Pique Newsmagazine 3019

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The Last Drag Show

Quest University closes its doors with a Tantalus Twist. - By tobias c. van Veen

14 MIND THE GAP

With a new building in Cheakamus Crossing, the Whistler Valley Housing Society looks to fill in the gaps of Whistler’s housing spectrum.

15 POT OF GOLD Whistler has its first slate of cannabis retail applicants—but still no firm timeline for when they’ll open up shop in the resort.

19 THROUGH THE ROOF Zero Ceiling co-executive director Chris Wrightson prepares to move on from the non-profit.

25 SADDLE UP The Lil’wat Nation Open Rodeo—a longtime Sea to Sky favourite—returns to Lillooet Lake on May 20.

30 AXE TO GRIND The Axemen Rugby Club broke new ground in a watershed season—including its first-ever Division 1 playoff win.

34 FOR THE CHILDREN The Whistler Children’s Festival returns for its 40th instalment over two weekends from May 19 to 20 and May 27 to 28.

COVER Rather than aiming for pure clarity, I went with images that have motion blur and other artifacts of live capture, to glimpse what was alive in the moment. I scrambled around picking side angles, shooting through curtains, in the attempt to “queer” the image-taking itself as a process—no straight images allowed! The full series of images will be posted at instagram.com/fugitivephilo. - By tobias c. van Veen // tobiascvanveen.ca

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

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

President, Whistler Publishing LP

SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@wplpmedia.com

Opinion & Columns

08 OPENING REMARKS As we look for solutions on Highway 99 and elsewhere, let’s not discount the good work done by those who came before us, writes editor Braden Dupuis.

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In this week’s letters, a reader shares a note of thanks for a recent high school film festival.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Columnist Brandon Barrett pulls some stand-up wisdom from a recent onstage bomb: sometimes you gotta become a punchline to write one.

54 MAXED OUT Max recounts a classic poem, to the closest approximation his memory will allow, in penning an ode to mother.

Environment & Adventure

24 THE OUTSIDER Vince Shuley is out of action for months after a recent shoulder surgery—a move he sees as an investment in his recreational future.

Lifestyle & Arts

32 FORK IN THE ROAD How did our mothers—and their mothers—celebrate Mother’s Day? Glenda Bartosh answers all your maternal questions.

38 MUSEUM MUSINGS In 1982, the resort’s Parks and Recreation Commission flagged increasing the size of Lakeside Park through private land acquisition as the highest priority for Whistler.

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Déjà vu on Highway 99

IT IS SAID that the human body replaces one per cent of its cells daily, at the rate of about 330 billion new cells every day.

In 80 to 100 days, according to Scientific American, 30 trillion cells will have replenished—”the equivalent of a new you.”

And over the span of 50 years, every single cell in your body will replace itself (more or less—we’re simplifying things for the sake of metaphor here).

So… following that regenerative logic—are you still the same you when every cell has

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

turned over? How much of the old you did you retain?

Do you remember the specific, hardwon lessons of the past, or the catastrophic mistakes that led to pain, injury or scarring?

You may structurally be a completely different person, but that’s not to say there’s nothing tying you to your past. You have memories, photos, friendships and family relations rooting you to your identity, even as you biologically evolve into something else entirely; maybe you’re a diligent notetaker, or a documentarian, and you remember everything about your past self and who you once were.

Or maybe your memory is mashed potatoes and you never bothered to write anything down, condemning each new iteration of you to a lifetime of careless mistakes repeated ad infinitum.

We all come from a different angle, and take a different approach to problem-solving.

And as it goes in human biology, so it goes in our public institutions—culture mirroring nature in a sublime, inadvertent example of universal synergy.

It’s a fitting metaphor, and one that surfaced in a somewhat roundabout way, as discussions kicked up in recent weeks about accidents on Highway 99.

Three different motorcycle accidents in

the span of a week stirred an old debate we haven’t had in some time.

First, someone suggested we make the highway safer.

We’ve had that discussion before, I recalled, and more than once in fact; the last time I wrote about it in 2017 or so, MLA Jordan Sturdy noted the cost to divide the entire highway would be vastly prohibitive, and possibly a total fool’s errand with selfdriving cars on the horizon—but incremental improvements were possible (and have been implemented since).

Then there was the predictable questions about why the highway needs to be closed so long in the first place—and the crass, insensitive suggestions from some that car wrecks and their victims should simply be bulldozed to the side so they don’t miss their lunch date in Whistler or their flight out of YVR.

And finally, a totally-brand-new discussion about how we can reduce the time of highway closures after accidents.

But absolutely none of this is new territory. Whistler has poured ample resources into this exact issue—so why start the discussion from the ground floor?

Beach; and north of Garibaldi at the south end of Daisy Lake).

It found the average length of closure was 1.7 hours, and offered recommendations to keep the length of closures to a minimum: establish performance measures similar to other jurisdictions, i.e. at least one lane open within 90 minutes; locate specialized services on the North Shore or the Sea to Sky corridor; and focus highway patrols on those areas that have a higher frequency of long, unplanned road closures.

That report was tabled in June 2017, and in November of that year, the RCMP launched a pilot project aimed at reducing the length of closures.

Under the test initiative, police said they planned to fly a traffic reconstructionist via helicopter from the Lower Mainland on a caseby-case basis following major accidents on the Sea to Sky Highway.

ICARS investigators typically have to drive to the scene from the Vancouver area.

And what became of said pilot project? Well… the trail just kinda goes cold from there. There are no news stories on the topic beyond the 2017 Pique article announcing the pilot.

Pique reached out to the Resort

been through three RCMP officers in charge, multiple RCMP and RMOW communications staffers, a new municipal CAO, and an entire council cycle since that work was done— reducing the length of highway closures was originally a project of Mayor Nancy WilhelmMorden.

This is just an example of one I happened to be around for; remembered at the right time—think of how much work we’ve lost to the annals of history; good, foundational efforts we could build from, but instead are starting from scratch because it existed fundamentally in one or two people’s minds.

And then time just does its thing. People retire; move away, taking their institutional knowledge with them. Workforces—at municipal hall, behind the council table, and at the local newspaper—turn over, one employee at a time, until eventually the sum of the parts is something else entirely.

Thirty trillion cells replenishing themselves one at a time.

It goes to show how important it is to plan for succession, and document our communities in things like local newspapers—along with the immense social benefit, there is a clear financial case to be made for maintaining a

A study conducted in 2017 found that, from 2011 to 2016, the Sea to Sky highway had 699 hours of unplanned road closures, or 140 hours per year, 10 per cent of which were full road closures.

The study identified trouble spots that resulted in longer-duration closures (between Lions Bay and Brunswick Beach; in the vicinity of Porteau Cove; in the vicinity of Britannia

Municipality of Whistler to see if it had an update on the 2017 work—and got no response.

Likewise, the RCMP also could not provide an update on the pilot project before deadline.

And so we arrive at long last at the payoff of our human body metaphor: We ignore institutional knowledge at our own peril.

I was the only one left at Pique who remembered the 2017 study. By my count, we’ve

strong, well-documented, collective memory. So yes—we need solutions for Highway 99, because the volume of traffic will only increase, and the number of accidents (and related closures) with it.

But as we look for solutions, let’s not discount the good work done by those who came before us. Hopefully they took good notes. ■

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A note of thanks

This letter was originally sent to students at Whistler Secondary School, and shared with Pique.

Dear Jayden, Sho, Kenta, John Hall and Shauna Hardy, i.e., the wonderful committee that put together the Sea to Sky Student Film Festival.

I am the mother of Isa Guerrero, who as you know, took away the first prize at your inaugural film fest. I want to thank you, beyond these words, for the extraordinary effort that you put into making it all happen—giving students like Isa the opportunity to share their cinematic passions with their peers and the larger Sea to Sky community.

I cannot tell you how impressed we all were with your fabulous event. From beginning to end, your festival was professional in every sense of the word! I, and many others, can assure you that every hour that you put into making the film festival happen was appreciated by all of us in attendance.

It is astonishing to think that the brains behind the event were young high school students. You guys set the best of examples for humanity, especially to us older folk. I am confident that next year’s event will be as successful and the number of entries will be at least three times it was this year—and this is all because of the hard work that you carried out, and the legacy that you have now left within the school.

I told Isa, the moment that he found out that his film was selected to be screened, that the

greatest honour was not taking a prize home, but rather showing his film to a larger audience.

What, I said to him, could be any better for a filmmaker, than to have his/her short film shown on the big screen?

Isa has been playing movies in his mind for as long as I can remember, and from an early age, he would often walk slowly behind his parents and brother so that he could “act out” a scene from a movie he was envisioning. He was caught watching movies that he was too young for on airplanes (i.e. The Shining), much to the alarm of his primary grade teachers after the terror of that film seeped into his homeroom class.

I don’t know if I can take any credit for Isa’s

win because it was absolutely a solo endeavour, but if I can have just a little bit of recognition, it would be that I’ve only ever encouraged my sons to be creative. I’ve always said to them that the greatest school is not the one that exists within an institution’s boundaries, but rather, the “life school” that exists after-hours, at home or on vacation. I think Isa’s film, shot entirely in our home, reflects this. How Isa came up with such a strange plot line will be anyone’s guess. But the film captures, I believe, what young people do best when they use their free time to be creative.

I want to thank you for the tremendous work and dedication to this project, and giving my son one of the greatest moments of his life. Not a bad

feat, for a young boy, who came into this world, extremely premature, weighing no more than a pound and a half. Who would know that he would grow into such a fine artistic young man. My very best to all of you and especially to the graduating class of 2023. You guys have a very bright future ahead of you.

Farha Guerrero // Whistler n

PIQUE TAKES TOP HONOURS AT BCYCNA

Pique Newsmagazine is once again the best newspaper in B.C. in its circulation class, earning top marks at the 2023 BC and Yukon Community NewsMedia Association Awards on May 4.

Pique took gold in the General Excellence category, narrowly beating out the Yukon News (which took silver) and sister paper The Squamish Chief (bronze).

Pique also earned both gold and bronze in the Special Publications category, for Whistler Magazine and Wishes, respectively.

Reporter Brandon Barrett took home a silver in the Feature Article Award category for his cover feature, Life After Death, and arts editor Alyssa Noel, meanwhile, earned a bronze in the Neville Shanks Memorial Award for Historical Writing category for her feature, The Witsend Sisterhood. n

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Breaking down a bomb

A VARIETY OF STUDIES over the years have shown that as much as three-quarters of the population fears public speaking. Officially referred to as glossophobia, it is one of the most common phobias we have as human beings, outpacing (depending on the study) the fear of enclosed spaces, heights, spiders, snakes, and even death.

BY BRANDON BARRETT

A thoroughly contemporary phenomenon—I can only imagine what our cave-dwelling, game-hunting ancestors would have thought about our collective glossophobia—at the root of this unease, in my opinion, is not so much a fear of public speaking itself, but a fear of being judged and humiliated in front of our peers.

And yet, most of us have, at various times, had to make some form of oral presentation, whether a book report in grade school, a slideshow for work, or a toast at a wedding reception.

Now, imagine the added pressure of trying to make a room full of strangers laugh. For comedians, there is no better feeling in the world, and it’s partly why there’s a long history of comics chasing that energetic high

with a chemical one. But when things go poorly? The sweet release of death begins to seem appealing compared to facing a hostile, or even worse, indifferent crowd.

Humour is a highly personal and subjective thing, but when your jokes don’t land, it’s hard not to take it to heart. At least when you’re making an academic or corporate presentation, there is a defined agenda underneath it all, and you can hide behind the stats and research and arguments made by those who came before you. But when you’re a stand-up, it’s just you out there, walking butt-naked on a high wire, the margin between killing it and dying about as razor-thin as you can get. Although most comedians tend to dial their personas onstage up to 11, it is, more often than not, still a reflection of their distinct personality and perspectives. If someone doesn’t like your set, there’s a high probability that person simply doesn’t like you

I’ve been doing stand-up off and on for a few years now, and like any comic putting in the work, have had my fair share of epic bombs onstage. For a long time, this fear of failure heavily influenced my act. I would switch up my style more frequently than Celine Dion changes outfits, trying in vain to give what I thought Whistler audiences wanted. That meant a ton of dick and drug jokes, which isn’t really my style. Plus, crowds can always tell when you’re forcing it. The best comedy usually comes from

a genuine place, and I’ve learned that, as a performer, you’ve got to please yourself first before some imagined audience. (Insert dick joke here.)

Bombing can also be a fruitful experience, if you let it be. Every comedian, from global megastars with HBO specials to up-and-comers hitting the open mic circuit, has stories of completely biffing it. Chris Rock talks about the time he had Martin Lawrence open for him, who did so well it was like the spectators “were in birth, like they were having babies” they were laughing so hard, proving a hard act to follow. Rock got through about 20 excruciating minutes of his hour-long set before he turned on the crowd and walked offstage. Louis CK has spoken before about audience members in Boston waiting in the parking lot to beat him up after a particularly bad set. Theo Von was once invited to a benefit show in honour of Kirk Douglas, who had just suffered a stroke. Von misheard the request to host as “roast,” and wrote his jokes accordingly. Needless to say, the spicy Kirk Douglas takedowns didn’t go over too well.

I experienced my own brutal bomb recently doing an open mic at RMU in the Upper Village, the first time in a long time I’ve shown my ass like that. Whistler crowds (at least unpaid ones) can sometimes be a tough nut to crack, and following a music open mic, many of the attendees to RMU on an average Wednesday aren’t necessarily

there for the ha has, but rather to catch some tunes and knock back a few bevvies. So, there I am, trying to work out some new material, mostly to crickets, when a pair of pals start gabbing away at full volume in the back. Normally, this wouldn’t bother me, but already feeling the awkwardness of a dead crowd, combined with the pressure I was feeling to hone my fresh material for a paid gig that was just two days away, instead of handling hecklers with a dose of levity like I usually try to do, I sorta snapped.

“Hey neckbeard!” is a good way to get someone’s attention, but probably not the most efficient way to bring a boisterous audience member over to your side.

The loud conversation continued, and I kept poking the bear, interrupting what was already a set that had veered wildly off-track, until the point I was so frustrated, I simply walked offstage mid-set, something I’ve never done before.

It was, to put it mildly, a humbling experience, and one that came with an important reminder: no matter how confident or experienced you are as a performer, there are always going to be those nights where everything goes sideways, despite your best intentions. And you can either let those epic bombs burn you up or you can learn from the scars. The best comics do the latter, because they know sometimes you gotta become a punchline to write one. ■

Whistler Valley Housing Society signs agreement on its first employee housing project in 40 years

THE RENTAL UNITS AT 1400 MOUNT FEE ROAD WILL BE PRIORITIZED FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICE WORKERS AND SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY CLIENTS

BY ROBERT WISLA AND BRANDON BARRETT

IN A MOVE that was four decades in the making, the Whistler Valley Housing Society (WVHS) has finalized an agreement for its first affordable housing project since 1983, paving the way for the reinvigorated non-profit to fill in the gaps of Whistler’s housing spectrum.

On Tuesday, May 2, Whistler’s mayor and council adopted a housing agreement bylaw for 1400 Mount Fee Road in Cheakamus Crossing, a planned three-storey, 30-unit employee rental building that signals something of a paradigm shift in how Whistler typically delivers affordable accommodation.

“This is a really unique opportunity to invest in affordable rental accommodation for local residents, and we also want to, and have a vision and a mandate to, contribute to the spectrum of housing here,” said Whistler Councillor and WVHS board chair Cathy Jewett. “One of the things we haven’t been able to do in our community is address potential social housing.”

Unlike Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) projects, prospective tenants do not have to be Canadian citizens or permanent residents to be eligible, although they will have to be legally able to work in Canada. Also unique to the project is its tiered rental system, which is designed for units with higher rents to

subsidize those with lower rates. The building will be divided into three rental tiers: higherrent units will be prioritized for essential service workers; mid-tier rents to the WHA waitlist; and lower rents to eligible employees who are also clients of social-service societies in the Sea to Sky.

“The idea is that we’ll hopefully be able to attract people that we’ve had difficulty attracting because of our housing market,” said Jewett.

The agreement also eschews the WHA pre-requisite mandating employees be based in Whistler for a minimum length of

“That is the $64,000 question,” Jewett said. “We know we have some work to do on our tenancy selection policy, and so that’s our next step, working on that policy to ensure that it is transparent and fair and serves the community.”

Social-service clients are defined in the agreement as eligible employees who have been referred to the WVHS by a Sea to Sky non-profit or government agency dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of Whistlerites and will be selected and prioritized based on need (although the basis for selection would be kept confidential).

foot, meaning a 600-sq.-ft, one-bedroom apartment will cost up to $2,400 a month.

