Pique Newsmagazine 3014

Spring skiing hits the sublime

Gaper Day, World Ski and Snowboard Festival, sunny park laps, and unexpected powder are all part of Whistler’s spring skiing experience. - By Alison Taylor

14 CHAIR TABLED

What will Whistler Blackcomb’s summer season look like without the Fitzsimmons Express chairlift? VP of mountain ops Doug MacFarlane has all your answers.

22 BALD AND BEAUTIFUL Whistler’s annual Balding for Dollars event set a new local fundraising record for BC Children’s Hospital this year.

28

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

While Whistler has made progress on reducing its landfill waste with a growing population, it still has a long way to go to achieve its 2030 targets.

32 RARE AIR

The RCMP conducted its first known civilian hoist rescue in the area of Duffey Lake last week—thanks in part to its twin-engine, Air 5 helicopter.

44 FULL CUP North America’s largest youth ski race, the Whistler Cup, returns after a three-year hiatus.

48 SOLDIER ON

Former Whistlerite Janet Love Morrison drew on her father’s friendship with an Indigenous soldier in the Second World War for her novel, The Hawk and the Hare

COVER If you’re not skiing weird at a Bruce Springskiing concert, you’re doing it wrong. - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

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Opinion & Columns

08 OPENING REMARKS As chaotic scenes have been witnessed in several council chambers across B.C., Whistlerites shouldn’t take for granted the relative harmony at municipal hall, writes Braden Dupuis.

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A letter writer this week questions whether assessments were made prior to trees being removed from Lakeside Park, while another thanks the community for their Ski-a-thon.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST In the wake of the RMOW’s plans to upgrade Rainbow Park, columnist Andrew Mitchell argues that Whistlerites shouldn’t have to go nuclear all the time to defend their interests.

70 MAXED OUT In Part III of his series on Whistler development, Max argues the RMOW can no longer avoid social housing—and taxpayers are likely to foot at least part of the bill.

Environment & Adventure

39 RANGE ROVER Leslie Anthony gives you his top picks for science-related non-fiction books, which range from a history of mammals, animal senses, and a notorious feather heist.

Lifestyle & Arts

46 EPICURIOUS In the thick of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, hear from two local chefs about how they break fast after a long day—Moroccan style.

52 MUSEUM MUSINGS The Whistler Museum looks back at the hard-scrabble history of Whistler’s first campground inside municipal boundaries.

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Whistler council harmony shouldn’t be taken for granted

THERE IS A LOT we tend to take for granted in Whistler.

The stunning beauty of the mountains; backyard access to endless recreation in both summer and winter; some of the freshesttasting water on Earth.

One overlooked, if perhaps mundane item in this category is relative harmony at our municipal council table (in the past decade, at least—I can’t speak to the councils I didn’t

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

cover first-hand, though I have heard stories).

What I can say is that, from 2015 to 2022, I attended nearly every meeting of Whistler’s mayor and council and can count on one hand the number of times things got unnecessarily heated or proceedings got derailed.

As a reporter, I used to pray for something, anything to break up the monotony—a spicy zinger from a disgruntled councillor, or a rogue muffin flying in from the back of the peanut gallery, perhaps.

But taking in some headlines from across the province these days, I’m finding myself increasingly grateful for our boring, consensus-driven councils of recent years.

Since last fall’s municipal election brought new mayors and councils to the table, several municipalities are finding themselves completely unable to function— leading to chaotic scenes in council chambers across the province.

In the small village of Tahsis, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, a clip from a recent council meeting went viral after a councillor stole the deputy mayor’s gavel

(leading to said deputy mayor just banging something else on their desk).

According to CBC news, the chaos—which really must be seen to be fully appreciated— was the result of a long-running feud between one rogue councillor, elected on 91 votes, and the rest of council.

In an email to CBC, the councillor reportedly said, “the level of facism (sic) is unbelievable,” with the rest of council and staff.

Meanwhile, the deputy mayor called it “by far my worst day in local government in the last five years.”

Tahsis isn’t alone.

Both the Village of Harrison Hot Springs and the Village of Lions Bay have reportedly asked the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs for assistance in managing council matters as contentious disputes have led to gridlock.

the interaction of elected officials has always come with passion and conviction and being expected to stand one’s ground,” said UBCM president and Whistler Councillor Jen Ford, in a recent interview with CBC.

“Maybe we have more insight because we can watch council meetings from our living room … but we need to be more aware of our own conduct and hold others to a standard of good conduct.”

I can’t say with certainty what’s behind this uptick. But my educated guess, gleaned from reading about the councils in question and my own experience in covering municipal affairs, is that these towns have elected folks who, A: Don’t really understand how municipal governance (and presumably many other things about the real world) actually works; and/or, B: Don’t care.

Cuff, in a recent interview with CHEK News.

Cuff has four decades of experiencing guiding councils through disagreements— and he says it’s only getting worse.

As reported by CHEK, Cuff says he’s noticed a pattern of a lowered respect for the “rule of law,” council members refusing to respect the democratic process, and council tables being used instead as a platform for promoting personal bents.

(Hmm… now who does that remind you of?)

“This whole notion of common respect and decency is not so common anymore,” Cuff said.

It’s ironic and deeply troubling that this is where we find ourselves as a society, at a point in history where we have instant access to more knowledge than ever before.

But if the governance guru is to be

In Kamloops, all eight elected councillors are openly feuding with the new mayor on a regular basis, while in North Saanich, a councillor resigned recently after referring to the mayor as “Mr. Hitler.”

If you’re a fan of the TV show Parks and Recreation, you might appreciate all of this nonsense.

If, instead, you prefer good governance and a strong, healthy society, you’ll see this for what it is: a cancer.

“I think that since the beginning of time,

But these types have run in elections since before the birth of John A. MacDonald himself. Why the sudden upswing in support for representatives of the Clown Shoes Party?

Let’s just call it the Trump effect—the emboldening or maybe just passive acceptance of ignorance and incompetence; the sad realization of misplaced rage and grievance as both policy and platform.

“I would say it’s been a trend, one I think will continue on,” said management consultant and “governance guru” George

believed, this is only the tip of the nonsensical iceberg. In other words, buckle up: there could be a whole lot of stupid heading your way in the coming decades.

For now, we can at least be grateful for the professional manner in which Whistler’s elected officials and municipal staff conduct themselves, even in disagreement.

We may not always agree on their methods or their outcomes, but Whistler’s overall respectful council harmony is not something we should take for granted. ■

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Let’s just call it the Trump effect—the emboldening or maybe just passive acceptance of ignorance and incompentence; the sad realization of misplaced rage and grievance as both policy and platform.

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‘Devastated’ by trees removed from near Lakeside Park

This letter was sent to Whistler’s mayor and council and shared with Pique

We are devastated by the ugly clear-cut that has recently been done on the approach from the Valley Trail into Lakeside Park. Was a social and environmental impact assessment completed before doing this work? Was it necessary to take down all of the trees?

I am a Whistler resident, living in Nordic. This walk forms what our household calls “the lake loop.”  This clear-cut has negatively impacted the beauty of that walk. Several neighbours in the area have also expressed dismay. I am copying Pique because I think we have a right to understand if this project was completed with thorough forethought … of the social and environmental impacts.

Charmaine Miranda // Whistler

[Editor’s Note: The trees were removed in preparation for a culvert replacement on Hillcrest Drive, which will take place this July through September, according to the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Nearby residents were

emailed about the project in October. The municipality said that post-project landscaping would be restored after the culvert is replaced.]

Whistler Waldorf kids—and wider community—raise $15K for mental health

On behalf of the Whistler Waldorf School, I would like to thank all who participated in our second annual Ski-a-thon. Despite less-than-ideal visibility, it was a day of fun as 50 shredders across the different grades

completed a total of 433 T-bar laps!

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we fundraised an impressive $15,000, and we look forward to paying a portion forward to local notfor-profits that support mental health and wellness initiatives and help build a more resilient community for us all.

Thank you to Armchair Books, CSM Whistler, Dollhouse Agency, Mount Currie Coffee, McCoos and Mountain Kids Outfitters for their support and a huge shout-out to Whistler Blackcomb for hosting us!

Jen Dodds, Director of advancement  // Whistler

Easter, religious freedom and Star Wars Day

Easter Day changes every year. But why? It occurs on the first Sunday after a full moon on or following the vernal equinox. While Christmas is fixed to a solar calendar, Easter is partly based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar. The reason Easter’s date can vary is because it is based on a lunar month, which is only 29.5 days.

Does this make any sense to you? In the early days of Christianity, the Church worked hard to convert “pagans” and often centered their holidays around their festivals, such as winter solstice, a.k.a. Christmas.

We now live in a time where we can make choices on what we believe without being burned alive. Well, at least here in Canada. To that end, under Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights, Canadians are free to follow the religion of their choice. An argument may then be made that the Easter holidays are a violation of our rights because the holiday is not inclusive to all religions. Think I am kidding?  There is some great reading on Canadian court decisions upholding religious rights that accommodate individual beliefs. Someone will eventually litigate and say that Christian-based events are not inclusive. Probably the same group

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of people who glue themselves to roads in protesting who-knows-what.

I am looking forward to May the Fourth (a.k.a. Star Wars Day) being our next official national holiday.

Happy Easter.

Patrick Smyth // Whistler

Friends of the Whistler Public Library give thanks for another successful fundraiser

A huge thank you goes out to all our Whistler Public Library supporters and beyond for supporting our third annual 50/50 raffle

draw! Our winner went home with $3,645. Proceeds from the 50/50 will assist the library in purchasing digital whiteboards that will transform the upcoming small meeting rooms into engaging learning environments.

The directors of the Friends of the Whistler Public Library are very appreciative of the continued support for all our initiatives. We do have an amazing library, which is such a welcoming space for everyone that enters. Please remember to check out all the library’s offerings at whistlerlibrary.ca.

Roberta MacQuarrie, Chair & Secretary/FOWPL ■

Backcountry Update

AS OF TUESDAY, APRIL 4

While we often think of Easter weekend as the perfect opportunity for some spring skiing, it’s important to keep in mind that winter weather can still make an appearance. A series of warm, wet, and windy storms are expected to bring snowy, wintry conditions to the Sea to Sky mountains throughout the holiday weekend.

The recent snow delivered by the first storm makes Good Friday a great day to hit the slopes. However, starting on Saturday, another storm will bring heavy precipitation to the Sea to Sky until early Monday morning, creating a winter festival for snow lovers.

During these storms, freezing levels will fluctuate between 1,500 and 1,700 metres. Expect rain or wet snow at lower elevations, and dry snow in treeline and alpine elevations. Southerly winds, gusting up to 70 kilometres an hour, will maintain stormy conditions throughout the weekend. It’s important to note that avalanche danger will remain elevated during and immediately after the storms.

Spring storms typically produce warmer snow that is more cohesive. Cornice development is common during this time of the year. Wind slabs and storm slab avalanches are the most frequent problems, occurring within the new snow or at the old snow interface (often on top of a melt-freeze crust). Cold, well-bonded snow can destabilize quickly when exposed to the sun, even if just for a few minutes. Wet, loose avalanches are a risk on steep solar slopes.

If you plan to venture into the mountains this weekend, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• The snowpack will be significantly different at higher elevations than down low. Adjust your travel and risk management techniques accordingly.

• Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridge crests.

• Be prepared to adjust your terrain choices if the storm delivers more snow than forecasted.

Check the latest forecast at avalanche.ca and stay up to date on how the snowpack and avalanche problems are developing. Stay safe and enjoy the Easter winter fest! ■

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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No control

IN JANUARY, I was perusing Facebook when I came across a post from the municipality— Rainbow Park was going to be closed for the summer, and large swaths of grass where people like to lie around and get hit by the occasional frisbee were to be paved in the name of accessibility, a Valley Trail realignment and food trucks.

BY ANDREW MITCHELL

My initial reaction was to get mad at myself, because this was a major story for this town and somehow I missed it. I figured that I must have been asleep at the switch and gapped on a public meeting, or council vote, or newspaper story, or something that would have let me know this was being considered. But it seems I wasn’t the only one taken by surprise. Nobody knew because those paving plans were buried in another plan from five years ago.

The reaction of locals was predictably swift and hostile, culminating with a petition that was signed by more than 3,000 people within a few weeks. The petition worked, sort of, as plans were scaled back, but there will still be closures, changes to the Valley Trail, and less grass and more pavement. And there’s nothing we can do about it.

It was kind of like the decision to add pay parking to our popular lakeside parks last year. The idea at the time was that this would somehow reduce day visitors coming to use the parks, but I would argue that the opposite has happened, and that cashstrapped locals with SUPs, dogs, kids toys and other things that don’t bus easily were the ones who stopped going to the park, while day visitors just shrugged and paid up. (When you’re already committed to spending $40 to $50 in gas for a round trip to Whistler for the day, what’s another $12 for convenient, almost guaranteed parking?)

We could have kept parking free during the week, confined pay parking to midsummer, or ended it earlier enough in the afternoon so locals could come by for a swim or paddle, but no—it’s pay-to-play from spring to fall, morning to night. Locals lose again.

It’s decisions like this that are making us grumpy. When all is said and done, we have almost no control over our town.

Think about it.

Whistler has been asking for help with its traffic issues for years—another temporary lane on busy days, traffic circles to keep vehicles moving and allow people to merge with the highway, reduced speed from 80 kilometres an hour to 60 km/h from Alta Lake Road to Function to calm traffic—but those decisions are made by the provincial Ministry of Transportation, which doesn’t seem to give a rat’s ass about what we need. They care more

about moving visitors in and out of the resort quickly than managing local traffic in a way that helps people who live here get around.

All decisions about the mountains are being made by Vail Resorts from its Colorado headquarters. Cheaper passes have been a boon to locals, but a lot of other decisions are being made without consulting the people who know the resort best and have experienced

our backcountry are provincial. Decisions affecting development in the region is made by the regional district and province. There are rights of way for CN Rail and BC Hydro. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and the Cheakamus Community Forest decide what trees get harvested and where. Second homeowners that have different priorities also have an equal stake in electing councillors, and can influence our decision-makers in all kinds of ways that don’t necessarily benefit the people who live here.

I was trying to figure out why people are so cynical and hostile these days, but it was obvious—having no meaningful input into changes that affect your life will send anyone over the edge.

four different owners and management teams in the last 20 years.

Decisions on how the resort is marketed, and to whom, are made by Tourism Whistler. Presumably they have the blessing of our business leaders, but they are also encouraging day visitors to ride and hike trails built and funded by locals, and to enjoy our local parks without making a direct contribution back to those amenities.

Our resort is also far from locally owned and operated. Hotels are generally owned by foreign conglomerates. Decisions affecting

We can answer surveys, go to open house planning meetings, share our opinions on social media, write letters to the editor, and generally be rabble-rousers when we need to be—and sometimes those things pay off.

But I would argue that we shouldn’t have to go nuclear to defend our interests all the time. We exist. Our stakeholders know we exist. Maybe decision-makers should ask themselves how their decisions will affect locals and consider our feelings BEFORE making changes like paving a local park.

We were never going to be cool with this project. And I feel that anybody who cares about the people in this town as much as its visitors and its key stakeholders would know that. n

[W]e shouldn’t have to go nuclear to defend our interests all the time. We exist.

What does Whistler Blackcomb’s summer season look like without the Fitzsimmons Express chairlift?

ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY DOUG MACFARLANE, WB’S

BY MEGAN LALONDE

WITH CONSTRUCTION officially underway on Whistler Blackcomb’s Fitzsimmons Express replacement, the resort will be one lift short heading into what’s expected to be another busy summer season.

The resort announced plans last September to replace the existing four-seater with a high-speed, eight-person chairlift that will significantly boost uphill capacity from Skier’s Plaza. Tuesday, March 28, was the lift’s last day of operations before crews got to work removing carriers on Wednesday. The new lift is expected to be up and running in time for next winter.

Guests clocking some late-season spring laps on Whistler have likely noticed the construction’s impacts already: the Lower Olympic ski-out was closed periodically over the weekend to accommodate construction, while guests riding down Blackcomb to Whistler Village found themselves popping out at the bus loop on Blackcomb Way rather than the main plaza.

