Pique Newsmagazine 3020

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House rules

Digging into new ways to combat Whistler’s housing crisis. - By Megan Lalonde

14 INTO ACTION

From infill housing to expedited construction timelines, Whistler’s new Housing Action Plan contains no shortage of ambitious ideas.

15 RAINBOW REVISITED With Rainbow Park closing for construction on June 5, the Resort Municipality of Whistler eyes dispersion tactics in the valley.

18 GRIZZLED VET

Grizzly sightings are still rare in the Whistler Valley, but a recovering population and expanding alpine trail network may make them more common.

30 BENCH PRESS

Some Pemberton residents are raising concerns about the proposed Nkwúkwma development—one of the largest in the town’s history.

52 TEEING OFF

Checking in with Whistler and Pemberton’s golf courses as they tee off for another season.

56 ARTNERS IN CRIME

Cary and Paulo Lopes, the masterminds behind Paintertainment, launch their first exhibit together, ‘ARTnership.

COVER If we hypothetically consider making a law that all houses should have at least one permanent occupant, and then consider how absurd this hypothetical law would be to at least half of the homeowners in this town, it’s pretty difficult to do the mathematical gymnastics to be able to create enough space on this planet for everyone to have the basic human right of having decent shelter. And we wonder why living in vans and shitting in the woods is so popular. - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

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

President, Whistler Publishing LP

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Opinion & Columns

08 OPENING REMARKS Wildfire season is back with a vengeance, and there’s no time like the present to FireSmart your home, writes editor Braden Dupuis.

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

This week’s letters share thanks for kind gestures, advocate for renting to locals, and highlight how bad the RMOW’s climate action sucks.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST

While foreign and corporate influence in Canadian politics is concerning, columnist Andrew Mitchell is more concerned with the lack of solutions.

78 MAXED OUT Max brings the sizzle AND the steak as he serves up another end-of-ski-season debrief.

Environment & Adventure

32 RANGE ROVER As wildfires rage out of control in Alberta, a Theatre of the Absurd plays out in tandem on the political stage, writes Leslie Anthony.

Lifestyle & Arts

54 EPICURIOUS Disston Ng’s homemade Chinese dumplings and chili oil were such a hit with friends, he turned them into a thriving passion project.

60 MUSEUM MUSINGS When Whistler hit a road block in developing lake access in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the resort found the answers it was looking for at the end of the rainbow—Rainbow Lodge, that is.

Hot take—let’s not burn Whistler to the ground

THE HOT TEMPERATURES were back for about a week, give or take, before one of our favourite summer traditions got its first hit.

But there it was, clear as day on the morning of Sunday, May 14: a little, red dot on the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) map, west of Whistler in the Squamish Valley, highlighting a new out-of-control wildfire.

As of Tuesday, May 16, the Shovelnose

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

Creek wildfire was 38 hectares and burning out of control in rugged terrain.

According to BCWS, we likely have our fellow humans to thank for this timely little reminder of the dangers of summer.

So, thanks, fellow humans, for the reminder. Hopefully your carelessness doesn’t put any lives or property in danger.

But more than that, let’s hope it inspires vigilance in the rest of us as we prepare for what could be another long, hot summer in B.C.

According to BCWS’ seasonal outlook for May, there were 182 wildfires in B.C. from April 1 to May 12, and 14 in the Coastal Fire Centre (which includes Whistler).

In all of 2022, there were 297 fires in the Coastal Fire Centre—of those, 156 were human caused, 134 were natural, and seven were undetermined.

Those fires affected about 22,172 hectares of land; resulted in two evacuation orders and two evacuation alerts; and cost $33.4 million in suppression efforts.

Time will tell how 2023 will stack up.

One province over, our Albertan neighbours are already feeling the heat this year.

As of Tuesday morning, May 16, 87 wildfires were burning across the province, forcing nearly 20,000 Albertans from their homes.

In all, 11 communities were evacuated or on alert.

Here in B.C., there were 14 communities under evacuation alerts or orders due to wildfire on the morning of May 16, (including the entire city of Fort. St. John, population 21,000).

As it is every year, it is gut-wrenching reading interviews with regular people who have left it all behind, unsure if they’ll ever see their homes or belongings again.

But we can’t tune these stories out. They are the most effective form of wildfire education and prevention we could hope for.

It hits even harder when you can see the visuals, accompanied by the knowledgeable narration of a professional—as was the case at a wildfire conference Pique attended in Nelson in 2018.

At the conference, interface fire protection

in a matter of seconds.

“Pretty impressive: from a small pine, now the deck, now the house, it’s into the living room, and there we have it.”

As alarming as it is, the footage is incredibly valuable in teaching about prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

“I use it in discussing structure ignitions, in terms of how did these houses ignite from that fire, (and) I use it in validating FireSmarting mitigations as we draw out our priority zones in front of the structures,” Mortimer says.

“It’s highly motivational. People are affected by what they see, and recognize that could be their property.”

It’s true; five years since I first saw it, I still think of this footage every time the temperature spikes in Whistler—and what a full-scale evacuation of the resort might look

monitoring to identify the impacts of fuelthinning on long-term forest health.

Read more and find more resources at whistler.ca/wildfire.

You might have heard Whistler Councillor Arthur De Jong share one of his favourite phrases, but it really can’t be said enough: It’s not a matter of if we have a big fire in Whistler, but when.

So please. Do what you can to protect your property and assist with your neighbourhood. Be mindful of all sources of flame, whether it’s from a campfire, a wood-stove hot tub or that smouldering roach that’s about to burn your fingers if you don’t toss it quick.

We don’t want you to burn your fingers, just make sure it’s out before you toss it (or better yet, stash it for later).

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555

specialist Don Mortimer used dashcam footage from the Fort Mac wildfires of 2016 to show the effectiveness of FireSmart techniques.

In the footage, the rear-facing dashcam shows a patiently evacuating community with a roaring wildfire to the left and as-yetunscathed residential homes to the right.

Eventually, though, a planting in one of the front yards catches fire.

“A small pine that was an innocent lawn planting home from the nursery, and now look at it go. Maybe a little too close to the structure,” Mortimer narrates, as the spot fire transforms into a full-blown house-destroyer

like on the only highway out of town if it were to come down to it.

And then I restock my evacuation kit, just in case.

Local officials have long made wildfire mitigation a priority, but the work is never done.

Late last year, the federal government invested $10 million to help pay for fuel treatment in 12 high-risk areas, which are included in Whistler’s new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan. Other priorities for 2023 include increased education around the benefits of wildfire mitigation, as well as forest

or *5555 on a cell phone.

Check with your local authorities before lighting a fire of any size, since they may have their own restrictions in place.

Anyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition can be issued a ticket for $1,150; may be required to pay a penalty of up to $10,000; or, if convicted in court, may be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail.

If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs. ■

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Whistler needs more Brian Buchholz

After working out at the Meadow Park Sports Centre, I said hello to several people both in the gym and on the pathway to Rainbow Park. In many cases, I received a grunt or stare in return. OK, so I’m old and ugly!

Then, as I was standing looking at the valley map by the River of Golden Dreams, Brian Buchholz gave me hope.

“Can I help you with directions?”

Whistler needs more Buchholz!

Joe Bell // Whistler

[Editor’s note: We concur. Also, more letters like Joe’s, please.]

Renting to Whistler tenant ‘absolutely worth it’

In November, my partner and I discussed at length whether we should take in a tenant for the winter. Like many people, we sure got comfortable during the pandemic living just the two of us—goodness, it was pleasant not sharing a tight kitchen space.

But priding myself on being community oriented, I had this niggling guilt in my stomach that we did have a spare bedroom

that could potentially house an employee. My partner was not as enthused with the idea, but after some thorough discussions, in December, a young man nearly two decades our junior moved in.

Friends warned us that he would trash our home, steal from us, bring home drugs, party… The counts held against him were lengthy, and yet all he needed, in his own words, was a bed. He wanted to snowboard, and he needed somewhere to sleep.

Over the season, we rarely crossed paths,

because he was out exploring everything exceptional Whistler has to offer. When he was home, he shared stories that reminded us of being in our early 20s, and in turn, we inspired him with the adventures we ourselves were having. It was refreshing to connect with someone at such a different time in their lives, and to be reminded of what Whistler looks like through a 22-yearold’s eyes.

When he moved out, he told us that we saved his season, and he could not thank us

enough for what we gave him. The week we connected, he had come to terms with the fact that he would have to go back to Australia and not have the season abroad he had dreamt of. By offering our spare room, we turned this man’s season around—and housed a muchneeded employee for our resort.

I share our experience in hopes to inspire others who may be on the fence about welcoming tenants into their homes. Sure, it can be scary to think about sharing your home, but maybe give it a go with a shortterm lease, or contact a local employer about suitable matches (many have signs in their windows, ads on Craigslist, and in this very newspaper). Considering we turned someone’s life experience around, I’d say our trial this past winter was absolutely worth it. We already have another tenant through an employermatch type program, and it is equally off to a great start.

Mandy Rousseau // Whistler

Whistler’s climate action sucks

So far, the actions taken by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to reduce our emissions straight up suck.

The only meaningful policy has been to increase parking rates. Nobody, it seems, except the mayor, thinks that this is great policy. Even our most affluent residents don’t want to pay more for parking, and our workforce already finds it hard enough to get by in this town. I

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agree with public sentiment: raising parking rates is lame policy.

It sucks the majority of the RMOW’s new affordable housing is more than nine kilometres from the village, in a landscape that discourages walking, thus most residents feel forced to drive everywhere, and then have to pay even more for parking. And when parking rates increase, without any other improvement in mobility for residents, I think residents have the right to be upset.

Over the past year I have heard many of our town’s leaders espouse how hard it is going to be to reduce our emissions. To draw from a recent article by Pique editor Braden Dupuis (“Words to live by this Earth Day,” Pique, April

incomprehensible that CN Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer seem to honestly believe that the Rocky Mountaineer tourist service is economically viable. According to recent news items, “the average ticket price for the Rocky Mountaineer’s three-day trip to Jasper costs between $4,665 and $5,512.” That is more than most airline tickets to many warmer tourist destinations.

If, as a recent article quoted, the Rocky Mountaineer had almost “5,500 guests onboard” the route last year, that would mean the company received just over $30 million in revenue in 2022.

And it doesn’t sound as if this tourist service benefits any communities along the

21): “The framing right now is very negative, and this negativity makes us feel anxious, depressed, withdrawn.”

We can thank the RMOW for making us feel even worse.

Besides increased parking rates, the other main initiative I’ve seen to reduce our emissions is the dreadful “Small Steps for Big Moves,” an initiative with no metrics, that essentially says: “Feel guilty, and here’s some things to do about it.”

I think many residents of Whistler, especially parents, know how bad our changing climate is going to be for next generations. When we look in the mirror, we are so disgusted that we feel paralyzed: life is so hard already! We know we are the problem, but we need some leadership to help guide us to a better future.

A better future is not one where parking is more expensive. Making our lives worse in the name of “climate action” makes it even harder to have buy-in whenever we get around to the “making lives better” part of RMOW climate action.

The RMOW will eventually enact policies to reduce emissions that increase our quality of life and make us happier.

But so far, the RMOW’s climate action sucks.

Brendan Ladner // Whistler

Why isn’t rail travel a priority in the Sea to Sky?

I find it ridiculous and somewhat

Sea to Sky corridor. Makes one wonder?

I also wonder why it seems every previous “study” into developing some form of Sea to Sky, rail-based rapid transit system has never come to fruition? Why is a scheduled system between North Van to Whistler/ Pemberton, with stops along the route, not viable or even a priority?

The track is already in place. The old “bud car” designs must still be available, or perhaps are moth-balled somewhere and could be renovated and upgraded? Would it be impossible to build or upgrade transfer points at Horseshoe Bay, Lions Bay, Britannia Beach, Furry Creek, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton?

If a scheduled system was to be available, imagine the significant decrease in vehicle traffic on Highway 99, with a proportional decrease in highway closures due to motor vehicle accidents. Perhaps there might even be a decrease in environmental impact as well, with commuters using the line for daily commuting, while tourists, skiers and other recreational users use it to travel north and south.

Jim Douglas // Squamish

Whistler deserves a ‘No-bell’ prize

In cycling the Valley Trail this week, I have had frequent encounters with cyclists who are prime candidates for the No-bell prize. No bell, no warning, no courtesy—just zoom on by.

David MacPhail // Maple Ridge n

The benefits with having Hilton Whistler as your tenants are that you can rely on your home being properly cared for We have a designated captain for each house, we conduct regular cleaning and maintenance inspections, and strive to create a stress-free and long-term relationship

“I have had frequent encounters with cyclists who are prime candidates for the No-bell prize. No bell, no warning, no courtesy— just zoom on by.”

- DAVID MACPHAIL

Over the influence

AS DISAPPOINTING AS IT IS to see China interfering in our federal politics, and Liberals downplaying its significance, the sad truth is that this is nothing new. Foreign governments and corporate interests have had way too much say in our politics for a long time.

China has loomed large on our political scene since Chrétien, and once upon a time

BY ANDREW MITCHELL

it was the Conservative Party of Canada under Harper being accused of cosying up to the People’s (not-really-a) Republic of China by signing a free trade agreement. Everyone wanted to be the P(nra)RC’s buddy in those days, which was around the time when the Trudeau Foundation accepted a $200,000 donation from Chinese interests that the foundation now can’t seem to return.

Canada is a multicultural country. One in five of us was born in a different country, and probably still has ties to that country through business, family, and other entanglements. That’s not a bad thing, but it means voters—and politicians who need the support of the communities they represent—are prone to being subtly and

not-so subtly influenced in exchange for funding and support.

There are all kinds of influence. Investigations show that Russia was behind a lot of the COVID and vaccine conspiracies that influenced the Freedom Convoy in Canada, then went on to support the convoy on social media channels where nationalists hang out. Russia Today, known as RT, had more coverage of the convoy than any other media outlet, and was eventually banned by the CRTC for pushing a pro-Russian view of the Ukraine invasion.

Americans also influence our political scene, from corporate oil sands politics to an increasing ownership stake in our media. Postmedia, which publishes the Trudeau-hating National Post and 90 per cent of our other dailies and weeklies—106 newspapers in all—is 66-per-cent owned by an American hedge fund that also owns the National Enquirer . And while the Enquirer is a ridiculous tabloid most of the time, it’s not above playing politics—the publication purchased exclusive rights to the story of a former Playboy model paid off by Trump just so it could quash it before the election, and eventually paid a fine of $187,500 to the Federal Election Commission for what was an unofficial and illegal campaign donation.

Recently, the Canadian government passed Bill C-11, which forces social media companies, streaming services and

other online channels to include links to Canadian content along with other content. The bill has been condemned as a form of censorship, but the reality is that there really hasn’t been a free market of ideas in a long time—Canadians were already being force-fed whatever news and content most benefited the owner of the platform when it comes to advertising and politics. For example, people on Facebook got more conservative than liberal content in their feeds. And Musk has turned Twitter into a cesspool for the “anti-woke.” That influence will still go on, but at least now you’ll see a few Canadian stories in the mix.

All of these examples are scratching the surface. But while I’m concerned about the amount of foreign and corporate influence in our politics, I’m more concerned with the lack of solutions. There are ways to reduce foreign and corporate influence.

The first thing we need is public funding of elections—every candidate with official party status gets the same amount of cash to campaign with. There would be no more of those wretched fundraisers where influential groups line up to make “individual” donations to politicians and parties, buying their books and tacking on speaking fees. Given the rising cost of running for office, fundraising is only going to play a bigger role going forward.

We also need to accept that conflicts of interest exist, and that no member of

Parliament is completely without conflicts of any kind. We need to know what they are. If, for the sake of argument, a member of Parliament has business or community associations with the P(nra)RC, then that person shouldn’t vote on any bills or sit on any committees that relate to China.

The same thing goes with any financial interests or investments where there’s an incentive to serve your own interests. No MP should be able to buy and sell individual stocks, all investments should be invested in funds. At last count, at least 65 MPs also own multiple properties and are in the landlord or property speculation business, and really need to recuse themselves from any future discussions over the housing issue that could affect their rental income and equity.

We also need to ensure that Canadian media is Canadian owned, and ban foreign ownership of our newspapers, magazines, and news organizations. Let’s face it, media is not really an industry with a bright future, so when a company like New Jersey-based Chatham Asset Management dives in with a pile of money to buy Postmedia you have to assume it has other motives besides profits.

What we don’t need is to be in the exact same place in five years with another scandal, wondering what conflicts our politicians have and how voters are being manipulated. It’s time to get over the influence. n

RMOW’s new Housing Action Plan aims to tackle Whistler’s longest-running challenge

FROM EXPANDED INFILL HOUSING TO EXPEDITED BUILDING TIMELINES, NEW GUIDING DOC CONTAINS NO SHORTAGE OF AMBITIOUS IDEAS

BY BRANDON BARRETT

THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY of Whistler (RMOW) this week unveiled its new Housing Action Plan, offering a comprehensive roadmap towards addressing the community’s longest-running challenge in both the immediate and long term.

At the regular meeting of council on Tuesday, May 16, the public got its first glimpse at the wide-ranging plan, which identifies actions the RMOW intends to take in 2023 to support employee housing, along with completed and ongoing efforts, as well as providing a framework to guide future initiatives beyond this year.