The agreement also allows tenants to rent the second room of a two-bedroom unit to an eligible employee at half the maximum rate, working out to $2/sq. ft.

Jewett acknowledged the relatively steep base rental rate, but said construction costs and financing being the way they are, it was important the society take action now.

“We’re able to finance this, but we can only finance it at the rents that cover our mortgage and our operating costs,” she explained. “The other thing you really have to consider when you build housing is that it’s really expensive right now, and people look at the potential rents and go, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.’ But in 10 years they will not be.”

The hope, Jewett said, is that social services agencies will be able to secure rental subsidies through BC Housing to help keep rates down.

time in order to be eligible, making it easier for resort employers to bring in essentialservice workers as the need arises. In this case, essential-service workers are defined in the agreement as “individuals who perform services that are critical to maintaining the health, safety, and community well-being of the population of Whistler, including medical workers, first responders, teachers and daycare workers, transit drivers and public works employees.”

The society still has to finalize how it will determine which essential workers get prioritized over others.

A maximum of 15 units will be designated for essential workers, and another 15 for social-service clients, with the remainder, if unfilled, going to employees on the WHA rental waitlist.

“It’s seen as important to the community that we have housing that’s more quickly available for essential services workers and folks that are identified as being in need through those social service agencies,” said municipal planning manager John Chapman in an April 18 presentation to council.

Under the agreement, the maximum rental rate for the units is set at $4 per square

Jewett has also personally lobbied officials at both the provincial and federal levels on the bevy of taxes—GST, PST and property transfer tax—paid on materials by the society, which, according to her calculations, add an additional estimated $100 in monthly rent per unit.

Formed in 1983 by a group of Whistler residents concerned about rising property prices in the resort, the WVHS endeavoured to create affordable housing in the resort, and its resulting 20-unit property on Sarajevo Drive in Creekside represented Whistler’s first resident-restricted units.

The WVHS finally paid off that property in 2018, allowing it to finance the new build in Cheakamus Crossing built by the Whistler 2020 Development Corp. n

GOING UP The new building under construction at 1400 Mount Fee Road in Cheakamus Crossing.

PHOTO BY ROBERT WISLA

“This is a really unique opportunity to invest in affordable rental accomodation for local residents...”

- CATHY JEWETT

Five years since legalization, Whistler has its first official pot shop applicants

A TOTAL OF NINE APPLICANTS WILL NOW VIE FOR UP TO FIVE CANNABIS RETAIL LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE RESORT

BY BRANDON BARRETT

THEY SAY WHERE there’s smoke, there’s fire, and while the literal smoke is still a ways off, Whistler has its first faint hints of legal weed in the resort, nearly five years since legalization.

According to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), nine prospective retailers have applied for one of up to five cannabis retail locations earmarked for the community. (The RMOW indicated there are 10 applications, although one remains partially incomplete. The RMOW’s initial intake period ended in March, however, applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis going forward.)

Under the municipality’s regulatory framework, there will be one shop permitted for each designated area, for a maximum of five in the resort: the Village, Village North, Creekside, Nesters, and Function Junction.

The village, with its built-in foot traffic, was understandably a popular location for retailers, with four of the nine applicants vying for a store there. Two applicants submitted for units in the same building, at 4122 Village Green, while the other village applicants have stores potentially slated for 4294 Mountain Square and 4433 Sundial Place.

The sole Village North submission was for 4368 Main Street, while there were two applications for Creekside, one at 2063 Lake Placid Road, and the other at 2011 Innsbruck Drive. Function Junction also saw two applications, one for 1100 Millar Creek Road and the other for 1050 Millar Creek Road.

Without an application for Nesters, Whistler likely won’t hit the maximum fivestore threshold upon the initial rollout of cannabis retail.

“The purpose is to integrate these shops with other retail so we don’t have a concentration of stores in one place, and the stores have the opportunity to succeed,” said Mayor Jack Crompton. “One of the reasons we were patient in the implementation of cannabis retail was watching it happen in other jurisdictions where retail mix wasn’t considered as deeply as we are doing here, which made for unsuccessful stores and also damaged the retail mix of those places.”

This Is Cannabis co-owner Cody Les, who operates cannabis shops in Abbotsford and Chilliwack alongside partner Ryan Bauer, applied for one of the potential village retail stores, and said while it was a lengthy process, he appreciated the care and caution the RMOW employed.

“From the outside looking in, it looks like there are a lot of hoops to jump through. It’s a very long, labour-intensive and capitalintensive process, but the rollout of policies at the RMOW is actually well aligned with what we’ve previously experienced.”

Les particularly appreciated the

“geographic equity” the RMOW’s framework offers after watching other jurisdictions flood the market with stores.

“This protects the entire municipality from oversaturation, which has happened in other cities that don’t have these protections for retailers,” he said.

One capital-intensive element of the application process is the fact prospective retailers had to have a property secured in order to meet the province’s guidelines for approval. That meant, in the case of Les and Bauer, they have leased and left vacant the commercial property at 4294 Mountain Square for close to a year.

It was a risk the entrepreneurs were willing to take for the “unique value proposition” Whistler presents as a global destination for millions of visitors a year.

“We considered all the risk and what we thought the timeline would be, which is exactly what it has been, and at that point as a company, you have to decide if you’re willing to take that risk,” Les said. “For us, it was just a decision to say, ‘Hey, let’s go for it and make a statement with This Is Cannabis Whistler.”

Another risk factor the process presents is that, if approved, retailers will operate under three-year temporary-use permits, which adds a layer of protection to the municipality and wider community, but also a level of uncertainty to retailers accustomed to longer leases.

“When you think about the investment in time, energy and notably money in building out a store like this, the prospect of it not being renewed after three, or even six years is a massive risk,” Harrison Stoker, chief growth officer for the Donnelly Group, told Pique last year. Donnelly Group, operators of 16 cannabis stores in B.C. and Ontario, consulted with the RMOW on its final cannabis policy, but ultimately did not submit an application.

Crompton said the shorter permit turnaround, along with the merit-based process that favours applicants who, among other things, provide a living wage and housing to employees, commit to climate leadership and pursuing Whistler’s community health and social strategy goals, and partner with the Lil’wat and/or Squamish First Nations, was developed with the community’s well-being at top of mind.

“This is a brand-new industry that has impact on our community life, and we are committed to ensuring that the impacts are positive,” he said. “We expect that whoever enters the marketplace is going to be a real contributor to this community and we think that what has been installed in the licensing process helps that happen.”

The mayor added that he hopes elected officials will review the retail applications soon, but he had no firm timeline for when that would happen.

Learn more at whistler.ca/CannabisRetail. n

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YVR working to get more skiers on Whistler Blackcomb

WHISTLER’S MAYOR AND COUNCIL HEARS UPDATE ON AIRPORT OPERATIONS IN THE LOWER MAINLAND

BY ROBERT WISLA

WHISTLER’S COMMITTEE of the Whole (COW) heard an update from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on May 2— including what the airport is doing to increase visitation to the resort.

In a presentation to the COW, YVR’s director of government relations Trevor Boudreau highlighted several initiatives currently being undertaken by YVR in coordination with Tourism Whistler and different levels of government to improve connectivity and increase the number of tourists coming to Whistler.

“As we come out of the pandemic and look ahead, we’re doing some amazing work with Tourism Whistler and co-investing into support for, for example, British Airways’ new Gatwick to Vancouver route,” Boudreau said.

In addition to a better connection with London, YVR is actively expanding in Mexico, seeking to attract members of that country’s growing upper-middle class looking for a nearby skiing destination.

“We’re also working with you guys to increase and secure new service from Mexico,” Boudreau said.

“Areas like Monterrey and Guadalajara are emerging tech hubs and have a group of

tourists that love to come up and enjoy skiing and in fact spend money. So we think there’s a huge opportunity there.”

YVR also aims to expand connections to areas with high concentrations of Vail Resorts Epic Pass holders in the United States, including places like Boston, New York and the Midwest, as well as to places like South America, where YVR currently lacks connections, Boudreau said.

Mirroring similar trends in Whistler, YVR experienced a surge in passengers in 2022 following the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Between January and August, the airport saw a 168-per-cent increase in

travellers, compared to the two- to threeper-cent growth it typically sees in a year. Unsurprisingly, the uptick in travellers presented unique challenges for the airport.

One measure taken to address said challenges was making YVR the first international airport in Canada to be a certified living-wage employer, which, according to Boudreau, helped bring back hundreds of employees who had been “poached” by other, higher-paying employers in Metro Vancouver. Another was implementing the YVR Express service, which allows travellers to schedule their security screening ahead of time, skipping

the time-consuming, in-person process.

The airport is also doing significant infrastructure updates, including spending $150 million on cargo facility improvements; opening up greenfield industrial land; acquiring sustainable aviation fuel; and aiming to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

Councillor Jessie Morden raised a question regarding expanding YVR’s popular Skylynx bus service later into the night, noting that, currently, the last shuttle from the airport leaves at 7:30 p.m., resulting in people with late flights missing the more affordable option to the resort and sometimes requiring people to stay overnight or take a taxi from Metro Vancouver.

According to Boudreau, about 50,000 people use the Skylynx service annually. He confirmed that the airport is encouraging its contractor to improve the service with data on arrivals so that passengers on late flights don’t miss their connection to Whistler.

“So yes, we are [looking at night service]. It’s a business decision that Universal [Coach Line] has to make,” Boudreau said.

“And so we’re there to help give them the information, the data on historical loads and arrival times, so not only can they maybe look to add additional service, but maybe they have to also just tweak the times that they leave based on changes in airlines schedules.” n

UP IN THE AIR A plane landing at Vancouver International Airport.

PHOTO BY VIVIANA SINGH / GETTY IMAGES

Fundraiser launched for Whistler man who suffered life-threatening injury while surfing in Caribbean

ALEX ROBERTSON REMAINS IN A CURAÇAO ICU AFTER HIS ESOPHAGUS SPONTANEOUSLY RUPTURED

BY MEGAN LALONDE

A WHISTLER MAN’S family is appealing to the community for help after he suffered a freak traumatic injury while vacationing in the Caribbean earlier this month.

Alex Robertson and his spouse, Rachel Hindle, arrived in Curaçao on April 29 to join his parents, brother and sister-in-law for some sunshine, surfing and time with family after a busy winter.

A few days into the trip, Robertson started feeling ill after swallowing sea water during a surf session. He began forcefully vomiting, but his significant pain and inability to breathe soon made it clear something was wrong beyond his body’s attempts to expel the saltwater.

A surf coach helped rush Robertson to the Curaçao Medical Centre’s emergency room, where doctors determined Robertson had torn his esophagus.

Medical staff diagnosed Robertson with Boerhaave’s Syndrome, an exceptionally rare, highly lethal gastrointestinal tract disorder marked by “a spontaneous rupture of the esophagus that occurs during intense straining,” according to Cleveland Clinic. Without surgical intervention, the tear turns fatal in a matter of days. Studies estimate Boerhaave’s Syndrome’s incidence rate at about 0.0003 per cent per year, or 3.1 per 1,000,000 people, with mortality rates of up to 40 per cent.

Robertson was immediately rushed into life-saving thoracotomy surgery, before undergoing a second emergency surgery to clean out his chest cavity a couple of days later. He was intubated, with four chest drains inserted.

Robertson “has been healing well,” Hindle explained in an email Tuesday. “As he slowly recovers, the hospital has been removing the life-saving tubes, IVs and other medical devices. He is able to drink clear liquids and is regaining his independence. This has been amazing for Alex and his family, as the past week in the [intensive care unit] has been beyond difficult.”

Still, he faces a “long road to recovery,” Robertson’s sister-in-law wrote in an email.

Doctors told Robertson and his family he will likely need to stay in hospital for at least two, maybe three more weeks before he will be stable enough to fly back to Canada and continue his recovery at home.

Robertson must follow a liquid diet for the next two weeks, while the hospital’s physiotherapist reckons he will need to restrict his movement for the next four to six weeks. Since the only flight from Curaçao to Canada lands in Toronto once weekly, he’ll spend some time rehabbing in Ontario before flying home to B.C. “It will be a while before he is digging trails,” Hindle noted.

Adding to the stress are the medical bills Robertson is swiftly racking up. The longtime snowboard coach and trail builder, who was born in Toronto and has lived in Whistler for the last 14 years, does not have valid travel or health insurance outside of Canada, his family said.

“The future is still quite uncertain at the moment and this tragic event has led to an immense amount of unforeseen expenses,” Robertson’s brother and sister-in-law explain in a GoFundMe campaign they created on Saturday, May 6.

Though the family is still awaiting the final tally, the hospital estimates Robertson’s medical costs will amount to about $50,000 up until he is discharged. That doesn’t include the cost of his family’s extended stay on the Dutch island, or any upcoming bills for hospital visits, medication and further tests he’ll inevitably require as an outpatient.

The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $30,000 to date, but is still short of meeting its $100,000 goal.

“We are relieved that Alex made it through the worst of it and is now able to heal. The outpouring of support from friends, family and acquaintances has been humbling and amazing every day,” Hindle wrote.

As the fundraiser’s description reads, Robertson and his family “are kind-hearted, loving people who are always there for others. They show great generosity and a lot of humility, it is very difficult for them to accept that support, as they are discreet people who would never dare to ask for help or burden others with their problems.

“This fundraiser is intended to give Alex, Rachel and the family a chance to breathe and allow them to focus on what’s to come without worrying too much about the financial aspects.”

Find the campaign at tinyurl. com/222rab8d. n

NOTICE OF ALTERNATIVE APPROVAL PROCESS

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given in accordance with section 345 of the Local Government Act and sections 86 and 94 of the Community Charter that the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (the “SLRD”) has proposed a new bylaw: Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Pemberton and District Recreation Contribution Service Establishing Bylaw No 1784-2022 (the “Proposed Bylaw”)

The participating area of the Proposed Bylaw is the entirety of Electoral Area C (the “Proposed Service Area”) The purpose of the Proposed Bylaw is to establish a financial contribution service for the Village of Pemberton to provide recreation services (the “Proposed Service”) to the Proposed Service Area

The Proposed Bylaw authorizes the SLRD to requisition up to the greater of $600,000 or $0 4919 per $1,000 of net taxable assessed value of land and improvements in the Proposed Service Area The SLRD is required to add a mandatory provincial fee of 5 25% to the stated rate per $1,000, this coming to $0 4919 + 5 25% = $0 5177 per $1,000 Therefore, the cost of the Proposed Service is to be borne by all taxable properties in the Proposed Service Area at a maximum annual tax requisition rate estimated as follows for residential properties:

The Board is seeking participating area approval of electors in the Proposed Service Area by way of Alternative Approval Process The number of eligible electors in the Proposed Service Area has been determined to be 3,028 and the number of elector responses required to prevent the Board from proceeding without the further assent of the electors is 302 The deadline for elector responses for this Alternative Approval Process is 4:30 p.m. on June 12, 2023. The Board may proceed with the Proposed Bylaw unless, by the deadline stated above, at least 10% (being 302) of the electors of the Proposed Service Area indicate that the Board must obtain approval by assent vote (referendum)

Elector responses must be given in the form established by the Board Elector response forms are available on the SLRD website (www slrd bc ca/ Pemberton&DistrictRecServices) and at the SLRD office (1350 Aster Street in Pemberton, BC) The only persons entitled to sign the forms are electors of the Proposed Service Area For more information about Resident Elector qualifications and Non-Resident Elector qualifications, please refer to the SLRD website (www slrd bc ca/Pemberton&DistrictRecServices)

[PLEASE NOTE: The current recreation service is authorized by Pemberton / Area C Community Recreation Local Service Establishment Bylaw No 646, 1997 (“Bylaw No 646”) with two participating areas (Electoral Area C & Village of Pemberton) and is currently being managed and operated by the Village of Pemberton pursuant to a 6-year agreement between the SLRD and the Village of Pemberton With continued growth in the Village of Pemberton as well as the majority of recreation assets being located within Village boundaries, the Board has directed that a proposed reorganization of the recreation service be undertaken on the basis that, upon completion of the reorganization, the intended total taxation from Electoral Area C is to remain consistent with the total taxation from Electoral Area C that occurred under Bylaw No 646. A first step in the reorganization process is consideration of the Proposed Bylaw; the purpose of the Proposed Bylaw is for Electoral Area C to provide a financial contribution to the Village of Pemberton for providing recreation services to Electoral Area C on a long-term basis The reorganization of the recreation service is intended to result in total taxation occurring under two bylaws instead of under one bylaw, with the two bylaws being: (1) the Proposed Bylaw - for recreation services to be delivered by the Village of Pemberton; and (2) Bylaw No 646 - for recreation services limited to the (a) operating costs of Gates Lake Community Park; and (b) continuing debt obligations (until fully repaid in 2032) of the current recreation service If the Proposed Bylaw is approved by the electors of Electoral Area C and adopted by the Board, the total taxation from Electoral Area C combined under the Proposed Bylaw and Bylaw No 646 is intended to remain consistent with taxation that occurred under Bylaw No 646 A second step in the reorganization process is consideration of an amendment of Bylaw No 646 for the purpose of reducing the stated maximum annual tax requisition amount as the stated maximum annual tax requisition amount will be higher than needed This bylaw amendment process requires the consent of the Electoral Area C Director and the Village of Pemberton Council and would be initiated after the Board adopts the Proposed Bylaw ]

For more information about the Alternative Approval Process and/or the proposed reorganization of the recreation service, please see www slrd bc ca/ Pemberton&DistrictRecServices or contact Corporate Officer A Belsham by phone (604) 894-6371 (ext 240) or by email (abelsham@slrd bc ca)

TRAVEL EXPENSES Whistler resident Alex Robertson faces hefty hospitable bills for the lifesaving treatment he required when his esophagus ruptured after a surf session in Curaçao.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Sea to Sky MP seeks ban on old-growth log exports by 2030

THE MOTION AIMS TO END OLD-GROWTH LOGGING ON FEDERAL LANDS AND HALT THE EXPORT OF ANCIENT LOGS AND RELATED PRODUCTS

BY STEFAN LABBÉ

THE MP REPRESENTING Whistler and the Sea to Sky has introduced a motion to ban the export of old-growth logs and any products made from them.

