Pique Newsmagazine 3042

OCTOBER 20, 2023 ISSUE 30.42

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RUBBER BOOTS

LOOKING BACK ON THE PEMBERTON FLOODS OF 2003

14

GOING UP New housing builds underway in Whistler

15

STILL MISSING Whistler RCMP seek witnesses in case of missing senior

40

TO THE LETTER Local author Bronwyn Preece launches new book

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

36

40

32 High-water mark Looking back on the Pemberton floods of 2003. - By Veronica Woodruff

14 GOING UP

Whistler Blackcomb is getting closer to

26 PAYING TRIBUTE

Friends and family of Pem-

breaking ground on a new staff housing building, while the Whistler Hous-

berton’s Liam Fisher honoured his life and memory at a memorial on

ing Authority is moving ahead with another build of its own.

Saturday, Oct. 14.

15 STILL MISSING

36 LIVE FREE

The Whistler RCMP are still seek-

The International Freesports Film Festival—or

ing any witnesses or leads in the case of missing senior Robert McKean.

iF3—returns to Whistler, showcasing pros and aspiring amateurs alike.

18 BEAR WITNESS

40 TO THE LETTER

Conservation officers say a griz-

Local author Bronwyn Preece

zly hanging out near Myrtle Philip Community School doesn’t pose “immi-

honours the Sea to Sky and its First Nations peoples with her new book,

nent risk,” and are asking the public to give it space.

Sea to Sky Alphabet.

COVER Where were you the day you first heard the phrase “atmospheric river event?” - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art 4 OCTOBER 20, 2023

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Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@piquenewsmagazine.com

NEW

NEW

THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Weekend Forec Ins

SEE PAGE 11 >>

Weekend Forecast Inside

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS

Proposals for “weatherproof” activities don’t have a great track record in

Whistler, writes editor Braden Dupuis—but it would be wise to revisit them.

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week, letter writers weigh in on grizzlies, housing, a shortage

Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com

of school bus drivers, and another successful Fungus Among Us.

Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@piquenewsmagazine.com Production Manager AMIR SHAHRESTANI - ashahrestani@piquenewsmagazine.com

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Family is not something to be taken for granted, writes columnist

Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@piquenewsmagazine.com

David Song.

Advertising Representatives TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com

54 MAXED OUT Fresh from a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth, Max delves into the dopamine of

GEORGIA BUTLER - gbutler@wplpmedia.com

Disneyland.

Digital/Sales Coordinator KATIE DOUGLAS - traffic@piquenewsmagazine.com

Environment & Adventure

Production - production@piquenewsmagazine.com Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com Arts Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Reporters BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com DAVID SONG - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com RÓISÍN CULLEN - rcullen@piquenewsmagazine.com SCOTT TIBBALLS - stibballs@piquenewsmagazine.com Classifieds and Reception - mail@piquenewsmagazine.com Office and Accounts Manager HEIDI RODE - hrode@wplpmedia.com Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, GLENDA BARTOSH, LESLIE ANTHONY, ANDREW MITCHELL,

31 RANGE ROVER Recent events in Whistler have columnist Leslie Anthony wondering: just how stupid can some people get?

Lifestyle & Arts

38 FORK IN THE ROAD Glenda Bartosh is finding ways to embrace disparities, ambiguities and fear—starting with a simple meal.

41 MUSEUM MUSINGS Looking back on the installation of Whistler’s very first ski lifts.

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OPENING REMARKS

Why is it so hard to weatherproof Whistler?

SINCE WHISTLER’S Village 8 Cinemas officially closed its doors for good in the first week of January, Pique has heard from three different people wanting to reopen it.

In each instance, we passed the appropriate contact info along, and waited, hoping against hope that something might come of it—that

BY BRADEN DUPUIS the Village 8 might live to screen another day.

But the proposals to revive it never made it past table read, apparently—none of those who sought to reopen Whistler’s theatre responded to a request for updates this week.

Many Whistler locals are missing their little cinema more than ever this October, as the mountains are closed in preparation for another winter and the dead-season doldrums begin to settle in.

After several days of rain—and with more rain expected in the valley in general in the years to come—the discussion of weatherproofing Whistler is timely (but then, is it ever really not?).

Tourism Whistler president and CEO Barrett Fisher touched on it briefly during a presentation to Whistler’s committee of the whole on Oct. 10.

“We know that in high season, summer and winter, we have our best foot forward. But how do we continue to support with weatherindependent activities?” she asked.

TW has gotten a lot of feedback about the

theatre closing, she added.

“We manage and operate the Rainbow Theatre [at the Whistler Conference Centre].

It’s a little premature to think that we can open that as a theatre, because it is utilized for conference groups and because it has been renovated recently—it’s not really set up for popcorn and cokes spilling on the floor,” Fisher said. “But that aside, we recognize that activities like that are important when we do have rainy days or inclement weather.”

While it’s too early to talk specifics, Fisher said in a follow-up email the matter was discussed at TW’s annual board planning meeting, and the organization plans to “investigate and/or facilitate weather-

investigating other potential weatherindependent opportunities in 2024.”

It seems easy enough, but for some reason “weatherproof” proposals in Whistler have a history of dying on the vine, so to speak.

Who could forget Whistler Blackcomb Renaissance, the mountain operator’s splashy, $345-million investment plan announced in the spring of 2016?

In that project, officials envisioned spending up to $100 million on new attractions at the base of Blackcomb, including Watershed, a year-round, indoor activity centre located adjacent to the current tube park.

A significant chunk of the facility would be dedicated to a water play area complete

venues in the Calgary area, to develop a new restaurant/pub/bowling alley in the longvacant property at 4295 Blackcomb Way. In that case, proponents sought to add a restaurant, patio and lounge on the main level, and eight bowling lanes, billiards, and other classic arcade games on the lower level, located next to Village 8 Cinemas. If approved, the venue would have included 616 seats divided between the two levels, and would require a staff of around 100, according to the proponent.

In the end, the sheer size of the proposal was likely its downfall, as Whistler’s existing bar and restaurant sector—already struggling with housing and labour—came out en masse against the project.

It seems easy enough, but for some reason “weatherproof” proposals in Whistler have a history of dying on the vine, so to speak.

independent activities for our visitors” in the future.

There are already some weatherindependent activities on offer in the resort, “from the Audain Art Museum and Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, to axe throwing and the Escape Room, to Wintersphere family activities at the Whistler Conference Centre over the holiday period,” Fisher noted.

“But as you know, with the closing of the Village 8 theatre, an important indoor entertainment activity has been lost—both for residents and for visitors.

“Tourism Whistler will therefore be

with slides, a surf zone, a kids’ splash area and hot and cold pools. There were also plans for a family entertainment centre, food and beverage options, and an eightlane bowling alley.

Just four months after that announcement, Whistler Blackcomb sold to Vail Resorts for $1.4 billion, and the Renaissance project was effectively shelved, with the new owners choosing to focus investments on-mountain instead.

Then there was the 2018 proposal from National Beerhall Inc., a division of Concorde Entertainment Group, which operates 18

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Concorde eventually walked away from the proposal, declining to provide any reasoning to Pique (a representative last responded to a request for updates in December 2018—all subsequent emails went unanswered).

These proposals may have died unceremonious deaths, but judging from the weather this week—and the long-term outlook for conditions in Whistler—it would be wise to finally diversify our activity offerings in the years ahead.

We can’t control the weather, after all—but there’s no reason we can’t ride out the storms in style with some mini golf or bowling. ■

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR short, a logical idea that might make it less appealing. I did this to my grass. The COS thought this was a good idea, too. It certainly can’t hurt.

Between a scalped lawn and making some noise, perhaps the bear will move on. Anywhere else is fine with me, just not beside an elementary school (ours or anywhere else). This is the approach in grizzly-endemic communities in the Rockies, for example. It feels very reasonable, and there’s no harm in trying.

If you agree, please let the COS and mayor know. School officials shouldn’t have to deal with this like they are—keeping our kids safe from predation isn’t their job. It’s not fair to the kids, either—it creates an unhelpful fear of bears in some of them. No doubt we’ll be dealing with this again next fall, as this is the third year in a row.

Clark Lewis // Whistler

Grizzlies and elementary schools don’t mix For the past week there’s been a rather large grizzly bear munching on the grass in the soccer field in Tapley’s Farm, right beside Myrtle Philip school, right beside our house.

It’s been in our own yard, and all around our neighbourhood and our kids. We are used to bears here. There are always many black bears in this same field. We walk our kids to school right past them in the fall. Yet to some of us, grizzlies feel different. Though very rare, twice as many human deaths are caused by grizzlies than black bears.

The school has responded by keeping the kids close by at recess, with extra adult supervision. The BC Conservation Officer Service has responded by attending, but they are loathe to do anything unless the bear becomes aggressive.

This is quite a different approach from that in June, when they immediately “relocated” a grizzly from the golf course. I suppose golfers are better for our economy than our kids, so this is logical from a capitalist perspective.

However, it made some people upset, since bear relocation can be dangerous (for both people and the bear), or simply ineffective (they sometimes wander back). Sometimes it feels

like our bears have more housing rights than our seasonal workers and renters.

I like that we live among bears. I’ve had many encounters with grizzlies up north and in the Chilcotins. I’m not afraid of them. I don’t think they’ll eat my children. This is their home, too. I’ve chosen to live in bear country. I’m highly risk-tolerant, in general.

I’m not a paranoid parent, but I do like my kids. I simply don’t see any value in letting grizzlies habituate beside a school. However low the risk may be, it isn’t zero. On the flip side of the risk/benefit equation, the potential benefit of leaving it alone beside a school is zero. When a risky situation has no potential benefit, it becomes valueless.

This is the critical difference between this

SD48 needs to hire more bus drivers Our neighbours just arrived in Whistler.

They rely on the school bus to take their daughter to school, as they have no vehicle, and both parents walk to work as house cleaners in the village.

They do not speak English, and cannot read the last-minute emails notifying parents about school bus cancellations.

SD48 has created the unthinkable habit of using school bus cancellations to cover for

ERT!

OR AL T S E V N

ER/I

OP DEVEL

situation, and taking my kids into the bike park, for example. The bike park is far riskier, but it carries enough benefit (fun and excitement) to give it value.

I’d like to see at least an attempt to keep grizzlies away from our schools. It’s feeding on a giant, manicured, fertilized lawn, maintained by the Resort Municipality of Whistler. This is arguably not a natural food source. It’s not sedge grass in a remote estuary. The field has not always been there, and the sheer amount of perfect grass only exists because of the artificial watering and fertilizing. The field has great community value, but it is a bear attractant, no different than garbage or fruit trees. I’ve asked the muni to consider cutting it very

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR their inability to hire the required number of school bus drivers, for the past four years and counting.