It is, arguably, the most significant and extensive housing strategy the municipality has produced since at least 2016, when the Mayor’s Task Force on Resident Housing was formed, and is broken into six core efforts: monitor supply and identify needs; protect and optimize employee housing; leverage municipal lands; utilize and expand financing tools; encourage the private sector; and remove red-tape barriers.

“I think we’re doing real work here,” said Councillor and Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) chair Jen Ford at the meeting. “Not one of these solutions is easy or cheap or fast, but the combination of all these things, I think, shows our commitment.”

The municipality intends to update the Housing Action Plan annually, beginning in 2024.

MONITOR SUPPLY AND IDENTIFY NEEDS

Addressing a problem means understanding it, and the RMOW has identified the need

to deepen the scope of data it collects on Whistler’s housing market.

On top of the insights it has already gained from a 2021 housing needs report and a provincially mandated housing needs assessment that took place last year, the RMOW plans to complete a Vulnerable Populations Housing Needs Assessment in 2023, as well as develop its first-ever long-term housing strategy, which aims to provide “an estimate of the current employee shortfall, project long-term housing needs by population segments, and identify steps to meet those housing needs,” explained planner

Joanna Rees.

PROTECT AND OPTIMIZE EXISTING EMPLOYEE HOUSING

Making better use of Whistler’s existing inventory has long been discussed as a key component to mitigating the community’s housing woes. One way the RMOW intends to do that moving forward is by incentivizing the rental of available rooms in employee owner-occupied WHA homes and employee-restricted suites by providing an easy reference for property owners to better understand what the allowable rental rates are under their covenant. Existing rental rates could also be evaluated to incentivize increased utilization.

The RMOW said there is opportunity to further identify differences in unit values to understand the potential impacts on retirees looking to downsize.

On a similar note, staff intend to update the RMOW’s existing seniors housing policy to “address aging-in-place features for seniors housing units and explore models to facilitate independent living and supportive housing.”

LEVERAGE MUNICIPAL LANDS

In a town that can’t build fast enough, the RMOW wants to expedite the completion of its Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 projects by

2026, which, at buildout, will represent 554 new employee bed units—on top of the 596 bed units developed in the past five years.

Exploring public-private housing partnerships is another measure the RMOW is looking at to add housing on municipal land, envisioned as a way to expand financing options and for local businesses to house their staff securely.

UTILIZE AND EXPAND FINANCING TOOLS

In what would represent a tidal shift in how Whistler applies the Municipal and Regional District Tax, the Housing Action Plan recommends allocating a portion of the up-to-three-per-cent tax on short-term accommodation to support affordable housing initiatives.

Introduced in 1987, the tax has historically been used to fund tourism-based marketing and programs.

Whistler council has also directed staff to review the existing cash-in-lieu process it has in place for owners wanting to discharge their mandatory employee restricted suite covenants, recognizing the opportunity to provide “financing to develop new employee housing units, increasing utilization and reducing enforcement challenges,” the RMOW said.

ENCOURAGE THE PRIVATE SECTOR

On tap for 2023, the municipality plans to complete the processing of seven privatesector housing applications, which would at buildout contribute another 537 employee bed units. The largest of those projects is Whistler Blackcomb’s Glacier 8 building, a six-storey, 66-unit apartment slated for Blackcomb Base II.

Among the most significant initiatives floated in the housing strategy is a recommendation to develop a new infill housing program. The RMOW’s previous infill

program was a pilot project in the Alpine South neighbourhood, which saw little uptake after it was introduced in 2011, partly because of the covenant restrictions on the price units could be sold for.

“The way we’re looking at it is to offer choice to homeowners and expand the range of opportunities, and hopefully there will be uptake,” said planning director Mike Kirkegaard. “We know businesses have interest in properties. We know that homeowners, under certain circumstances, would be interested in a second suite or a subdivision of their suite, so that’s what we’re looking to expand.”

The RMOW is considering several measures as part of the new infill program, including expanding the areas where duplexes are permitted; allowing up to two suites for detached dwellings; and facilitating lot splits for large, detached dwelling lots.

Another future consideration at municipal hall is the possibility of providing bonus density to incentivize the development of employee housing, which would offer more certainty to developers and cut back on application processing times and costs.

REMOVE RED-TAPE BARRIERS

A persistent headache for builders in Whistler is the relatively long time it can take to process crucial building and development permits.

As a means to improve those wait times, the RMOW this year intends to lobby the province on re-introducing employeerestricted properties in the Provincial Property Tax Deferment Program, which provides lowinterest loans to eligible B.C. homeowners.

The municipality said it would also prioritize the expediting of employee housing building permits in 2023.

Pique will have more on the specific initiatives laid out in the Housing Action Plan in the coming weeks. n

BUILDING BLOCKS The Resort Municipality of Whistler wants to complete construction on Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 by 2026.

PHOTO BY ROBERT WISLA

Rainbow Park set to close for construction

RMOW MOVING FORWARD WITH NEW DESIGNS AFTER PUBLIC PUSHBACK

BY ROBERT WISLA

ENJOY RAINBOW PARK while you can. Starting at the beginning of June, the popular lakeside hangout will close for significant upgrades and reopen in June 2024.

The closing date was announced at the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) May 16 council meeting, at which mayor and council also approved a $2,738,910 contract to Wilco Civil Inc. to complete the second phase of Rainbow Park upgrades.

According to RMOW parks planner Annie Oja, Phase 2 of construction is scheduled to start on June 5, and be substantially complete by June 2024.

“Rainbow Park will have limited access for the duration of the construction period, with some periods of no access,” Oja said. “Closure to the beach and lawn area is necessary to complete construction as efficiently as possible during a favourable weather period.”

During construction, the park’s main beach and Valley Trail will be closed, along with the parking lot. The pick-up/drop-off area will remain open for now, although Oja noted it might also close if it proves problematic for construction. Parking on Alta Lake Road will also be limited.

Pedestrian access from Alta Lake Road to the off-leash dog park, heritage cabins and watercraft storage racks will continue via the Valley Trail section upgraded in the first phase of park improvements; the dog park will not close during construction.

The RMOW will redirect visitors to other Whistler parks during construction, such as Wayside, Lakeside, Blueberry, and Meadow, as well as encourage visitors from the Lower Mainland to find other things to do in town, like head into the alpine rather than the valley parks.

Some parks will also host more amenities this year, such as food offerings, to encourage dispersal across the municipality.

“Meadow Park is our best alternative option to redirect users to, for those needing to drive will be encouraged to park in an underutilized parking area behind the ball diamonds at the end of Camino Drive,” Oja said. “We’ve added a Park Eats program that will start last week in June that will be located adjacent to the tennis courts and washroom building, as well as additional picnic tables.”

Lost Lake’s free shuttle program will continue throughout the summer and, due to Rainbow Park’s closure, will double its service, running daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Saturday, June 17, until Labour Day. Transit will also be free on weekends and holidays to further encourage visitors and residents to avoid taking vehicles to municipal parks.

Bylaw enforcement personnel typically stationed at Rainbow Park will now be redirected to other parks.

Within the park itself, the upgrades include an expanded beach area, a relocated Valley Trail, and a new connection to the beachfront that will provide better access for all.

The improvements originally envisioned the Valley Trail relocation for the beachfront, creating a waterfront promenade; however, following a substantial wave of opposition from residents and a petition that gathered more than 3,000 signatures, the RMOW went back to the drawing board. Revised designs remove the planned promenade, while featuring less pavement overall and a smaller food truck plaza.

Other changes to the park include altering the irrigation system from potable to non-potable water; creating another dock at the south end of the beach; and adding 59 trees to give shade and create buffers between different areas of the park.

Other upgrades will also begin construction over the next year, including sewer improvements in the parking lot area and a railway crossing safety update.

Those projects are estimated to cost $506,000 and $349,000, respectively. Contracts have yet to be awarded, and the RMOW is still working out the details of the railway crossing with CN Rail and Transport Canada. The provincial Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) is funding 100 per cent of the project.

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If all goes according to plan, construction will be complete by June 2024, and Rainbow Park will reopen in phases once the new lawn is fully established, which will depend on the weather.

Councillor Jeff Murl noted that a significant portion of the community felt like their opinion wasn’t heard regarding the Rainbow Park upgrades, and encouraged those interested in future improvements to Whistler’s parks to let their concerns be known.

“A lot of community members felt that they weren’t consulted on this project. And I’m glad it’s moving forward, and it’s a great plan,” he said.

“I want to bring focus to the next park we’re working on, which is Meadow Park, and the ample opportunities people have to contribute and offer their opinions on those, and I hope they take them.”

Read more at whistler.ca/rainbowpark. n

“Rainbow Park will have limited access for the duration of the construction period...”

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Whistlerites can expect more grizzly sightings in the future: expert

RECOVERING POPULATION AND GROWING TRAIL NETWORK MEANS GRIZZLIES MORE LIKELY TO VENTURE INTO WHISTLER VALLEY

BY BRANDON BARRETT

A RARE GRIZZLY spotted in the Whistler Valley last week could be a sign of things to come, as local populations recover and Whistler’s alpine trail network continue to expand, said a local grizzly expert.

On Thursday, May 11, the Conservation Officer Service (COS) confirmed a grizzly sighting in the area of the Rainbow subdivision, and photos circulating on social media appeared to show the animal roaming through residential backyards. Sgt. Simon Gravel with the COS said there were two first-hand reports of the bear on May 11, but none since.

While grizzly sightings are rare in the valley, they have been on the rise in recent years—a trend Whistlerites should get used to, according to Johnny Mikes, field coordinator for the Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative.

“A grizzly coming down in springtime to find food, we’re seeing evidence of that, and we can probably expect that to continue,” he said. “I think we should be viewing this as a not-very-uncommon occurrence going into the future. People need to plan for that and get their heads around it.”

By Mikes’ estimation, this most recent

bear marks only the third recorded grizzly sighting in the Whistler Valley since one was spotted walking through Whistler Cay in May 2020. The sighting is a positive sign of the ongoing recovery of the SquamishLillooet grizzly bear population to the west of Whistler, Mikes said.

“The population there, from all indications, is coming back; it is growing. There is no longer a hunt in B.C.; grizzly bears aren’t being persecuted by people, so the numbers are coming back,”

he said. “There is also good habitat immediately to the west of us, so those bears are coming back.”

The expansion of Whistler’s Alpine Trail Network, more than 40 kilometres of mountain biking and hiking trails on Rainbow and Sproatt mountains, is another likely factor pushing grizzlies into the valley, as well as adding to the potential for conflict in the alpine.

“We have an issue of an expanding grizzly population combined with a trail

network that has expanded into that population, so that’s why we’re seeing more encounters in the summertime up on the alpine trail network,” noted Mikes.

In 2019, the Resort Municipality of Whistler finalized its Grizzly Bear-Human Conflict Mitigation Strategy, alongside the COS and B.C.’s forests ministry, which included recommendations to protect grizzlies in their natural habitat and provide guidance for recreational users in the Alpine Trail Network.

Even still, Mikes called it a “bit unusual” to see a grizzly grazing in someone’s suburban backyard.

“Grizzly bears tend to stay away from people a bit more than black bears, which is a huge generalization, but this bear is obviously not concerned with people,” he said. “It’s very comfortable and it’s not the first place I’d expect to see a bear come down in somebody’s backyard.”

The public is reminded to keep their pets on leash when out walking, to properly manage garbage and other wildlife attractants, and to maintain a distance of at least 100 metres from bears.

Wildlife sightings can be reported to the COS by calling 1-877-952-7277. For more information on mitigating conflict with grizzlies, visit wildsafebc.com/ grizzly-bear. n

HELLO BEAR A grizzly spotted near the Rainbow subdivision on May 11.

PHOTO BY BRIAN SCHOLFIELD

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May long: A Whistler weekend transformed

EXPECT INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE AND PLENTY OF ANIMATION AROUND THE VILLAGE THIS VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND

BY BRANDON BARRETT

ONE OF FORMER MAYOR Nancy Wilhelm-Morden’s goals during her time in office was to transform the culture around Whistler’s May long weekend, which had for years been a magnet for underage drinking, gang activity, and even the occasional outburst of violence. Now, her daughter, Councillor Jessie Morden, gets to carry on that work, and she’s proud of how the resort community has reclaimed the oncenotorious holiday.

“Working with the different partners and with the May Long Weekend Committee, we’ve done a good job shifting the environment in Whistler so that May long weekend, and also the summer, is a more family-friendly atmosphere,” she said.

Formed in 2014, the May Long Weekend Committee is made up of representatives from the Resort Municipality of Whistler, bylaw, the RCMP, as well as the local retail, hotel, bar and restaurant sectors, who, these days, meet once a year to provide guidance to RMOW staff and elected officials on ways to enhance the visitor experience during the holiday weekend.

Nearly a decade later and the consensus is the committee has largely

accomplished its goal, through a variety of efforts that have included gearing weekend programming to a more familycentric audience, first through the Great Outdoors Festival and then the Whistler Children’s Festival; enhancing local police presence; and some hotels placing age limits on room bookings.

“We understand that in past May long weekends, there have been incidents, but in the past two years now we’ve had the [Whistler] Children’s Festival on that weekend, so between that and collaborating between the business sector and community partners, that’s resulted in less incidents of illegal behaviour,” said Morden, council’s appointee to the May Long Weekend Committee. “We’ve also seen a noticeable shift in the demographic on that weekend.”

Saad Hasan, former chair of the Hotel Association of Whistler, said members routinely encourage longer lengths of stay over the holiday, which he said tends to bring in a more family-oriented guest.

“We don’t encourage booking overnight stays at the last minute and then leaving,” he said. “We like to have people staying over the weekend if possible, which is good for families as well in terms of the family activities.”

Cpl. Nate Miller with the RCMP

confirmed there would be, as in years past, additional police in and around the village and on the roads over the weekend. That will include bike patrols throughout Whistler Village on Saturday and Sunday, and the RCMP’s Integrated Road Safety Unit, which will be around Whistler and Pemberton, and stretching all the way to Lillooet, Miller said.

Although combined efforts have mostly kept gang activity to a minimum in the resort over the holiday weekend compares to years past, last July’s brazen gang shooting in Whistler Village that left two dead remains top of mind for local law enforcement.

Miller said that members of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C., the province’s anti-gang unit, would be in Whistler as well over the holiday, but noted that investigators have “no information to indicate there is going to be any conflict or problems—it is really just a preventative thing to use a resource that is available to us.”

In 2021, Whistler RCMP announced plans to develop an inadmissible bar patron program that would team local police with participating restaurant, bar and club venues to identify known gang members and remove them from the premises. The initiative is modelled off similar programs in Vancouver and Surrey, which, while being

largely applauded by participating venues, have drawn criticism from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner for the wide level of discretion they give officers in banning patrons, as well as for a lack of concrete data on their effectiveness.

Miller said the Whistler program has yet to get off the ground, as the local detachment focuses on rolling out its new community response unit (CRU), a team of specially trained officers working with local partners such as the Gibbons Group to focus on specific areas of crime, a model already in place in the Lower Mainland.

“The difference between a frontline police officer and that of a CRU team is the CRU team can focus on an area without needing to respond to calls for service,” RCMP North Zone Commander, Staff Sgt. Sascha Banks, told Pique last summer. “In Whistler this team would be a community police model mixed with a targeted team enforcement for property crime, violent crime … and the gang enforcement initiatives.”

Transit is free over the May long weekend, “making it convenient to get around and mitigating the traffic issue,” explained Morden.

The Whistler Children’s Festival runs from May 19 to 21 as well as May 27 and 28. Learn more at whistlerchildrensfestival.com. n

S VAVA T E R G E S E N

O r n a m e n t a l C o o k e r

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This exhibition is a co-production of the Audain Art Museum and Capture Photography Festival. Presenting Sponsor

Svava Tergesen, Granny Smith, Arctic Char (detail), 2022

Expanded Whistler Farmers’ Market returns to the Upper Village

THE POPULAR SUNDAY MARKET KICKS OFF MAY 21 WITH A LARGER FOOTPRINT AND UP TO 75 VENDORS A WEEK

BY BRANDON BARRETT

THIS SUMMER WILL OFFICIALLY mark Bree Eagles’ fourth year managing the popular Whistler Farmers’ Market (WFM), but only the second time she’ll head the weekly market from its longtime Upper Village home after several years on the move, thanks in large part to the pandemic.

“It brought back memories for me attending the market in the Upper Village as a customer,” she said. “To be on the flipside was great just to see the Upper Village come alive again. It was really vibrant, just having the mountains in the background and the tourism that comes from the hotels and live bands back again. It had a warm presence to it and a feeling of normalcy that things were back on track.”

Officially returning this Sunday, May 21 in time for the May long weekend, this year’s market should deepen that sense of normalcy with an expanded physical footprint and longer vendor list that is more in line with the weekly markets of the pre-pandemic days.

“Last year we had about 60 to 70 vendors a week and we took up the space from the gondola down to the Fairmont, and this year we’re looking to expand back up to the Whistler Blackcomb admin building, so we’re trying to

have that full presence along the stroll.”

Running every Sunday through Oct. 8 (along with four special Saturday markets on July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and Oct. 7), the market will host up to 75 vendors a week, and 124 vendors in all throughout the entirety of the season. These include everything from food trucks to farm-fresh produce, cold beverages, liquor, artisan crafts, jewelry and clothing, a mix of returning favourites and first-timers.