Liberal MP Patrick Weiler introduced the private members’ motion Thursday, May 4. The motion calls for an end to the export of old growth as soon as possible but no later than 2030.

It also calls on the federal government to end old-growth logging on federal lands outside of reserves, including national parks and land held by the Department of National Defence.

“This is really about putting this on the radar to really push the federal government to act on this,” said Weiler in an interview. “There’s probably no more important environmental issue in B.C. than protecting old growth.

“This is essentially our cathedrals that are being cut down.”

Joe Nemeth, project manager for the BC Pulp and Paper Coalition, slammed the motion, saying if old-growth exports were banned, it would sink industry because companies use export pricing to compensate for domestic costs of timber harvesting.

“It would be a big deal. If they include

both wood and pulp made from old growth, then I think you bring the entire province to a standstill,” said Nemeth. “So you basically kill the industry and kill the province because the forest industry is still the biggest employer and it’s all in small, rural communities.

“It would be the most catastrophic thing you could ever do.”

The Forest Products Association of Canada and BC Council of Forest Industries declined to comment on the motion.

Several environmental groups, however, lauded Weiler. Ken Wu, executive director of the conservation group Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, said he hopes the motion will push B.C. to take action on Crown lands, where most of Canada’s forests grow.

“The Biden administration in the U.S. is now creating a pathway that could end oldgrowth logging on their public lands across the country, and B.C. and Canada need to do the same,” he said in a statement.

TJ Watts, a campaigner and photographer with the Vancouver Island-based Ancient Forest Alliance, said the motion’s policy recommendations would represent “a major leap forward.”

Weiler, who was first elected in 2019, sits on a federal Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. In March, the committee voted to increase a previously announced Old-Growth Nature Fund to $82

million from $50 million. The motion Weiler submitted last week calls on the federal government to speed up the rollout of that fund before the end of 2023.

Weiler says the federal government is still negotiating with the B.C. government to match the fund and boost it to $164 million.

“There’s less than eight per cent of bigtreed old growth left in B.C.—we really need to protect this as quickly as possible,” he said.

HOW OLD IS OLD GROWTH?

Weiler acknowledged defining what counts as old-growth trees would be a challenging but not an insurmountable obstacle. Part of the challenge comes from Canada’s vast size— each province has its own definition, often a reflection of the variety of forest ecosystems that span the country.

In B.C.—where old-growth forests have acted as flash-points for the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history—the province has two definitions: coastal old growth must be at least 250 years old to qualify, while in many Interior forests, the minimum age is 140 years. But foresters disagree on those age thresholds, with their definitions climbing two to three times higher, says Nemeth.

On the other side of the country, Nova Scotian old-growth stands must be at least

125 years old. Go to Ontario, and you’ll find 59 sub-definitions of old growth. And in Saskatchewan, the definition of old trees varies from minimum age of 91 years for hardwood and 101 years for softwood, according to one 2020 analysis.

So long as it’s scientifically defensible, Weiler said defining old growth should be left to Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

Banning the export of old growth could be trickier, Weiler said, and would need to go through consultation with the provincial governments and Indigenous peoples.

“We need to make sure it’s World Trade Organization-compliant,” he said. “And so my hope would be that it would take much less time than 2030 to put that into place, but absolutely no later than 2030.”

Weiler says that while his motion targets old-growth logging, he said all levels of government need to do more to support a sustainable logging industry that would get more value out of the country’s forests.

Weiler said he has received support for the motion from a number of other MPs.

Private members’ motions are considered through a lottery system Weiler says has put him behind several of his fellow parliamentarians. If adopted, such motions do not bind governments to a specific policy direction or course of action. n

Zero Ceiling’s co-director resigns after seven years at the helm

CHRIS WRIGHTSON WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN GROWING THE WHISTLER NONPROFIT AND THE SUPPORTS IT PROVIDES TO UNDERHOUSED YOUTH

BY BRANDON BARRETT

WHEN CHRIS WRIGHTSON first joined Zero Ceiling, the Whistler-based non-profit dedicated to ending youth homelessness, she slotted into an administrative role that, in all honesty, she was overqualified for.

Although she initially applied for the executive director position, Wrightson was eager to be a part of the organization that provides supportive housing and employment to young people experiencing homelessness.

“I knew from all the work I’d done in Australia that there was magic that happens in this organization. It had all the elements of what we know works,” she said.

In short order, Wrightson and Sean Easton became co-executive directors, then the organization’s only employees, a decision that reflected the immense workload they had in front of them.

“Deciding to be co-EDs and to have that approach was actually the first innovative decision that we made in this journey,” Wrightson recalled. “I was thinking about how the hallmarks of that co-ED model— sharing power, trust, honesty, collaboration, compromise—have filtered through into the culture of the organization as well. And what’s happened in the last seven years, it’s beyond what I ever could have imagined.”

Wrightson took stock of her time at the organization at Zero Ceiling’s AGM last Friday, May 5, when she announced she was resigning from the co-executive director role.

“The reason I’m stepping down is because I’m burnt out. I’m tired. I got a concussion a few months ago that I haven’t been able to totally recover from either, so just taking some time to get better,” an emotional Wrightson said to the 40 or so gathered Zero Ceiling members and staff at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. “I feel Zero Ceiling is in such a good place for leadership transition. We have been working really hard to have those diverse funding streams to help build the structure of the organization. We have an amazing staff team and incredible programs thanks to Sean and his team, so we’re excited.”

The Zero Ceiling of today looks far different than it did when Wrightson first joined. The organization now pays a living wage to 11 full-time and four part-time staff, plus a roster of seven casual staff who provide coverage for youth workers and overnight support. Its budget has diversified, growing to roughly $1.7 million last year, and in 2021, it inked a deal with the Whistler Housing Authority after years of searching to secure a three-bedroom unit in Cheakamus Crossing for three of its female Work 2 Live participants.

In 2022, Zero Ceiling supported 10 Work 2 Live participants, along with its roster of program graduates, and welcomed more than 500 youth into its Adventure Sessions program, which introduces young, underhoused adults to alpine sports.

G arr y Wats on

September 3, 1933 - April 6, 2023

A visionar y, trusted mentor and guiding hand in the creation, growth and maturation of Whistler

B orn in Stewar t, B C , Garr y and his family so on moved to the mining town of Wymer, B C , b efore moving to Vancouver and then on to the mining town of Buchans, Newfoundland He completed his high scho ol years while at a b oarding scho ol in St. John’s b efore sp ending 7 years in Halifax, eventually graduating in law f rom Dalhousie b efore returning to Vancouver to practice law at Davis & C o. and later at Thorsteinssons and C o

What’s more is Zero Ceiling has increasingly taken a vocal advocacy role in recent years, lobbying officials at the local, provincial and federal levels on issues of housing, youth mental health, decolonization, and more.

“The courage to challenge is really important, like challenging ourselves, challenging the organization and the community, challenging government, all the power structures, and making the changes that need to happen so that we’re not only helping the youth that we support, but we’re changing the systems that create a situation where youth children end up living on the street,” Wrightson said.

As it has worked to decolonize its own culture and practices, Zero Ceiling has also completely restructured its internal organization, which included the addition of “resident Auntie” Anita Patrick, director of the N’quatqua Child and Family Development Centre, for Work 2 Live participants and grads to lean on when they need support.

“I know what I do is meaningful when I have a lineup waiting for me for hugs. I know it’s meaningful by the appreciation and the respect I get,” she said at Friday’s AGM. “Being Auntie has been phenomenal for me and I really appreciate the love and support Zero Ceiling has for the youth.”

With her parting words, Wrightson urged the Zero Ceiling family to continue the important work they do “leading with our hearts, leading with love—that’s really central to what we do.”

That mantra might as well describe Wrightson herself, said board chair Tanya Kong.

“Chris is a leader of the heart,” she said. “It is such a gift to all of us in this world to have somebody who is constantly thinking about everyone else and their community.”

Wrightson is slated to stay on in her role until mid-July. Zero Ceiling said it will announce its new co-executive director by that time.

For more information, and to donate, visit zeroceiling.org. n

Garr y first came to Whistler by train in 1961 He was awestr uck by his first view of Whistler Valley f rom the p eak of Whistler Mountain and decided then and there to make Whistler his home. He ser ved three terms as a Municipal C ouncillor f rom 1970-1975 His many contributions to Whistler’s early planning, financing and Village design, its governance and bylaws, prop er ty taxes, employee housing policies, health care and much more, were well do cumented by a presentation made by the Whistler Museum to the May 2 C ouncil meeting, following a civic reception to honour Garr y ’ s role as one of Whistler's “Founding Fathers “ The video can b e viewed by watching the star t of the May 2nd council meeting at whistler.ca.

His many accolades include Freeman of the Resor t Municipality (1980), the highest honour which lo cal government can b estow up on a p erson for their civic contribution, hence Municipal flags at half-mast for a week following his death He was Citizen of the Year (2005) and received a C ommunity Achievement award f rom the B C Lt Governor in 2008 He was given a lifetime ski pass by Franz Wilhelmson, which he put to go o d use

Garr y will b e rememb ered as a fun-loving guy whose spark ling eyes and engaging smile made ever yone feel sp ecial. He was a great stor y-teller and loved to make p eople laugh. He was an accomplished law yer, a community champion, and a tireless man of action

Garr y is sur vived by his b eloved wife of 36 years, Anne Popma, his sister Holly B ayley (Victoria), his daughter Shelley Saldat and her two daughters, Jackie Saldat and Josie Saldat (all of Victoria), his son Rob Watson (Penticton) and Rob’s daughter Lili Watson (Vancouver)

For those wishing to do something in memor y of Garr y, a donation to the Whistler Museum’s new building fund would b e most appreciated Go to whistlermuseum.org/ or whistlerfoundation.com

LEADING WITH LOVE Zero Ceiling co-executive directors Sean Easton and Chris Wrightson, right.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

B.C.’s last wildlife control officer shares stories of dealing with predators

DENNIS PEMBLE RELEASED HIS MEMOIR, WRITTEN ALONGSIDE WIFE KAREN, IN MARCH

BY MEGAN LALONDE

DENNIS PEMBLE knows how it feels to stand face-to-face with a growling cougar.

The retired wildlife control officer also knows how it feels to have that cougar’s life in his hands.

He recounted an instance when the animal was spotted in residential areas in Squamish, killing pets. Pemble was tasked with resolving the issue. His hounds had driven the young cougar into a tree, suspended over a cliff.

“If I tranquilize it, it’s gonna fall off a cliff and die,” he said. “My only other option is to shoot it, because if we just let it go, it’s going to go back and start killing dogs and cats again.”

Instead, Pemble tied a few dog leashes together into a makeshift lasso. “It took me quite a few tries, but I finally got the lasso around its neck and I pulled the cat out of the tree,” he recalled. He and two other officers managed to tranquilize and relocate the animal.

An image of that encounter graces the cover of Pemble’s book, The Last Wildlife Control Officer in British Columbia: Thirty years of dealing with problem predators.

Published in March of this year, it features 36 short stories about the most compelling run-ins Pemble experienced in his 30 years on the job, spanning from the late 1970s to his

retirement 15 years ago. Pemble and his wife Karen, who live in Abbotsford, co-wrote the memoir from their Shuswap Lake cabin over several months, drawing from the detailed daily diaries Pemble was ordered to keep over those three decades. It has already earned a spot on FriesenPress’ best sellers’ list.

Pemble spent “30 years chasing grizzly bears, cougars and black bears and anything that was causing problems with human safety or livestock,” he told Pique. Those pursuits pulled him across the Lower Mainland, from

the Fraser Canyon and Manning Park to the Sea to Sky corridor and Sunshine Coast.

According to Pemble’s records, he dealt with 45 grizzlies, 709 black bears, 161 cougars, 495 coyotes and five wolves over the course of his career. “I also [responded to] thousands of complaints,” he said. “I didn’t get every animal that I went out to find.”

Of those 45 grizzlies, he shot just two. One was charging him, the other was “skin and bones,” after breaking into a logging camp cookhouse, and wasn’t suited to relocation.

The province hired Pemble full-time in 1978 “to go out and pretty much shoot every animal that was a problem,” he remembered. “I was lucky I was given a tranquilizer gun so I took it on myself—because my bosses kind of let me do whatever I needed to do—and I started tranquilizing.”

Those relocation attempts weren’t always successful, as was the case with two separate livestock-killing grizzlies Pemble caught in the Pemberton Valley. One was released in Manning Park, near the U.S. border, the other on the far side of the Fraser Canyon. Both were radio-collared, and both returned to Pemberton in short order. “In one month, [one] was back in the same turkey shed,” Pemble recalled. “The farmer shot him and killed him.”

Still, the government’s approach to wildlife has shifted since the ’70s, and even in the 15 years since his retirement, Pemble acknowledged, putting more of the onus on the public to manage wildlife attractants. “They fine people for having garbage out,” he said. “It’s changed a lot.” Those changes are “wonderful,” in Pemble’s view.

You can purchase a copy of The Last Wildlife Control Officer in British Columbia: Thirty years of dealing with problem predators online from FriesenPress at tinyurl.com/ yc82p2z2, or order from Whistler’s Armchair Books. n

CAT AND MOUSE Dennis Pemble attempts to get a cougar out of a tree using a makeshift lasso.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Whistler’s Walk for Alzheimer’s returns for another year

ANNUAL EVENT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST FUNDRAISERS FOR THE ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY IN THE PROVINCE

BY ROBERT WISLA

WHEN WHISTLER held its first Walk for Alzheimer’s event in 2017—a smaller version of the larger, annual Alzheimer’s Society fundraiser—no one knew how much money the community would raise.

Organizers were pleasantly surprised.

“We raised a little over $10,000, which was very surprising for the society for a small community that just came out of nowhere to them, because we hadn’t been included before. It’s mainly been in larger communities,” said Erika Durlacher, committee chair for Whistler’s IG Wealth Management Walk For Alzheimer’s.

Each year has proved more successful than the last. Though COVID-19 threw the local organizing committee a curveball in 2020, members still managed to raise funds through individual walks around their properties and local parks. The walk relaunched in-person last year with a significant turnout, and organizers hope to keep the momentum up this year for its sixth instalment.

This year’s walk is set for Sunday, May 28.

“I see the need in the community for this now. They need that support,” Durlacher said. “The community is aging, and there are many wonderful people who were part of our foundation here many years ago, and they don’t want to leave, and they have their homes here, and this is their community, but they need support.”

Alzheimer’s is a severe neurodegenerative disease that leads to memory impairment, dementia and a slow loss of bodily functions that can last years, ultimately leading to death.

Between 50 to 60 million people live with the disease across the globe, with the majority of cases affecting people over 65. Approximately 85,000 British Columbians are living with it, or some form of dementia, and more than two-thirds of British Columbians have personally known someone who has had it.

As Whistler ages, the issue of cognitive

decline will become a more significant challenge for many people and their families in the community. According to Statistics Canada, between 2016 and 2021, Whistler’s population aged 65 and over doubled from 555 (6.3 per cent of the total population) to 1,265 (nine per cent).

