, the Maintenance Technician/ Cleaner is responsible for the daily cleaning, beautification, security, and minor repair of the Whistler Conference Centre, Tourism Whistler offices, and the Whistler Golf Club buildings.

What we offer: a flexible schedule, excellent benefits, and a great team environment.

What we’re looking for: a professional, mature, self-motivated individual who thrives in a customer oriented, hands-on, team environment.

We are also recruiting for: Network Administrator (Full Time, Year Round), Visitor Centre Agent (Full Time & Part Time, Year Round).

TO VIEW OUR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, AND TO APPLY, VISIT US ONLINE AT: WHISTLER.COM/CAREERS.

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

IS COMING TO WHISTLER SPRING 2022

JOIN JOE'S CULINARY TEAM!

Hiring: Operations Manager Citywide is looking for an experienced Whistler-based operations manager.

TEAM BENEFITS INCLUDE: • • • • • • •

Wages Above Industry Standard Gratuities Retention Bonus Accommodation Options Immediate Medical & Dental Benefits Employee Discounts Staff Meal

We are recruiting a construction industry professional who is dedicated to their craft, organized, efficient and interested in operations as well as sales.

The position is permanent and long term .

If this sounds like you, please apply to: work@citywide.ca

INTERVIEWS

Drop-in or email hr@joefortes.ca to pre-schedule.

4417 Sundial Place Whistler BC

An opportunity to grow with the business for the right applicant. Shifts vary.

is now hiring for

Guest Service Agent

Assistant Manager: 4-5 days/wk

This dynamic role includes the following Perks and Benefits:

Sales Associate: 2-3 days/wk

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E-mail resume:

smallpotatoesbazaar@telus.net Deadline: October 7, 2021

56 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

citywide.ca

Please reply with a cover letter and resume to hr@listelhotel.com

Thank you for your interest. Only those applicants being considered for an interview will be contacted.

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LIL’WAT NATION JOB POSTING: Title: Location: Status: Reporting to: Wage/Salary: Start Date: Closing Date:

ARE YOU A SELF-MOTIVATED INDIVIDUAL LOOKING TO GROW YOUR CAREER IN SQUAMISH?

Child and Youth Therapist Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology or Equivalent Xet’olacw Community School, Mount Currie, B.C. .8FTE to 1.0 Full Time (4 days per week or 5 days per week) – Part Time Negotiable School Principal Commensurate with Experience August 30, 2021 Post until position is filled

Summary: Xet’olacw Community School is a Lil’wat Nation school situated 35 minutes north of Whistler, BC in the Mount Currie Community. The School is a modern, dynamic institution with a strong First Nations curriculum as well as academics from N to 12.

Xet’olacw Community School is looking to hire a full time child and youth therapist for their school. The child and youth therapist will work with students aged 4-19 within a school based setting. In addition to being trauma informed, flexible and having experience working with Indigenous students, preferred therapeutic modalities include narrative therapy, expressive arts, and CBT. The successful candidate will demonstrate clear boundaries, strong ethics and a firm understanding of informed consent. The successful candidate will be able to both understand and honour the impact of the history of colonialism on Indigenous communities in their work with the students, their families, the staff and the community.

Key Qualifications and Attributes: • A Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology or equivalent • Excellent communication skills; confidence to role model these skills and engage in them • Be registered with the BCACC, CCPA (certified member) and/or the BCTF • Ability to liaise (or learn to liaise) between Indigenous and non-indigenous culture, work within a team, on various teams and independently • Flexibility and collaborative team player • Engages in consistent and healthy self-care practices • Open to Learning Key Deliverables: • Provide therapy to children and youth aged 4-18 and carry a caseload of individual clients, co-facilitate group therapy and maintain appropriate records.

• Be prepared and comfortable presenting psychoeducation to students in their classrooms (including but not limited to boundaries, abuse prevention, healthy relationships, and mental health information as needed and requested by teaching staff and administration).

• Participate in school based teams, inter-agency teams and develop mental health resources when needed • Liaise and attend meetings with other health care professionals and service providers when requested by clients (to best support a circle of care and mental health) and with appropriate informed consent.

Key Responsibilities: • Arrive each school day by 8:30 a.m. Be available after hours and on holidays under extenuating circumstances for at risk students and their families.

• Create a schedule that outlines your therapeutic caseload and that honours the scheduling needs of the school (and individual classrooms).

• Co-facilitate or facilitate teaching classes, group therapy and super courses.