But Fitz, installed in 2000, typically sees more traffic in the warmer months than it does from skiers and snowboarders. The chairlift has long been the primary workhouse for the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, carrying riders and their wheels from Whistler Village to the base of the Garbanzo chair near mid-station. The Fitzsimmons Zone trail network is home

VP OF MOUNTAIN OPS

to some of the resort’s most iconic and popular lines, from beginners’ routes like EZ Does It to advanced trails like A-Line or Crabapple Hits.

So, what will the resort’s summer season look like without a Fitzsimmons Express lift?

Pique caught up with Whistler Blackcomb’s vice-president of mountain operations, Doug MacFarlane, to find out.

How will Fitz construction impact the bike park?

The project means Whistler Blackcomb will have to redirect the habitual flows of traffic around both mountains in a way that might not always be the most convenient, but the idea is short-term pain for long-term gain.

“I just ask for a little grace from our bike park fans,” MacFarlane acknowledged. “It will have an impact, not being able to ride Fitz, so we’ve had to do a few things to offset that.”

The Whistler Village Gondola will become the main point of access to the bike park from Skier’s Plaza, with guests required to bring their bikes into the cabin with them. The resort will also encourage riders to start and end their days in Creekside, where the brand-

new 10-person gondola will be exclusively reserved for the bike park.

Whistler Blackcomb’s team took last year’s Creekside Gondola replacement as an opportunity to invest heavily in the Creek Zone trail system “in preparation for this summer’s impacts,” said MacFarlane.

“We got a lot of feedback over the last few years on what those trails were and what we wanted to have, so we had that perspective and went in and made the changes there,” he explained. “Hopefully people find that refreshing.”

or flying in concrete or towers.

“We’ll try to give as much notice as we can,” said MacFarlane, “and we’ve already got processes designed and built into our systems to do that every day.”

MacFarlane encouraged guests to keep an eye on the resort’s website, its blog and its social media channels, particularly its @wbmtnops Twitter account, for up-to-date information about terrain closures.

What does this mean for sightseeing??

Whistler Mountain’s snow walls, hiking trails, suspension bridge and viewing platform on Whistler’s peak will once again be available for guests exploring the resort on foot in 2023.

The sightseeing arm of Whistler Blackcomb’s summer operations, “is such an important piece of business for us,” said MacFarlane. “And we love it.”

The only difference this year? Guests, for the most part, won’t be uploading the Whistler Village Gondola to get there.

The approximately 20 kilometres of new routes come following five recently built Creekside trails that opened for business in summer 2018, which included three bermfilled intermediate flow trails; an intermediate tech trail, and a hand-built single-track trail for advanced riders. Whistler Blackcomb officials are hoping those Creekside trails can accommodate bigger crowds during intermittent Fitz Zone trail closures that will inevitably be put into effect during some phases of construction, whether that’s for logging work to accommodate a wider lift path

Instead, sightseers will be directed to upload Blackcomb Gondola from the Upper Village, in an effort to reserve the bulk of the Village Gondola’s capacity for mountain bikers. From Blackcomb, sightseers can ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola to the Whistler side to access those offerings. From there, they’ll be welcome to download via the Whistler Village Gondola.

MacFarlane appealed to the community to help get that message out to friends, family or clients heading to the resort in the coming months. “Anybody visiting this summer, please remind them to go to Blackcomb Gondola, so they’re not trying to

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Whistler Blackcomb’s new Fitzsimmons Express under construction.

PHOTO BY MEGAN LALONDE

“It’s really a tight timeline—I think the community has got to understand that a little bit more with [the Creekside lift upgrades].”

- DOUG MACFARLANE

go to the village and then getting asked to move across,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of effort to communicate where people need to be, and which way is the best flow. This is going to be a bit tricky, with this lift, because it’s so ingrained in our operation.”

Where’s the equipment for the new lift?

The new Fitzsimmons Express lift was originally built and designed for Utah’s Park City, another Vail Resorts property, until that project was held up by permitting delays. The lift fit the profile for Whistler’s Fitzsimmons Zone, but still required some re-engineering and re-manufacturing over the winter prior to installation, said MacFarlane. It’s currently being stored in Utah, but will be loaded onto delivery trucks headed for Whistler this month.

The existing Fitz chair, however, isn’t headed for the landfill: its rope is being spooled up and shipped to Breckenridge, Colo., while its grips are heading for Peak Chair. The carriers will be auctioned off as part of a fundraiser for the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. “Nothing is gonna go to waste, everything will get recycled or utilized,” said MacFarlane.

Whistler Blackcomb also spent considerable time and energy working with Doppelmayr to make sure the incoming Fitzsimmons chairlift was compatible with the lift manufacturer’s new bike carrier system—one new element the Whistler Blackcomb team is particularly excited about, said MacFarlane.

The current bike trays on the Fitz lift weren’t designed to accommodate the bigger bikes frequently ridden in the bike park today, MacFarlane explained. “It was a lot of labour and a lot of effort by our lift operators, which, had to manually get [the bikes on and] make sure they were loaded correctly,” he said.

The new system allows the lift to stall, making it easier for guests to rack their own bikes to the chair in front of them. “It locks on your front tire, and then you get on the chair behind you, and the difference is every single chair is carrying bikes,” said MacFaralane. “So, you get on the chair, and then there’s somebody loading bikes behind you on the back of the chair you’re on.”

The new system is expected to be both safer and more efficient, he said.

“If you ride the bike park, if you’ve seen those lineups, you know what it’s like standing there on a hot, 30-degree day with all that gear on, so this is a huge win for that. That clientele is going to love this lift once it’s done. And we get to ride that next summer.”

In the meantime, loading three or four bikes into a gondola cabin like bikers will need to do this summer “is not an easy process” either, MacFarlane acknowledged. “It will take some effort from all of us to do it.The long-term gain is we get this new lift on the back end of this, so hopefully it’s worth it. And my bet is it’ll be worth it.”

What will happen when Cranworx rolls around?

Crankworx is “why we started the project in March,” MacFarlane stated.

The Fitz chair carries riders directly over the Boneyard, the slopestyle course for the crown-jewel Red Bull Joyride event that caps off the event each summer and attracts upwards of 35,000 spectators to Skier’s Plaza.

With that in mind, Whistler Blackcomb roped in Paddy Kaye, owner of Joyride Bike Parks and the long-time Joyride course designer, for input—and some manual labour.

“He’s actually doing a number of the towers for us,” MacFarlane said. “He’s digging the holes, he knows where the towers are going, he’s got his work around so he can build this course. We brought him in because we knew we’re right in his playground, basically, in a sandbox.”

The goal, according to MacFarlane, is to have the bottom terminal completed by Canada Day, in order for Crankworx to go ahead as usual from July 21 to 30. “We’re trying not to impact that event and pretend we’re not doing some major lift installation right in the middle of it,” he said.

And in the event the bottom terminal isn’t completed by the time Crankworx crowds roll into town? “We’re just going to walk away, we’re just going to leave the project at that location, let Crankworx happen, and we’re going to go work at the top terminal.”

No one wants a construction zone in Skier’s Plaza all summer long, said MacFarlane.

“We’re hoping to get the heavy work done this spring and get out of there, and then it’s lighter work: it’s wiring the lift, it’s pulling the rope. It’s not big, heavy work. It’s pickup trucks driving in and out, finishing the lift. That’s been a big driving factor in this project, and it added a lot of pressure to everybody to start this now,” he noted.

What about Jersey Cream?

The resort initially planned to upgrade Blackcomb’s four-seater Jersey Cream in 2023 as well, but confirmed earlier this month that construction on a new high-speed six-pack would be delayed by one year.

“Unfortunately, our lift manufacturing and install partner, Doppelmayr, has informed us they cannot complete both Fitz and Jersey Cream Express this summer due to their labour and resource constraints,” the company explained in a March 9 post.

The lift was also intended for Park City, originally. The existing chair will spin as usual during the 2023-24 winter season, but Whistler Blackcomb will spend several weeks this summer carrying out prep work—moving electricity and water services, drainage and building tower foundations, for example—“so next summer’s job is easier,” said MacFarlane.

Beginning with the Blackcomb Gondola and new Emerald Express that were installed in 2018, Whistler Blackcomb will have installed six brand-new lifts in six years by the time Jersey Cream is complete in 2024, representing more than 17 per cent of the resort’s 35 total gondolas, chairlifts and surface lifts. (That’s not even counting Catskinner, which was replaced with the four-seater chair that previously operated in the Emerald zone.)

MacFarlane underscored his and his team’s gratitude to Whistler Blackcomb staff for their hard work, and to the community for their patience and understanding amid the string of upgrades.

When it comes to the Fitzsimmons replacement, “It’s really a tight timeline–I think the community has got to understand that a little bit more with [the Creekside lift upgrades], and, really, every day counts,” said Macfarlane. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.” n

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Former Vail Resorts employee launches civil suit over vaccine-related stroke claim

LAWSUIT ALLEGES JACKSON REIMER SUFFERED A HEMORRHAGIC STROKE SIX DAYS AFTER BEING ADMINISTERED COVID-19 VACCINE IN WHISTLER

BY BRANDON BARRETT

A 23-YEAR-OLD MANITOBA man and his parents have filed a civil suit in B.C. Supreme Court alleging he suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and subsequent craniotomy following a COVID-19 vaccine he was administered in 2021 while an employee of Vail Resorts in Whistler.

According to the notice of civil claim filed last month, Jackson Troy Reimer was a Vail Resorts employee working for Whistler Blackcomb and living in staff housing who received either an AstraZeneca or a COVISHIELD vaccine on March 17, 2021, at the Whistler Conference Centre. Six days later, on March 23, the plaintiffs—which include Jackson’s mother, Marina Dawn Toews Reimer, and father, Perry John Reimer— claim that Jackson experienced dizziness, loss of vision, and severe headaches.

After calling his mother to express concern over his symptoms, Jackson was purportedly taken to the Whistler Health Care Centre, before being transferred to Vancouver General Hospital for a CT scan and neurological assessment. The suit said the results of the CT scan showed Jackson had experienced an intracerebral haemorrhage, also known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Jackson also reportedly received two platelet transfusions after it was

identified his platelet levels were “critically low,” the suit said.

The next day, March 24, Jackson was reportedly still experiencing severe headaches and could not see. Then, on March 25, the suit claimed Jackson became unresponsive and underwent a craniotomy to stop the bleeding in his brain. After the procedure, Jackson was moved to the intensive care unit for two days, and was intubated.

The suit said that, prior to receiving the vaccine, the then-21-year-old was in excellent health “at all material times.”

The suit names Vail Resorts; AstraZeneca Canada; Verity Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of COVISHIELD; the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; and the Attorney General of Canada as defendants.

The suit alleges that Health Canada, VCHA, AstraZeneca and Verity breached the standard of care by failing to adhere to the Food and Drug Act (FDA). In particular, it argued that Health Canada “knew that many credible foreign authorities” had suspended use of the AstraZeneca and/or COVISHIELD vaccines at the time it was administered to Jackson. The suit claimed that, as of March 16, 2021, 13 European Union countries had suspended its authorization of the AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD vaccines, while authorities in the U.S. had not yet approved its use. At the time of Health Canada’s authorization, “thrombocytopenia” and

“coagulation disorders” were an identified risk of the AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD vaccines, the suit stated.

The suit also claims the FDA, which prohibits false, misleading, or deceptive labelling and/or advertising, was violated by “by intermingling the AstraZeneca Vaccine and COVISHIELD in a manner whereby it was unknown to the receiver which vaccine they were receiving. Jackson did not know, and does not know, whether he received the AstraZeneca Vaccine or COVISHEILD.”

It argued Health Canada also breached the FDA by advertising “the first vaccine is the best vaccine” in its public promotion.

Jackson and other Whistler Blackcomb staff reportedly received an email from Vail Resorts on March 15, 2021, stating that VCHA was using the initial shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and it was available to ski-resort employees. The email allegedly recommended employees living in staff housing take the AstraZeneca vaccine at their first opportunity. The email “did not reference COVISHIELD nor did the email provide the warnings associated with the AstraZeneca Vaccine or COVISHIELD,” the civil claim read.

A March 30 VCHA memo that was passed on to Whistler Blackcomb staff by Vail Resorts advised there had been a suspension of use of the AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD vaccine in Canadians under the age of 55. The plaintiffs

claimed that the suspension of use of the vaccines was “due to an association with cases of serious blood clotting issues in younger individuals following the administration of the AstraZeneca Vaccine or COVISHIELD,” the civil claim read. The memo purportedly further stated that cases of blood clotting in men had been reported, and that “most adverse events occurred between four and twenty days after vaccination,” and that there was “a test for the blood clotting condition and that it was treatable,” the filing went on. The memo reportedly recommended immediate medical attention if prolonged headache or blurred vision occurred.

The plaintiffs argued that, as Jackson’s employer, Vail Resorts owed him a duty of care to “ensure his health and safety, and make him aware of reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards to which he would likely be exposed through work.” The suit goes on to argue that Vail Resorts had “an economic interest in urging its employees to obtain vaccination status, in order to entice guests and tourists to use its services and facilities benefited from its employees obtaining vaccination status.”

The Reimers are seeking general and special damages, loss of future income and earning capacity, pre- and post-judgement interest, and legal costs.

None of the above claims have been proven in court. n

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Whistler’s Balding for Dollars hits new fundraising record

A DOZEN PEOPLE SHAVED THEIR HEADS ON APRIL 2 AND RAISED APPROXIMATELY $25,000 FOR THE BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

BY ROBERT WISLA

A JUBILANT ATMOSPHERE took over Garibaldi Lift Co. once again on April 2, as tourists and Whistlerites came together to fundraise, listen to music by The Hairfarmers and watch as a dozen people shaved off all their hair to raise money for the BC Children’s Hospital’s oncology wards.

Organized by local non-profit, Whistler Friends (Community Health and Welfare Society), the annual Balding for Dollars event raised approximately $25,000 this year—a new one-year record—bringing the total donated over the 21 years of its existence to $432,701.

The donated funds help pay for a range of expenses families encounter when they come from afar to receive cancer treatment at the BC Children’s Hospital, as well as more minor expenses, such as video games for the isolation wards, one of the small ways the medical centre helps kids be kids, according to Whistler Friends co-founder and long-time event organizer, Dave Clark.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to do something for people that they will

never meet. I think that’s what philanthropy is all about. We do things, not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of people that we will probably never meet,” he said.

“Over 150 kids in this province are diagnosed with childhood cancer each year, and we will never meet them, but [if] we band together and do things together, we can be so

powerful [in supporting] those families and those kids.”

CLOSE SHAVE People of all ages came together to participate in the annual Balding for Dollars fundraiser on April 2. Blackcomb Barber Shoppe’s Amanda Stocks, right, has donated her time to the event for years now.

PHOTO BY ROBERT WISLA

Recreation Trails Strateg y

The RMOW is leading the development of a Recreation Trails Strategy that will guide decision-making related to trails and trailrelated amenity development, improvements, access, funding and management

We want to hear your input on the Initial Directions that will inform the development of the draft Strategy

Scan the QR code to:

• Learn more about the Recreation Trails Strategy

• Provide input on the Initial Directions

• Ask questions about the project

Have your say before April 14, 2023.

Barbers from Function Junction’s Blackcomb Barber Shoppe returned with their clippers for the event, which has become a tradition for the shop and owner Amanda Stocks, who has personally seen cancer affect a significant number of close family members and friends.

“Everybody’s got the friggin’ c-bomb lately—cancer everywhere—and we’re all touched by it. We can all relate. I lost my father, uncle, stepdad, and friends. It just

seemed like the right thing to do, to give back,” Stocks said.

The participants included people of all ages, from kids as young as 11 to older folks, and even Whistler’s second favourite citizen, Stinky’s on the Stroll owner Jeremy “Stinky” Peterson, who had his luscious locks shaved off in memory of his friend Al Paul, raising roughly $3,500 in the process.

“My friend Al Paul passed away a couple of years ago, and [I] was just doing something for a good cause, for charity, and the BC Children’s Hospital. I just wanted to

do something fun, and it’s nice to help raise money for our kids,” Peterson said.