There is growing support for those with dementia in Whistler; following a successful pilot, the Whistler Mature Action Committee (MAC) created a permanent Making Connections program that helps people with dementia and their caregivers by slowing cognitive decline and allowing them to socialize with others in the same situation.

According to Durlacher, the next step for Whistler is to become a recognized, dementia-friendly community—a process that will include improved education in the community and developing and implementing a dementia-friendly action plan.

“We actively train various sectors within a municipality, such as [the] library, recreation, first responders, transportation, community centres, etc., and have educational materials and resources readily available,” Durlacher said. “If there is an opportunity to bring training to any of these groups (or more) in the near future, as we build momentum for a dementia-friendly Whistler, we would be happy to arrange.”

Online registration is now open for the Whistler walk, and is encouraged. However, in-person registration is allowed and begins at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church on May 28, with the walk around the Whistler Golf Course starting shortly after at 10:30 a.m.

The fundraiser will include food donated by Nesters Market, a silent auction, and a raffle for various prizes. The funds go directly to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s and helping folks impacted by the disease connect with community, information and support. Thanks to the Clark Family Foundation, all donations made online before the walk will be matched up to $10,000.

Learn more about the event at walkforalzheimers.ca n

May 14th, 2023

Reservations Available from 7 am - 2 pm

$79 per adult - Includes complimentary Mimosa $29 per child (12 years old and under)

High Tea Station

Prime rib, honey glazed ham and salmon carving Eggs benny station

Classic brunch options

Pastry buffet

Excellent vegan options

WALK THE WALK Some of the participants in Whistler’s 2022 Walk for Alzheimer’s. Left to right: David Bell, Erika Durlacher, Andy Szocs, Councillor Cathy Jewett, and Mayor Jack Crompton.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Improv and Acting Camps at The Point Artist-Run Centre

with Ira Pettle Ages 8-10 & 10+

July 3 rd- 7 th & July 31 st- August 4 th

Creative Art Camps

with Aude Ray AM Ages 6-8/PM Ages 9-12

August 21 st- 25 th

with Papa Josh Ages 8-Teens Into the Groove Band Camps

July 17 th- 21 st & July 24 th- 28 th

Kids Creative Music Camp

with Aude Ray Ages 6-9

August 28 th-September 1 st

www.thepointartists.com

Early bird pricing until May 14th

Summer Workshop Series

These week-long workshops, designed for students ages 11-18, will focus on architecture, carving, and photography, working from strengths of the Museum’s Permanent Collection and the success of past Special Exhibitions

July 10 - 14 | Erin Hogue, Professional Photographer

July 24 - 28 | Gwaliga Hart, Carver

August 7 - 11 | Christian Huizenga, Architect & Artist

Registration opens soon for Summer Workshops! Visit audainartmuseum.com for details.

These camps can be art/sport/nature focused and be offered day and/or overnight This program offers financial support for children to attend organized camps Grants of up to $200 per child per year are available

For more information call 604-932-0113 or visit myWCSS org

Whistler Sport Legacies

Sport, arts & more in Cheakamus!

Four fun & active camp options for ages 6-15: Multi-Sport Camp

• Ages 6–9 & 10–12, $272/$340 (4/5 days)

• July 4–7; July 17–21; July 31–August 4; August 21–25; August 28–September 1

Art & Multi-Sport Camp

• Ages 6–9 & 10–12, $340 (5 days)

• July 10–14; July 24–28; August 14–18

Freestyle Ski & Multi-Sport Camp

• Ages 10–15, $272 (4 days)

• August 8–11

Soccer Camp

• Ages 8–11 & 12–15, $215 (5 half days)

• August 7–11

Qualified coaches and camp staff focus on physical literacy and age appropriate skill development in a positive & safe environment Inclusive for all abilities in cooperation with Whistler Adaptive!

Register Now: Whistlersportlegacies.com/ SummerCamps

Photo by Hailey Learmonth

Lil’wat Nation Open Rodeo returning to Mount Currie

THE LONG-RUNNING EVENT IS SCHEDULED FOR THE MAY LONG WEEKEND AND IS OPEN TO BOTH ADULT AND YOUTH COMPETITORS

BY DAVID SONG

A BELOVED LIL’WAT tradition is returning to Spud Valley.

The Lil’wat Nation Open Rodeo will take place from May 20 to 23 at the Lillooet Lake Rodeo Grounds in Mount Currie. The threeday event spotlights amateur rodeo stars from across British Columbia, featuring bull riding, steer wrestling, bronc riding and ladies’ barrel racing as the marquee events. Other rodeo staples like team roping and tie-down roping will also be featured.

Cowboys and cowgirls will arrive from as far as Quesnel and the Okanagan Valley to saddle up.

“It’s always a positive thing to be supporting positive events that the community comes together [for], and to showcase our own athletes,” said Lil’wat Nation Chief Dean Nelson. “We’ll hope to see a lot of people there [who will] see what the rodeo is, what it means for the community and the athletes—not just the human athletes but [also] the horses they ride and take care of.”

The competition isn’t just for adults. Teens aged 16 and under will be able to participate in steer riding, barrel racing and breakaway roping, gaining valuable experience as they

work their way toward the senior ranks.

Even children who are 10 years old and younger will have an opportunity to be part of the festivities by way of pee-wee barrel racing. In this event, kids ride on a horse led by a parent or guardian, who aids them in navigating through a series of barrels.

“Those little legs can barely reach the stirrups, but they’re just getting familiar with the event and as well connecting with their horse, so it’s quite a thing for our very

A RICH HERITAGE

Mount Currie has historically produced a respectable number of cowboys. Bruce has been involved with the Lillooet Lake rodeo for about a decade, but says that it dates back to the 1970s and was once frequented by all sorts of colourful characters—including Hells Angels bikers and the occasional uninvited guest.

Bruce added that support for the Lil’wat Rodeo has been “overwhelming” in the past, with Mount Currie residents often inquiring about the event months before it takes place. Nonetheless, any and all sponsorship from local businesses and the Village of Pemberton (VOP) in terms of prizes, supplies and cash donations will continue to be important.

young,” remarked Lil’wat Nation Councillor Maxine Bruce.

A COVID-necessitated two-year hiatus couldn’t dampen the spirits of Mount Currie rodeo fans, who returned with fervour in 2022. According to Bruce, last year’s iteration of the contest reached a single-day attendance high of more than 1,100 people—too many for the area’s existing bleachers to accommodate. Fortunately, rodeo organizers have raised enough funds to purchase newer, larger bleachers from Alberta.

“I remember my mom laughing in the audience [one year] because there were some streakers running across the rodeo arena,” Bruce recalled.

Nowadays, a new generation of athletes is champing at the bit to make their mark.

“There’s a few of our guys that have been putting a lot of effort into the sport of bull riding, and then we have a lot of our young ladies that are going into the equestrian sports, like barrel racing,” Bruce said. “The way that they train together with their horses is such an amazing thing, just to see how much they care for [them].”

At the May 9 Village of Pemberton council meeting, Pemberton’s elected representatives agreed to put $500 towards supporting the pee-wee barrel race.

An official sponsorship request signed by Nelson estimated the rodeo’s total costs at more than $90,000. Expenses include the need to arrange for ambulance services, pay judges and announcers, rent out portable toilets, and compensate livestock contractors for providing the animals that will star in the show.

The rodeo is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, May 20 with a parade on what locals call “Fun Day.” Guests of all ages are invited to partake in various carnivalstyle activities such as footraces, pie and watermelon eating contests, and an infamous tug of war that pits men against women. Normal rodeo disciplines will begin in earnest the following day.

“Fun Day isn’t so much a rodeo, but a community event that everyone comes out to and participates in,” said Nelson. “It’s a very fun, [family-oriented] time.”

More information is available online at lilwat.ca/open-rodeo. n

SADDLE UP A cowboy locks horns with an ornery bull at the Lil’wat Nation Open Rodeo.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MAXINE BRUCE

“The way that they train together with their horses is such an amazing thing, just to see how much they care for [them].”

- MAXINE BRUCE

‘Wildfire is a risk to the entire region’

SLRD BRIEFS: PERMITTING, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT GOES DIGITAL

BY ROBERT WISLA

ON APRIL 26, residents of the community of Bralorne, located 75 kilometres north of the Village of Pemberton, came close to an early spring wildfire.

Shortly after smoke started billowing near the edge of the historic mining town from the Cadwallader Creek wildfire, local residents, firefighters and BC Wildfire Service personnel jumped into action. Thankfully, the situation was under control before significant damage to the community could occur.

The blaze came on the heels of a more extensive 20-hectare wildfire north of Lillooet, on the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation in Area B of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) on April 18, which resulted in the region’s first evacuation alert of the 2023 season. Fortunately, the BCWS and local fire crews quickly got the South East Skwish Creek Fire under control and extinguished it.

These early spring wildfires in the SLRD serve as a crucial reminder of the importance of FireSmarting properties and preparing for worst-case scenarios as the province’s fire seasons grow longer and more severe.

To help residents prepare for potential wildfires, the SLRD, in partnership with the Union of BC Municipalities’ Resiliency Investment Program and Landscope Consulting, offers up to $500 in FireSmart program rebates to eligible property owners in the four electoral areas of the regional district.

“This is really important work, and we’d like to see as much participation as possible,” Area C Director Russell Mack said in a release. “Wildfire is a risk to the entire region, and every one of us has a part to play in helping to reduce that risk.”

More information about FireSmart and the rebate program is available on the SLRD website: slrd.bc.ca/FireSmart.

PERMITTING, ENGAGEMENT GOES DIGITAL

A new online building permit application and inspection request system at the SLRD aims to improve permitting efficiency at the regional district.

The SLRD believes the online system, which operates from Cloudpermit, a cloudbased permitting software used by various local governments across the province, will be more user-friendly and simplify the process for submitting documents. Users will be able to store records digitally in one place, track the status of their permit, access interactive maps, see the results of inspections, and contact the building department via the text and chat system.

“As we head into the busy building season, we’re extremely pleased to have this new system in place for the public,” Mack said in a release. “The SLRD’s building permit and inspection process is now at your fingertips, making it easier than ever to access.”

The regional district’s building department must process all permitting applications for all four electoral areas that comprise the SLRD. This includes the rapidly growing and remote Bridge River Region (Area A), the Pemberton Meadows (Area C), rural areas surrounding Lillooet (Area B), and the expanding communities of Furry Creek and Britannia Beach (Area D).

In 2022, the SLRD received 92 building permit applications and issued 103 building permits. With improved efficiency, the streamlined approval process will allow staff to access and review projects remotely.

While property owners are encouraged to use the online system, paper forms can still be accessed on the SLRD website. Read more at slrd.bc.ca/building-permits.

Meanwhile, the SLRD is also launching new tools to improve how it communicates and engages with residents.

The new tools include an SLRD-focused email newsletter consisting of highlights from the SLRD board and committee meetings, project and initiative updates, and general news on the activities of the regional district.

“We have heard from the community that they are looking for tools like these in order to better connect and engage with the SLRD,” board chair Jen Ford said in a release. “The Regional District is a unique model of government, in that it brings together unincorporated, rural communities with the municipalities in the region, ensuring that all

• Clay Pots + Containers

• Bagged Soils

• Seeds + Seed Potatoes

• Dahlia Tubers

• Hanging Baskets

• Annuals + Perennials

• Garden Tools

• Bulk Compost, Topsoil + Turf Blend

RUMMAGE AND PLANT SALE FUNDRAISER

residents have representation.”

In addition to the newsletter, the SLRD officially launched the Get Involved SLRD online engagement platform, where residents can engage in various projects by offering feedback and input. The engagement opportunities will vary depending on the scope of each project. The overall goal is to implement a system that facilitates engagement and sharing of information wherever possible.

“It’s not enough to simply have representation from elected officials acting on our constituents’ behalf,” Ford said. “It’s important that we do everything we can to facilitate two-way communication and conversations that can have an impact on the decisions we make at the Board table. We need to inform the community, but we also need to also invite people to participate in decisions that affect them.”

Saturday, May 13th • 10am - 3pm

Please help us support our refugee family from Eritrea

We are continuing to raise funds for their first-year introduction to a new community and new countr y. Donations of gently used goods may be dropped off at the church on Friday, May 12th between 2pm and 6pm. 7226 Fitzsimmons Road, North NO BOOKS PLEASE

n

“We have heard from the community that they are looking for tools like these...”

- JEN FORD

Old enough to feel it—but not enough to stop

ONE REALITY of the active Whistler lifestyle is taking your turn to sit out a few rounds. From the pro athletes who make everything look easy to the rank-and-file recreationists who barely get more time on their toys than the weekend warriors, there comes a time when it all catches

BY VINCE

up with you. An injury isn’t just an annoying inconvenience. Around here it’s an inevitability.

I’m currently in my fourth week of wearing an arm sling. The first question my friends and  neighbours ask is: “What happened?” or “What did you do (this time)?” Rather than answer with the typical Whistler story of “I was trying this cool thing,” I tell them, “This was scheduled surgery. I’m really happy that I got it.”

People tend to associate surgeries with catastrophic injuries from crashes and collisions, ones that require bone-setting, ligament-fixing and maybe a plate or two screwed in to hold it all together. And that happens every day in Whistler, as you’ve

probably witnessed if you’ve spent any time at all in the Whistler Medical Clinic Emergency Room. But for the maturing Whistler lifer, there’s also the type of injury that accumulates over months or years. In my case, it’s my shoulders.

I’ve had a wonky left shoulder since I was a kid, an unfortunate genetic trait handed down from my grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. My mom and my uncles have it, as do my brother and the majority of my cousins

waiting list to get my labrum stitched back to where it belongs. That was 12 years ago.

In the spring of 2022, my enthusiasm for jumping back on the bike got the better of me. It was the opening week of the bike park, and the dirt was perfect. There were no lines, and I was railing berms thinking I was going to have the best season ever on my bikes. Then I came out of a berm with speed and lost control trying to cross the trail to ride a small side-hit jump. I came down with enough force to break

top of that, the second MRI revealed that it’s only a matter of time before my right shoulder starts having the same issues, so I received a recommendation from my surgeon to get that fixed this year as well, albeit a few months later so I don’t have to don dualling slings.

With the relatively long rehab times, these two surgeries mean I’m off my favourite activities of skiing and biking for the next eight months. This would have been devastating news 10 years ago, but I have a more optimistic view of it now. I’m 41 years old. If I can get another 15 years of relatively high performance out of my body, I’ll be happy. But I need these surgeries now in order to secure that future.

on that side of the family. For some of them, it meant surgeries of their own, and having to quit their weekend rugby or basketball games for good. For others, it meant a careful lifestyle of not putting their shoulders into vulnerable positions such as diving off a boat or even vacuuming under furniture.

I was more or less making it work with my shoulder the first few years in Whistler— until I started riding the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. After a painful first season, I was determined not to let my body hold me back from enjoying my favourite double-black trails, so I put myself on the orthopaedic surgeon’s

my aluminum handlebar in two, and bruised every joint on my left side.

But I walked away from the crash. The damage did not become apparent until a week or so later, when I was rehabbing my left shoulder with a resistance band physio exercise and my shoulder dislocated with very little force. The ER doctor who put me back together that day shook her head at the X-rays and gave me an immediate referral to see my orthopaedic surgeon. Two MRIs and several months later, I was back on the operating table to fix the previous repair I’d managed to blow up from my sizable bike crash. On

I’ve already come to terms with the idea that I’ve likely peaked in my recreation pursuits, at least in terms of how much risk I’m taking on jumps, drops and scary steep terrain features. But am I going to step back from my favourite trails and my recentlyfound diversion of snowmobiling? Hell no. But I do need to follow the example of the Whistler veterans in their 40s and 50s who are still able to give it some send on their days off. That means spending the time to rehab properly from my surgeries and prepare my body for the seasonal abuse it’s inevitably going to receive once I’m back. Until then, I’d better find some low-impact hobbies.

Vince Shuley is old enough to feel it but not old enough to stop. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider email vince.shuley@ gmail.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■

I’ve

already come to terms with the idea that I’ve likely peaked in my recreation pursuits…

SHULEY

CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP Sometimes missing a season or two is what you need to get the most out of your lifestyle in the long run.

