Pique Newsmagazine 2901

JANUARY 6, 2022 ISSUE 29.01

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE AND FRESH

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

14

RAPID ASCENT

Property values in Whistler up a whopping 29 per cent

15

BALANCING ACT Facing unconstrained growth, can Whistler find balance?

42

GLOW-UP

Multifaceted Whistler artist Dave Petko’s new exhibit launches Jan. 11.

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

38

42

28 Year in Review 2021 It was a year of highs and lows, ebbs and flows, progress and regression. Good times and bad weather. Maybe it’s enough to leave it at that. - By Pique staff

14

RAPID ASCENT

Property values in Whistler are up

a whopping 29 per cent this year, according to BC Assessment.

24

CROSS-COUNTRY CHARITY

Pemberton’s Spud Valley Nordic Association has already raised enough funds to replace equipment stolen on Dec. 16.

15

BALANCING ACT

With modelling predicting

38

SIBLING RIVALRY

Whistler’s Marielle and

“unconstrained” growth, the Resort Municipality of Whistler seeks a

Broderick Thompson are skiing towards their second straight Olympic

balanced future.

Games in Beijing in February.

17

POLITICAL PRIORITIES

Whistler’s local,

provincial and federal leaders discuss their top agenda items for 2022.

42

GLOW-UP

Multifaceted Whistler artist Dave Petko’s

new exhibit Starry Nights launches at the Maury Young Arts Centre on Jan. 11.

COVER Teamwork makes the dream work! Onwards and upwards and all that crap!? Just gotta keep searching for those rainbows, I guess! - By Jon Parris || @jon.parris.art 4 JANUARY 6, 2022

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS New editor Braden Dupuis delved into Pique’s archives ahead of his first

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

issue in the big chair, coming away with some key lessons.

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letter writers this week bemoan the loss of Whistler’s soul, the

Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com Assistant Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@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

lack of COVID-19 safety measures on the mountain and improper messaging as Omicron surges.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST The NHL won’t be sending its players to the Olympics in Beijing next month—but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, writes Harrison Brooks.

58 MAXED OUT Max ponders some early-January schadenfreude before consulting the handy (and completely fictional) Column Writing for Dummies for inspiration.

Environment & Adventure

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

27 THE OUTSIDER Columnist Vince Shuley explores the inevitabilities we all face in life: death, taxes

Social Media Editor MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@piquenewsmagazine.com

and waiting around to ski.

Reporters BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com MEGAN LALONDE - mlalonde@piquenewsmagazine.com ALYSSA NOEL arts@piquenewsmagazine.com HARRISON BROOKS - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com

Lifestyle & Arts

Classifieds and Reception mail@piquenewsmagazine.com

40 EPICURIOUS The problems facing Canada’s food-services sector are about much more than just

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

COVID-19, writes Brandon Barrett.

Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, FEET BANKS, LESLIE ANTHONY, ANDREW MITCHELL, ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY, LISA RICHARDSON

43 MUSEUM MUSINGS While the early ‘70s saw some massive snowfall years in Whistler, when

President, Whistler Publishing LP SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com

accumulation slowed in 1976, operators were inspired to make their own.

Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of Whistler Publishing Limited Partnership, a division of Glacier Media) distributed to over 130 locations in Whistler and to over 200 locations from Vancouver to D’Arcy.

The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2021 by Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of WPLP, a division of Glacier Media). No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the Publisher.

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

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

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

This organization replaces the BC Press council (and any mention of it).

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OPENING REMARKS

Lessons in leadership IN THE VERY FIRST issue of Pique Newsmagazine, published Nov. 25, 1994, there was no Opening Remarks column.

In its place was a photo of the upstart paper’s four founders—Bob and Kathy Barnett, Dave Rigler and Kevin Damaskie— and a few short introductory paragraphs.

The new paper would be guided by three principles, the authors wrote: “Keep in mind what Whistler is; constantly look at where Whistler is going; nurture a sense of place.”

They are principles we hold to this day.

The first Opening Remarks appeared the following week, penned by founding editor Bob Barnett.

BY BRADEN DUPUIS In it, he probed potential consequences for unzoned land in the Whistler Valley, including the Emerald Forest, Parkhurst, and Creekside.

Barnett wrote more than 700 Opening Remarks entries in his time as editor, every week providing valuable contextual insight to the pressing topics of the day, before passing the torch to Clare Ogilvie in early 2011.

In her first Opening Remarks on Jan.

For just under 11 years, Clare has been the strong and steadfast leader of our little newsroom, always with a cheery smile, never losing her cool.

Drawing on her vast experience as a journalist, she always had an answer to every difficult question; seemingly knew how to navigate any storm.

She picked us up when we were down, pushed us when we stalled out, and held us together when we were on the verge of falling apart.

She brought us baked goods, and scolded us for our (often off-the-rails) cursing.

She made us all better, and displayed all the qualities you could ever hope for in a leader. I’ve learned so much from her.

And now I’m sitting here, just the third editor in the history of Pique Newsmagazine, looking at two very big pairs of shoes to fill and finding myself at a rare loss for words.

Reminiscing about the past, parsing the present, and keeping one eye on the future.

But reading these entries, and countless others, in Pique’s archives grounds me.

For more than 25 years, Pique’s Opening Remarks page has been structured as a didactic essay—an educational piece of facts and information rather than a traditional hard, argumentative opinion.

I don’t intend to completely do away with that practice, but I also don’t plan to

Pique is your source for local news. We want it to reflect all the best qualities of Whistler, while also never being afraid to shine light on the bad.

20, 2011, Clare ruminated on change, both at Pique and in the wider resort. “[F]illing Bob’s shoes—well, that’s just not possible is it?” she wrote.

“And I can still hear Kathy’s voice if I listen—pushing for the best, challenging everyone to make the Pique relevant, but not at all costs. Rather with integrity and an understanding that we are all in this together.”

Again, the words still ring true.

worship it.

While there will no doubt be some straightforward, informational entries—and my writing will always reflect the feedback of my colleagues and peers on Pique’s editorial team—I expect my opinionated output will be more eccentric than that of my predecessors.

Sometimes I’ll argue an opinion. Other times I will write from the heart. And sometimes I might even indulge myself, and get a little weird with it.

You may notice some other changes to Pique’s content, both in print and online, as I find my way in my new role—nothing radical or Earth-shattering, but rather putting an added emphasis on some of the things we do best: award-winning community reporting and longform features, engaging opinion pieces and cover art and, yes, a little bit of weirdness.

But despite my at times lighthearted nature, please don’t ever presume I take this responsibility lightly—I assure you it is quite the opposite.

In my almost eight years in Whistler, I have covered seven elections and taken in hundreds of hours of council meetings.

I’ve conducted countless interviews with community members, and stumbled into the office on Wednesday for production day after a sleepless deadline Tuesday more times than I can remember.

I care deeply about the success of this town, and everyone in it—those who built a village on top of a garbage dump; who put their names forward to run in elections; who volunteer tirelessly in the background; who work on the frontlines in restaurants and hotels; and who only come for a season or two to shred.

The media landscape is changing, and Pique’s online presence is growing, which is why we also share stories from other Glacier Media outlets on our social media channels.

But the No. 1 goal of our reporters—all of whom are passionate, talented, dedicated members of this community—is and has always been to report the local news that matters to you. That’s not going to change.

Pique is your source for local news.

We want to reflect all the best qualities of Whistler, while also never being afraid to shine light on the bad.

My mind and my phone line are open— call me at the office, Monday to Friday (604-938-0202), and invite me to your community events.

These are extraordinary, controversial and uncertain times, but I’ve poured enough of my energy into covering this town and its residents to know we’ll get through it just fine—by remembering what Whistler is, being mindful of where it’s going, and with an understanding that we’re all in this together. ■

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR What sets Whistler apart from other Vail Resorts properties?

I have been a resident of Whistler for 35 years, and for much longer I have enjoyed and been part of the Whistler spirit. Until now, I never felt concerned about the management/ownership of our mountain, as I always trusted each team was working towards something positive for Whistler.

Now I wonder if we are losing some of the very “soul” of Whistler due to a conflicting ownership philosophy. I am wondering if we are becoming—or have already become—a mere franchise, a lookalike of some 25 other Vail Resorts properties. There seems to be no statement to differentiate us as unique, the way there always was. There is little to say, “now you are skiing in Whistler,” or even, “now you are skiing in Canada, and Canada has a different culture than the USA.” Is this too much to ask, or are we now “just Vail?”

Presently there seems to be far less advertising of our unique, world-class resort, of our powder, our terrain, our friendliness, our reputation. Instead, we seem to be just another part of an “Epic” plastic card. One conflict of franchising is that what is good for the stock price is not necessarily good for either skiing or Whistler.

In the future, will we see this as part of the “McDonaldization” of skiing? No matter where you go, it all has the same taste! Could it be that the owners do not want us to be any more

his local management team so they can make the decisions that affect us here in the valley, that they hear the local feedback, and even meet us in the lift lines. We need a local HR department and a local WB booster department, too, because otherwise those who really make the mountain work will begin to see themselves as working for Vail Resorts, rather than working to ensure that Whistler Blackcomb continues to be the place we know it can be.

Al Whitney // Whistler

Is Stevens Pass a Vail Resorts trial run?

successful than any of their other franchises?

The mountain owners have moved the [public] relations department to Colorado, with one result being that there are too few managers to guide others to provide the same level of service we once enjoyed. I doubt I’m the only one to find fault with grooming, or noticing that lifts do not open when they used to, or that lift lines are sometimes not managed in a friendly way. And surely, could there not be a better way to handle sheltering and food at the mountaintop in this COVID time?

When a skier or rider has a question,

Stevens Pass is a small ski hill in western Washington state bought several years ago

by Vail Resorts. Only one of three lodges is currently open and most lifts have remained closed all year. The parking lots are unplowed and unsupervised, resulting in traffic jams and accidents getting into the lot. Most expert terrain is closed with no apparent plans to open. While Vail Resorts continues to claim that the cause is a labour shortage and COVID-related, almost all other Washington ski resorts are fully staffed and operating at or near capacity.

Vail Resorts’ HR policies, wage scale, and hiring practices are more likely to blame.

Vail has taken money from passholders and delivered nothing. Vail has refused to refund any money and instead issued dividends to corporate shareholders. We are looking at great ski conditions for the first time this year, yet many passholders like myself have yet to get a run in.

Is this a trial run for what will happen at their other resorts? I spent a few seasons in

complaint, comment, or even a legitimate request for a refund, the inquiry now goes to Colorado. When more than 12,000 passholders sign a petition regarding personal safety, Vail Resorts’ answer is that they will not go beyond what the government mandates, even while other resorts in B.C. have stepped up to do what’s best for their visitors.

There must be a way forward that captures and enlarges the soul and spirit of Whistler so we do not become another burger patty on a bun.

We need to help empower [Whistler Blackcomb Chief Operating Officer] Geoff Buchheister and

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Whistler back in the ‘90s and would hate to see it destroyed by a greedy corporation like Vail Resorts.

Reinhart Kelbert // Washington state

Travel to Whistler should be discouraged as Omicron spreads In the last issue of 2020, Pique published a letter I wrote titled, “Please, don’t come to Whistler” (Pique, Dec. 31, 2020).

At the time, Whistler was witnessing an explosion of destination travellers coming from across the country looking to escape their own mandatory non-essential travel orders in cities from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba.

Our own Provincial Health Officer had also asked Lower Mainland skiers not to visit Whistler and other small communities, yet we continued to see many who flouted this advice.

As Omicron infections surge in Whistler and across B.C., where is that messaging now?

At present we have no travel restrictions, yet it’s even more important now to encourage people to stay local with the ongoing threat Omicron has presented to our local health system and population.

I would have hoped to hear from our local politicians, yet they seem intent on continuing to encourage travellers from all around the world.

Jamie May // Whistler/Pemberton

Lost in a COVID ‘Twilight Zone’ Here on Whistler Blackcomb, (a.k.a. WB or the Vailiverse), all that was the rule is now against the rules! As the Omicron variant rages unchecked through the air we breathe, social distancing is no longer allowed, masks are not required in lineups or on chairlifts, riding with your family bubble is absolutely “verboten” and, while masks are supposedly required on the gondola, this is subject to individual whim and interpretation, or simply ignored.

Meanwhile, the PA system endlessly intones the virtues of mask-wearing while the population shuffles past obliviously. At the base and at midstation surly employees pack each gondola car like a Tokyo subway at rush hour regardless of whether there is a lineup or not. When I asked the lifty at Blackcomb mid-station the other day to please not put more strangers in the cabin with my family, as it was 1:30 p.m. and no one was waiting longer than a minute to board, he sharply intoned, “You don’t call the shots around here” and stuffed a reluctant skier in with us. We got off!

Here in the Vailiverse, a “safety plan” is anything but safe and takes on the air of Orwellian “Newspeak.” And customer service is demonstrated not only by rude disregard, but by unnecessarily towing visitors’ cars as noted in a letter to the editor in last week’s Pique. Oh how things have changed since Vail Resorts arrived in town.

As a longtime WB passholder and Vail Resorts shareholder, it’s deeply depressing to see the Broomfield brain trust blithely destroy more than 40 years of hard-won brand equity and customer goodwill.

As the new year dawns and the Christmas crowds slowly dissipate, Whistler is a town on edge. We helplessly count down the hours until the growing Omicron outbreak forces Drs. Harding and Henry, our listless guardians of public health, to wake from their post-turkey slumber and shutter Whistler Blackcomb once again. If only they would take preventative action by issuing a vaccine mandate and re-imposing the safety rules that got us to March 21 last year.

Nick Green // Whistler ■

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FOR THE RECORD A line in last week’s Opening Remarks referred to a 2010 sled dog cull as occurring in the Callaghan Valley, when it actually occurred in the Soo Valley.

Pique regrets the error. ■

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.

Backcountry Advisory AS OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5 Whistler has received more than 100 centimetres of snow so far in 2022, which drastically changed avalanche conditions.

Widespread avalanche activity occurred over the week, including natural avalanches resulting from the weather and those triggered by humans. Avalanche hazard is elevated and is likely going to remain so going into the weekend due to all this snow.

The new snow is sitting on weak or slippery surfaces that formed during the cold spell in late December. As well, the weak layer that formed above the early-December crust is now buried 150 to 250 cm deep and has produced large, destructive avalanches. These weak layers and all the recent snow are likely going to take some time

to strengthen and bond and there’s uncertainty in how long this will take. The weather forecasts are showing sunny skies and freezing levels potentially rising to alpine elevations, which could stress the snowpack even more.

With all of this in mind, you’ll want to dial back your terrain choices during this time of uncertainty. Look for shallower slope angles, and reduce your exposure to consequential terrain. Although clear skies and warm air may increase your desire to step out into large terrain features, the prudent choice will be to play it safe until there is clear evidence that the snowpack has stabilized. Be sure to track the forecasts and advice at avalanche.ca to get the most up-to-date information on how the weekend will play out. ■

CONDITIONS MAY VARY AND CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY Check for the most current conditions before heading out into the backcountry. Daily updates for the areas adjacent to Whistler Blackcomb are available at 604-938-7676, or surf to www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountaininfo/snow-report#backcountry or go to www.avalanche.ca.

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

Do you know a non-profit organization in the Sea to Sky Corridor that has a health care related initiative in need of funding? Applications are now being accepted for the Whistler Health Care Foundations Grant Funding Program.

CALL FOR FUNDING APPLICATIONS Deadline is January 15, 2022 For more information, eligibility requirements and to download a grant application, please visit our website at whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org.

Or contact Sharon Tyrrell at info@whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org

Call at 604-602-9000 or visit www.macleanlaw.ca Maclean Law is headquartered in Vancouver with offices across British Columbia.

This funding is made possible thanks to the support of the Goudge Family Foundation and the Whistler Community.

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Find the terms of reference and expression of interest application form by clicking on ‘Current committee opportunities’ at whistler.ca/committees.

Email completed application form to zerowastewhistler@whistler.ca.

Phone 604-938-3776 for more information.

Submission deadline is January 20, 2022 at 4 p.m.

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Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/waste

PIQUE N’ YER INTEREST

On second thought, maybe no NHLers at the Olympics is a good thing WHEN THINKING OF the 2022 Olympic Winter Games coming up in about a month, one almost can’t help but reminisce about all the special Olympic moments we’ve been able to witness over the years.

The moments that spring to mind while I’m sitting here writing this, which still fill

BY HARRISON BROOKS me with a sense of Canadian pride and give me goosebumps just thinking about, include Alexandre Bilodeau winning the first ever gold medal on Canadian soil at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics; Jon Montgomery, in what might be the most quintessential Canadian moment of all time, walking down the Village Stroll and being handed a pitcher of beer on his way to stepping on to the top spot of the podium; and Mark McMorris, who grew up skiing in my hometown of Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask., returning from a nearfatal backcountry snowboarding accident to win an Olympic bronze medal just one year later.

But being raised in Saskatchewan, where your years revolved around two

things—hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer—the one moment that always tops them all, which if I close my eyes I can still see and hear clear as day almost 12 years later, was Sidney Crosby screaming “Iggy!” before receiving the pass from Jarome Iginla and sliding home the golden goal between the legs of USA goaltender Ryan Miller and throwing his gloves and stick into the stratosphere.

For me, when I think about the Winter Olympics, I think about hockey and watching the world’s best players battle it out for their nations every four years.

So when the NHL announced its players would not be attending the 2022 Games after all, naturally I was pretty disappointed. Yet another Olympic Games where I have no interest in watching my favourite event.

However, when I got back to the office after a handful of days spent back home in Saskatchewan for Christmas, there was a message on my answering machine that offered a new perspective on NHLers not attending the Olympic Games.

The message was from Stacy Kohut, a Whistler skier and four-time medallist at the Paralympic Games. In his message, Kohut asked if I’d be interested in writing an article about how “it is so awesome that the NHL players are not going to be in Beijing.”

As you could probably guess from

what I explained above, that wasn’t exactly the reaction I had to finding out NHLers would not be attending the Games. Frankly, it was the exact opposite of my reaction, which piqued my interest (see what I did there?).

After listening to Kohut explain his stance in the rest of the message, I decided to give him a call to chat about what no NHLers means for all the other athletes attending the Games.

Kohut’s argument was a simple one: without the star power of the NHL athletes at the Games, all the focus, all the profiles, all the getting-to-know-the-athlete segments will now be done on athletes from other sports, instead of the already-famous NHL players.

It puts the athletes who need the exposure and the opportunity to gain more sponsorships in the limelight and gives them the platform to be recognized by the corporations that do the sponsoring, instead of rehashing and digging up even more “colourful” insights into the early life of the colourless Connor McDavid—the ones that every hockey fan hears practically every single day on the country’s sports networks.

We get it—Connor McDavid was once a kid who dreamed of playing in the NHL, and had hockey-themed pyjamas. Cool.

Let’s move on.

So when it comes to the benefits to all other athletes of not having NHLers at the Olympics, Kohut’s argument is one I can definitely get behind, and it lessens the sting of losing my favourite Olympic event.

The downside of all of this, though, is with less interest in watching the hockey games, the Olympic “finale,” which often is the gold medal game, becomes kind of underwhelming. We need a new draw to keep people’s interest in the hockey games because, I’m sorry, but a team of 30-year-old career AHLer/European league veterans isn’t going to cut it.

One option pointed out by Kohut, as well as many other people, to keep the interest without taking away anything from the athletes of other sports would be to send our best junior players to the Games, as this would be more in line with the spirit of the Olympics, which has always been about amateur athletics.

But with this year being a write-off due to the last-minute decision to pull the NHLers, we have four more years to think about Mr. Kohut’s argument and find a way to continue highlighting non-NHL athletes, while keeping Olympic hockey as engaging as possible.

Who knows? Maybe this will be exactly what’s needed to vault women’s hockey into the forefront of international play. ■

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JANUARY 6, 2022

13

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler property assessment values spiked last year, not expected to slow anytime soon SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES INCREASED IN VALUE BY 29 PER CENT IN WHISTLER, 22 PER CENT IN PEMBERTON

BY MEGAN LALONDE WHISTLER AND Pemberton’s assessed property values jumped significantly this year, following two years of slowed growth.

Whistler saw a 29-per-cent increase in the median assessed value of single-family homes, from $2.033 million in 2021 to $2.629 million in 2022, according to BC Assessment.

Assessments of the resort’s residential strata properties—meaning condos and townhouses—rose in value by an average of 24 per cent this year, from $931,000 a year ago to $1.154 million in 2022.

Released every year in January, the assessments reflect market value as of July 1 of the previous year.

Because the resort’s overall property values began the year at the higher end of the spectrum, “I didn’t necessarily know for Whistler if it would not go up as much, because it was already at a higher price point, or would it still go up a lot because it’s far out of the city,” said BC Assessment deputy assessor Bryan Murao. But, he added, “It looks like it went up a lot.”

Pemberton, meanwhile, recorded a 22-per-cent increase in single-family home assessments, from $945,000 in 2021 to $1.151 million in 2022.

The total assessment roll for Whistler is $24.3 billion in 2022, up from $19.7 billion last year. Assessed properties in Pemberton hit a total of about $1.3 billion this year, up from just under $1.04 billion a year prior.

SKY HIGH Assessed values of Whistler’s singlefamily homes and residential strata properties, like condos, rose significantly in the past year.

PHOTO BY MIKE CRANE / GETTY IMAGES

14 JANUARY 6, 2022

The assessed value of a single-family home in Whistler as of July 1, 2020 rose by an average of just one per cent, compared to a five-per-cent rise the previous year.

That represented a noticeable slowdown after four straight years of double-digit increases (11 per cent in 2018; 21 per cent in 2017; 20 per cent in 2016 and 11.7 per cent in 2015).

“Some of this probably is a little bit of recovery” from the slowdown brought on by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Murao. “But I think another part of it is [due to] some people moving out of the city. If [Whistler] wasn’t already at a higher starting point, you probably would have seen changes, say, more similar to Squamish.”