Sure, there are budgetary concerns, labour shortages, and housing limitations which make hiring school bus drivers in Whistler especially challenging, and that’s understandable.

But imagine yourself in a new country with a young daughter, unable to speak the language, standing in the rain, waiting for a school bus that never arrives.

Matt MacDonald // Whistler

Increasing Whistler’s housing supply the only solution Continuing the theme of why government is so ineffective on housing, great letter from Mike Roger last week (Pique, Oct. 13, “Whistler’s housing approach the ‘definition of insanity’”).

I agree the insane nightmare of Whistler housing will not change if we elect the same council to do the same thing over and over again. A recurring theme from letter writers is perceived council self-interest that keeps policy in place to push up housing cost. Is it the NIMBYs who elect a NIMBY council? I have not seen anyone from council respond as to why they are so ineffective on housing—how about council weighing in here?

The solution is simple: if demand is greater than supply, prices go up. Increasing supply is the only solution (unless you want to make Whistler an unattractive place so demand goes down). Here are some of the things that limit supply: overly restrictive zoning, excessive permitting delays, giant development cost charges, demands for donations of land and units to Whistler, blah blah, we have heard it all before. Let developers make a profit and they will fix the problem for you.

Sure, we want Whistler to remain attractive. Don’t lose sight of that. But open up some land and apply for the promised infrastructure funding from the province. How about developing the municipal works yard, a great flat, serviced site between Creekside and Whistler Village that is currently used for

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storing dirt and burned-out cars? A perfect place for high-density employee housing that does not force residents to drive a car.

If we can get to a balance between supply and demand, prices will revert to the actual cost of housing and we won’t have to subsidize it. We should be talking about affordable market housing.

Steve Noble // Whistler

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Thanks for another successful Fungus Among Us The Whistler Naturalists would like to thank volunteers and participants who joined our 21st annual Fungus Among Us Mushroom Festival.

We started with presentations and mushroom walks to 29 classes (more than 600 students)! We were excited to return to the Xetólacw Community School in Mount Currie, as well as Spring Creek Community School, École La Passerelle and Myrtle Philip Community School in Whistler. It was great to see so many students curious about mushrooms. Thanks to school presenters Andy MacKinnon, Kevin Trim, Paul Kroeger, Stephanie Wilford, Bill Weir, Ben Hircock, Jenn Amy, Shayn McAskin and Savita Owens-Frank.

We’d also like to thank our “Talks with Gurus” presenters: Stephanie Wilford for “Fungi and Fire;” Ludovic Le Renard for “Amazing Mushroom Morphology;” Ashleigh Woodruff and Liv Teitzel for “Fun with Fungi;” and Andy MacKinnon for his talk on Cordyceps fungi, “Zombie Apocalypse.”

Congratulations to the winners of the Fantastic Fungi Foto Contest. These and other photos from the event can be viewed on our website: whistlernaturalists.ca.

After another summer of drought, we were worried about a lack of mushrooms. Luckily for fungal fans, Mother Nature pulled through just in time and rewarded our event with a huge diversity of fungi. After all the identifications are finished, we expect close to the annual average of 180 species, of which at least a few will be new to our list. As a result,

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Write to us! Letters to the editor must contain the writer’s name, address and a daytime telephone number.

Maximum length is 450 words. Pique Newsmagazine reserves the right to edit, condense or refrain from publishing any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine. Send them to edit@ piquenewsmagazine.com before 11 a.m. on Tuesday for consideration in that week’s paper.

OCTOBER 20, 2023

11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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we are nudging ever-closer to 1,000 species documented in Whistler.

Our popular Forest to Table lunch wouldn’t have been possible without the great expertise and wonderful creativity of Chef Bruce Worden.

Finally, the Whistler Naturalists would also like to thank our key sponsors: The Whistler Community Foundation, AWARE and the RMOW. Thanks also to wonderful support from Milestones, Nesters Market, Legends Hotel, Whistler Bike Co., Avalanche Pizza, Pasta Lupino, Whistler Museum, Toad Hall Studios, Arts Whistler, Photographer Jayden Innis, and the Whistler Biodiversity Project.

See you next year, as always, the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Kristina Swerhun, Bob Brett, Sabrina Hinitz, Mel Tardif and Chloe Van Loon // On behalf of the Whistler Naturalists

Short-term rental legislation is ‘toothless’ When the B.C. government announced it was introducing new legislation aimed at addressing the impact of short-term rentals, I was skeptical to say the least. While messaging with a friend who asked my opinion, I replied, “We will see. I’m trying to be positive but unless there are big changes it will be toothless.”

The legislation limits short-term rentals to their principal residence, within a host’s home, or a basement suite or laneway home on the

property where they reside. This is good news for cities and towns that do not have this in place already.

There are increases to fines assessed to operators not complying with these new rules, but no immediate investment in helping communities hire dedicated bylaw officers to manage received complaints. A requirement to include the business license number on the listings can be easily circumnavigated with a fake number—especially as they are requesting the platforms themselves monitor the listings for compliance.

But the real kicker?

Fourteen resort municipalities, mountain resort areas, electoral areas including the Gulf Islands, and most municipalities with a population under 10,000 people will initially be exempt from a principal residence requirement but can opt in if the local government decides to.

I am frankly shocked, but sadly not surprised, to hear that resort municipalities like Whistler will be exempt from the principal residence requirement. Thankfully, Pemberton already has a principal residence requirement, or we would be exempt also.

The most desirable tourist markets in our province will not be required to enforce this new legislation. The places in our province that are most affected by a shortage of long-term housing are the same places that are exempt.

Toothless.

Tania Chiasson // Pemberton n

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PIQUE N’ YER INTEREST

Family is not to be taken for granted THOSE OF YOU who regularly visit the Pique website may have seen a column with a fairly jarring title last month: “‘Finally kicked the bucket’: Daughter writes brutally honest obituary about dead dad.”

In it, an Ontario woman named Amanda Denis recounts the sad and non-existent relationship she had with her recentlydeceased father. “After suffering multiple

BY DAVID SONG dsong@piquenewsmagazine.com strokes, one thankfully leaving him unable to speak, the abusive, narcissistic absentee father/husband/brother/son finally kicked the bucket,” Denis wrote, among other things. “Because he treated people with disdain, there will be no service.”

The funeral home where her father was cremated did not allow the obituary to remain on their website, but Denis stood her ground.

“This is the truth, this is the way he was,” she added later in the piece. “It’s my family’s truth and I am not going to change that because somebody won’t post it.”

Another family member, Bonnie Kandulski, is quoted as backing that sentiment.

“It was a true reflection of who he was.

I am very proud of Amanda for having the courage to write an accurate obit for such an evil soul,” said Kandulski, adding that her husband called the deceased the “evil one.”

Many of you may feel strongly about those words. Some might applaud Denis for her candour, while others may be appalled by a person speaking so harshly about their family—and in such a public manner to boot.

Personally, I respect Denis’ actions. Here’s why.

up for me.

It sounds like Denis can’t say that about her own father. That’s why her blunt obituary is perfectly understandable— perhaps even justified.

Familial relationships are complex things, and we all have different experiences with them. Some are blessed with healthy and loving families, while others have been deeply hurt by nasty individuals whom they

If you are someone’s family member, that doesn’t give you the right to treat them as you please.

FAMILY: A FICKLE THING

Admittedly, I am much more blessed than Ms. Denis was in this particular department.

My dad (though not perfect) is a hardworking man who always tries to be there for his family.

I owe to him and my mom the privilege of a happy childhood, the privilege of a university education and the privilege of entering adult life with two staunch allies in my corner. In fact, I wouldn’t even be here if my father hadn’t resolved decades ago to move out of China and into a brave new beginning.

Without a doubt I’ve had conflict with my dad, but we have moved past it, and in the end I can say that my old man showed

happen to be related to. Many fall somewhere in between those extremes.

Our family members may also saddle us with heavy baggage. Some people may willingly cut ties with toxic former friends, mentors or even significant others, yet yearn for the approval of difficult fathers or mothers. An abusive or absent parent often inflicts a lifetime of damage on their child, leaving that young boy or girl to wonder why they didn’t receive love from a person that should have been their rock.

Families are beyond important. Yet, that is why I believe family members should hold each other to account.

PEOPLE, RESPONSIBILITY

I’ve frequently encountered the notion that if someone is related to you by blood, they are entitled to a place in your life even if they have severely and unrepentantly wounded you. “So-and-so may have hurt you, but they’re still your mom/brother/grandpa/etc” is a common refrain—and one that I reject.

If you are someone’s family member, that doesn’t give you the right to treat them as you please. Instead, it gives you the responsibility to show that person love and respect based on the nature of your relationship. Fail to live up to that responsibility, and you should expect to face consequences.

Don’t get me wrong: forgiveness is a vital habit to practice. Even heavily damaged relationships can be salvaged when people become willing to forgive one another, and it is always worthwhile to do so. However, forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation, and in some cases it is healthy for a victim to forgive an offender without pursuing close relations with them. That applies to family as well.

Denis admits that she wished to have a relationship with her late father, but he wasn’t interested. His boorish arrogance left her with trauma and frustration, not cherished memories and daddy-daughter dances. Why, then, should she pretend that he meant something positive to his family?

Why should we respect the dead when the dead weren’t respectful during their lives? n

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NEWS WHISTLER

Site work underway for new Whistler Blackcomb staff housing building FEDS FINANCING HOUSING BUILDS IN WHISTLER, SQUAMISH, BOWEN ISLAND

BY BRADEN DUPUIS AS

ANOTHER WINTER approaches, Whistler’s housing woes are worse than they’ve been in recent memory—but a pair of projects getting underway this week could help ease the crunch in future years.

Whistler Blackcomb’s (WB) longanticipated new staff housing building is one step closer to finally breaking ground, as tree clearing and other preliminary site work is now underway.

First proposed in 2019, once completed, the building will add 240 new staff-housing beds to WB’s stock.

“This endeavour remains one of our team’s top priorities as we work toward finalizing agreements with our project partners in order to begin construction,” said WB’s senior manager of communications Dane Gergovich.

“In the meantime, we have approval to start preliminary site preparations, including tree clearing, which is currently underway,

FEDERAL FINANCING From left: Whistler Sport Legacies’ (WSL) Roger Soane, Whistler Councillor Jen Ford, WSL’s Melanie Bitner, MP Patrick Weiler, and Bowen Island Mayor Andrew Leonard pose outside of WSL’s new build at 1315 Cloudburst Drive in Cheakamus.

PHOTO BY JEFF VINNICK

14 OCTOBER 20, 2023

with operations being staged in Parking Lot 6. As of now, our target completion date is fall 2025. We look forward to sharing more updates as things progress.”