• Provide therapy and classroom psychoeducation that is culturally competent, has a clear beginning, middle and end and that is tailored to the needs of the individual or group.

• Be available for debriefing and support for staff regarding mental health in the classroom and to support the mental health of the students on your caseload.

• Participate in peer supervision and personal supervision as needed or requested.

• Be open to participating in culturally oriented activities (including but not limited to; stein Valley hiking, Outdoor-based super courses, learning Ucwalmicwts words and phrases).

• Record Keeping: Keep a file for each student including but not limited to the signed permission, Welcome to Counselling Agreement, Informed Consent documents, a record of dates, times, and themes of sessions.

Send cover letter and resume including references.

Upon receiving your information an applicant’s Declaration and Agreement will be sent to be signed.

Contact Information: Verna Stager, Education Director • Xet’olacw Community School P.O. Box 604, Mount Currie, B.C. V0N 2K0 Phone: 604 894-6131 / Fax: 604 894-5717 • glenda.gabriel@lilwat.ca

Come be a part of our awesome team as The Squamish Chief’s new Media Account Manager.

If you don’t already live in Squamish, you should know it’s one of the most innovative and attractive communities on the West Coast just a short commute from the North Shore of Vancouver. It has a growing worldwide reputation for outdoor recreation with world-class mountain biking, rock climbing, water sports and skiing, boarding and the backcountry in the winter. We’re youthful, engaged and passionate about where we live!

And if you’re a local – well, you know you’re in the right place to forge a career and lucky to call Squamish home.

We’ve got an opportunity to work and truly be a part of this inspired community at its media hub, The Squamish Chief. We’re part of Glacier Media Group and Local News Network, the largest local digital network in Canada. We work with our clients to offer cutting edge solutions like programmatic, Social, SEO, sponsored content and community display advertising on our website – and yes, we reach customers through our trusted newspaper as well. We’ve got media opportunities covered.

Here’s what we’re looking for: • • • • •

You have sales experience and are comfortable making cold calls and setting up/ leading meetings with new and existing clients.

A self-starter with a consultative selling approach working with clients planning both digital and print advertising campaigns.

Building and maintaining client relationships with your exceptional communication skills comes easy to you.

You are a goal orientated individual with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.

You possess strong organizational skills and have the ability to multitask in a fast paced environment.

Here’s the essentials of what we offer: • • •

Competitive salary + uncapped commission package.

Comprehensive health and dental coverage and extended benefits.

Extensive onboarding training and ongoing support.

Come join us!

Please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence to Sarah Strother at: sstrother@wplpmedia.com Closing date is October 15, 2021

We thank for your interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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YOU’RE A KEGGER, YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT YET!

NOW HIRING: BUSSERS, HOSTS, COOKS GREAT PAY, PERKS & PLENTY OF DISCOUNTS!

To apply, email your resume to whistler@kegrestaurants.com or come in-person Sunday – Thursday from 4:00pm-5:30pm for an on-the-spot interview.

JUNIOR OR SENIOR ACCOUNTANT GSK Chartered Professional Accountants LLP is a Squamish firm seeking a Junior or Senior Accountant to join our office. Candidates with a CPA designation or who are enrolled in the CPA certification program are preferred, but it is not required. We offer a great work environment, exposure to a wide variety of clients and excellent training for the right candidate.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES • Preparing year-end accounting records for businesses; • Preparing corporate and personal tax returns; and • Assisting with light administrative duties.

QUALIFICATIONS • Basic understanding of accounting or bookkeeping; • Strong computer skills including experience with accounting software such as Sage Simply Accounting, Quickbooks, Caseware and/or other tax software; • Have strong written and communication skills; • Be self-motivated; and • Produce high quality and detail-oriented work.

We offer a competitive salary that will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Please send your cover letter and resume to ross@gskllp.ca

58 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Join a fun, locally owned and operated Lodge that puts people first and offers you the opportunity to thrive at work!

NOW HIRING: • Building Maintenance Manager • Culinary & Stewarding • Reservations • Spa Reception • Housekeeping To apply email your resume to: careers@nitalakelodge.com

Scan Here to View Current Opportunities at Nita!

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Is hiring…

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ALTERATIONS

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60 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Serving the Sea to Sky Corridor Since 1963 ▪ ▪ ▪

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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 36 37 40 41 42 47 48 49 52 53 54 56 57 59 61 62 63 64 65 67 68

Buffet choices Deviates Thin clouds Longbow’s sound Black billiard ball Transplant Total indifference Harder to find Bag Heroic quality In the air Wouldn’t hurt -- -Cliffside abode As -- -- (usually) Done with little interest Ruffles Composed a story Hot time in Paris Voucher Very, in Veracruz Dash widths Disappoints (2 wds.)