The District of Squamish saw its assessed values jump by 35 per cent this year, a bigger margin than any other Sea to Sky community. The typical assessed value of a single-family home in Squamish is $1.386 million in 2022, while strata residential property values rose by 29 per cent, to $724,000.

Though Whistler’s housing market is unique for several reasons, the increase in assessment values falls in line with what’s happening around the rest of B.C. Other regions saw their single-family home values rise between 11 per cent, as seen in Vancouver’s University Endowment Lands, to 45 per cent in the District of Hope.

Those massive increases are not unheard of for BC Assessment, said Murao. “What is new is seeing this on such a wide scale throughout other parts of the province,” he added. “That’s new for me, anyways. I’ve been here for 15 years and I haven’t seen anything quite like this before.”

Whistler and Pemberton’s heightened values, however, are “fairly expected, in

my eyes, and very consistent to what we’re seeing across B.C.,” said Katelyn Spink of the Whistler Real Estate Company. “Our market values have been going up and up and up, as everyone knows, so it’s about time the assessment plays catch-up.”

These increases are driven by everything from a limited supply—the Sea to Sky’s “inventory is at [an] all-time low right now,” explained Spink—to lifestyle choices now that more British Columbians are able to work remotely, as Murao alluded to.

Appraisers primarily determine home value assessments based on recent property sales in a similar area, though other factors like size, age, quality, condition, view and location are also considered.

In Whistler, elements like property zoning and the ability to generate revenue also play a role, Spink added. The different types of property ownership that exist within the resort mean assessments “can’t really be applied as a parallel comparison,” she said. “Because you’ll see some townhomes that have likely doubled in assessed value, where something just down the road can be completely different.”

Property owners can expect to receive their assessments in the coming days.

Owners concerned about their assessments can submit a Notice of Complaint appeal

by Jan. 31 for an independent review by a Property Assessment Review Panel.

RE/MAX Sea to Sky managing broker Ann Chiasson advised those who disagree with their assessment to compare their home to recently sold properties in their neighbourhood, rather than the property as a whole. “The land? Forget it—you can’t fight that,” she said. “If they put your lot value at $2 million, that’s your lot value … and it’s really the land value that’s driving taxes.”

But In Chiasson’s neighbourhood of Tapley’s Farm, for example, “a lot of homes have been here since ‘82. Now, some have been taken down and rebuilt; some have been totally renovated. Those ones that are selling for higher price points are reflecting on all the ones that haven’t had any major renos.”

Chiasson urged anyone planning to appeal their assessment to contact a local realtor for sales statistics from their area.

As Murao pointed out, changes in property assessments do not necessarily translate into higher property taxes.

Municipalities set their own tax rates each year, which are then applied to a home’s value. An owner’s property tax will only spike above that set rate if the property’s value rose at a higher rate than the average change across similar properties within that same municipality.

But despite the widespread and significant rise in B.C. property values this year, “all of the indications are that Canadian house prices are not going to go down substantially” in 2022, said Chiasson.

“If you want to live in a place like Whistler, you’re always going to be faced with limited supply, and price point is not going to drop dramatically.”

And while “nothing is for certain, here I would say that we live in a beautiful place, we are surrounded by tourism, and we’re kind of in our own little bubble when it comes to a lot of this value, where you’re investing in a place that seems fairly safe,” agreed Spink. “We only have a certain amount of properties here, and there’s only so far people can build.

“I think it’s a really special place and it’s always going to be worth something.”

For more information, visit bcassessment.ca. n

NEWS WHISTLER

RMOW BALANCE MODEL SEEKS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE RESORT

WHISTLER’S NEW Official Community Plan (OCP) is in place at long last, complete with a new vision statement.

At a high level, the statement appears simple: that Whistler is a place where community thrives, nature is protected and guests are inspired.

But dig a little deeper, and you begin to see the stress points where conflict might arise.

The OCP, formally adopted in June 2020, states that the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) must strive to achieve and maintain “comfortable, balanced resort and community capacity,” while implementing a “sustainable, tourismbased economy” and also “protecting the natural environment and reinforcing community character.”

Laudable goals, to be sure, but in all likelihood easier said than accomplished.

One need only look to the explosion in visitation to Whistler’s parks in recent years—in some ways a microcosm of the issues the resort currently faces.

According to the RMOW, visits to local parks were up 35 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020—and a whopping 77 per cent over 2019.

Is that level of visitation comfortable or balanced? Is it sustainable? Does it protect the natural environment?

These are some of the big questions now being probed by the RMOW’s Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), launched in the wake of the 2018 municipal election.

BALANCING ACT Though COVID-19 and the 2021 cyber security incident diverted some resources, the SPC has been exploring these questions since well before the pandemic, said manager of economic development and tourism recovery Toni Metcalf, in presenting the SPC’s new Balance Model to Whistler’s Committee of the Whole on Dec. 21. “[Prior to COVID] we had a number of experiences and perspectives that may have suggested Whistler was nearing its carrying capacity,” Metcalf said. “The Balance Model is intended to use data to investigate these perspectives and enable strategic discussions for proactive management.”

As it relates to the four “pillars” of Whistler’s vision—community, environment, tourism economy and sense of place—the Balance Model aims to understand potential “tradeoffs,” identify constraints, and provide insights to strategy in regards to achieving sustainable balance into the future.

The Balance Model looks at Whistler’s

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current reality, while asking some key questions, Metcalf said.

What is the current reality?

In short, Whistler has morphed into a true four-season destination; economic growth has been rapid in recent years; residents are feeling the pressures of increased visitation, and challenges with access and affordability; amenities and services may not have kept pace with development and population growth; climate action has been insufficient to meet community targets; and more emphasis is needed to protect Whistler’s natural environment.

“So part of the Balance Model is very much intended to logically and comprehensively assess a range of needs and the capacity of our infrastructure for the existing population,” Metcalf said. “As well as scenarios on how future population may evolve.”

Through its “quantifiable,” datadriven analysis, the Balance Model will explore some key questions, she added: where is Whistler’s capacity strained, or underutilized? How might population change, and what impacts will that have?

What impact might Whistler Blackcomb’s Master Plan have? What tradeoffs may need to be intentionally considered? And how can officials use COVID to rebuild Whistler as a more sustainable tourism community?

The Balance Model initiative is made up of three key pieces of work, Metcalf added: a current state assessment (completed fall 2021); modelling of potential future scenarios (winter 2021-22) and strategies and actions in pursuit of Whistler’s vision (spring 2022).

Nick Swinburne

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

FIND THE S PA C E T O B R E AT H E . . .

W H I S T L E R ’ S L E A D I N G R E A LT O R

DATA DRIVEN Much of the SPC’s work to date has been focused on data collection, and identifying trends and relationships that have brought Whistler to its current state.

The presentation to the Committee of the Whole included data on a wide range of topics, including (but not limited to): passenger vehicle and building emissions; water use and waste disposal; housing availability, affordability and childcare; traffic congestion and public park space; and tourist accommodations, commercial space and skier visits (find it in full at whistler.ca/balancemodel).

In 2019, Whistler was seeing 20,000 visitors per day on average, said strategy analyst Rebecca Zalmanovitz—and visitation is intricately linked with stats related to residents.

“Historically, they trend together, and that really makes sense because increased visitation increases demand for services, amenities, all sorts of things,” Zalmanovitz said. “Which

SEE PAGE 16

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NEWS WHISTLER << FROM PAGE 15 increases demand for labour, [and] increased demand for labour means more people are living locally and working locally.”

Looking at historical trends, growth in several areas was stagnant prior to the 2010 Olympics.

With the transition of the Athletes’ Village into employee housing, homeownership saw a dramatic uptick, while the rental stock didn’t increase until more recently.

“Overall, our total residents, we’re seeing pretty close to 50-50 proportion of renters and homeowners,” Zalmanovitz said.

In collecting and segmenting data, RMOW staff looked at historical population trends in relation to various factors, or “influencers.”

“We looked at different macroeconomic indicators like GDP or foreign exchange rates—how would that impact visitation?”

Zalmanovitz said.

“We looked at weather and snowfall; [and] we looked at average daily rates in hotels and resort offerings.”

Staff also looked at the population growth of different regions, which may provide the most telling insights about what’s in store for Whistler in the coming years.

Historically, both regional and destination visits to Whistler have grown in conjunction with growth in the population of the Lower Mainland, Zalmanovitz said. ”For every 100,000-person increase in the Lower Mainland population, we see an additional 400 daily visitors from

WHISTLER

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NEXT STEPS

within the region,” she said. “And based on Vancouver or the Lower Mainland’s historical growth, they’re tending to see [an additional] 30,000 to 40,000 people per year. So you might see this increase [in Whistler] every three to four years.”

Further, for every additional 1 million arrivals at YVR, Whistler has typically seen an additional 300 daily destination visitors.

And for every 1,000 daily visitors to the resort, an extra 600 workers are required to

environment, community and economy.

“And then more specifically, on a more tactical level, we can identify potential challenges or tradeoffs in the future with our indicators—what’s coming in the next five years, what’s coming in the next 10 to 20 years, that type of thing,” Zalmanovitz said.

For example, the Balance Model can tell the RMOW what to expect in terms of visitation, and the related impacts to hotel occupancy, traffic and highway congestion, or pressure on food and beverage services, but it won’t identify specific solutions.

“Of course that would require much more detailed work,” Zalmanovitz said.

“So we look at our results of this Balance Model, and it initiates lots of interesting discussions and more detailed analysis for strategies and actions to meet the vision.”

With the “heavy lifting” of data collection and analysis complete, the next phase of the project—modelling potential future scenarios—will tap the community for input.

A survey will be posted online, followed by a broader community engagement process in the spring, “as we talk about what priorities are, and how we work through those tradeoffs that are going to be needed through social, environmental and economic challenges, and where do we actually try to balance those across the board,” Metcalf said.

Follow the process at whistler.ca/ balancemodel. n

Given the trend of the identified influencers, the RMOW projects “unconstrained growth” in both regional and destination visitors into 2040.

With that in mind, visitation levels to Whistler are subject to both accommodation and parking availability, and the projections are considered illustrative and for discussion, rather than representative of final modelling results.

[W]e’ve got a great vantage point of Whistler overall, both from a strategic perspective and tactically, but there are limitations.”

- REBECCA ZALMANOVITZ

meet their needs, Zalmanovitz said.

“Based on our historical growth, this could happen every one to two years, or one to three years, to have this type of growth in our labour—and all of these people need accommodation amenities and services,” she said.

“So this is really kind of wrapping up what the balance model is—it’s looking at what’s driven growth historically, and how does this population growth impact our need for accommodation amenities and services, and how can we measure our performance?”

But the projections provide valuable insight.

“The Balance Model is really meant to give us this bird’s eye view of Whistler overall, meaning it goes broad, but not necessarily deep,” Zalmanovitz said. “So we’ve got a great vantage point of Whistler overall, both from a strategic perspective and tactically, but there are limitations.”

Strategically, the broad view of potential visitation and population growth allows the RMOW to identify future priorities relating to the pillars of

SQUAMISH

NORTH SHORE

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VANCOUVER

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This communication is not intended to cause or induce the break of an existing agency relationship. *Personal Real Estate Corporation.

We would like to acknowledge that we work and live on the traditional, unceded territory of the xwməθkwəýəm, səlilwətaɬ, Lil’wat & Sḵwxwú7mesh People.

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NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler’s leaders list their top priorities for 2022 PANDEMIC RECOVERY, REGIONAL TRANSIT AND PARKS MANAGEMENT AMONG ITEMS ON AGENDA FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS

BY BRANDON BARRETT IF THERE WERE a bingo card listing the pressing issues facing Whistler year after year, chances are it would include housing, labour, climate and affordability.

But the past two years have added another unavoidable item to the list, one that closely intertwines with all the others.

“All of this has a COVID overlay. We are very much focused on ensuring that we support individuals and businesses to get through this and then recover,” said Mayor Jack Crompton when asked for municipal hall’s top priorities for 2022. “It would be easy to focus 100 per cent of our attention on COVID-19 response, but we’ve worked hard to ensure that we continue to deliver on housing, climate action and community balance as we do that. It’s a fine balance but it’s incredibly important, in my view.”

As Pique caught up with elected officials at the local, provincial and federal levels to discuss priorities for the coming year, the pandemic was a predictable running theme.

And while many of the same issues remain from this time last year, it’s clear the messaging around COVID-19 has shifted, both from Whistler and Victoria.

At the onset of 2021, Crompton and the province were urging British Columbians not to visit the resort as the community’s case count rose. As active cases in B.C. skyrocketed to more than 27,000 this week, 80 per cent of which are linked to the highly transmissible but less severe Omicron variant, Crompton was asked why similar messaging wasn’t seen over the busy holiday period.

“This pandemic moves incredibly quickly and public health [guidance] adjusts to those changes,” he said. “We have vaccinations now; we didn’t then. They are different realities and we then must respond in different ways. I think vaccinations have been a game-changer. People who are vaccinated have much better health outcomes.”

The Sea to Sky’s federal MP, Liberal Patrick Weiler, echoed the importance of booster vaccines in light of the surging Omicron variant, and said Whistler’s most persistent challenges have to be viewed through that lens.

“Everything flows from that,” he explained. “That’s why [the federal government has] stepped up with supports, continuing the wage and rent subsidy for businesses … and just providing continued support for people who lose their jobs as a result of lockdown measures.”

Resort businesses have repeatedly stressed the need for ongoing financial support that doesn’t add to their already bloated debt load, and, with that in mind, Weiler said Ottawa is considering extending the payback period for its Emergency Business Account Loan program beyond its end-of-2022 deadline “to allow businesses more time to recover before they’re to pay any interest on it,” he said.

LABOUR Shoring up Whistler’s labour supply was another consistent theme for local officials, a years-long issue that BC Liberal MLA and former Pemberton Mayor Jordan Sturdy is worried will turn into a permanent one coming out of the pandemic.

“The issues from staffing shortages, I’m afraid they will become chronic. We have an acute issue right now that’s been building but certainly COVID, and our reliance on holiday working visas and temporary foreign workers, drove it in a large way,” he said.

First and foremost, in Sturdy’s mind, is getting a more accurate picture of the Sea to Sky’s labour landscape. Prior to the pandemic, Statistics Canada had committed to providing corridor-specific employment figures, rather than lumping the region in

with Greater Vancouver. A push that began in 2014 under former Whistler Chamber of Commerce president Val Litwin, getting a more granular view of the Sea to Sky’s labour numbers would ideally help local leaders drive home how vital foreign worker programs are to the resort. Pre-pandemic, local businesses polled in a chamber survey said less than half of their job applicants were Canadian or held permanent resident status, while 35 per cent of Whistler’s workforce were on working holiday visas. (The survey did not track temporary foreign workers.)

“It’s very much long overdue,” said Weiler, noting StatsCan is now in consultation over how to distil the corridorspecific labour data, which he expects by the end of the year. He added that Ottawa is currently working on simplifying its temporary foreign worker program down to a two-week processing window, while another federal initiative, the Municipal Nominee Program, is being developed to allow small- and medium-sized communities to “set priorities for the type of immigration they want,” said Weiler.

“It can be for economic growth reasons, it could be more for social vibrancy. It could be for a number of different areas.”

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17

NEWS WHISTLER << FROM PAGE 17 At least 5,000 new permanent resident spaces will be dedicated to the program.

HOUSING Inextricably linked to Whistler’s labour woes is its ongoing housing shortage, which has seen renewed focus throughout the pandemic from both the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and local non-profits calling for a strategy that better addresses the community’s wide range of housing needs (see related story on pg. 21).

Crompton pointed to the progress made in 2021 as a sign of the municipality’s commitment to affordable housing, with six employee housing projects currently being processed at municipal hall, representing a potential 633 new bed units. The RMOW is now nearing the target it set in 2017 to add 1,000 residentrestricted beds over five years.

“So far, so good, but a lot more to do,” Crompton said. “As a community, we simply cannot afford to take our eye off the ball as far as housing is concerned. Like everywhere, this is a supply issue and we intend to continue to be a part of the solution.”

Addressing the underlying factors impacting housing affordability “writ large” is a main priority for the federal government in 2022, Weiler said. Ottawa has proposed several measures aimed at curbing speculation in the market, including

everything from a potential ban on blind bidding to a new agency that would target financial crimes such as money laundering.

“We’re also going to be dealing with the biggest issue in much of the country, which is the lack of supply, by creating some incentives and programs to help municipalities be able to move projects through the zoning process a little bit quicker and to incentivize things like inclusionary zoning,” added Weiler.

REGIONAL TRANSIT Since 2018, Sea to Sky officials have made the case for a much-needed regional transit line connecting Mount Currie to the corridor and beyond. The common refrain explaining the holdup has always centred around the program’s funding structure, which would see costs split between local governments, the province and BC Transit.

These days, however, Sturdy isn’t so sure what’s keeping public buses off the highway.

“I do not understand the reticence of this government to support everybody who is unanimous in this initiative. We’ve proposed solutions that wouldn’t even cost the province any money, so I don’t understand the problem,” he noted.

A funding arrangement tabled in 2019, which was ultimately rejected by the province, called for a motor fuel tax of 2.5 cents to help cover the costs. A 2017 study pegged the estimated cost of regional transit at $3.31 million.

“The local government share would

be covered by a transit levy on fuel and potentially the provincial share could be covered by the same thing,” Sturdy explained.

“They’ve already provided Vancouver with an 18-and-a-half-cent [TransLink] levy and we’re asking for two cents.”

Crompton referred questions about the holdup to the province, but reiterated that regional transit is “critical to the provincial economy.

“I hope they move quickly on it,” he said. “This is important.”

MANAGING RECREATION DEMAND Another knock-on effect of the pandemic has been the explosion in demand for outdoor recreation, something that has been seen both locally and provincially. Visitation to Whistler’s parks this past summer increased 35 per cent from the same period in 2020, and a whopping 77 per cent from 2019. With that and other factors in mind, the RMOW will also continue work on its new Balance Model initiative in 2022, aimed at achieving a more sustainable visitation framework.

(See related story on pg. 15.)

At the province, where BC Parks saw a record 3.1 million visitors in the 2021 season, the approach has variously been to place limitations on park access through things like day passes, pre-booking of campsites, and full-on closures.

“The strategy these days seems to be: let’s put in barriers, let’s put in fees, let’s

prohibit people from accessing things,” Sturdy said. “That’s our way to manage recreation demand and I fundamentally disagree with that approach.”

Instead, Sturdy is pushing to increase capacity at high-volume sites, an effort he sees helping address spillover into other areas.

“We saw this up here when they shut down Joffre. What happened was things went crazy at Semaphore [Lake], things went crazy in the Squamish Valley,” he said. “We spread people out all over the place without any social controls. Everybody goes and does whatever the hell they want, whereas if we ran twice as many people through Joffre but we did it well, and people’s experience was excellent, they got to see what they wanted to see and we had the opportunity to educate them and guide that experience, it would be better for everybody.”

The multimillion-dollar question: is the chronically underfunded and understaffed BC Parks equipped to handle an influx of visitors?

“No, I don’t think they are at this point,” Sturdy mused.

Last spring, the B.C. government boosted park funding to $83 million, spread out over three years, a far cry from the $100-million annual budget recreation and environmental groups had pushed for. The money will go towards maintaining park operations, building new park facilities, improving accessibility, protecting park ecology and hiring new staff, the province has indicated. n

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NEWS WHISTLER

The view from the snow plow WHAT’S IT LIKE CLEARING 700 SITES ON A 50-CM POWDER DAY?

BY MEGAN LALONDE MORE THAN 100 centimetres of snow has fallen over Whistler since New Year’s Day. It’s meant endless, chest-deep pow runs and shaky legs for those able to make it up the mountain, but it’s also meant slippery, snowcovered roads, compounded holiday traffic, and a whole lot of shovelling in the valley.

The people responsible for keeping this storm cycle from bringing the entire resort to a standstill are those who’ve spent the first few days of 2022 working tirelessly to clear roads and parking lots, making it possible for locals and visitors to get around town safely.

But on a 50-cm-plus snow day, how big of a job is that, really? Pique caught up with Tim Coulson, chief operations officer of Coastal Mountain Excavations (CME)—who business partner Matt Woods, CME president, called “the single most experienced person in Whistler in regards to snow removal,”— to find out. (While he was in a sand truck, plowing, stuck in holiday Monday afternoon traffic on Jan. 3, for the record.)

ON STAFFING On a day like Sunday, Jan. 2, CME would

have between 45 and 55 staff, from drivers to mechanics, on the clock, said Coulson.

“We’re OK. We’ve got long-term staff, and we have a pretty good program for our staff that makes them want to work for us, and they’re experienced. So we’re doing pretty good and we haven’t had much Omicron [affect us], so we’re really, really fortunate,” he said.

“It’s definitely around, but we all work individually in our equipment so we’re very low-risk at work, obviously … But with snowclearing, it’s all about the staff and their experience, and we’re just holding in there.

And we’ve been around long enough too— we’ve been here for 44 years, I think it is.”

ON EQUIPMENT “We probably have 40 pieces of equipment.

We have more [snow-clearing] equipment than the City of Vancouver.

“We have 30 loaders, and then we’ve probably got another 10—maybe more actually—sand tracks and plow trucks.”

ON TIMING “We have about 350 commercial clients and about 360 residential clients. So on a snow day, we can have up to 700 clients.

“With all that equipment on a 10- to 15-centimetre day, when everything’s up to speed, it’s probably an eight-hour day. But [on Sunday] … a lot of the guys probably did at least 12 hours, probably some did more, and then they were back again [Monday].”