Whistler Friends dedicated this year’s event to Paul, an avid Balding for Dollars fundraiser who lost his battle with cancer in 2021.

Another longhaired donor was local Whistler tow truck driver Rafael Hambalek. At the beginning of pandemic restrictions in early 2020, Hambalek decided to start growing out his hair. Nearly three years later, he donated it all, raising about $4,400 for the cause.

“I wanted to cut my hair, but I was so

good-looking that I let it go somewhere. Looking at the kids, [and] going, ‘Well, [let’s] give it to the kids that need it,’” Hambalek said—noting that he won’t try and grow his hair out like this again anytime soon due to it being “a pain in the ass.”

“For what the kids got to deal with, and what I had to deal with, it is nothing compared to what they’re going through. So, suck it up, buttercup; help out as much as you can,” he added.

Find more information at whistlerbaldingfordollars.com. n

BUZZED Jeremy “Stinky” Peterson gets his head shaved in honour of late friend Al Paul.

PHOTO BY ROBERT WISLA

BALD BUDS Rajan Das, left, with Whistler Friends co-founder Dave Clark.

PHOTO BY ROBERT WISLA

Zoning Amendment Bylaw (4204 Village SquareGaribaldi Professional Building) No. 2380, 2023 (the “proposed Bylaw ”)

Purpose: In general terms, the purpose of the proposed Bylaw is to rezone the subject lands from CC1 (Commercial Core One) to CC1-E (Commercial Core One Employee) to permit the

The lands that are the subject of the proposed Bylaw are shown on the map

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Whistler Chamber of Commerce outlines strategic priorities to RMOW

HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, CHILDCARE ACCESS AND BETTER DATA ARE SOME OF THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE RESORT’S LARGEST BUSINESS NETWORK IN 2023

BY ROBERT WISLA

THE WHISTLER BUSINESS community continues to be in a difficult position as inflation, rising taxation, a tight labour market, and the ongoing housing supply shortage combine to create a complex operating environment.

Whistler Chamber of Commerce executive director Louise Walker highlighted many of these concerns on April 2 at the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) Committee of the Whole meeting as she and Chamber chair Chris Vick discussed some of the challenges facing the local business community.

“The key issues that we are facing in business [is] obviously labour, and we’re all familiar with the biggest challenges with labour, [which] is housing or lack thereof,” Walker said.

Walker also touched on the concerns around access to affordable childcare and its impacts on businesses, a long pressing issue not just locally, but across B.C.

“We’re keen to get people back into the workforce, but with [the] lack of daycare in the community, it is creating a bit of a barrier, especially for women,” she said.

Like Whistler’s elected officials, the

Chamber has been advocating for the introduction of a robust regional transit system that would link Mount Currie to the rest of the Sea to Sky and beyond.

“[Regional] transit, we’ve been working on this for a number of years. It gets employees to businesses, customers to businesses, people to social services, and it’s better for the environment,” Walker said.

In her presentation, Walker introduced the work the Chamber does and discussed some of the strategic priorities and programs the organization is currently undertaking, such as networking events, the return of the popular luncheon speakers series, the Whistler Experience Training Program, and advocacy on a range of important issues.

Comparing her earlier days in Whistler to current times, Walker noted how much worse the housing crisis has gotten in the last decade. Rising accommodation prices have resulted in workers becoming increasingly stressed, and many having to take on multiple jobs. That, in turn, has led to more residents leaving the resort for greener pastures in search of gainful employment.

“Employees feel like they don’t belong. They don’t have a secure home, and they’re not stress-free,” Walker said.

The labour shortage and rising business

costs are also placing added stress on business owners. “It’s all adding up, so property taxes have increased, the cost of labour has increased, so it’s all just getting a bit too much,” she noted.

Walker pointed to the recently released statistics from the 2023 Vital Signs Report, noting the rise in mental-health calls and the astonishing increase in the resort’s average living wage, which rose from $25.37 per hour in 2019 to $30.80 an hour in 2023.

While ideal for workforce sustainability, paying a higher wage can be challenging for some businesses to cover without passing costs onto consumers, who themselves have already seen their wallets squeezed on several fronts.

“So, we really have to get to the heart of what’s impacting affordability and where we can all help,” Walker said.

Vick echoed the concerns around housing, adding that the chamber and the RMOW have a vital role to play in creating solutions.

“The business community is spending. Again, we’ll work on getting hard numbers, but I have about a half million dollars for my business in annual leases that I hold, and I’m not one of the biggest contributors,” Vick said. “It’s definitely in the millions, and it’s probably in the tens of millions that we’re spending competing with each other for the

few housing resources that are there. I think there’s a big opportunity for the Chamber and business community to put that money to far more effective and impactful use,” he added.

One of the ways the Chamber aims to help address some of the challenges around the labour shortage is through the Whistler Community Talent Plan, designed to address employee recruitment and retention.

In addition to the talent plan, Walker said more data is needed to best understand the resort’s labour needs, what skill gaps need addressing, the demographics of foreign workers, and what support is required.

“We are looking to collect, analyse and share data because this can then help us with advocacy efforts. [It’s] much easier to see something if we can show a number that goes with it,” Walker said.

Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton believes data is one of the many areas in which the RMOW can work with the Chamber to solve some of the resort’s labour challenges.

“Getting into delivering a more robust Balance Model will be really helpful for us as we make decisions. We can always use additional data from local businesses; it makes better data models, to be sure, but we’ve got some useful stuff right now,” Crompton said. n

Resor t Municipality of Whistler

Canoe, kayak and SUP storage rack rental spaces at Whistler parks

Staggered dates for seasonal reservations SUP storage spaces will be available online from April 18 at 12 :30pm, and canoe/kayak spaces from April 19 at 12 :30pm Reservations are on a first come first serve basis online, and storage spaces typically sell out quickly

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SLRD Farmland Special Events

The use of agricultural land for events such as weddings, music festivals, and retreats, is regulated by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) and requires a permit in some areas of the SLRD. See Bylaw 12472012 to find out if your Electoral Area requires a permit

Key considerations:

• Gathering for an event on land in the Agricultural Land Reserve is only permitted if the property has farm class as assigned by BC Assessment

• The farm must produce a minimum of $10,000 of gross annual income

• No permanent facilities can be constructed or erected in connection with the event.

• Parking must be provided, but must not be permanent or interfere with agricultural productivity.

• The event must not be more than 24 hours in duration

• Maximum of 150 guests

• No more than 10 gatherings for an event of any type may occur on the farm within a single calendar year.

How to Apply for a Permit (where required):

1 Ensure you meet the above conditions for eligibili ty

2 Fill out the “Special Events Permit Application” found on the SLRD website

3 Be sure to submit the application along with proof of Commercial General Liabilty insurance, a detailed site plan, and a statement describing all event details such as the number of attendees, date and time, and how your neighours will be notified

Contact planning@slrd.bc.ca with any questions

RMOW moving in right direction on Zero Waste Action Plan—but still work to do

MUNICIPALITY ON A POSITIVE TRAJECTORY TOWARDS REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF LANDFILL WASTE CREATED—BUT LAGS BEHIND 2030 TARGET

BY ROBERT WISLA

IN 2021, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) endorsed its Zero Waste Action Plan, setting the ambitious goal of decreasing the amount of landfill waste produced in Whistler by 80 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030. On April. 3, Whistler’s mayor and council received a report showing progress towards that goal—although the community still has its work cut out for it.

According to municipal solid waste technician Lauren Harrison, over the last year, significant progress has been made in reducing the amount of landfill waste created in the municipality, despite Whistler’s rising population. It is, however, still miles away from its 2030 target, which would require the resort to reduce the 11,841 tonnes of landfill waste generated in 2019 down to 2,368 tonnes in the next seven years.

“We have a long way to go, but we are consistently moving in the right direction,” Harrison said in her presentation to council. ‘

In 2022, Whistler produced 11,432 tonnes of landfill waste, 73.7 per cent of which came from commercial and strata properties, 14.5 per cent from the construction and demolition sector, and the remaining 11.8 per cent from the Nesters and Function Junction transfer depots.

Whistler compares well per capita to the 2020 provincial average, producing 318 kilograms of waste per person, compared to the province-wide average of 499 kg/person (provincial figures have not been released for 2021 and 2022).

“It was really great to see that in 2022 there wasn’t much of an increase compared to 2020 and 2021, and that’s awesome to see because our population and visitor numbers were much higher this year,” Harrison said.

Overall, the municipality is trending in the right direction, with landfill waste increasing by a relatively small amount from 2021 levels and down from the high of roughly 17,000 tonnes seen in 2009. The RMOW diverts about 47 per cent of all waste from the landfill, although this is down from the record 49-percent diversion rate achieved in 2021.

“This number’s been over 40 per cent since 2016, which is great, but we really need to look at how we can get this number even higher, and really we need to remove food waste from our landfill waste stream and get that going to organics, and that would significantly increase our diversion rate,” Harrison said.

[Editor’s Note: According to the RMOW’s community monitoring dashboard, Whistler has achieved a higher-than-40-per-cent diversion rate every year only since 2018, although it hit

exactly 40 per cent in 2015, ’16, and ’17.)

While making notable progress, the waste audit at the residential transfer stations found that Whistlerites still have some work to do to reduce their own personal waste. Organic compostable materials comprised the single largest source of landfill waste by weight, accounting for 19.5 per cent of the total. However, this is down from 29 per cent in 2019, showing that more people are composting.

Non-organic compostable materials (mainly treated and painted wood) followed closely behind, at 18.4 per cent, with building materials (15.8 per cent), paper (14.8 per cent), and plastics (14.5 per cent) making up the majority of the rest.

The remaining percentage comprises metals, glass, hazardous materials, plastic bags, electronics, and other materials. The RMOW estimates that 47 per cent of this landfill waste could be diverted for recycling or composting.

PROGRESS MADE ON ACTION ITEMS

Within the Zero Waste Action Plan, eight priority items have been identified as the most pressing to address, many of which have seen progress. These items include providing education and assistance to businesses to reduce waste, improving data collection, reducing food and demolition waste, and strengthening waste and diversion policies.

Some noteworthy advancements include creating a solid waste storage design guideline that helps inform developers and architects when designing communal waste rooms and creating a community monitoring dashboard to track the municipality’s metrics.

As well as the formation of a Demolition Waste Diversion Bylaw, which requires buildings to be deconstructed, not demolished, with more materials recycled, and the funding of a feasibility study on the creation of a reusable coffee cup program in the resort.

Councillor Arthur De Jong believes the amount of waste produced is morally unacceptable given the current state of the planet and the challenges brought on by climate change, but feels the reduction targets are achievable.

“Given what our Western society produces in waste and the related state of our collapsing planet, it is both frankly disgusting and morally unacceptable to produce the amount of waste that we collectively produce,” De Jong said.

“We all have a role in fixing this. An 80-per-cent reduction may feel like a moonshot, but I truly believe that if we’re all committed to the change, we could successfully land on this goal, but it is a very deep challenge.” n

Twenty Sea to Sky locals are getting a free drone—and training to use it for a purpose

BCIT’S DRONE COURSE, INTENDED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS, KICKS OFF IN WHISTLER MAY 1

BY MEGAN LALONDE

ERIC SACZUK remembers the first time he operated a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), known better to most as a drone.

It was sometime around 2015, as the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) geomatics instructor recalled, when “two of my students actually went out and bought a drone and brought it to the field at BCIT.” They invited Saczuk to try his hand behind the controller. He was hooked.

Now, Saczuk is lead of the Vancouver school’s (RPAS) Hub, a research chair and geomatics consultant, a photographer, and a Transport Canada certified RPAS flight reviewer. He has used drones to study climate change in Antarctica and Norway, and works with InDro Robotics, a B.C.-based engineering and operations company focused on drone and robotics innovations, including data collection.

More recently, he’s been focused on sharing the knowledge he’s gained with prospective drone pilots. Twenty Whistlerbased students will have the opportunity to learn from Saczuk when he brings BCIT’s four-week “Drone Applications for an Environmental Risk Assessment” micro-

credential to the Sea to Sky in May.

A grant from the Ministry of PostSecondary Education and Future Skills, through a program called Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery, means tuition costs are waived for all 20 students, along with equipping each student with a drone they’ll get to keep once the course wraps up. (Students will, however, need to have access to a laptop they can use to process data with.)

“The impetus for [this course] was that BCIT pivoted from what we used to call its part-time studies program into something called flexible learning,” he explained. “And, in order to build out our capacity in that direction, we’re encouraged to develop microcredentials, which are these small, intense, very focused learning nuggets for students to give them access to skills that they wouldn’t normally have, or to upgrade education. I really jumped on this opportunity because I thought it’d be perfect to bring the world of RPAS into the hands of interested students.”

Participants will graduate from the course with a Transport Canada RPAS certification, after learning about the regulations governing safe and legal drone operation. Throughout the course, students will also learn how to conduct a site survey and plan a mission, and how to process colour, multi-spectral, and

thermal drone images into valuable data sets.

That kind of data can be used for a wide variety of purposes, several of which might come in handy in Whistler: Wildlife tracking, invasive species mapping, and measuring forest health, for example, as well as measuring volcanic gas concentrations or greenhouse gas emissions; deploying thermal sensors to help search-and-rescue crews find lost hikers; delivering first aid supplies beyond road blockages in emergencies; or even for measuring data like elevation, typography or land mass as part of a construction project.

Saczuk recently wrapped up a similar offering on Salt Spring Island, where the youngest student in the course was 17, he said, while the oldest was in their 70s. Saczuk said past participants included engineers, real estate agents, biologists and foresters, to name just a few.

“When we ran the program the first time, in Port Alberni, one of the First Nations students got so lit up about this, he went out and filed for a grant which paid for half the cost of all the equipment he purchased—he really geared up, he went full-tilt with it,” said Saczuk. “He started doing all of this mapping work for members of his community… He’s actually running his own business now where he’s doing drone mapping.”

Saczuk added, “This is the best justification I could think of for continuing to run these courses, is that we go out and enable people to essentially make a living and be passionate about what they do.”

The Whistler course starts May 1, with recorded online sessions from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and in-person learning on Saturdays, typically from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “Typically we start in a classroom, and if everything works out well, we go out into the field and do some flying, do some data collection,” Saczuk explained.

It works out to about seven-and-a-half hours of instruction per week, plus weekly assignments.

Throughout the four weeks, students will attend class online, before heading out to conduct field assignments. As of Friday, March 31, there were four spots remaining in the course.

If you missed your shot to register, you still have a chance to enrol this year: following the Whistler course, Saczuk plans to lead another month-long micro-credential that will be fully online and open to participants across the country.

Head to bcit.ca/learning-teachingcentre/remotely-piloted-aircraft-systems for more information. n

RCMP conducts its first-ever civilian hoist rescue in Duffey Lake area

THE AIR 5 HELICOPTER EXTRACTED AN INJURED BACKCOUNTRY SKIER FROM CAYOOSH MOUNTAIN ON MARCH 29

BY MEGAN LALONDE

A HELICOPTER FLYING toward the slope was a welcome sight for a backcountry skier who was injured in the Duffey Lake area northeast of Pemberton on Wednesday, March 29—but it was also a slightly unexpected one.

It wasn’t the usual search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter hovering overhead, but an RCMP Air Services Airbus H145 twin-engine helicopter, dubbed Air 5.

The helicopter and its crew had been carrying out advanced hoist training at the Whistler Heliport on Wednesday afternoon when the report came in at 4:09 p.m. The SOS notification from a GPS device indicated a skier was injured on Cayoosh Mountain and unable to ski out.

The Air 5 crew, including one member of the RCMP Critical Incident Program and another from the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team, located the injured skier in steep terrain and successfully performed a hoist rescue.

The helicopter landed at the Pemberton Airport, where BC Emergency Health Services were waiting to transport the rescue subject

to a local hospital “with serious injuries,” according to a news release, 51 minutes after taking off from Whistler. The skier’s two touring mates were able to ski back down to the valley without assistance.

It is, by all accounts, the RCMP’s first-ever hoist rescue of a civilian.

“It’s definitely the first civilian rescue with this helicopter … and the RCMP has never had hoist capability before this,” explained Const. Shane Wiens, a member of the Abbotsford Police Department who is currently seconded to RCMP Air Services.