Daughter of Hyperion Copy Chatter at length Hearty laughs Fork over Military activities Burn Midwest airport To what place Snake shapes Nurse’s concern Golfer’s shout Parched feeling Like instant cocoa Go slow The Force was with him

69 72 73 76 79 80 81 82 84 85 87 91 92 93 94 95 98 100 101 102 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 118 120 121 122 123 125 127 132 134

Farm denizens Outback bird Setback Lyrical Shad’s eggs Get wind of Lay down Radar screen dot Chemical suffix Desperado Flourished Censor Dept. store inventory Furniture buy Curved lines Not sit still Abundant Delhi nursemaid They’re almost grown Early Peruvians Roof overhangs Pistol fights Give -- -- up (help) “-- Bovary” Blvd.

Swerve Thicken, as pudding Edmund Hillary’s title House site Voyage end Milne marsupial Male doll Moose kin Samovar Takes the bait Walked softly Energy renewer Mall for Plato Lariat

138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149

Posh hotel lobbies On-ramp sign De Palma or Dennehy Social mores Reeked Buyer Shoppers’ guides Pens Exhibits pictures Coasters Fencing sword Romantic appointment

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 31 33 35 37

Tableland Aachen article Culture medium Economy Roundup unit Annual High mark (hyph.)

Cashmere Fling Spear or club Bays Saw logs Breathe hard In -- (as found) Pamphlets Blew gently A Guthrie Poet’s contraction Cloudy Insulation meas. (hyph.)

Mesh fabrics Little rascals Vicksburg fighter Yield territory

38 39 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 55 56 57 58 59 60 62 64 66 67 69 70 71 74 75 77 78 80 83 86 88 89 90 92 96 97 98

-- d’oeuvres Mother of Horus Tempt Make ends meet Ran Armed conflicts Nikita’s no As well as Class ender Microsurgery tool “-- you serious?”

Feet containers Fewer Residential area Recently (2 wds.)

Ear dangler Cry of glee Secrete Fierce feline Business class Elbowroom Cushy jobs Old hand Cash substitute Retaliates (2 wds.)

Noteworthy periods Waning Good connections High note Knife handles Drops behind Unfrequented Weaker, as an excuse Unwritten test Reside Repair Walk unsteadily Perjurer Loud burst of noise

99 100 101 103 104 105 107 109 111 112 113 116 117 118 119 120 121

Molten rock Ayla’s creator Jean --- kwon do Summon Running wild Hardens, as glue Dover’s st.

Watch over Minibuses Diner coffee Car models While Loses it Surrounded Abalone eaters Black belt sport Tabloid staffer

123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 133 135 136 137

Swiss capital Deep black Self-confidence Not on all fours Lacking forethought Sundance Kid’s girl Tarkenton of football Med. plans Whimper Hold tightly Mariner’s shout Crests Like some mgrs.

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

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

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EASY

1 9 6 9 7 4 6 8 4

8 8 7 2 9 2

3

5

9 5 3 1 4 5

6 1 3 5 9 8 3 1 8

EASY Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com# 58

ANSWERS ON PAGE 54

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

61

MAXED OUT

Warning: Opinion ahead!

FUNNY HOW many people seem to believe opinion writers—columnists— should be objective in what they write. That’s the job of reporters. I admire their work but it’s not part of my job description.

So what follows is my opinion and it may not be your opinion. In fact, I’m certain I’ll receive emails from readers who inundate me with their fevered rebuttals, their conspiracy theories, their alternate “scientific” facts and their general disdain for my opinions. I consider each and every one of them valued readers. Their vitriol is proof I’ve discharged my duties for another

BY G.D. MAXWELL week. Thank you.

With autumn upon us, thoughts turn to the upcoming ski season and whether this one will be foreshortened in the same way and for the same reasons as the past two— rampant COVID-19 infections. The first year, 2020, was understandable; the whole world ground to a halt. Last year was less understandable, a failure of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) and Vail Resorts to clamp down on visitors to the resort and the resulting wildfire of virus that swept through the town, aided by the housing shortages we share with almost every other resort town.

If this year proves to be a hat trick of early closures, the reasons are likely to be the same. Reading Vail Resorts’ COVID-19 safety protocols for the upcoming season, it is clear they are, once again, waiting for the PHO to drop the hammer rather than taking the steps necessary to avoid another spring without skiing.