ON CHALLENGES “In the old days, you’d go into a subdivision and there was always empty lots—and I remember this really, really well—places like Northern Lights, we used to dump the snow in the middle of this plot, in the middle of the condos. And then everybody got into the landscaping game, where one guy landscaped his condo, and he sold it for $100,000 more than the guy’s that wasn’t landscaped, so they took all the snow dumps away and put landscaping in. So now there’s nowhere to put snow … [Usually], we pick a spot and fill it in, and then we truck snow— that’s another huge part of our business. Like on a normal year, we’ll truck about four-anda-half thousand loads of snow.

“If you drive into Marketplace and look at that pile of snow, that all has to get trucked out somewhere, and the cost of that is quite substantial. And the timing—so not only does it have to be safe to put trucks on the road, which hasn’t happened yet, [but

we need to] have a break in the weather to truck the snow. From these storms, if it stops snowing now, we’d probably be busy for two weeks.”

ON EXPECTATIONS Snow clearing “is a very big business. It’s interesting, because if it doesn’t snow nobody cares about you, but when it snows, everybody wants you.”

While CME has plenty of “great, longterm clients,” said Coulson, his message to the community is to “just be patient” on heavy snow days.

“As I said, on a day that normally takes eight hours and turns into 12, there’s obviously going to be a big difference in our response time. It may not be perfect on the day you get 50 centimeters, but we’ll just keep coming back to try and get to where we need to be. Our goal is to get everybody moving safely. We do the ambulance station, the medical center. They are our biggest priorities at night, to make sure everybody can get an ambulance and get to the clinics for medical [treatment] … we’re dealing with Mother Nature and it will do what it wants. [We’ve seen it this year in B.C.] with floods and landslides, and snow, it’s just another one.” n

JANUARY 6, 2022

19

NEWS WHISTLER

Holidays saw string of break-ins and thefts in Whistler FIVE THEFTS REPORTED ON CHRISTMAS DAY, AND TWO BREAK-INS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

BY BRANDON BARRETT WHISTLER FELL victim to a string of break-ins and thefts over the holidays, with a total of seven incidents confirmed by police on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. At approximately 8 a.m. on Dec. 25, police received a report of a stolen vehicle from the 1300 block of Cloudburst Drive in Cheakamus Crossing. Fortunately, the grey Toyota Prius was later recovered in the area of Callaghan Valley Road with the keys still in the vehicle.

A forensic examination turned up no further evidence and a review of CCTV footage was unsuccessful in identifying a suspect, police said in a release.

About a half hour later, officers were called to a reported break-in at a business located 19 kilometres south of Whistler.

Police said a suspect wearing a mask and hood pried open a door with a crowbar before stealing a safe containing $8,000.

Then, just before 9 a.m., police responded to a break-and-enter to a garage in the 1500 block of Tynebridge Lane in Spring Creek. Investigators said the suspect had rummaged through two unlocked vehicles before finding a garage door opener

20 JANUARY 6, 2022

that they used to access the garage.

Approximately $700 worth of ski gear was stolen.

A forensic investigation didn’t help in identifying a suspect, police said.

Another theft was reported at 11:20 a.m. Christmas Day, this time from a vehicle in the 1200 block of Alta Lake Road. The release said the driver-side

a.m., Mounties were tipped off to a breakand-enter to a home in Nordic.

Investigators said the suspect entered the residence sometime between 9 and 11:30 a.m. through a front door that was left unlocked.

Two laptops, two iPads and a speaker system were reported stolen.

Resident Trish Sloan called the theft

Resident Trish Sloan called the theft “brazen,” considering the visibility of their home and the fact their dog was in the house at the time.

window was smashed and an iPhone stolen from the vehicle.

Then, at about 3 p.m., police responded to another theft from a vehicle that, with no sign of forced entry, was believed to be left unlocked at the time. Keys and a parking pass were stolen, police said.

New Year’s Eve was another busy day for Whistler RCMP. At approximately 11:40

“brazen,” considering the visibility of their home and the fact their dog was in the house at the time.

“We’re in good view of things and people walk past all the time,” said Sloan, who commended the work of police so far.

“Someone just really took a chance and was successful.”

Investigators have reviewed CCTV

footage, spoken with neighbours and currently await the results of a forensic examination.

Later that day, at about 5:45 p.m., another home was hit, this time in Alpine and belonging to U.S. Olympic snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who posted to social media after the theft saying that cash and jewelry, including two Olympic rings, were stolen. Police said roughly $20,000 worth of jewelry was taken.

It is believed the suspect entered through an unlocked front door sometime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

In the release, Cpl. Nate Miller said he would “like to warn the public about leaving their vehicles and residences unlocked.

Leaving your vehicle and residence unlocked provides an opportunity for someone to commit crime. Please be sure to lock your vehicle and remove your personal belongings.”

He also urged the public not to leave garage door openers in vehicles.

The Whistler RCMP is asking anyone with information about these incidents or who observes suspicious behaviour to call the detachment’s non-emergency line at 604-932-3044, or Sea to Sky Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous. n

NEWS WHISTLER

‘Reinvigorated’ Whistler Valley Housing Society looks to fill in resort’s housing gaps NEW-LOOK BOARD WANTS TO ADDRESS BROADER SPECTRUM OF HOUSING NEEDS TO ENSURE ‘NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND’

BY BRANDON BARRETT FOR SOME TIME, Sean Easton has been banging the same drum. The co-executive director of local non-profit and supportive housing provider Zero Ceiling had been lobbying for the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) to broaden its mandate to encompass the entire spectrum of the community’s housing needs, and in particular, the vulnerable, underserved population on the lower end of the market.

But at a certain point, Easton had an epiphany: the WHA (nor any one organization, for that matter) can’t realistically meet all of the diverse needs of Whistler’s housing continuum, something both the WHA and Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) have echoed in the past.

“That’s where I see the opportunity with the Whistler Valley Housing Society (WVHS).

I see [it] as potentially being, if you will, a bit of an umbrella organization that can generally represent the non-profit housing sector and work to meet the gaps that currently exist within Whistler’s housing,” he said.

“Our vision that we landed on is to

HOUSE RULES Zero Ceiling co-executive director Sean Easton is one of the newest members on the board of the Whistler Valley Housing Society, which has shifted its mandate to focus on a broader spectrum of housing needs in the resort.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

provide and advocate for a broader spectrum of housing opportunities for the Whistler community, and our mission is addressing the diverse housing needs of the Whistler community to ensure no one is left behind.”

A non-profit, volunteer-led organization formed in 1983 by a group of local employers concerned with rising real estate prices, the WVHS served as something of a precursor to the WHA. A year after it was launched, it produced Whistler’s first fully subsidized affordable housing unit on Sarajevo Drive in Creekside, and in subsequent years

throughout the ‘80s it facilitated the development of a handful of other residentrestricted projects.

In recent years, the WVHS had largely become inactive, with current acting chair and RMOW Councillor Cathy Jewett calling it “kind of a placeholder board.” But with the COVID-19 pandemic exposing the glaring cracks in Whistler’s housing landscape as numerous residents were forced into isolation, and the society’s operating agreement with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) coming to

an end, the WVHS has shifted its focus in a major way.

“For a town our size, and with the kind of temporary residents that we have here, we’re really lacking some of the social supports that are needed,” said Jewett.

“The narrative we have to tell is that not everybody in Whistler lives in a mansion with an infinity pool. I think there’s a real lack of understanding about how people live here and the kind of wages they earn.”

Recent months have also seen a shakeup at the WVHS board in an effort to inject it with new blood like Easton. “[Whistler Community Services Society director] Jackie Dickinson had let me know that the operating agreement with the CMHC had come to an end, so maybe there were opportunities for them to reinvigorate their work,” Easton said of joining the board four months ago. “I let them know I’d be coming with a pretty strong advocacy approach. I wasn’t mincing my words.”

Exactly what the society’s reimagined role will look like is tough to say in these early stages, but Jewett said it would “not be dissimilar” to the WHA’s role in developing

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NEWS WHISTLER << FROM PAGE 22 workforce housing, only for supportive housing, which can take various forms.

“Supportive housing isn’t necessarily just frontline workers,” Jewett added. “It can also mean people who are perhaps unemployable, so we can’t always think in terms of employees because there are more needs out there than just that.”

The WCSS, which has historically held a position on the WVHS board, has seen the diverse housing needs of Whistler firsthand throughout the pandemic.

At about this time last year, WCSS was forming a partnership with BC Housing to offer spaces for locals with COVID-19 to isolate temporarily. Today, the organization continues to house people through referrals from Vancouver Coastal Health and local medical teams.

In recent months, WCSS has also begun offering temporary housing for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and helps connect them to an outreach worker and more long-term solutions. WCSS has provided 93 nights of accommodation since September.

That comes on the heels of the Howe Sound Women’s Centre securing, in October, a safe house for women fleeing abuse— something the organization had lobbied for in Whistler for years—made possible thanks to a large donation from an anonymous donor.

“Once we do a program of this nature, we realize there’s so much work to do. It

doesn’t stop here and it sheds light on all the other challenges or places we need to do better on, so the learning is endless,” said Dickinson, noting that emergency housing remains one segment of the local housing spectrum that needs serious attention and one that WCSS is committed to working on.

Of course, as is always the case with housing, financing is the multimilliondollar question.

“Talking to people that know about things like this, it’s very difficult to finance

“[I]t’s very difficult to finance, because you’re dealing with short-term leases, so you don’t have the assurance of a steady cash flow.”

- CATHY JEWETT

because you’re dealing with short-term leases, so you don’t have the assurance of a steady cash flow,” Jewett said.

“The WCSS has a real understanding of where our vulnerable populations are here.

On the other hand, if we do build a building, we have to make it pay. These are the other balances we have to look at.”

But as both the provincial and federal governments have expanded funding opportunities for a broader spectrum of housing in the pandemic, Easton believes groups like the WVHS and RMOW are well positioned to capitalize.

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“Part of the reason the WHA has been so successful previously in granting programs through BC Housing and the CMHC is it really aligned with the provincial and federal government’s work around housing.

A lot of it is middle-class and families and the WHA serves that, but we’ve seen a shift in the provincial and federal governments to move more towards more marginalized populations and lower-income housing opportunities,” he said.

The WHA has, since its inception, been

closely associated with the WVHS, and executive director Marla Zucht, who previously sat on the WVHS board, said she is committed to continuing to work with the society to facilitate additional housing for the community.

“The WHA is pleased to hear about the new direction being taken by the Whistler Valley Housing Society. I know the former Board of the WVHS had been suggesting the WVHS should focus on providing housing for some of the more vulnerable populations in our community and determine how the Whistler Valley Housing Society can best serve the community. The former WVHS

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Board had also been recommending the need for the Whistler Valley Housing Society to focus on stronger governance protocols and strategic planning for the WVHS,” Zucht wrote in an email.

“I believe these goals are now being targeted and are underway with strong and passionate leadership being provided by Councillor Cathy Jewett and with some new energy and increased capacity on the Whistler Valley Housing Society Board of Directors.”

Key to Whistler’s housing evolution will be to gain a fuller understanding of the needs of the community’s most vulnerable, an effort that will take time, patience and trust, Dickinson said.

“We have to build trust in those relationships with people who can give us insight into how we move forward. We have to listen. We have to listen to their perspectives and their views of where they currently are now and how they want to sustain and continue to be part of this community,” she said.

Easton has pushed for better data on Whistler’s housing needs and lobbied the RMOW to bring local non-profit housing providers to the table for an upcoming housing needs assessment that was mandated by the province for completion by April 2022, and every five years thereafter.

“That is a concrete step to understand how to meet these needs. That is a request I’ve made formally now,” he said.

“I’m concerned that without looking somewhere different, we’re going to get the same result we always have.” n

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NEWS PEMBERTON & THE VALLEY

More than $12k raised to replace Spud Valley’s stolen equipment THE SPUD VALLEY NORDIC ASSOCIATION HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN ENOUGH DONATIONS TO REPLACE THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS STOLEN NEARLY THREE WEEKS AGO

BY HARRISON BROOKS THE CHAIRPERSON of the Spud Valley Nordic Association (SVNA) is extending a heartfelt thank you to the community of Pemberton and all the people “who have been so supportive and so generous” in the wake of the club’s equipment trailer being stolen a few weeks ago.

“We really, really appreciate every single penny we got,” said Delores Franz Los. “And we hope that we can put it to a very good use, and we can continue to make the program run as it has in the past.”

In the approximately three weeks that have passed since the SVNA trailer containing nearly $10,000 worth of equipment was stolen from the Nairn Falls Campground parking lot, the Nordic club has received more than $12,000 in donations to go towards replacing the stolen gear.

A trailer belonging to the long-running

CROSS COUNTRY KIDS Four kids enjoy a cross country skiing activity at one of Spud Valley Nordic Association’s weekly Jackrabbit programs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPUD VALLEY NORDIC ASSOCIATION

24 JANUARY 6, 2022

cross-country club—which operates a popular weekly kids’ “Jackrabbit” program, a junior racer program and fun events for adults each winter—went missing during the evening of Thursday, Dec. 16.

Many of the donations have come through a GoFundMe, which currently has

$750 by opening their property for cross country skiers to use for a minimum fivedollar donation to the club.

“It’s just unbelievable the support we’ve had,” said Franz Los. “There’s so many anonymous donations. So I don’t know who they are, but they probably

“It’s just unbelievable the support we’ve had ... it is just incredibly, incredibly generous.”

- DELORES FRANZ LOS

raised more than $9,000 of its $10,000 goal thanks to many small, anonymous donations from community members as well as some large-scale donations, like $2,000 from the Pemberton Valley Supermarket and $1,000 from the Pemberton and District Chamber of Commerce.

The community also came together in other ways to support the club: many people and businesses donating money directly to Franz Los, while Pemberton Valley Farms owners Marty and Andrea van Loon raised

would have some connection to the club some way. So it is just incredibly, incredibly generous.”

With the cost of the stolen equipment more than made up for already, the next step for Franz Los and the SVNA is to start acquiring equipment to replace what was lost.

Luckily for the club, there were no sessions scheduled over the Christmas break, so there was lots of time to make a plan and borrow what was needed for Monday’s session, which Franz Los said

went well despite not replacing all the equipment yet.

“The kids were very excited. We just had lots of fun activities, but nothing that needed equipment,” she said. “The coaches were working on activities so that they could actually see if the children who were put in a group for yesterday would be a group that would work together or if we’d have to switch them around, as we’re not sure what their skill level is.”

As the club continues to replace its stolen equipment, which Franz Los said is going to be a hassle in itself due to the supply not being there to get it all at once, the biggest issue that remains is finding a safe spot to store the equipment so a similar theft doesn’t happen again.

“We’re still thinking about it, but that’s what we’re going to work on this week—try to figure out what we can do as far as where to store it and how to get it back and forth and things like that,” she said. “I did suggest that at least during the rest of this year that maybe the Pemberton Tourism Association, which was the one that arranged with [BC] Parks to have [the campground] open all the time, maybe could arrange to have the gate locked every night, but I haven’t heard back from them on that at all.” n

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SCIENCE MATTERS

Everything under the sun AS LIGHT SLOWLY returns to the Northern Hemisphere, we anticipate brighter days ahead. It’s a good time to consider the wondrous combination of forces that make life on Earth possible.

Above all is the sun—the ultimate source of all our energy. But we rely on plants, algae and some bacteria to obtain this energy through photosynthesis. According to a Lumen Learning article, “It is the only biological process that can capture energy that originates in outer space (sunlight) and convert it into chemical compounds (carbohydrates) that every organism uses to power its metabolism.”

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Photosynthesis uses solar energy to convert water and atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic compounds such as sugars. “These sugars are then used to make complex carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, as well as the wood, leaves, and roots of plants,” University of California’s Understanding Global Change website says.

As an added bonus, we get oxygen.

Photosynthesis powers 99 per cent of Earth’s ecosystems. Even coal, oil and gas were created when plants (and sometimes the animals that ate them) were buried, their captured solar energy transformed and concentrated through heat, pressure and hundreds of millions of years.

Although it’s tempting to see this massive, fiery, life-giving entity as some kind of deity, we have to remember the sun is indifferent.

What it does to or for us is up to us. If we

Most early automobiles used plantbased ethanol for fuel, but as more oil was discovered, the two industries worked together to create a sprawling car culture that would deliberately burn and waste excessive amounts of fuels to keep profits flowing. It was likely the biggest overall mistake humans have ever made.

For a time, it worked like a dream— the American Dream perhaps—increased prosperity and mobility, shopping malls, drive-thrus, suburbs, middle-class jobs, a wide variety of food and products and consumerism as a virtue. We can see now that we’ve been borrowing from the future to pay for our excessive lifestyles, and the bill has come due.

It never made sense to burn precious energy stores in such a wasteful and polluting way, to put enormous amounts of money and energy into developing a culture and infrastructure around empowering and encouraging a massive number of people to each have a two-tonne machine to move them around.

To resolve the climate and related crises, we have to change our ways. And we have to help those who haven’t enjoyed the same privileges and benefits of our fossil-fuelled economies to ensure they can prosper without contributing more to the damage.

I once asked renowned ecologist E.O. Wilson, who died on Dec. 26, how many people the planet could sustain indefinitely.

He responded, “If you want to live like North Americans, 200 million.” That’s because North Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Australians, who make up 20 per cent of the world’s population, are consuming more than 80 per cent of its resources.

So maybe we shouldn’t think of transformative change as sacrifice. It’s more

[M]aybe we shouldn’t think of transformative change as sacrifice.

It’s more about realizing what’s truly important.

WHO? Anyone with an interest or expertise in agriculture and related matters is welcome to apply. Applicants should: • Be a land owner and/or permanent resident of Electoral Area C or Pemberton • Have an interest in preserving the viability of farming in the Pemberton Valley and surrounding area • Be from the farming and ranching community (optional) • Posses a clear understanding and knowledge of topics affecting agricultural land • Be available to commit to roughly 4-6 meetings per year, for a one year or two year term HOW? Application forms can be obtained on the SLRD website, or by contacting the SLRD office. Please submit your application no later than 5pm on January 28, 2022.

For additional information please contact: Alix MacKay, Planner Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Tel: 604-894-6371, ext. 224 E-mail: amackay@slrd.bc.ca

26 JANUARY 6, 2022

choose to go out into its heat unprotected, we’ll burn and possibly get skin cancer. If we put solar panels on our home or office building, we’ll capture its energy.

Existing and new ways to use its power more directly, perhaps even through artificial photosynthesis, are clearly better than wasting the valuable, concentrated stores that have taken more than 300 million years to form. But unlike solar radiation, coal, oil and gas can be “commodities.”

Under our human systems, someone can “own” these and exploit, trade, sell and profit from them. As profit and wealth concentration became primary drivers of economic agendas in the industrialized world, rampant exploitation and waste became the norm, rather than careful and beneficial use.

about realizing what’s truly important, that the persistent race to acquire more stuff or more money is an illusory path to well-being. We simply can’t continue consuming in the same way we have been for the past hundred years or so. Freed from those pointless pursuits, we might actually discover that family, friends, community and nature bring us more happiness and satisfaction than any material goods.

So, as the days grow longer with the promise of the sun, let’s all do what we can to spread light and joy in the world.

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

Effort in versus experience out DEATH AND TAXES. When I first encountered this phrase as a teenager it was a lesson in inevitability. Sure, you can ignore your taxes for a while, even evade them if you’re crafty and have a dodgy accountant willing to cook your books. But like our own mortality, it all catches up with you eventually.

BY VINCE SHULEY The inevitability of going skiing off a chairlift is that at some point, you’re going to have to line up. It could be getting up early to be at the front of the line, patiently kicking out frozen limbs while waiting for the base lifts to open (a ritual often repeated later in the day for alpine lifts). You might have to wait in traffic to make it past the Creekside lights or, during some seasons, simply waiting around for the snow to arrive so we can go skiing at all.

Just like my aversion to vehicle traffic, throughout my years in Whistler I’ve looked for every opportunity to avoid waiting in line, with exception to my early bird starts on powder days, of course. Weekend freeskiing was (historically) to be avoided at all costs; mid-week is where you get the real bang for your powder buck. For the years I taught skiing on the mountain I would

WORTH THE EFFORT The year 2022 had a remarkable start to skiing on Blackcomb Mountain.

PHOTO BY VINCE SHULEY

enjoy lift-line priority on the weekends and mid-week was when I would explore, ski and send it with my buddies. Like many of Whistler’s hospitality workers, in those years I took pride in rarely having to line up for good skiing.

But now with my Monday to Friday schedule, the lift line death knell looms.

This season’s trend of most powder days falling on weekends hasn’t helped the situation. And as we all know, 95 per cent of the time, skiing is better than not skiing.

So I do my best to find at least one friend willing to wake up in the dark and meet me at the base lifts, but I’ll still line up solo

your pow-day fix, hitting the resort early in those conditions is a no-brainer.

But not everyone is willing to walk for their skiing, and with that, lift lines can reach a critical mass. This was most apparent in the 2020-21 winter season here in Whistler, when we could load gondolas only with our own groups. That resulted in some comically long lift lines that snaked from one end of the village to the other. I attempted to ski on an 8 a.m. start a couple of days that season, but faced with the ludicrous wait, I elected to go home and try another day. That’s a luxury of living locally.

[I]f I had to contend with congested vehicle traffic, long lift lines and minimal vertical skiing all on a powder day, I would probably find another winter hobby.

and strike up a conversation with the other dawn patrollers. Start early, ski pow, then head down when the rest of Highway 99’s powder-day traffic finally makes it up to the mid-mountain lifts.