“When they ask police officers ‘Why did you sign up?’ [the No. 1 answer] is ‘to help people,’” he said. “Talking with the injured skier, they were totally ecstatic about being able to see the police helicopter there, and they were quite surprised … It’s kind of a nice thing to be able to help somebody in a different way, something that hasn’t been done with the police before. To be able to do that for the injured person was pretty cool.”

Typically, a call for help in the backcountry is dispatched to the local RCMP detachment, before police task-out the response to the closest SAR organization and its team of highly trained volunteers. Still, search and rescue technically falls under the RCMP’s mandate in B.C.

Pemberton SAR was initially mobilized for the March 29 call, RCMP Air Services Special Const. Paul Copeland confirmed, but “it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to respond for a few hours, and since we were potentially pushing

daylight, it made sense for us to do the rescue, but we had that ongoing dialogue with them. Basically, our goal was obviously to get the patient to medical help as soon as possible.”

(Pemberton Search and Rescue manager David MacKenzie confirmed RCMP was in contact with SAR volunteers.)

Though police work will remain the Air 5 helicopter’s first priority, “The long-term intention of the aircraft was to help out more with SAR, when we could,” said Copeland, who previously flew for Blackcomb Helicopters.

“Our goal is to develop more of a working relationship with the volunteer SAR teams in the future,” he added.

In particular, the RCMP’s Air 5 could, potentially, help fill the gaps for search-andrescue operations in cases where local SAR crews aren’t immediately able to secure a commercial helicopter, either due to federal constraints on pilots’ flight duty time—RCMP pilots aren’t subject to the same regulations— or when those helicopters are occupied fighting wildfires during the hotter months.

The Air 5 is a provincial asset most frequently used to support the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team (ERT), and to transport members—like its dive team, for example—to sites across the province as needed. The aircraft was used to conduct the hoist rescue of an injured ERT police officer on one previous occasion, in B.C.’s Interior, in February 2022.

Civilian rescues are “not really any different in terms of what we do and how we

do our risk assessment and procedures,” said Wiens. However, the steep, complex terrain where Wednesday’s rescue was conducted did prompt the crew to specifically consider avalanche hazards on their way to the scene. Though every member of the flight crew has received avalanche awareness training, Copeland said, the team was particularly lucky to have one member onboard who was a former Blackcomb patroller with extensive experience in avalanche terrain.

The aircraft itself is “a really advanced, modern twin-engine helicopter,” Copeland explained. “If it has an engine failure, we can still continue to operate at a fairly high performance level with one engine. It’s got that big safety margin built in, which is not typical in most helicopters—probably all helicopters—that are used commercially in Canada right now.”

The Airbus H145 model is heavily used for medevac and SAR operations in Europe. “We’re getting more and more of them into Canada now as well,” Copeland added, “but this was the first one in Canada.”

The RCMP took possession of the aircraft in late 2018.

“The technical capabilities of Air 5 make it an excellent platform to provide operational support like this throughout the diverse geography of our province,” said Insp. Kevin Kilar, Officer-in-Charge of BC RCMP Air Services, in a release. “We were fortunate to be able to respond and safely extract the skier to medical care.” n

ONE FELL SWOOP A member of the RCMP’s Air Services team rescues an injured backcountry skier from Mount Cayoosh, near Pemberton, on March 29.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BC RCMP

Forest fuel management work is beginning at Riverside in Cheakamus Crossing

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Fuel Thinning Projects

To reduce risk from wildfire, the Resort Municipality of Whistler is managing higher-risk forest areas around our community. Fuel management involves pruning lower branches, thinning tight second-growth trees, and removing ground brush and debris. It leaves mature and deciduous trees.

The RMOW is committed to mitigating the risk of wildfire in

The work uses heavy equipment, saws and a chipper. It will be loud at times. Trails in the area will be temporarily closed during this work.

All trails on Nesters Hill (Cut Yer Bars system) will be closed for the duration of the project. Please obey all signs and staff for your safety.

The RMOW is committed to mitigating the risk of wildfire in the Whistler Valley. Fuel thinning work will take place on 14.8 hectares on Nesters Hill and 11.8 hectares above Taluswood. The work is scheduled to begin in April as snowpack allows, and continue through the summer with completion in autumn 2021. All trails on Nesters Hill (Cut Yer Bars system) will be closed for the duration of the project. Please obey all signs and staff for your safety.

Visit whistler.ca/FuelThinning for the latest trail and project updates.

Visit whistler.ca/FuelThinning for the latest trail

The work is guided by our Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Resort Municipality of Whistler

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Flower power: Canoe gardens seed an international movement

WE CAN ALL HELP bring nature home to our neighbourhoods. This story begins with a plan to crowdsource a network of do-it-yourself “national parks” and some keen community volunteers that filled a canoe with flowers.

A decade ago, volunteers planted a beatup canoe, retired from active service, in a downtown Toronto green space at the Fort York historical site. They drilled it with holes for drainage, filled it with soil and transformed it into a planter filled with native wildflowers.

The initial aim was to plant canoes in parks and schoolyards along the old Garrison Creek, a “lost river” that had been incorporated into the city’s subterranean sewer system in the

BY DAVID SUZUKI

late 19th century. Each canoe would be a nod to the not-too-distant ecological past when the creek ran through the neighbourhood, and would provide much-needed habitat for local bees and butterflies.

Over the next three years, volunteers planted dozens of repurposed canoes throughout Toronto, Markham and Richmond Hill. Today, the canoe garden network stretches from Cape Breton to Vancouver Island, providing pollen and nectar patches for local critters and whimsical native plant demonstration gardens for passersby.

The idea to plant a canoe fleet was inspired by American author and entomologist Douglas Tallamy. In his book Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy offered a novel way to increase biodiversity in communities. Instead of relying on government agencies to establish green spaces like parks and conservation

greening initiative into a national network of volunteers creating butterfly-ways— neighbourhood-scale habitat corridors for pollinators and other wildlife.

It’s now come full circle. The David Suzuki Foundation is collaborating with the new U.S.-based Homegrown National Park organization Tallamy co-founded. People in Canada can now officially join this growing movement by uploading their native plant gardens to the Canadian Homegrown National Park Map. The goal is to highlight how much is happening on the ground— stitching together a growing international patchwork of individual actions into one inspiring movement.

The project is a lot of fun, but it’s motivated by troubling trends for the tiny creatures that run the world: insects. Despite being the planet’s largest and most diverse group of organisms, insect populations have dropped by 45 per cent over the past 40 years as a result of industrial agriculture, urbanization, invasive species and climate change. In rural areas, natural habitat has been replaced by monoculture crops maintained with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Urban areas are characterized by impermeable surfaces, high temperatures and non-native vegetation—all of which lead to fewer insects.

The good news is that insect devastation isn’t inevitable. Each one of us can play a handson role in helping bring back local populations. Contributing to grassroots habitat-creation initiatives like the award-winning Butterflyway Project and adding plantings to the Homegrown National Park map are small, simple actions that, when multiplied by thousands of volunteers and groups and agencies, will make a big difference.

Tallamy is a scientist who is able to communicate complicated concepts, such as

reserves, he encouraged residents to create “Homegrown National Parks.” Unlike traditional national parks, these loose patchworks of habitat would be citizen-led. They could be on private or public lands and, most importantly, planted with native plants, shrubs and trees that support local insects and wildlife.

The David Suzuki Foundation took up Tallamy’s challenge to create Canada’s first Homegrown National Park and enlisted the help of a couple dozen volunteers, including Toronto resident Aidan Dahlin Nolan, who became one of the first Homegrown Park Rangers in 2013.

After a few years of plantings, events and musical parades, the Homegrown National Park Project morphed into the Butterflyway Project in 2017. Still Ranger-powered, it’s expanded from a local

insect collapses and conservation, in simple and inspiring ways. Decades into his tireless efforts to bring nature home, he argues that the task is not as enormous as it seems. “You can’t reverse insect declines by yourself, but if we each do our own small part, not only can we restore insect populations, we will create the largest collective conservation effort in history,” he wrote in a 2020  Washington Post article.

All it takes is a couple of trays of native wildflowers, gardening gloves and a gentler approach to managing our yards and neighbourhoods—and perhaps an old canoe.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Strategist Jode Roberts. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org. ■

The project is a lot of fun, but it’s motivated by troubling trends for the tiny creatures that run the world: insects.

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Have fun and learn a ton

THE CHEAPEST WAY to exit the Whistler bubble is through a book. The bonus is that from the comfort of our over-priced, under-

BY LESLIE ANTHONY

insured homes, we not only escape to myriad elsewheres, but also return better informed about the glossed-over realities and greater machinations of the world. In that vein, I want to share a few worthy science-related nonfiction titles:

THE RISE AND REIGN OF THE MAMMALS: A NEW HISTORY FROM THE SHADOW OF THE DINOSAURS TO US

Paleontologist Steve Brusatte made a name with 2018’s Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, a New York Times bestseller that covered the latest science on everyone’s favourite monsters under the bed. But while people might know something about dinosaurs, they know less of their 165-million-year reign and what was happening simultaneously, evolutionarily speaking, literally at the feet of these beasts.

Brusatte picks up this thread with the tiny mammals who shared the planet with dinos, from the initial split into us (mammals) and them (dinos, birds and crocodiles), to the

end-Cretaceous extinction and whispers of a mammal takeover built on new, complex dentition, hair, warm-bloodedness and the division of proto-mammals into monotremes (egg-layers like the platypus), marsupials (that carry developing offspring in external pouches), and placentals (whose babies develop internally). His treatment of the latter is most relevant as we seem to know precious little about our own family tree—or how, in the end, we came full circle to metaphorically act as a living meteorite contributing to the mass extinction of mammalian megafauna (mammoths, sabretooth cats, etc.) at the end of the last Ice Age.

AN IMMENSE WORLD: HOW ANIMAL SENSES REVEAL THE HIDDEN REALMS AROUND US

Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Ed Yong hit a home run with his breezy take on global microbiome research, I Contain Multitudes

This recent tour-de-force about the various senses animals employ and of which we (but not a central casting’s worth of dedicated researchers) are largely, blithely unaware, is also heading over the fence.

In the way you could never have imagined Yong’s previous revelations on how bacteria control the world, his unearthing of the many mindboggling ways in which animals perceive and engage with the world often leaves you in shock. In light, humorous style, Yong delivers another awe-inspiring read that places nature on the exalted pedestal from which we should always behold it.

Pro tip: skip the distracting footnotes while reading and return to them later.

THE DEVIL’S ELEMENT:

PHOSPHORUS AND A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE

Phosphorus means “bringer of light,” a name earned in the 1600s when a German alchemist extracted from urine a strange, glowing substance that could spontaneously burst into flame. In other chemical configurations, it was soon learned, phosphorus was not only less dangerous, but crucial to life.

One of three key elements needed for plant growth (the others, as gardeners well know, being potassium and nitrogen), it’s also the backbone of DNA and critical to the structure and function of cells, bones and teeth. Thus, humans—and just about everything else— require it for life, and must obtain it through food. Egan takes us on a tour of the element’s heavy molecular mojo, its geologic cycle, use in nature, and co-option by humans for everything from fertilizer to fire bombs, showing how its value, abuse and a looming shortage of not-sowidely distributed phosphorous deposits could bring world agriculture to a standstill. Food for thought, so to speak.

THE FEATHER THIEF: BEAUTY, OBSESSION, AND THE NATURAL HISTORY HEIST OF THE CENTURY

I’m going back a few years here, but this 2018 standout is worth it. To begin, no true crime is more interesting than nature crime—yet another measure of our ignorance of a world that supports our own existence. As such, this book that could have been about nothing more than a misguided person compelled to steal valuable feathers for the criminal flytying underworld, but it goes far beyond by educating, entertaining and enlightening us in a way that might just put a dent in future

similar crimes.

Riveting, engrossing and expertly told, The Feather Thief reminds us how obsession with any aspect of nature and an “unrelenting desire to lay claim to its beauty, whatever the cost”—whether feathers, ivory, fossils or exotic pets—can wreak havoc on our scientific heritage.

(For more on the unique world of feathers and fly-tying, check out Whistler poet Mary MacDonald’s recent Pique cover feature, “Hope is the thing with feathers,” March 17.)

BREATHLESS: THE SCIENTIFIC RACE TO DEFEAT A DEADLY VIRUS

If you read just one book about the COVID-19 pandemic with a mind to truly understanding it both in scientific terms and the human endeavours aimed at these, then science-writer emeritus David Quammen’s Breathless is my pick (I’ve read them all).

Unlike his other books—i.e., Spillover, the 2012 volume on zoonotic diseases that actually predicted the 2014 Ebola epidemic and even the emergence of SARS CoV-2—this one doesn’t find Quammen on the ground chasing down truths with researchers in the far-flung corners of the natural world. Instead it finds him doing so in far-flung laboratories via Zoom with almost 100 scientists and digging through the debris of the medical-literature explosion that paralleled the pandemic’s early days.

Eschewing the dullard world of politics, policy decisions and Facebook misinformation in favour of a science-only approach, Quammen’s tour through coronaviruses, virology, epidemiology, disease-origin scenarios and vaccination science make for, well… a breathless page-turner. ■

BOOKWORM Some of Leslie Anthony’s top picks for science-related non-fiction titles.

PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY

Spring s hits the su

skiing sublime Gaper Day, WSSF, sunny park laps, unexpected powder all part of the spring experience

By Alison Taylor

WENDY BROOKBANK has no idea how many days she skis on any given year. She doesn’t actually care about her vertical feet or whether or not she skied more this year compared to last.

That’s not how she measures her winters.

“In my mind, I’ll know—have I skied enough, or have I not skied enough?’

“I’d rather have one amazing heli run than plug in 20,000 vertical feet.”

Of course, Brookbank, 53, is the anomaly. With her long and storied career at Whistler Blackcomb, coaching with Extremely Canadian, racing the Colouir (read on for more on that), among other things, Brookbank pretty much skis every day. But her point remains: skiing isn’t really about the numbers; it’s all about how it makes you feel.

These days, our ski seasons are laid out before us on the Epic Mix app. But the stats are just one piece of the puzzle. Sure, Epic Mix might tell you how many chairlifts you’ve ridden, how many days you’ve logged and your highest elevation. But what about all the things the app doesn’t tell you? It doesn’t tell you, for example, how many off-the-charts powder laps you skied, how many beyond-the-boundaries adventures you had. And it certainly doesn’t tell you what it feels like to progress in the sport—that feeling of landing the 360, finally figuring out how to float on powder, of hiking up Flute and sharing a picnic looking out over the Coast Mountains, or of staring down the uncomfortable edge of West Cirque and finding the grit to commit.

Whatever the numbers, at the end of every season, even winter 2022-23, Brookbank always feels the same.

“I never have regrets.”

Which is saying someth ing as she speaks from her Whistler home, recovering from a broken leg, her season ended in an instant.

It begs the question: How does your ski season stack up this year? Any regrets?

There is no better time to make up for lost time than right now as the ski season begins its final hurrah and spring skiing kicks into high gear. Don’t pack away your skis just yet; there’s still lots of season left, and for many, the best is yet to come.

Spring snow

ANY SKIER OR SNOWBOARDER will tell you, there are distinct and separate parts to every ski season: the build-up to the season’s start, opening day, the Christmas chaos, the January storms punctuated with heavenly powder days, the March Break madness, followed by the gradual slide into spring. If the storms and powder of January are the heart of the season, then spring is arguably its soul.

Longer days bathed in sunshine, a chilled-out vibe, surprise end-of-season powder days. Ask any skier or rider and they’ll tell you—this time of year is good for the soul.

“In the winter, we’re so concentrated on getting up and getting powder and … getting a parking spot,” laughs Brookbank.

That’s no joke. It can be stressful in the race to the top during the winter. Highway snarls, parking woes, ears trained to the avalanche bombs in hopes that alpine terrain will open.

“By spring, we’re done with that,” muses Brookbank.

There’s no rush. And the skiing often gets better as the day goes on.

Freestyle skier and X-Games gold medalist Simon d’Artois, who grew up in Whistler, explains the spring ritual.