Glacier 8, as it’s known, represents the largest injection of employee beds Whistler has seen in years—although it still only represents a small fraction of WB’s 4,000plus workforce. When the project was first announced, WB said it housed 31 per cent of its staff internally. With the addition of Glacier 8, the company will house more than a third of its workforce.

Meanwhile, in Cheakamus Crossing, the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) is starting work on its new 48-unit rental building at 1450 Mount Fee Road.

The $20-million project, the largest of five new WHA buildings constructed since 2018, will be ready for occupancy in the second half of 2024. Those on WHA’s rental waitlist will be given priority.

Minimum rents will start at $1,450 (studios), $1,850 (1 bedroom units), and $2,425 (2 bedroom units).

“From my personal experience, enrolling in the WHA program is the best way to achieve a sustainable life situation in this town, from both economical and stability perspectives,” said Raul Bautista, the rental housing representative on the WHA board, in a release. “I can’t recommend enough to the locals to join the WHA waitlists and encourage the Whistler Housing Authority to keep up the

good work fighting the housing problem that is making communities struggle globally.”

The project is getting a boost from the federal government in the form of a lowinterest loan—one of four recipients announced in Cheakamus on Oct. 13.

In total, nearly $90 million is being made available through the Canadian Government’s Rental Construction Financing Initiative (RCFi) to help pay for four different housing projects: two in Whistler, and one each in Squamish and Bowen Island.

As it relates to the new WHA build, the announcement covered $15.2 million in financing, with the Resort Municipality of Whistler contributing $1.5 million, and the WHA $3 million.

“We are well aware of how important every secure affordable bed is for employees of Whistler’s workforce, so the WHA is thrilled to be bringing another affordable rental housing project to the community,” said WHA’s general manager Marla Zucht, in the release. “With shovels in the ground now on this new WHA rental project, we are already turning our sights to future employee housing projects literally down the road from 1450 Mount Fee Road. We intend to keep the momentum going on our shared community goal of providing additional employee housing solutions and supply as we continue to grow and evolve Whistler’s Employee Housing Program.”

Also in Whistler, the announcement included $19.8 million in RCFi financing for

58 units at 1315 Cloudburst Drive. Completed in April, the project is overseen by the Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies Society, which contributed $8.7 million.

“Whistler has long recognized the importance of community support for housing our workforce locally. Now, more than ever, we see the housing crisis all around us in every community in B.C.,” said Whistler councillor and WHA board chair Jen Ford, in a release.

“This new build marks another step towards our community’s commitment to this endeavour as well as our climate goals.”

In Squamish, $45.7 million in RCFi will help pay for 105 units at 38115 Laurelwood Road. Bosa Properties is kicking in $15.8 million.

And on Bowen Island, the government is providing $8.75 million and $30,000 in seed funding for 25 units at 510 Bowen Island Trunk Road. Bandon Holdings Ltd. is contributing $383,800.

The RCFi provides fully repayable lowinterest loans to encourage the construction of more purpose-built rental housing for middle-income Canadians, creating a positive impact to the housing system at minimal cost to taxpayers.

It’s just one program included in the government’s National Housing Strategy, which aims to invest more than $82 billion over 10 years.

Read more at canada.ca/housing. n

NEWS WHISTLER

Where is Whistler senior Robert McKean?

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SEARCH EFFORTS FOR MISSING MAN SUSPENDED ‘PENDING FURTHER INVESTIGATION’

BY BRADEN DUPUIS EVERY YEAR, Whistler Search and Rescue (WSAR) goes looking for the wreckage of a legendary 1956 plane crash in the Callaghan Valley—in which two Royal Canadian Air Force officers mysteriously vanished without a trace, other than a few spare airplane parts recovered over the years.

“We’ll often salt the search area with discs—I’ll go and just throw out a bunch of discs, and then we can tell how successful we are by how many discs get returned,” said WSAR president Brad Sills.

“And quite often, only two thirds of the discs come back.”

Which just goes to show: even highlytrained professionals, searching a defined area, won’t catch everything.

The search for Whistler senior Robert McKean, who went missing with his dog the morning of Oct. 9, consisted of more than 300 search-and-rescue members (from 21 different teams around the province), with help from police, firefighters, and civilians.

On Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m., after nearly a week of intensive searching, the mass effort was suspended “pending further investigation,” the RCMP said.

As of Oct. 16, officials were no closer to finding the 80-year-old McKean, who has dementia, than when they started.

“The search will continue,” Sills said. “We will continue following up on leads, we’ll do some more aerial flying in the coming weeks, and yeah, police will continue to follow up on any of the tips that they get.”

A COMMUNITY EFFORT

Searchers began Monday morning by containing the area, sending e-bikes down the trail system in Alpine and as far south as Function hoping to pick up McKean and his dog, Lexi.

At the same time, RCMP were going door to door in Alpine seeking doorbell camera footage, eventually getting lucky with a security camera situated at a construction site on Alpine Way. “We picked him up there, at 10:17 on Monday morning, and he’s taking his dog and he looks quite determined,” Sills said.

“So that gave us the point last seen and a direction of travel.”

Those with dementia typically travel in a straight line, and are “easily thwarted by obstructions,” Sills said, noting the last two instances in Whistler where a person with dementia went missing, they were both found up against trees unable to get around them.

Searchers initially focused their efforts on Alpine Meadows and the nearby Emerald Forest towards the Catholic Church, where McKean is part of the weekly Making Connections dementia social group.

“He voiced to his wife first thing that morning, ‘well I have my workshop today,’ and she said, ‘no, that’s on Wednesday,’—so we thought perhaps he’d be over in that area,” Sills said.

“And we did a quick search through there, and there was nothing.”

Thermal imaging via an infrared-cameraequipped drone courtesy of the Garibaldi Volunteer Fire Department was thwarted by inclement weather, and crews packed it in at about 10 p.m. that first night.

By Tuesday, they had backup from both Squamish and Pemberton search and rescue, as well as local fire crews—and the numbers only swelled from there.

South Surrey Search and Rescue lent some sophisticated software to help manage the logistics of the growing expedition, which by Saturday was about as big as it could get.

According to police, in addition to the SAR volunteers and civilian search dog teams, RCMP police and drone teams, Whistler Fire Rescue Services, Garibaldi Fire, and numerous community members also assisted in the search, which included aerial sweeps via helicopter, accessing steep terrain with rope teams, and going door-to-door in relevant neighbourhoods.

“At some point, you’ve collected enough data in each of the areas that you’re realizing that continued effort using the same methods, unless the environmental conditions change, likely isn’t going to yield you any significant difference,” Sills said.

“So typically that’s when you make the decision to scale back.”

THE SEARCH CONTINUES

Now, searchers will wait for the foliage to fall off the trees, and hope the changing seasonal conditions will turn up some sign of the missing subject.

But after a week with no leads, what they’re looking for now is closure.

“It’s just horrible. It really is, and you really, really, really want to bring closure,” Sills said.

“After the first couple of days you go, ‘Well, you know, he’s 80 years old, 130 pounds, he’s lightly dressed, and it’s been pouring rain and it’s cold. The survivability rate… you have to be realistic.”

It’s not the first time someone has vanished without a trace in Whistler—in search-and-rescue terms referred to simply as a “disappearance.”

“This is now the fourth case in Whistler in the almost 50 years I’ve been here of people that quite literally, they just disappear,” Sills said. “We never find anything, not even a clue—they just… evaporate.”

There’s the cases of Jonathan Jetté and Rachael Bagnall, who disappeared in

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NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler double homicide preliminary hearing underway BROTHERS KEEPER GANGSTER MENINDER DHALIWAL AND FRIEND SATINDERA GILL WERE KILLED BY GUNSHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE THE SUNDIAL HOTEL

BY JEREMY HAINSWORTH A PRELIMINARY HEARING for two Surrey men charged with first-degree murder in the July 24, 2022 killing of two men outside a Whistler hotel is underway in Vancouver Provincial Court.

Tanvir Khakh and Gursimran Sahota were arrested in Squamish after Brothers Keeper gangster Meninder Dhaliwal and his friend Satindera Gill were killed by gunshots fired outside the B.C. resort’s Sundial Hotel.

One victim died at the scene while another succumbed to his injuries a short time later at the Whistler Health Care Centre.

In court on Oct. 16, clad in street clothes, Khahk and Sahota whispered occasionally to each other as the preliminary hearing got underway.

Such hearings are held to determine if enough evidence exist for the case to proceed to trial. They are covered by publication bans in order not to taint a potential jury pool should an accused elect trial by judge and jury.

The public initially learned about the incident via a gory Instagram crime scene video. It showed one man face-down with blood streaming from his head beside a white BMW X6 and a man treating another man near a black Ford F-150.

Another angle showed the second man was heavily tattooed. Both vehicles were

7

the Pemberton backcountry on a romantic getaway in September 2010, never to be seen again, and hiker Tyler Wright, who went missing that same year near Squamish.

Sills recalled another hiker who disappeared on Rainbow in the mid-2000s, and a staff member at Whistler Secondary who went missing—though in that case, the subject’s remains were eventually found, providing some closure.

“It’s frustrating as anything, but I don’t hang myself up on it anymore,” Sills said.

“Because it’s just the way it is. Mother Nature has a lot of tricks, and we haven’t detected all of them yet.”

The RCMP has been in close contact with McKean’s family, “who wanted to express their gratitude to all involved in the search including all of the SAR members from across the province, Whistler Fire Rescue Service, Garibaldi Fire, and all of the community members who have searched and recorded their tracks in the effort to locate Mr. McKean and his dog, Lexi,” police said in a release Oct. 15.

The RCMP is still seeking any witnesses who may have seen McKean and Lexi on Monday, Oct. 9, and is asking the public to remain vigilant for any signs or clues.

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Balance running shoes; blue jeans; a green rain jacket over a blue Canucks jersey; and a tan ballcap with a blue brim.

He was walking his dog Lexi on a blue and white checkered leash attached to a blue harness.

“Whistler RCMP will continue to investigate this matter vigorously and additional search efforts are planned in an effort to locate Robert,” the release said.

Anyone with any information about McKean’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP detachment at (604) 932-3044 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS) or solvecrime.ca. n

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Whistler RCMP said they responded to reports of gunfire at the Sundial Hotel at 12:19 p.m.

The presiding judge will determine if the case proceeds to trial at a later date. n

ROBERT MCKEAN FROM PAGE 15

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parked in the driveway of the Sundial Hotel.

The driver’s side door of the BMW was open.

A burning getaway vehicle was found shortly after in the Blueberry Hill neighbourhood outside Whistler Village.

Investigators said both victims were known to police.