PHOTO BY VINCE SHULEY

STORY AND PHOTOS BY tobias c. van Veen

In the Green Room with the Painted People

THE ENERGY BACKSTAGE IS INFECTIOUS, scarcely contained by the scant clothing, gold paint and glitter. Arriving at the Tantalus Twist, Quest University’s Last Drag Show, I am surrounded by a handful of drag queens, two green aliens basking in their posthuman nudity, an escapee from an insane asylum with her mouth sewn shut known as Patient Zero, and a cadre of manly janitors. I am uncertain of who or what I am being surrounded by otherwise: here a nipple from taped cleavage, there a shaved buttock and a hairy breast. It is as if I have finally been abducted by the Rocky Horror Picture Show—which, for me, was the first time I looked at a boy (oh, Tim Curry) and realized that gender didn’t necessarily have anything to do with desire. Navigating sumptuous bodies and brash falsies, I thread my way past the long and sharp claws of Maiden Wonderland, a goth-like creature with black spiderwebs around her eyes and a 19th-century froth of wild hair. Nearly everyone is in a delightful stage of undress, while at the same time, cross-dressing in ways that reveal the imaginative extravagance of gender, or rather, a gendering unbound to the general dichotomy of our species.

Having everyone in close quarters is also a novelty. For some students, this is the first year they’ve ever been in a university classroom, having undertaken years of education through remote learning and dorm-room isolation. So, this is also the first time since 2019, following the long tail of the pandemic, that the performers have applied their make-up together without isolation or masking. And now it will be the last time.

The first drag show, co-founded in 2017 by student Tierney Hula, a.k.a. Rex Pistols, was named “Tantalus Teasers.” Every year it has gone ahead, the name has changed—first to Tantalus Tea, then Truth, then Taboo. It ends with the Twister.

The drag show was not always so readily accepted on campus. Despite there never being a scandal or incident, various interests subtly (and not-so subtly) sought to reign-in the drag show over the years. All throughout, the Tantalus Drag Collective has persevered, only stopping when pandemic restrictions forced it to.

The Last Drag Show is an emotional affair. While everyone backstage is amped for a wild and exciting soirée, thanks to delectable emcee Candy Craving and her cracking wit, the electric atmosphere is nonetheless twisted. This is what I imagine the name “Tantalus Twist” implies, given the turmoil

It is by some combination of accident and some level of providence that we have ended up with a show that does a very good job of representing everything the Quest Drag Show has ever been. . . . It’s a sampling of everything we’ve tried to do.

— MAIDEN WONDERLAND

CANDY CRAVING

MAIDEN WONDERLAND

of emotions felt when a much-beloved and prized institution succumbs to the land-grabbing ravages of investor capital.

Quest emerged from bankruptcy proceedings in 2021 after handing over its property, buildings, and assets to Primacorp, a market-driven manager of educational institutions, namely business schools. Taking on Quest’s debt, Primacorp lent the university just enough operational funds to survive what turned out to be two more years. At the same time, Primacorp undertook what critics saw as an ill-advised re-branding of Quest, swapping its outdoor-oriented vibe for a bizschool colour palette that seemed to be copped from a local construction company. It’s almost like Quest was forced to perform an inauthentic version of itself, putting on corporate falsies for the sole sake of its new owners.

And so, 12 years since Quest first opened its doors, and some 25 years since former UBC President David Strangway envisioned Quest as the ideal evolution of UBC’s Arts One program, Quest is closing its doors. Who will tell its history? What stories will remain? And who will believe that, right there in Squamish, was one of the world’s most innovative arts and sciences colleges in the world?

Quest’s impact extended far beyond the classroom. Not only will its loss lead to a measurable impact on Squamish’s economy, it is the erasure of its culture that will do incalculable harm to Squamish’s future. For Quest was no ordinary university: its small seminars integrated applied learning with Indigenous outreach; its classes often explored B.C.’s great outdoors; and its program eschewed majors, instead calling for students to craft a “question” that navigated through a hybrid approach to both the sciences and the arts. Quest produced some of the most inventive young people I have ever seen , organizing arts festivals, DJ nights, and all manner of activities all throughout town. Including drag shows. And though every teacher says such things of their students—I taught at Quest for seven years as an itinerant sessional in the social sciences and humanities—I can only say that I’ve never seen students achieve so much with so little, with a disproportionate number admitted by top graduate schools.

As for me, I am fighting back some tears as I shoot and capture what will be my last visit to campus. The doors were shuttered on April 30. What will happen to the campus is anyone’s guess, and it appears that even Primacorp doesn’t know. Atop that hill is an empty carcass of what was once a thriving culture of curious intellect.

But the show must go on. The performers are waiting in the wings. The audience is semi-sloshed and already titillated. What follows is a series of on-the-fly interviews, excerpts, and images from Quest University’s Last Drag Show. Long may the bared-naked spirit of Quest fly free!

Maiden Wonderland

MAIDEN WONDERLAND, performed by 2023 graduating student Gerhardt Troan, has been performing in the Drag Show since its second edition in 2018. His character comes into being—or rather, in his words, becoming —with every performance, dying onstage during his second appearance, and being resurrected, like a phoenix from the ashes, for the very last Drag Show this year.

is how Maiden Wonderland has grown with me. I am always using her to explore griefs, uncertainties, anxieties that I don’t quite understand myself. So, the resurrection of Maiden Wonderland to the tune of ‘I Will Never Die’ is also about letting go of loves that no longer work for you. Ultimately all of this is figuring out how can I, and how can this character, carry on without Quest? Without that in the world, what does this mean? And I don’t know yet.”

David BastardAttenborough’s Aliens

PAINTED BLUE AND GREEN, it is difficult to miss the alien beings performed by second-year Quest students Isis DeVries and Jake Linnon. Both of them are uncertain of their futures—”we have to transfer out of here,” says Linnon—and it hits me how difficult it might be for the two to be separated following the collapse of Quest. I asked them, why perform as some kind of alien?

“I’m trying to get outside the human into posthumanism,” says Alien Isis.

The performance hacks the familiar narratives of National Geographic to create a mock alien documentary, entitled “Fornicatus Momentus.” By sampling the audio narratives of David Attenborough, Isis cut-and-spliced his voice so that it sounds like he is describing a new alien species, one that has very different genderings than us Earthlings are used to.

Isis describes the process: “In our piece I stole clips from David Attenborough, and on purpose changed the gender a few times. It says ‘her,’ then ‘his’, then ‘they.’”

“While figuring out how to move our bodies we were mostly looking at insects,” Isis adds. “What actually came to be our show is still very primate, as we are super-primates... but we try to move and be like an alien insect, like a preying mantis.”

While the choreography and audio presentation evidently took extensive work, the look itself was beautifully improvised in the coming-together of the characters in the green room. “I came up with the look in the last three hours,” says Isis. “I wasn’t going for anything other than obviously not of this world,” they say, pointing out the geometric designs that adorn their body paint from head-to-toe.

Jake credits the invention and idea all to Isis, while reflecting on the process. “I like being painted and trying to get into the mind-state of an alien creature. I think I kind of combine all the things I’ve seen on National Geographic to create some otherworldly creature,” he says.

PRIDE Squamish

GLOWING BEHIND THE PRIDE Squamish table is Trevor Wulff, a two-spirited member of Ashcroft First Nation and co-founder of PRIDE Squamish.

“Personally, I’ve been coming since the inception in 2017,” says Trevor. “The Drag Show has been amazing for Pride Squamish the past several years. Gerhardt [Troan] is on the board now. It’s so great to be part of an amazing team.”

FORNICATUS MOMENTUS

“It’s an overwhelming and powerful feeling. I feel so much joy and so much pride in what everyone has created, and so much love for everyone. And also a great deal of terror, honestly, and a great deal of sadness,” Troan says. “This might not be the last time I play this character, but this will be the last time I play this character in the context of her creation. So, the rebirth is fitting but also tragic in that sense. When I’m on the stage in an hour, I will be actively saying goodbye to... all of this. And that’s deeply impactful for me. It was literally on the stage of the Quest Drag Show that I considered the possibility that I’m not just another straight guy, which was a harrowing experience in many ways, the most public possible space in which to experience an internal realization like that.

“But a lot of what has kept me going through the character

PIQUE: How does it feel to have students come to Quest, discover drag, and maybe discover a bit more about themselves through the process?

“Being a farm kid from Brackendale, born-and-raised in what was once a small logging town, it’s so good to see. I never thought I would see the day that we have a rainbow crosswalk. It’s so good to see that the work that we do [is making] everyone feel welcome to live their authentic lives.

“We’ve come a long way,” Wulff says of Squamish. “There’s still a big path in front of us in regards to equal rights and OneLove and acceptance, but we’re doing the work, and that’s really important.”

What do you see for the future of the Drag Show with Quest gone?

“I think they have contributed so much to our community and

LUCY LOVELESS & KATYA HART

to Squamish that I would back them in any way possible, for them to continue doing the amazing shows that they do.”

Why does this show matter so much to the performers and the audience?

“It matters because everyone should feel like they are welcome and that they belong, and that they can be safe to live their authentic self. In the small logger’s town in which I was born and raised, that wasn’t OK. So, it’s beautiful and amazing to see the acceptance the show brings to the community.”

What does an “authentic self” mean to you?

“Being able to live your true self—dress how you want, be truthful to your soul, and have the support around that, that you know you are safe and you are loved and appreciated.”

The Janitors: Johnny, Ronny, Donny & Paul

DURING BREAK, I am accosted by the janitors, a polyquad of short, lithe men wearing work clothes with massive growths of unruly black hair poking out from their pants. The janitors are first-year Quest students with amazing spunk—Becs, Laïyane, Lillian, and Mia—and their performance ups the ante on the eroticism of crossdressing cowboys, K.D Lang-style.

How did you all get into janitorial services?

“You see, we all went to janitor school together, then we went our separate ways, and we decided to reunite, come back together,” says Donny, with about three-days of painted-on stubble emphasizing the Joisey accent. Meanwhile, Paul recounts how he has been travelling California with his band, hitting loads of “waves and barrels; it was amazing, dude.”

Apparently, Donny has been happily married to a Sheila for 40 years, but “she’s not here tonight”—and not supposed to be here.

“The boys get together, they stay together,” says Johnny. Pretty soon the chops are dropped. “Ah ya baby, this is my lover,” says Donny, curling up close to Johnny.

Olivia Fuller, ‘Oh! Shit’ Punk Guitarist Extraordinaire

“I PLAY IN A PUNK ROCK BAND, but I kind of hate it. I love playing punk music, it’s so much fun, but I kind of have to hide that feminine side of me,” says Olivia, a.k.a. third-year Quest

student Otis, dressed in classic black-and-red lingerie. Olivia lets me know they went colour-coded lingerie shopping as a group.

“Getting the boobs right is the hardest part,” says Olivia. “I had to colour them and contour my chest in. I was concerned they were going to look like chicken cutlets.”

Another concern is their escape; apparently they flew across the room during dress rehearsal.

“Donny likes what Donny sees,” Donny chimes in.

Popping out of character, Otis reflects on the challenges of being a third-year student, staring down a transfer to Prescott College in Arizona, which has taken on some Quest students.

“That’s kind of the only real good option,” he says. “[If I went to] Capilano University, I would be getting a BA, and I am not a BA student.”

This hammers home how I feel about Quest as a former sessional professor: there just isn’t equivalent education anywhere else in Canada. This place was damn unique.

“It’s kind of a shitty spot to be in, but we’re making the best of it,” says Otis, transforming back into Olivia. “That’s why we’re here. We’re doing anything and everything we can to end the year out strong.”

The spirit of you guys in the last year is just blowing my mind. I taught here for seven years. This is hard.

“And yet, every single Questie is putting in effort and powering through and putting on this amazing show, when it feels like it would be so easy just to let shit hit the fan and let everything fall apart,” says Olivia. “And here we are, putting on two amazing shows.”

What’s your punk rock group name?

“Oh... shit.”

It’s Oh Shit?

“Let’s stick with Oh! Shit!”

What It All Means

ONSTAGE, DURING BREAKS BETWEEN ACTS, the organizers and members of PRIDE Squamish speak with the audience about all things queer culture, pride, and of course, drag. The discussion is frank about the wider world in which drag takes place, and it provides a poignant reminder of why we are all here, and why it matters to keep creating public space for queer communities. As in the U.S., drag in Canada has likewise been attacked for its supposed immorality. The stakes of the show are made clear by organizer Cal Kinnaird, a.k.a. Blandon White.

“This is a safe space, but outside, it’s not-so safe. We’re having laws passed against us. We’re being vilified. We’re seen as threatening everyone’s children, ruining them and turning them into LGBTQ+ monsters. I don’t know how the children in the audience feel about that. It’s really, really important that we continue to make spaces like this happen, and support the organizations in our community that make it safe.”

All the energy climaxes with the closing party. As Emma Goldman once said (well, sort of): If I can’t dance, it’s not my revolution! The final show done, the performers and audience take to the stage to shake and shimmy the night away to a few classics. I am reminded of what Emma really said: “I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody’s right to beautiful, radiant things.” That’s my kind of anarchism, and for me the participatory ethos of the dancefloor remains one of the most sublime expressions of radiant beauty. Claiming the corner with a shuffle-step, I surreptitiously snap a pic of Dee, who has burst onto the dancefloor like a burning star. Deidre Plaatjes has been with Quest since the start. Anyone who has visited campus knows Dee: she was the welcoming face at reception, but so much more than that. It was rumoured that Dee knew practically everything there was to know about Quest—quite simply, if you wanted something done, you went to Dee. This past year, the students awarded her a special plaque for her many years of awesomeness. Seeing Dee drove the point home: this wasn’t just a job; this wasn’t just a school. This was something else—a special and unique convergence in this vast cosmos, whose fleeting radiance we were all blessed to be a part of.

If I can’t dance at your University, I don’t want to be a part of it.

May the spirit of Quest live on in all the souls that bare and strut their stuff.

Quest is now the stuff of legend.

A Fond Farewell

IT HAS BEEN AN HONOUR carrying on the tradition of the Quest Drag Show. This show is very near and dear to our hearts and we are sad to see it go. Despite this being the last show, we are so very proud to have been part of something that allows folks to explore parts of themselves they never would have otherwise. We hope that we have contributed to the Squamish community in a meaningful way. With heavy hearts we say goodbye, but with high spirits we celebrate what we all have created.

LOVE, YOUR DRAG SHOW COORDINATORS, LARK VELLA, MARLIE MASTINSEK, KEYELLE HULA, CAL KINNAIRD ■

KYLE WYLIE

JOHNNY, RONNY, DONNY & PAUL

Axemen Rugby Club break new ground in watershed season

THE SEA TO SKY TEAM UPENDED BURNABY LAKE FOR ITS FIRST-EVER DIVISION 1 PLAYOFF WIN

BY DAVID SONG

LATE AMERICAN billionaire and presidential candidate Ross Perot once said: “Life is never more fun than when you’re the underdog competing against the giants.”

Members of the Axemen Rugby Club chose to live by that maxim when they transferred into BC Rugby’s Division 1 last fall. It wasn’t a shift they necessarily needed to make—the Squamish-based team had just won a Division 2 title months earlier—and few would have blamed them for staying put. After all, the Axemen have only been around since 2014, and are still a relatively nascent organization.

Instead, head coach Stephen List and his squad made a bold leap into the fray against decades-old clubs with more established talent pipelines.

It was certainly no walk on the beach. The Axemen opened their inaugural Division 1 campaign with a 3-6 record and endured a three-game losing streak in January and February, just as playoffs were approaching. It would have been easy at that point to write the season off, to form cliques, or to no-show at training sessions.

But the Axemen are made of sterner stuff.

“From my perspective, there were glimpses in those games [we lost] of some really good

rugby,” said List. “We were annoyed with those results, but we just kept plugging away.”

Newcomers and experienced players alike remained focused through long road trips and harsh winter weather. Fuelled by lively local fans, the club ripped off three home wins in March over Surrey, Nanaimo and Trinity Western University to enter the postseason as a No. 8 seed.

SLAYING A GIANT

Then came the Axemen’s first-ever Division 1 playoff victory.

Most observers had written them off. Their opponent, Burnaby Lake, was a highlyseeded Premier Reserve club playing at home with nearly 30 years of history and an undefeated regular season behind them. The unit from the Sea to Sky didn’t blink. In fact, veteran inside centre and assistant coach Blake Mahovic felt that his team’s underdog status gave them “complete control over the narrative of that day.”

And what did the Axemen want the narrative to be?

“We wanted to go out and play as hard as we could for each other,” Mahovic explained.

Within five minutes of taking the field, the Axemen’s enthusiasm turned into confidence. They fought Burnaby Lake to a standstill, their collective self-belief growing with each tackle and turnover. The dark horses even pulled ahead in the second half, before facing a relentless assault from the Blue and White.

Axemen players laboured on defence to the point of exhaustion. Burnaby Lake pushed to within 10 metres of their goal line, possessing the ball for much of the game’s

final 15 minutes. Yet the only number that ended up mattering was the score: 24-21 in favour of the visitors.