Several vendors return to the Upper Village, bringing their “cult followings” with them, Eagles said, like Pemberton Meat Co.,

Howe Sound Seafood Co., Alpine Honey, and Whistler regulars, Folie Crêpes French Food Truck. Along with their selection of savoury and sweet crêpes and homemade lemonades, the Folie gals are expanding their offerings to include another French classic, raclette—with a decidedly North American twist, poured over a premium beef sausage in a Parisian brioche bun and topped with crispy onions.

For Folie Crêpes co-owner Bachra Souayah, the Whistler market offers a chance to hopefully one day grow the food truck into a brick-and-mortar restaurant, as well

as providing some animation to the Upper Village that wouldn’t be out of place in one of France’s bustling markets.

“People in Canada need more fun,” said the ever-exuberant Parisian, who added that her food truck playlists tend to get people up and dancing during the Sunday markets. “Our culture from Europe, we are more spontaneous. I’m here for the positive. The bad vibes I keep at home.”

It’s an atmosphere that benefits standalone businesses in the Upper Village as well.

“I like to think we have this symbiotic relationship where the local businesses can benefit from the market being there and the market benefits from the presence of those buildings as well,” Eagles said. “We had some really great feedback that it’s great to be able to complement each other and people make a day out of it: They grab a coffee from Porto and listen to some live music before doing their grocery shopping at the market and then have a drink on the HandleBar patio. It’s an easy way to make a morning of it rather than just doing a quick shop.”

The WFM will continue its food coupon program this year, in partnership with the Whistler Community Services Society, which sees the non-profit handing out vouchers to food bank clients to use at the market.

For more information, visit whistlerfarmersmarket.org. n

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* *A co m p re h e n si ve h ea r in g a s s e s sm e n t i s p rov i d e d to a d u l t s a g e s 1 9 a n d o l d e r at n o co s t T h e re su l t s of t hi s a s s e s sm e n t w i ll b e co m m u nic ate d ve r b a ll y to yo u I f yo u re q u e s t a co py of t h e Au d io l o g ic a l Re p o r

HOLY FOLIE Folie Crêpes French Food Truck is one of more than 100 vendors at the Whistler Farmers’ Market.

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Whistler investing millions in sewer and water upgrades

COMING UP ON 50 YEARS, IT’S TIME FOR ‘KNEE AND HIP REPLACEMENTS’ IN THE RESORT

BY ROBERT WISLA

AS THE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) approaches its 50th birthday, a significant portion of its sewer and water system is coming due for an upgrade.

To that end, the RMOW’s 2023 budget includes more than $14 million in water ($4 million) and sewer ($10 million) upgrades.

“Whistler is at an interesting time in its history, in that we’re replacing a lot of below-grade infrastructure that was originally put there at Whistler’s founding,” Mayor Jack Crompton said. “I’ve joked in the past that we’re doing some knee and hip replacements. And that’s certainly the phase that we’re in right now, replacing a lot of infrastructure that’s been in the ground for a very long time.”

Major water and sewer projects on the workplan for 2023 include (but are not limited to): the South Whistler Water Supply (SWWS) upgrade; water system valve and fitting replacement; sewer main and manhole lining; and a roof replacement at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Whistler’s mayor and council approved bids for several of the projects at recent meetings.

On May 2, the RMOW awarded a contract worth $2,097,000 to Drake Excavating to complete the first phase of civil works on the SWWS.

Phase 1 of the project involves installing new water main sections to integrate with the water systems in Function and Cheakamus. Phase 2 involves building a water pump and pH treatment station adjacent to the existing Cheakamus Crossing well and pump station.

The RMOW budgeted $2.5 million for the work in 2023; $4.2 million in 2024; and $150,000 in 2025 for a total project budget of $6.85 million.

Once completed, the upgrade will reduce the redundancy of the water supply to Cheakamus Crossing; help reduce corrosion in the pipe system; and provide pH correction that will help the municipality meet provincial water quality regulations.

pH is one of the main factors that determine a water’s acidity—and in turn, how corrosive it is when interacting with things like pipes and plumbing fixtures.

Corrosive water can leech metals like lead and copper into drinking water, which is why the RMOW continues to remind residents and guests to flush their taps until the water is cold before drinking it.

Health Canada’s drinking water guidelines recommend a pH of at least 7.0. Currently, the Cheakamus Water System has a pH level of about 6.4, according to a report to council.

The RMOW split the large project into two

to account for supply-chain limitations, the report said. Civil works will begin in 2023, with the more complex pump station and treatment facility scheduled to begin in Q4 2024.

The completed project will allow any excess supply from the SWWS to be pumped to the northern half of the resort during periods of high water demand. Access to the Whistler Interpretive Forest parking lot will be limited during construction.

“The benefits include additional water for Creekside and village zones when required,” capital projects manager Chelsey Roberts said in a presentation to council.

“We will address the corrosion management for drinking water, as well as upgrade assets and improve operational efficiency—and as always, upgrade safety for municipal staff.”

The contract comes on the heels of two similar bid approvals, including a $711,023 contract to Mar-Tech Underground Services to complete the Sewer Main and Manhole Lining project, and $1,311,532 to Coastal Mountain Excavations for the Water and Sewer Valve and Fitting Replacement project. Mayor and council approved those contracts on March 21.

Residents can expect water service shutdowns and interruptions during construction, and the municipality will deliver notices to impacted residents 72 hours before shutdowns.

According to RMOW general manager of infrastructure services James Hallisey, the fitting replacement project will replace a dozen heavily corroded pipe clusters across the municipality, helping to prevent system failures.

“We’ve had a series of water main and sewer main breaks, really from [the village] all the way to Nicklaus North; some were relatively minor and easy to fix, [but] we had some pretty major ones that were expensive and hard to fix,” he said.

“After that happened three or four times, the staff were like, ‘We can’t continue to work like this,’ so we got involved and had the consultant come in, did quite a few test digs, and they identified all the sites and prioritized them … Now we’re getting through all the highest-priority areas with the work this year.”

The 2023 budget includes a property tax increase of 8.4 per cent, along with a threeper-cent increase in the water parcel tax, a four-per-cent increase in solid waste user fees, and a five-per-cent hike for sewer parcel taxes.

The increase is necessary, in part, to pay for Whistler’s infrastructure upgrades.

“We pay what it costs to ensure a resilient sewer and water system,” Crompton said of the associated price tags.

“It probably costs more money than most people would guess, but they are critical expenditures for our community.” n

BIKE PARK NOW OPEN

What if... by 2050...

Ever-increasing pressures for growth and densification lead Whistler to urbanize With growth, the underhoused population has ballooned and affordable housing is even more scarce. Many popular trails are gone, along with parkland and habitat and we ’ ve missed our emission targets by miles

Not the future you had in mind?

If you are a resident or have a connection to Whistler and want to be part of the conversation on our future, join us at the Whistler Public Library on Thursday, May 25.

Learn about four stories known as The Whistler Sessions Scenarios, and how we can all use these narratives to transform our future

We want you to be a part of the discussion as we consider what we all need to start doing, stop doing and keep doing to create the community we want to be

Finding solutions and making big decisions benefits from the input of many voices and perspectives. Please join us!

The Whistler Sessions

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Read The Whistler Sessions Scenarios + RSVP for the Briefings

A Q&A with Whistler’s MP Patrick Weiler

WEILER INTRODUCED A MOTION EARLIER THIS MONTH TO BAN OLD-GROWTH LOGGING ON FEDERAL LANDS AND THE EXPORT OF ANCIENT LOGS AND PRODUCTS MADE FROM THEM

BY MEGAN LALONDE

BEFORE HE WAS ELECTED to the House of Commons as the member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in 2019, Patrick Weiler’s work as an environmental lawyer was often rooted in resource management. Now in his second term, the Liberal is putting that expertise to work in Parliament defending the country’s old-growth forests.

Whistler’s MP introduced a private members’ motion on May 4. It calls on the federal government to end old-growth logging on federal lands outside of reserves, and more notably, for an end to Canada’s export of old-growth logs and wood products made from old-growth trees as soon as possible, but no later than 2030. The proposition falls in line with the Liberal government’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of Canada’s land and waters by 2030, and its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Pique reached Whistler’s federal representative on May 9 over the phone from his home in B.C. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

PIQUE: What motivated you to introduce this motion?

PATRICK WEILER: Ever since I was a very, very young kid, my mother has really helped me appreciate old-growth forests. I think I was about seven or maybe eight years old when I first went on a camping trip to Carmanah Valley [on Vancouver Island], and ever since then, I’ve really, really appreciated what oldgrowth forests are and the unique habitat that they provide. For me, it’s always been such an iconic part of our natural heritage and history, kind of similar to what a cathedral is in a lot of European countries. So I’ve always had a really strong appreciation for it, [especially] the more that I learn about how much it is being cut down … Even though in recent years, there’s been less cut down, there’s still over 30,000 hectares each year that the province is cutting down right now, and there’s not that much left.

It’s an important issue in the riding. There’s old growth throughout, but it’s hidden here and there, and some of it is actually under threat. There’s areas on the Sunshine Coast which have been deferred from logging recently, but those tree-cut licenses could be issued, so it’s a really important thing to protect and it’s something I hear about frequently from constituents.

The frustrating part is there’s only so much that’s in the federal jurisdiction that we can do to advance old-growth protection. Really, I put this motion together because these are the areas that are within the federal jurisdiction where we can make a difference, and where we can also help the province to move to a more sustainable form of forestry and protect what are really precious areas right across the province.

To my understanding, only about one per cent of B.C. is federal Crown land and about 95 per cent is provincial Crown land.

Exactly.

So with that in mind, how do you think the federal government can help the province manage its approach to old growth, whether within or outside of this motion?

In the motion, the ban on old-growth forestry on federal land; that’s very limited. [That federal land] is mostly Parks, the Department of National Defense. There’s no old-growth logging [happening on those lands] that I know of, but it’s important to

show leadership. Something that we passed in the budget last year was a new Old Growth Nature Fund, so it’s $55 million. I sit on the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, and through votes at those committees, we’ve actually expanded the Old Growth Nature Fund by almost another $27 million, so we now have this fund which I’m hoping will be launched this year—that’s what the motion is pushing for—which will be able to leverage what we hope is going to be matching provincial funding, and then also a lot of private-sector funding. There’s great groups like the BC Parks Foundation and so many other donors that really want to protect this land, so we can take that money and then we can leverage it and make it go so much further.

It’s important to put the resources there in conservation, but just knowing how there are many communities right across the province where forestry is the lifeblood of those communities, it’s supporting that industry to move towards sustainable forms of forestry. Old-growth logging is inherently unsustainable. It’s irreplaceable. It’s supporting [those communities] on value addition, so that they’re able to get the most economic impact and jobs from forestry in the long term, while we protect

old growth. This motion really allows us to provide that type of support, but also the stick, which is banning the export of old-growth logs and wood products made from old growth. This is something that is in the federal jurisdiction, because all international trade is.

Some people have criticized that aspect of the motion, saying banning old-growth exports in particular could really kill those industries. What’s your response to those people?

I saw that quote in an article written by [Glacier Media reporter] Stefan Labbé, and I was very surprised by the logic in that. To say that by moving away from old-growth logging, we are going to kill the province; to say that the province is on life support at this point right now, and the only way the province can survive is by logging old growth, to me doesn’t make any sense. I think that really sells the province short, and I think it really sells the opportunity short that we have in second- and third-growth logging, where there’s tremendous opportunity.

So I was surprised to see those comments and I couldn’t disagree more. But I do think it’s very important that we support sustainable forestry and the jobs and the communities that rely on it, and that’s why I made it a key part of the motion to incorporate that, because we need to make sure that nobody is left behind as we continue to move towards a more sustainable and prosperous economy.

What do you anticipate as being the biggest challenges in getting this motion passed?

The challenge with this is it requires coordinating very closely with multiple different orders of governments, so working very closely with the province, and on the exports ban, also making sure that whatever is brought forward is going to be World Trade Organization compliant. Those are things that will be complicated discussions to manage.

I’m not an international trade lawyer

myself, so I can’t say exactly what the best way of moving forward on that will be—I have had some discussions with the International Trade Minister, I know there’s a few different avenues that are being discussed on how we’re going to ban the exports of thermal coal, so I anticipate we would want to use a similar mechanism for this. But this is something that is a very multifaceted issue, so I think the discussions with different orders of government will be challenging, but also with industry. But these are discussions that we need to be having right now,

because of the iconic and important value that old growth has.

You mentioned earlier in our conversation that old growth is something you hear about often from constituents. Old-growth logging became maybe more prominent of an issue when we saw protests happening in 2020 and 2021 on Vancouver Island. I’m curious how it felt for you to watch that happening as a federally elected official, when, like you said, a lot of these issues aren’t in your jurisdiction?

In a way I felt a little bit powerless, which was very frustrating. To see precious old growth like that getting logged was hard to watch and to see people standing up for it was in some ways very motivating, to see how much people really care for things like this. I remember right when those protests started happening, I had a conversation with our then-Minister of Environment, Jonathan Wilkinson, and I asked him, ‘What is it that we can do here, right now, to protect this?’ And that’s actually what started the discussions on the Old Growth Nature Fund. Soon after that, we were able to get that incorporated in our campaign platform in 2021, so it was for me a great relief.

I was just very happy we were able to pass that in the budget last year. Now that we’ve been able to expand it, I’m just hoping we can launch that as soon as possible so we can provide that peace of mind, particularly in our most at-risk areas, and move forward with protection as soon as possible. n

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WILD WONDERS Whistler’s Liberal MP Patrick Weiler is seeking to ban the export of old growth logs and products made from ancient trees.

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Naturespeak: Bats help us, let’s help them

BY KRISTINA SWERHUN

MANY OF US ARE IN THE DARK about bats, and their survival depends on our enlightenment. Because bats are active at night, it’s hard to get a feel for how many of them are out there. The Whistler Biodiversity Project has so far documented eight species of bats in Whistler, but we don’t know a lot about how many individuals there are or where they hang out during the day or hibernate over winter.

What we do know is that bats are incredibly useful to humans. Bats in Whistler (and Canada) are insectivores (insect eaters) and consume pests of forests, crops, and humans, saving billions of dollars on control. Consider that a little brown bat in Whistler can eat as many as 600 mosquitoes per hour.

How do bats catch so many insects? Bats can see as well as humans can, but they have evolved a method of using sound that enables them to navigate and find food in the dark, called echolocation. Bats produce echolocation by emitting high-frequency sound pulses through their mouth or nose and listening to the echo. This sophisticated hunting technique inspired humans to develop sonar, radar, and ultrasound. To experience echolocation yourself, the Whistler library has two new “Bat Packs”

available to borrow, complete with an echolocation bat detector.

Surprisingly, bats are more closely related to primates and humans than they are to mice or rats. Unlike mice, bats live long lives (20 to 30 years in the wild); do not chew (don’t need to worry about bats damaging your home); bats roost instead of

nest (they don’t carry anything into where they rest or sleep); and bats won’t force their way in (they will not use a roost if there is no access). If you have bats on your property, we encourage you to live with them or exclude bats in a way that doesn’t harm them. Visit bcbats.ca for more information.

You may have heard of white-nose

syndrome, the result of a European fungus that is killing millions of bats in North America. Unfortunately, the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome was confirmed in the Grand Forks area in April of this year, the first time it has been recorded in B.C.

The Whistler Naturalists are part of a citizen science program through the Community Bat Programs of B.C. Here are some of their recommendations on what we can do to help bats survive:

• Report dead bats from now until May 31 to help understand where white-nose syndrome is in B.C. Remember to never touch a dead bat with your bare hands.

• Report where you see bats roosting. This could be on your property, on branches, in rock crevasses or under bark on an old dead tree.

• Consider joining the Naturalists for the B.C. Annual Bat Count this summer to help monitor bat populations.

• Keep your cats inside or on a leash. Bats only have one pup per year and breeding season has now started. Cats are the No. 1 predators of bats.

• Find out more about bats and the Community Bat Programs of B.C. at bcbats.ca. Please email whistlernaturalists@gmail.com if you’re interested in getting involved.

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

DID YOU HEAR THAT? Check out the ears of this long-eared bat (Myotis evotis), one of eight species local to Whistler.

PHOTO BY BOB BRETT

Four men off the hook after punching, cracking car window in Whistler Village

POLICE BRIEFS: POLICE ISSUE TWO IMPAIRED DRIVING PROHIBITIONS; RCMP INVESTIGATE ATTEMPTED BREAK-AND-ENTER TARGETING PEMBERTON BUSINESS

BY MEGAN LALONDE

A GROUP OF FOUR men took their drunken debauchery a little too far during a recent visit to Whistler, but will stay out of a courtroom thanks to a particularly benevolent victim.

According to a Whistler RCMP news release, police launched an investigation into a report of four men “punching and cracking a car window after a driver honked at them” shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 13. The mischievous incident reportedly occurred in the 4300 block of Main Street.

Members of Whistler’s RCMP detachment managed to locate the men at a Whistler Village hotel. Police arrested all four men not only for mischief in relation to the cracked window, but for obstruction after the individuals refused to provide identification to the responding officers. The group was from out of the area, RCMP said.

They are now, however, off the hook. Since the vehicle’s driver did not wish to pursue any criminal charges, police instead issued each of the four men a violation ticket for being drunk in public.