There’s other ways to dodge the lift lines, of course. You could go ski touring, but during or right after a coastal storm it’s slow travel, high avalanche danger and generally moderate-to-bad visibility. So still skiing, and great-quality skiing, but pretty much always a whole lot less skiing. And if you’ve only got your two days a week to get

The holidays are usually when we get some of our most heinous lift lines, but the arctic outflow weather and paralyzing wind chill around Boxing Day kept a lot of fair weather skiers indoors. I was among them for the worst of the -30s, but rallied for a few of the -20s and was greeted with a tolerably busy ski hill—a rare treat during the holidays. Some of Vail’s other resorts in the West did not fare very well with holiday traffic. Park City, Stevens Pass, Northstar and Heavenly were just a few that had social media shares showing agonizingly

long lift lines. Yes, it’s the holidays and yes, staff have been increasingly hard to find, retain and keep COVID-free for every level of business, but where is the tipping point of an expensive day at the resort getting rewarded with a handful of runs and a whole lot of waiting around?

I’ve never been a regional or destination skier, so I don’t know the balance of time-and-money input versus quantity-and-quality-skiing output. What I do know is that if I had to contend with congested vehicle traffic, long lift lines and minimal vertical skiing all on a powder day, I would probably find another winter hobby. But that’s just my level of tolerance for waiting in line.

I sincerely hope the thousands of regional and travelling skiers over the holidays were leaving Whistler Blackcomb satisfied, and even stoked. I hope that transport through our town can get figured out so no one has to take 90 minutes to drive the last 11 kilometres into Whistler Village.

As long as we keep getting powder days like those on January 2 and 3 (a monumental start to 2022), locals will find a way to manage. But as long as we try to cram as many skiers as possible onto the lifts and onto the roads, something has to change in order to preserve Whistler’s world-class ski experience. And it isn’t going to be solved with wider roads and bigger chair lifts.

Vince Shuley had a great start to 2022 skiing on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email vince.shuley@gmail.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■

JANUARY 6, 2022

27

FEATURE STORY

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

FEATURE STORY

2021

WHISTLER

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

F U L L D I S C L O S U R E : I threw the first draft of this introductory blurb into the garbage.

Written, as it was, during a furious surge of Omicron infections, and the reappearance of old restrictions designed to once again “flatten the curve,” my first attempt amounted to little more than cynical hopelessness.

And we’ve got no room left for that right now, I’m afraid.

Or at least I don’t.

It was a year of highs and lows, ebbs and flows, progress and regression. Good times and bad weather. Maybe it’s enough to leave it at that.

While 2021 may be ending on a down note, I’m taking solace in the knowledge that better days must surely lie ahead, and being grateful for my surroundings—I’m choosing optimism and hope over the alternative, and something about that is oddly comforting.

So read on for a recap of the headlines and moments that defined Whistler’s 2021, and maybe by this time next year the optimism will come a little easier.

One can hope, at least.

A BRIEF RETURN TO NORMALCY According to Pique readers, the biggest news story of 2021 was Whistler’s ongoing labour shortage, which almost feels like a throwback to simpler times.

But while a shortage of workers may be a perennial problem for local businesses, this year the problem was pervasive, leaving no sector or profession untouched—and likely leaving millions in untapped revenue on the table.

As visitors returned en masse to the resort in the summer, local businesses were left scrambling to keep up with demand, many opting for reduced hours or other creative solutions just to keep pace.

The shortage is made worse by pandemic restrictions at the borders and lagging immigration—not to mention a severe lack of housing availability and wages that can’t keep up with inflation—and isn’t likely to improve before the end of winter.

Will 2022 offer any relief?

If recent trends are any indication, visitation to the resort isn’t about to slow down either way.

Whistler’s parks were busier than ever before in 2021, with visitation up a whopping 77 per cent over 2019, according to the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

The new 2021 Summer Experience Plan aimed to curb some of the issues of the rapid increase—and introduced measures like pay parking at some local parks, which turned out to be the most controversial council decision of 2021, according to Pique readers.

Despite the pushback, pay parking isn’t going anywhere in 2022.

AT MUNICIPAL HALL In late April, RMOW services were taken out at the knees when cyber criminals launched a ransomware attack on municipal servers.

The criminals claimed to have accessed more than 800 gigabytes of RMOW data, later leaking about 82 GB on the dark web while claiming they sold the rest.

In the meantime, Whistler’s municipal hall was

An enhanced rezoning for Whistler’s Northlands development was one of the biggest news stories of 2021.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY OF WHISTLER.

left reeling, unable to rely on basic tools such as email communication or digital file processing as its entire network had to be rebuilt from the ground up.

In May, the RMOW sued Pique Newsmagazine for its coverage of the attack, seeking an injunction that would have dictated what details the paper could publish about the incident, citing the need to protect staff privacy. The injunction was denied in court and the RMOW walked away from the lawsuit two months later.

In September, Pique was nominated for a prestigious Jack Webster award for its coverage.

The ransomware attack was voted as the second biggest news story of 2021 by Pique readers, while the RMOW’s lawsuit against Pique was readers’ second least-favourite decision by council.

Despite the disruption—from both the cyber attack and the ongoing pandemic—much was accomplished at municipal hall in 2021.

New housing projects in Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 moved forward, with more to come in 2022 and beyond, while an enhanced rezoning process was initiated for a key undeveloped parcel north of Whistler Village.

The rezoning for the Northlands, owned by developer Beedie Whistler Holdings, Ltd., began in March and carried on through much of 2021, with public engagement taking place through an open house and related surveys, as well as presentations to council.

Municipal staff continues to work with the applicant, and proposed designs for the property are expected to be presented in the new year.

In November, municipal staff presented a proposed 6.72-per-cent tax increase, positing that “smaller-thannecessary” tax increases in recent years have left municipal reserves underfunded.

“This is not the sort of problem that can be solved in a single year—2022, however, marks an important beginning in the sense of those reserve contributions,” said director of finance Carlee Price at the Dec. 21 council meeting. “Delaying the first step on this journey is dangerous to the long-term fiscal health of the organization.”

Council will consider related tax bylaws at its first meeting of 2022 on Jan. 11.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS If cyber attacks and marathon pandemics weren’t enough, Mother Nature made sure 2021 didn’t save any room for boredom.

In late June and early July, a blistering heat dome descended on British Columbia, bringing temperatures broiling to above 40 Celsius.

According to the provincial coroners’ service, 595 deaths between June 18 and Aug. 12 were related to the extreme heat, and 231 people died from the heat on a single day (June 29).

Just days after notching the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada—49.6 C—much of the town of Lytton burned to the ground in a wildfire that also claimed two lives.

It was just one of 1,600 wildfires that burned across the province in 2021, covering 8,700 square kilometres of land— the third worst wildfire season on record.

Thankfully, no fires ignited near Whistler, and the resort largely avoided the heavy smoke that blanketed much of the province for weeks (knocking on all the wood here).

Meanwhile, work on wildfire mitigation remained top of mind for Whistler in 2021.

“There’s a lot of awareness about the potential, but there’s not a lot of understanding. So that’s our responsibility,” said FireSmart coordinator Scott Rogers in a presentation to council on Nov. 2.

“It’s hard to not understand that wildfire is the threat when you see the news, and Lytton burns down, and we hit 40 degrees here in Whistler, and the forest is bone dry in April.”

From one extreme to another, bone-dry conditions turned to record flooding in the province in November, washing away critical roads and highways, triggering deadly mudslides and killing hundreds of thousands of animals.

Again, Whistler was spared from any devastating environmental impacts during the floods (and again, knocking on all the wood).

It’s impossible to say what’s in store for 2022, but if we could limit it to just one State of Emergency—or none, if at all possible—that would be great.

JANUARY 6, 2022

29

FEATURE STORY

CRIME

BY BRANDON BARRETT

E V E N T H E M O S T D E E P - R O O T E D public institutions aren’t immune to disruption.

For the RCMP—Canada’s 101-year-old federal policing agency—the past year has been one of tumult, marked as it was by the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19, revelations of the role it played and continues to play in the marginalization and mistreatment of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, and serious concerns around the heavy-handed tactics it employed towards protestors and journalists at Fairy Creek, the site of Canada’s largest ever act of civil disobedience.

It was another year of upheaval for Whistler’s local RCMP as well, beginning with the departure of the Whistler and Pemberton detachments’ commander and the arrival this spring of the Sea to Sky’s new Officer-in-Charge Insp.

Robert Dykstra.

Of course, Mounties also had to contend with everchanging health restrictions, issuing close to $70,000 in COVID-19-related fines between the tail end of last year and March 2021, while still balancing the health and safety of its already strained staff, exemplified in the decision, in April, not to break up a 30-person house party in Creekside while local officers awaited the first dose of vaccine to kick in.

Nevertheless, there was no shortage of notable developments in the world of crime and policing, even as crime stats were mostly on a downswing heading into the year, with a handful of landmark court cases reaching conclusion and a number of major crimes in the headlines that would turn heads in almost any community, let alone a ski town of 14,000.

With that, here’s a rundown of the year that was in crime and policing.

Replacing former Insp. Kara Triance, Dykstra took over at a time of major reckoning for the role police play and have played in Canadian society.

“I think what is expected of police officers today is different than 15, 20 years ago. We need to be engaged in that conversation,” he said in a June interview. “Society has to change, and I think we have to be at the forefront of that. We shouldn’t be hanging back and waiting for society to change and then the police organization changes. I think we need to be at the front of that because people look to us as a behaviour benchmark.”

message, and no officer ever visited her home.

Police later confirmed to Pique that the file was closed without obtaining a statement from Aleck, although two suspects were visited by an attending officer. Dykstra and acting Whistler-Pemberton zone commander Sgt. Sascha Banks contacted Aleck after learning of the incident via social media, and committed to a full review of the investigation and complaint itself.

There’s so far been no public news of the review, and Aleck did not respond to a request for more information in late summer.

PEMBERTON RCMP CLOSED INVESTIGATION INTO RACIST INCIDENT BEFORE TALKING TO INDIGENOUS WOMAN WHO FILED REPORT

SEA TO SKY RCMP OUTLINES AMBITIOUS THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

It wasn’t long after Dykstra took over that the local RCMP’s handling of an alleged racist incident in Pemberton came under the microscope.

In late May, 43-year-old Ts’kw’waylaxw First Nations woman Tara Aleck (Nyce) was holding a vigil outside her Pemberton home in light of the news just weeks before that the remains of 215 children had been found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, where both of Aleck’s parents attended.

With an abalone shell, sage for smudging, and a small, stuffed teddy bear by her side, Aleck was in deep prayer when she said she was interrupted by the sounds of “hysterical laughter” coming from a black truck passing by. Then, after dropping off a passenger a few doors down, It was just days into the year that the resort found out that Aleck said the driver slowly reversed the truck, stopping in the RCMP’s North Zone commander, Staff Sgt. Paul Hayes, front of her home, where the occupants continued laughing, would be leaving the post after three years for a provincial “taunting me and calling me a Squaw, calling me a chug.” policing role in the Lower Mainland.

“It was so degrading,” she noted at the time. “I’m still While his full-time replacement has yet to be announced, dumbfounded by it.” the Sea to Sky welcomed its newest top cop, Officer-in-Charge Despite promises to follow up and take her testimony, Insp. Robert Dykstra, in the spring. The 48-year-old’s winding Aleck said the investigating officer never turned up. She career path has taken him from the orderly government then enlisted the help of the Vancouver Rape Relief & buildings of Canada’s capital to the streets of Antigonish Women’s Shelter, which contacted the RCMP on her behalf. doing frontline policing before moving with his wife to the far Although the RCMP said “multiple attempts” were made north of Nunavut, where he spent the past seven years. to reach Aleck, she said she never received a call, text or

SEA TO SKY WELCOMES NEW TOP COP

In September, Whistler officials got their first look at the Sea to Sky RCMP’s three-year strategic plan, an ambitious, farreaching vision informed in part by local stakeholders, crime analysis trends, and a public survey that garnered close to 1,000 responses.

Bolstered by five key pillars—enhanced public safety; accountability and good governance; organizational excellence; community engagement and collaborative partnerships; and innovation and engaging change—the plan reveals several major new initiatives in the works, including the development of a liaison position in the next three years that would designate a specific officer to work alongside a certified mental health worker in crisis response.

Police also discussed putting greater emphasis on a restorative justice that would focus on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large that, in B.C., is set up and run by thirdparty agencies.

Another initiative in the works is a program intended to keep known gang members out of Whistler bars and restaurants, done in conjunction with the RMOW and the resort’s largest hospitality firm, Gibbons Group. The inadmissible bar patron initiative would be modelled in part off of similar programs in Vancouver and Surrey, and would see police working with participating venues to identify gang members and remove them from the premises, a response to the rising tide of brazen gang violence seen last year in the Lower Mainland.

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30 JANUARY 6, 2022

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FEATURE STORY

2021 to feed the bears. She had reportedly been leaving the attractants out over a period of roughly three months and witnesses overheard her calling the bears by name.

Charges against Stevikova’s spouse and co-accused, Oliver Dugan, were ultimately dropped.

The Sea to Sky RCMP’s new Officerin-Charge, Insp. Robert Dykstra, assumed his new role last spring.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

ROGER MOLINARO FOUND GUILTY IN CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE In November, longtime Whistler and Pemberton resident Roger Molinaro was found guilty in Pemberton Provincial Court of sexually assaulting two minors, both family friends, over a period of years, closing the chapter on a harrowing case that rippled throughout the small town.

Molinaro, 51, was arrested in April 2020 after police launched an investigation upon receiving information regarding historical allegations of child sexual assault. The incidents took place between 2007 and 2018, according to the RCMP, and involved two minors with close ties to the Molinaro family and who often spent time at their Pemberton home, including for sleepovers.

In her decision, Judge Patricia Janzen said she found the testimony of both complainants to be “very credible” and consistent with the memory of children recalling traumatic events, while she described Molinaro’s testimony as implausible, focused primarily on discrediting the two key witnesses.

Janzen said Molinaro, “in his zeal to deny everything In a landmark case believed to be the largest fine ever that could render the allegations of the complainants imposed under B.C’s Wildlife Act, in September a Whistler even possible,” often testified “in absolute terms and was Tragedy rocked the resort in August after a young man was woman was fined a combined $60,000 for feeding bears unprepared to admit what was both clearly possible and fatally stabbed in what friends said was a dispute over a from her backyard. unlikely to be specifically remembered by him one way taxicab in the village.

The investigation was launched in July 2018 after or the other many years later.” She cited the examples of Twenty-six-year-old Henry Stanley Garcia Molina was the Conservation Officer Service (COS) was tipped off to Molinaro claiming he had only ever been alone in his home reportedly stabbed multiple times Aug. 14 “in an altercation residents deliberately feeding a family of black bears from with either complainant on one occasion, or that he had while trying to taxi home to our hotel in Whistler,” according the backyard of their Kadenwood home, which led to the “never, ever” been the sole babysitter of children other than to a GoFundMe campaign launched by a friend for Garcia killing of a sow and two cubs the agency said displayed his own, even for a short period.

Molina’s family. “very troubling” behaviour on the scene.

“He rarely if ever acknowledged anything that could be Investigators said the incident is believed to be an According to the court proceedings, local adventure seen as contrary to his interests,” Janzen said. isolated one and is not connected to the ongoing gang school teacher Zuzana Stevikova noticed the bears “looked Molinaro now faces sentencing on seven counts: sexual conflict in the Lower Mainland. skinny” and, by feeding them, believed she was preventing interference of a person under 14; invitation to sexual There have been no arrests connected to the stabbing. the public from calling the COS, which she thought would touching under 14; invitation to sexual touching under 16; Garcia Molina’s family went public this summer urging ultimately lead to their deaths. two counts of sexual interference of a person under 16; and anyone with information on the homicide to come Stevikova reportedly purchased up to 10 cases of apples, two counts of sexual assault. forward.

50 pounds of carrots and 15 dozen eggs on a weekly basis His sentencing is set for April 22.

MAN FATALLY STABBED IN ALLEGED DISPUTE OVER TAXI

WHISTLER WOMAN FINED $60K IN LANDMARK BEAR-FEEDING CASE

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31

FEATURE STORY

SPORTS

BY HARRISON BROOKS

L E T T H E G A M E S B E G I N (again) You could compare 2020 to pulling an e-brake in the middle of the highway. Everything came screeching to a halt: restaurants were closed, everyone was shuttered inside their homes for long stretches of time, and sporting events, from grassroots right up to the professional leagues, were cancelled.

But in 2021, we were able to release that brake and get the car back on the highway. Some quickly went from 0 to 60 and picked up right where they left off, while others had to start off in first gear and ease themselves back into highway speeds as the pandemic continues to linger to this day.

But no matter the speed at which things recovered, if 2020 was the year everything stopped, 2021 was the year of the comeback.

While some sports, like both regular golf and disc golf, stayed popular this year after a boom in 2020 with so many looking to get outside and active, Whistler also saw rec sports return in 2021.

Slo Pitch returned with a full season, the various rugby clubs got back to both game action and hosting public dropins, and the local hockey league fired back up in the fall.

But the most exciting thing to return, at least to Whistler’s very running-centric population, was its slate of annual races.

Whistler welcomed back many of the local favourites, including the Whistler X Triathlon, the Comfortably Numb Trail Race, the Whistler Marathon, the Back Forty and the Brandywine Boogie, among many others.

And at the heart of all these well-loved events was Whistler’s vast network of trails that are maintained by the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA).

Over the first year of the pandemic, WORCA saw its membership drop by nearly 200 people while the RMOW cut back the organization’s funding by $80,000. That proved to be a huge blow as the trail network became one of the few places of solace for people looking to break up the monotony of pandemic life.

Thankfully, with trail usage quadrupling, the RMOW decided to increase WORCA’s funding to $200,000 in 2021, keeping one of the jewels of the Whistler Valley alive and well in 2021 and hopefully for years to come as well.

THE RISE OF WHISTLER’S SKATE SCENE While 2021 represented the return to at least some degree of normalcy for many of the popular sports around Whistler, when it comes to the town’s skateboard scene, 2021 really represents the real beginning of it all.

Now, of course, in a town like Whistler, where board sports are king, skateboarding was always going to have a decent-sized following. But this year that following turned into a thriving community, and the sport so long associated with counterculture is today fully enmeshed into the resort’s sporting culture.

According to Harrison Gray, founder of the Whistler Skateboard Club (WSC), that shift in the perception and culture of skateboarding in Whistler all started in early spring when the town was facing the sudden closure of Whistler Blackcomb for the second year in a row.

Early in March, a bunch of the park regulars came together to start digging the snow out of the Whistler Skate Park in preparation for the upcoming season. Then in mid-March when the hill closed, attention shifted from

32 JANUARY 6, 2022

2021

Team Canada skateboarder Adam Hopkins pulls off a handplant at the Whistler Skate Park.

PHOTO BY HARRISON BROOKS.

the mountain to the skatepark. The RMOW even supplied a bobcat to help clear the snow and get the park up and running as quickly as possible.

“That was a good start to a season because everyone sort of got excited and rallied together to earn the skatepark,” says Gray. “From there, the season started to flow and that’s when the idea of Whistler Skateboard Club was really starting to build roots. And that’s when Sam and I launched [the club].”

With the WSC jumping on to the scene with their kids camps coached by local teen athletes, including Truth Smith, among others, as well as all-girl crew The Real Wild Kittens, run by Juliette and Amalia Pelchat, heading into its second year of offering skateboard lessons to the community’s young girls, the skate park slowly transformed into a more inclusive and welcoming space, filled with people of all ages and skill levels skating and enjoying the park together.

“It’s amazing how supportive and just how these two young girls have sort of been able to foster the environment of community and safety, by women for women,” says Gray. “So that was awesome. And of course, we paired with them and to see the growth that we’re able to do together was pretty spectacular. And to see what those ladies were able to grow over the past few years, and how much is coming to fruition and how many new people came out from all different age groups, that was pretty spectacular too.”

From there, the community and the scene continued to grow in a myriad of ways, whether it was local filmer Alex Bielawski creating a Whistler Skate Park report every few weeks featuring local skaters, Team Canada skateboarder Adam Hopkins coming out to work with the kids at the camps, or the crew at the WSC building a rock pool in

Fitzsimmons Creek where people could hang out and beat the heat on the hot summer days or ice a rolled ankle in the glacial water.

Capping off the momentous year for Whistler’s skate scene was the first annual Mayhem in the Mountains skateboard competition—and mayhem it was.

“It took a few weeks off my life there but it was amazing,” says Gray of the approximately five rain delays and constant improvisation it required to not only give everyone a chance to ride but also keep people engaged through hours of delays.

Despite having an extremely high talent level throughout the competition that included multiple Team Canada skaters like Hopkins and Maddy Balt, the highlight of the entire day was watching Smith put down an absolutely electric run to start off the Men’s Pro category in front of the hometown crowd.

“You could feel the excitement in the air and how it just got everyone charged up, especially after the rain delays just to see the culmination of his progression. To see that all sort of flow into one 45-second run and that everything worked out was pretty special for sure,” says Gray.

“Everyone at the skatepark was dead silent the whole time and were sort of biting their nails, and when he nailed the whole thing and the skatepark erupted for the hometown kid, that was a pretty special little moment there and then also to see him standing on the podium taking some of the money home as well.”

Gray says the WSC plans to keep this momentum going into 2022 and hopes to add even more programs to the slate, possibly including an adult social session where people can come skate, meet new people, win some prizes and help continue to foster that inclusive skate community that Gray loves to see at the park.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 – 5:30 P.M. This Public Hearing will be held electronically pursuant to s.465 of the Local Government Act and Council Procedure Bylaw No. 2207, 2018.

LAND USE CONTRACT TERMINATION BYLAW (4612 BLACKCOMB WAY) NO. 2324, 2021 SUBJECT LANDS: The lands that are the subject of the proposed Bylaw are shown on the map attached to this notice. The civic address is 4612 Blackcomb Way, which is known as the Fairmont Whistler Golf Course.

PURPOSE: In general terms, the purpose of the proposed Bylaw is to: 1) terminate the Blackcomb Land Use Contract (LUC) from where it applies within the subject lands; and 2) apply a new LR11 Zone (Leisure Recreation Eleven) to the subject lands.

If the proposed Bylaw is adopted, it will take effect one year after the date of adoption.

INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS: A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may be inspected at the Reception Desk of Municipal Hall at 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (statutory holidays excluded) from January 6, 2022 to and including January 18, 2022.

A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may also be viewed online on the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) website at: whistler.ca/LUC00002 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard by Council at the Public Hearing. All persons can: 1) submit written comments to Council; and/or 2) make oral representations LIVE via online video or phone conferencing. (Your image will not be broadcast to Council or the public.)

1. Submit Written Comments to Council Written comments must be addressed to “Mayor and Council”, and include your name and mailing address. Until 3:30 p.m. on January 18, 2022, written submissions will be received at the following: Email: corporate@whistler.ca Hard Copy: Resort Municipality of Whistler | Legislative Services Department | 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler BC V8E 0X5 Written submissions will also be accepted on January 18, 2022 between 3:30 p.m. and the time when the motion to close the Public Hearing is made. During this timeframe, written comments must be submitted by email to: corporate@whistler.ca All submissions will form part of the Public Hearing record and will be added to the Public Hearing Package as they are received. The Public Hearing Package will be available on the RMOW website at: whistler.ca/LUC00002 2. Participate LIVE via Online Video or Phone Conferencing The live Public Hearing will take place January 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. via online video and phone conferencing. The Public Hearing will be conducted using Zoom and can be accessed via either online video or phone conferencing. No registration is required.

If you wish to make oral representations to Council on the proposed Bylaw by online video or by phone, please use the Public Hearing web link or one of the phone numbers (including Webinar ID) provided below.

• The web link for the Public Hearing online video option is: https://whistler.zoom.us/j/61200088811 • The phone numbers to access the Public Hearing phone conferencing option are as follows: +1-778-907-2071 +1-647-374-4685 • The Webinar ID is: 612 0008 8811 Instructions for Participating via Zoom Online Video or Phone Conferencing • Online video: It is possible to access the Public Hearing on a computer, tablet or smartphone using the web link above. Your camera will not be available, but your microphone will need to be enabled.

To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, click on the ‘raise hand’ feature. The moderator will allow each person to speak in turn. When it is your turn to speak, your microphone will be unmuted and you will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

• Phone conferencing: To access the Public Hearing by phone, use one of the phone numbers above along with the Webinar ID as prompted. To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, use the ‘raise hand’ feature by dialing [*9]. When it is your turn to speak, the moderator will announce the last three digits of your phone number, and your line will be unmuted. You will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

After the conclusion of this Public Hearing, Council cannot receive representations from the public on the proposed Bylaw.

General information on participating in the RMOW’s electronic public hearings is available here: https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/public-hearings Members of the public can also view the Live Stream of the Public Hearing at: Map showing Subject Lands (Subject Lands are outlined in heavy black line and shaded grey) https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/watch-council-meetings

FEATURE STORY

ARTS & CULTURE

BY MEGAN LALONDE

T H I S Y E A R W A S supposed to be a better one for the arts community. With vaccines rolling out, restrictions were expected to loosen and gigs were expected to ramp back up, especially as another ski season kicked off.

And while there were stretches of normalcy throughout the year, 2021 is ending much like the way it started: Spiking COVID-19 case counts—propelled by a new variant, this time around—new restrictions and capacity slashes; and bars and nightclubs shut down.

But despite the somewhat melancholy end to this trip around the sun, 2021 was, in fact, a year where things got better. Live music returned to patios and bars, and in-person audiences returned to film screenings and live performances. Whistler’s artists settled into the second year of a pandemic, and put their creativity to good use, dreaming up new and innovative ways to keep the community entertained.

TRYING SOMETHING NEW That was the case for the Whistler Writers Festival, when founder Stella Harvey took on the challenge of hosting the annual literary event in a hybrid format for the first time to mark its milestone 20th anniversary.

After going fully virtual in 2020, the 2021 event featured some in-person moderators, panels, authors and audiences, while more attendees—many from far-flung locations around the world—joined online. Having a virtual option allowed festival organizers to ensure accessibility remained at its core, says Harvey, by opening events up to a wider audience.

“When everybody’s in person, I have to limit the workshops to 30 people,” she explains. “But this year, we had workshops that had 50 people online, as well as five or 10 people in person.”

A benefit of the hybrid model was that “it kind of felt like everybody was in the room,” Harvey adds. “It worked really well.”

In a way, presenting its events and workshops online over the past two years brought the Writers Fest back to its roots—to Harvey’s living room, to be more exact, where festival operations were headquartered this year. “I just cannot say enough about both [festival manager] Rebecca Wood Barrett and the tech team and the volunteers who kept me upright,” she says.

The hybrid format has also allowed the festival to launch an ongoing fundraiser where those interested can make a small donation to access footage from this year’s workshops and events, with money raised going to help fund next year’s event.

While some of the festival’s offerings, like its publishing workshops, for instance, have long been popular, the Writers Fest as a whole proved to be even more beneficial in a year where more free time spent at home and the general stress of living through a pandemic prompted some people to pick up a new hobby.

Harvey says she’s heard from many people looking for her advice or help with new writing projects, and has been in touch with numerous bookstore owners who say they’re having trouble keeping up with the rising demand since the pandemic struck.

To anyone looking to connect with their inner writer, Harvey recommends “just writing something down and seeing whether there’s a story that needs to be told,” she adds.

Or, take a page out of Harvey’s book, call a friend,

34 JANUARY 6, 2022

This image of Whistler Freeride Club skier Tristan Curran won the top prize at the 2021 World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

PHOTO BY CONNOR WARNOCK.

and start a writing group. After all, “You build your own community,” she says, “so figure out what you need and build it.”

That’s partly why Harvey guarantees the festival’s commitment to continue showcasing local talent on the same stage as internationally renowned artists—whether that Writers Fest stage is virtual, hybrid, at the Fairmont or around a coffee table.

“You don’t succeed alone,” says Harvey. “You’ve got to have a community to support you. I mean, a lot of people who come to the festival still, came to my living room 20 years ago.”

SUPPORTING LOCAL For Whistler musician Monty Biggins, it was reconnecting with that local support system that made 2021 a year to remember.

“Whistler’s always been a place where you go and play music, and people aren’t necessarily there for you. You’re hired to be the ambience. You go through a lot of moments where it’s sort of a passive audience—it’s not that they’re not liking it, it’s that they’re there to hang out with their buddies … and do their thing,” says Biggins, who has been playing his brand of jazzy-blues-rock in bars and lounges around the resort for more than a decade.

“But I’ve noticed now that every time I perform, eyes are

more engaged on what I’m doing and people are definitely feeling it differently, to the point where I’m having more people come talk to me after my set and express that something about it touched them.”

After COVID-19 restrictions banning live music loosened, “For me, I think it’s just a sign of our times and the fact that we haven’t been able to engage in these moments with people, that the public is craving.”

Over the past 12 months, Biggins has frequented venues like Alpine Café, the Whistler Racket Club on Farmers’ Market Fridays and Sundays, plus Tuesday jam nights—one spot that “really hit it off last year,” he says—in addition to the Crystal Lounge, and open mic nights at RMU. All “have been so supportive of musicians in town,” explains Biggins.

After logging about 50 or 60 gigs in 2020—he typically averages about 200 performances a year—“this last year, I probably hit around 100 to 115, somewhere around there, so I definitely saw an increase in opportunity.”

That’s not to say 2021 was without its fair share of adjustments, which included Biggins taking on a new job as a retail manager to help make up for those lost gigs.

But the extra, unexpected free time also meant Biggins was able to add more than four-dozen new songs to his set, a luxury that wasn’t always possible when running from gig-to-gig. He’s also working with a new “modern bluesrock” band, Cold Smoke, that’s fronted by Peter Lalor of the Racketeers.

Despite the challenges faced by Whistler’s musicians since the pandemic began, Biggins had encouraging words for anyone looking to break into the resort’s live music scene.

“It’s somewhere where if a musical person really wants to get out there a lot and have an opportunity to step into something that they can even call a career, that does exist in this town,” he says. “You have to be creative about it, but it does exist and it’s a beautiful place to do it. And I’m just so grateful that I’ve been able to do that here this long.”

AT THE SQUAMISH LIL’WAT CULTURAL CENTRE (SLCC): The Boarder X exhibit launched at the SLCC at the end of April, featuring local and international Indigenous artists who use snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing as ways to show their knowledge of and connection to the land.

The SLCC hosted thousands within its walls to mark the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in September.

AT THE AUDAIN ART MUSEUM: The institution’s popular Tuesday Night Talks online series offered the opportunity for the public to learn more about specific works in the museum’s permanent collection, right from the artists who created them.

The museum’s first virtual Illuminate Gala & Auction on April 24 raised a record-breaking $650,000.

The Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures special exhibit, developed and debuted at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, opened in October.

FEATURE STORY

2021 The Three Watchmen, a six-metre-tall cast bronze statue

by Haida Chief James Hart, that sits atop a concrete base encircled with a carved aluminum band entitled The Great Flood (Ti A7xa7 St’ak’), by Squamish (Sk_wx _wú7mes) Nation artist Xwalacktun (Rick Harry) and Lil’wat (Lil’wat7úl) Nation artist Levi Nelson (Svpyan), is unveiled along Blackcomb Way in November.

The Three Watchmen bronze statue, pictured with the artists.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUDAIN ART MUSEUM.

AT THE MAURY YOUNG ARTS CENTRE: Five Sea to Sky music acts who took part in Arts Whistler’s online Hear and Now series had the chance to take their music, performance, promotion, and business skills to the next level with Arts Whistler’s Creative Catalyst program.

Arts Whistler’s We Heart Local Art exhibit featured the work of 24 Sea to Sky artists over six weeks this fall.

After more than a year and a half without any ticketed indoor shows, the Centre once again welcomed ski films like Stoke the Fire and The Stomping Grounds for fall screenings.

Part improv, part stand-up, part sketch comedy series Laugh Out LIVE debuted in December, kick-starting its planned 18-week run.

AROUND TOWN: In June, Arts Whistler hosted a Fashion Garden Party in honour of Whistler artist and bon vivant Isobel MacLaurin’s 90th birthday.

Whistler band Brother Twang released an album called The World Went Crazy Yesterday.

Pemberton Arts Council’s community ArtHop featured work from close to 30 local artists displayed in local shops.

Industry veteran Angela Heck was appointed executive director of the Whistler Film Festival.

Local artist Dave Petko painted a new large-scale mural that adorns the recently opened washroom facility at Whistler Olympic Plaza.

Arts Whistler’s Art on the Lake… literally event returned for its second year.

For its 10th year, the Flag Stop Theatre & Arts Festival for the first time involved three different theatre groups: Whistler’s own Flag Stop Theatre Program, Squamish’s Between Shifts Theatre and Vancouver Stage company Theatre in the Raw to put on a total of seven plays.

Whistler Film Festival attendees picked the B.C.shot Drinkwater as their favourite of the year, with the coming-of-age film earning the Audience Award at the event’s 21st annual edition this December. This year’s hybrid festival saw Jeffrey St. Jules’ psychological thriller, Cinema of Sleep, come away with the event’s top prize, the vaunted Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature.

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35

FEATURE STORY

2021

PEMBERTON

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

T H E B I G G E S T N E W S S T O R Y in Pemberton in 2021, as voted by Pique readers in our annual Best of Pemberton readers’ poll, took root in the first two weeks of the new year, when Scotiabank abruptly announced it would close its Pemberton branch.

The announcement sparked an outcry from residents, who launched a petition in hopes that the branch would remain open.

A town hall held via phone in early February offered few answers.

“I was hoping they would provide some rationale,” said N’Quatqua’s Rebecca Barley at the time. “Being a business owner myself and being committed to a board of directors on many levels, I thought there must be some background and justification.

“I’m not asking for intimate, confidential details, but something.”

In June, news that Pemberton’s ambulance station would soon shift to a scheduled on-call model also raised concerns for residents, and it wasn’t long before paramedics began to raise the alarm about the already “dangerous” staffing levels in the corridor.

“The public needs to know that Pemberton is without ambulances overnight for 17 days in the month of July,” one paramedic told Pique in June.

“For many of those days, crews will be extending themselves to work the 16 hours maximally allowed under labour law to provide as much coverage as possible for the public. We do this because we are the Band-Aids holding together a very broken system.”

On Sept. 14, the province changed course, announcing Pemberton was among two dozen communities to receive additional funding for ambulances.

But it remains to be seen if paramedic morale will improve.

“Absolutely it’s a big improvement. It’s conversion of on-call members to full-time, but we’re still having challenges with staffing our ambulances, that secondary ambulance and backfilling, because we’re not getting enough paramedics into the profession,” said union president Troy Clifford in a September interview.

“So is the morale there? No, but I think generally speaking the optimism is that we’re going to get through this, and we need some time, but we need to really make sure that we do everything that we can now to bridge us to get these long-term solutions in place.”

TALKING STRATEGY Overtourism and increasing numbers of visitors to natural areas continued to be a theme in 2021, as the province and local government officials worked to come up with solutions.

In March, the province released a draft Visitor Use Management Strategy for Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, which has seen an absurd 222-per-cent increase in visitation since 2010.

The rapid rise in visitation has had a negative effect on members of the Lil’wat Nation, on whose traditional territory the park lies.

“We’re so affected in so many ways,” said Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson. “The actual use of the place, the traditional use, has been ignored or overlooked … It’s a beautiful place, but it does have history too.

“We are part of that history. We’ve been overlooked on the needs of the Nation, as far as traditional use and medicines and plants and spirituality.”

36 JANUARY 6, 2022

Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson speaks at a Dec. 10 press conference announcing plans to pursue a 2030 Olympic bid.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF VANCOUVER.

The situation is similar at Keyhole and Meager Creek hot springs, which are also on Lil’wat territory and which had their own Visitor Use Management Strategy released in April.

In July, the Pemberton Area Economic Development Collaborative released its new Regional Economic Development Strategy, which lays out 36 priorities to guide the region’s economy into the future.

The report aims to build economic resilience, encourage environmental stewardship, diversify the local economy and improve the quality of life of locals, among other objectives.

At Pemberton’s municipal hall, affordable housing was a common theme in 2021, as various proposals came forward for council’s consideration. The topic was also highlighted in Official Community Plan (OCP) discussions early in the year.

“The OCP needs an update on all levels. It’s been a number of years and Pemberton has changed a lot over the last few years,” said Mayor Mike Richman. “[It] represents the vision of Pemberton by the locals, by the residents, what their vision of Pemberton is as we continue to grow.”

The Village of Pemberton’s OCP review will continue in 2022.

The push for regional transit was another area of focus, as local leaders in the Sea to Sky continued to make their case to the province for the service.

With municipal elections scheduled for October 2022, governments in the region are hoping to make the project a reality before the end of the current term (though, as with most things in government and policy making, there are no guarantees).

REACHING FOR RECONCILIATION It was also a year of reckoning for Canada, as horrific discoveries at former residential school sites forced necessary conversations about the country’s brutal historical treatment

of First Nations back into the national discussion.

On Sept. 30, Canada recognized the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“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,” wrote Lil’wat Chief Dean Nelson, in an essay published in Pique.

“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.“ In the spirit of pursuing true reconciliation, the Lil’wat were one of four First Nations—along with the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh—that announced in December they planned to explore a bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games.

The four nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Vancouver and Resort Municipality of Whistler on Dec. 10 stating their intention to pursue the first ever Indigenous-led Games.

“In reflection, we have been at this place before, with the 2010 Olympics, where we showcased our presence and our cultures, respectively,” Nelson said at the Dec. 10 announcement at the BC Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver.

“The difference between [now and] 2010 was we were an invitee at that time, and today we are a big part of the exploratory group to consider a bid for the 2030 Olympics.”

Politically, the respective Nations have a greater presence and voice on their lands than they did 10 years ago, Nelson said.

“I also feel we are in a better place of inclusion in respect to political advancements since the previous Olympics,” he said.

“I am looking forward to being part of this. I’m looking forward to the future.” ■

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 – 5:30 P.M. This Public Hearing will be held electronically pursuant to s.465 of the Local Government Act and Council Procedure Bylaw No. 2207, 2018.

LAND USE CONTRACT TERMINATION BYLAW (VALE) NO. 2309, 2021 SUBJECT LANDS: The lands that are the subject of the proposed Bylaw are shown on the map attached to this notice. The civic addresses are 2110 and 2111 Whistler Road. The subject lands are known as the Vale townhouses and Vale Inn. PURPOSE: In general terms, the purpose of the proposed Bylaw is to: 1) terminate the Vale Land Use Contract (LUC) from the subject lands; and 2) apply a new RM71 Zone (Residential Multiple Seventy-One) to the subject lands.

The new RM71 Zone proposes to change the permitted use of the Vale Inn (located at 2111 Whistler Road on strata lot 37 of strata plan VAS549) from “hotel” as specified in the LUC to “apartment” including a provision to allow for the apartment units to be used for temporary accommodation when not occupied for residential use.

If the proposed Bylaw is adopted, it will take effect one year after the date of adoption.

INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS: A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may be inspected at the Reception Desk of Municipal Hall at 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (statutory holidays excluded) from January 6, 2022 to and including January 18, 2022.

A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may also be viewed online on the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) website at: whistler.ca/LUC00010 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard by Council at the Public Hearing. All persons can: 1) submit written comments to Council; and/or 2) make oral representations LIVE via online video or phone conferencing. (Your image will not be broadcast to Council or the public.)

1. Submit Written Comments to Council Written comments must be addressed to “Mayor and Council”, and include your name and mailing address. Until 3:30 p.m. on January 18, 2022, written submissions will be received at the following: Email: corporate@whistler.ca Hard Copy: Resort Municipality of Whistler Legislative Services Department 4325 Blackcomb Way Whistler BC V8E 0X5 Written submissions will also be accepted on January 18, 2022 between 3:30 p.m. and the time when the motion to close the Public Hearing is made. During this timeframe, written comments must be submitted by email to: corporate@whistler.ca All submissions will form part of the Public Hearing record and will be added to the Public Hearing Package as they are received. The Public Hearing Package will be available on the RMOW website at: whistler.ca/LUC00010 2. Participate LIVE via Online Video or Phone Conferencing The live Public Hearing will take place January 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. via online video and phone conferencing. The Public Hearing will be conducted using Zoom and can be accessed via either online video or phone conferencing. No registration is required.

If you wish to make oral representations to Council on the proposed Bylaw by online video or by phone, please use the Public Hearing web link or one of the phone numbers (including Webinar ID) provided below.

• The web link for the Public Hearing online video option is: https://whistler.zoom.us/j/61200088811 • The phone numbers to access the Public Hearing phone conferencing option are as follows: +1-778-907-2071 +1-647-374-4685 • The Webinar ID is: 612 0008 8811 Instructions for Participating via Zoom Online Video or Phone Conferencing • Online video: It is possible to access the Public Hearing on a computer, tablet or smartphone using the web link above. Your camera will not be available, but your microphone will need to be enabled. To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, click on the ‘raise hand’ feature. The moderator will allow each person to speak in turn. When it is your turn to speak, your microphone will be unmuted and you will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

• Phone conferencing: To access the Public Hearing by phone, use one of the phone numbers above along with the Webinar ID as prompted. To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, use the ‘raise hand’ feature by dialing [*9]. When it is your turn to speak, the moderator will announce the last three digits of your phone number, and your line will be unmuted. You will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

After the conclusion of this Public Hearing, Council cannot receive representations from the public on the proposed Bylaw.

General information on participating in the RMOW’s electronic public hearings is available here: https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/public-hearings Members of the public can also view the Live Stream of the Public Hearing at: Map showing Subject Lands (Subject Lands are https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/watch-council-meetings outlined in heavy black line and shaded grey)

SPORTS THE SCORE

Whistler’s Thompson siblings have eyes on Olympic podium MARIELLE AND BRODERICK THOMPSON SKIING TOWARDS SECOND STRAIGHT OLYMPIC GAMES IN BEIJING IN FEBRUARY

BY HARRISON BROOKS BEING JUST two years apart in age, Whistler’s Broderick and Marielle Thompson naturally had very similar starts to their skiing careers—on skis by two years old, participating in all of Whistler Blackcomb’s youth programs before moving on to the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC), and eventually picking their discipline and rising the ranks to become members of the Canadian national team.

But while Broderick’s game plan has always been to follow in the footsteps of his idols like Mike Janyk and Manuel Osborne-Paradis into downhill racing, classic alpine skiing never drew Marielle in the same way. Instead, when she was 16, she decided to try ski cross, the newest addition to the WMSC’s slate of programs, and was hooked instantly.

“On Blackcomb we have the small course and I tried that in the spring [of 2009], in one of the race series they had, and I just thought going over jumps and going fast and racing alongside my friends was honestly a lot of fun and that was the big attractant,” she said. “And now, the head-to-head aspect really makes me better, having that person there to race against.

THOMPSON TIMES TWO With his podium finish in Beaver Creek earlier this year, there’s a good chance both Broderick (right) and Marielle Thompson will once again be representing Canada at the Olympic Games come February.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

38 JANUARY 6, 2022

It’s very different than timed events in alpine, so it’s really the head-to-head aspect and going off the big jumps and over big features that attracted me to it.”

Meanwhile, for Broderick, that same competitive drive may have been what got him into downhill racing, but it was the speed of the sport that pulled him in.

“In the beginning, you’re racing your siblings and your friends just down the mountain, down cat tracks and I think even when you’re skiing it’s always good fun to be first, right?” he said. “So I think that’s kind of what draws you in, and then the ability to have a safe environment to go over 150 kilometers an hour on skis, that’s pretty cool. There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline you get charging down a downhill course.”

And while the two chose to pursue different disciplines of skiing, both their paths led to the Olympics.

Marielle was the first to make her Olympic debut where, as a 21-year-old, she managed to bring home the gold medal in Sochi, Russia in 2014. At the next Games in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018, Broderick was able to make his own debut and join his sister on the world’s biggest stage.