List is beyond proud of his team for putting the “dog” back in “underdog.”

“We showed a lot of fight,” he said. “You train for skills, you train for tactics, but you can’t really train for just sticking in there and working hard for each other, and that ultimately was what that whole game was about.”

The Cinderella story would ultimately end on April 15 with a close 26-21 defeat to the Nanaimo Hornets. Even so, the Axemen have more than proved their mettle.

COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION

One might expect List and Mahovic to name the Burnaby Lake breakthrough as a clear highlight for their season. They don’t.

“The Division 1 playoff game, to me, wasn’t the big success of the year,” said Mahovic, who also serves as his team’s Director of Rugby. “The big success of the year was the amount of guys that we had out [playing]. We’ve had record numbers … and what really makes me smile is [during our last regular season games] when we had close to 50 guys representing the Axemen in a single day.”

Unlike many high-level squads, the Axemen have maintained a communitycentric model of player development. Inexperienced or recreational athletes at the Division 3 level train alongside Division 1-calibre talent all the time. The club’s focus is not on championships, but rather on growing the game and serving local communities.

Mahovic describes the Axemen’s approach as “collaboration over competition.” He, List and the rest of their peers have been diligent in introducing rugby to schools in Whistler, Pemberton and Squamish, including a tag-pulling variant for youths who are shy of physical contact. They want their sport to always be accessible, regardless of how each season’s win-loss column turns out.

“This season gives us the confidence to know that we can continue to be a communityfirst club and perform at the [Division 1] level without giving up any of those core values that I think some teams do give up on,” said Mahovic. “We’re showing that building a strong community is just as valuable as creating a competitive environment.”

Nowadays, a new obstacle looms: the closure of Quest University.

For years, the Axemen have trained on-campus at Quest, at one point coaching the institution’s rugby program. Mahovic has struggled to find suitable alternatives in Squamish, in part because local decisionmakers are used to viewing different levels of sport (i.e. adult soccer versus youth soccer) as separate entities rather than one united body like the Axemen.

With Quest University’s future in limbo, club leaders are in “a genuine panic” trying to figure out what’s next. Yet their mission remains the same: further the local growth of rugby and become more involved with community programs in and outside of sport. The Axemen are composed largely of expatriates from rugby-loving nations, and while that is positive, List and Mahovic also hope to see new waves of Sea to Sky players join their ranks in future years. n

STAYING SHARP Axemen Rugby Club members celebrate after their milestone playoff win over Burnaby Lake on April 1, 2023.

PHOTO BY KRISSY HAY

Whistler Wolves to host preseason nines tournament

THE OFFICIAL RUGBY LEAGUE BRITISH COLUMBIA EVENT INCLUDES FREE ADMISSION AND WILL TAKE PLACE MAY 27 AT WHISTLER SECONDARY SCHOOL

BY DAVID SONG

SEA TO SKY RUGBY fans will want to mark May 27 on their calendars, as the Rugby League British Columbia (RLBC) Nines Tournament is coming to Whistler for the first time.

The Nines is a preseason event scheduled before regular season matches kick off later this summer. RLBC and Whistler Wolves president Blake Stewart lobbied successfully to host this year’s iteration of the contest, which will take place at Whistler Secondary School (WSS). Admission is free.

More than 110 athletes are slated to take part, including men and women. There will also be a “masters” category for those over the age of 35.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this event and believe that it will be an excellent opportunity to showcase the sport of rugby league to our community,” said Stewart. “It will be a super enjoyable day, and the games are fast. They’re only 18 minutes long.”

Rugby league is one of two main codes (or types) of rugby, the other being union. Compared to its counterpart, league rules include fewer stoppages and more turnovers, generating a faster pace of play. Typical league games feature 13 players per side, but Whistler’s upcoming tournament—true to its name—will have only nine.

The Wolves, meanwhile, are the Sea to Sky’s local rugby league club. They were founded in 2019 by Australian expatriate Stewart, who lives in Whistler and works in Squamish.

Having played rugby league since his childhood in Penrith (a working-class town in Western Sydney that he likens to Hamilton, Ont.), Stewart is passionate about fostering local growth in his sport. The Wolves did not play their first official game until 2021 due to COVID, but have already experienced success in their short history.

Last year, Stewart’s club lost 26-24 in a tight Grand Final nines match to the Point Grey Thunder.

GROWING THEIR SPORT

The Wolves are developing legitimate talent at all levels. For instance, Blake Mahovic and Josh Michalik suited up for Team Canada last November in an international match against the United States. Keller Reeves—a lifelong union player until last year—also donned the Maple Leaf in the masters’ version of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, and he’s still going strong at 47 years of age.

More important in Stewart’s eyes is the opportunity to create exposure for rugby in general. Although the Wolves are unaffiliated with Squamish’s Axemen, who play union, their combined outreach efforts have helped many discover rugby for the first time (or return to action after time away from the sport). It certainly helps that—unlike in other

parts of Canada and the Commonwealth—the Sea to Sky’s union and league seasons do not overlap, allowing athletes to maintain form throughout the year.

Some locals, like Mahovic and Michalik, are key members of both the Wolves and the Axemen. Stewart reckons that a player like Michalik may never have made it to Team Canada without first being exposed to rugby by the Wolves (whom he captained during the 2022 season).

At another end of the spectrum, roughly half of those who attended the Wolves’ first training session of the year on April 24 were rugby union players with little to no league experience.

“As long as people have a rugby ball, I love it,” Stewart said. “The camaraderie between the players and everyone involved is huge. You can play league this summer, and then rugby union starts again in the fall.

“I just want to see rugby as a whole grow in the Sea to Sky because I chose to live here, as many expats do, and I’d love to see the sport that I love grow in any aspect.”

Tapley’s Pub and Gibbons will provide a beer garden and food options at WSS for those planning to attend the RLBC Nines Tournament. Fans can expect to watch a series of high-scoring, free-flowing games that showcase speed and tactics in addition to physicality. Stewart hopes that the event will raise further awareness for rugby league and give many more a chance to plug into what he calls “an enjoyable, enjoyable sport and community.”

More information about the Whistler Wolves is available on Facebook, Instagram and at rugbyleaguebc.ca/clubs/whistler-wolves. ■

WOLVES AT THE DOOR Whistler Wolves captain Josh Michalik handles the ball in action against the Vancouver Vipers in 2022.

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Mother’s Day: From a surprisingly sad start to celebration

HOW TWO DETERMINED WOMEN CREATED A DAY FOR MOMS

A FEW DAYS AGO, I realized that I never knew what my mom traditionally did for her mom for Mother’s Day, nor what her mom did for her mom—my great-grandmother—in terms of cooking a special meal, like breakfast in bed, or maybe lunch, all nicely made and with a little bouquet, or at least a dandelion, on the table, and generally making her feel wellloved and appreciated for all the mothering she’s done all year. In short, treating her like the proverbial queen—for at least one day.

So I dialed up my mom, now 96 and still

BY GLENDA BARTOSH

going strong, thinking I’d hear a tale or two that would be nearly a century old. Wasn’t I surprised to learn that none of them did much!

“Originally it was that we wore a flower—a carnation. White if your mother had passed away and red if she was still living. And that’s about all we did in the early times of Mother’s Day, as far back as I can remember,” she said.

Then mom went on to describe those carnations. They were artificial, but not plastic because basically there was no plastic back

MOTHERING BEFORE MOTHER’S DAY Glenda

Bartosh’s great-grandmother, Edith Burke, would have welcomed a day off from cooking and cleaning for her household with eight children, four of them with her here in Chatham, Ont., in 1906—two years before Anna Jarvis organized a memorial for her mother, which started Mother’s Day.

then in their lives. No, these artificial red and white carnations that my mom, and her mom, and even us girls in 1950s Edmonton wore to Sunday school on Mother’s Day, pinned to our “Sunday best,” of course, were made from a kind of foamy material. “Icebox flowers” is the term my mom used.

She recalled, too, how people from England would come into the stationary department at The Bay, where she worked, in downtown Edmonton—remember department stores?—wanting Mother’s Day cards to send home to the U.K. long before Mother’s Day was celebrated in Canada. So off I went to learn just where those artificial carnations we wore came from, and why Brits needed cards so much earlier than we did.

Sure, you can just look up the provenance of Mother’s Day on Wikipedia, but I prefer the research Olivia Waxman did for her 2017 article in Time Magazine

Waxman largely refers to a book by Katharine Lane Antolini, assistant professor of history and gender studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Called Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle for the Control of Mother’s Day, it describes the story of Anna Jarvis, a teacher, copywriter and business investor, who essentially started Mother’s Day. But it wasn’t an easy road for her to gain that recognition.

On May 10, 1908, three years after her mother’s death, Anna organized a memorial ceremony to honour her mother, and all mothers, at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia—now the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Although she didn’t attend the service herself, Anna sent 500 white carnations and a telegram to be read. So that’s where our “icebox” carnations came from!

Six years later, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday to express “our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” Canada followed suit the following year. But it was really Anna, and her mom, Anne, who’d started it all.

The elder Jarvis had hoped to see a day to celebrate all mothers (note the plural) and not our individual moms, with people doing community service to help out other mothers who were less fortunate. That impulse grew from her own experience.

Anne bore 13 children. Only four lived to be adults. She lived in Appalachia, where, during the 1800s and early 1900s, up to 30 per cent of infants died before their first birthday. In 1858, Anne started working with her brother, Dr. James Reeves, to organize events called Mothers’ Day Work Clubs, where doctors could teach mothers the latest in hygiene and medicine to keep their kids healthy and stop babies from dying prematurely.

After her mother had died and an official day for mothers had never caught on, Anna kicked things off with that 1908 memorial ceremony and the 500 carnations. But she always acknowledged that it was President Wilson’s declaration of a national holiday that really got people’s attention, as holidays do. (Declare Earth Day a holiday and let’s see how people get involved!)

Once the momentum got rolling, lots jumped on the Mother’s Day bandwagon, for better or worse. In the 1920s, Hallmark and other card companies started selling those Mother’s Day cards everyone was looking for in The Bay. And even more commercialization ensued—something Anna Jarvis fought against as people expressed it by buying things and not necessarily helping out moms

who needed it most.

As for the momentum spreading geographically, Mother’s Day in one form or another is celebrated around the world, and on dates throughout the year. In many places, like Greece and Panama, it’s tied to existing secular or religious celebrations, some of them ancient. In England and throughout the U.K., Mother’s Day is celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, which usually falls in March. Ergo my mom trying to console all those British shoppers when they couldn’t find cards to send.

Also note that the correct spelling, which we still use today, is the one Anna Jarvis trademarked herself: Mother’s Day, the singular possessive, demarking our attention to our individual moms, versus the plural possessive spelling her mom, Anne, used for her Mothers’ Day Work Clubs, denoting the collective of mothers, the common good.

As for icebox flowers, the only reference I could find is an ad for Bellefairs Department Store from the Ottawa Citizen in 1948, the same year Anna Jarvis died, “broke, blind, and in a sanitarium,” partly due to fighting for full credit for starting Mother’s Day, according to Waxman’s Time article.

The Bellefairs’ ad touts “icebox flowers” as a Valentine’s gift: “They look and feel like real flowers … with matching fragrances. Each attractively boxed in an attractive celluloid gift container…” Lamb, BTW, was selling for 23 cents a pound at the time, according to an adjoining ad. Now that’s something worth celebrating.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who wishes moms and their families everywhere a Happy Mother’s Day, even if all you do is drag something out of the icebox. n

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY GLENDA BARTOSH

MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH

OPEN DAILY: 6a.m. to 9p.m.

ARENA SCHEDULE

Please see whistler.ca/recreation for the daily arena hours or call 604-935- PLAY (7529)

Whistler Children’s Festival celebrates 40 years

LONG-RUNNING EVENT RETURNS OVER TWO WEEKENDS FROM MAY 19-20 AND MAY 27-28 WITH PERFORMERS, WORKSHOPS, ART, AND MUSIC

BY ALYSSA NOEL

THE WHISTLER CHILDREN’S Festival has come a long way in 40 years.

Organized as one of Arts Whistler’s (then the Whistler Arts Council) first major events, it began in the Myrtle Philip Community School with local artists such as Isobel MacLaurin teaching workshops alongside well-meaning volunteers with a little less experience.

“Others were teaching how to tie-dye shirts—maybe they were learning the night before,” Mo Douglas, executive director of Arts Whistler, speculates with a laugh.

“It’s a really important memory for a lot of locals, kids who were raised here.”

The festival has undergone many changes since that time, most recently when it moved last year from one weekend in July to two weekends in May. Format-wise, the two Saturdays (May 20 and 27) are dedicated to ticketed, indoor shows at the Maury Young Arts Centre, while the Sundays (May 21 and 28) are focused more on workshops. (Though other events, including free entertainment at

Whistler Olympic Plaza, take place throughout both weekends.) A free opening party will kick things off on Friday, May 19 at 4 p.m.

Both the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and Tourism Whistler have embraced the new May dates, with the former doling out more Festivals, Events and Animation funding this year to help enhance

To that end, if you’re keen to attend the ticketed events, you should snap up tickets asap as many are selling quickly.

Beloved Canadian children’s performer Fred Penner is on track to sell out both his children’s show and the “after dark” adults’ show, as is Science World on the Road, puppeteer Kelly Haines and Circus of Thrills.

tickets [distributed through the Whistler Community Services Society] or the Howe Sound Women’s Centre.”

A new addition to the festival this year is the Anonymous Art Show Kids, already on display at The Gallery at the Maury Young Arts Centre. The exhibit is similar to the adult version, which took place this year in April, in that artists submit their work but their identity isn’t revealed until it’s purchased.

“It’s something we’ve been asked about for a few years now—doing a variation on it,” Douglas says.

the animation throughout the village. (The May long weekend has historically been problematic in Whistler with violent incidents and rowdy parties. That has largely changed due, in part, to the now-defunct, muni-run GO Fest and then the pandemic.)

“Both the municipality and Tourism Whistler recognized that the children’s festival, particularly on the May long weekend, can have a positive impact on the village on those weekends. We’re getting strong marketing support from Tourism Whistler, which is appreciated,” Douglas says.

“We really encourage the local community to get any tickets for stage shows now,” Douglas says. “We don’t want to disappoint people who come to the front desk and we’ve sold out.”

While there will be plenty of free activities over both weekends, ticket buyers will also have the option of purchasing tickets to pass on to those who might not be able to spend the extra money.

“We’re doing the Helping Hands tickets again,” says Imogen Osborne, programming director at Arts Whistler. “People purchasing tickets to the performances can buy additional

On the art front, the festival will once again host the Family Art Adventure. Five participating stops on the Cultural Connector will host events—ranging from local musicians to Lego, balloons, craft stations and face painting—all laid out in the Cultural Connector Passport, available at the Maury Young Arts Centre.

“There will be special activities and live music from local musicians,” Douglas says. “There will be some people who do some kids’ music amongst their set, but a lot will be what you would normally see from local musicians. We try to make sure the programming is really for the kids—and they’re our primary market—but we also try to make sure we have programming that parents will enjoy.”

For more information or tickets, visit whistlerchildrensfestival.com. n

FUN FOR ALL The Whistler Children’s Festival returns for its 40th year from May 19 to 21 and May 27 to 28.

PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH / COURTESY OF ARTS WHISTLER

“We really encourage the local community to get any tickets for stage shows now.”

- MO DOUGLAS

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings kick off 2023 Summer Concert Series

STARTING CANADA DAY, THE CONCERT SERIES INCLUDES BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH, BRUCE COCKBURN, AND THE ORIGINAL WAILERS

BY BRANDON BARRETT

THE HITS JUST keep coming.

After last year’s jam-packed lineup, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has announced the acts set to take the Olympic Plaza stage for the popular 2023 Whistler Summer Concert Series.

Prior to the concert series officially getting underway on Canada Day will be the return of Whistler regulars, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), on June 29.

Then, kicking off the free music series on July 1 will be Canadian icons Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, joined by Daniel Lanois and Terra Lightfoot “to meld roots and rock in what is sure to be an unforgettable collaboration between some of this country’s most celebrated musical artists,” the RMOW said in a release.

“We are so excited to welcome the VSO back to Whistler Olympic Plaza to launch another summer of music in our community. The power of a full orchestra playing iconic musical scores in this majestic outdoor setting will be an unforgettable experience,” said Mayor Jack Crompton in the release. “On top of that, Whistler’s Summer Concert Series features an outstanding lineup of musical performances through July and August with even more concerts than last year.”

There are now 14 nights of free music planned for the concert series, compared to a dozen last summer, thanks to the addition of Thursday and Friday nights for most of July and the entire month of August.