“The mornings are bulletproof,” he says.

In other words, no need to set the alarm. By late morning, things start to soften up.

“It’s the best time to shred,” he says.

That’s when the snow transforms into corn snow, that granular snow caused by alternate thawing and freezing. Corn snow, with its sugary sweet sound underfoot, is softer, more forgiving. The steeps are less intimidating in the corn snow, the slushy bumps more forgiving. It gives you a freedom of sorts to charge a little harder in the sunshine.

“There’s a playful aspect to it,” says d’Artois.

All the better to straight-line, agrees Gaper Day mastermind Jamie Bond, who has dedicated part of his life’s work to celebrating, embracing and defining mountain ski culture.

He perhaps sums up spring skiing best.

“It’s almost beach weather combined with the best sport on earth,” he says. Does it get any better than that?

This season, in particular, has been a little tricky.

It was a funny start to the year with a persistent weak layer to the snowpack, deterring skiers and riders from heading into the backcountry. For Bond, that meant more in-resort skiing. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing when your home ski resort is Whistler Blackcomb. Bond rediscovered old favourite runs, long forgotten in the push to explore beyond the boundaries. He says there’s still some pent-up demand, more so than other years perhaps, for late-season adventures.

“I think people are starting to get into slightly bigger adventures now.”

If there was any doubt about spring’s popularity, one look around the village will put that to rest. Just gauge the goggle tans around town, that yearly badge of honour, proclaiming to the world just how good it is on the slopes. There’s a lot on display this year; the spring skiing is that good.

And while the skiing begins to change as the snow begins to creep back up the mountain, uncovering beloved mountain bike trails metre by vertical metre,  some things remain sacred, for Bond at least: Death Before Download, especially on Gaper Day.

(Editor’s Note: Skiing out is not recommended, particularly this year. The ski-out is also dangerous on Whistler Mountain as work begins on the Fitzsimmons Chair upgrade. That work has also impacted the ski-out to the village on Blackcomb Mountain.)

Gaper Day

LIKE SOME OF WHISTLER’S LEGENDARY ADVENTURES before it, Gaper Day has made its mark on the local spring calendar. The last day of operations on Blackcomb Mountain is a time to celebrate all that’s awesome about Whistler in the spring. Mark your calendars this year for May 22.

Among other advice, like dressing the part and basically not being a jerk on the day, Bond shares his credo for Gaper Day.

Be prepared to ski out, over swatches of mud, patches of grass and whatever else the mountain lays at your feet. You always ski out.

“That has big implications on what gear you chose,” advises Bond. “You really need to pick your weapon with that.”

Bond is credited with what is arguably Whistler’s most notorious ski day, inspired by the partiers he met while on a ski-bum season in Europe more than 25 years ago. Gaper Day was fringe in those early years, becoming “an unstoppable beast now,” says Bond, noting that it’s not just a Whistler phenomenon. This is a party celebrated at resorts throughout North America.

“At the end of the season, you just want to let loose, have a good time, and maybe ignore a few rules,” he jokes.

Gaper Day is all about fun, a send-off to another winter season for the books.

Skiing has perhaps become a little too serious these days, says Bond. Gaper Day is the antithesis of that, as the ridiculous outfits can attest. Gone are the expensive waterproof ski jackets, the high-end, heated gloves, the top-of-the-line skis. Anything goes for Gaper Day—neon one pieces, jeans, wigs, the more ridiculous, the better.

Bond has made one addition to his ever-changing outfit in the last decade that he swears by—a helmet.

He recommends it for all “even if you put on dinosaur spikes.”

The season send-off for winter 2022/23 is shaping up to be another grand finale Gaper Day, coming on the heels of two recent seasons that ended in an instant due to the pandemic.

Bond adds: “COVID tried to crush it but I think it’s going to be back and in full force.”

GETTYIMAGES.CA

Going big ’til the end

FOR D’ARTOIS, IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER than whiling away the spring season in the terrain parks at Whistler Blackcomb.

“It’s my favourite time of the year to ride the park,” he says.

You see it all when the sun comes out, because there’s time and inclination to stop and watch.

“It’s a pretty fun and casual vibe,” he says.

But, at the end of the season, you’ll also find skiers and riders tossing big tricks.

“It has this high energy to it,” he adds.

The park perhaps best captures that quintessential ski vibe of the past— relaxed, fun, a place to see and be seen, with the chance to see superstars such as d’Artois showing the kids just what an X Games gold medalist can do on his skis.

Going big is the name of the game, too, for spring’s most notorious ski race—the Saudan Couloir Race Extreme.

Brookbank has raced it a few times.

“Every single time I’ve done it, it’s been a totally different course,” she says, from the year it was groomed to the top, to skiing in a huge dump of powder.

The race wasn’t always in the spring but, now part of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF), it is key component of the official send-off of the season.

It used to be just another race, says Brookbank. Now it’s a different vibe; the WSSF has raised its profile, has let people know just what it takes to race down the Couloir, billed as one of the steepest at Whistler Blackcomb.

“It demands a lot of attention,” says Brookbank. “Once you’ve raced it, you’re in this group of people who have raced it.”

And there’s no better feeling than crossing that finish line.

If throwing down tricks in the park or racing the steepest race on Earth isn’t really your thing, there are other ways to go big in the spring.

One look at the skiers and riders enjoying the sun at the Umbrella Bar at the Roundhouse patio sums up the spring vibe and mountain culture in an instant.

Sunglasses replace goggles; Gortex jackets give way to T-shirts; sunscreen is arguably the most important part of your ski gear.

Spring’s promise of summer hangs in the air, more adventures just around the corner.

Bond adds: “It’s easier to have a tailgate party when you’re not freezing to death.” ■

WSSF: The final après

Billed as “the final après of the entire season,” Whistler’s World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF) runs from April 10 to 16 this year, when Whistler begins its annual ode to spring, a celebration of all things skiing and mountain culture. With more than 25 years under its belt, WSSF is the ultimate season swan song, from the 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown to the legendary Slush Cup.

“These events are curated to be the love story to mountain culture,” says Brittia Thompson, strategic director with festival producer, Gibbons Whistler.

Take the Slush Cup, which takes ski comps to a whole new level, as participants vie for best costume, best trick and best wipeout while skimming the water in their skis.

“It’s a really fun way to send off the season,” says Thompson. “It’s super entertaining to participate in and to watch.”

For the full WSSF line-up, check out wssf.com and hit the slopes and the town as Whistler sends off another season on the slopes.

Celebrating 30 years of the Whistler Cup after COVID hiatus

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST YOUTH SKI RACE IS SET TO RETURN FROM APRIL 13 TO 16

BY DAVID SONG

THIRTY YEARS AFTER its inauguration and three years after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations, the Whistler Cup will finally return to local slopes next week.

Over 450 athletes from 18 countries are on their way to participate in North America’s biggest youth ski race. The event will officially launch with an opening ceremony on April 13 and run until April 16.

In 1993, the Whistler Cup was created by former Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) program director Joze Sparovec along with Max Meier and Jim Yeates. Since then, the race has welcomed many a skiing heavyweight, including American record-breakers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, European standouts such as Marcel Hirscher and Matthias Mayer, and local legends such as 2010 Olympic ski cross queen Ashleigh McIvor.

Excitement is in the air as a new crop of skiers are ready to continue the tradition.

“[This competition] has the unique flavour of bringing kids from across Canada, but also from overseas,” said event manager Christine Cogger. “A lot of these skiers won’t necessarily have an opportunity for this kind of international exposure again, so that’s

really what we want to lean into—giving these kids [an opportunity] to ski against some of their counterparts from Finland, Norway and Ontario. It’s really a special feeling.”

The full list of participating nations includes Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States.

In Cogger’s view, such a robust showing

Friends and family members of visiting athletes often step up, joining loyal locals in staffing every aspect of the Whistler Cup: from accreditation to meal prep to race operations.

Cogger estimates that the contest is 99-per-cent volunteer-run. “Ski racing is a niche that has a really great ability to draw volunteers in, and they are not just one-time [helpers],” she said. “We have some people who’ve been doing this for years, and it’s just a real passion for them. It’s really nice to

to experience one of North America’s largest ski resorts as guests.

Although this year’s edition of the Whistler Cup won’t be drastically different from before, Cogger and her team hope to bottle the worldclass energy from past iterations—beginning with an athlete’s parade scheduled for next Thursday at 4:45 p.m. The procession is to begin at Whistler Olympic Plaza and wind through the village in honour of the athletes and their supporters before the opening ceremony.

“We’re really going to lean into the theme of heroes, because to put on an event for 30 years takes a lot of heroes,” said Cogger. “It’s not just the great skiers we meet. We have heroes in the form of volunteers and sponsors who help us bring this event to life.”

reflects Whistler’s continuing appeal to talent from around the globe, including from non-traditional ski countries like Thailand. Part of what makes the Whistler Cup special is the chance it affords U16 and U14 athletes to bond with their overseas peers at nightly dinners, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Of course, none of it would be possible without the staunch commitment of hundreds of volunteers from the Sea to Sky and abroad.

see that they’ve created their own family of volunteers, and they really support all of our events at the [WMSC].”

Whistler Blackcomb has also been a reliable partner that ably and perennially accommodates major competitions, from opening early on consecutive days to partitioning off Raven, Ptarmigan and Upper Dave Murray—the areas where races generally take place. Many athletes will either arrive early or stay after the Whistler Cup concludes

The COVID hiatus has unfortunately deprived a generation of their chance to partake in the Whistler Cup, which does not involve athletes over the age of 16. It’s no small loss, as the contest is a banner experience for many—especially those who don’t go on to race on a senior international circuit. Moreover, competing overseas can be formative for teens used to smaller events much closer to home.

Thankfully, a new beginning is around the corner.

“We really hope that the community will come out and support us,” Cogger said. “I hope they line the parade route to cheer on the athletes and come up on the hill to watch some really great ski racing.”

More information is available at whistlercup.com. n

FULL CUP The 30th edition of the Whistler Cup returns April 13 to 16 after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.

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“A lot of these skiers won’t necessarily have an opportunity for this kind of international exposure again, so that’s really what we want to lean into ...”

- CHRISTINE COGGER

WSS alum Duncan Ross named to Canadian junior field hockey team

ROSS AND HIS PEERS WILL COMPETE AT THE JUNIOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BARBADOS THIS MONTH

BY DAVID SONG

FIELD HOCKEY CANADA has announced the roster that will don the Maple Leaf from April 10 to 18 at the Junior Pan American Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. Joining the squad for the first time is a Whistler Secondary School alum: Duncan Ross.

Originally from Vancouver, Ross first took up field hockey at age seven because he was looking for a team sport to play in the springtime. Also an avid skier who balanced both sports for much of his life, Ross moved to Whistler in high school to pursue alpine ski racing, yet ultimately committed to field hockey after graduation.

His choice paid off. Ross was one of 18 men who made the cut out of a pool of 32 athletes from four provinces who, last December, were invited to winter selection camp in Greater Vancouver. Now, he is about to represent his country.

“I’m really excited to play my first series for Canada. It’s a really big milestone to hit,” said Ross, who plays defence. “I’m looking forward to playing all the other nations at Junior Pan Ams.”

“This is an exciting group of athletes,” remarked Canadian head coach Geoff Matthews in a press release. “The athletic ability of the squad will allow us to play an exciting ‘forward’ brand of hockey that mirrors that of the senior men’s national team.”

For Ross, field hockey is a bit of a family affair. His older sister, Julia, made the women’s national roster in 2021 and won gold at that year’s Junior Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile. As a result, Julia and her

teammates qualified for the 2022 Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Likewise, Ross hopes that a Junior World Cup berth is in his future. First, he and his team will need to perform well in Barbados— not to mention stay healthy.

“I’m nervous and excited,” he said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs that come from playing at a high level. A few days ago, I got a ball right above my eye and had to spend the night in the emergency room getting stitches. It was a huge relief when I learned that it wouldn’t interfere with competing.”

Now 18 years old, Ross is a first-year engineering student at the University of British Columbia. Post-secondary education has been an adjustment, but he remains committed to being the best student-athlete he can be.

“I am having to balance keeping up with school and studying for all my final exams while being at the tournament,” the Whistlerite said.

Most of Ross’ junior national peers are first-timers, like him, though a few are more seasoned. Alex Bird of Quebec and Jyoth Sidhu of B.C. will be counted on to lead, as both are returning athletes who have also made appearances for Team Canada’s senior roster. Two others, Maan Sidhu and Julius D’Souza, have prior Junior World Cup experience.

According to their coach, expectations are high.

“We are going to play an exciting style of hockey that gives us the best opportunity to win every game,” Matthews said. “It will be challenging, and we will need to be at our best for each game to do that. Being successful and winning a medal at [the Junior Pan Ams], will allow us to qualify for the Junior World Cup in Malaysia [this winter]. That is our ultimate goal.” n

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FIELD MARSHAL Whistler Secondary School alum Duncan Ross has been named to Canada’s junior men’s field hockey team for the 2023 Junior Pan American Championships.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Breaking Ramadan fast, Moroccan style

TWO WHISTLER-BASED MOROCCANS SHARE THE IFTAR TRADITIONS OF THEIR HOMELAND

BY BRANDON BARRETT

LAST WEEK, LOCAL Hassan Lamine spoke with a group of Grade 6 students at Whistler Waldorf School about Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, prayer and community observed by Lamine and nearly 2 billion other Muslims around the world.

Leaving the school, the native Moroccan couldn’t help but be impressed by the kids he met.

“The teacher gave them all a subject [related to Ramadan] to research for it and they knew a lot. I was impressed,” said Lamine. “We went for one hour and it was not enough time. The kids were asking me a lot of questions. I liked it.”

Lamine, a trained chef and hospitality professional who first arrived in the resort in 2012, is one of a small but tightknit community of Moroccans who call Whistler home (a group that, pre-pandemic at least, was steadily growing, largely thanks to a federal immigration program that brings skilled French-speaking workers to Canada.)

A food-obsessed nation renowned for its cuisine and skill in the kitchen, chances are you’ve probably tasted dishes made by the hand of a Moroccan if you’ve dined out in Whistler over the past few years. And,

since we’re in the thick of Ramadan, what better time to catch up with Lamine and fellow Moroccan chef Said Lotfi to hear about the Ramadan culinary traditions of their homeland, and their favourite things to eat after a long day of fasting?

Most adult Muslims—with a few notable exceptions to accommodate travel, illness, and specific dietary needs, like diabetes—will fast (or sawm) during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, commemorating Muhammad’s first revelation, from dawn ‘til sundown. Each day, before dawn, Muslims observe a pre-fast meal called the suhoor, which is typically a light meal enjoyed before

less fortunate.

Once the sun goes down, families gather for iftar, the fast-breaking meal of the day, traditionally started with dates, following Muhammad’s practice of breaking fast with just three dates. In Morocco, famous for its flavourful and chewy Medjoul dates that are never far from any dinner table, this is also a welcome opportunity to savour a national delicacy.

In predominantly Sunni Morocco, it’s tradition to have a small bite before adjourning for the Tarawih, a prayer that involves reading long passages from the Quran.

“You don’t want to go to Tarawih with a

“The body needs sugar sometimes when you break the fast,” Lamine said.

But what is likely the most popular fastbreaking dish for Moroccans is a savoury soup called harira, made with dried legumes, and traditionally cooked with lamb or lamb broth.

“I don’t know where it comes from, but it’s a famous dish for Ramadan, maybe because it has many nutritious things, like chickpeas, fava beans and lentils. Also, it’s not heavy and something nice for people to eat after 15, 16 hours of fasting,” said Lotfi, the Nita Lake Lodge chef who prepared harira last week as part of the Whistler Multicultural Society’s regular Multicultural Community Kitchen series.

“It’s a Moroccan thing. You can find other kids of soups there, but the harira is something 100-per-cent Moroccan you won’t find anywhere else.”

PHOTO BY RUSLAN KALN / GETTY IMAGES

the first prayer of the day.

“You eat something like yogurt or a smoothie or a small sandwich,” Lamine explained. “Then you pray, and you may go back to sleep before dawn.”