Despite neither of the siblings’ results in those Games being what they hoped for, being able to experience the Olympics not only with each other but also with their parents cheering in the stands was something both skiers said was a special moment for the family—even if their schedules kept them so busy they barely got to see each other.

“It’s a pretty cool experience,” said

Marielle, now 29. “Being at the Olympics in PyeongChang in 2018 was kind of the first time we actually had an event in the same place, even from our childhood because we’ve always been in different age brackets. So to be able to watch your siblings compete at the highest level in the world is pretty amazing.”

Now, with 27-year-old Broderick’s podium finish earlier this season in Beaver Creek, Colo.—the first podium finish for Canada in Men’s Downhill since 2017— giving him a berth to the 2022 Games, and Marielle’s hot start to the season, which includes multiple podium finishes already, there’s a very strong chance the Thompson siblings will both be representing Canada at the Olympics for the second time in a row.

When asked about that possibility Marielle said she “doesn’t want to count her chickens before they hatch,” and is trying to keep her focus on qualifying before thinking about the Beijing Games. But given her status as one of the world’s most decorated ski cross athletes—with a resume that includes Olympic gold, a World Championship gold and silver and three Crystal Globes, just to name a few—a podium finish in Beijing followed by another successful season or two could put the Whistler local in a position to be recognized as the greatest ski cross athlete ever.

And while she admits that would be “pretty cool” and “an honour,” it isn’t something she really thinks about.

Broderick, on the other hand, when asked about the potential of his sister accomplishing a feat like that and what it’s like to have a sister who might be the best

ever in her sport, just laughed.

“Personally, I think she already is the GOAT of ski-cross,” he said, adding that it’s just a matter of time before everyone agrees.

The younger Thompson also uses his sister’s success as a motivational tool for his own skiing.

“Since I was five years old the goal was to win an Olympic medal,” said Broderick.

“So the desire was always there, but seeing that she could do it makes it all the more real and possible.”

Coming off the 2018 Games that saw him finish 35th in Downhill, and 23rd in both Super-G and Men’s Combined, Broderick is looking to build off that experience and has his sights set on achieving that lifelong dream of standing on an Olympic podium.

“I think the goal is always the same in ski racing: to be the fastest across the finish line,” he said. “I feel with the way I’m skiing this year anything is possible, and I’m going to stick to my plan and focus on my skiing, focus on my routine, keep my head down and push for the top. I’m excited to go for it.”

With Marielle likely being a favourite to medal at the Olympics in February, if Broderick can accomplish his goal, the Thompson siblings would join Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe as the only Canadian siblings to win a medal at the same Olympic Games.

“It’d be pretty crazy, honestly. I think it would be cool, but I can’t even imagine,” said Broderick. “[I’ve] just got to stay humble and continue to work hard and anything can happen. So I’m excited to do that. And I think dreaming is good. So I’ll keep daring to dream.” n

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 – 5:30 P.M. This Public Hearing will be held electronically pursuant to s.465 of the Local Government Act and Council Procedure Bylaw No. 2207, 2018.

LAND USE CONTRACT TERMINATION BYLAW (BLUEBERRY) NO. 2337, 2021 SUBJECT LANDS: The lands that are the subject of the proposed Bylaw are shown on the map attached to this notice and are located within the Blueberry neighbourhood, including parcels located along portions of Blueberry Dr, Falcon Cres, Heron Pl, Ptarmigan Pl, Peak Dr, St. Moritz Cres, Osprey Pl, and Nighthawk Lane.

PURPOSE: In general, the proposed Bylaw will terminate the Blueberry Land Use Contract (LUC) from the subject lands and apply seven different zones to the subject lands.

The seven zones are: 1) the newly proposed RTA30 Zone (Residential/Tourist Accommodation Thirty); 2) the newly proposed RTA31 Zone (Residential/Tourist Accommodation Thirty-One); 3) the newly proposed RTA32 Zone (Residential/Tourist Accommodation Thirty-Two); 4) the newly proposed RTA33 Zone (Residential/Tourist Accommodation Thirty-Three); 5) the existing RR1 Zone (Rural Resource One); 6) the existing LP1 Zone (Leisure Park One); and 7) the existing RM4 Zone (Residential Multiple Four).

The proposed Bylaw will also rezone the portions of 3595 and 3591 Falcon Crescent that are currently RS1 Zone (Single Family Residential One) to the newly proposed RTA33 Zone (Residential/Tourist Accommodation Thirty-Three).

If the Bylaw is adopted, it will take effect one year after the date of adoption.

INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS: A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may be inspected at the Reception Desk of Municipal Hall at 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (statutory holidays excluded) from January 6, 2022 to and including January 18, 2022.

A copy of the proposed Bylaw and relevant background documentation along with written submissions received may also be viewed online on the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) website at: whistler.ca/LUC00006 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: All persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard by Council at the Public Hearing. All persons can: 1) submit written comments to Council; and/or 2) make oral representations LIVE via online video or phone conferencing. (Your image will not be broadcast to Council or the public.)

1. Submit Written Comments to Council Written comments must be addressed to “Mayor and Council”, and include your name and mailing address. Until 3:30 p.m. on January 18, 2022, written submissions will be received at the following: Email: corporate@whistler.ca Hard Copy: Resort Municipality of Whistler | Legislative Services Department | 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler BC V8E 0X5 Written submissions will also be accepted on January 18, 2022 between 3:30 p.m. and the time when the motion to close the Public Hearing is made. During this timeframe, written comments must be submitted by email to: corporate@whistler.ca All submissions will form part of the Public Hearing record and will be added to the Public Hearing Package as they are received. The Public Hearing Package will be available on the RMOW website at: whistler.ca/LUC00006 2. Participate LIVE via Online Video or Phone Conferencing The live Public Hearing will take place January 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. via online video and phone conferencing. The Public Hearing will be conducted using Zoom and can be accessed via either online video or phone conferencing. No registration is required.

If you wish to make oral representations to Council on the proposed Bylaw by online video or by phone, please use the Public Hearing web link or one of the phone numbers (including Webinar ID) provided below.

• The web link for the Public Hearing online video option is: https://whistler.zoom.us/j/61200088811 • The phone numbers to access the Public Hearing phone conferencing option are as follows: +1-778-907-2071 +1-647-374-4685 • The Webinar ID is: 612 0008 8811 Instructions for Participating via Zoom Online Video or Phone Conferencing • Online video: It is possible to access the Public Hearing on a computer, tablet or smartphone using the web link above. Your camera will not be available, but your microphone will need to be enabled.

To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, click on the ‘raise hand’ feature. The moderator will allow each person to speak in turn. When it is your turn to speak, your microphone will be unmuted and you will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

• Phone conferencing: To access the Public Hearing by phone, use one of the phone numbers above along with the Webinar ID as prompted. To indicate that you wish to make an oral representation, use the ‘raise hand’ feature by dialing [*9]. When it is your turn to speak, the moderator will announce the last three digits of your phone number, and your line will be unmuted. You will be asked to provide your name and address for the public record. Please be patient as there may be others in the queue before you.

After the conclusion of this Public Hearing, Council cannot receive representations from the public on the proposed Bylaw.

General information on participating in the RMOW’s electronic public hearings is available here: https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/public-hearings Members of the public can also view the Live Stream of the Public Hearing at: Map showing Subject Lands (Subject Lands are https://www.whistler.ca/municipal-gov/council/watch-council-meetings outlined in heavy black line and shaded grey)

EPICURIOUS

The food-service sector is badly in need of a paradigm shift THE INDUSTRY’S BALLOONING WORKER SHORTAGE IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST COVID-19

BY BRANDON BARRETT AN OCTOBER REPORT from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives put a fine point on a longer trend for the foodservice sector that anyone with eyes and an appetite in Whistler shouldn’t be shocked by: food workers are leaving the industry in droves and they’re not likely to come back anytime soon.

Countering the narrative that restaurant servers and cooks were wiling away the pandemic on government aid, the report found that, by February 2021, a quartermillion employees in Canada who used to work in food and accommodation had found jobs outside the sector, many of them in better-paying professional positions.

Employment in food services is now 14.8 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, although even before COVID-19 hit, the industry was experiencing ballooning worker shortages.

The impact is even more acute in a tourism hub like Whistler where food and hospitality are key pillars of the resort economy, compounded by the mass

PARADIGM SHIFT By February 2021, a quartermillion employees in Canada who used to work in food and accommodation had found jobs outside the sector.

PHOTO BY THOMAS BARWICK / GETTY IMAGES

40 JANUARY 6, 2022

exodus of foreign workers at the start of COVID lockdowns.

“It’s eroding our workforce. It’s eroding our industry—everything. It’s making people not want to work in the industry,” Restaurant Association of Whistler president and Alta Bistro co-owner Eric Griffith told Pique in an interview last month about the latest round of health

As previously reported in Pique, a 2020 study by the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association released just weeks before the pandemic hit pinned a growing lack of qualified workers in the industry primarily to its reputation for long hours and low pay, as well as an outdated culture that persists in many kitchens. The report also suggested that chefs and cooks

“You put a lot of pressure on yourself to make things happen. That’s naturally what chefs do. Everyone has a limit, and I pushed it too far.”

- QUANG DANG

restrictions. “We plan to take the whole winter to find [staff for summer]; we think it’s going to take us three or four times as long to find the people we need right now.”

Ottawa is planning to streamline the federal temporary foreign worker program’s processing time down to two weeks, which, in the short term at least, should help quell some of Whistler’s staffing headaches. But for an industry not exactly known for being worker-friendly, it’s clear the problem is just as much cultural as it is economic.

already employed in the industry aren’t recommending the profession to their peers, only exacerbating the gap.

Presumably because of the strong pull of the mountain, not to mention the leverage gained by local workers as the resort’s labour crisis has worsened, many Whistler businesses have long emphasized a healthy work-life balance—the so-called 20-centimetre rule being a prime example.

But there’s no denying businesses operating on such razor-thin margins

must feel some pressure to stretch out their already thinned staff to its full capacity, inarguably all the more common in the cutthroat world of fine dining. Case in point: Quang Dang, former executive chef at Araxi, who told Montecristo Magazine in September about burning out three years ago after working 50-odd consecutive days in a row as the awardwinning restaurant dealt with its own staff shortage, including an executive sous chef off with a broken foot.

“You put a lot of pressure on yourself to make things happen. That’s naturally what chefs do. Everyone has a limit, and I pushed it too far,” Dang told the magazine, noting how he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that led him to leave the industry for a time.

The pandemic has had the unintended benefit of thrusting these longstanding issues into the spotlight. Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab declared “the rise of the food worker” as the third-biggest food story from 2021. Workers in the industry have leveraged the public’s burgeoning sympathy into higher wages and better benefits as many Canadian food manufacturers such as Olymel, Exceldor and Cargill looked to avoid labour disputes and make the sector more attractive.

But for an industry that is bleeding workers faster than it can keep up, it’s going to take more than just a pay hike and more vacation days to drive lasting change. n

MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH OPEN DAILY: 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Proof of vaccination and government photo ID required for entry

By order of the Provincial Health Officer, the fitness centre will be closed and all group fitness classes cancelled until January 18, 2022.

The pool, arena and squash/basketball courts remain open.

All passes will be extended for the full duration of the closure.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to adapt to changing public health orders.

Visit whistler.ca/notices for further details.

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NEW!

ARTS SCENE

Dave Petko gets on his glow-up STARRY NIGHTS MARKS MULTIFACETED ARTIST’S FIRST SOLO EXHIBIT IN 20 YEARS

BY BRANDON BARRETT IT SEEMS MORE the rule than the exception that at some point in time working artists will be pressed into questioning the wider impact of their work. In a field where the separation between relative obscurity and commercial success sometimes seems more about luck than skill, it’s natural to wonder if the years of hard work and perseverance will amount to something more.

Fortunately for Whistler painter, sculptor, muralist and tattoo artist Dave “Pepe” Petko, the past year has helped him definitively answer this very question.

Between the continued popularity of his Function Junction tattoo shop (Black Ohm), landing a mural from the municipality this summer at Olympic Plaza, being named Champion of the Arts at the 2021 Whistler Excellence Awards, and now launching his first solo exhibit in nearly 20 years, called Starry Nights, you could say it’s been a banner year for the 52-year-old.

“I think I was blessed. The universe just

GLOWED UP Dave Petko hard at work on a piece for his latest solo exhibit, Starry Nights, at the Maury Young Arts Centre.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

42 JANUARY 6, 2022

gave me a bunch of creative energy and good weather. A lot of good things have been falling in my lap for 2021,” Petko says.

“I felt for years and years that no one really knew who I was or knew my work, but this year, just from the things that happened, it was like, ‘Wow, people do recognize me for the artist I am’—and it feels really good.”

Now, defining Petko as an artist sort

course, ink on skin.

“One medium helps spawn on the next medium and the next,” he explains. “Every time I switch to a different medium, I kind of go back to the medium before it, and they all work in a circular, inspirational way.”

Petko’s latest Arts Whistler exhibit, running from Jan. 11 to March 6 at the Maury Young Arts Centre, is the culmination of

“I think I was blessed. The universe just gave me a bunch of creative energy and good weather. A lot of good things have been falling into my lap for 2021.”

- DAVE PETKO

of depends on the day you ask. Over the years, his style has evolved from abstract expressionism to what he calls “a pop surrealism, kind of low-brow style,” to more traditional subject matter like animals and nature that reflect his deep appreciation for Whistler. His artistic exploration doesn’t stop at the canvas either; with a background in screen-printing, Petko is a consummate tinkerer, constantly experimenting in new mediums and forms, whether it be sculpture, large-scale art installations, or, of

more than two years of work and features 29 pieces showcasing illuminated night forests and “synthetic landscapes” all containing a phosphorescent pigment that transforms each work once the lights go out. Petko has been creating his own glow-in-the-dark pigments for years, but it wasn’t until his partner suggested creating an entire body of work that incorporated the radiant pigment that the concept for Starry Nights came into view.

“I have a piece I did here at home from

2009 where I created my own pigments using phosphorescent pigments and fluorescent pigments. I was showing it to my girlfriend, Tanya Kong, and she’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s a nice piece,’” Petko recalls.

Then he got her to look at it under black light, which gave the piece an entirely new dimension, before asking her to cut the lights completely. “So she shut it off and you could see the foreground, background and all the other depth [elements] to it all glowing at a different intensity, creating even more depth in the piece,” he noted.

“The natural landscapes look really cool once you shut the light off because they get an eerie glow to them and then just slowly fade away.”

Petko’s prolific output last year doesn’t look to be slowing down now that the calendar has flipped. After landing his long-overdue Whistler show, he is now turning his sights to the bigger pond of Vancouver, where he has another solo exhibit slated to launch in March at Beaumont Studios’ B1 Gallery. Featuring 14 entirely new works, the show ties in to Starry Nights, stylistically speaking.

“But it’s going to evolve even more,” he adds.

The exhibit is free to attend. Learn more at artswhistler.com and check out Petko’s work at davepetko.com. n

MUSEUM MUSINGS

LIVE MUSIC IS BACK! 1045 Millar Creek Rd in Function Junction whistlerbeer.com

1ST FRIDAY EVERY MONTH FROM 4-7PM NO COVER CHARGE Fri Jan 7 Pierre Eady SNOW PATROL Ian Boyd demonstrates the ins and outs of an SMI snowmaking machine capable of producing enough snow to cover one acre a half-inch deep in only an hour in 1982. With the addition of more machines and proper reservoirs and infrastructure on Whistler, snowmaking became more common through the 1980s.

WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION, 1982.

Making it snow

BY ALLYN PRINGLE FOR THE FIRST decade of operations on Whistler Mountain, an abundance of snow was normal for the ski season. The season of 1973-‘74 was a record-setting winter, with Whistler Mountain recording a base of just over five metres in the early spring. After so many seasons, most people had grown to expect Whistler always to have lots of snow.

According to John Hetherington, who was working on ski patrol at the time, “We just thought it would go on forever.” Then, just a few years later, it didn’t.

The season of 1976-‘77 is often described as one of the worst ski seasons Whistler Mountain ever had. The Whistler Question reported that over the American Thanksgiving weekend, “a few hardy souls went up the mountain to hike up and down either at the top of the Red or the ridge behind the top of the Blue Chair.” By Christmas it had snowed a little bit more and Whistler Mountain was able to open, but skiers had to download by the Red Chair and the gondola.

In this case, what ski patrol did was use an entire case of the explosive Submagel to blow a huge crater in the creek at the bottom of Green Chair.

They built a dam at one end of the crater, got some pumps, borrowed a snowgun from Grouse Mountain (Grouse had installed the first snowmaking system in British Columbia in 1973), and began making snow to get skiers to the bottom of the Green Chair without having to carry their skis for the last 100 metres or so. Once the crater slowly filled, it could support about two to three hours of snowmaking.

However, McCarthy recalled the system was far from perfect.

“The challenge was that any time we tried to make snow, it got cold enough to make snow, the water would stop running and stop filling the little creek and we’d end up sucking mud into the pumps,” he said.

“So it wasn’t that successful, but it was the beginning.”

Packer drivers were able to spread what snow they did make to form a narrow run to the bottom of the Green Chair, providing some temporarily skiable terrain.

“Nobody gave a damn what you did on the mountain.”

- JOHN HETHERINGTON

Then, in January 1977, it rained to the top of the ski area and washed away what little snow there was. The lift company closed for the rest of the month and well into February.

This complete lack of snow inspired the first attempt at making snow on Whistler Mountain. While today snowmaking is carefully planned, has a large infrastructure behind it, and follows stringent procedures, that was not the situation described by Hetherington and fellow patroller Roger McCarthy. According to Hetherington, “Back then, Whistler was pretty wild out there and things were pretty loose… Nobody gave a damn what you did on the mountain.”

This first attempt at making snow signaled a shift as the lift company was forced to realize they would not always get the snow they were used to. In 1981, Sandy Boyd was hired as gondola area coordinator for the lift company and, already having experience with snowmaking, Boyd brought more of it to Whistler through the 1980s.

Today, as the questions of snowfall and the impacts of climate change on Whistler are never far from mind, snowmaking is an important part of mountain operations and it is not uncommon on a clear night to see the snowguns at work on both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. n

Pierre plays the Old Classics. From Outlaw to New Country with a healthy side of Classic Rock. Nostalgia never felt, or sounded so good!

Call for Artists The Resort Municipality of Whistler is requesting proposals for a creative theme and the visual expression of the theme on banners installed on street light lampposts throughout Whistler For more information please visit: whistler.ca/bids or bcbid.gov.bc.ca Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca

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43

ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JAN 6 BY ROB BREZSNY

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the fantasy tale The Wizard of Oz, a tornado lifts the hero Dorothy from her modest home in rural Kansas to a magical realm called Oz. There she experiences many provocative and entertaining adventures.

Nonetheless, she longs to return to where she started from.

A friendly witch helps her find the way back to Kansas, which requires her to click her ruby slippers together three times and say, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” I suspect, Aries, that there’ll be a different ending to your epic tale in 2022. At some point, you will decide you prefer to stay in your new world. Maybe you’ll even click your ruby slippers together and say, “There’s no place like Oz, there’s no place like Oz.” (Thanks to author David Lazar for that last line.)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Fifty-five per cent of the people who live in Toronto speak primarily English or French. But for the other 45 per cent, their mother tongue is a different language, including Portuguese, Tagalog, Italian, Tamil, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin. I wish you could spend some time there in the coming months.

In my astrological opinion, you would benefit from being exposed to maximum cultural diversity. You would thrive by being around a broad spectrum of influences from multiple backgrounds. If you can’t manage a trip to Toronto or another richly diverse place, do your best to approximate the same experience. Give yourself the gift of splendorous variety.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of your primary meditations throughout 2022 should be the following advice from The Laws of Human Nature, a book by motivational author Robert Greene. He writes, “In ancient times, many great leaders felt that they were descended from gods and part divine. Such self-belief would translate into high levels of confidence that others would feed off and recognize. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. You do not need to indulge in such grandiose thoughts, but feeling that you are destined for something great or important will give you a degree of resilience when people oppose or resist you. You will not internalize the doubts that come from such moments. You will have an enterprising spirit. You will continually try new things, even taking risks, confident in your ability to bounce back from failures and feeling destined to succeed.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I would love to unabashedly encourage you to travel widely and explore wildly in 2022. I would rejoice if I could brazenly authorize you to escape your comfort zone and wander in the frontiers. It’s not often the planetary omens offer us Cancerians such an unambiguous mandate to engage in exhilarating adventures and intelligent risks. There’s only one problem: that annoying inconvenience known as the pandemic. We really do have to exercise caution in our pursuit of expansive encounters. Luckily, you now have extra ingenuity about the project of staying safe as you enlarge your world.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I suspect that your life in 2022 might feature themes beloved by Leo author Emily Brontë (1818–1848). “No coward soul is mine,” she wrote. “No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere.” I suggest making that one of your mottoes. Here’s another guiding inspiration from Emily, via one of her poems: “I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading: It vexes me to choose another guide: Where the grey flocks in ferny glens are feeding; Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.”

Here’s one more of Brontë’s thoughts especially suitable for your use in the coming months: “I’ll be as dirty as I please, and I like to be dirty, and I will be dirty!”

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What reversals and turnabouts would you like to experience in 2022, Virgo? Which situations would you like to transform dramatically? Are there imbalances of power you would like to rectify? Contradictions you’d love to dissolve?

Misplaced priorities you could correct? All these things are possible in the coming months if you are creative

and resourceful enough. With your dynamic efforts, the last could be first, the low could be high, and the weak could become strong.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Everything good I’ve ever gotten in my life, I only got because I gave something else up,” wrote author Elizabeth Gilbert. That has often been true for me. For example, if I hadn’t given up my beloved music career, I wouldn’t have had the time and energy to become a skillful astrology writer with a big audience.