Dhaliwal was among several Lower

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NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler grizzly doesn’t pose ‘imminent risk,’ COS says PUBLIC ASKED TO SECURE ATTRACTANTS, GIVE THE BEAR SPACE TO AVOID CONFLICT

BY BRADEN DUPUIS A GRIZZLY BEAR hanging around the soccer fields at Whistler’s Myrtle Philip Community School this week is causing anxiety for parents—but the BC Conservation Officer Service says the bear’s presence alone doesn’t pose an imminent risk.

“This bear has not exhibited any aggressive or conflict behaviour and is feeding on natural foods. We ask the public to give the bear space in the hopes it moves on from the area,” the COS said in a release on Oct. 16.

“To help ensure this bear—and other wildlife—does not linger and create conflicts, we are asking the public to ensure their attractants are securely stored. Residents can help us by inspecting their yards and properties and ensuring any attractants, such as garbage, pet food or birdseed, are securely stored. Please ensure barbecues are clean and fruit is removed from trees and the ground.”

With the grizzly still in the area, Whistler’s Balsam Park and the adjacent soccer fields at Myrtle Philip Community School are closed.

“Additionally, the lower section of the trail ‘Cut Yer Bars,’ which runs parallel to the lower Myrtle Philip fields connecting to Balsam Park, will be closed to reduce the risk of surprise encounters with the grizzly bear,”

SETTLING IN A grizzly photographed in Whistler’s Balsam Park on Oct. 17.

PHOTO BY CLARK LEWIS

the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) said in a Facebook comment on Oct. 11.

The closures will remain in place until further notice. If you encounter a bear, give it space, back away slowly from the area and speak in a calm, firm voice.

The grizzly was first spotted at Nicklaus North Golf Course over the Thanksgiving weekend, prompting a closure there as well.

Earlier this summer, a 300-pound female grizzly was tranquilized and relocated in early June near the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

It’s unclear if it is the same grizzly in both instances.

From Jan. 1 to July 5, the COS received 30

reports of grizzly encounters in the Whistler area, and encounters have doubled in recent years.

The increased grizzly sightings—and the “unusual” sighting of a grizzly in the valley this fall—are positive signs of grizzly recovery in the region, according to the Grizzly Bear Foundation.

“This is a critical time of year for bears to bulk up in preparation for hibernation, and anecdotally there seems to be a poor supply of berries right now,” said Taylor Green, outreach and communications manager with the Grizzly Bear Foundation. “It’s super important to ensure this bear moves on and

makes it to winter denning without accessing any human food sources.”

Fortunately, as a Bear Smart community, Whistler already has many of the tools and knowledge needed to coexist with grizzlies.

“A big challenge now is the shift in mindset. We need to wrap our heads around the idea that grizzly bears are returning to Whistler, and that coexistence comes with a responsibility on our part,” Green said. “In sharing space with wildlife, it needs to be a give-and-take. It’s all part of a bigger picture of healing our relationship with nature. So what support does the community need?

This is an important discussion as Whistler prepares for ongoing grizzly bear recovery.”

The COS asks the public to take precautions in case of wildlife encounters.

“Do not approach bears to take pictures, confront bears or feed bears. Leash your pets, travel in groups and consider carrying bear spray. For more tips, please visit WildSafeBC,” the release said.

The COS is in regular contact with municipal and law enforcement partners, and any urgent public safety information will be immediately shared via online social channels and with partners.

Officers continue to monitor bear activity in the area, and will respond as necessary.

Bear conflicts and aggressive bear behaviour can be reported 1-877-952-7277. n

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19

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler mayor welcomes new short-term rental legislation NEW PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION GIVES MUNICIPALITIES MORE TEETH; WHISTLER EXEMPT FROM PRIMARY RESIDENCE REQUIREMENT

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS WHISTLER MAYOR Jack Crompton is welcoming new short-term rental (STR) legislation introduced by the provincial government this week in Victoria. “[The legislation] makes British Columbia one of the leading provinces in Canada as far as the regulation of short-term rentals are concerned,” Crompton said.

“It gives local government tools that we’ve been asking for for a long time.”

The legislation introduced Monday, Oct. 16 will force short-term platforms like Airbnb to provide data on their listings to the province, which will then be passed to local governments so they can track listings and enforce local bylaws. Municipalities will also be given the ability to levy larger fines against STR operators that don’t play ball.

Much of the new legislation has been lobbied for by local governments through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) for years—Crompton served as co-chair of the UBCM advisory group on STRs when it delivered a list of asks to the province in 2021, and said the rules were about giving local government teeth.

“It’s legislation that forces the platforms to share data with us, to register all rentals

and comply with our regulations. It’s going to make the work that we do [in Whistler] even better.”

Whistler is a hotbed for Airbnb activity, ranking highly as one of Airbnb’s most profitable destinations in North America according to its own data, and requires robust municipal oversight.

is exempt from this rule—and doesn’t even need it, according to Crompton, who said the Whistler bylaws are even tougher.

“That program is actually less restrictive than Whistler’s current regulatory framework,” he said. “We do not allow any rental of residential real estate through the sharing platforms.”

“It gives local government tools that we’ve been asking for for a long time.”

- JACK CROMPTON

In Whistler, tourist accommodation providers are required to have the appropriate zoning and a business licence, and shortterm rentals are not permitted in residential neighbourhoods.

The new legislation includes rules designed to force STR operators with multiple listings across multiple properties to sell, with a requirement that the operators must live in the property they are renting rooms out of. But the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW)

Crompton described Whistler as a leader in bylaw enforcement around STRs, adding much of the provincial legislation was informed by input from the RMOW. Going forward, the new STR legislation will be phased in at the provincial level, starting with changes to allow greater fines from local governments for non-compliance (from a maximum of $1,000 to $3,000, per infraction, per day). The next phase will include the primary residence requirement

that Whistler is exempt from, while later stages enforcing platform compliance and cooperation with the provincial government are expected to be in place by summer 2024.

“There’s work to do at the provincial level to put this into regulation, so we’ll be paying close attention to what the province eventually delivers,” said Crompton.

“I am encouraged that the province is taking action on this, and I think it’ll make for a stronger tourism industry in British Columbia, and most importantly it will be one more tool in our work towards housing the people who live and work in our communities.”

According to the provincial government, there are about 28,000 daily active shortterm listings in B.C., up 20 per cent from five years ago.

Research from McGill University shows the top 10 per cent of short-term rental hosts earn nearly half of all revenue, and nearly half of all operators own multiple listings.

“These actions will return literally thousands of homes back to the market,” Premier David Eby said in announcing the legislation Oct. 16.

“We are taking an all-hands-on-deck, allof-the-above approach to housing. This is one more step in our larger housing strategy to ensure B.C. is a great place to visit for tourists, but also to live for the people who make this province go.” n

Notice PERMISSIVE TAX EXEMPTION BYLAW Pursuant to Section 224(2) of the Community Charter, the Council of the Resort Municipality of Whistler will consider Bylaw No. 2411, 2023 for adoption at the Regular Council meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 starting at 5:30pm at Maury Young Arts Centre, 4335 Blackcomb Way, Whister BC in the Franz Wilhelmsen Theatre.

Bylaw No. 2411, 2023 exempts the following land and/or improvements from property taxes in 2024. Exemptions for 2025 and 2026 will be dependent on eligible organizations submitting a completed application form, and approval by Council.

Estimated Municipal Tax Folio

Address

Proposed Exemption

Term

2024

2025

2026

008073.022

1080 Legacy Way

Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies Society

Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

43,380

44,460

45,570

007924.007

1519 Spring Creek Drive

Zero Ceiling

Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

3,310

3,390

3,470

005160.003

8000 Nesters Road

Whistler Community Services Society

Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

19,010

19,490

19,980

005316.102

2028 Rob Boyd Way

Whistler Mountain Ski Club

Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

9,120

9,350

9,580

006162.002

Emerald Forest

Emerald Dreams Conservation Co Ltd.

Sec. 224(2)(b)

1 Year

1,210

1,240

1,270

006548.000

Emerald Forest

Decigon Development Corp

Sec. 224(2)(b)

1 Year

1,760

1,800

1,850

006641.000

4910 Glacier Lane

Whistler Sports Legacies Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

81,140

83,170

85,250

006571.101

4350 Blackcomb Way

Audain Art Museum

Sec. 224(2)(a)

1 Year

268,310

275,020

281,900

006166.090

4584 Blackcomb Way

Spo7ez Cultural Centre and Community Society

Sec. 224(2)(a)

2 Years

67,440

69,130

70,860

006548.310

6299 Lorimer Road

Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church

Sec. 224(2)(f)

1 Year

28,990

29,710

30,450

006547.925

7226 Fitzsimmons Road North

Whistler Community Church

Sec. 224(2)(f)

3 Years

18,380

18,840

19,310

006546.935

7146 Nesters Road

Dandelion Day Care Society

Sec. 224(2)(j)

1 Year

2,280

2,340

2,400

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca

20 OCTOBER 20, 2023

Statuatory Authority

Snowflake reflectors have arrived in Whistler.

Investing takes time and patience.

Save your time and patience for your family, your friends, your Sea-to-Sky adventures, or all of the above.

Ask your transit driver for a snowflake.

Also available at Municipal Hall, Meadow Park Sports Centre, the Library or wherever you buy your November pass.

Extra buses for Early Winter starting November 18 Peak Winter Service starts December 1 Find your bus using Resort Municipality of Whistler Whistler.ca/transit

As a Portfolio Manager with Odlum Brown, I can work with you to design, implement and monitor a personalized investment strategy to achieve your financial goals – and you can stay focused on what's right in front of you.

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O D LU M B R OW N .CO M Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund

OCTOBER 20, 2023

21

NEWS WHISTLER

Sea to Sky school district’s top earners revealed SIX EXECUTIVE-LEVEL EMPLOYEES EARNED NEARLY $1.3 MILLION THIS YEAR

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT 48’S (SD48) six executive-level employees earned almost $1.3 million between them for the 2022-23 school year, as revealed by draft executive compensation disclosures required for transparency by the province.

The compensation rates were detailed to the district’s finance committee on Oct. 11 by secretary treasurer Danielle Haverstock— whose wage is among the six required to be disclosed.

According to Haverstock, the executive compensation report has been reviewed by the British Columbia Public Sector Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), which sets guidelines for compensation, and is being reviewed by the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat (PSCS), meaning the SD48 report remains in draft form for now. Salary increases for exempt staff cannot proceed without approval of the BCPSEA. Besides Haverstock, the report detailed compensation for the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and the three directors of instruction employed by the district. Each executive-level employee earned a salary increase based on

FULL DISCLOSURE Sea to Sky School District superintendent Chris Nicholson is the district’s top earner.

FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF SD48

performance.

Superintendent Christopher Nicholson took home a base salary of $211,860, which was bumped up by seven per cent from the 2021-22 school year. Adding in benefits, his pension and other compensation (which in

this case included a $6,000 vehicle allowance and a $6,081 vacation payout), Nicholson’s total compensation was $263,658 for 202223. In the 2021-22 year, Nicholson’s total compensation was $229,239.

The superintendent is the top-paid

employee of each school district, with Nicholson’s responsibilities spanning SD48’s 15 schools from Squamish to Pemberton.

Assistant superintendent Paul Lorette received a base salary of $187,341, up five per cent based on performance, with an additional one per cent increase from Jan. 1 due to extraordinary performance.

Haverstock’s salary increase was unique among the six, as it had to be increased beyond the standard recommended five per cent performance-based increase to fall within BCPSEA guidelines for executivelevel wages, requiring another 2.9 per cent performance-based increase from Jan. 1.

For the three directors of instruction, Phillip Clarke and David Dunkin both received a salary of $164,859, while Kim Sadhra received a salary of $159,075. All three received the recommended five-percent increase.

While the executive salary increases are still under review by the PSCS, they are expected to be finalized and posted to the SD48 website by Oct. 27.

A complete disclosure of SD48 finances and all staff compensation will be detailed in the 22-23 Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) report, which is released within six months of the end of the school district’s financial year. n

Thanks Whistler!

We raised $55,000 to support Aven Elsberg’s rehabilitation from a severe spinal cord injury. Special thanks to RMU Whistler, WORCA, Whistler Blackcomb and our many amazing donors!

• Alli van Gruen • Arbutus Routes • Arc’teryx Whistler • Audain Art Museum • Bar Oso • Black Crows Canada • Black Fly Beverages • Blackcomb Helicopters • Canucks Sports and Entertainment • Caronne Marino Real Estate • Chromag Bikes • Coast Optics • Coastal Culture • Coca Cola • Comor Whistler • Devinci Bikes • DHaRCO • Embacher Family • Endurance Specific Coaching • Escape Route • Evo • Evolution Whistler • Executive Suites Hotel & Resort, Squamish • Fairmont Chateau Whistler

22 OCTOBER 20, 2023

• Fanatyk Co • Flylow Gear • Forbidden Bikes • Four Seasons Resort Whistler • Freybe • Garbanzo Bike & Bean • Georgia Astle • Gibbons Whistler • Gord Huxtable • Green River Motocross • Head Skis • Hilton Vancouver • Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa • Ilabb • Industry Nine • Inter-Mtn • Into The Gnar • Jenn Eyben • Jesse Melamed • John Ryan • Kathleen Tennock • Lisa Paul • Marcus Goguen • Matt Tongue • Maxxis

• McCoo’s Whistler • Meadow Park • Mongolie Grill • Mountain FM • Nesters Market • Nicklaus North Golf Course • Nita Lake Lodge • Oakley Canada • Outdoor Gear Canada • Pan Pacific Whistler • Pepsico • Pit Viper • Rhys Verner • Richie Rude • Ride Wrap • Riding Thru Life • Rocky Mountain Bicycles • Rory Hackett • Saje Wrap and Window Films • Scandinave Spa Whistler • Smith Optics • Specialized Bicycles

• Strand Training • Sweet Skills • Tai Tran Training • Tamara Boucher • The Grocery Store • Toptable Whistler • Val Chan • Vida Spa • We Are One Composites • Westin Whistler Resort • Whistler Brewing • Whistler Chocolate • Whistler Golf Club • Whistler Sport Legacies • Whistler.com • Whistlerness • Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar • Ziptrek Eco Tours

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING WAIVER ELECTORAL AREA C

Pursuant to Section 464 of the Local Government Act this is to provide notice of intent of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to amend the Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 765, 2002, in a manner consistent with the Electoral Area C Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 689, 1999.

Public notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 467 of the Local Government Act that a Public Hearing is being waived regarding the following bylaw: •

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 765, 2002, Amendment Bylaw No. 1829-2023

PURPOSE OF BYLAW No. 1829-2023 The bylaw is associated with an application to amend the zoning at 1888 Sea to Sky Hwy 99 to provide for a site-specific exception to increase the gross floor area (GFA) of the food and beverage service lounge associated with a brewery. The text amendment would provide for a food and beverage service lounge with 125m2 of indoor GFA and 125m2 of outdoor GFA, as per the maximum set by the Agricultural Land Reserve Use Regulation (ALR Use Regulation). The current SLRD Area C Zoning Bylaw provides for 60m2 of indoor GFA and 60m2 of outdoor GFA. The application states that North Arm Farm holds a brewery manufacture license, and it is understood that the intention is to build a food and beverage service lounge associated with this brewery use. As Amendment Bylaw 1829-2023 is consistent with the Electoral Area C Official Community Plan, a local government is not required to hold a public hearing. The area covered by Bylaw 1829-2023 is PID: 030-277-922 LOT A DISTRICT LOT 214 LILLOOET DISTRICT PLAN EPP68874 as outlined on the map included in this notice:

INFORMATION & SUBMISSIONS A copy of the proposed bylaw and relevant background documents may be inspected at the Regional District office, 1350 Aster Street, Pemberton, BC, during office hours 8:00 am to 4:00 pm from September 29 to October 24, 2023 not including weekends and statutory holidays or on the SLRD website at https://www.slrd.bc.ca/inside-slrd/ notices/public-hearing-or-meetings/notice-public-hearing-waiver-electoral-area-c.

Written submissions (mail or email) must be received at the SLRD office no later than 4:00 pm Thursday October 24, 2023.

The SLRD Board will be considering first and second reading of Amendment Bylaw 1829-2023 at the October 25, 2023 SLRD Board meeting. All persons who believe that their interest in the property is affected by the proposed bylaw shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the bylaw. Written submissions must be addressed to “SLRD Board of Directors,” and include your name and community of residence. Until 4:00 pm on October 24, 2023, written submissions will be received at the following: Email: Hard Copy:

planning@slrd.bc.ca Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Planning Department PO Box 219, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0

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OCTOBER 20, 2023

23

NEWS WHISTLER

ALGN Whistler fundraising for essential washroom THE MUNICIPALITY REQUIRES THE DANCE STUDIO TO BUILD A WASHROOM TO MEET VILLAGE REGULATIONS

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A POPULAR DANCE studio in Whistler is fundraising to keep its doors open.

With its “Thrive for $5” campaign, ALGN Whistler is hoping to raise enough money to build a washroom to bring it in line with municipal building regulations.

Like many small business owners, Ámelie Lavoie has pumped all of her savings into her dream studio, which she envisions as a communal space for the whole community.

She is an expert in her field, having danced on countless TV series, and she’s even worked with the top choreographers in the world, including Dana Foglia, the woman behind Beyoncé’s iconic moves.

So far, the fundraiser has topped $5,415, and Lavoie is blown away by the local support.

“I got access to the space in September 2021,” she said. “I have been living in town for almost six years now. I had been renting from all around town to run dance classes. When I was working at Lululemon in the village, I would always walk past this space. I just thought it would be an amazing movement space. I wanted it to be all about things that connect the community.”

ALGN is not just strictly a dance space. “It was a place for people to align with whatever

they do,” said Lavoie.

The BC Building Code, established by the province, sets out the requirements for washroom facilities.

“The property in question was originally used as a retail space and did not require a washroom, per the Code,” a municipal communications official said, in an email.

“Since its change in use to a dance studio, it requires a washroom within the unit under section 3.7 of the BC Building Code.”

Lavoie stressed the municipality has been extremely helpful when it came to bringing her dreams to life.

“They have to abide by BC Building Code,” she said. “For the washroom thing, it’s not a safety issue. I share the building with restaurants upstairs. They are at full capacity. The municipality has been really good. They originally wanted me to have the washroom before I opened, I just couldn’t do that. I had put all my money into getting the company rolling.”

Lavoie received an extension from the municipality, but the worry has been hanging over her ever since. She is eager to get the ball rolling on the washroom so she can go back to doing what she does best.

“This has been a thing since I opened,” she said. “It was such a stress as a new business owner because I thought it was wrong to ask for help. There are so many other businesses

that can relate. I wish I had gone to see one movie a month to keep the cinema open. If we had known that they were struggling, more people would have done that.”

The dance instructor added social media often only shows the attractive side of starting your own business.

“I think it’s important to be transparent, to let people know that this is hard!” she said. “It’s a funny world. We want to put out that everything is perfect, because we want to attract people into our place. My business license has to be renewed on Dec. 23. That’s what’s important.”

Lavoie is overwhelmed by the support coming from businesses around Whistler.

Many have already experienced the hiccups ALGN is striving to overcome.

“Fellow business owners have reached out for a chat,” she said. “They are so kind. People have even come in with vanities that they no longer needed. The community is what keeps me going every day.”

The determined business owner’s mom knows more than most just how important dance can be. Holly Olivia Edwards explained their family doctor recommended ballet classes when young Lavoie had bilateral deformities in her feet. What started as an alternative to super expensive medical shoes became a life-long passion.

Lavoie has had her family with her, every step of the way.

“As a family, we stayed there for three weeks to help with the flooring and painting,” said Edwards. “She has taken out every loan imaginable. We would help her as a family if we could. If I had $30,000, I would give it to her in a heartbeat.”

Edwards became involved with the world of dance to help her recover from a brain injury. Here, she realized just how important a community dance studio can be. “I had two previous head injuries, including a roll-over car crash in Quebec,” she said. “The third time, I was broadsided. The whole impact went into the driver’s window of the car. The sheer force that went into my brain meant that if I had been in a car I would have been killed instantly. I was in a van.”

She had to learn how to walk and talk again as part of her miraculous recovery. “I wouldn’t have been able to carry a conservation,” she said. “This was in 1999. Ámelie was only eight or nine years old.”

Edwards puts some of her miraculous recovery down to her involvement in competitive hip-hop. “Ámelie was my dance teacher,” said the proud mom.

“That’s how I got better, from her being my dance teacher. It was absolutely amazing.

I still keep up with it.”

Donate to the campaign at gofundme. com/f/zkbyzf-thrive-for-5. n

Resort Municipality of Whistler

The Four Seasons Whistler is looking to add to our employee housing inventory!

We are fortunate to have existing, long term relationships with many local home and property owners and are continuing to expand our housing inventory.

What can we offer?

Commitment from the Four Seasons on ensuring your property is well looked after, secure, long term rental, management of tenancy by dedicated Housing Team, with the peace of mind knowing your property is in good hands.

Does this sound like it could be a fit?