During the daytime fasting period, Muslims abstain not just from eating and drinking, but sinful thoughts and speech, smoking and sex, with the goal of redirecting one’s heart and mind away from worldly matters, towards the spiritual. Muslims believe this month of fasting teaches them the values of sacrifice and empathy and motivates acts of selflessness and generosity towards the

full stomach, because the prayer can last two hours,” Lamine explained. “You could feel sleepy. You don’t want to do that.”

After Tarawih, however, it’s time to chow down. Moroccan families will eat everything from hearty tagine, roast chicken and couscous to a range of delectable sweets and rich pastries for their main fast-breaking meal. A country that excels at dessert, that can mean thick semolina-flour pancakes called harscha; a sesame cookie made from strips of folded dough known as chebakia; and sellou, a nutty confection made from ground almonds and sesame, flavoured with anise and cinnamon.

Of course, I would be remiss if we didn’t touch on Eid al-Fitr, the epic feast, open-air prayer and community celebration that marks the first day after Ramadan concludes. These joyous occasions start bright and early and can last for hours, and commonly involve the entire extended family, if not the wider community, to celebrate the end of fasting.

Needless to say, gargantuan amounts of food are consumed. But just as important, if not more, are the acts of charity that go along with it.

“You can give it as money or wheat or anything you have too much of at home. If you use rice, you can give rice to someone, or wheat or oatmeal, anything you are feeding yourself with you can use it as charity to give someone who can’t afford it,” Lotfi explained. “It’s a very nice, happy day after fasting for a whole month. It’s a really happy day.” n

RAMADAN MUBARAK In Morocco—a foodobsessed nation if there ever was one—one of the most common dishes to eat during Ramadan after a long day of fasting is a nutritious soup made from dried legumes called harira

“It’s a very nice, happy day after fasting for a whole month. It’s a really happy day.”

- SAID LOTFI

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Former Whistlerite’s novel honours Indigenous solders in World War II

JANET LOVE MORRISON WILL BE SINGING COPIES OF THE HAWK AND THE HARE AT ARMCHAIR BOOKS ON APRIL 9

BY ALYSSA NOEL

JANET LOVE MORRISON’S father, Ewen Morrison, didn’t talk much about his experience fighting in the Second World War. In fact, she can only recall one story from her childhood—and it stuck in her mind for decades.

It was about an Indigenous soldier from an Ontario reserve named Reggie who “taught my dad a lot of skills about being behind the lines: how to run quietly and watch for omens,” Love Morrison says. “That helped keep my dad alive.”

One night, according to the story, Reggie had a vision. He was going to die that night, but Ewen would survive the war.

“When you get back to Canada, please go visit my mother on the reserve,” he told him. “Reggie did die that night and my dad did make it,” Love Morrison says.

Ewen—originally from Saskatchewan—

dutifully made that trip to see Reggie’s mother. She had had a vision he was coming and asked which of her sons he had been with. She ultimately lost two.

Love Morrison—with help from her father’s war diaries, regiment records, several historians, and other experts—decided to expand this story into a novel, called The Hawk and the Hare, in part to celebrate

Radar the Rescue Dog, based on a real-life avalanche rescue dog, she decided to take a novel approach for this project.

“The reason why we had to go with a novel was I had to create the dialogue,” she says. “We couldn’t find the real Reggie … I wasn’t even 100 per cent sure he was from the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve [where the book’s character is from].”

herself in a town called Groesbeek, in the Netherlands, home to the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.

“I wanted to spend Christmas 2018 where the regiment spent Christmas 1944 … and one of my friends there, he can read military maps. He said, ‘You won’t believe it, but where you’re staying is exactly where the regiment spent Christmas’—literally in the woods where I was,” she says.

That’s when she decided to spearhead a plaque at the Groesbeek cemetery to acknowledge both the contributions of Indigenous soldiers and celebrate the friendships like those depicted in her book. The unveiling took place in February, with several dignitaries in attendance.

“It was just lovely,” Love Morrison says.

this friendship, but also to acknowledge and remember all of Canada’s Indigenous soldiers who fought in the war. (There were an estimated 4,000 Indigenous, Inuit, and Metis soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces, though those numbers were likely much higher than what’s on record.)

While Love Morrison—who called Whistler home for 15 years and contributed to both Pique and The Whistler Question—has written a fiction book, The Crazy Canucks: Canada’s Legendary Ski Team, and a children’s book,

But still, she put in an impressive amount of legwork to keep the book as accurate as possible, and travelled overseas for research.

“I spent five years researching and travelling to Europe,” she adds. “I followed exactly where my dad’s regiment fought— Juno Beach to Northern Germany. Every place I went, I met local historians and people that would kindly give me a lead to the next step.”

Perhaps most memorably, she found

The writing process wasn’t without its hardships though. The further she delved into the logistics and day-to-day lives of the soldiers, the more she was able to imagine their suffering.

“It was tough sometimes,” she says. “You’re standing there thinking about those poor guys. There were times I would get overwhelmed and the research was just so dark. I thought, ‘No, if I start to get affected by this, then I’m making it about me. It’s about remembering and celebrating them.’”

Janet Love Morrison will be signing copies of The Hawk and the Hare at Armchair Books on Sunday, April 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The book is also available on Amazon. n

SERVE AND PROTECT Janet Love Morrison (second from right) with Colonel J.M.A. LaFortune, left, Canadian Defence Attaché to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg; Lisa Helfand, Canada’s ambassador to the Netherlands; and Chief Warrant Officer Joel Pedersen, Canada’s most senior First Nations non-commissioned officer.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

“I spent five years researching and travelling to Europe. I followed exactly where my dad’s regiment fought—Juno Beach to Northern Germany.”

- JANET LOVE MORRISON

Ornamental Cookery exhibit launches as part of Capture Photography Festival

DESIGNED FOR THE AUDAIN ART MUSEUM’S UPSTAIRS GALLERY, NEW SHOW BY VANCOUVER’S SVAVA TERGESEN RUNS UNTIL JUNE 11

BY ALYSSA NOEL

THE AUDAIN ART Museum kicked off a new series with the launch of its Svava Tergesen: Ornamental Cookery exhibit on April 1.

Running as part of Vancouver’s Capture Photography Festival, the solo show features 14 framed pieces, as well as a large-scale vinyl installation.

“This is the first in a series of solo shows we’re going to offer emerging and mid-career artists upstairs,” says Curtis Collins, director and chief curator at the museum. “It will really give younger artists new opportunities as well.”

For this exhibit, Collins reached out to Emmy Lee Wall, executive director of the Capture Photography Festival (running in Vancouver this month), to see if the festival would like to feature an artist in the upstairs gallery at the museum—making it the first exhibit outside city limits to run as part of the festival.

She suggested Tergesen, and Collins invited the two of them to Whistler to see the gallery space that would inspire the pieces.

“We said, ‘We really want to do sitebased work that takes advantage of the architecture,’” Collins adds. “She conceived of this floor-to-ceiling application, designed specifically to our space.”

For the show, in addition to her photographs, Tergesen combined images from vintage cookbooks, museum archives, and even etiquette manuals to create collages that depict domestic objects in a new light. “She has great promise,” Collins says. “She travelled to Whistler a few times to check out the space and start thinking about the

possibilities. What she came up with is pretty interesting.”

The exhibit’s title—Ornamental Cookery—meanwhile, is a nod to an essay written by French critic, writer, and literary theorist Roland Barthes in which he parsed the recipes and cooking featured in 1950s French women’s magazines.

The resulting images range from an imperfect apple grafted with fish skin, to pale rose alongside slabs of meat, and an ornate, era-specific green cake adorned with vines and flowers snaking off the arrangement.

“It’s an aesthetic that’s kind of banal, but very interesting at the same time. Pictures of cakes and bacon, it’s not something you would normally focus on in an art exhibition context,” Collins says.

Another feature of the show is the vinyl application “curtains” affixed to the walls (with the help of Whistler’s Cutting Edge Signs) upon which the images are displayed.

“It’s gone through a number of different iterations over the last six months,” Collins says. “This is what she finally landed on. All along it was meant to be site-based work, but it has evolved over time.”

Set to run until June 11, the show offers visitors a diverse range alongside the permanent collection and the larger special exhibit, The Collectors’ Cosmos: The MeakinsMcClaran Print Collection, open until mid-May.

“To have that playing off against Dutch prints and the permanent collection is a really nice combination,” Collins says. “This is one of the first times we’ve had the whole building open post-COVID.”

For more, visit audainartmuseum.com/ exhibitions. n

CORE COLLECTION Svava Tergesen’s new exhibit, Ornamental Cookery, which includes Granny Smith, Arctic Char, is running at the Audain Art Museum as part of the Capture Photography Festival until June 11.

IMAGE COURTESY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTION

PIQUE’S GUIDE TO LOCAL EVENTS & NIGHTLIFE

Here’s a quick look at some events happening in Whistler this week and beyond. FIND MORE LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS (and submit your own for free!) at piquenewsmagazine.com/local-events

WORLD SKI AND SNOWBOARD FEST

APR

8-16 SPORTS

WORLD SKI AND SNOWBOARD FESTIVAL

The annual end-of-season bash is back with music, sports, and culture events running from April 10 to 16. Catch the 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown on April 11, the Sea to Sky Photo Challenge on April 12, and Intersection on April 13.

> April 10 - 16

> Various locations around Whistler

> For tickets visit wssf.com

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

ANONYMOUS ART SHOW BUYING NIGHT

The evening includes more than just art-choosing madness! Buying Night features live music, delicious appetizers, a silent auction, pop-up bar, and a few surprises thrown in along the way. Whether you rock up in cowboy boots or heels, dress to express. Entry tickets for buying night are $30; the cost of your art spot or how many you buy is up to you!

> April 14, 6:30-11 p.m.

> Maury Young Arts Centre

> $30 at showpass.com/anonymous-artshow-2023

NAMWAYUT: AN EVENING WITH CHIEF ROBERT JOSEPH

Join the Squamish Public Library, Whistler Public Library, Pemberton & District Public Library, Squamish Nation, the Whistler Writing Society, the Friends of the Whistler Public Library, and the Whistler Pemberton Literacy Partnership in welcoming Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, OC, OBC to talk about his new book Namwayut

– We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation.

You can join this free event in four ways:

• In-person at the Eagle Eye Theatre in Squamish

• At a Livestream watch party at the Whistler Public Library

• At a Livestream watch party at Pemberton & District Public Library

• Online from home

> Registration is required.

> April 12, 7 p.m.

> Free with registration at eventbrite.ca/e/ namwayut-an-evening-with-chief-robertjoseph-tickets-524699218487

A PINT FOR PEMBERTON FUNDRAISER

Families and kids are encouraged to join the Pemberton Arts Council between 1 and 4 p.m. for a host of Easter activities and crafts before the main event kicks off in the evening.

At 7 p.m., the ticketed fundraising event begins with live music from the talented Old Man Grant. Tickets cost $50 each and include a Proudly Pemberton pin. Come on down to support local arts and get your first tastes of the new Pint for Pemberton: English-style pale ale.

> April 8, 1-4 p.m.

> https://www.pembertonartscouncil.com/ event-5202840

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Located on Bear Paw Trail, in Rainbow

Après from 2:00 - 4:00 pm daily

Camping inside municipal boundaries

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$10 Feature Après Cocktail

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Holy Week Schedule 2023

Our Lady of the Mountains - Whistler, 6299 Lorimer Rd St. Christopher’s - Mt. Currie, Main St & Hwy 99 St Francis of Assisi - Pemberton,1360 Pemberton Farm Rd W

THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM

GOOD FRIDAY- April 7th

Our Lady of the Mountains - Way of the Cross at 3:00 pm

Our Lady of the Mountains - Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 6:00 pm St. Christopher’s - Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 pm

HOLY SATURDAY – April 8th

Our Lady of the Mountains - Vigil at 9:00 pm

Our Lady of the Mountains - Blessing of the Festive Foods at 11:00 am

EASTER SUNDAY - April 9th

Our Lady of the Mountains at 9:00 am and 5:00 pm St Christopher’s at 11:30 am St Francis of Assis at 1:00 pm

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Before or after any Mass or Contact Fr Andrew L’Heureux: Cell: 1-778-257-4203

THE FIRST OFFICIAL campground inside Whistler’s municipal boundaries was the KOA (Kampgrounds of America) Campground, on the land that is now Spruce Grove.

Before the campground opened, people who wanted to camp in Whistler stayed in their campers and cars in the municipal day skier lots and lift company parking lots at Creekside and Blackcomb Base 2, managed by Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, respectively.

In 1981, the official position of the municipality was that campers should park overnight at the Alpha Lake Aggregates pit by Function Junction. However, this was a long way from the ski slopes, and campers were found far more often in the parking lots close to the lifts. Extended overnight stays were accepted and, in some cases, welcomed in the parking lots. Blackcomb even installed hookups so campers had electricity while staying in the Base 2 parking lot.

Ruth Buzzard had purchased a 15.2-hectare property running along both sides of Fitzsimmons Creek, north of White Gold, in 1980. After a difficult approval process, the KOA Campground, or Whistler Campground as it became known, finally opened in November 1985.

Whistler Campground billed itself as a year-round camping resort boasting a hot tub, sauna, pond skating rink, hook-ups and a free shuttle bus to the village. To better cater to winter weekenders, the campground allowed visitors to leave their RVs in the overflow parking during the week for a discount, allowing visitors to drive to their campers each week without pulling them up and down the Sea to Sky Highway.

With the campground finally available, parking overnight became illegal in the municipal day skier lots. This was both to encourage campers to move to the campground and to allow plowing of the parking overnight.

Additionally, in 1984, an amendment was made to the zoning bylaw for Rural Resource

1 (RR1) lands which banned overnight stays. Initially, the amended bylaw was not enforced, because campers had nowhere else to go. However, once the campground drew council’s attention to the zoning discrepancy, the no-camping regulation was enforced on all RR1 lands, which included the municipal day skier lots and parking at Blackcomb and Whistler Mountain. Campers were ticketed and threatened with towing in the day skier lots, and gates were put up to prevent overnight campers from accessing the lift company parking lots. Unsurprisingly, it was not a popular decision to stop free ski-in/skiout camping, and letters of complaint were regularly published in the Whistler Question

With visitors still choosing to camp elsewhere throughout the winter, keeping the campground open year-round was not economically viable. In 1992, the Whistler Campground started to close for the winter. It was still busy the rest of the year, with its 151 sites regularly hosting more than 600 campers on summer weekends. When the sites filled up, Ruth and the campground team, including her sons David and Mark, would help campers find spots across their large property. There were even stories of enterprising campers setting up on the gravel bar in the middle of the creek when all the sites were filled.

Unfortunately, the campground wouldn’t last. In 1989, Vancouver-based developer Greensides Properties Inc. bought an option-tobuy on the property, giving it exclusive rights to purchase the land in the future. In the early 1990s, the company followed through on its option, deciding to go ahead with the purchase. Despite three appeals to the Supreme Court, Ruth was required to sell the land. According to the Whistler Question, the property was sold for $3 million, plus 35 per cent of the money derived from the redevelopment.

Greensides took over the property in 1996, agreeing with the council of the day to run the campground throughout the summer. With a few approval setbacks along the way, the development of the Spruce Grove subdivision began in 1998.

Whistler went without a campground again until Riverside Campground finally opened in December 1999. n

HAPPY CAMPERS Rows of campers staying in the Creekside day skier parking lot in 1981. Camping in the day skier lots was accepted until Whistler got an official campground in 1985.

WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION

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Roland’s Cold Beer & Wine Store is open everyday from 11am - 11pm, including Good Friday & Easter Sunday & Monday!