What about you, Libra? In my reckoning, Gilbert’s observation should be a major theme for you in 2022.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author C. S. Lewis wrote that we don’t simply want to behold beauty. We “want to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” If there were ever a time when you could get abundant tastes of that extravagant pleasure, Scorpio, it would be in the coming months. If you make it a goal, if you set an intention, you may enjoy more deep mergers and delightful interactions with beauty than you have had since 2010.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian singersongwriter Tom Waits began his career in 1969. He achieved modest success during the next 11 years. But his career headed in an even more successful direction after he met Kathleen Brennan, who became his wife and collaborator. In a 1988 interview, Waits said, “She’s got the whole dark forest living inside of her. She pushes me into areas I would not go, and I’d say that a lot of the things I’m trying to do now, she’s encouraged.” In 2022, Sagittarius, I’ll invite you to go looking for the deep dark forest within yourself. I’m sure it’s in there somewhere.

If you explore it with luxuriant curiosity, it will ultimately inspire you to generate unprecedented breakthroughs.

Yes, it might sometimes be spooky—but in ways that ultimately prove lucky.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn-born Muhammad Ali was far more than a superb professional boxer. He was an activist, entertainer, and philanthropist who gathered much wisdom in his 74 years. I’ve chosen one of his quotes to be your guide in the coming months. I hope it will motivate you to rigorously manage the sometimes pesky and demanding details that will ultimately enable you to score a big victory. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you down,” Ali said.

“It’s the pebble in your shoe.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): At a pivotal moment in his evolution, Aquarian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) swore an oath to himself. I’ll tell you about it here because I hope it will inspire you to make a comparable vow to yourself about how you’ll live your life in 2022. Author Robert Greene is the source of the quote.

He says that Chekhov promised himself he would engage in “no more bowing and apologizing to people; no more complaining and blaming; no more disorderly living and wasting time. The answer to everything was work and love, work and love. He had to spread this message to his family and save them. He had to share it with humanity through his stories and plays.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here’s what Piscean author Anais Nin wrote in one of her diaries: “When I first faced pain, I was shattered. When I first met failure, defeat, denial, loss, death, I died. Not today. I believe in my power, in my magic, and I do not die. I survive, I love, live, continue.”

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Pisces, you could claim her triumphant declaration as your own in 2022, with special emphasis on this: “I believe in my power, in my magic. I survive, I love, live, continue.” This will be a golden age, a time when you harvest the fruits of many years of labour.

Homework: What problem are you most likely to outgrow and render irrelevant in 2022? Newsletter.

FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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

44 JANUARY 6, 2022

PARTIAL RECALL

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1 NECK DEEP Harrison McKinney, five, finds out just how fun a powder day can be on Sunday, Jan. 2. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 2 SNOW BUDDY Five-year-old Charli Cowin also kicked off 2022 with some fun in the flakes. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE COWIN. 3 STRAIGHT CHILLING Dawson Woods, seven months, enjoys his first-ever winter in Whistler. PHOTO BY BARBARA FRASER. 4 PODIUM PALS The International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association (IFSA) Whistler Junior Regional contest wrapped up in Blackcomb’s Jersey Cream zone on New Year’s Eve. From left to right: Thaila Joel, Drea Dimma, Kayla Constantini, Sakura Lord and Sofia Guy made up the top five in the ski female 15-18 category. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 5 PILE UP Coastal Mountain Excavation staff start the process of clearing and trucking out the mountain of snow on Wednesday morning, Jan. 5, that piled up in Whistler’s Marketplace lot in the days prior. PHOTO SUBMITTED. 6 SLIDING CENTRE What do you do when there’s a massive pile of snow in the middle of the village? Turn it into a toboggan hill, of course. PHOTO SUBMITTED.

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For a weekly sales report of new and sold listings in Whistler & Pemberton, please go to whistlerrealestatemarket.com or contact josh@joshcrane.ca

WHISTLER FURNITURE CO

BEDS IN STOCK! SAME DAY DELIVERY!

PEMBERTON Lot For Sale: Ivey Lake Subdivision 5.44 ACRE •

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5.44 ACRE Lot 51, Ivey Lake Subdivision, $590,000, 2-minute walk to Lake. 2.3 Km northeast of Pemberton, a 30-minute drive to Whistler. Fantastic view of Mt Currie. 604-744-8816 owen.hairsine@gmail.com

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From April 15 to Dec 15 2022 Newly refurbished and fully furnished Dining table for 6 2 bedrooms (queen) + den (bunkbed) 1 sofa + 1 new sofa-bed TV 55 in + hi-fi surround theater 5.1 Common hot tub on the roof Steam shower Inside spa tub (air) New 60 gallons hot water tank BBQ Napoleon Ski/Bike lockers 2 underground parking + 1 visitor Mountain bike trails and Golf nearby South facing (sunny) 514-926-0654 donald.proulx1962@gmail.com

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

FOR SALE - MISC

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2015 MercedesBenz G550 4MATIC

$

25000

I want to sell my 2015 MercedesBenz G550 4MATIC, I am the first owner of this car and it is barely used for five months, No accident record and there is no mechanical or engine fault.

2015 Mercedes-Benz G550 4MATIC ................. $25,000 2015 Mercedes-Benz G550 4MATIC Mileage: 10,812 • Fuel: Gasoline Exterior Color: Black Interior Color: Black Transmission: 7-Speed Automatic Engine: 5.5L V8 32V MPFI DOHC Drive type: AWD

PRE-LOVED RE-LOVED = COMMUNITY LOVE RE-USE-IT CENTRE Donations daily 10 am to 4 pm Accepting pre-loved clothing, gear and household items.

Shopping daily 10 am to 6 pm 8000 Nesters Road 604-932-1121

RE-BUILD-IT CENTRE Donations daily 10 am to 5 pm Accepting pre-loved furniture, tools and building supplies Shopping daily 10 am to 5 pm 1003 Lynham Road 604-932-1125 Visit mywcss.org and our social channels for updates.

I NEED TO SELL IT URGENTLY CONTACT ME THROUGH EMAIL pinpointsale@gmail.com

Dont forget to scoop the poop!

It’s not fun to step in, or to see around town.

Help keep Whistler clean and pick up after your dog.

www.whistlerwag.com

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Now Hiring - Eagle Pass Heliski Eagle Pass Heliski is hiring for the following positions:

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DISTRICT OF SQUAMISH

Medical Laboratory Technologist Whistler Health Centre, LM Labs a part of PHSA Our LM Labs team at Whistler Health Care Centre are looking for Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLT)! These Regular Part-Time Opportunities bring rotating days/ hours to your work schedule, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful scenery and lifestyle in Whistler, BC. From world-famous winter sports and mountain biking, hiking all while still being a short drive to near by communities. https://jobs. phsa.ca/job/whistler/medical-labor a t o r y-t e c h n o l o g i s t-i-w h i s t l e rh e a l t h-c e n t r e-l m-l a b s /9 0 9 / 19955812992

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

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WE ARE

HIRING

Human Resources Advisor - Regular Full-Time Legislative Services Clerk 4 - Regular Full-Time Economic Development Coordinator - Temporary Full-Time Plan Checker - Regular Full-Time Chief Operator Waste Water Treatment Plant - Regular Full-Time Financial Services Specialist - Temporary Full-Time Utility Operator 2 - Regular Full-Time

squamish.ca/careers

- Lunch Program Chef - Sous Chef - Breakfast Chef - Kitchen Porter - Housekeeper - Night Auditor - Client Relations Specialist For further information please visit www.eaglepassheliskiing.com/jobs

Whistler Personnel Solutions Full-time, part-time & temp jobs.

No cost, no strings. 604-905-4194 www.whistler-jobs.com

PLAY HERE

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HOME SERVICES

DOUG BUSH

SURVEY SERVICES LTD.

is looking for a

OFFICE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR BUILDING AND RENOVATIONS

Wiebe Construction Services Serving Whistler for over 25 years

• Kitchen and Bath • Renovations & Repairs • Drywall • Painting • Finishing • Minor Electrical & Plumbing

Ray Wiebe 604.935.2432 Pat Wiebe 604.902.9300 raymondo99.69@gmail.com

Part time Flexible hours. The applicant should have data entry experience and be detail oriented. Knowledge of Sage/Simply accounting, proficiency in Excel and Payroll experience an asset.

the spa at the westin WE ARE HIRING! • Self Employed Registered Massage Therapists • Self Employed Experienced Body Workers • Experienced receptionist

SURVEY FIELD TECHNICIAN:

with a two or three year college or technical school program in geomatics. Three years’ experience and Proficient in the use of robotic survey instruments and GPS equipment for engineering and building construction layout, topographic site surveys, site improvement surveys and precise monitoring.

Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D also an asset to assist in office with computations and drawing preparation.

Please call Ian @ 604-932-3314 or email @ ian@dbss.ca #18-1370 Alpha Lake Rd. Whistler BC V8E 0H9 Serving Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton

IF INTERESTED PLEASE SUBMIT RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO CAROL ENGLISH VIA EMAIL CAROL@GIBBONSWHISTLER.COM

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HOME SERVICES FLOORING

THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

SHAW 7 3

Join our team!

Chef wanted – The Chef is responsible for showcasing fresh, Indigenous inspired cuisine to our guests. With your expertise in menu planning and experience in event style food production, your passion for food is evident. As the Chef, you provide consistently high quality food offerings that are a natural extension of our unique cultural guest experience.

The Chef will strengthen the skills of the kitchen and café team and continue to mentor team members who are enrolled in the Red Seal certification program. The Chef will work closely with our leadership team to plan and execute menu tastings, menu pairings and banquet style food for our events. Your critical thinking, organization and excellent communication skills elevate those around you; you lead by example. This position is hands on and focuses on the kitchen and café with some administrative tasks familiar to a leadership role.

We offer a flexible schedule, benefits package, wellness benefit, training and education allowance, great wages and a supportive workplace.

If you are interested in this position, we would love to hear from you.

Please send your cover letter and resume to human.resources@slcc.ca by Friday, January 14, 2022.

We offer competitive wages, a unique environment, seasonal bonuses, staff discounts and benefits.

Ask about accommodation.

Come Grow Sport with us at our Whistler Olympic Legacy Venues

For a full job description, please visit our website at slcc.ca/careers.

CARPET & FLOOR CENTRE

Whistler Athletes’ Centre

Family owned & operated

(High-Performance Training & Accommodation) Guest Service Agent/Lodge Attendant

5 2

Open Monday through Friday 8:30 - 4:30 Saturday 10:00 -4:00 Sundays and Evenings by appointment only.

Whistler Olympic Park (Nordic Skiing, Snowshoeing & Outdoor Activities) Nordic Sport Instructor Maintenance & Operations Worker Guest Service Rep Snow Clearing Operator Nordic Ski Patrol

8 2

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3-1365 Alpha Lake Road Whistler, B.C, V0N1B1

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Phone 604-938-1126 email shawcarpet@shaw.ca

Whistler Sliding Centre (Bobsleigh, Luge & Skeleton) Track Worker Control & Timing Operator Lead, Sport and Guest Services Facility Operations - Snow Clearing

4

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Visit our website to view current postings and to apply: www.whistlersportlegacies.com/careers

big or small we do it all!

Call 604-902-MOVE www.alltimemoving.ca

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The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available:

HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR STARTING RATE $25 P/H Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca

We offer competitive wages, a unique environment, seasonal bonuses, staff discounts and benefits.

Ask about accommodation.

Come Grow Sport with us at our Whistler Olympic Legacy Venues

3

Whistler Sliding Centre Temporary labourers needed: Now to April Track surface prep & maintenance Flexible shifts

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Info email: jobs@whistlersportlegacies.com Visit our website to view current postings and to apply:

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The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available:

ROOM ATTENDANTS Starting rate of $23 p/h

Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca

48 JANUARY 6, 2022

Maintenance Person This dynamic role includes the following Perks and Benefits:

• Full-Time, Year-Round position • Competitive Wages and Health Benefits • Supportive Management Team • Wages Starting From $21 per hour 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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NORTHLANDS STORAGE SPACE AVAILABLE

604.932.1968

ofce@northlandstorage.ca Services

HEALTH & WELLBEING SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

REGISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S BALLET & TAP IS OPEN NEXT SESSIONS BEGINS THE WEEK OF FEB. 15TH @ MYRTLE PHILIP AND MPSC SIGN UP ONLINE NOW!

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JOIN OUR TEAM, WE ARE HIRING!

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

WORK

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

HOME SERVICES MOVING AND STORAGE

RENT

We have the following positions available to join our well established family practice:

Lil’wat Nation

Employment Opportunities • Accounting Assistant Worker - Finance • Administrative Assistant to Health Director • Cashier - Gas Station • Cultural Research Technician • Custodian - Xet’olacw Community School • Daycare Cook - Ullus Building & Upper Site • Early Childhood Educator and/or Assistant - Daycare • Early Childhood Educator Infant Toddler - Daycare • Education Assistant - Xet’olacw Community School • Education Assistant - Xet’olacw Community School FTE • Education Jurisdiction Coordinator - Xet’olacw Community School • Family Enhancement Worker • Home Care Nurse - RN or LPN • Homemaker - Lil’wat Health and Healing • Indigenous Support Worker Casual- Ts’zil Learning Centre • Kindergarten Teacher - Xet’olacw Community School • Land Use Manager • Program Coordinator - Ts’zil Learning Centre • Receptionist - Ts’zil Learning Centre

Benefits Pension Plan Employee Assistance Program Extended Health Benefits Professional Development Gym facility Please visit our career page for more information: lilwat.ca/careers/career-opportunities-2/

REGISTERED DENTAL HYGIENIST (FT or PT) who is a team player, hard working, able to multi-task, and is very personable.

New grads welcome!

No weekend or evening shifts! Free parking in Creekside! Extended benefits package provided after 3 months of employment.

Please send your resume to: managercreeksidedentalwhistler@gmail.com

NORTH ARM FARM FARM FIELD LABOURER

Weeding, irrigating, harvesting and processing fruits & vegetables. At least 2 full seasons of agricultural experience required. Looking for hardworking individuals able to work in all types of outside conditions. Minimum 40hrs/wk over a minimum 5 days/wk. 40 to 65 hours/week. $15.20 - $18/hr.

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

See our full page schedule ad in this issue of Pique for details

WE ARE LOOKING FOR: GUEST EXPERIENCE AGENT RESERVATION AGENT

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Community

NOTICES

MASSAGE SERVICES MANAGER

Join a fun, locally owned and operated Lodge that puts people first and offers you the opportunity to thrive at work!

WHAT WE OFFER:

NOW HIRING:

SPA EXPERIENCE ATTENDANT NIGHT CLEANER

GENERAL NOTICES ROTARY CLUBS OF WHISTLER The Rotary Clubs of Whistler are now meeting virtually.

The Whistler Club Tuesdays at 3.

The Millennium Club Thursdays at 12:15.

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

BATH MEMBERSHIP FOR YOU AND A FRIEND STAFF HOUSING UPON AVAILABILITY FREE MASSAGE AFTER 3 MONTHS DISCOUNTED WB SPIRIT PASS AND MORE!

apply at hr.whistler@scandinave.com

• Night Audit • Guest Service Agent • All Culinary positions • Room Attendant • House Attendant • Spa Therapist • Spa Receptionist – FT & PT

To apply email your resume to: careers@nitalakelodge.com

Scan Here to View Current Opportunities at Nita!

JANUARY 6, 2022

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS NOVEMB ER 18, 2021 ISSUE 28.46 WWW.PIQ UENEWS MAGAZIN

E.COM

FRE E MALWARE

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

What We Offer You:

Exciting Career Opportunities APPLY TODAY! Diamond Resorts Canada Ltd., Whistler, BC

SALES AND MARKETING PROFESSIONALS Eligible successful candidates may receive*: • Extensive benefits package that may include: ski pass or wellness allowance, disability coverage, travel insurance and extended health and dental

• New hire bonus up to $1,000 • Discounted employee rates at any Diamond Resorts property • Full-time work year-round and a FUN work environment

Email your resume with the position you wish to apply for to:

embarc_hr@diamondresorts.com Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) acquired Diamond Resorts International (DRI), and its subsidiary companies, such as Diamond Resorts Canada, Ltd. (DRCL), as of August 02, 2021. If you apply to work at Embarc, you will be an applicant of a subsidiary of HGV. A transition to HGV will occur as we integrate technology, systems and branding, but it will take time until our separate operating systems, employment policies and benefits are fully integrated. As a result, for a period of time, employees will receive correspondence and messaging from Embarc as well as from HGV and related entities. *Eligibility and conditions based on DRCL policies and practices set out in general terms and conditions of employment. 2112-1001

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

WWW.PIQUE NEWSMAGA ZINE.COM

28.47 NOVEMBER 25, 2021 ISSUE

FREE TURNS

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AFTER

THE STORM Record-brea king rainfall brings devastation and death

16

GONDOLA

QUANDRY Medical health officer tries to calm community over vaccines

36

CHAINSAW LIVES ON Long

pays tribute to downhill

Live Chainsaw icon Stevie Smith

The current career opportunities are:

ROOM ATTENDANT GUEST SERVICE AGENT ROOM •ATTENDANT NIGHT AUDIT HOUSEMAN/INSPECTOR GUEST• SERVICE AGENT FULLNIGHT TIME MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN AUDIT • HOUSEMAN

WWW.PIQUENEWSMA GAZINE.COM

DECEMBER 2, 2021 ISSUE 28.48

FREE HEROES

14

15

Pique speaks to WB’s an update COO Geoff Buchheister for

OPENING DAY

50

a TAX TIME The RMOW is proposing 6.72% property tax increase

MYTH MAN

WFF doc examines legacy of

Cowichan chief

APPLY TODAY AT PEOPLE@WHISTLERPREMIER.COM

Does B.C. need rapid esponsee teams to prevent respons riven floods? ildfire-ddriven wildfireDECEMBER DECEMBER 9, 9, 2021 2021 ISSUE ISSUE 28.49 28.49

• Deputy Corporate Officer • Accounting Clerk Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

Currently seeking:

FREE FREE

14

Email cover letters and resumes to:

paul.globisch@vacasa.com We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

council eyes increased financial support

44

RATE TO TO REFLECT REFLECT INCREASE COMEDY COMETH A new weekly comedy show launches in Whistler on Dec. 9

S TORM

CANNABIS COMING The RMOW is planning for weed retail outlets in Whistler

WWW.PIQUENEWSMA GAZINE.COM

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ELIGIBILITY EXPANDING COVID-19 vaccines available to Whistler kids

FREE

SEQUENCING Whistler author releases thriller about dangers of genetic SOME manipulation TO GET

SKINS IN THE GAME

UPH

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• Room attendants and houseperson Wages starting from $21.75 to $23.00

To apply for this opportunity, please specify the position and email your resume and cover letter to:

Recreation

AFTER THE

SB@NOBLEELECTRIC.CA • WWW.NOBLEELECTRIC.CA

Vacasa Whistler is currently hiring:

Flexible schedule, variable shifts available including possible night shift • Travel allowance for Squamish and Pemberton based employees OR activity/ski pass allowance. Signing bonus of $500.

Extended medical and dental coverage.

OUTDOOR FUNDING

APPRENTICES AND JOURNEYWOMEN/JOURNEYMEN

DECEMBER 16, 2021 ISSUE 28.50

• Maintenance Tech $23.50

28

Small businesses frustrated with timing of new expense

Come work with us! We value strong communication skills, ability to work independently, and motivation to learn and grow with our company. We offer benefits and a healthy work-life balance; we’re here for a good time and hopefully some powder days. Wages are negotiable, based on experience and knowledge of electrical code.

14

• Housekeeping Assistant Manager $50K and Housekeeping Coordinator $21.00

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SICK PAY

Recently opened uphill skiing corridor leaves much to be desired, advocates say

28.51 Nations exploring 2021 ISSUE BID? First DECEMBER 23,HISTORIC

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14DECEMBER 30, 2021 ISSUE 28.52 15 VARIED CHRISTMAS Mixing old traditions to make Christmas

and new

special

Whistler reacts to new COVID-19 health orders

COVID CUTBACKS

64

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604-938-0202 sales@piquenewsmagazine.com

50 JANUARY 6, 2022 RANSOMWARE

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

are hiring a

Office Administrator

Youth Case Worker to help us end youth homelessness

Whistler’s premier visitor magazine is on stands now!

PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!

Look for our Winter 2022 Issue!

Find it on select stands and in Whistler hotel rooms.

CONFERENCE SERVICES COORDINATOR Full Time, Year Round

The Conference Services Coordinator supports the Conference Services department to ensure a smooth transition of a client’s experience from Sales to Operations; assisting in the delivery of exceptional customer service for all clients of the Whistler Conference Centre.

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

What we’re looking for: a team player who is highly service oriented, with exceptional attention to detail and time management skills, and flexibility with hours of work to ensure adequate support at meetings and events.

We’re also recruiting for: Marketing & Creative Services Specialist, Visitor Centre Agent, Travel Consultant.

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

We’re also recruiting for: Marketing & Creative Services Specialist. Conference Services Coordinator, Travel Consultant.

JANUARY 6, 2022

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM/JOBS

THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

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

Full Time & Part Time Housekeepers 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.

• Travel Allowance and discounted employee rates at any Diamond Resort International resort.

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

Please note that Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) acquired Diamond Resorts International (DRI) as of August 02, 2021. If you apply to work at a Diamond Resorts company you will be an applicant of a subsidiary of HGV. A transition to HGV will occur as we integrate technology, systems and branding but it will take time until our separate operating systems, employment policies and benefits are fully integrated. As a result, for a period of time, employees will receive correspondence and messaging from Diamond Resorts as well as from HGV and related entities.