The Saturday night incident was one of 96 total files opened by the Whistler RCMP detachment in the six days spanning May 9 to 15. Police in Whistler also received three false alarm calls, five false or abandoned 911 calls and conducted three collision investigations during that period.

SMELL OF ‘FRESHLY BURNED CANNABIS’ LEADS TO DRIVING PROHIBITION

About 24 hours earlier, on May 12, it was individuals trying to get behind the wheel after an evening of imbibing that caught officers’ attention.

In a release, police said one encounter began at about 10 p.m. when a member of Whistler’s RCMP detachment noticed a car speeding while out on proactive patrol.

The officer conducted a traffic stop, during which they observed the motorist displaying “physical signs of impairment, in addition to the car smelling of freshly burned cannabis,” according to the release. Police subjected the driver to tests for drug impairment. As a result of the driver’s performance, police issued the man a driving prohibition. According to Whistler RCMP, the driver and his passengers were all visiting the

resort from outside of the area.

That incident followed another instance earlier Friday evening, when Whistler RCMP received reports about an intoxicated woman attempting to drive away after leaving a local restaurant. Police say passersby confiscated the woman’s car keys before police arrived at the scene. A Whistler RCMP investigation resulted in the woman earning herself a 90-day driving prohibition after she failed the police-issued breath tests. Additionally, police impounded the woman’s vehicle for a period of 30 days.

PEMBERTON BUSINESS ESCAPES BREAK-ANDENTER ATTEMPT

Police in Pemberton were called last week to respond to reports of an attempted break-andenter at a local business.

In a release, police said the unknown persons tried to gain entry to a business in the 1300 block of Portage Road in downtown Pemberton at some point overnight on Tuesday, May 9.

According to Sea to Sky RCMP, the wouldbe thieves attempted to access the business by prying open the establishment’s doors and removing screws from both a front entrance

and a side doorway. Luckily for the business’ owners, the criminals’ efforts were in vain, and no items were reported stolen.

The file remains under investigation, police said in the release.

Police ask anyone with any more information to share about the above files to contact the Whistler RCMP at 604-9322044, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or solvecrime.ca to remain anonymous. n

LET’S CONNECT TO DISCUSS YOUR WHISTLER

LET’S CONNECT TO DISCUSS YOUR WHISTLER REAL ESTATE PLANS

REAL ESTATE PLANS

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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 Kathy

• Media room, office/den, 2 car garage & sports room, built-in home security system

• Build your year-round Whistler Dream Estate Residence

• Close to ski in / ski out Whistler trails + Private Gondola

• Multi-zone Crestron/Savant stereo system, built-in vacuum, landscaped yard with irrigation system

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• Evaluate the plan to build approx. 7,500 sq. ft. on one of the last large building lots

• Fine selection of Architects and Builders to bring your vision to legacy Resort home reality

KATHY WHITE

ON PATROL Whistler RCMP opened 96 new files from May 9 to 15.

PHOTO BY KIMBERLEE REIMER / GETTY IMAGES

Engel and Völkers Whistler

Pemberton residents raise concerns about proposed Nkwúkwma (Benchlands) development

AT FULL BUILD-OUT, NEW DEVELOPMENT COULD HOUSE UP TO 1,350 PEOPLE

BY ROBERT WISLA

AS PEMBERTON CONSIDERS its future through an extensive review of its Official Community Plan, some residents are asking questions about one of the biggest developments in the village’s history.

The proposed Nkwúkwma (Benchlands) development will see up to 450 residential units built over the next two decades on 31.2 hectares (77.1 acres) of land overlooking the village’s downtown core.

Led by Skénkenam Development LP, a partnership between the Lil’wat Nation’s Lil’wat Capital Assets and the Pemberton Benchlands Development Corporation, a proposed rezoning for the development will create a new neighbourhood that, at its full build-out, could house up to 1,350 people.

But in recent weeks, residents have raised concerns about a long list of issues regarding the proposed neighbourhood, including around access to Eagle Drive, off-site servicing improvements, increased demand for recreation, protection of existing trails and trail access, emergency access, stormwater runoff, wildlife corridors and affordable housing.

Hannah Den Duyf said she’s concerned about the potential domino effect of adding more traffic and people to the primary connection road in emergency situations.

“I currently live there, and while I don’t completely oppose [the development], I don’t necessarily think it’s been thought through properly,” Den Duyf said. “I live on Eagle Drive, which is apparently going to be the only road in and out of the development. I am uncomfortable thinking about how much traffic is going to be coming through the road, which is already extremely narrow, especially if there is some kind of emergency where everyone is leaving at once.”

Diane Rothdram echoed those concerns. As a Pemberton resident for the last 20 years, she has seen the village grow significantly, and is worried that the Village of Pemberton is not ready to handle hundreds of new residents from an infrastructure and staffing point of view.

Rothdram said she wants there to be more transparency around the rezoning process.

“My biggest concern is that the Village of Pemberton still kind of behaves as a small operation, but obviously we’ve got a lot of people, and you see that showing up when it comes to things like bylaw enforcement,” she said.

“It feels like there’s not enough transparency, and that the Village of Pemberton is working with developers a lot more than with the people who live here.”

Nkwúkwma’s land development manager, Caroline Lamont, is aware of residents’ concerns, and plans to incorporate their feedback as the proposal makes its way through the early stages of the rezoning application process.

“I know there’s a bit of opposition out there, but we’re still working through some of the finer details, which we’ll be working

on in the next few months,” Lamont said. “We did a pop-up [information session] in the neighbourhood, and [residents] were definitely concerned with how the access road will work and how it will be improved and whether we can ensure safety for pedestrians in the area.”

One of the critical questions raised by Pemberton residents is whether or not the development will help address the village’s complex housing situation. Between 2016 and 2021, Pemberton’s population surged by 32.4 per cent, contributing to increased demand for services and rising housing prices.

The neighbourhood’s draft sub-area plan estimates that if the village continues to grow by a more modest 6.48 per cent over the next five years, the population will rise to 4,501 people and, within 15 years, up to 11,232 people.

Lamont said the development will provide a wide variety of housing that will help address the projected growth, and that the details of affordable housing options will be worked out with the municipality through the rezoning process, noting that affordable housing was a topic consistently brought up by residents at a public information held on April 20.

“There are definitely three lot sizes: a small lot, a mid and then large, which is more consistent with Eagle Drive, but there’s also townhomes and 40 apartment units,” Lamont said. “So there is a mix of housing, and then working with the village we’ll look at flex opportunities, whether that’s through accessory suites or lock-offs, or something like that, just to provide more opportunities for ground-access housing for

a variety of people’s needs, [from] small families to singles to seniors.”

The original Benchlands Neighbourhood Concept Plan adopted in 2007 proposed a mixed-use neighbourhood consisting mostly of single-family homes, and Pemberton’s current OCP requires 25 per cent of new housing in the Benchlands to be multi-family housing.

The new sub-area plan represents a revised approach with a broader mix of residential uses, but a similar density of up to 450 dwellings.

But adding more density in Pemberton is something Mayor Mike Richman supports.

“I think there’s an absolute need [for increased density]. One of the ways we’re going to not necessarily solve but lessen the housing crunch and the affordability crisis is by making sure we provide all forms of housing within the housing continuum,” Richman said.

“If we just build single-family homes, the cost of single-family homes would continue to soar; we wouldn’t be supplying housing for many other demographics within our community. So I think, in general, we need to be very conscious and very thoughtful in building housing throughout the spectrum.”

Richman encourages residents to continue engaging in the rezoning process and to voice their concerns about the neighbourhood’s development as it makes its way through the rezoning process.

The Nkwúkwma development will be back before Pemberton’s mayor and council on May 23. Residents can learn more about the draft plan online at haveyoursay. pemberton.ca. n

OFF THE BENCH A view of Pemberton’s Benchlands area from above.

SKÉNKENAM DEVELOPMENT

Pemberton council adopts 8% tax increase

AS SPUD VALLEY GROWS, COUNCIL EYES MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS INTO THE FUTURE

BY ROBERT WISLA

IT’S OFFICIAL: taxes are going up in Spud Valley.

At a special Committee of the Whole meeting on May 11, Pemberton’s mayor and council approved the Village of Pemberton’s (VOP) 2023-2027 Five-Year Financial Plan Bylaw, as well as associated tax rate bylaws, allowing the municipality to increase taxes by eight per cent in 2023.

The tax increase works out to about $164,637 in additional revenue for the VOP, and will go towards building up municipal infrastructure reserves.

Property tax notices will be mailed out at the end of the month that will include specific details for each property.

Mayor Mike Richman said he is happy to see municipal staff keeping the operating budget in check so the additional revenue can be used to shore up reserves.

“I am pleased we were able to keep our operation budgets moving forward without an increase and that we were able to dedicate all of our tax increase to reserves for infrastructure. That gives me some confidence, but we’re going to have to continue going down that road,” Richman said.

“I want to continue seeing the council focus on that balance between affordability and protecting ourselves for the future. We have to make sure that we’re not vulnerable to major infrastructure breaks or rising costs that will force us to hit the taxpayers hard at any moment.

“We want to make sure that we’re on a gradual and affordable path that doesn’t leave us vulnerable. And I think this budget sets that course.”

While the eight-per-cent tax increase is notable, it is not out of line with 2023 increases in communities across the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), as local governments across the region grapple with rising inflation. Squamish and Whistler raised taxes by 5.9 and 8.4 per cent this year, respectively.

Pemberton has historically kept its mill rate relatively low compared to neighbouring municipalities in the SLRD, with the average single-family homeowner paying about $1,685 in taxes in 2022, compared to $2,908 in Squamish and $3,867 in Lillooet.

A previous report to Pemberton’s COW noted that the VOP has the fifth lowest taxes of all 161 municipalities in the province, and is similar to the other SLRD communities’ taxation increases.

PROJECTS PLANNED FOR 2023

The VOP will undertake several large projects in this year’s budget, including a $3.66-million daycare facility expansion

expected to be completed by 2024 ($1.6 million will be spent this year, with another million earmarked for 2024).

There is also $2.64 million budgeted for a new amenity building at Den Duyf Park, as well as $2.1 million for sewer and water system upgrades. Upgrades to the water treatment facility make up one of the 2023 budget’s most significant infrastructure improvement projects, with $600,000 earmarked for this year and $7.5 million in 2024.

Pemberton’s Five-Year Financial Plan also outlines a handful of projects the VOP must prioritize in the next few years, such as replacing or expanding municipal hall at an estimated cost of $2 million, and replacing the fire hall for $15 million.

“Many of those projects that are in that five-year plan are identified because they’re top-shelf needs for us, but many of them are also put there because we want to be proactive for grant funding applications,” Richman said.

“The fire hall, municipal hall, the water treatment plant, those are all projects for which we will pursue grant funding. We put an estimated cost on it in the five-year plan.”

Of the longer-term projects, Richman singled out the fire hall replacement as one of the top priorities for the municipality. While the VOP has outgrown its existing municipal

hall, it has made use of hotdesking and remote work for employees to stem some of the challenges with space constraints.

According to Richman, a few residents have raised concerns about the tax increase and the rising cost of living in the Pemberton Valley. Still, he believes most people understand the need to shore up infrastructure reserves as the village grows.

“I think many people do recognize that we actually pay some of the lowest taxes in the corridor here,” Richman said.

“I think people understand we’re trying to strike that balance between affordability and setting up the Village for success over time. So there’s definitely some stress around the increase in people feeling the pinch these days, but I think people understand where we’re going with it and the need, and I think they see it as responsible financial management, for the most part.” n

“I think many people do recognize that we actually pay some of the lowest taxes in the corridor here.”

- MIKE RICHMAN

Burning down the house

AS OF MAY 15, with another +10 C spring temperature anomaly underway in northern Alberta, the province’s Wildfire Status Dashboard was showing 87 active wildfires—25 listed as out of control—of the 467 sparked to life so far in 2023. That basically means from April until now.

That’s a lot of fires in a month. Especially when the suspected cause of only a handful are lightning, with ~220 known to be caused by humans. Applying basic math for the 200-plus still “under investigation,” it’s easy to conclude these will mostly be attributed to humans as well. Given the hot,

BY LESLIE ANTHONY

dry, climate-exacerbated conditions under which these fires are occurring, it’s clear that folks in the region have been playing with fire—both literally and figuratively. More so given that the industrial base of northern Alberta is given over to mining a substance (bitumen) that, when converted by fire to a burnable energy form (oil), contributes to the very conditions now causing so much environmental and property damage.

Oh, and speaking of combustion, how about Alberta’s premier Danielle Smith?

A political dumpster fire of comedic proportions—one whose personal vendettas and Libertarian leanings saw her fail to reach out or coordinate with the feds to deal with the fires in a timely manner, bizarrely delay evacuation orders, preferentially inform United Conservative Party supporters of

the impending provincial emergency she would declare, mismanage emergency funds already reduced by UCP austerity, and mire herself in rhetorical controversies via leaked videos on everything from criminal street preachers to likening Albertans who followed COVID mandates to Nazis.

Amazingly, all this populated the news in the same week, and adds up to a disquieting optic: a premier who clearly values the loyalty of her base over the safety of Albertans. If such cravenly political behaviour seems reckless for a so-called leader charged with communicating effectively during what is proving to be a serious crisis, well, it is.

In an odd turn of events, Alberta’s NDP leader, Rachel Notley, can’t be cut any slack

On the austerity front, the effect of UCP budgeting on Alberta’s firefighting capacity is a matter of public record: according to Alberta’s own estimates, $130 million was allocated for wildfire management in 201819; the following year this dropped to $117.6 m, including cuts to the staffing budget for lookout towers and scrapping of the bargain-bin $1.4-m Aerial Rapattack fire service team (used effectively about 100 times that year). By 2022-23, with Smith at the helm, that line item had dropped to $100.5 m—an overall $30-m reduction against rising inflation.

Clearly, fingering this budget-slashing is a no-go for Smith, but also a risk for Notley, who hopes to woo centrist conservative voters horrified by Smith’s outbursts. And so, in

the wildfires that destroyed most of Slave Lake in 2011 and Fort McMurray in 2016, the latter displacing almost 90,000 people. Bad decisions were made with Slave Lake; worse decisions with Fort Mac. It’s too soon to say how today’s dictates will rank.

Smith, of course, won’t touch climate. And for those who think honesty might be the best policy for Notley on such a clear NDP policy point, recall Green Party leader Elizabeth May’s instant excoriation in the press when, with the ashes of Fort Mac still smouldering, she answered frankly when asked if she thought climate change had played any role in the fire: “Of course.” She then spent weeks clarifying to a Luddite public that she didn’t mean this specific event, per se, but the cumulative atmospheric conditions making it more likely to happen—and to be so much worse. This was both honest and incontrovertible, as climate attribution scientists soon showed (climatesignals.org/events/fortmcmurray-fire-2016).

here either. Alberta’s wildfire disaster is playing out on what amounts to an eggshell stage, with the emergency declared just after the writ was dropped for a provincial election that’s basically a cage match between Smith and Notley.

With both candidates loathe to crack any eggs less they rankle key voting constituencies, both are playing it cool while sitting on the hot seat. As Emma Jackson outlines in The Breach, “while there couldn’t be a better moment to reckon with the roots of this emergency, neither political party has shown the courage to address, or even to name, the crises fuelling the fires: austerity and climate change.”

Alberta, Nero’s past, present and future fiddle while Rome burns.

The play is almost identical with the climate-change card. It’s well-known that the most dangerous time for fire in the boreal forest is during the so-called “spring dip”—the time between snowmelt and leafout when a combination of drought, high temperature and low humidity can make the forest floor ignitable by a glint of sun off a belt buckle. And, of course, Albertans have been here before: John Vaillant’s excellent new book, Fire Weather (he’ll be at the Whistler Writer’s Fest this fall discussing it) goes into great detail on the conditions behind todays conflagrations, as well as

And yet, despite this history, today we again see communities destroyed, fistshaking town halls, and tens of thousands displaced as two rival politicians appear together at a news conference ostensibly in support of beleaguered Albertans, while both secretly play three-way chicken with each other and the truth hoping to make it to election day without having to honestly address what amounts to a recurrent major disaster. One of them is a lightning rod for climate deniers, the other handcuffed by politics from articulating her party’s vision to tackle this evolving hellscape.

This is where politics has seemingly brought us in Canada—a Theatre of the Absurd in which we can only watch and empathize as our fellow citizens get burned, again.

Leslie Anthony is a biologist, writer and author of several popular books on environmental science. ■

Bad decisions were made with Slave Lake; worse decisions with Fort Mac. It’s too soon to say how today’s dictates will rank.

POLITICAL FIREBRAND As Alberta burns, its two main political rivals conduct a Theatre of the Absurd on their way to the polling booth.

BY MEGAN LALONDE

ABOUT 18 YEARS AGO, Kate Roddick rolled into Whistler with a pickup truck, a U-Haul trailer and a baby in tow, ready to put down roots and build a life in the mountains.

It’s a dream she likely wouldn’t have been able to realize if it weren’t for the Whistler visionaries who had the foresight to prioritize workforce housing.

Now, she’s grateful to return to the employee-restricted Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) property she calls home after each workday. As senior manager of projects, employee services and community relations for Whistler Blackcomb, Roddick spends many of those days figuring out how to accommodate a specific segment of the resort’s workforce: the first- and second-year seasonal employees who keep Whistler running.