Unlike last season, there will be no more reservation system. Fair enough. It didn’t really do much to keep people away. That duty fell to closed borders. All employees will be required to be vaccinated. This is in keeping with the line many employers have taken and in the case of Whistler Blackcomb makes a lot of sense, given the housing conditions many employees find themselves in.

Face coverings, for both guests and employees, will be required in indoor settings—restaurants, lodging, washrooms, retail and rental. They’ll also be required inside gondolas, which will operate at normal capacity. No more one-person gondolas and absurdly long lineups.

To enter indoor restaurants, restaurant patios and bars, guests will be required to show their BC Vaccine Card if they’re older than 12. You’ll also need to show your vaccine card for the quick service, on-mountain restaurants. Presumably visitors from other provinces will be required to show their version.

So what’s missing? General access to the mountain is open to all, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Vaccination will only be required for mountain access if required

62 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

GETTYIMAGES.CA

by local public health. So unless the PHO decides to require proof of vaccination you may well be sharing a gondola with unvaccinated people, albeit wearing a mask... assuming they keep it on. You may well be sitting next to unvaccinated people on chairlifts with no masking requirement.

You may find yourself in a Ski School group with unvaccinated people riding with you and sharing lifts.

This makes no sense.

Logistically, it means Vail Resorts will have to staff each and every eatery on the mountains at each and every access point with someone who will be checking vaccine passports. Washrooms in restaurants will be accessible with masks only but the control

Pika’s, both off the main entry area. And this is only if they bar entry to Pika’s from the side door and the Roundhouse from the upstairs patio entrances, all of which are necessary safety exits. Oh, and they’ll have to close the entry/exit to the men’s room at Pika’s. Otherwise, the number of staff needed to check vaccine status at that one location alone balloons to at least five or more.

At Rendezvous, the washrooms are on the ground floor, accessible via the stairs from above and the side door from outside. So they’ll need someone at the main entrance and someone at the bottom of the stairs. Even if they bar access to the restaurant from the restroom level,

Our reputation will suffer if we experience another unnecessary early closure.

of this will be, well, interesting.

Consider: In Whistler’s Roundhouse/ Pika’s, the washrooms are on the ground floor. I can’t speak for the women’s, but there are two entrances/exits for the men’s. One exits to the hallway and then the entryway, the other to Pika’s. At a minimum, there will need to be two people checking vaccine cards, one at the bottom of the stairway to the Roundhouse and one at the entry to

they’ll need to either let patrons from the restaurant access the washrooms from above and return, which will require staffing the stairs, or forcing restaurant users to walk around the building on the outside.

As above, this makes no sense when they could simply put the requirement to be vaccinated in place before anyone even gets up the mountain. This step would enhance

safety for everyone skiing and riding and eating and sightseeing and would, in the case of passholders and edge card holders, only require their status to be entered in the system once to make their passes valid.

People purchasing day tickets would need to show their status to purchase the ticket.

Problem solved.

The only other way this makes sense is if greed is the only motivating factor keeping Vail Resorts from adopting this solution.

But with all international travellers requiring proof of vaccination to enter the country and virtually all provinces now issuing proof of vaccination cards, what exactly is their reason for not requiring it for mountain access and waiting for the PHO to order them to take this step?

And with proof of vaccination required now to enter any full-service restaurant in town, why are local restaurants not adopting a requirement for all staff to be vaccinated? I understand staff is the gold standard this season, but one infected staff member can effectively close a restaurant for a couple of weeks. How does that make sense?

This is going to be a difficult year for Whistler. With the pandemic-deranged, pent-up demand for holidays, we are likely to experience visitor numbers that overtax our short-staffed businesses. We are likely to be unable to provide the guest experience we’d like to stake our reputations on. We will suffer another body blow if we have restaurants closed down entirely for periods of time because COVID-19 has visited them.

Our reputation will suffer if we experience another unnecessary early closure.

And that certainly makes no sense. ■

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778-834-2002

NEW TO MARKET

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Whistler Village Shop

Whistler Creekside Shop

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

604-698-5899

3D Tour - rem.ax/307powderhorn

#307 - 4821 Spearhead Drive

$1,699,000

Spacious 2.5 Bedroom unit at the Powderhorn complex, steps away from ski in/ski out access on Blackcomb Mountain, as well as Lost Lake and the Valley Trail. This unit offers ample opportunity for your creative touch! Flexible usage to utilize the great nightly rental performance or to use for your own personal usage.