Free Will Astrology

WEEK OF APRIL 7 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries-born René Descartes (1596–1650) was instrumental in developing modern science and philosophy. His famous motto, “I think, therefore I am,” is an assertion that the analytical component of intelligence is primary and foremost. And yet, few history books mention the supernatural intervention that was pivotal in his evolution as a supreme rationalist. On the night of November 10, 1619, he had three mystical dreams that changed his life, revealing the contours of the quest to discern the “miraculous science” that would occupy him for the next 30 years. I suspect you are in store for a comparable experience or two, Aries. Brilliant ideas and marvellous solutions to your dilemmas will visit you as you bask in unusual and magical states of awareness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The dirty work is becoming milder and easier. It’s still a bit dirty, but is growing progressively less grungy and more rewarding. The command to “adjust, adjust, and adjust some more, you beast of burden,” is giving way to “refine, refine, and refine some more, you beautiful animal.” At this pivotal moment, it’s crucial to remain consummately conscientious. If you stay in close touch with your shadowy side, it will never commandeer more than 10 per cent of your total personality. In other words, a bit of healthy distrust for your own motives will keep you trustworthy. (PS: Groaning and grousing, if done in righteous and constructive causes, will continue to be good therapy for now.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “’Tis the good reader that makes the good book,” wrote Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. “In every book, he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.” In the coming weeks, a similar principle will apply to everything you encounter, Gemini—not just books. You will find rich meaning and entertainment wherever you go. From seemingly ordinary experiences, you’ll notice and pluck clues that will be wildly useful for you personally. For inspiration, read this quote from author Sam Keen: “Enter each day with the expectation that the happenings of the day may contain a clandestine message addressed to you personally. Expect omens, epiphanies, casual blessings, and teachers who unknowingly speak to your condition.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Traditional astrologers don’t regard the planet Mars as being a natural ally of you Crabs. But I suspect you will enjoy an invigorating relationship with the red planet during the next six weeks. For best results, tap into its rigorous vigour in the following ways: 1. Gather new wisdom about how to fight tenderly and fiercely for what’s yours. 2. Refine and energize your ambitions so they become more ingenious and beautiful. 3. Find out more about how to provide your physical body with exactly what it needs to be strong and lively on an ongoing basis. 4. Meditate on how to activate a boost in your willpower.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I won’t ask you to start heading back toward your comfort zone yet, Leo. I’d love to see you keep wandering out in the frontiers for a while longer. It’s healthy and wise to be extra fanciful, improvisatory, and imaginative. The more rigorous and daring your experiments, the better. Possible bonus: If you are willing to question at least some of your fixed opinions and dogmatic beliefs, you could very well outgrow the part of the Old You that has finished its mission.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Supreme Deity with the most power may not be Jehovah or Allah or Brahman or Jesus’ Dad. There’s a good chance it’s actually Mammon, the God of Money. The devoted worship that humans offer to Mammon far surpasses the loyalty offered to all the other gods combined. His values and commandments rule civilization. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because now is an excellent time for you to deliver extra intense prayers to Mammon. From what I can determine, this formidable Lord of Lords is far more likely to favour you

than usual. (PS: I’m only half-kidding. I really do believe your financial luck will be at a peak in the coming weeks.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s an excellent time to give up depleted, used-up obsessions so you have plenty of room and energy to embrace fresh, succulent passions. I hope you will take advantage of the cosmic help that’s available as you try this fun experiment. You will get in touch with previously untapped resources as you wind down your attachments to old pleasures that have dissipated. You will activate dormant reserves of energy as you phase out connections that take more than they give.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy,” said ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. I’m tempted to advise every Scorpio to get a tattoo of that motto. That way, you will forever keep in mind this excellent advice; As fun as it may initially feel to retaliate against those who have crossed you, it rarely generates redemptive grace or glorious rebirth, which are key Scorpio birthrights. I believe these thoughts should be prime meditations for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sometimes love can be boring. We may become overly accustomed to feeling affection and tenderness for a special person or animal. What blazed like a fiery fountain in the early stages of our attraction might have subsided into a routine sensation of mild fondness. But here’s the good news, Sagittarius: Even if you have been ensconced in bland sweetness, I suspect you will soon transition into a phase of enhanced zeal. Are you ready to be immersed in a luscious, lusty bloom of heartful yearning and adventure?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What shall we call this latest chapter of your life story? How about “Stealthy Triumph over Lonely Fear,” or maybe “Creating Rapport with the Holy Darkness.” Other choices might be “As Far Down into the Wild Rich Depths That I Dare to Go,” or “My Roots Are Stronger and Deeper Than I Ever Imagined.” Congratulations on this quiet but amazing work you’ve been attending to. Some other possible descriptors: “I Didn’t Have to Slay the Dragon Because I Figured Out How to Harness It,” or “The Unexpected Wealth I Discovered Amidst the Confusing Chaos.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s sway-swirl-swivel time for you, Aquarius—a phase when you will be wise to gyrate and rollick and zigzag. This is a bouncy, shimmering interlude that will hopefully clean and clear your mind as it provides you with an abundance of reasons to utter “whee!” and “yahoo!” and “hooray!” My advice: Don’t expect the straight-and-narrow version of anything. Be sure you get more than minimal doses of twirling and swooping and cavorting. Your brain needs to be teased and tickled, and your heart requires regular encounters with improvised fun.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): When I was growing up in suburban America, way back in the 20th century, many adults told me that I was wrong and bad to grow my hair really long. Really! It’s hard to believe now, but I endured ongoing assaults of criticism, ridicule, and threats because of how I shaped my physical appearance. Teachers, relatives, baseball coaches, neighbours, strangers in the grocery store—literally hundreds of people—warned me that sporting a big head of hair would cause the whole world to be prejudiced against me and sabotage my success. Decades later, I can safely say that all those critics were resoundingly wrong. My hair is still long, has always been so, and my ability to live the life I love has not been obstructed by it in the least. Telling you this story is my way of encouraging you to keep being who you really are, even in the face of people telling you that’s not who you really are. The astrological omens say it’s time for you to take a stand.

Homework: What do you love most about yourself? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

Services

CAT LAKE SITE OPERATOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Recreation Sites and Trails BC is requesting proposals for a Site Operator for Cat Lake Recreation Site, located 10 minutes north of Squamish. The Site operator is responsible for the collection of camping fees, site maintenance and day to day operation of the recreation site from May 15th to September 15 yearly. The successful proponent will operate the site under a Partnership Agreement with the Province for a period of at least 5 years.

Cat Lake is heavily used in the summer months for overnight and day use. It has 4 day use areas with swimming docks, 48 walk in campsites and associated facilities around a 300 m. wide spring fed lake.

Please contact Alistair McCrone, Recreation Officer at Alistair.McCrone@gov.bc.ca to obtain a complete RFP information package or more information.

Deadline for the submission of proposals is April 16th, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

Group Fitness Classes

Fridays – Gentle Fit

1:30-2:30 pm w Diana

Saturdays – Zumba

10:30-11:30 am w Carmen

Mondays –TRX Mixer

5:15-6 pm w Mel

Tuesdays – Strength & Mobility

7:30-8:30 am w Anna

Wednesdays – Gentle Fit

1:30-2:30 pm w Diana

Thursdays – Swim Fit

7:30-8:30 am w M-A

See

ANNOUNCEMENTS OBITUARIES

JulianRolfSoltendieck

October13,1948March21,2023

Ourbrother,uncleandfriend passedawayonMarch21staftera longbattlewithmultiplesclerosis. Akind,gentleandgeneroussoul Julian,inanunconventionalway, livedhislifeashewanted.

BornonOctober13,1948toRolf andRita,Julianwasraisedin SainteAdele,Quebec.

Predeceasedbyhisbrother Desmond,Julianissurvivedby brothersChristian(Beverly)of MountVernon,Washingtonand Stephen(Carole)ofLaSalle,Quebec,niecesEllenRose,Katelyn, Tessa(Julian),andnephewDevon (Ashley).

LuredawayfromQuebec’seastern powdertowesternCanadainhis earlytwenties,Julianeventually settledinWhistlerin1979.Happiestontheslopesandoneofthe legendsofWhistlerMountain,JulianwaspartoftheFrankiegoesto theValleyteamthatwonthePeak toValleyraceoutright(notjust theiragecategory)fourtimesin thelate80sandearly90s.

Beyondbeinganaccomplished skier,Julianwasskilledatmaintainingandoperatingheavymachineryandhewaswellknownin WhistlerandLillooetLakeforlandscapingandoutdoorcontracting services.

Thefamilywouldliketothank FrancescaColeandtheteamof VancouverCoastalHealthfortheir care,warmthandcompassionfor Julianoverthelast4years.

PleaseconsideradonationtoThe NationalMSSociety https://www.nationalmssociety.org inJulian’smemory.

Thedate,timeandlocationofa celebrationofJulian’slifewillbe announcedlater.

Accommodation SEEKING

ACCOMMODATION WANTED

accommodationwanted Retiredteacherseeksquietsuite forskiseason,pkg,NS,NP,refs. psutkap@gmail.com.orcallPaulat 416-999-3831

We are a local International Career College located in Whistler Village looking for accommodation options.

Our students are 19+ looking to complete an English and / or Careers diploma program plus gain work experience in the hospitality industry. A 4/5/6 bdrm home would be ideal within easy transit to the village. Capped occupancy, visitors and social gatherings, no pets or smoking as well as housing supervision will be closely followed by our local Campus Manager and Residence Manager.

Please contact smckay@tamwood.com

piquenewsmagazine.com/ local-events/

Send resume to denise.imbeau@gflenv.com

FullTime

SouthVancouverIsland-SomethingDifferent!

workingwithourteamtomake yachtsshine,insideandoutsideexperiencenotrequired-enthusiasmis abilitytoworkatheights,inconfinedspaces,overthewater,in teamsorsolo,physicallydemanding,liftingofreasonableweight(50 lbs),communicatewellinEnglish, withbasiccomputerskills

driver’slicense&PleasureCraft Operator’sCardassetsbutnot critical startingwage$22.00perhourwith benefitsafter3-months yachts@philbrooks.com https://philbrooks.com/

www.whistlerexcavations.com

The Sea to Sky corridor’s top civil construction company. We are currently recruiting professionally minded people to join our team.

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

Equipment Operators

Required: Commercial Transport or Heavy-Duty Technician

Pipe Layers Construction Labourers

*Competitive wages, extended health benefits & tool allowance (after 3 months)

*Competitive wages, extended health benefits (after 3 months)

Please send resume to: Email: info@whistlerexcavations.com

Email resume to: info@whistlerexcavations.com

www.whistlerexcavations.com

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

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

Required: Commercial Transport or Heavy-Duty Technician.

*Competitive wages, extended health benefits & tool allowance (after 3 months)

Please send resume to: Email: info@whistlerexcavations.com

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

currently hiring the following positions for projects in WHISTLER.

We are currently hiring the following positions for projects in WHISTLER.

Journeymen Carpenters (5+ years)

neymen Carpenters (5+ years)

Skilled Labourers

Skilled Labourers

We offer competitive pay, a benefits package, company cell phone plan, interesting projects, a collaborative team environment, and a chance to improve your existing skills.

We offer competitive pay, a benefits package, company cell phone plan, interesting projects, a collaborative team environment, and a chance to improve your existing skills. for dedicated team players who want to join a growing company and establish a long-term career in construction.

We are looking for dedicated team players who want to join a rapidly growing company and establish a long-term career in construction.

Please forward your resume to Lea@gccltd.ca

Please forward your resume to Lea@gccltd.ca

Building Official (Regular,

Full-time)

Looking to contribute to your local community? Consider a career in local government. Join the SLRD’s team of dedicated staff who work together to make a difference in the region. Headquartered in Pemberton, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) delivers a wide range of regional, sub-regional and local services to its residents. The SLRD is a BC Regional District consisting of four member municipalities (Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet) and four electoral areas. Services include land use planning, solid waste management, building inspection, fire protection, emergency preparedness, 911 services, recreation, water and sewer utilities, regional transit, trails and open spaces as well as financial support for various community services. The region contains some of the most spectacular forests, waterways, and mountains in the province and affords an endless range of opportunities for outdoor adventure, making it an exceptional place to live, work and play.

The SLRD is are looking for an energetic, results-oriented individual with great customer service and interpersonal skills and a can-do attitude to join the busy Building Department to assist with plan checking and building inspections. The role of the Building Official is split between the Regional District office and the field. The Building Official travels throughout the Electoral Areas of the Regional District conducting field work which includes inspecting construction to ensure that design, material, and safety features meet or exceed standards and conform to accepted plan specifications established by the BC Building Code and SLRD bylaws and regulations.

The ideal candidate is an upbeat team player with great attention to detail who possesses qualification from the Building Officials Association of BC (minimum Level 1), and a post-secondary diploma in Building Technology with related field experience. For further information, please refer to the full job description at www.slrd.bc.ca/employment

Salary will be determined commensurate with experience. This position also offers a comprehensive benefits package, participation in the Municipal Pension Plan, a compressed work week (9-day fortnight), and hybrid remote work opportunities.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their cover letter and resume (preferably in pdf format) by email to careers@slrd.bc.ca. This posting will remain open until filled; Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their application on or before April 23, 2023.

We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those shortlisted will be contacted.

The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available:

• ROOM ATTENDANTS

Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca

Wellness Studio

RMT NEEDED FOR BUSY PEMBERTON CLINIC

• Available immediately for spring/summer season

• Work with experienced RMT

• Overflow client based referrals

• Flexible days and hours

• %Commission based rent or room rental option

• Laundry, electric table, sheets, thermaphore, Jane online booking included

For more info Email; info@therapypemberton.com

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

Roland’s Pub is looking for an Assistant Kitchen Manager.

Position is full time, year-round. Starting salary is $52,000 + tips, staff meals, and other perks.

Extended Medical and Dental, ski pass, golf pass, and staff discounts at Roland’s Pub & Red Door Bistro. Must have line cooking experience, food safety certification, and some management experience is beneficial. Duties will include cooking on the hotline, assisting with ordering & receiving of food products, creating specials and new menu items, organizing freezers & fridges, and ensuring kitchen staff are properly stocked and prepared for busy lunch & dinner rushes. Temporary staff housing is available. Please email resume to info@rolandswhistler.com or apply in person at 2129 Lake Placid Road in Whistler’s Creekside.

Lil’wat Nation Employment Opportunities

Please

Parents of New Grads: Is your new graduate mechanically minded and not going to school in September?

Black Tusk Fire and Security Inc. provides apprenticeships and a supportive learning environment through on-the-job training and a four-year Sprinkler Fitter Apprenticeship Program.

Overview

Black Tusk Fire & Security is one of BC’s most trusted fire safety and security providers, servicing the Sea to Sky region and the Lower Mainland. The Fire Sprinkler apprenticeship is a full-time, paid position, working Monday-Friday; based out of our office in Whistler to service customers within the Sea to Sky corridor.

Job Duties

• Install wet and dry sprinkler systems as per the NFPA and Building Code;

• Install fire sprinkler systems for residential and commercial applications;

• Service, inspect and repair wet and dry sprinkler systems;

• Service, inspect and repair backflow systems

Requirements

• Self-starter who takes initiative

• Mechanical aptitude and basic knowledge of hand tools

• Strong attention to detail

• Excellent communication skills

• Valid drivers’ license

• Must reside within the Sea to Sky corridor

• We offer competitive wages, extended medical/dental benefits and growth potential with paid education/training.

This is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door within the industry or advance your current work experience into a long-term career with a growing company. Please respond with your resume and current references.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those qualified will be contacted.

Starting wage: $18.00 per hour

SEND YOUR RESUME TO: hr@btfsi.com

109-1330 Alpha Lake Rd., Whistler, BC V0N 1B1

Whistler: 604.935.1140 | Squamish: 604.892.9793

Vancouver: 1.877.657.1140 | www.BTFSI.com

Hiring – Dump Truck Driver

Corona Excavations Ltd is a civil based construction company with a professional and enjoyable working environment working in the sea to sky corridor from Pemberton to Squamish.

We are looking for an experienced dump truck driver to join our crew. We are offering full time hours from April 1st with competitive wages and benefits. You would be driving a 2018 Mack Tandem dump truck servicing our job sites in Whistler and Pemberton.

If you are interested or have any questions please call 604-966-4856 or email me with your CV at Dale@coronaexcavations.com

Hiring – Yard/Delivery Person

Corona Excavations Ltd is a civil based construction company with a professional and enjoyable working environment working in the sea to sky corridor from Pemberton to Squamish.

We are looking for a person to drive around small tools/ equipment and parts to sites as well as help maintain our yard. Any mechanical or equipment experience would be beneficial in the growth of the role. We will provide a work vehicle and the potential for development within the company.