For many, “they’re coming here and living away from home for the first time,” Roddick told the audience of approximately 200 gathered at the Whistler Conference Centre to talk housing on Thursday afternoon, April 27. “We want that to be a safe and fun and great experience.”

In 1988, the ski resort built its first dormstyle employee housing building at Blackcomb Mountain’s Base II. Today, a cluster of seven buildings covers the Glacier Lane lot—two of which are used by the Fairmont Chateau Whistler—with Whistler Blackcomb planning to break ground on its eighth building in the coming months. Apartment-style accommodations in Brio and West Side also contribute to the company’s ability to house about 30 per cent of its workforce.

“It’s creating a place where young people can be safe, they can thrive, they’re close to the business, they can turn up on time,” she said. “And part of the responsibility of that style of housing is to make sure we have the wellness component as well.”

For Whistler Blackcomb, that means employing wellness coordinators to facilitate a robust list of health resources, but “it’s also important that it’s affordable,” Roddick added. “Ten years ago, [rent] was $350 a month. Today, it’s $405. It’s about making sure that we’re meeting those components together, with a functional and safe building. It’s very institutional style—it’s like university dorm-style housing, but it can withstand a bunch of 20-year-olds living in it year after year after year.”

The WHA’s supply of employeerestricted properties like Roddick’s and employer-provided housing like Whistler Blackcomb’s are two strategies the resort has continuously leaned into to help house the vast majority of its workforce, in a place where, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census, only 5,597 of the resort’s 10,065 private dwellings are permanently occupied by usual residents, and where market properties are among the most expensive recreational homes in the country.

But despite those innovative strategies, Whistler is still dealing with a crippling housing crisis. And it’s not alone. The same problems plague communities across the continent, from rural mountain towns to big cities.

How can communities work together to improve that current state of affairs? Which potential solutions already exist? Which

would realistically work for Whistler? What kind of effort is needed to implement them?

If you ask Roddick, “I think that it will take more visionary conversations, collaboration, relationships, tough conversations, tension, things that work—and it will still be imperfect,” she said. “And we will continue to keep trying to make it better.”

Those conversations and collaborations were exactly what the Whistler Institute and the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) were hoping to foster by hosting the multi-panel discussion where Roddick made those remarks. Called “A Roof Over Our Heads: Exploring Mountain Resort Housing Possibilities,” the discussion took place at the CWSAA’s Spring Conference, held in Whistler this year from April 25 to 27.

Organizers enlisted two separate panels of experts to explore strategies here in the valley and further afield, as well as Pique columnist G.D. Maxwell to moderate the twohour discussion.

THE HISTORY OF EMPLOYEE HOUSING IN WHISTLER

The first panel focused on Whistler’s approach to housing over the years—“what’s been done, what’s worked, what hasn’t worked in the never-ending quest for affordable housing,” as Maxwell explained. It featured panellists Steve Bayly, the Whistler Housing Authority’s first general manager, and Duane Jackson, former Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) councillor and chair of the Whistler 2020 Development Corp. (WDC), alongside Roddick.

In 1983, shortly after Bayly got his start in B.C.’s real estate development and construction industry, the province’s wider real estate market was struggling with 20-plus-per-cent interest rates and a tanking economy.

In response to rising real estate costs, local leaders formed the Whistler Valley Housing Society. With the help of funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the group built a 20-unit apartment building in Creekside called Whistler Creek Court. “That building recently paid off its mortgage, and now that society’s able to move on a 30-unit, brand-new apartment building that’s getting built for them by the WDC in Cheakamus Crossing,” Bayly said. “It’s pretty cool that a bunch of years go by and you can do it all again, with equity and surplus cash flow.”

But in its earlier years, the society was challenged by the fact that it “didn’t have permanent management,” Bayly explained. “It was run off the corners of people’s desks. It would get momentum and then lose it.”

That was around the same time a group of Whistler councillors travelled to Colorado to assess the housing situation in the Rockies. “They came back and the consensus in Whistler was we wanted our workforce to live here. We wanted to have a vibrant community where people didn’t come from out of the valley to work and only the wealthy live at the top of the hill,” said Bayly. “So, there was a real effort to make that happen.”

The municipality decided to direct a fund of about $6 million collected from works and services charges—not from taxpayers— towards employee housing, roping in a team of real estate development experts to

F o r e s t f u e l m a n a g e m e n t w o r k b e g i n n i n g

a d j a c e n t t o A l p i n e M e a d o w s a n d R a i n b o w

Fuel thinning is taking place adjacent to the Alpine Meadows and Rainbow neighbourhoods which will affect trails in the area and paralleling 19 Mile Creek The expected end date for the project is September

This is important work to reduce the ability of fire to spread from the forest into the community and vice versa, and to make wildfires easier to fight. In fuel thinning, mature and deciduous trees are left, while lower branches are pruned, and unmanaged second-growth trees, ground brush and debris are removed

Tra il closures will be in effect. For your own safety, please obey all signs and staff Active tree-falling and heavy machinery use creates a hazard for the public

Affected trails: May 15 through September

Multiuse trails: Hiking only trails:

• Delineator

• Lower Al

• Creamsicle Rainbow

• White Knuckles

• Up Shit Creek

• Anal Intruder

• Shit Happens

• Lower 19 Mile Creek

• Screaming Cat Connector

• Mountainview Access

Affected trails: June 19 through September

• Howler

• No View

• 19 Mile Creek (East)

Hiking access to the Skywalk Alpine zone, Screaming Cat Lake, and Iceberg Lake will remain accessible via Rick’s Roost and Rainbow Sproat Flank (North 19 Mile Creek) accessed from the top of Alpine Way Users are encouraged to park at Meadow Park in the parking lot accessed off Camino Drive, where there is a washroom, a nd not at the Meadow Park Sports Centre Screaming Cat Lake can also be accessed via the Cougar Mountain Road

For details and updates: Whistler ca/fuelthinning

create the RMOW-owned Whistler Housing Authority in 1997.

The group established a few guiding principles: The WHA would A) have professional management; B) look after all the housing agreements, covenants, options, and right of first refusals; C) advocate for residentrestricted housing in Whistler; D) would not use the $6-million fund to subsidize creation of housing by others, but would rather use that money as equity, along with conservative borrowings, to build and rent housing for its own account; E) be self-funded, not subsidized by the town’s taxpayers, with the RMOW not required to guarantee any WHA debt; F) employ independent property managers to oversee dayto-day operations; and finally, G) endeavour to use the longest fixed-term mortgages and shortest amortization possible to mitigate risk and grow its portfolio as quickly as possible.

Finding land was a challenge, but shovels

were soon in the ground, and employeerestricted homes and apartment buildings started popping up across the resort. Today, according to the RMOW’s website, Whistler currently tallies about 2,270 units of affordable rental and ownership housing, providing more than 7,000 beds for the community’s workforce and their families.

AN OLYMPIC DREAM

The WHA’s efforts received a major boost when rumours started swirling about a little event called the Olympics coming to town.

“Jim Godfrey, who was the [WHA] administrator at the time, understood the importance of cheap land, and with the bid for the 2010 Olympics secured 300 acres from the province for affordable resident housing,” said Bayly.

Jackson, an architect by trade who

also holds a master’s degree in real estate development, joined the WHA in 2002, the year before the International Olympic Committee approved B.C.’s bid to host the Winter Games.

Godfrey, the mayor, council and staff “started to really try and appreciate what that opportunity was and what their risk may be, financially or reputationally,” said Jackson.

There were a lot of logistics to consider, from where to build an athletes’ village and how to zone the land to what facilities or transportation might be required. The primary decision at hand was to decide whether to build “a temporary athlete village or potentially a permanent village, and what would that mean in terms of housing, and a legacy for Whistler” Jackson recalled. “And it was decided: go big or go home.”

Officials soon realized the daunting task of creating a permanent village was too big of

a project for RMOW staff to carry out off the sides of their desks, he added. Instead, they created the WDC.

About a third of the total legacy lands Godfrey successfully negotiated is in Cheakamus Crossing. That’s where the WDC created Whistler’s Athletes’ Village on 50 of those acres, a feat made possible by funds from the Vancouver Organizing Committee, plus a $100-million loan. The 400,000-square-foot Athletes’ Village hosted 2,400 athletes, spread out over 436 units in 2010, before welcoming local families to move into Cheakamus Crossing’s Phase I later that year. About 220 units were sold through the WHA that year, two-thirds of which were townhouses, with apartments making up the remaining third.

“At the time, there was also a private sector development at Rainbow, so a lot of housing came on the market,” said Jackson. “We thought we’d sort of broken the back of housing and there was a lot of absorption. By 2014, we realized the tourist economy was back, and housing was an issue. By 2018, it was the No. 1 election issue.”

Five years ago, that newly elected council invited WDC to get back to work on Cheakamus Crossing’s 38-acre Phase 2 lands. As of today, the first 100 units have already been delivered to WHA residents, with about 86 more currently under construction and another 100 or so slated to be built in the coming years, funded by a market development.

With resort wages failing to rise at even a fraction of the speed interest rates and construction costs have in recent years, “certainly new projects are not going to be as affordable as the old ones,” Bayly admitted. Those new projects currently need to command higher rent or sale prices, “but 20, 25 years out, they’ll be affordable. I don’t think we should stop building additional capacity because the new stuff’s more expensive than the old.”

WHERE DOES WHISTLER GO FROM HERE?

From seasonal staff to established locals, there’s “a full range of housing that we need to plan for,” Jackson said. It’s why WDC, in collaboration with the RMOW’s planning department, is starting to look ahead to five, 10, and 15 years down the road, “making sure we’re able to address the housing needs, and the evolution of the transition of housing for

DUANE JACKSON, seated second from right, laughs during the Q&A portion of the Whistler Institute’s and CWSAA housing panel discussion on April 27.

PHOTO BY DAVID BUZZARD, COURTESY OF CWSAA

Willis Williams (Bill) Osborne Jr.

(1935- 2023) died peacefully at his home in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC, Canada on April 5, 2023.

He was born in Minneapolis, MN, USA to Lucille and Willis W. Osborne, Sr. and is survived by his sister, Linda. At the University of Minnesota, Bill graduated with a degree in geology - working summers at Glacier National Forest Service. He served in the US Army during the Cuban crisis and after discharge in 1963 moved to Vancouver, BC where he worked in mineral exploration around the province. Bill returned to studies and received a Masters degree in Geology at UBC. He worked for Noranda for several years, mostly in BC, in geological mapping and drill programs. Before Whistler came into being he explored London Mountain as a geologist. Being familiar with the Mountain, he was an early investor in Garibaldi Lifts. Bill founded, managed and served as President of several publicly owned mining exploration companiesexploring and developing many properties in Canada and Africa.

He never completely retired and remained active in the financial markets as an investor. Love of the outdoors, wilderness and winter sports led Bill to build a home at Whistler Mountain BC, on Westside Road where a close knit group of friends formed his social network. Teaching skiing at Whistler and winter travel to various ski resorts including Aspen, Taos, Alta, Snowbird, Palisades Tahoe (Squaw Valley) and Sun Valley became annual activities over the years hanging out with friends at Whistler and travelling with friends from BC, Minnesota, California and Washington State.

As well as hiking, camping, and cycling, Bill enjoyed tennis and volleyball and was an active member at Vancouver Lawn and Tennis Club. Bill loved adventure and travel and formed strong friendships in Africa and Europe. As well he had a great loyalty for friends in Canada and USA and relationships formed in each stage of his life. He remained constant in his communication with them. Bill was a fine gentleman with high moral principles and values. He was kind and gentle and generous and will be sorely missed by his many dear friends. A private Celebration of Life will be held in Vancouver and at Dusty’s at Whistler.

Patrick Kelly | patrick@wrec.com | 604-932-8646 | whistlerrealestate.ca

the community, to provide longevity.”

Suites have helped house Whistler employees ever since the resort municipality’s first elected officials allowed the construction of rental units on single-family lots in the early ’80s, as Bayly recalled, making Whistler one of the first jurisdictions in B.C. to do so.

Officials of the day limited those suites “to not more than two bedrooms and 800 square feet, and I think the zoning prescribed that they couldn’t be used for tourist accommodation,” he said. “And these suites were a great part of our workforce housing for many years. Lately a lot of them have been lost due to gentrification and other things, but they’re still a good source, and I think a source that should be encouraged.”

In more recent years, much of the collective discussion about affordable housing in B.C. focuses on increasing density. Experts like Bayly and Jackson agree that in Whistler, increasing density by tearing down a 4,000-square-foot home on an already pricey lot and replacing it with a pair of 2,000-square-foot new builds, for example, won’t do much to combat the affordability crisis. Smaller suites, however, could.

“I think [Whistler’s Official Community Plan] speaks to redevelopment of some of the older neighborhoods, and reconsidering the type of development that goes on in those neighbourhoods,” said Jackson. “There is the opportunity to consider rezoning bonus density to allow and create additional or alternative types of on-site or off-site affordable housing.”

Adding suites to properties with enough space, parking or transit to accommodate one is low-hanging fruit. “There’s really no cost to that, and it may actually be an incentive to a property owner for other reasons than economic,” he said.

Those ideas “are on the table for the planning department to consider, from a regulatory point of view,” Jackson added.

For Whistler Blackcomb, responding to its workforce’s current needs means getting creative, as Roddick explained. The resort launched its Employee Housing Incentive Program this year, reaching out to settled Whistler Blackcomb employees with secure housing in Whistler, Squamish or Pemberton to see if they might have a bedroom available to rent to a new hire.

“What that creates is not only utilizing that bedroom—maybe it’s an empty-nester bedroom—but also creating a really nice connection between our tenured employees and a new person to town. It’s a new way to try

to look at how we can utilize beds that maybe are being vacated or shifted around,” she said. “Is it a perfect solve? No, but I think it’s one of the options we can start to look at.”

What about the demographic in between those seasonal working holiday-ers and established long-term locals, or as Maxwell coined it, “the missing middle”—for example, newer-to-town locals needed to keep healthcare, policing, firefighting and “other essential services” running?

It’s but a dent in the rental market, but up to half of the new Whistler Valley Housing Society’s incoming 30-unit project in Cheakamus will be designated for just that: eligible essential workers. The other 15 units, meanwhile, will be slated for clients of Sea to Sky social-service and government agencies dedicated to community well-being on a caseby-case basis.

THE VIEW FROM OTHER MOUNTAINTOPS

The communities of Whistler and Vail, Colo. share more than a mountain operator and a large population of Epic Pass holders. As George Ruther, director of housing for the Town of Vail, told the crowd on April 27, housing challenges don’t look all that different south of the border.

“When it comes to Vail, we don’t have a housing problem. In fact, we’re a community

of about 5,300 people, and we have 7,200 dwelling units. That’s one-and-a-third homes per person in the community,” he explained. “Our problem is occupancy. Seventy per cent of those homes sit vacant on a year-round basis. The vast majority of those homes are occupied less than two weeks of the year.”

Ruther joined Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine and the RMOW’s recently-hired head of climate action, planning and development services, Dale Mikkelsen, onstage for the afternoon’s second panel. The three men were tasked with exploring housing strategies that have worked in other jurisdictions, like Vail’s InDEED program.

The program incentivizes homeowners to deed-restrict existing properties so those homes can only be occupied by local employees going forward. Since its creation in 2018, the town’s housing department has increased the total number of deed-restricted homes in the community by more than 50 per cent under Ruther’s leadership, and is on track to meet its goal of acquiring 1,000 additional deed-restricted homes by 2027.

“Sometimes the most complex problems are solved by the simplest of solutions,” said Ruther.

Surrounded by forested wilderness on all four sides, “Vail may as well be an island out in the ocean,” he added, meaning, “we couldn’t build our way out of this problem if we chose to.” Vail officials “looked at the issue as being, ‘how can we better utilize the homes

that we already have in the community?’”

An initial public sector investment of US$13 million helped Vail acquire deed-restrictions on 180 homes, securing year-round occupancy for about 385 people.

Closer to home, in Sun Peaks, housing challenges appear closer to the ones Whistler dealt with back in the day. Luckily for that resort municipality and its 1,500 residents, its first and only mayor happens to be responsible for helping develop Whistler into the resort that exists today. Raine negotiated the master development agreement with the province for Blackcomb Mountain, sat on Whistler’s first council in the mid-’70s, and played a key role in creating the Whistler Resort Association, now known as Tourism Whistler.

With a population of about 100,000 living within an hour of Sun Peaks’ slopes and higher-than-average unemployment during the winter months, resort leaders counted on a chunk of that population driving up to work on the mountain during the colder months. But as more destination visitors started visiting Sun Peaks Ski Resort after the town earned mountain resort status in 2010, “all of a sudden there weren’t as many employees as we thought,” said Raine.

Following Whistler’s model, officials encouraged property owners to build and rent out suites within their homes, before discovering B.C.’s “Residential Tenancy Act makes that very, very difficult,” said Raine.

Faced with homeowners reluctant for a second kick at the landlord can after dealing with challenging seasonal tenants, Sun Peaks—like Whistler—encouraged business owners to take on rental units and fill them with their own employees.

Sun Peaks currently counts about 2,000 total employees, said Raine. “At the present time, employers have built about 550 units of employee housing,” he said, estimating about 500 of the resort’s employees live in nearby Kamloops.