Ursula Morel*

2.5

604.932.8629

3D Tour - rem.ax/208horstman

SOLD

8521 Ashleigh McIvor Drive

$4,798,000

This stunning home in the Baxter Creek neighbourhood is a masterpiece of contemporary design. The entry level open living plan truly captures & compliments the essence of the location maximizing the natural southern light & framing the stunning mountain & lake views from Black Tusk to Wedge Mountain.

Bob Cameron*

6

604.935.2214

#208 - 4653 Blackcomb Way

This Phase 1 property allows you to live in your suite full time. You are close to the Chateau Golf Course, Lost Lake Park. The free bus stops in front of the building for easy access to the village and lifts. Alternatively, enjoy the short walk along the tree lined trail to reach the village.

Bruce Watt

$899,000

7+ acres in the east end of the Pemberton Valley, 5 minutes from the Village of Pemberton and 2 hours from Vancouver. This private, easily accessible acreage includes a grove of cedar, wild cherry, apple, and hazelnut trees and a variety of wild berries. Over 20,000 sq. ft. of gardens and sun-filled greenhouses, plus an orchard of apple, cherry, and plum trees.

Dave Beattie*

1

604.905.8855

#418 - 4809 Spearhead Drive

This custom built log home is one of a kind. Set in a quiet bay on Gun lake, this 7037 ft2 home was created with family living in mind. A spacious kitchen and dining area allows room for everyone. Six bedrooms, all with ensuite baths, provides sleeping for up to 15.

A beautiful 1 bedroom suite on the Blackcomb Benchlands awaits. Quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, custom cabinetry, west-facing unit. private end unit for easy access outside. The large bedroom has sliding glass doors to a cute balcony for early morning coffee or nightcap.

Dave Sharpe

$395,000

.5

604.935.9171

6

604.902.2779

Doug Treleaven

#45 - 7410 Flint Street

$659,000

2 bed, 2 bath. The perfect starter home for a family or a solid investment centrally located in Pemberton. Wake up to views of Mount Currie from both bedrooms. This home also boasts a covered patio to enjoy in all weather with ample space for seating and a BBQ.

$285,000

A renovated studio with loft - right in the heart of Whistler Village and within a 2 minute walk to the ski lifts. These fully furnished lofted studios 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

604.905.9337

1

604.905.8626

Meg McLean

2

604.907.2223

9407 Portage Road

1

#35 - 1450 Vine Road

Michael Nauss

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

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

604.902.4260

604.932.9568

3

3D Tour - rem.ax/34eagleridge

$719,000

This 2 bedroom 2 bathroom townhome in the popular Peaks complex in Pemberton comes with an oversized single garage, and the ability to park 2 vehicles in front of the unit, allowing space for all the toys to be safely stored inside.

The back deck overlooks a quiet grassy common space with a very private feel to it.

Richard Grenfell

$795,000

This is a great piece of property, almost 19,000 square feet. 3 bedroom with vaulted ceilings that has been well taken care of, about 10 minutes past Gates Lake in Birken B.C. The house is set back from the road, and there are many large tree’s on this property, so it’s nice and private. This property is suited for full time living, or use it as a weekend getaway.

3D Tour - rem.ax/35peaks

#212 - 4220 Gateway Drive

$929,000

3D Tour - rem.ax/45mtntrails

Best Price in Alpenglow! This 4th floor studio with views of Sproat Mountain is a perfect little getaway and revenue generator. Located in the middle of Whistler Village, steps from Olympic Plaza, food and shopping, and a short walk from the ski hill. Complex includes a pool, hot tub and exercise room, and secure underground parking.

Matt Chiasson

3D Tour - rem.ax/418marquise

2585 Lakeview Road - Gun Lake $5,450,000

3D Tour - rem.ax/413alpenglow

#413 - 4369 Main Street

1

604.905.0737

3D Tour - rem.ax/2585lakeviewrd

2162 Highway 99

$899,000

2

#34 - 6127 Eagle Ridge Cres.

$1,525,000

AVAILABLE FOR POSSESSION BEFORE THE SKI SEASON. Relax and enjoy the stunning views of Blackcomb from this spacious 2 bedroom and den townhome in Eagle Ridge. Or stroll into the Village for dinner. This is an amazing location which offers you peace and quiet and fabulous views but is also a short walk to the Arnold Palmer Golf Course.

Sally Warner*

604.905.6326

2.5

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