Each evening’s festivities will start at 6:30 p.m. with an opening DJ set, before the headliner takes the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Slated for Thursday, July 6 is Lazy Syrup Orchestra with Ashleigh Ball, the magnetic frontwoman for Canadian Juno-nominated indie pop band (and another Whistler favourite) Hey Ocean!.

The following night, July 7, will see Dear Rouge hit the Olympic Plaza stage with their “finely crafted alternative tunes that will inspire listeners to be bold and brave; to foster, to create, to encourage, and to celebrate themselves and others,” the RMOW said.

Electric-folk duo Moontricks are the headliner on Thursday, July 13, when they will play their distinct blend of organic folk, roots, rock, and blues with electronic production.

On Friday, July 14, Canadian reggae and world beat mainstays Bedouin Soundclash will play the hits after coming back from a nine-year hiatus.

Then, on Thursday, Aug. 3, Junowinning contemporary roots artist William Prince will showcase his “exceptional body of work that has graced some of the most iconic stages in the world, including the Grand Ole Opry” earlier this year.

The following night, Aug. 4., NOLA jam band Dumpstaphunk brings their funky stylings to Whistler, proving their reputation as “the most well-regarded, next-generation New Orleans live powerhouses,” the release went on.

On Thursday, Aug. 10, Whistler will welcome Canadian jazz and folk-rock royalty, singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, 13-time Juno winner, Canadian Music Hall of Famer and undeniable guitar legend.

On Friday, Aug. 11, it’s the enigmatic Montreal indie rockers, Half Moon Run, known for their cerebral arrangements and multi-part harmonies.

Grammy-nominated musician, poet, singer-songwriter and activist Allison Russell is slated for Thursday, Aug. 17. “She is a pivotal voice in two bands: Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters and will take the stage in Whistler to tell her own story,” the RMOW said.

Friday, Aug. 18 brings Australian guitarist, singer-songwriter and storyteller Steph Strings to Whistler, whose style “entails bursts of percussion, alongside Celtic, blues, coastal folk and indie rock,” the release said.

Whistler’s own party rockers, SkiiTour, grace the stage on Thursday, Aug. 24. The beloved DJ-production duo is known for its upbeat house music that has made innumerable local après sessions all the more groovy over the years.

On Friday, Aug. 25, it’s time for Drag in the Mountains with The Bratpack, Canada’s Drag Race babes Kendall Gender, Gia Metric and Synthia Kiss. The opening show will be hosted by Vancouver’s Next Drag Superstar winner Genesis, and will feature performances by Batty B Banks, Bibi Souphresh, Continental Breakfast, King Fisher, and more.

The Whistler Summer Concert Series goes out in a blaze on Thursday, Aug. 31 with The Original Wailers, featuring famed guitarist and original member Al Anderson. Known primarily as Bob Marley’s backing band, The Wailers will play a selection of the reggae icon’s best-known songs.

There will be complimentary secure bike parking for those who choose to pedal along the Valley Trail to the events.

Learn more at whistler.ca/events. n

LET IT WAIL The Original Wailers close out this year’s Summer Concert Series on Aug. 31.

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PIQUE’S GUIDE TO LOCAL EVENTS & NIGHTLIFE

EMPTY BOWLS

MAY12-18

JOURNALING WITH JULES

Jules is delighted to be continuing this series, offering a variety of journaling prompts and styles to help you have some fun and get creative with the journaling process!

Each session will highlight benefits of journaling and offer a new set of prompts, practices, and creative inspiration for you to start or continue growing your intentional journaling practices. This workshop is suitable for all adults. It’s a freeflowing format designed for brand-new or life-long journalers, and everyone in between.

Registration is required for this event! Email publicservices@whistlerlibrary.ca to sign up, and please let them know if you’d like to attend in-person or on Zoom.

> May 14, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

> Whistler Public Library

> Free

WORCA TRAIL NIGHT

Grab some old friends or meet some new ones at WORCA’s Trail Nights.

Get digging and help support trail construction and maintenance. WORCA is Whistler’s mountain bike advocacy group with a mission to foster mountain bike experiences and deliver world-class trails. Get one free bike park ticket each time you volunteer at three trail nights. Volunteers must register in advance and be WORCA members.

> May 16, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

> Flashback Trail on Cheakamus Lake Road

> Free, worca.com/trail-nights

2023 EMPTY BOWLS

2023 Empty Bowls is held during lunch at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. All proceeds go to Sea to Sky food banks. Choose from more than 120 handcrafted ceramic bowls and artisan soups from Whistler-area chefs.

Bonus opportunities to give: a limited quantity of Lucia Gelato scooped in clay bowls made by Whistler Secondary School students; A silent auction of items including art and crafts created by local artists.

For more information, email S2Spottersguild@ s2spottersguild.ca.

> May 18, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

> Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

> $50 - $150

AFTER SCHOOL ART: SPRING SESSION (GRADES 3-6)

After School Art at the Audain Art Museum offers students discourse and activities that will deepen their knowledge and understanding of the history and methods of art-making in British Columbia. Through these sessions, students will gain:

- An understanding of different ideas, materials and techniques used in carving, painting, and photography.

- An appreciation for the continuity and change of artistic styles over time.

- An appreciation for the socio-historical and cultural contexts of artworks.

- An awareness of the diverse art forms in British Columbia.

- An awareness of cultural and artistic exchange in British Columbia.

> May 18, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

> Audain Art Museum

> $24, audainartmuseum.com/afterschoolart

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THE ORIGINAL BIKE HOST PROGRAM IS BACK!

• Do you love riding your bike?

• Do you know Whistler’s biking and hiking trails well?

• Do you connect with visitors on trails and in parks, giving directions to where they want to go?

• Do you like great rewards and being part of a fun team while assisting others?

Volunteer for Whistler’s returning Bike Host summer program. Enjoy being outside, active and involved in your community

To apply or receive more information, contact Erin Morg an at ihost@whistler.ca or 604-935-8478

Apply by June 1, 2023

Creating Whistler’s Parks: Lakeside Park, slowly but surely

BY JILLIAN ROBERTS

FOLLOWING WAYSIDE PARK, the second public access point to Alta Lake created in Whistler was at the end of Lakeside Road in Alta Vista—the area now known as Lakeside Park. Public access to Lakeside Park was first created in 1980, although there were few amenities. When writing about the park in 1980, the Whistler Question specified that, “This area is unknown to many Whistler visitors and residents.”

The relative anonymity of the park went further than the general Whistler population. While Lost Lake Park and Alpha Lake Park featured regularly in the news at the time, there was little information on Lakeside Park. In the one photo of Lakeside Park when it opened, the corresponding article was not even about the park; instead, it was about Councillor Garry Watson’s proposal to create public access to Alta Lake in the area known as Blueberry Park today.

In 1982, the resort’s Parks and Recreation Commission flagged increasing the size of Lakeside Park through private land acquisition as the highest priority for Whistler. It was at the height of windsurfing, when Alta Lake could be seen covered in brightly coloured windsurfers during the summer, and Lakeside was seen as ideal for windsurfer access. Additionally, it had road access and parking, and was situated along the main trail corridor.

When the Whistler Rotary Club received its charter in 1976, one of its first projects was to build three floating docks for public use on Alta Lake. One of these floats was brought to Lakeside Park, where it allowed visitors to get into the water past the horsetails. Part of the proposal was to further clear the horsetails near the dock, add gravel and sand to improve the beach, and put picnic tables and garbage cans in the park. The bathrooms were pumpout septic systems on the shore of the lake,

and the road was gravel.

The Whistler Question wrote in 1980, “The Municipality has reviewed the opportunities in the Alta Lake area and without expropriation or purchase of private land property, the recreational opportunity in the Alta Lake area for swimming, especially a beach area for young children, is extremely limited.” A benefit of Lakeside Park was the room for expansion, which could be possible through the purchase of private land on either side of the park.

However, Whistler became more popular, and the land more expensive—and eventually out of reach for municipal coffers. Still, it was very clear that more park space was needed on Alta Lake, and in 1984, the idea of a referendum was posed. The proposed referendum would have a long-term policy question on how to reconcile the needs of residents in Alta Vista with the needs of tourists flocking to the beach.

This was a particularly important question when a rezoning application was submitted to council to change one of the waterfront properties from residential to commercial. Not only would the busy restaurant proposed in that rezoning mean more traffic in the area, it could set a precedent for rezoning approval, increasing the lot value of the area and making the plan to buy waterfront land for parks economically unfeasible. Mayor Mark Angus said to the Whistler Question at the time, “How do we ensure that we don’t buy a 60-foot lot for $600,000? We want the waterfront for the use of the public.” (If only 60 feet of waterfront was only $600,000 today!)

Go past Lakeside Park on a warm, summer day and you will quickly see it is no longer Whistler’s forgotten park. Bodies are regularly packed into every inch of the grass and docks with people arriving early to claim their space.

The expansions proposed to triple the waterfront area of Lakeside Park were never fully realized. Instead, the municipality acquired the land for Rainbow Park on Alta Lake in 1987—which is a story in itself. n

PARK IT Lakeside Park in 1980.

WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION.

Free Will Astrology

WEEK OF MAY 12 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): All of us are always telling ourselves stories—in essence, making movies in our minds. We are the producer, the director, the specialeffects team, the voice-over narrator, and all the actors in these inner dramas. Are their themes repetitious and negative or creative and life-affirming? The coming weeks will be a favourable time to work on emphasizing the latter. If the tales unfolding in your imagination are veering off in a direction that provokes anxiety, reassert your directorial authority. Firmly and playfully reroute them so they uplift and enchant you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A famous football coach once said his main method was to manipulate, coax, and even bully his players into doing things they didn’t like to do. Why? So they could build their toughness and willpower, making it more likely they would accomplish formidable feats. While this may be an approach that works for some tasks, it’s not right for many others. Here’s a further nuance: The grind-it-out-doing-unpleasant-things may be apt for certain phases of a journey to success, but not for other phases. Here’s the good news, Taurus: For now, you have mostly completed doing what you don’t love to do. In the coming weeks, your freedom to focus on doing fun things will expand dramatically.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Most of us have an area of our lives where futility is a primary emotion. This may be a once-exciting dream that never got much traction. It could be a skill we possess that we’ve never found a satisfying way to express. The epicentre of our futility could be a relationship that has never lived up to its promise or a potential we haven’t been able to ripen. Wherever this sense of fruitlessness resides in your own life, Gemini, I have an interesting prediction: During the next 12 months, you will either finally garner some meaningful fulfilment through it or else find a way to outgrow it.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Many of us Cancerians have high levels of perseverance. Our resoluteness and doggedness may be uncanny. But we often practice these subtle superpowers with such sensitive grace that they’re virtually invisible to casual observers. We appear modest and gentle, not fierce and driven. For instance, this is the first time I have bragged about the fact that I have composed more than 2,000 consecutive horoscope columns without ever missing a deadline. Anyway, my fellow Crabs, I have a really good feeling about how much grit and determination you will be able to marshal in the coming months. You may break your own personal records for tenacity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Why do migrating geese fly in a V formation? For one thing, it conserves their energy. Every bird except the leader enjoys a reduction in wind resistance. As the flight progresses, the geese take turns being the guide in front. Soaring along in this shape also seems to aid the birds’ communication and coordination. I suggest you consider making this scenario your inspiration, dear Leo. You are entering a phase when synergetic cooperation with others is even more important than usual. If you feel called to lead, be ready and willing to exert yourself—and be open to letting your associates serve as leaders. For extra credit: Do a web search for an image of migrating geese and keep it in a prominent place for the next four weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I boldly predict that you will soon locate a missing magic key. Hooray! It hasn’t been easy. There has been luck involved, but your Virgo-style diligence and ingenuity has been crucial. I also predict that you will locate the door that the magic key will unlock. Now here’s my challenge: Please fulfil my two predictions no later than the solstice. To aid your search, meditate on this question: “What is the most important breakthrough for me to accomplish in the next six weeks?”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Losing something we value may make us sad. It can cause us to doubt ourselves and

wonder if we have fallen out of favour with the Fates or are somehow being punished by God. I’ve experienced deflations and demoralizations like that on far more occasions than I want to remember. And yet, I have noticed that when these apparent misfortunes have happened, they have often opened up space for new possibilities that would not otherwise have come my way. They have emptied out a corner of my imagination that becomes receptive to a fresh dispensation. I predict such a development for you, Libra.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Kissing is always a worthy way to spend your leisure time, but I foresee an even finer opportunity in the coming weeks: magnificent kissing sprees that spur you to explore previously unplumbed depths of wild tenderness. On a related theme, it’s always a wise self-blessing to experiment with rich new shades and tones of intimacy. But you are now eligible for an unusually profound excursion into these mysteries. Are you bold and free enough to glide further into the frontiers of fascinating togetherness?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) worked at a variety of jobs. He sold cloth. He was a land surveyor and bookkeeper. He managed the household affairs of his city’s sheriffs, and he supervised the city’s wine imports and taxation. Oh, by the way, he also had a hobby on the side: lensmaking. This ultimately led to a spectacular outcome. Leeuwenhoek created the world’s first high-powered microscope and was instrumental in transforming microbiology into a scientific discipline. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose we make him your inspirational role model in the coming months, Sagittarius. What hobby or pastime or amusement could you turn into a central passion?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I wonder if you weren’t listened to attentively when you were a kid. And is it possible you weren’t hugged enough or consistently treated with the tender kindness you deserved and needed? I’m worried there weren’t enough adults who recognized your potential strengths and helped nurture them. But if you did indeed endure any of this mistreatment, dear Capricorn, I have good news. During the next 12 months, you will have unprecedented opportunities to overcome at least some of the neglect you experienced while young. Here’s the motto you can aspire to: “It’s never too late to have a fruitful childhood and creative adolescence.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As I’ve explored the mysteries of healing my traumas and disturbances over the past 20 years, I’ve concluded that the single most effective healer I can work with is my own body. Expert health practitioners are crucial, too, but their work requires my body’s full, purposeful, collaborative engagement. The soft warm animal home I inhabit has great wisdom about what it needs and how to get what it needs and how to work with the help it receives from other healers. The key is to refine the art of listening to its counsel. It has taken me a while to learn its language, but I’m making good progress. Dear Aquarius, in the coming weeks, you can make great strides in developing such a robust relationship with your body.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Can we surmise what your life might be like as the expansive planet Jupiter rumbles through your astrological House of Connections and Communications during the coming months? I expect you will be even more articulate and persuasive than usual. Your ability to create new alliances and nurture old ones will be at a peak. By the way, the House of Communications and Connections is also the House of Education and Acumen. So I suspect you will learn a LOT during this time. It’s likely you will be brainier and more perceptive than ever before. Important advice: Call on your waxing intelligence to make you wiser as well as smarter.

Homework: What’s the most fun experiment you could try right now? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS OBITUARIES

DavidWilliamGalt

Nov26,1954-Jan20,2023

BornNovember26,1954,andbid thisworldgoodbye,surroundedby aGaggleofGaltGirlsandloved ones,onJanuary20,2023,aftera longbattlewithkidneydisease. FirstinlinetowelcomeDavidwere hisparents,BarbandDoug,followedcloselybyhisbelovedfur babies,Susie,Skeena,andJack, alongwithmanyfriendswhowent beforehim.Davidwasthefun-lovingfathertoCarley(Simon)and Sydney;cherishedGGtoMax, BlairandLocky;funcletoTaylor, Kelsey(Mitch)Galt,JennandChris Martin;andnewlygreat-funcleto Maizy.

DavidgrewupinOakville,ON, breakingmanyagirls’heartsbeforemovingtoWhistler,BC,where hewasbestknownforbeingthe captainoftheAltaLakeBarge.We can’tthinkofabetterplacetocelebrateDavid’slifethanTapley’s barinWhistleronMay13,from14pm,whereDavidmadesomany friendsandmemories.Inlieuof flowers,donationstoHospice HouseKelownaarewelcomed (hospicehousekelowna.com).

EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT

Viking Viking Fire Protection INC.

• Rare Career Opportunity

• Sprinkler Fitter/ Apprentice

• Fire Alarm Technician

• No Experience Necessary

• Training will be provided

• Apprenticeship available

The successful Candidate will have:

• Company Vehicle, Cell phone & iPad.

Excellent Benefits Package After completion of 4 years training

• Potential earnings between $80000-$100000 +.

• Minimum Requirements Grade 12/Post Secondary.

To apply or for more information contact Whistler@viking.ca

604-938-9594

Now hiring LODGE MANAGER

We are looking for an experienced leader to fill the role of Lodge Manager at Tyax Lodge and Heliskiing, with passion for creating life-changing mountain experiences for our guests and our employees.