Now, the municipality is in the initial phase of creating non-market housing akin to the WHA’s. “The other question we’re wrestling with is: who deserves non-market housing?” he said. “We need to get the rules right from Day 1.”

Sun Peaks studied Banff’s need-toreside policy for property purchasers, but is currently looking into possible partnerships with developers. That could be accomplished

SEE PAGE 43

ALL SIX PANELLISTS onstage at the April 27 discussion, titled “A Roof Over Our Heads: Exploring Mountain Resort Housing Possibilities.” From left: Steve Bayly, Dale Mikkelsen, Al Raine, George Ruther, Duane Jackson, Kate Roddick, and MC G.D. Maxwell.

PHOTO BY DAVID BUZZARD, COURTESY OF CWSAA

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by lowering costs and fees, but “we’re still struggling,” said Raine. “It’s not easy. The biggest challenge we face, obviously, is without employees and people living in the community, businesses can’t function.”

COULD SFU PROVIDE OUTSIDE INSPIRATION?

Before beginning his new role with the RMOW this spring, Mikkelsen worked for 15 years as the director of development and chief operating officer for Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) UniverCity, the sustainable community located adjacent to the academic institution atop Burnaby Mountain.

The university first opened its doors in 1965 and, as the Lower Mainland’s population sprawled and housing prices stretched into unaffordable territory, “What we realized was Simon Fraser University was struggling with many of the same challenges that face resort towns,” Mikkelsen explained.

“Much like Whistler and probably much like Vail, it’s very difficult to attract excellent personnel and individuals that will be committed to the university environment for the long-term, because they immediately look at their housing options, and they’re very, very limited,” he added.

Two decades ago, the university decided to investigate how it could use its undeveloped land adjacent to campus to address those issues. Officials decided to build a sustainable community, with a mix of market housing and affordable housing for faculty, staff and students, that went beyond the scope of the university’s existing on-campus residential program. The university set up a trust to develop that property on the institution’s behalf and invited private developers to form partnerships.

In an effort to build equitable housing, then-developer Van City Enterprises agreed to work with SFU on the project with the understanding it would earn about half of the industry’s standard profit. For a typical Lower Mainland developer, that usually falls somewhere around 20 per cent.

Taking into account “construction costs, land costs, profit, and returns to [SFU’s] endowment, we realized that you can deliver a project in a partnership agreement that ultimately would result in homes that were approximately 30 per cent below market value,” said Mikkelsen. “That was the agreement we put into place, is that these homes would then be marketed internally— because there’s savings on marketing and those components as well if you’re marketing to an internal audience or a waitlist per se, much like the Whistler Housing Authority.”

SFU worked with Van City Enterprises to create a legal covenant for each property, requiring each subsequent resale of that property to be priced 30 per cent below current appraised market value.

The goal isn’t “to leave people in affordable housing,” said Mikkelson. “The goal is to give people the opportunity to start a life in a community, and then move into regular market housing, so we felt a need to watch that property to be able to escalate with the market, so that they’re not falling further behind.”

LINGERING QUESTIONS

Following both panels, all six experts converged onstage to answer a wide array of questions, posed virtually through Slido. Panellists considered queries like “Do we need to shift our focus from building more homes to utilizing existing availability? And could we entice homeowners to rent out suites?” before the event wrapped up, though they weren’t able to get through the long, meandering list within the 30 minutes allocated.

How to incentivize homeowners to rent their properties was one of the trickier questions to answer within B.C.’s legal parameters, but there are ways if officials are willing to think outside of the box, said Bayly. Between federal and provincial sales taxes and property transfer fees, “If there was an affordability criteria, and they could get these taxes back or save them by complying with that, I think there’d be a huge incentive to help people rent those rentals,” he opined.

And what about the oft-proposed solution to build work camps in Whistler?

To Mikkelsen, “The notion of temporary [housing] is sort of bothersome, because it’s a half commitment to housing,” he said. “I understand that it makes an expedient opportunity, but so often the challenge with temporary housing or temporary portables in schools is they quickly become permanent, and they’re built in a substandard way that in the long run isn’t, perhaps, the quality housing we’re looking for.”

A land analysis study exploring what land is still available within municipal boundaries and gauging whether “there is opportunity or not on those lands” is more worthwhile, in Mikkelsen’s view.

Despite the many questions that remain unanswered amid Whistler’s persisting housing crisis, local panellists agreed the community would be far worse off without the work that’s already been done to protect employee housing in the valley. For that, Whistlerites can thank the many previous leaders who enlisted the right experts, fought hard with federal and provincial governments for land and capital, and balanced bold decision-making with risk mitigation.

Without that inventory, in Bayly’s view, the resort would be without more than a few locals who serve as the glue holding Whistler’s community together. “A lot of people that are employed but don’t have seven-figure incomes couldn’t afford to live here, so they wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I think we’d have a situation where you can’t attract a schoolteacher or a fireman or a building inspector. They just wouldn’t be part of our community.”

Maxwell’s musings about the WHA and WDC’s work have graced Pique ’s back page frequently over the years. He’s chatted with countless locals who’ve managed to find secure rental housing, or purchase an employee-restricted property at an affordable price.

“Everybody says exactly the same thing when I ask them about their new home and that is ‘Now I can get on with my life,’” he told the crowd. “That’s what that kind of housing means to people in this town. They can get on with their life. They can put down more permanent roots. They can have children. They’re not burdened by a crushing mortgage. They can actually even take vacations occasionally. That’s huge.” ■

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Personal

604

Money does grow on trees

SPRING HOME AND GARDEN: NO MATTER THE SIZE OF YOUR YARD OR THE GREEN-NESS OF YOUR THUMB, EVERYONE CAN GROW FOOD

IN GALISA BURNS

Powell River Peak

ANYONE who eats has probably noticed that it is getting more costly.

A stroll through the grocery aisle or a night out is less of a casual affair these days.

It turns out that one of the most rebellious acts against such wallet tyranny is to plant seeds. No matter the size of your yard or the greenness of your thumb, everyone can grow food – even if it’s not a garden’s worth. There are plenty of ways to root and shoot.

Regardless of available soil, there are creative means to find garden space.

Apartment dwellers can take advantage of their unit’s solar exposure or lack thereof, planting cool-loving greens such as kale, spinach and parsley, or heat seekers like cucumbers, basil and tomatoes.

Using vertical space will make the most of small growing areas — using a trellis for vining plants and or a barrel for potatoes.

Cooler balconies and porches can host a worm bin even in the summertime, offering incredible worm-casting tea to fertilize your growing pantry.

Thinking outside the yard might also

expand your farmy endeavours. Community gardens are cropping up in all kinds of places and unlike the long waiting lists in big cities, you might find a last-minute bid for a bed in the Sea to Sky.

Neighbours can collaborate as well, each growing different veggies for exchange to minimize the garden footprint while maximizing the harvest. Some folks are even revisiting the neighbour gate between yards to facilitate these kinds of community and soil-building ventures.

Access to seeds and starts might be the impasse to some newbie or late-to-the-gardengate growers.

With Seedy Saturday in the rearview mirror, there are still other ways to acquire community-grown, locally resilient seeds.

Friends who garden will inevitably have a few seeds kicking around and are usually more than excited to share their growing know-how. In fact, be prepared to stay awhile when you go over to pick them up.

More experienced gardeners can get into

plant splitting, like comfrey root balls and raspberry canes or even fruit tree grafts.

Gardens reward the grower at every phase — skip the gym membership and lift a few wheelbarrows of soil, enjoy the Vitamin D boost of being under the sun, and experience the deep nourishment of ingredients grown outside your doorstep.

Whoever said money doesn’t grow on trees could be eating their words.

Ingalisa Burns writes for Let’s Talk Trash, a program by the qathet Regional District to deliver waste reduction education. For more information go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.

Gaps

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Sea to Sky golf courses open for business once again

WHISTLER, PEMBERTON GREENS LOOK AHEAD TO ANOTHER BUSY SUMMER

BY DAVID SONG

AS TEMPERATURES RISE and ski season comes to an end, many outdoor recreation enthusiasts break out their golf clubs. With Whistler’s courses open to the public as of May 12, there are several tried-andtrue options to choose from—and each has something new to offer this year.

WHISTLER GOLF CLUB

Ro Davies usually hopes for an early start to golf season—perhaps the final week of April or first week of May. Of course, those hopes rest upon Mother Nature, and this year the Whistler Golf Club opened May 12.

Davies, who is the club’s sales manager, is excited for the arrival of a new spring. According to him, Whistler Golf Club staff members have been renovating bunkers, curating cart paths, revamping tee boxes and making general course improvements over the last several months, all of which should make for a smoother guest experience. The course wintered well and is in healthy shape, he added.

According to its website, Whistler Golf Club holds the distinction of being the first Canadian course that Arnold Palmer designed. With five tee setups ranging from

about 3,000 yards up to 6,676, it is equipped to cater to beginners and pros alike. The number of people looking to improve their skills remains high, as the club’s Academy instructional clinics are all but sold out.

“We’ve always [prioritized] playability of the golf course and pace of play to complement excellent course conditioning,” Davies explained. “The Arnold Palmer layout generally gives you lots of opportunity for risk-reward. If you play it safe and consistent, it probably works out for you, but there are also many places to go for it.”

Nicklaus North Golf Club’s general manager, Gavin Eckford knows the place like the back of his hand, having worked there for more than a decade in the 2000s. He understands the challenges of running a golf club in the Sea to Sky, and is pleased to report that they haven’t stopped Nicklaus North from opening on schedule.

“Because our golf season is so short in Whistler—we’ve only got about five months—it’s a big ramp-up to get things going,” Eckford said. “And the last couple of years have been the busiest we’ve ever had,

The golfing experience isn’t too shabby either.

“We are a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course,” Eckford said. “I think he did a really good job of creating a challenge for players who want it, and a little bit more playability for players who are maybe a little bit less skilled.

“We’ve got five sets of tee decks, so … you can choose how long you want to play the golf course. The shorter tee boxes are just a little bit more forgiving, and if you are a very high-level player, you can choose the back tees and end up with a really, really solid challenge.”

One of Nicklaus North’s favourite sons is Stewart Walker, a homegrown junior talent who committed to play for Long Island University after a seven-win season in 2022. Eckford and his colleagues are proud of Walker’s journey, and they believe that guests will continue to be drawn to Nicklaus North for the same reasons he was.

The Whistler Golf Club aspires to be an all-season destination for locals to tee off at. That’s why it now offers an indoor golf simulator powered by Trackman 4 technology.

“It was really popular [last winter],” Davies recalled. “A lot of people had fun taking lessons or playing courses around the world on that. It will be back again in the fall, so people can keep the golf going year-round.”

NICKLAUS NORTH GOLF CLUB

Although he’s entering just his second year as

so to open the doors and just be that busy for that long was a lot of energy, a lot of effort put in by the team.”

Staff members were hard at work shovelling snow off the fairway just a few short weeks ago, and a lengthy winter challenged them to shorten their preparation window. There have been no major changes to the course, but its trees, waterways and bunkers have all been groomed for a more aesthetically pleasing view. Heaters have also been added to the patio, making for what in Eckford’s opinion is “the best patio in Whistler.”

“Golfers know the name ‘Nicklaus.’ He’s just one of the greatest of all time, so that’s definitely a big draw for us,” said Eckford. “Playability as well—despite the fact we’re in the mountains, it’s a relatively flat golf course, so you can enjoy it no matter what your skill level is.

“But for us, the big thing is our team. We put a huge amount of effort into hiring the best and training as much as we can to try to get everybody on the same page … no matter what the position. The team is definitely our big differentiator at the end of the day.”

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club did not respond to requests for comment before Pique’s press deadline.

TEE TIME An aerial view of the Nicklaus North golf course in Whistler.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

“Because our golf season is so short in Whistler ... it’s a big ramp-up to get things going.”

- GAVIN ECKFORD

SUNSTONE GOLF CLUB

With Mount Currie standing watch in the background, Sunstone is one of two major golf courses in Pemberton. It features two distinctly different layouts: the first nine holes spread across a wide-open grassy area featuring some water hazards, while the back nine is more densely forested and tends to be more difficult.

Sunstone has welcomed guests since April 15, and is usually one of the area’s earliest-opening courses.

“We have some great new staff on the course, golf shop and in the restaurant,” said general manager Kevin McLeod. “The [Sunstone Bar and Grill] has been open all winter, so we have been trying new items, training new staff and preparing our plan for the season as far as events.”

Golfers of all skill levels can cater their experience at Sunstone with one of six different tee-box setups. Beginners and novices may prefer a shorter course encompassing 5,211 yards, while longtime players and professionals will want to extend things all the way out to 6,455 yards. Overall, the course is known to be relatively forgiving.

In addition, Sunstone will play host to a number of live events this summer.

B.C. musician Steve Elliott is scheduled to perform “A Tribute to Elvis” on May 27, while Alex Carr, Ryan Williams and Will Corry from the EH! Comedy Tour will swing by June 10. Pop-punk fans have a concert by the band F.O.M.O. on June 24 to look forward to.

The golf shop also features a variety of new products that McLeod thinks visitors will want to check out.

BIG SKY GOLF CLUB

Corry Butler, director of golf at Big Sky, is used to getting a head start on the season.

Big Sky opened to the public on April 21, although it closed for four days in late April to accommodate a private filming arrangement. The club’s annual “Spring Scramble” event took place on April 28 as originally planned, and it’s been all systems

go since then.

“Obviously, you don’t always come out of the gate in the season with all the numbers and staffing that you’re looking for … and you definitely need to have some weather on your side for the prep of the golf course, but it’s not like we’re pushing the envelope and trying to open early by any means,” Butler said.

“This is obviously something we’re used to, and to be honest, we could probably have opened even a week before [we did] ... but our turf team really wants to make the course presentable … whether it’s clearing some trees or cleaning up the irrigation system.”

Over the last few weeks, Big Sky has seen a robust influx of guests eager to show off their swing, and Butler expects that to continue even after the Whistler courses open for business. The unseasonably warm start to spring has yielded a number of beautiful days, and club staff are working hard to maintain the turf as balmy temperatures persist.

Big Sky offers a layout welcoming to all ages and skill levels. Unlike some other courses—say, the Fairmont Chateau in Whistler—there is minimal elevation change, which lends itself to a different play style. Pemberton’s climate, with its mix of heat and moisture, also allows Big Sky to maintain bentgrass fairways, which are relatively rare in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Bentgrass tends to be fast-running, firm and smooth under optimal conditions, but can soften when the heat goes up.

“We’ve got Mount Currie in your footsteps for every single shot you hit,” said Butler. ”We have a very forgiving setup where you don’t have forced carries off the tee. The fairways are very big, wide and receptive. We have large greens.

“It’s what we’d like to call a secondshot golf course: it’s very challenging on the approaches that you hit into the greens, but it’s very fair.”

Butler and his colleagues also look forward to early September, when Big Sky will host its first national-level tournament: the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship. n

C h e c k o u t o u r u p c o m i n g e v e n t s a n d h o w y o u r b u s i n e s s c a n g e t i n v o l v e d a t w w w . g o . w h i s t l e r c h a m b e r . c o m / e v e n t s

FORE PLAY Golfers teeing off at Whistler Golf Club.

PHOTO BY ROBIN O’NEILL

Disston’s Dumplings delivers joy to Whistler—one bite at a time

DISSTON NG’S HOMEMADE CHINESE DUMPLINGS AND CHILI OIL WERE SUCH A HIT WITH FRIENDS, HE TURNED THEM INTO A THRIVING PASSION PROJECT

BY BRANDON BARRETT

GROWING UP in his native Australia, Disston Ng didn’t need an alarm clock to get up in the morning.

“We’d wake up at 5 a.m. to shrimp paste. I don’t know if you’ve ever smelled shrimp paste, but it is pun-gent,” the Whistlerite recalled. “You’d wake up and my dad would just be stirfrying away. That was big in how we connected.”

With a father who was away a fair bit for work, those crack-of-dawn kitchen sessions proved to be more than just cooking lessons for the now-30-year-old Ng—they were also how the family bonded. And more often than not, that meant making dumplings, with everyone pitching in.

“Dumplings were always a family thing in terms of bringing us together,” he said. “Dad would make the filling and then we’d be all hands on deck rolling the wrappers. It wasn’t something that just one person would do. We would all chip in.”

Ng has carried on this family tradition through Disston’s Dumplings, makers of handmade, frozen Chinese dumplings and

chili oil available for pickup and delivery right to your door. Officially launched last month, the concept actually emerged from dinner parties Ng would attend, where his dumplings proved to be a crowd favourite.

“Friends would ask if they could buy some and I laughed it off initially. It wasn’t a business idea to start off, just something I wanted to do for my friends,” Ng explained.

Between Ng’s job (he works full-time for Whistler Blackcomb) and efforts to obtain his PR status, Disston’s Dumplings took a bit of a backseat for a time. That is, until he kept bringing his vacuum-packed dumplings on backcountry trips as a surprise for friends, who kept bugging him to buy some.

“That re-piqued my interest: people would still ask about my dumplings even after they kind of fell by the wayside,” Ng said. “I thought if I could do something that brought me a lot of joy and others a lot of joy, then Whistler really could be my place. Assessing the food landscape, there was definitely a gap. You’ve got fine dining, fast food, quick service restaurants, but nothing really authentic in this space. You’ve got some Thai, like Barn Nork, but for Chinese, there’s just this gap. And dumplings are such a beloved food. Who doesn’t love dumplings?”