If you are interested or have any questions please call 604-966-4856 or email me with your CV at Dale@coronaexcavations.com.

Hiring – Ground Staff

Corona Excavations Ltd is a civil based construction company with a professional and enjoyable working environment working in the sea to sky corridor from Pemberton to Squamish. We are looking for ground staff to work for the upcoming construction season. Experience with operating, pipelaying and landscaping are beneficial. We are offering full-time hours with wages and benefits dependant on experience.

If you are interested or have any questions please call 604-966-4856 or email me with your CV at Dale@coronaexcavations.com.

POSITION: CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER LOCATION: WHISTLER, BC

The Whistler 2020 Development Corporation (WDC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) incorporated as a business under the BC Business Corporation Act. The RMOW created the WDC to initially facilitate the delivery of the Whistler Athlete Village for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (and subseqent conversion to resident restricted housing) on a portion of the Community Land Bank lands and now, to assist with the ongoing development of resident restricted housing on remaining Community Land Bank lands.

WDC is seeking an executive leader with a minumum of 5 years executive leadership experience in real estate development and project manegment. The successful candidate will have a post secondary degree in engineering, planning, archictecture, business or finance. A proven track record in developing significant projects in the local area is desireable. This position is responsible for managing the affairs of WDC in accordance with strategy and policies approved by the Board. The COO in accordance with WDC Strategic Business and Financial Plans maintains overall rsponsibility for effective coordination, direction and control of all financial and general administrative affairs and operations of WDC.

To explore this position further please submit your cover letter, resume and contact details by Friday April 21, 2023 at 5:00 pm PST to contactultimatehr@gmail.com

DISTRICT OF SQUAMISH

WE ARE HIRING

General Manager of Community Services – Regular Full-Time

Community Patrol Officer (Multiple Positions) – Casual/On-Call

Lifeguard 1 – Regular Part-Time (20-30 hours)

Lifeguard 1 – Regular Part-Time (4-19 hours)

Utility Operator 2 - Wastewater Collections - Casual/ On-Call

Finance Coordinator - Regular Part-Time

Assistant Recreation Facility Maintenance Supervisor - Regular Full-Time

Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Advisor - Regular Full-Time

Economic Development Coordinator – Casual/On-Call

Front Counter Clerk – Regular Full-Time

Labourer 2 – Regular Full-Time

Utility Operator 1 – Water Distribution – Regular Full-Time

Recreation Program Instructor 1 – Biking – Temporary Part-Time (4-19 hours) (2 Positions)

Recreation Program Instructor 1 – Biking – Casual/On-Call (Multiple Positions)

Building Official – Casual/On-Call

Labourer 2 (Multiple Positions) – Temporary Full-Time

Small Equipment Operator and Winter Truck Driver 3 – Regular Full-Time

General Manager of Community Planning and Sustainability – Regular Full-Time

Financial Services Specialist – Temporary Full-Time

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

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

If you don’t already live in Squamish, you should know it’s one of the most innovative and attractive communities on the West Coast just a short commute from the North Shore of Vancouver. It has a growing worldwide reputation for outdoor recreation with world-class mountain biking, rock climbing, water sports and skiing, boarding and the backcountry in the winter. We’re youthful, engaged and passionate about where we live!

And if you’re a local – well, you know you’re in the right place to forge a career and lucky to call Squamish home.

We’ve got an opportunity to work and truly be a part of this inspired community at its media hub, The Squamish Chief. We’re part of Glacier Media Group and Local News Network, the largest local digital network in Canada. We work with our clients to offer cutting edge solutions like programmatic, Social, SEO, sponsored content and community display advertising on our website – and yes, we reach customers through our trusted newspaper as well. We’ve got media opportunities covered.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• You have sales experience and are comfortable making cold calls and setting up/ leading meetings with new and existing clients.

• A self-starter with a consultative selling approach working with clients planning both digital and print advertising campaigns.

• Building and maintaining client relationships with your exceptional communication skills comes easy to you.

• You are a goal orientated individual with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.

• You possess strong organizational skills and have the ability to multitask in a fast paced environment.

Here’s the essentials of what we offer:

• Competitive salary + uncapped commission package.

• Comprehensive health and dental coverage and extended benefits.

• Extensive onboarding training and ongoing support.

Come join us!

Please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence to:

Cathie Greenlees cgreenlees@squamishchief.com

Closing date: Open until filled

N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre

PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

INFANT TODDLER EDUCATOR

NCFDC is seeking On-Call: Infant Toddler, Special Needs, Early Childhood Educator, and ECE-Assistant Licensed individuals, we invite you to submit your application. The Early Childhood Educators work as team members with other child care setting staff and with all the children and families providing general support to the whole program to ensure effective inclusion of the children. The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in:

• Ability to develop and maintain a warm, caring, responsive relationship with the child.

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

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

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

• Planning and implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports community, inclusion and is culturally significant for young Aboriginal children.

• Understanding and working knowledge of Child Care Licensing regulations.

• Interpersonal, written, oral communication skills and maintaining positive communication with parents.

• Collaborating with community service providers, Self-directed and able to initiate and complete projects.

In addition, the Early Childhood Educators will have:

• A minimum of 2 years work experience in a child care setting.

• Valid Early Childhood Educator Certificate, ECE Licence to Practice or going to school to take Early Childhood Educator courses.

• Clear Criminal Records Check & Current First Aid.

• Food Safe or willingness to obtain.

• Some knowledge of curriculum and philosophies in First Nations Early Childhood settings.

Terms of Employment:

• Monday to Thursday - 8:30am - 4:30pm.

• Start Date: As soon as possible.

• Wage: (negotiable depending on experience).

Cover Letter & Resume to:

Title: Anita Patrick, Director

Agency: N’Quatqua Child and Family Development Centre

Email: anita.patrick@nquatqua.ca

Phone Number: 604-452-3584

Fax: 604-452-3280

Deadline: until position is filled

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

Glacier Media Digital experts help businesses succeed online.

Contact

ACCOUNTANT, WHISTLER.COM

Full Time, Year Round

The Whistler.com Accountant is responsible for assisting with the day-today operation of the Finance department and all aspects of accounting policy and procedure related to the operational departments within Whistler.com.

We’re looking for community-loving, mountain-appreciating, environmentrespecting people to join our team. Our ideal candidate has experience in fullcycle accounting and is a collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal and organizational abilities. Come collaborate with us.

What we offer: a flexible schedule offering work-life balance, a commitment to health & wellness, competitive compensation and benefits package, and a great team environment.

We’re also recruiting for: Maintenance Technician/Cleaner, Visitor Centre Agent, Coordinator, Ask Whistler.

WE OFFER:

Vacasa’s forward-thinking approach and industryleading technology help set us apart as the largest full-service vacation rental company in North America. We are seeking individuals with a passion for providing exceptional vacation experiences for our Owners and Guests.

We offer competitive wages and benefits: Travel allowance for Squamish/Pemberton-based employees OR Ski Pass/Activity allowance, Extended Medical, RRSP match, Fun & Safe Work Environment-Great Team, opportunities to grow and more.

**SIGNING BONUS** $1000 (FT)

Housekeeper (Cascade Lodge)

Night Auditor

Guest Service Agent

Maintenance Technician

Assistant Housekeeping Manager

Full Time all year round

Apply online today! https://www.vacasa.com/careers/positions or email: paul.globisch@vacasa.com or call to find out more details at 604-698-0520

We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

•

•

•

ACROSS

DOWN

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 suf ces.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: VERY EASY

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

ANSWERS ON PAGE 67

The Fourth Dimension — Part III

“Time has come today.”

-Joseph Lamar and Willie Mack Chambers I PROMISE this will be the final instalment, the money shot, of this three-week missive and thank those of you, all half dozen, who’ve stayed with it this long.

And as much as I’d like to opine on our municipal council’s—all but one—pantsdown kowtow to Vail Resorts’ timeline for the new, unnecessary Fitz lift, that’ll have to wait until next week.

Among the current municipal council’s strategic objectives are developing a comprehensive housing strategy and enhancing community engagement. So far, they’re batting zero on the latter— only because there are no negative scores allowable—and the former is likely to be a Hydra-like beast. If they’d like to enhance their score on community engagement, this would be a great place to start.

BY G.D. MAXWELL

As of this moment in time, the only housing policy the RMOW has is embodied in the operations of the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA). Employee and retiree—as those terms are defined in WHA’s criteria— housing is the only form of housing embraced by the municipality.

The objective to develop a more comprehensive housing strategy will attempt to tackle the larger world of social housing. It will have to answer the tricky question of who will be house—through government initiatives—in the Whistler of the future.

It would be hard enough to come up with a list of winners and losers in any town. In a town with long-held limits to growth— Whistler’s bed cap—and with both limited and crushingly expensive land, it’s likely to be a thankless undertaking that’ll wind up pitting competing interests against each other.

While the housing administered by WHA is, in the broadest sense of the term, social housing, it has, thus far, been built without direct, local taxpayer subsidies. But housing captured by the broader concept of social housing is generally owned, subsidized or financed by governments and non-profits. It’s designed to be affordable for low-income individuals and families, and embraces populations such as seniors, people with disabilities, marginalized people, those experiencing crises such as family breakup, domestic violence, homelessness... the list goes on.

Historically, social housing initiatives have included non-profit housing, public housing, co-ops, supportive housing and rent supplements for low-income individuals and families. And while the success of social housing efforts have been varied, one aspect remains implacable: there is a bottomless and growing need.

Thus far, it’s been easy for successive municipal councils to avoid wading into the crosscurrents of social housing. The focus has

been on employee housing, and anything else was left to another level of government. And while that may eventually continue to be the RMOW’s strategy, it’s clear the impetus is for senior levels of government to download some part of the responsibility for social housing to municipalities.

At the same time, interested groups are lining up to get their dog(s) in the race.

Businesses in town are encouraging the muni to build more and more employee

any more expansive housing strategy would provide an opportunity to grow their efforts.

The Whistler Community Services Society has an extensive list of housing they’d like to see made available in town, including emergency shelters for victims of domestic violence, temporary housing for residents who have lost their market rental, housing for people undergoing relationship breakups, and more.

A group of concerned parents, Whistler

possibility it will continue to be for some time.

One reason the status quo becomes more untenable is because nature abhors a vacuum. With no policy in place, others may fill the void left by inaction. The Whistler Valley Housing Society is currently contemplating the purchase of a building on the drawing boards of the Whistler Development Corporation down in Cheakamus. Their choice of tenants, currently leaning toward essential services— such as medical staff, firefighters, etc.—would constitute a beachhead in Whistler’s social housing policy.

But with any luck, council will undertake the hard, thankless work of engaging the whole community to help decide who is going to be housed, in what form, where and when as we step closer and closer to build-out. There may even be some spirited discussion about whether there is, in fact, still hard limits to growth left or whether that is a quaint, outdated concept that simply doesn’t fit Whistler’s future.

housing. They’d love to be able to lease housing themselves for the use of their own employees, thus tying their worker’s housing to continued employment.

They’d also like to see a broader definition of employee housing embraced. While the current WHA model seeks to house longterm employees—leaving seasonal employee housing up to businesses themselves—they’d like the muni to step up and tackle the current labour shortage by targeting housing for seasonal workers.

There is always an undercurrent of desire among Whistler’s seniors for the RMOW to play a more active role in providing housing for seniors and even some form of assistedliving housing, something that’s always been deemed a provincial responsibility.

Zero Ceiling has been vocal about hoping

Independent Supported Housing, would like to see the muni step and provide housing for their adult children, who have grown up in Whistler and have some form of developmental disability.

Groups not heard from directly but who are likely to find a voice when it comes to housing opportunities and issues would include the Whistler Multicultural Society, which provides valuable assistance to immigrants and newcomers to Whistler. And elsewhere, there is a growing voice among LGBTQ+ communities for better access to housing.

So, what’s a little big town like Whistler to do?

While the status quo is unlikely to remain viable, it is all there is until something replaces it. Therefore, it is the current front runner in this race and it’s not outside the realm of

And if that seems daunting, pause for a moment to contemplate who is going to foot the bill for all of this. The current housing policy embraces employees, people who work, people who have sufficient income to afford the housing being built.

Broader social housing doesn’t. Someone is going to pay for it. Someone is likely to be you. Kind of sharpens the focus, doesn’t it?

Whatever comes out of the effort, it’s all about Whistler’s fourth dimension—what kind of town we’re going to be in the future. No one 20 years ago thought we’d be a town where locals couldn’t afford local housing, where most of the market housing being built was owned by people who don’t live here, and where our youthful energy would morph into wistful memories.

Choose wisely, grasshopper. ■

One reason the status quo becomes more untenable is because nature abhors a vacuum. With no policy in place, others may fill the void left by inaction.

PHOTO BY LAUGHING MANGO / GETTY IMAGES

GLOBAL REACH, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE FOLLOW YOUR DREAM, HOME

KADENWOOD

2928 Big Timber Court One of the last large Lots over 27,000 sq. / 2,500 sq.m. in this exclusive neighbourhood. The community offers Whistler mountain ski in / ski out trails and nearby access to the private gondola. Build your dream home! $4,490,000

Carmym Marcano

604-719-7646

BLUEBERRY

9 - 3554 Falcon Crescent MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN VIEWS AND ULTIMATE PRIVACY! END TOWNHOME at sought after FALCON’S NEST! Double garage, extra parking, excellent outdoor space with two decks + ROOFTOP DECK! $2,990,000

Connie Spear

604-910-1103

NORDIC

4 - 2269 Nordic Dr SKI IN-SKI OUT from the Creekside runs to the Ridge at Taluswood. 3br/3ba slopeside townhome with garage and large decks. Unobstructed views of sunsets over the SW mountain ranges and lakes below. TA zoning offers the flexibility of nightly rentals or full time use. $3,349,000

Rob Boyd - boyd team

604-935-9172

WHISTLER CAY ESTATES

6304 Lorimer Road Enjoy the privacy of owing a single family home in one of Whistler’s most desirable neighbourhoods and within steps of the Valley Trail. This three bdrm, two bath property has tons of potential, a legal two bdrm suite, good storage and lovely flat backyard. $2,379,000

Laura Wetaski

604-938-3798

BENCHLANDS

4653 213 G2 & G3 Blackcomb Way Rarely available backto-back weeks in Horstman House on Blackcomb. This quiet 1 bedroom offers owners the perfect home away from home with the option for nightly rental managed by the front desk. Price is per share. $219,900

Nick Swinburne prec* 604-932-8899

BRIO

3283 Arbutus Street The perfect home for a large family OR staff accommodation. Located just a short walk to the Village, this property offers everything a family could want for their Whistler home OR an amazing investment for rentals with NO strata fees! $2,099,000

Allyson Sutton prec*

604-932-7609

CREEKSIDE

4 – 2400 Cavendish Way WHISKI JACK Complex, near Creekside Gondola for skiing and summer mtn biking access. Cozy 2 bed, 1 bath townhouse just under 800 sq.ft. Enjoy this as your home or rental investment property. $950,000 GST Exempt.

Kathy White prec* 604-616-6933

CONTRIBUTION AT CLOSING

BLACK TUSK

73 Garibaldi Drive 73 Garibaldi Drive is a spacious 3,170 sq/ft home that is situated on a quiet 7,535 sq/ft lot within the quiet & serene Black Tusk development that is a short 15 minute drive to Whistler! $1,899,000

Maggi Thornhill prec* 604-905-8199

Engel & Völkers i s a proud c hampion of Special Olympics. Many o f our a dvisors donate a p or tion of t heir commissions to Special Olympics o n behalf o f their clients. This simple p rogram m eans t hat ever y time we help our c lients realize their real estate goals, we are helping a Special Olympian get j ust a bit closer to theirs.

Whistler Village Shop

36-4314 Main Street · Whistler BC V8E 1A8 · Phone +1 604-932-1875

CREEKSIDE

2 - 2030 Chamonix Cres. Spacious 3.5 Bed/2 Bath townhome within walking distance to Creekside gondola, shopping, Alpha Lake & great local restaurants. Open living plan with lots of storage. No AirBnB. $1,549,000 GST Exempt

Janet Brown

604-935-0700