Visit our job listing at https://tyax.applytojobs.ca/operations/21472

WhistlerPersonnelSolutions

Full-time,part-time&tempjobs. Nocost,nostrings.604-905-4194 www.whistler-jobs.com

INSURANCE ADVISOR

♦ Strong salary, bonus and benefits package

RoomAttendent-GreatStudentOpportunity

Thisisafullorpart-timeyear-round housekeepingposition.Excellentpay, benefitpackagesforfull-timeemployees,staffhousingavailable.Nopreviousexperienceisrequiredaswedo offerfulltraining.Jobdescriptionincludescleaningrooms,linenstocking, commonareacleaning,andseasonal projects.christina@mvawhistler.com

Fairmont Chateau

Whistler Resort is growing its Housing portfolio and sourcing additional Chalet and Condo Rental contracts for our Hotel Team Members. Our leaders are mature, career driven drivers that know the word respect. Contract terms for property Owners are stress free with no commissions and includes representation from our 4 person fulltime Housing Department working with you 24/7; maintaining all aspects of the tenancy including quarterly inspections.

A great next move for Whistler property Owners that have tired with the Airbnb game or Property Fees. Let’s see if we can make a match and develop a long-term relationship here. General inquiries please email mark.munn@fairmont.com

We are a growing, dynamic organization with a great success story searching for like-minded individuals looking to build their career in the insurance business. We are searching for committed, driven and result-oriented sales professionals, with a passion for helping others. Successful candidates will have a strong customer service and sales background, can work individually and as part of a team. We have a fun, fast paced working environment, and attractive time schedule with built in work / life flexibility. Some insurance experience would be preferred,

If you are looking to go to the next level in your career, email your resume to david_livesey@cooperators.ca and we can schedule a chat

♦ Unrivalled career development opportunities DAVID

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

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

Journeymen Carpenters (5+ years)

Journeymen 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. We are looking for dedicated team players who want to join a rapidly 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

JOIN OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

WE’RE HIRING AT THE WHISTLER KEG

If

WE LOOK FORWARD

We are looking to hire another member to our team at Straightline.

Experience in Plumbing is required. Gas Fitting and HVAC would be preferred but not essential. Wages are based on experience, Starting between $44-52/hr. Part-time or Full-time positions available. Accommodations are available.

Please call 604-935-8771 or email straightlineplumbingandheating@gmail.com for more information.

Red Door Bistro is Seeking a full time line/grill cook.

1-2 years experience working in a similar station an asset.

• Duties include prepping/portioning/cooking steaks, seafood and pan cooking.

• Imagine working in a well respected fine dining bistro which is well run, fun, and does 80 covers a night.

• Salary based on experience, plus tips. Medical & Dental benefits and staff discounts in Roland's Pub. Email resume to info@reddoorbistro.ca

Staff Accommodation, Perks & Benefits Assistant Nordic Coach

Facilitate and develop Nordic sport at Whistler Olympic Park!

Develop and execute Whistler Olympic Park’s overall marketing strategy!

WhistlerOlympicParkisaworld-classdestinationforoutdoorrecreation&

WhistlerOlympicParkisaworld-classdestinationforoutdoor recreation&Nordicsports.Theroleiscommittedtofacilitateand developNordicsportwhileworkingcollaborativelyinthedeliveryof programsandaqualitysportenvironment.

Nordicsports.Theroleincreasesawarenessandengagementfor

WhistlerOlympicPark,drivingvisitationbothinwinterandsummer

Our ideal candidate:

whileplayinganintegralrolewithinasupportive,cross-functionalteam deliveringexceptionalguestexperiences.

Extensiveexperiencein:

•Deliveringsuccessfulmarketing&communicationprograms

Facilitating & developing Nordic sport programs including coaching services, training activities & skills development Cross-country racing skills & techniques, both classic and skate Biathlon Coaching and/or skilled Biathlete Passion for Sport

•Developingcontent&communicationsforavarietyof channelsincludingwebsite,emailandsocialmedia

What we offer:

•Managingcontractedagencies

Competitivewage&staffhousingoptions

Passionforoutdoorrecreationandsport

Extensive benefits package & perks, incl. health & wellness options, WB season pass financing & more

Competitivewage&staffhousingoptions

Roland's Pub is looking for a Kitchen Manager

Position is full time, 40-50 hours per week. Must have line cooking experience in a fast paced kitchen, Food Safe Level 1, and some ordering & food costing experience.

Salary is $60,000/year to start, plus medical & dental benefits, gas allowance, phone allowance, ski or golf pass, and other perks.

APPLY NOW!

Extensivebenefitspackage&perks,incl.health&wellnessoptions, WBseasonpassfinancing&more

whistlerolympicpark.com/careers

Please email resume to info@rolandswhistler.com Staff accommodation available.

Become

The Museum is currently seeking:

Administrative Assistant

Permanent,

Salary: $52,000

Responsibilities include:

• Providing administrative support to ensure efficient operation of the Museum

• Organizing and maintaining databases, files and inventories

• Implementing clerical and administrative processes

• Other duties as required

Please send your cover letter and resume to: Brianna Beacom, Director of Operations: bbeacom@audainartmuseum.com

Resort Municipality of Whistler Employment Opportunities

Wellness Studio

· Lifeguard/Swim Instructor

· Legislative and Privacy Coordinator

Engineering Technologist

RMT/HEALTH PRACTITIONER NEEDED FOR BUSY STUDIO SPACE PEMBERTON

· Skate Host

· Program Leader

• Available immediately

· Lifeguard/Swim Instructor

Come join the Engineering Services Team at the Resort Municipality of Whistler!

· Wastewater Treatment Plant Process Supervisor

• Work with experienced RMT

· Labourer I – Village Maintenance

· Solid Waste Technician

• Overflow client based referrals

• Flexible days and hours

· Youth and Public Services Specialist

· Accountant

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Employment Opportunities

As Engineering Technologist, you are responsible for plan checking utility and other infrastructure drawings and have proficiency with a variety of Microsoft software applications, AutoCAD, ArcGIS and the abilities to effectively respond to inquiries regarding engineering specifications, service information, legal lot surveys, and record drawing information. A good working knowledge in construction and repair of municipal water, sewer, roads and drainage works is considered a strong asset. Minimum education required for this role is a completed Engineering Technology Diploma.

• %Commission based rent or room rental option

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

For more info Email; info@therapypemberton.com

· Legislative and Privacy Coordinator

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

· Lifeguard/Swim Instructor

· Skate Host

· Program Leader

There is more to learn about this opportunity, visit our website for the full job posting and to apply.

Why Work at Whistler Waldorf School?

· Wastewater Treatment Plant Process Supervisor

· Lifeguard/Swim Instructor

Accepting applications to Sunday, May 14, 2023

· Solid Waste Technician

• Competitive Wages & Full Benefits

· Labourer I – Village Maintenance

• Supportive & Collaborative Team

We thank all applicants for their interest however, only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

· Youth and Public Services Specialist

· Accountant

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory –Candy Chef/Chocolatier – Starting Wage $24/hr

Do you want to round out your skill set and learn something totally new?

We're hiring a candy chef at The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! Learn to cook massive loaves of fudge and huge batches of caramel with a team of awesome people

Perks:

- Flexible schedule

- Be creative

- STAFF ACCOMODATION available for the right candidate Beneficial but not required:

- Kitchen experience

- Food Safe Level 1 or equivalent

Drop off your resume today (across from the Whistler Village Gondola) or email whistler@rockychoc.com and be ready to have your wildest dreams come true!

JOIN OUR TEAM

We are currently hiring for the following positions

Carpenters

Labourers

Send your resume to connect@peakventures.ca

piquenewsmagazine.com/ local-events/

• Tuition remission for children

• School working schedule with summers off

Currently looking for a:

• Middle School Teacher

• Education Assistant

View whistlerwaldorf.com/employment

Email principal@whistlerwaldorf.com

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)

Guest Service Agent Night Auditor Maintenance Technician Assistant Housekeeping Manager Lead Housekeeper

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.

Whistlers long-standing fine dining restaurant looking for passionate cooks to join the family.

Hiring Cooks for summer!

Part time approx. 10hr/week

Only

Set schedule Sat & Sun day shifts

Contract term May-Sept with the possibility to extend to Full time permanent position

Great team, great perks

Apply within or email resume to info@whistlerbeer.com

SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRACTOR

As a social media expert, you will bring your current industry knowledge to assist in curating our social media vision and strategy.

• Collaborate with our marketing team to plan and create content and execute marketing strategies in order to grow our social media presence on key platforms – Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

• Duties include: social publishing, content creation, customer engagement and analysis

• Part-time; located in Whistler

We appreciate the interest of all applicants. We will only contact those who meet the requirements for a follow-up to discuss steps for submission of a written proposal.

Please submit your expression of interest and previous work examples to zmartin@panpacific.com

www.whistlerwag.com

Protect your pooch this summer!

With increasing temperatures, it is far too dangerous for dogs to be left in vehicles. Heat stroke, coma and death can result even with the windows left open.

Lil’wat Nation Director of Community Development

Status : Full time – Permanent Reporting to : General Manager of Community Services

Salary : $93,475.20 - $101,556 annually

Under the direction of the General Manager of Community Services, the Director of Community Development is responsible for the overall operations of the Lil’wat Nation Community Development Department by providing services that will improve community members experience. The Director will be expected to be proactive and supportive of all Lil’wat Nation community policies and strategies and work closely with the General Manager of Community Services, the Chief Administrative Officer and Chiefs and Council regarding community development and services.

For more information, or to apply for this position please visit our careers page https://lilwat.ca/careers/

HIRING WE ARE

Why work for us?

Bylaw

Enforcement & Animal Control

Financial Services

Facilities

Public Works

We offer competitive wages, comprehensive pension plan and health benefits.

PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR INFANT TODDLER EDUCATOR

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

• Financial Services Specialist – Temporary Full-Time

• Assistant Manager of Facilities – Regular Full-Time

• Utility Operator 1 – Wastewater Collections – Regular Full-Time

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

• Labourer 2 (Multiple Positions) – Temporary Full-Time

• Recreation Booking and Office Services Coordinator – Regular Full-Time

• Recreation Program Instructor 1 – Biking – Casual/On-Call

Recreation

(Multiple Positions)

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

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

• General Manager of Community Services – Regular Full-Time

Senior Management

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

• Director of Corporate Administration – Regular Full-Time

As an equitable and inclusive employer, we value diversity of people to best represent the community we serve and provide excellent services to our citizens. We strive to attract and retain passionate and talented individuals of all backgrounds, demographics, and life experiences.

squamish.ca/careers

NCFDC is seeking an 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.

COORDINATOR, CONFERENCE

SALES EVENTS

Contract Term

Tourism Whistler has been awarded government grant funding to support the recovery of the Meetings sector, and this contract position will be responsible for ensuring funds are used effectively with a focus on conference sales, and coordinating VIP familiarization trips, site inspections, in-market client events, roadshows, etc.

The ideal candidate has outstanding communication, organization and interpersonal skills, with experience in sales and event planning. For the right candidate, and with the knowledge, skill and experience requirements of the position met, there is flexibilty in contract length (to March 2024), and hours worked (part time or full time).

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

ACROSS

DOWN

An ode to mother

M is for the many things she gave me

OKAY , I know what you’re thinking. That’s not how the song/poem goes. It’s the million things she gave me. Whatever. My mother shuffled off this mortal coil a number of years ago, after giving me many millions of things. She’d understand.

So, it is upon us again. Unlike Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Canada Day and others, all of which have a fixed date on the calendar,

BY G.D. MAXWELL

Mother’s Day is one of those things you have to think about to remember. Fair enough. Mothers are worth the effort.

Second Sunday in May. The only trick is to remember whether there’s been a first Sunday in May yet. That’s not as easy for the many people in a resort community for whom weekends have no real meaning—except perhaps as days we don’t want to fight the crowds on the mountains—to remember... especially if you work weekends.

I mean, it’s not nearly as difficult as remembering, or calculating, when Easter falls.

This year, with a spring season of discontent, it’s probably a good year to focus on Mother’s Day, unless you were unfortunate enough to have a Mommie Dearest kind of relationship with your mother. But even then, let us at least celebrate her. After all, without her labour...

O is for the other things she gave me

Told you I’d forgotten the words. Of all the things we celebrate, with the possible exception of spot prawn season, mothers are a no-brainer. We’ve all had them. Some of the oldest works of art are totemic carvings of fecund women, immortalized in stone, unspeaking, long suffering, life-giving. Mothers have been celebrated since pagan times, or whatever came before pagan times. This is probably puzzling to those of you who are convinced we still live in pagan times and, if pressed, I couldn’t tell you exactly when pagan times were or, if pressed further, if pagan times wasn’t actually the name of a newspaper as opposed to an historical epoch. But in a world where we measure things by comparing their size to football fields—and none of the three fields something called football is played on are the same size—cut me some slack already. Mother’s Day has been around a very, very long time.

The very first celebrations in honour of mothers were held during spring in Ancient Greece, a time of year when the Greeks weren’t celebrating much of anything other than spring lamb with mint sauce. The Greeks paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Formaldehyde, who begot Naugahyde, who begot the twins Tuck & Roll, Patron Saints of hotrodders everywhere. As so many things

ancient and Greek, it is lost to antiquity exactly how the Greeks celebrated motherhood, but rumour has it there was definitely a tie-in with the whole spring lamb thing, nudge, nudge, wink, wink—what happens in the pasture stays in the pasture.

T is for the torture I put her through

There was even a period of several centuries, predating the Enlightenment, when men— whose natural place in the scheme of things it was to promulgate explanations for everything, regardless of their lack of understanding—

childbirth, it became popular once again to celebrate Mother’s Day. Of course by then, religious men decided Mothering Sunday would be the fourth Sunday of Lent, its floating nature cast in quicksand forever. Since Lent was the sadistic celebration of guilt, penance and fasting, England’s upper class, addled by inbreeding, lackadaisical servants and poor dental hygiene, went along with this plan. In an uncharacteristic act of noblesse oblige, wealthy Brits gave their serfs the day off to celebrate their mamas with song, celebrations and something called mothering cakes, a confection made of boiled grains, floor sweepings, sugar and

Like all things New World except corn, Mother’s Day as we now know it in Canada was invented in the United States. The idea of celebrating Mother’s Day, a day dedicated to peace, was first floated in 1872 by Julie Howe, a genteel southern woman. Ms. Howe, whose claim to fame was penning the words to Battle Hymn of the Republic and inadvertently giving John Steinbeck a title for a great book—The Grapes of Wrath failed in her efforts, possibly because she couldn’t come up with another good song for the occasion.

R is for something I can’t remember Anna Jarvis succeeded where Julie Howe failed, and Mother’s Day became a holiday filled with irony. Ms. Jarvis was, herself, a single woman and never a mother. After throwing a party to celebrate her own mama, two years dead, Ms. Jarvis agitated to have the day formally declared a holiday. In 1914, Woody Wilson, then president, capitulated to what had become a groundswell of populism and proclaimed Mother’s Day.

were so out of touch with what women did on a day-to-day basis, no one except other women actually knew where babies came from. This was the historical epoch know as Stork Days, named for men’s popular conceptions of how babies managed to arrive at their houses on a regular basis. Women, knowing men wouldn’t believe them if they were told how things really worked, kept them in the dark and let them go about the business of pretending they knew what they were doing.

H is for her heart of purest gold

Hah! I remember that line. When men finally understood their rather limited role in

molasses. It was during these early years that mothers everywhere popularized the phrase, “But you shouldn’t have.”

Despite bad food, the popularity of Mothering Sunday quickly drew the attention of the power brokers of Christianity. Always quick to spoil a good party or cash in on any gift giving, the Holy Men moved to co-opt the celebration to one of honouring not only one’s own mother but the Mother Church as well. Remembering the Inquisition, people acquiesced to this unwarranted power grab.

E is for everything she gave me

Rut? Me?

By 1923, Ms. Jarvis was protesting what Mother’s Day had become, a manipulative, commercial celebration, tearing at the guilt and regret we all feel for never being able to repay the debt we owe our mothers. When she died in 1948, having spent her modest fortune and the last quarter century of her life trying to put the genie back into the bottle, Ms. Jarvis was sorry she’d ever started Mother’s Day. Strange, but true.

So that’s probably more than you want to know about Mother’s Day. If she’s still around and not living off the grid or moved somewhere she won’t admit to you, give her a call Sunday... if for no other reason than to let her know you forgot to send a card. ■

If she’s still around and not living off the grid or moved somewhere she won’t admit to you, give her a call Sunday...

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