As it turns out, Ng was primed for the food world. Armed with the culinary skills he acquired from countless mornings in the kitchen with his dad, he could also lean on his experience in Australia working for Mars, Inc. Working in the food division, Ng held various roles at the multinational food manufacturer,

from research and development and sales to transport.

“Given all my experience to date, I figured I had all the skills to have a really good go for it,” Ng said.

A one-man show, Ng designed the sleek logo, branding and packaging himself, and developed his own recipes inspired by his family’s dumplings. At the moment, Disston’s Dumplings come in three flavours: pork ginger, pork green onion and vegan shitake.

“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t leave the vegans or vegetarians out, and then down the track, in terms of inclusivity and just realizing we never want to leave anyone out of the foodscape, we want to try and develop a gluten-free dumpling,” he noted.

One thing that sets Ng’s product apart from other frozen dumplings is the homemade chili oil included in every package, a rich and layered infused oil that packs a spicy, garlicky umami punch in every spoonful.

“We infused two different chili oils and then the base of the sauce is actually my mom’s secret recipe that we used to have on chicken rice, which is a really famous Chinese dish. Then we add a bit of black vinegar to cut through the fat and spice,” Ng said. “It’s a balance of flavours, and unless you’re in the food world, you might not know what’s going on. You just know it’s good.”

The dumplings are best served pan-fried, giving the delectable hand-made wrappers that nice crispy bottom northern Chinese dumplings—or guotie—are known for. For

a chewier texture, they can be boiled or even microwaved, and what’s more is Ng’s resealable packs are perfect to take the dumplings out into the backcountry; just throw in an icepack and away you go.

Since launching last month, business has been booming. Produced one day a week out of Chirp Co-Kitchen in Function Junction, Ng maxes out at about 500 dumplings a week. He sold about two weeks’ worth of product in just two days after launch.

You may soon find Ng’s dumplings—and maybe even a couple dim sum items—on the menu at Purple Panda, the incoming Chinese restaurant slated for the Upper Village, Whistler’s first Chinese restaurant in years.

Through it all, Ng hopes to keep expanding diners’ horizons through one of the most beloved forms of food on the planet.

“For me, a part of this stuff is expanding people’s palates. And some of the best feedback I’ve had with my dumplings is from people who didn’t like dumplings or they’re not really a dumpling person and then they have mine and they’re like, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t know what dumplings could be.’

“It’s hard to put into words that feeling, but honestly, that’s what I do it for: the happiness people get when they try my food.”

Disston’s Dumplings delivers to anywhere in Whistler, and orders placed before 10 p.m. will be available the next day. Next-day pickup is also available from Nordic.

Learn more, or place your order, at disstonsdumplings.ca. n

BACKCOUNTRY BITES Disston Ng began building demand for his homemade dumplings when he would take them on backcountry trips to surprise his friends.

PHOTO BY ALEX CLAPIN / UNTAMEDMEDIA.COM.AU

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)

Masterminds behind Paintertainment mark first exhibit together

CARY AND PAULO LOPES’ NEW SHOW, ‘ARTNERSHIP, RUNS AT THE FOYER GALLERY IN SQUAMISH UNTIL JULY 10

BY ALYSSA NOEL

CARY AND PAULO LOPES have barely had their new exhibit, ‘ARTnership, installed at Squamish’s Foyer Gallery for five minutes when passersby begin to stop and inquire about the show, their technique, and particular pieces.

Immediately, they seem to hone in on Paulo’s airbrushed, bright pink painting of Minnie Mouse’s face straining against plastic wrap.

“It’s from Value Village,” he says. “That’s why it’s in a Saran Wrap bag, because they get rid of them that way. So I decided to do a painting of that, because it’s so sad when you see all of them up in the store.”

You might know the Lopes’ best for their company Paintertainment, which uses body paint and costumes to transform models into otherworldly characters for events. But the exhibit marks both Paulo’s

first-ever show and the couple’s first time exhibiting together.

“These paintings really have been wrapped up in paper at home since I did them, so it’s quite nice to see them up,” Paulo says. “It’s really the first time we’ve seen my work and Cary’s work up together … When we paint, she’s upstairs and I’m outside and sometimes she doesn’t know what I’m doing at all.”

photo from the ’40s or ’50s is flanked by detailed close-ups of his daughters. (Those are some of the pieces not for sale as part of the show.)

Glass cases contain hard, airbrushed corsets and lace necklaces that Cary started making during the pandemic, as well as smallscale paintings.

Finally, towards the back, there’s an image of a bear cuddled up to a log in a forest.

“[This is] one of my first paintings I did, and it’s on an old piece of denim with a fake painted frame,” she says. “I literally found that yesterday in my house, so I put that up because I actually quite liked this little guy.”

That could explain the thrillingly diverse pieces on display. Walk into the space and first you’ll see a variety of Cary’s wildlife paintings (mostly painted during Zoom art classes she started offering during COVID) then there’s several grouped together—with Minnie—that all have pops of pink, as well as a wall of Paulo’s airbrushed faces.

A portrait of his mother based on a

“The idea was to pair [the necklaces] with [Paulo’s] bodices, which is great,” Cary says. “So it’s more of a steampunk, rustic thing … I do have about 125 pieces that I made over COVID, so I’m finally getting to showcase some of those.”

Another wall includes a series of Paulo’s skull paintings—one on a road sign, another on a skateboard. They’re directly across from three of Cary’s large flower paintings.

Overall, the show—which runs until July 10—contains more than 40 of the couple’s pieces. To that end, exhibiting together has had an unexpected perk.

“I think it’s fabulous that it’s outside of our house,” Cary says with a laugh. “No, it’s really nice that it’s got a home for a couple of months. It gives us time to clean up now. It’s lovely seeing it on fresh, clean walls and in nice cabinets.”

Exhibit aside, the couple is gearing up for a busy summer and a return to businessas-usual with Paintertainment events.

“We are busy because we’re trying to make our house not so much of a warehouse,” Paulo says. “We do have quite a lot of events. It’s pretty much back to normal.”

Anyone interested in purchasing work on display can talk to library staff (the Foyer Gallery is located in the Squamish Public Library).

An opening party is set for June 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. n

BRUSH WITH SUCCESS Paulo and Cary Lopes stand in front of a wall of their paintings at their exhibit ‘ARTnership, running at the Foyer Gallery in Squamish until July 10.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL

“It’s really the first time we’ve seen my work and Cary’s work up together … When we paint, she’s upstairs and I’m outside and sometimes she doesn’t know what I’m doing at all.”

- PAULO LOPES

Whistler writer contributes to book on ‘worldschooling’

WORLDSCHOOLERS: INNOVATIVE PARENTS TURNING COUNTRIES INTO CLASSROOMS INCLUDES STORIES OF TRAVEL AND EDUCATION

BY ALYSSA NOEL

WHISTLER WRITER Prajakta Kharkar

Nigam has shared her family’s story of “worldschooling” in casual conversation many times before.

But now she’s had a chance to contribute a chapter to a book on the topic.

In Worldschoolers: Innovative Parents Turning Countries into Classrooms , 22 “worldschooling” parents from around the globe offer stories of their travels, as well as tips on how to combine travel and education for their kids.

“This is not a defined term,” Kharkar Nigam says. “It’s very broad. Any family who uses travel as a tool for learning could call themselves a worldschooler. I have called my family ‘worldschoolers’ even after settling down in Whistler and sending my kids to a brick-and-mortar school. Other families are on-the-go all the time. They don’t have a homebase. This whole spectrum can be counted as worldschooling.”

Kharkar Nigam blogged about her experience, which is how the book’s publisher found her, via LinkedIn, and invited her to contribute. Prior to the pandemic, her family was on a travel sabbatical from their home in Toronto for 18 months, experiencing everything from a llama farm in Ontario to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

“My chapter [is called] Families Who Learn Together, Thrive Together,” she says. “While the backdrop for the chapter is our family’s travels through various countries, I have picked and used examples from different places … to illustrate the point

there could be a different model where learning doesn’t have to be separate from family life. Because we spent those one-anda-half years together … making mistakes together, trying new foods, we learned together, but thrived because of it.”

Now that they’re based in Whistler, rather than a string of journeys, the family squeezes in travel during school breaks— like a recent trip to Saudi Arabia and an upcoming summer planned in the U.K.

“We did not set out to become worldschoolers,” Kharkar Nigam adds. “I didn’t know there was such a term. We started doing something called quest-based learning. I would observe what my kids were interested in at that time and build a trip around that experience.”

One example? During a period of pestoobsession, she and her husband decided to take the kids to Genoa, Italy, where their favourite pesto was from, and learn all about food.

“We followed their curiosity around and it became an expedition of many months,” she says.

But worldschooling doesn’t have to include far-flung places and expensive trips. It can also feature weekend travel around the place you live, she adds.

“It doesn’t mean everyone has to sell their houses and pack up their bags,” she says. “It’s about using travel as school.”

In a town filled with so many adventure and travel-minded people, Kharkar Nigam says the book will likely appeal to locals.

“I speak to a lot of families taking trips like this and give them a perspective on how it can be made possible,” she says. “I think it’s easier than before.”

The book is now available on Amazon. n

Feel more in control of your future with sound financial advice. Talk to an RBC advisor.

IG WEALTH MANAGEMENT WALK FOR ALZHEIMER’S

Sunday May 28, 2023

Walk with us to make memories matter

Location: Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, 6299 Lorimer Road, Whistler

Registration: 10:00am

Walk: 10:30am

Refreshments to follow

Register and fundraise today at walkforalzheimers ca to make a difference in our community

Honourees: All Caregivers

Auction online www 32auctions com/ WhistlerAlzheimerWalk2023

WORLDLY WISDOM Prajakta Kharkar Nigam and her family at an elephant sanctuary during their travels. The Whistler writer recently contributed a chapter to a book called Worldschoolers

PHOTO SUBMITTED

1Free Get AVAILABLE Sunday to Thursday

WHISTLER CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

MAY19-25

WHISTLER CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

The Whistler Children’s Festival kicks off on May 19 with a free opening party at 4 p.m. at Whistler Olympic Plaza. Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, enjoy (ticketed) children’s performers, as well as workshops and free animation.

> May 19 - 21 (and May 27 - 28)

> Various locations around Whistler

> Cost varies, find more info at whistlerchildrensfestival.com

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY GIANT USED BOOK SALE

The Friends of the Library are back with their amazing book sale! They’ll have gently used books for adults and kids, so you’ll have a chance to snap up some great items while supporting your library.

> May 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

> Whistler Public Library

> By donation

A TREK TO ACONCAGUA WITH KEVIN TITUS AND DAN LYONS

Join Kevin Titus and Dan Lyons for a presentation about their recent trek to Aconcagua, Argentina, the highest peak outside the Himalayas.

They’ll share photos and stories from their acclimatization trip near Mendoza and their two-week trek to Aconcagua, as well as time spent in Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile.

Registration is required! Email publicservices@ whistlerlibrary.ca to sign up. If you’re bringing a plus one, please let us know their name and email address.

> May 23, 7 - 8 p.m.

> Whistler Public Library

> Free

OUT OF CONTROL WINTER APRÈS

Picture it, Whistler in 2050: Ever-increasing pressures for growth and densification lead Whistler to urbanize. As the population grows, the underhoused population also grows as increases in affordable housing stock struggle to keep pace with demand. Marketdriven pressures for growth come into tension with sustainability and other commitments, eventually leading to a loss of trails, park land, habitat, and missed emissions targets.

Not the future you had in mind?

Join us to explore this scenario along with three other possible futures for Whistler. Known as the Whistler Sessions Scenarios, these stories help build a shared understanding about how the future could possibly unfold. Registration is encouraged! Email publicservices@ whistlerlibrary.ca to sign up for the 11:30 a.m. or 7 p.m. session.

> May 25, 11:30 a.m. or 7 p.m.

> Whistler Public Library

> Free

PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH / OISINMCHUGHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Styles for Spring!

Check

Across from the Olympic Plaza 604-905-0084 oraclewhistler.com

NOTICE: RMOW Water Main Flushing Program –May to October 2023

The Resor t Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) will commence its annual water main flushing program in May 2023 The pur pose of the program is to clean water pipes, maintain water quality and improve the integrity and durability of the piping system The program will r un until October 2023

During water main flushing , water ser vice may be inter r upted for a shor t time Residents are advised to limit water use during periods when crews are flushing in your neighbourhood

If discoloured water appear s from your fixtures, do not be alar med:

• Do not use discoloured water for pur poses that require clean water

• Do not use the discoloured water for about two hour s; this will allow time for the sediment to settle

• After two hour s, r un cold taps for a shor t time to make sure the water is clear

Questions?

If you have questions or concer ns, please contact RMOW Public Wor ks at 604-935-8300

V isit ww w.whistler.ca/water mainflushing for more infor mation.

Creating Whistler’s Parks: Rainbow Park, appropriate to expropriate

BY JILLIAN ROBERTS

WHEN WHISTLER HIT a road block in developing lake access in the late ’70s and early ’80s, the resort found the answers it was looking for at the end of the rainbow— Rainbow Lodge, that is.

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.”

It was clear all along that more public access was required for Alta Lake, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) was looking into buying lots on the foreshore of the lake to turn into parks. When Drew Meredith became mayor in 1986, the council of the day started to think bigger than buying single-family lots, and soon Rainbow Lodge caught their attention.

Rainbow Lodge, where Rainbow Park is now located, had a long history of tourism. Myrtle and Alex Philip opened the popular vacation destination for summer visitors in 1914. Then, in 1948, they sold Rainbow Lodge to the Greenwood family, where it continued as a summer resort. In its heyday, Rainbow Lodge contained more than 40 buildings, including a main lodge, post office, stables and many cabins.

Rainbow Lodge was sold to Joan Saxton, a speculator from Vancouver, in 1970. Resort operations at the lodge ceased in the early 1970s, however, people could still rent rooms and cabins on a more long-term basis. Disaster struck in 1977 when the main lodge burned down during renovations, and by 1986, many of the remaining buildings had fallen into disrepair.

While Whistler had gone through a period of booming development throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Rainbow Lodge remained rather unchanged.

“Pat Carleton said he wanted to get the town centre going, and then after that it would be my turn,” Saxton said during the expropriation in 1986. “They’ve down-zoned me and put me off the sewer system.”

In Saxton’s eyes, this unfairly reduced

the value of the land, and the RMOW and Saxton could not come to an agreement on a purchase price.

The RMOW had the land appraised twice, and then went to the provincial government, where local officials received permission to expropriate the land for public interest. In 1987, the 43.2-hectare (108-acre) parcel of land on Alta Lake was expropriated for $367,000.

If the owners had been living on the property, the expropriation process may have been more difficult, but the Saxtons lived in the city and rented out some of the remaining cabins. Many of these buildings were in rough shape, and had to be demolished when the area became a park. Three of the cabins were preserved for historical value, however, and you can still see these in Rainbow Park today.

The park developed quickly, opening for public use during the summer of 1987. Early improvements to the property included creating a pedestrian crossing over the railway, building up the marshy pathway (which was often flooded), and clearing vegetation from the sandy beach. Open wells used for the lodge were filled in, the parking was cleared, and picnic tables were added. The beachfront and facilities continued to expand, and the park quickly reached the goal of becoming the top beach park in Whistler.

While the council at the time believed the deal was signed and done, the story of Rainbow Park does not end there. In what would become one of the longest lawsuits the RMOW has faced to date, the Saxton family continued to fight for further compensation. They argued that the land appraisals were not taking into account the size and development potential of the property.

In 2012, the decades-old dispute was finally settled, with the judge ordering the RMOW to pay an additional $2.4 million to the Saxton family, valuing the land at $12,000 an acre, comparable to the value of the Nicklaus North lands in the early 1990s. With hindsight, the land was revalued to $1.3 million dollars, and the RMOW was required to pay the difference, plus an additional $1.5 million for unpaid interest.

While Drew Meredith disagreed with the judgment, he said Rainbow Park was worth it even at $2.4 million. With the number of people enjoying the sunshine recently, I tend to agree. n

CABIN FEVER The lakeside cabins at Rainbow Lodge were removed when the land was expropriated for Rainbow Park.

PHILIP COLLECTION

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

Specializing in accounting and tax ser vices for corporations and their shareholders. Please contact me for an initial no-charge confidential consultation.

The tulip fields were in fine form at The Beer Farmers and Laughing Crow Organics in Pemberton over the weekend.

PHOTO BY GEORGIA BUTLER  2 HOT LAPS This group of locals put on their best spring skiing attire and took advantage of the

for some sunny last laps on Blackcomb before the mountain closes for the season on May 22. PHOTO SUBMITTED  3 BEAR DOWN A cyclist attempts to shout a bear off the Valley Trail on

so he can proceed to Rainbow Park. The bear won this particular stare down. PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS 4 SMOKE SIGNALS As wildfires continue to rage across Western Canada, the view of Whistler Mountain from Pique’s Function Junction office was looking hazy on

Resor t Municipality of Whistler Yard Waste Removal

Whistler, are you getting a star t on your outdoor spring clean?