Please email Odeta.Bartasiute@fourseasons.com

24 OCTOBER 20, 2023

Winter Parking Regulations Whistler's Winter Parking Regulations are in effect Nov 1 to Mar 31

Neighbourhoods NO PARKING:

• On the EVEN side, Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm (excluding holidays) • On the ODD side (year round)

Whistler Village Day Lots NO PARKING 3am to 6am

Vehicles parked in contravention of posted parking regulations will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

SLEEPING or CAMPING in vehicles is not permitted year round (unless in designated campground)

whistler.ca/winterparking

NEWS WHISTLER

Naturespeak: Rusty, dusty fungus

BY CHLOE VAN LOON HAVE YOU EVER BEEN walking in nature, when all of a sudden a bright, orange blob on a leaf or twig snatched your attention? Upon closer inspection, you see it’s not a flower, or a piece of trash, but something stuck to a plant, and may appear hard and dark or perhaps bright and powdery? You, my inquisitive hiker, have stumbled upon a rust fungus!

While they may look like oxidized metal or a ball of orange Silly String, rust fungi are indeed a member of the fungi kingdom. There are roughly 7,000 species of rust fungi, but there are likely many more out there waiting to be discovered.

Rust fungi come in a variety of hues, from orange and yellow to brown and black, and of course rusty. They are commonly observed on plant leaves, stems, and fruits, where they create distinctive pustules or lesions, which are akin to the fun warts seen on squashes and pumpkins this time of year. Rusts can be found infecting a wide range of native plants, including: Western Meadowrue (Thalictrum occidentale), Fanleaved Cinquefoil (Potentilla flabellifolia), and on various pine, fir, huckleberry and rose species, to name a few.

To add to their intrigue and mysteriousness, rust fungi are highly specialized plant pathogens (diseases) that

RUST OR BUST Cinquefoil Rust (Phragmidium potentillae), a type of rust fungus on Fan-leaved Cinquefoil.

PHOTO BY CHLOE VAN LOON

often require a specific host species for reproduction. A basic explanation of their life cycle begins with spores being carried by wind, water, or insects, which eventually land on a plant. After penetrating through the plant’s surface and into the mesophyll cells, the fungi’s hyphae develop and spread, just like other fungi. Within eight to 10 days (depending on the host plant), rust fungi fruiting bodies form, creating deformities

like witch’s broom, cankers, growths, and yellowing of leaves, which then release their own spores. While these gnarly growths may elicit sympathies from us, most species of rusts do not kill the host plant—but they can create openings for diseases or pests to invade and cause chaos.

For farmers and large-scale agriculture, rust fungi is often associated with harmful plant diseases and even crop failure, but they

have important ecological roles in our natural areas. Rust fungi aid in the decomposition of plant material, which release nutrients back into the soil. Like other plant parasites that depend on living hosts, rusts play an important role in shaping plant communities and promoting diversity through coevolution with their host plants. Biodiversity, babe!

Biodiversity is crucial in the era of climate change because it enhances ecosystem resilience, enabling ecosystems to better adapt to and mitigate the impacts of changing environmental conditions.

While mushrooms such as large red and white russulas, the striations of turkey tail polypores, or candy-like waxcaps may draw your attention during fall hikes, don’t dismiss the humble rust fungi. These fungi play a critical role in maintaining the health and diversity of the local flora, showcasing the intricate web of life that thrives in this beautiful corner of British Columbia.

So, next time you explore the forests of Whistler and beyond, don’t let this fungi’s somewhat grotesque appearance stop you from taking a closer look.

The Whistler Naturalists just hosted the 21st annual Fungus Among Us Mushroom Festival Oct. 13 and 14. For a recap of the event, please visit our website.

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

Whistler Blackcomb is seeking a house/suite/condo/townhouse to be used for employee housing for the 2023/24 winter season.

Must be a self-contained property with a lease for the entire unit.

Let us take the hassle of renting off your hands and avoid the costs of property management! Details below: As the primary lease holder, we’ll pay rent through direct deposit Our leadership team will be responsible for all resident management We’ll schedule and complete regular inspections Our Housing Maintenance team will oversee any maintenance issues We’ll ensure there’s no smoking and no pets in the rental unit

Sounds like a good fit? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact WBAdminReception@vailresorts.com OCTOBER 20, 2023

25

NEWS PEMBERTON

Friends and family pay tribute to ‘kind’ Liam Fisher at memorial THE MEDICAL STUDENT AND ACCOMPLISHED ATHLETE WAS FOUND DEAD AFTER GOING MISSING DURING A FUN RUN IN GRENADA

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter FAMILY AND FRIENDS crowded Pemberton Secondary School on Saturday, Oct. 14 to honour the life and memory of Liam Fisher. The 34-yearold accomplished athlete was found dead on Wednesday, Sept. 13, after going missing during a fun run in Grenada, where he was studying medicine at St. George’s University.

The entire gymnasium was full to the brim, with people standing at the back and in the corridor. Speakers remarked that the large crowd reflected the impact the young man— who was determined to be remembered for all the right reasons—had on the world.

“When I think of Liam, one word always sticks with me: impact,” said Fisher’s friend and former colleague, Janick Susanthan.

“He was always learning, always adapting.

Liam always had an athlete’s perspective.

One training or conversation from him could impact the rest of your life. He brought out the best in so many people. He believed that moment was for everybody.

“We lost a light, but he will shine on in every one of us.”

Liam’s father Hugh thanked the people

DEARLY MISSED A book of condolences at Liam Fisher’s memorial on Saturday, Oct. 14 in Pemberton.

PHOTO BY ROISIN CULLEN

26 OCTOBER 20, 2023

of Pemberton for their support over the last few weeks. “It seems so improbable and impossible what has happened,” he said. “I stood down the road at the Celebration of Life for our daughter Riva. I remember saying that it takes a community to raise a child. It takes a community to say goodbye to a child. It got me thinking about the nature of this community.

Liam was part of so many communities. He

for countless adventures down the line.

“I am incredibly grateful that Liam went to a school where half the kids are from Lil’wat Nation and half the kids are from here in the valley,” Hugh said. “It made him so adept to be able to negotiate his way through Maori culture in New Zealand and through aboriginal culture in Australia.”

Hugh said Liam’s friends from all over the

“When I think of Liam, one word always sticks with me: impact.”

- JANICK SUSANTHAN

kept in touch with all of those communities.”

Liam and his sister Riva were incredibly close, and her death from brain cancer in 2017 motivated him to put as much time as he could into incredible fundraising efforts.

“They loved each other,” his mother Hillary said in a previous interview with Pique. “They were that brother and sister that used to fight all the time, but they stood up for each other whenever they could.”

Liam’s school community was also incredibly important to him, and it set him up

world have reached out.

“We were astonished to see how many people he had impacted in Grenada,” he said.

“He was helping the dean of the school with strength training. Who gets to beat up the dean of their medical school? He sent so many fellow students in the right direction.”

Hugh and Hillary said their son was the most content he had ever been while living on his sail boat in Grenada.

“He was the happiest we had seen him,” said Hugh. “He had come through COVID and

through the death of his sister. He was just a happy guy. He scored super well in his first mid-term. It was around that time that he started looking at optional modules he could take. He decided he wanted to pursue the wilderness medicine option.

“This was Liam at his happiest, his smartest and his strongest.”

The instructor of wilderness medicine at St. George’s University asked Liam to supply a short bio and explain why he should get into the competitive program.

His father remarked it’s not often people write their own eulogy before he read the passionate letter aloud.

In it, Liam spoke about his love of the sea, the mountains, and most importantly of all, his love of adventure. He also spoke of how inspired he was by his sister, who faced her illness with “unwavering positivity and strength.”

The “kind” medicine student mentioned he was looking forward to participating in the upcoming Grenada Hash House Harriers run. “Life is challenging by my choice and I do it all with a smile on my face,” he wrote.

“P.S. Apologies for the lengthiness. It’s a bit of a story.”

The memorial concluded with a moving video of Liam’s life featuring his many adventures and friends as a “a child of the Sea to Sky.” Memorial donations in Liam’s name can be made to donate.sunnybrook.ca/gord and cmha.ca/how-you-can-help/donate. n

NEWS PEMBERTON

Experience

CORNUCOPIA tler at Fairmont Chateau Whis

Let your tastebuds run wild at Cornucopia, Whistler’s legendary fall festival of food and drink. Fairmont Chateau Whistler is hosing four delectably unique events that should be on every epicurian’s list.

NOV 10

TASTEFUL TABLE

NOVEMBER 10-19, 2023

The Chalet

Mix, and mingle around a grazing table that is as much art as delectable culinary discovery.

NOV 11

BLANC CANVAS

LIFE GIVER Hannah Jones with her award for Best Student Film at the Shakti Film Festival.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH JONES

Student from Lil’wat Nation wins prize at Shakti Film Festival

Audain Art Museum

Unleash your inner artist at this paint and sip event hosted by acclaimed artist Fran Alexander.

NOV 11

The Grill Room

VANESSA WINEMAKERS DINNER

HANNAH JONES NEVER SAW ANY DEPICTIONS OF HER CULTURE ON THE BIG SCREEN—SHE WANTS TO CHANGE THAT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Savour an evening of top notch culinary creations by Chef Adi Anas perfectly paired with Vanessa wines.

NOV 18

CINCO DE AGAVE

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter WITH HER HEARTFELT, dramatic short Tree of Life, Hannah Jones is now an awardwinning filmmaker.

The Capilano University student from the Lil’wat Nation recently earned the nod for Best Student Film at the Shakti Film Festival in Vancouver.

Tree of Life is set during the Sixties Scoop, during which First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families and placed into the child welfare system.

Jones said she was surprised by the number of people who have not heard of the Sixties Scoop before, even within her own family.

“The people around me didn’t really know about it. I was shocked to hear that,” she said.

“I just think it was an important story to touch base on. The government took Indigenous children out of their homes and put them with non-Indigenous families. That way, they forget. They don’t learn anything.”

Jones said she would like to see her movies on the big screen so more people can learn about her community’s history and culture.

The depiction of shapeshifters in Tree of Life is based on a story she heard years ago.

“I was inspired by my grandmother Theresa Jones’ story,” she said. “She was looking for pine mushrooms and she got tired.

She sat down and had a snack. She looked up and saw a wolf in front of her.

“She was scared, and she started yelling for my late uncle Mike. Then, she looked back at it and it was shapeshifting. It was changing.

In my story, she changes to a cedar tree. I’ve heard about shapeshifters a few times while growing up. I think it’s a legend.”

Jones’ plot is the perfect mix of history and legend. She tried to capture the feeling of loss First Nations children felt during the Sixties Scoop.