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

Employment Opportunities: Guest Services Agents Maintenance Helper Apply to: jobs@pembertonvalleylodge.com

DISPATCHER/ DELIVERY DISTRIBUTION DELIVERY SUPERVISOR DRIVER

DRIVER

Seeking a reliable individual to oversee the dispatching and package distribution for a large Seeking reliable individuals delivery operation in Function Junction.

for package Seeking reliabledelivery individualsservice The person best suited for the position… for Whistler package delivery service in in and Pemberton.

Has a positive attitude Whistler available immediately. is a fast-paced multi-tasker

Must be available year-round Opportunity year-round and Always Reliableisand available year-round work is 3-5 days per week. and able Can work a 4to or 5work day weeka minimum including Friday - Sunday 3-5 days per week.

Potential to have a driver route as well, with reliable vehicle

Email Sarah/Denise at

Call or email mail@wplpmedia.com Email Kyle at lunalogistics20@gmail.com mail@piquenewsmagazine.com or 604-815-3685 to see if this is the right or call at 604-938-0202 604-902-1237 x44223 opportunity for you.

for more more information information and to apply. for

Competitive wages, health benefits, casual environment PLAY HERE

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Domino’s Pizza in Whistler is

NOW HIRING: ALL POSITIONS

• Delivery Experts (Drivers) • Assistant Managers All positions can earn 25-30$/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

52 JANUARY 6, 2022

TEPPAN VILLAGE IS HIRING A OPERATIONAL MANAGER Teppan Village is a locally owned Teppanyaki Steakhouse RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: • Overseeing daily operations • Addressing areas of improvement • Responding to customer service needs • Insuring team member satisfaction • Monitoring staff performance and scheduling.

THE PERFECT CANDIDATE: • Minimum 4-5 years management experience in a high volume food and beverage environment • Manage reservations systems • Strong problem-solving abilities • Excellent leadership, organization, and time management skills.

• Ability to develop and motivate staff to achieve challenging goals.

ABOUT THE ROLE, BENEFITS +PERKS • Full-time, year-round career opportunity.

• Competitive wage • Annual mountain pass.

• Free meals and restaurant discounts.

• Educational allowance & growth opportunities.

• Extended health, dental and vision benefits • Paid vacation time Address: 301-4293 Mountain Square, Whistler, BC, V0N 1B4 Apply by email at teppanvillage@shaw.ca

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Become part of a creative team and surround yourself with art The Audain Art Museum is currently seeking:

Marketing Coordinator full-time, permanent

The successful candidate will be creative, collaborative, and forward-thinking, offering both technical knowledge and relevant experience to allow the AAM to excel in marketing and communications efforts.

Responsibilities include administration of advertising, digital engagement, content marketing, social media, special events, Museum tours, and public relations.

Application deadline is January 7, 2022 For complete job description visit audainartmuseum.com/employment

Looking for a creative and fun job?

WORK WITH US!

We are currently recruiting for:

Front of House Coordinator

Love to ski or snowboard during the day?

(Permanent, full-time) Apply today! Job description at artswhistler.com/careers

Apply to getinvolved@artswhistler.com Attn: Anna Lynch Maury Young Arts Centre | 604.935.8410

Visit us on Hiring Tuesdays (11am-7pm) at 130-4370 Lorimer Rd., Whistler, BC or send your resume to sheryll.cu@post.mcdonalds.ca ©2021 McDonald’s

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

NOW HIRING: NOW HIRING:

NOW HIRING THE FOLLOWING ATV & BUGGY GUIDES NOW HIRING THE FOLLOWING ATV & BUGGY GUIDES CANOE GUIDES FULL TIMEGUIDES ROLES: CANOE FULL TIME ROLES: JEEP GUIDES JEEP GUIDES E-BIKE GUIDES SNOWMOBILE GUIDES E-BIKE GUIDES SNOWMOBILE GUIDES SHUTTLE DRIVERS SHUTTLE DRIVERS NOW HIRING THE FOLLOWING RESERVATION AGENTS SNOWSHOE GUIDES RESERVATION AGENTS We offer a fun, outdoor work environment with a great team of FULL TIME POSITIONS: SNOWSHOE GUIDES

We offer a fun, outdoor An work environment withalways a greatchallengteam of like-minded individuals. always changing, like-minded An always to changing, always challenging work dayindividuals. with the opportunity connect with people from ingover work with Flexible the opportunity connect with people from all theday world. schedules and amazing staff parties CRYSTAL HUTto FONDUE all over the world.are Flexible schedules amazing staff parties definite ofand the Workers job.

Front and Backperks of House are definite perks of the job.

Full job descriptions at: EVENING WORK – Ski/Ride day, and snowmobile to work!

Full joballdescriptions at: www.canadianwilderness.com/employment/ www.canadianwilderness.com/employment/

SHUTTLE DRIVERS SHUTTLE DRIVERS

Whistler’s award-winning publication is seeking a

Reporter Pique Newsmagazine has a rare opportunity for an experienced and committed journalist to cover local news, politics and mountain culture in North America’s premier mountain resort.

You are passionate about news and politics, and have a sense of what makes a compelling local news story. You seek to engage and inform your community in print and online platforms, and use social media effectively. You are selfmotivated, efficient and deadline driven, with a curious, critical mind and an acute attention to detail. You are able to work well both on your own and with a team.

You have experience working in a newsroom, and ideally in covering municipal council, elections, and governments at all levels. Other relevant skills include copy editing, long-form feature writing, Instagram posting and story creation, and newspaper layout using InDesign.

Located in the mountain resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, Pique Newsmagazine is the unequivocal leader in reporting, interpreting and understanding the culture of the Coast Mountains and what it means to those who live, work and play in Whistler. At 27 years young, we’ve established ourselves as the locals’ publication that’s inquisitive and edgy, provoking conversation and building community. With our peers we’re acknowledged perennial winners at the BC & Yukon Community Newsmedia Awards (BCYCNA) and Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards (CCNA) for general excellence and reporting categories, as well as several Webster Awards honours over the years.

We’re known for our unique artsy design, weekly long-form features and comprehensive news coverage, but of course our reach is global, with loyal readers from Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto, Hong Kong and all over the world who come to piquenewsmagazine.com daily for the best Whistler storytelling and news source.

To apply, send your resume, clippings, or other relevant materials, as well as a cover letter making the case for why we should hire you to Braden Dupuis, bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com Application deadline: January 20, 2022

WHISTLER PUBLISHING Limited Partnership

54 JANUARY 6, 2022

GUEST REPS WHAT YOU BRING:EXPERIENCE GUEST EXPERIENCE REPS • SomeIfprevious experience you areF+B interested in joining our team, • •

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THE FIRST PLACE TO LOOK FOR LOCAL JOB OPENINGS

THE PAN PACIFIC IS WHISTLER IS IMMEDIATELY HIRING FOR THE FOLLOWING MANAGEMENT POSITIONS:

Director of Engineering/Technical Services and Manager of Human Capital and Development (HR Manager).

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO: careers.ppwhi@panpacific.com to apply*.

The duties of our Director of Engineering/Technical Services include, but are not limited to, the following: • Coaches and educates Maintenance Team members to deliver the service standards required and develops a team that is multi-functional and self-directed, while identifying and implementing improvement plans as needed • Provides leadership for the implementation of efficient procedures in Energy Management, Environment Management, Emergency Procedures, and Risk Management • Conducts preventative maintenance audits regularly with other departments • Organizes weekly and monthly inspections and meetings to cover all areas (i.e. Fire & Safety, OH&S, rooms and associates’ facilities, grounds, recreation facilities, etc.) and ensures that all required standards are met • Conducts feasibility studies and implements capital improvement projects to ensure that the Hotel’s facilities retain their intended functional capabilities and aesthetic value • Oversees maintenance time and billing and communicates and coordinates with the Strata Property Manager as required, while adhering to the Strata Property’s contractual terms

The duties of our Manager of Human Capital and Development include, but are not limited to, the following: • Manage and deliver learning & development activities for associates; ensure that training and certifications are tracked and up to date • Manages full-cycle recruitment, recruitment planning, and onboarding • Provides guidance and direction to managers and supervisors as it relates to leadership, performance management, progressive discipline, and general associate relations • Handles employee complaints and conducts investigations as required • Manages and administers the company’s benefits programs • Oversees the company’s internal recognition programs • Manages the oversight of employee housing • Processes and oversees WorkSafe BC claims SALARIES FOR THESE ROLES ARE COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE. COME WORK FOR AN AWARD-WINNING HOTEL IN WHISTLER! WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU! Note: only qualified applicants will be contacted for interviews. *These positions are also advertised on Indeed.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group is a member of Singapore-listed UOL Group Limited, one of Asia’s most established hotel and property companies with an outstanding portfolio of investment and development properties.

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55

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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 11 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 37 38 40 41 43 46 51 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

Has misgivings Peace Prize founder Lowly laborer Raid Genuine Toyota rival Facts, briefly Expunge Bakery lure “Me” devotee SEATO counterpart Astronomer Carl -Knight’s title Spending plan Metallic element Furry pets Get wind of Hauls into court Letter before gamma Woodland creature Not hunched Veered Huge Knickknack stand Expensive watch “The Pink Panther” actor Petite, plus Lavish country homes Perch More ill-mannered Moonshot org.

Love affair Like Rambo Sign of spring Steel additive Have dinner Sticky-footed lizard

67 68 69 70 71 73 75 77 78 81 83 85 86 88 90 92 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 109 110 111 112 114 115 119 123 125

127 128 129 131 133 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142

Beauty’s companion Groom excessively Dash widths Sponge feature Eyed impolitely Vacillates (hyph.)

Kind of romance Went first Was on the team Column order Search party Elbow Potpie veggie Jangle Nulls Sweep up Lake dwellers Chicago airport Sultan’s menage Sumptuous Angelina -- of films Crumbly cheese Contrite Concert instrument Lady from Toledo Grease Some queens Child or Roberts Feathered an arrow Lab sample Edible root Loud, raucous noise Excitement Sleeping Eccentric Sub -- (secretly) Cause of public outrage Refrigerator stick Chewed at

Hypo units Of the Vatican Mil. truant Recently (2 wds.)

Ceremonies Crinkled fabric All’s opposite Irked “Maria --” Attached Woodlands grazer Deride Oil magnate J. Paul --

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 30 32 34 36

Bolt of lightning Like a seance Old Greek marketplace Tire support Wild guess Prospector’s find Flute cousins Lure Hesitant sounds Skater’s jump Defeated, in wrestling Pass legislation Poetic adverb Small recess Evergreen garland Gives a speech Latest fad Big -- -- elephant Sudden urges Entice Software purchasers Wild goat Loafer Fix a scrapbook

39 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 58 59 60 62 63 64 66 67 68 70 72 74 76 79 80 82 83 84 85 87 88 89 91

Tartness Broncos do it “Anyone home?” (hyph.)

Too Freshly painted Baker’s need Hive of bees Famed fabulist Not fatty Skirt the issue Using a stopwatch Maria Conchita -Music genre Protuberances Make a mad dash Paved way Loud Danke, in Dijon Tall stalks Large in expanse Leaving Consecrate Bridge tower Ring up Sadness Winfrey of TV Princess topper Literary afterword (var.)

Want Peter the Great’s wife Quarry Bakery treat Mexican dollar In the lead Of poor quality Coffee and steamed milk Hits the wrong key

93 94 95 96 97 98 100 101 102 104 105 106 108 109 110 113 114

Harry’s pal More loving Switch positions Make sharp Heap Yell insults Mead subject Dartboard locale Lessen the force of Full of holes “Hey --” (Beatles tune) Gushed out Appetizer Check casher Straw hat Kentucky pioneer Untrustworthy one

116 117 118 119 120 121 122 124 125 126 130 132 134

Two quartets Bloodhound’s clue Prospector’s test Humane org.

Joker or ace Mimicked Dock Bumbler’s cry High spirits Remnant Grief Quagmire Henri’s island

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

Enter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that: • Each horizontal row contains each digit exactly once • Each vertical column contains each digit exactly once • Each 3x3 box contains each digit exactly once Solving a sudoku puzzle does not require any mathematics; simple logic suffices.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: HARD

7

6 9 3

3 5 2

8 2

9 3 4

6

9 7

8 2 4

2

9 5 1 4

4 3

8 6 7

1

HARD Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com # 5

HARD

3 1

5

7

8 4 8 2 6 1 5 5 1 7 8 6 1 3 9 9 7 8 4 #6

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

JANUARY 6, 2022

57

MAXED OUT

Misery loves company—and Whistler has plenty OK PEOPLE, the holidays are over. Go home. Now. The crowds on Monday were still fullbore holiday crowds. Full upper lots by 8:15, no lifts running, Fitz on the no-go list, undoubtedly the victim of supply chain problems, a lack of computer chips, no staff, covid, or the fires that may have been too close to the Broomfieldians, take your pick.

Welcome to 2022: The Horrorshow Continues.

If misery loves company, Whistler has plenty. A scathing, year-end writeup in The Colorado Sun describes the carnage at other

BY G.D. MAXWELL Vail properties (“Epic crowds are colliding with epic labor shortages at ski areas,” Dec. 31, 2021). The schadenfreude continues, should it make you feel any better about the gong show in Tiny Town, at instagram. com/epicliftlines, or if you’re into guerrilla theatre you can read about how the snowheads at Stevens Pass in Washington are petitioning the US Forest Service, who own the land, to revoke Vail’s operating permit, claiming the company has violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act. Seems the Broomfieldians are unloved wherever they wreak havoc. And when their mouthpiece deigns to speak at all on these issues, one is humourously reminded of that little Swedish girl, “Blah, blah, blah.”

As is so often the case when Canadians feel a bit low—and what’s not to feel low about?—we can take solace in the age-old nostrum that’s salved the Canadian psyche for so many years: We’re not Americans.

South of the border, pundits of all stripes are setting their hair on fire predicting the American Apocalypse. Forces on the right and extreme right are setting the stage for a coup.

They’re stockpiling arms and ammo. Their Republican lapdogs are rigging state laws to disenfranchise undesirable—Democrat— voters. If that fails, they’re enabling state legislators to overturn the popular vote in favour of what most Republicans view as the only legitimate party, theirs. After all, if the vote goes the wrong way it must be fraud.

Right? Ask The Don. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Dems are finding new and ingenious ways to self-immolate, waging an internecine war between moderates and “progressives,” blocking the administration’s keystone legislation and pissing away the slim hold they have on both houses of Congress, a gift unlikely to be given by voters again in their lifetimes.

And after two decades of relative decline in U.S. murders, the 2020 and 2021 graphs of homicides eerily seem to look like covid graphs, up 30 per cent in 2020.

58 JANUARY 6, 2022

GETTY IMAGES

While all that makes it easy to feel good about being Canadian, it helps to have a blind eye to what is, and more importantly isn’t, going on in the Great White North.

From sea to sea to sea our political leaders (sic) are providing outstanding examples of mismanagement that future students—assuming there are any—will study as cases in how not to deal with a crisis. Fearful of the petulant backlash from those too precious and self-absorbed to withstand yet another viral wave, the country’s premiers took holiday positions ranging from party on, dude, to party carefully, knowing full well the new year would bring another round of overburdened hospitals bursting at the seams with the covidbound and countrywide cries for help.

of the Pied Piper, investors will plunge off the cliff into the abyss.

Happy New Year.

So what’s a confused columnist to do?

Of course, refer to the Column Writing for Dummies book. Let’s see. First week of January. Aha! Resolutions. Wish I’d have thought of that 600 words ago.

Not being much of a New Year’s resolver, I’ll go out on a limb here. I resolve the following.

I resolve to be less cynical in 2022. Oh, c’mon. Let’s stop kidding. There’s an old bumper sticker that says, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” We might just as well replace outraged with cynical to capture the true zeitgeist of the current moment. How can you pay even passing attention to what’s going on around

We might just as well replace outraged with cynical to capture the true zeitgeist of the current moment.

Once again, predictably, schools are delaying opening or going virtual, except in Saskatchewan, where the 1950s live on.

Parents are either protesting the decisions, not knowing what to do with their kids, their work, their lives, or living in fear about what happens when schools do finally reopen.

Closures and curfews are being imposed and protested and gyms are repositioning themselves as critical wellness centres.

Financial markets are continuing to reach new heights... at which point, like the legend

us without a healthy dose of cynicism? It’s the salve that keeps us from going either suicidal or homicidal. But I’ll try, although I’m certain this resolution will be about as successful as the ones I used to make to keep ahead of my schoolwork.

I resolve to do something to help lift the spirits of my fellow travellers during this dark, endless night. Specifically, I’m thinking about dusting off my very successful Start Smoking self-help seminar. Oh, I know smoking isn’t healthy, and unlike the time decades ago

when this was a real money-maker, it’s socially unacceptable now.

But the thing is, in these troubled times people need any success they can grasp at.

And the seminar’s keystone promise—I can get you smoking and keep you smoking in just three days—may be the only success people can hope for in 2022. Reprehensible?

Perhaps. But who doesn’t cherish a framed diploma shouting, “I started something and succeeded at it!” these days? One takes succour where one finds it.

I further resolve to ski fewer days this year. This is what people who create multiple-choice tests refer to as the dummy distracter answer. The way Whistler Blackcomb is being run and covid is progressing, I won’t have any trouble skiing fewer days this year. Neither will you.

As a quid pro quo, I resolve to skinny ski more days this year. This may be the one and only resolution I’m likely to master. All I have to do is find my skate skis and head for Nick North... once!

I resolve to create as little confusion, turmoil, headaches and potential lawsuits for Pique’s new editor as possible. It’s the least I can do. After all, it’s a tough, thankless job with long hours, high levels of stress and the knowledge that no sooner is the paper put to bed one week than the cycle begins again. Ignore that last part, Braden.

My final, two-part resolution is to find ways to annoy our local elected leaders.

This shouldn’t be much of a reach and I feel success is at hand. As compensation, I also resolve to retire by year’s end. It’s been a long, long, strange trip and I’m probably well beyond the point of leaving while being on top. But all things must pass.

Is that wild jubilation I hear coming from 4545 Blackcomb Way? ■

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1

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This beautiful 1/3 acre property on the Pemberton Fringe allows for low taxes and access to municipal services. The current home has 3.5 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and the two story shop on the property allows for additional living space. This ideal location is close to the village of Pemberton and is prime for a new build.

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3.5

9333 Warbler Way

Only 5 lots remain in this Estate Property Subdivision. Homes can be 4629 or 5920 SF plus 2150 SF Auxiliary Buildings allowed. 5 Minutes from Grocieries, Gas and Liquor Store. Best Value in town!

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3D Tour - rem.ax/1565khyber

1565 Khyber Lane

$3,850,000

4

604.905.0737

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3D Tour - rem.ax/208snowbird

This One-Of-A-Kind Mountain Home is located in the exclusive Spring Creek residential neighborhood and shows off its quality with soaring vaulted ceilings accented with large heatsaving low e windows. The open floor plan and large deck invite you to enjoy a cozy feeling while entertaining or just relaxing at home.

Bruce Watt

$1,275,000

9024 Riverside Drive

$1,395,000

#208 - 4865 Painted Cliff Rd

$149,000

Build your dream home up to 4,628 square feet plus a separate auxiliary building of 2,152 on this 1.88 acre property. Lot 7 on Riverside Drive in Phase 1 of Wedgewoods is a short drive from all that Whistler Village has to offer. The large estate lots of Wedgewoods offer you the freedom to design and create your own vision.

Owning a 1/10th share in the 1350 square ft condominium on the Benchlands near Blackcomb is great way to insure that you family has year round access to Whistler and an Ownership position that will last in perpetuity. Each year you have access to 2-3 ski weeks and/ or 2 or more summer weeks.

Dave Beattie*

Dave Sharpe

604.905.8855

2

604.902.2779

Business Opportunity

#101 - 4338 Main Street

$499,000

#301 - 4280 Mountain Square

$2,500,000

99 Highway 99

$4,500,000

Christmas comes early to those wanting to buy a business opportunity in Whistler! With your hard earned entrepreneur work, an ability to earn a solid six figure income, be the owner operator of this exciting coffee shop! This is a “Business Only Purchase”.

Carleton Lodge – one of Whistler’s most iconic buildings – a small boutique condo. Located at the base of both Whistler/Blackcomb gondolas you can’t get any closer to ski-in/ski-out. Unit 301 is an end unit, 2 bed/2 bath facing the slope. This unit is in the absolute centre of it all.

A very rare, once in a lifetime opportunity to own a legacy estate property within the RMOW. This 26.2 acre parcel along the Cheakamus River is for sale for the first time ever. Bring your vision for the future, because this large property is the perfect place for your dream home. The location is just off the Maguire Service Road right off Highway 99 across from the Callaghan.

Doug Treleaven

Laura Barkman

Madison Perry

604.905.8626

604.905.8777

2

778.919.7653

3D Tour - rem.ax/2038garibaldi

#3 - 7001 Nesters Road

$599,000

A centrally located one-bedroom Whistler condominium, just steps from grocery, coffee shop, restaurants, and professional services. This lovely residential property is 530 sq ft, has low strata fees, and overlooks a semi-private pond area with dock. This is currently the only one-bedroom with a residential covenant on the market, so act fast!

Matt Chiasson

604.935.9171

1

9329 Warbler Way

$1,275,000

2038 Garibaldi Way

$3,750,000

Welcome to Wedgewoods, a master planned community of 108 beautiful properties. Phase Six includes the final 19 estate lots which allow for luxury homes plus a carriage house. Stunning mountain views and sunshine make Phase 6 a very special offering. Only 12 minutes north of Whistler with hiking, and biking trails at right at your door and snowmobiling close by.

Situated midway between Village and Creekside, SE facing overlooking a quiet cul de sac Home has been lovingly built and renovated over the years. Total approximately 3100+ square feet on 3 floors - Main house 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms + 1 bedroom suite with bathroom - 1 double garage off Garibaldi Way, single garage off Helm Place.

Meg McLean

Michael d’Artois

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

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5

PEMBERTON OFFICE 1411 Portage Road, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L1 604.894.6616 or Toll Free 1.888.689.0070