Small residential loads of yard waste can be disposed of in the yard waste bins available at Nesters and Func tion Junc tion waste depots.

Larger amounts of yard waste must be taken to the Waste Transfer Station located in the Callaghan Valley

A reminder that yard debris generated on private proper ty must not be deposited onto municipal roadways. Municipal roadways or the “Municipal Road Allowance” is typically twenty meters wide and is not just the travelled por tion of the road. Rubbish material generated every year from landscaping must be deposited at an approved facility

For details on yard waste and waste management: whistler.ca/compost

94 Garibaldi Drive

Free Will Astrology

WEEK OF MAY 18 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries dramatist Samuel Beckett, winner of the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote 22 plays. The shortest was Breath. It has no dialogue or actors and lasts less than a minute. It begins and ends with a recording of the cry of a newborn baby. In between there are the sounds of someone breathing and variations in the lighting. I recommend you draw inspiration from Breath in the coming weeks, Aries. Be succinct and pithy. Call on the powers of graceful efficiency and no-nonsense effectiveness. Relish the joys of shrewd simplicity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the coming weeks, you Bulls must brook no bullies or bullying. Likewise, you should tolerate no bullshit from people trying to manipulate or fool you. Be a bulwark of integrity as you refuse to lower your standards. Bulk up the self-protective part of your psyche so you will be invincibly immune to careless and insensitive spoilers. Your word of power is BUILD. You will align yourself with cosmic rhythms as you work to create situations that will keep you strong and stable during the next 12 months.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): How much do you believe in your power to become the person you want to be? Ninety per cent? Fifty-five? Twenty? Whatever it is, you can increase it in the coming weeks. Life will conspire with you to raise your confidence as you seek new ways to fulfil your soul’s purpose. Surges of grace will come your way as you strive with intense focus to live your most meaningful destiny.

To take maximum advantage of this opportunity, I suggest you enjoy extra amounts of quiet, meditative time. Request help from the deepest core of your intelligence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Early in the 19th century, cultural researchers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm gathered an array of old folk stories and published a collection of what we now call fairy tales. Because the two brothers wanted to earn money, they edited out some graphic elements of the original narratives. For example, in the Grimms’ revised version, we don’t get the juicy details of the princess fornicating with the frog prince once he has reverted to his handsome human form. In the earlier but not published stories of Rumpelstiltskin, the imp gets so frustrated when he’s tricked by the queen that he rips himself apart. I hope you will do the opposite of the Brothers Grimm in the coming weeks, Cancerian. It’s crucial that you reveal and expose and celebrate raw, unvarnished truths.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is there a job you would love to have as your primary passion, but it’s different from the job you’re doing? Is there a calling you would delight in embracing, but you’re too consumed by the daily routine? Do you have a hobby you’d like to turn into a professional pursuit? If you said even a partial yes to my questions, Leo, here’s good news: In the coming months, you will have an enhanced ability to make these things happen. And now is an excellent time to get underway.

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Just a few minutes to the Whistler ski slopes, you will love the feel of this beautiful, well maintained home. From the bright, open kitchen/living area with fireplace & vaulted pine ceilings, enjoy magnificent views of Black Tusk & surrounding mountains. Features include 4 BR, 3 bath, family room with wood burning stove, nanny suite with separate entry & kitchen. Black Tusk Village is a recreation paradise, with world class skiing, biking and hiking trails in your back yard. Walk to the tennis courts or private lake, you can swim, kayak, SUP or visit the Clubhouse. Not reflected in the Sq. Footage, are a large 2 car garage & about 350 SF of exterior decks with spectacular views. This is an excellent family home, in a great community, nestled amongst world class amenities.

Call today!

DAVE HALLIWELL

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was a versatile virtuoso. He excelled as an essayist, biographer, playwright, editor, poet, and lexicographer. How did he get so much done? Here’s one clue. He took his own advice, summed up in the following quote: “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Present opportunities are neglected and attainable good is slighted by minds busied in extensive ranges and intent upon future advantages.” Johnson’s counsel is perfect for you right now, Virgo. Forget about the future and be focused on the present. Dive into the interesting work and play that’s right in front of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I would love you to go searching for treasure, and I hope you launch your quest soon. As you gather clues, I will be cheering you on. Before you embark, though, I want to make sure you are clear about the nature of the treasure you will be looking for. Please envision it in glorious detail. Write

down a description of it and keep it with you for the next seven weeks. I also suggest you carry out a fun ritual to formally mark your entry into the treasure-hunting chapter of your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, you’ll be guided by your deep intelligence as you explore and converse with the darkness. You will derive key revelations and helpful signs as you wander around inside the mysteries. Be poised and lucid, dear Scorpio. Trust your ability to sense what’s important and what’s not. Be confident that you can thrive amidst uncertainty as you remain loyal to your core truths. No matter how murky this challenge may seem, it will ultimately be a blessing. You will emerge both smarter and wiser.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you take the Bible’s teachings seriously, you give generously to the poor and you welcome immigrants. You regard the suffering of others as being worthy of your compassionate attention, and you express love not just for people who agree with you and share your cultural traditions, but for everyone. Numerous biblical verses, including many attributed to Jesus Christ, make it clear that living according to these principles is essential to being a good human. Even if you are not Jewish or Christian, Sagittarius, I recommend this approach to you. Now is an excellent time to hone your generosity of spirit and expand your urge to care for others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1982, Capricorn actor Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for his role in the film Gandhi. Then his career declined. In an animated movie in 1992, he voiced the role of an immortal frog named F.R.O.7. who worked as a James Bond-like secret agent. It was a critical and financial disaster. But Kingsley’s fortunes rebounded, and he was nominated for Academy Awards in 2002 and 2003. Then his trajectory dipped again. He was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for four separate films between 2005 and 2008. Now, at age 79, he’s rich and famous and mostly remembered for the great things he has done. I suggest we make him your role model for the coming months. May he inspire you to emphasize your hits and downplay your misses.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m devoted to cultivating the art of relaxation. But I live in a world dominated by stress addicts and frenzied overachievers. Here’s another problem: I aspire to be curious, innocent, and openminded, but the civilization I’m embedded in highly values know-it-all experts who are very sure they are in command of life’s secrets. One further snag: I’m an ultra-sensitive creator who is nourished by original thinking and original feeling. And yet I constantly encounter formulaic literalists who thrive on clichés. Now here’s the good news: I am a successful person! I do what I love and enjoy an interesting life. Here’s even more good news, Aquarius: In the next 12 months, you will have a knack for creating rhythms that bring you closer than ever to doing what you love and enjoying an interesting life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Most of us suffer from at least one absurd, irrational fear. I have a daft fear of heights, even when I’m perfectly safe, and a manic fear of mosquitoes dive-bombing me as I sleep, an event that has only happened four times in my life. My anxiety about running out of money is more rational, though, as is my dread of getting sick. Those worries help motivate me to work hard to earn a living and take superb care of my health. What about you, Pisces? Do you know which of your fears are preposterous and which make at least some sense? The coming weeks will be a favourable time to get a good handle on this question. Ask yourself: “Which of my fears are misdirected or exaggerated, and which are realistic and worthy of my attention?”

Homework: Make a pledge to the person you’ll be two years from now: a beautiful promise. NewsletterFreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates EXPANDED

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are currently being stored at Cooper’s Towing Ltd 1212 Alpha Lake Rd Whistler, BC, V8E 0R5

Become part of a creative team and surround yourself with art.

The Museum is currently seeking:

• ROOM ATTENDANTS

• HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR

Please reply by email: parmstrong@pinnaclehotels.ca

The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler has the following positions available: • GUEST SERVICE AGENT (FT)

Please drop off your resume at the hotel or email : athalakada@pinnaclehotels.ca

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.

Administrative Assistant

Permanent, Full-Time 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

Guest Service Agent Night Auditor

Maintenance Technician

Assistant Housekeeping Manager Lead Housekeeper

**SIGNING BONUS** $1000 (FT) 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.

Svava Tergesen, Zanfirico Glassware 2021. Image by Oisin McHugh.

The Pinnacle Hotel Whistler is currently hiring

The ultimate guide to Sea to Sky weddings

2023

Lil’wat Nation Employment Opportunities

Ullus Community Center Director of Community Development

General Manager, Community Services

Finance Assistant

Accounts Payable Coordinator

Transition House Support Worker

Family Enhancement Worker Receptionist

Skel7awlh Steward – Lands & Resources

Lil’wat Business Group

Chief Executive Officer

Junior Saw Labourer

Senior Saw Labourer

Cashier

Food & Beverage Supervisor

Store Operations Manager

Transfer Station Operator

Xet’olacw Community School

High School Math Teacher

Please

Looking to adopt?

For an updated list of who is available, check out our website.

www.whistlerwag.com

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.

Please email resume to info@rolandswhistler.com

Staff accommodation available.

https://lilwat.ca/careers/

INSURANCE ADVISOR

Position in a growing Whistler Agency

♦ Strong salary, bonus and benefits package

♦ Unrivalled career development opportunities

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, but not essential.

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

DAVID LIVESEY & ASSOCIATES INC.

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

Current opportunities

Communications & Engagement Advisor | Full Time, Permanent Manager, Corporate & Legislative Services | Full Time, Permanent Parks Labourer | Full Time, Summer Seasonal Program Leader – Youth | Casual, Evening Work Project Engineer | Full Time, Permanent

Join the Village of Pemberton team and give back to this incredible community by being a part of the exciting projects taking place throughout the Village. In addition to the satisfaction of giving back to the community, take a look at what our benefit package has to offer for all full time, permanent staff:

• 9-Day Fortnight

• BC Municipal Pension Plan

• Extended Medical Benefits

• Dental Coverage

• Vision Benefits

• Free Fitness Centre access

• Keeping it Active Allowance

Interested? Send your resume to recruiting@pemberton.ca. For a full job description or to learn more, visit pemberton.ca/employment.

WE ARE HIRING!

Permanent full-time position

Event Manager – If you have exceptional communication skills, strong leadership skills and a passion for event delivery, we would like to hear from you.

Temporary full-time positions

Event Ambassador – We are looking for Event team members to fill temporary full-time positions during our busy event season. If you have event or banquet experience and are looking for full-time employment, please get in touch.

Casual position

Cook – We are looking for our next kitchen/café team member. Interested in learning about food preparation and delivery? Have a passion for cooking? We want to hear from you.

Canada Summer Jobs

Must be aged 15 to 30 years to be considered. Marketing Assistant Museum Interpreter

Curatorial Assistant

Come work with us at an award winning, and leader in Indigenous arts and culture. Please send your cover letter and resume to human.resources@slcc.ca

Full job descriptions can be found at https://slcc.ca/careers/

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.

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.

Closing date June 2nd

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

JOIN THE MONGOLIE CREW!

We are currently hiring GRILLERS (CHEFS) start at $25/hour + complimentary meals KITCHEN SUPERVISOR

Minimum 3 years of kitchen experience / tips / complimentary meals / Competitive Wage, to be discussed based on experience upon hiring

Send

resume to

Or drop off your resume in person before 5pm!

HIRING WE ARE

Why work for us?

Bylaw Enforcement & Animal Control

Facilities

We offer competitive wages, comprehensive pension plan and health benefits, and we are driven by our passion to serve community.

• Bylaw and Animal Control Officer – Regular Full-Time

• Community Patrol Officer (Multiple Positions) – Casual/OnCall

• Assistant Manager of Facilities – Regular Full-Time

• Labourer 1 – Temporary Full-Time (Multiple Positions)

• Labourer 2 – Regular Full-Time

Public Works

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

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

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

VISION PACIFIC CONTRACTING LTD. is hiring new team members: EXPERIENCED CARPENTERS

We offer:

• Immediate Whistler housing available

• Extended Health and Dental benefits for you and your family

• 20cm snow rule & mental-health bike days

• Flexible schedule & awesome staff parties!

• Work-life balance is as important to us as it is to you!

Send your resume to info@vispacific.com

30 Years in Business

Whistler’s Award-Winning Custom Home Builder www.vispacific.com

Recreation

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

• 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

Glacier Media Group is growing.

Check our job board regularly for the latest openings: www.glaciermedia.ca/careers

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

ACROSS

DOWN

Breaking down Whistler’s 2022-23 ski season

TO THE EXTENT I am cynical—and not even I could argue I’m not—I like to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the folks who struggled through the early years to hone the black magic we currently call marketing. Then again, it could just be genetic, a rogue twist on my DNA spiral crowding up against the Hopeless Romantic gene, a benign mutation of the Quixotic Optimist sequence. Someone said cynics are just optimists who’ve been disappointed once too often. I don’t know who, so don’t ask.

BY G.D. MAXWELL

In the seminal years of marketing, flogging product on an unsuspecting public wasn’t far removed from the sale of snake oil. It was a time best personified by the phrase “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” That’s because in most cases the sizzle was being provided by either a soundtrack or a tiny bit of salt pork rendering in an unseen skillet. The steak was in the mail, sucker. COD.

My epiphany, the making of a cynic, if you will, probably occurred in a dark movie theatre on a Saturday afternoon when I was a kid. I was hooked on serials. Batman, Rocket Man, Superman, tired reruns of Flash Gordon—you name it—filtered through town, always with a, well, sizzling trailer to catch my attention, and an admission loss leader.

My favourite was the 867 episodes of Rocket Man. Okay, maybe there were only 15, it just seemed to go on forever. Dusting Rocket Man off the shelf was the idea of the people who made Mountain Dew. The soda, not moonshine. It was the new kid on the fizzy drink block, fighting for some kind of recognition and, even then, youth acceptance. The offer was this: bring in a pocketful of Mountain Dew bottle caps, get into the theatre for free.

What a deal! Every Friday a couple of us would make the rounds of gas stations who sold Mountain Dew in their coolers, rifle through the bin that caught bottle caps and find the price of admission. As an adult, I’ve developed empathy for what the cashier must have been going through on those Saturdays. Several hundred kids sliding several thousand sticky bottle caps under the glass and, I imagine, right into a garbage can. Big yuck factor.

By Episode 3, I began to recognize a lot of the other kids. Mostly by the backs of their heads. It was important to avoid sitting behind the kids with big heads, the loud talkers, the squealers, the farters, the ones who may only have bathed on Saturday night. Likewise, you didn’t want to be in front of kickers, throwers, chokers or spitters. It was my first lesson in logistics.

But I digress.

Each episode of a serial ended with Rocket Man in mortal peril, plummeting from

the sky, over a cliff, caught in an industrial crusher, naked in front of the class, reciting poetry, whatever, you get the idea. And the trailer for next week would show lots of kapow action, reinforcing the foregone conclusion that somehow, the hero would get out of the mess he was in and kick the living snot out of the bad guys.

After about, oh, say, adolescence, I finally figured it out. The good guys always escaped, the bad guys always tricked them again, good guys always won in the end and the owner of

covid season, and many did come back.

We all looked forward to what that tantalizing but teasing La Niña would bring when she came back to town. Snow drifts to the soffits or disappointment enough for everyone. The oceanic phenomena, bringing colder-than-normal sea-surface temps has, in the past, meant copious snowfall. But not always. And not this time. It played out as the warmest La Niña year on record.

It wasn’t looking good as autumn began to make room for winter. For starters, autumn

But it was not a stellar powder year, despite December’s tease. The watchword for much of the season was the not-so-subtle difference in the phrases, “skiing is good” and “the skiing is good.” Skiing was always good. The skiing? Not as often as hoped for, and nothing like the hip-deep dumps falling on Colorado and California mountains.

The late fall and a wicked November rain event made for an unsettling snowpack and a year of too many people caught in too many avalanches.

As well as marketing, it was a year of an undercurrent of discontent, perhaps misdirected against the mothercorp. It got personal... too personal. But it was, largely, a self-inflicted wound. Much of the lateseason outrage could have been avoided with more fulsome and timely communication, something we’ve been promised for the future. Turns out there was a good reason for things like the midweek closure of the main way up Blackcomb, the vanishing ski down to the village from the upper lots and a few other disruptions that lit people’s fuses.

the theatre sold enough popcorn and jujubes to put his kids through college and buy a new Cadillac every other year.

I’m sure I was going somewhere with this when I started it about 500 words ago. Oh yeah, marketing. And the answer to the annual question: What kind of ski season was 2022-23?

In a word, marketing. It was a marketing kind of ski season. Wasn’t all sizzle, there was some steak, and there was a magnificent dessert. It was the “y’all come back,” post-

was fickle. There was no real killing frost before the snow began to fall. Trees still had leaves, weighing down branches. Tall grass was still tall grass instead of knocked down, frozen, dead grass. We skied through erect stubble well into December, on what little snow fell, and we were grateful for the manmade stuff.

It didn’t look good for the holiday crowds, but as is so often the case, snow and tourists came when both were most desperately needed.

The highlight of the season was the welcome return of spring skiing. After closures in the covid years, after several seasons when spring never seemed to arrived, it roared into town this year with high temps and hero snow day after day. It was a welcome reminder of how wonderful snow transitioning from frozen to slushy can be.

And the good news if you’re fan of spring skiing is this: Next year, it’ll be Whistler that stays open for spring skiing. Details to follow.

So give this season a solid 7/10 with a bullet for the stellar spring. And stay tuned next season to see if we can do it all again, better. ■

The highlight of the season was the welcome return of spring skiing. After closures in the covid years, after several seasons when spring never seemed to arrived, it roared into town this year…

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