“There is this little girl. She lives with her family. She gets taken out of her home,” she said. “She goes from foster home to foster home. At the age of 17, she feels lost. She goes to the forest to end her life, because she doesn’t feel like she has family or friends. As soon as she raises a knife, her grandmother comes back as a shapeshifter.

She had passed away, but she comes back as a spirit type of thing.”

The young girl’s grandmother assures the protagonist she is not alone in the world.

“Her grandma tells her to [live] and to keep fighting,” said Jones. “She explains that she has family and that she has to keep looking. The girl doesn’t remember her grandma, because she had died years ago and so much had happened. She doesn’t believe this random lady in the woods. She tells her to leave her alone. The girl raises the knife to stab the grandma, but then the grandma shapeshifts into a cedar tree.”

Jones said she did not see any screen adaptations of the legends she heard growing up. She is happy to be able to use her incredible skill to show the world these stories.

“This is very important to me,” she said.

“Over the past year, I’ve said to my professors that I am so happy that a light is being shone on residential schools. It’s getting deserved coverage. I also want to share that we are more than our trauma. We are more than what happened to us. We have these amazing legends that I grew up listening to.”

Jones feels her community has so much to share, and would like to share her filmmaking skills with her younger peers.

“It would be so cool to see them on the big screen,” she said. “We are creative. All of us have different stories. I just want to share that we are more than our trauma. I want to create a couple of feature films. Once I gain the studio knowledge and the business part of things, I would like to go back to my res and teach the youth about filmmaking.” ■

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27

NEWS PEMBERTON

‘I’d go on walks and cry a lot, telling myself I was meant to have a bigger family’ POWWOWS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CONNECTING FIRST NATIONS YOUTH WITH CULTURE AND COMMUNITY

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Iniative MARCELLA

SUNSHINE will always remember her first powwow experience.

It was a last-minute trip to Mount Currie in June 2022.

“I did not know a single person, and I went there after presenting at a conference in Vancouver. I remember showing up, tired out of my mind and hoping to find a hotel or some place to sleep after the powwow,” Sunshine recalled.

“I was actually at the start of my journey reconnecting to my culture,” she said. “I didn’t know the proper protocol or anything.

I spent about an hour watching this beautiful powwow take place until I couldn’t handle being awake anymore. I went to the MC Chris Wells and asked him if he knew anywhere to stay nearby.”

The name Wild Rose Wallace was immediately exclaimed into the mic.

Thankfully, this kind lady had spare rooms for visitors.

“I actually remember debating if I should take off before anyone found me,” said Sunshine.

“I turned to the crowd of people dancing in an intertribal and a woman came running out of it.

She shook my hand and said she was Wild Rose Wallace. Wild Rose took me, fed me, and shared

stories of her community with me. She led with kindness, selflessness and bluntness. But, I love blunt people.”

Growing up in foster care, Sunshine felt lost. The fancy shawl dancer always felt as if something was missing, and knew she was meant to be part of a bigger family. She found it through powwows.

Wallace shared five life lessons with the young lady: Be impeccable with your words; do not take anything personally; always do your best; do not make assumptions; and be skeptical, but learn to listen.

Sunshine was sent home with new books, funny socks, canned juices and an invitation to come back and visit Wallace any time.

This year, she returned to the Lil’wat Nation’s Indigenous Strong Powwow, welcomed by her former host and the entire community.

The experience had a lasting effect on Sunshine, who now serves as the main coordinator for the Reclaiming Youth Powwow in Mission located on the historical grounds of the St. Mary’s Residential School.

She also coordinates a group called VYPER (Visionary Youth Peers for Equity and Revitalization). The group of young people help to foster the revitalization and adaptation of Indigenous culture for all First Nations people in B.C. “We are funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and focus on cultural

revitalization projects across B.C.,” said Sunshine. “Every aspect of our project is ran

by Indigenous youth for the communities— from the grant writing, to the project implementation, all the way to our leadership board. I can confidently say, Lil’wat Celebration Powwow opened my eyes to how necessary this work is.”

Being accepted and welcomed into a powwow was a moment Sunshine will never forget.

“Powwow has always felt like a step out of the Western world for me. It’s very important I have places to connect and heal with my people across Turtle Island,” she said. “I grew up in the foster system ... so being accepted as family into such a big unit of people has been life-changing for me.

“When I was younger, I’d go on walks and cry a lot, telling myself I was meant to have a bigger family, more people to look after me and likewise. I’m happy to say I’ve found that in my powwow world and I follow the spirit in the trail with complete trust.”

The young woman quickly volunteered when it was time to help the community that had welcomed her with open arms. Her highlight of the weekend was being able to see the youth dancing with pride.

“Indigenous people have had their inherent rights to cultural knowledge, traditions and language stripped from them

by the federal government,” she said. “This has been happening for hundreds of years.

We have thousands of years of ancestors who survived for our existence today. We have no other option than to learn about their messages to us and the work we need to do.”

But passing on what she knows to the younger generation is Sunshine’s ultimate goal. “It is vital that young people learn about the long-standing vision that Western society has been trying to implement since settler arrival—’To kill the Indian in the child,’” she said. “We cannot be killed, and we cannot be quieted, because we have thousands of years of generational coding for our survival as First Nations, Metis and Inuit people.”

It is paramount all youth learn their full history in order to move forward, Sunshine added.

“There are many Canadian institutions in place today that still encourage cultural genocide,” she said. “The only way we can ensure the next generation see that is by having true Indigenous knowledge and history taught to all youth (Indigenous or nonIndigenous). Knowledge on settler arrival, the doctrine of discovery, the inadequate understanding of signed documents and the Indian Act, and most importantly, every First Nation community’s inherent right to selfgovernance. This is why we run VYPER.” n

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SCIENCE MATTERS

It’s time to regulate ads for SUVs, trucks and gas-fuelled cars YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN the ads: people

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in sport utility vehicles and trucks escaping the noise and chaos of the city to explore pristine wilderness. These vehicles buy freedom, and get you closer to nature!

The ads are everywhere—because they work. A U.K. study found advertising significantly increased demand for the polluting vehicles while drowning out messaging encouraging people to choose “greener” options such as cycling and public transit. While global car sales dropped slightly in 2022, SUV sales increased, as they have for years. The International Energy Agency reports that SUVs made up 46 per cent of

BY DAVID SUZUKI global car sales in 2022.

A 2021 Équiterre study found that the automobile industry is Canada’s top advertiser, accounting for 21 per cent of total digital advertising investment in 2018—much of it for “light-duty” trucks, including SUVs, crossover utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans. David Suzuki Foundation research found that in 2020 and 2021, 80 per cent of new vehicle sales in Canada were light-duty trucks, compared to 54 per cent in 2010.

“From 1990 to 2018 in Canada, the number of cars on the road went up by 10 per cent, while the number of light-duty trucks went up by a factor of three (from 3.4 million to 13 million),” the Foundation found.

The majority of SUV owners aren’t using them to explore nature—especially not in the benign way advertising promises. Most are driving to work or shopping, stuck in a gridlock

Gas-fuelled SUVs also pollute air, water and soil with their emissions and “tire wear particles,” affecting humans, fish and other organisms. And, while many people buy them because they think they’re safer, they’re larger, heavier and offer poorer visibility than conventional cars, making roads more dangerous for everyone.

The Foundation’s research found SUV drivers often prioritized their own safety regarding accidents and weather conditions, but showed little concern for known impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and passengers in other vehicles. SUVs and trucks also harm increasing numbers of wildlife.

Vehicles kill more than 350 million vertebrates a year in the United States alone.

Using SUVs and trucks as the advertising depicts—such as off-roading through stream beds or forests—destroys habitat. And SUVs are more expensive and contribute more to household debt than conventional cars—which themselves cost far more than alternatives such as public transport and active transportation like cycling and walking.

Larger vehicles also drive up taxpayer costs by creating more wear and tear on roads and infrastructure, and increase urban congestion because of their size.

Although electric vehicles made up 16 per cent of global SUV sales in 2022, they’re not the solution. Electric trucks are more efficient and emit less pollution and greenhouse gases than gas-powered, but they’re heavier, thanks to battery weight, making them more dangerous. Mining for minerals the batteries require is not as destructive as oil extraction and production, but it’s a serious problem—especially for larger vehicles that use more minerals.

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of other vehicles inefficiently transporting individuals in massive, polluting—and unsafe—machines.

Light-duty trucks such as SUVs contribute significantly to rising greenhouse gas emissions. According to the IEA, although oil use in conventional cars remained roughly the same between 2021 and 2022, global SUV oil consumption rose by 500,000 barrels a day, “accounting for one-third of the total growth in oil demand.”

SUVs consume 20 per cent more oil than an average medium-size car, the IEA reports, and “combustion-related CO2 emissions of SUVs increased by nearly 70 million tonnes in 2022. Altogether, the 330 million SUVs on the road today emit nearly 1 billion tonnes of CO2.”

We need better options, including improved public and active transportation.

Many governments have banned advertising for cigarettes and other destructive products. Let’s also ban advertising for these behemoths and all gas-fuelled vehicles.

Gas-guzzling vehicles have long been part of the push to sell lots of cheap fossil fuels, making the oil industry the most profitable in history. Changing the way we get around is one of the best ways to combat pollution and climate change. Advertising for trucks and SUVs is a roadblock to progress.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington. ■

RANGE ROVER

Stoopid ’R Us CHECKING THROUGH Pique’s e-newsletter as I do each morning, I was treated today to two colossal instances of human stupidity. In the first, someone literally sat down on a bench beside a large bear feeding (or being fed— investigation is underway) on leftover takeout food. It’s clear from the video, no matter how zoomed in, that the filmer is, at some point, within a bear’s-length of the animal. The

BY LESLIE ANTHONY level of stupid required to do such a thing— whether stemming from lack of intelligence, poor education, bad parenting, drunkenness or social-media reality dissociation—is, pardon the pun, barely fathomable.

The second instance, more easily imagined if you’ve ever wandered the village late at night in October or November, also redlines on the stupid spectrum: someone following a bear through the village at close range—a bear that turns, several times, to establish body language that lets the person know it doesn’t appreciate being tailed (yeah, pardon again).

As news reports point out, beyond the obvious stupidity of putting oneself in danger, there is also the recklessness, unconsciousness and selfishness of putting the bear in danger, whether by positively reinforcing the accessing of human food that often leads to

JUDGMENT CALL Done anything er... lacking in good judgment lately?

PHOTO BY PHOTOSCHMIDT / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

irredeemable behaviour and euthanasia, or provoking a human-bear conflict that would likely end up with the bear’s death as well.

Stupidity—defined as behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgment— can be a momentary or lifelong affliction. In Whistler, happily, it seems mostly the former, and heavily associated with entitlement. So it isn’t exactly new. Or even confined to Whistler (check out the epic @touronsofyellowstone feed on IG, which makes “Whistler stupid” seem like intellectual high ground). But it

and can deal with them even when they’re behaving badly. Yet, I am acutely aware there are many in our community for whom this would have been a genuinely terrifying moment.

Here we had three simultaneous levels of stupid: off-leash in a multi-use park, offleash during a running race, and off-leash at a time of year when black bears, cougars and coyotes—which I run into on the regular at Lost Lake—are more active in the valley and more frequently encountered. Some

Stupidity—defined as behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgment—can be a momentary or lifelong affliction.does seem to be increasing in frequency— everywhere. It was certainly on display Oct. 8 as I was running the Turkey Trot 10 km through Lost Lake Park.

On the course, I passed 17 people with dogs. Not one of them—not a single one— were on-leash. Despite signs advising owners otherwise, off-leash dogs aren’t uncommon here, but these numbers seemed egregious even by Lost Lake’s rock-bottom standards. As did the fact that these pups and their owners were on sections of main and side trails closed for the race (I confess to being far back of the main running pack and the intervening space being, well, somewhat empty). In several cases, unsuspecting dogs got in my way as I ran. A pair of playful labs even nipped at my pants. Fortunately, I’m not afraid of dogs

off-leash dogs were small and yappy, some medium-sized and quiet, others large and rambunctious; few, however, were under the kind of control one associates with the command “heel.” In fact, the forest literally rang with the sound of people desperately trying to recall Fido into visual range, the poor animals having no idea of the malfeasance they were participating in.

Of course, it all became stupider still when it was learned there was a grizzly bear within half a kilometre of all of us during the race. This on the heels of a fatal grizzly attack in Banff National Park the week before that may have involved an off-leash dog.

However, had you pointed out as much to the offenders, they’d likely fall back on the How could I have known a grizzly was around?

argument without registering the irony that such unknowable circumstances are the very reason for leash laws. Fortunately, none of them had to learn a sad lesson.

But the Resort Municipality of Whistler knows about leash laws, because it has them.

And yet, despite all the good and smart and forward-thinking things it does as a corporate entity, it’s hard to understand its reluctance to abandon its failed “educational” policies around leashing and come down hard on offenders who are truly endangering themselves, public safety and the lives of wild animals. One might even say it’s stupid by definition—especially given the latest data on dog bites in Whistler reported to council, hazards on the Valley Trail increasing daily with strollers and e-bikes and ever-more encounters with wildlife—now including grizzly bears. I mean if people with unleashed dogs want to risk an encounter with a wild animal, that’s their business, but I’d take greater umbrage (and liability worries) to their irresponsible approach when it potentially affects those they’re sharing trails with (i.e., the scofflaws who bring unleashed pets up Blackcomb’s Ascent Trails).

I bang this drum every few years because not only have I been charged, chased and bitten by unleashed dogs while running the Valley Trail, but an innocent, unleashed dog once sent me over the bars of my bike, knocking me unconscious, splitting my helmet and glasses and causing some fairly painful injuries and a concussion. The person didn’t apologize or even leash their dog—they simply took off, too embarrassed to admit to their stupidity.

Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. ■

OCTOBER 20, 2023

31

FEATURE STORY

LOOKING BACK ON THE PEMBERTON FLOODS OF 2003

32 OCTOBER 20, 2023

FEATURE STORY

BY VERONICA WOODRUFF

Watching the snowline creep down the mountain in the fall used to mean only one thing: ski season is on its way! But after more than 23 years in Pemberton, I know that a descending snowline means we have entered the short, annual period of increased flood risk.

In Pemberton, the level of risk depends on multiple weather variables and their interactions between the depth and extent of snow, amount of rain forecast, and freezing levels. The term “atmospheric river” has moved from meteorological lingo to become part of the general lexicon following the floods of 2021 that caused widespread destruction to properties, significant damage to transportation infrastructure and resulted in the loss of lives.

These events mostly occur in the fall and originate in the Southern Pacific Ocean and are also known as the Pineapple Express. It is these weather systems that create our greatest risk in the fall, especially with early snowfall. More than a metre of snow will act as a sponge, soaking up late fall rain even when freezing levels spike above 2,000 m, while less than a metre can quickly melt with warm, high-elevation rainfall, drastically increasing the amount of runoff into the valley bottom rivers.

Twenty years ago, we experienced one of the most significant atmospheric rivers to affect our region in recorded history. It was significant enough it prompted Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones to joke it was more like a tropical punch. The 10 days leading up to this storm were also wet, with nearly 75 millimetres of rain that came with a good dusting of early season snowfall. Over the span of five days, from Oct. 15 to 20, 2003, Whistler received 230 mm of rain, Squamish more than 450 mm, while the gauges in Pemberton were forced offline, drowned out halfway through the storm.

Jones was astounded at the magnitude of the event, saying “the quantity of rain has more or less stunned us.” This storm resulted in the highest flows recorded on most gauged rivers in the Sea to Sky, including the Squamish River and Lillooet River in Pemberton.

This was the first flood I had ever experienced, and while it was extremely unnerving, it was also exhilarating in the way natural disasters can be, despite the very real danger they pose.

Many of the longtime Pemberton locals seemed unfazed at the rainfall forecasts, as flooding is a cyclical part of the landscape, with some of the largest floods occurring in 1940, 1984, and 1991. I was told that farmers prepared by tying canoes to the porch to be ready for when the Ryan River meets the Lillooet River across the upper valley fields.

TURBULENT FORCES Just prior to the flood, I parked an Isuzu Trooper in the commuter parking lot next to the Pemberton Information Centre and listed it for sale. It belonged to a friend in Vancouver who thought they may have more luck selling it here. On the rainy evening of Oct. 17, 2003, I attended the Whistler Naturalists’ annual Fungus Among Us festival for the Friday evening talks. After a post-session beer at Citta’s, I headed home around 11 p.m., navigating the deluge with a friend. It was impossible to see, even running the wipers at full, with rainfall amounts estimated at the time to be an astounding 10 to 20 mm/hour.

The Rutherford Creek Bridge would still hold for approximately four more hours before succumbing to the turbulent forces of the storm that eroded the abutments, ultimately causing the decking to wash away. In an incredible story of survival, while returning to Pemberton following a shift at Moe Joe’s, Casey Burnette escaped with his life when the vehicle he was travelling in careened over the now gaping maw of the torrent, while his brother Jamie Burnette and Ed Elliot were sorrowfully never found. Tragically, Darryl Stevenson and Michael Benoit were also killed in similar fashion, unable to see the chasm left behind by the failed bridge in the downpour.

The rain was unbelievable and prompted 20-something me to gather some friends at midnight to wander the neighbourhood to check out the situation. I was living in the Glen at the time, and we tried to make our way to the trail along the Arn Canal but realized water was lapping at the end of Olive Street. By this time, the Monte Vale townhomes were starting to flood. By daylight, excavators and dump trucks were working frantically to increase the height of the bank to keep the Arn Canal from flooding more homes. We knew by 6 a.m. that the bridge was out and I would not be heading to Whistler for the mushroom walk. That morning’s tour brought us up the Pemberton Meadows Road before we were stopped at the Riverlands barn where the Ryan River blanketed the road. By this time, all access points in and out of Pemberton joined the fate of the Rutherford Bridge, including washouts along the Lillooet River Forest Service Road at Mowich Creek and Highway 99 at Pasture Creek through Mount Currie.

OCTOBER 20, 2023

33

FEATURE STORY By very early Sunday morning, it was still pouring while I sat in my doorway watching the moat that surrounded my house deepen. Listening to Mountain FM, the announcer proclaimed the rain had finally stopped in Squamish. I wanted to call him and frantically tell him it had not stopped in Pemberton, and I needed more accurate information now! The rain did stop that morning, but constantly marking and remarking the water levels while watching levels rise is likely a familiar exercise for anyone that’s been affected by floodwater. You are constantly calculating and recalculating next steps in preparation.

ASSESSING THE DAMAGE Road repairs began in earnest, and when the Pasture Creek washout was reconstrucuted we headed to Lillooet Lake to assess the damage. At this point, there was little to do, as the road to Whistler and our jobs wouldn’t be fixed for at least a week. Lillooet Lake is key to capturing and storing flood water, though once it reaches capacity there are real problems upstream. Lillooet Lake had reached capacity in 2003 by Friday, creating a backwater effect for kilometres upstream. This is most critical for properties in Mount Currie, where the heightened risk is based on blatant disparity in flood protection investments that completely omitted protections for the Líl’wat Nation.

One of the most astounding things to see was the amount of wood in the lake. It formed a solid blanket from the river confluence all the way to Strawberry Point, approximately six km downstream. The floating debris was peppered with North Arm Farm pumpkins, coolers, freezers, and other floating yard detritus.

We all gathered around early in the week to watch the giant helicopter land near the Highway 99 intersection to deliver bread and milk following a rush to clean the shelves at the local grocery stores. At that time, we noticed the Isuzu was missing, but thought it might have been towed to prepare for flood response. We ultimately reported it stolen, and I received a call a year and a half later that it had been found. As reported by Alison Taylor of Pique Newsmagazine in 2013, Robert Micheal Leibel (35 years old) had been working at the Pioneer Gas Station for about three weeks, was unhappy with his move to Pemberton and was hoping to return to his girlfriend and children in Prince George. With ill-fated timing, Leibel stole about $1,000, a carton of cigarettes, and some lottery tickets in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, locked up the gas station with an apology note, and stole the Isuzu. He was found in the flattened vehicle buried in Rutherford Creek in December 2004, wearing his Shell Gas uniform, surrounded by the stolen items.

HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY There were two very large floods in the 1940’s that spurred the federal government to invest in considerable flood protection works in the region through the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA). This investment resulted in massive instream construction not only in Pemberton but throughout the Fraser Valley, including Sumas Prairie. In Pemberton, the work rerouted and straightened 14 km of valley bottom rivers to drain water and allow for farming. The river straightening was reinforced with 38 km of dikes built to the standard of the time, primarily right along the riverbank.

Lillooet Lake was lowered by approximately 2.5 m by blasting the outlet at the downstream narrows and removing almost 475,000 cubic metres of material. This massive excavation and

34 OCTOBER 20, 2023

lake lowering made the Lillooet River delta one of the fastest-growing deltas in North America for half a century. The scale of these projects is unthinkable in today’s regulatory world, where no amount of mitigation or compensation would protect aquatic habitat for the multiple salmon species that rely on the watershed. And again, with all these works to protect Pemberton, there was no flood protection constructed anywhere on reserve to protect Líl’wat Nation lands.

DISCONTINUITY Around the time of the 2003 flood, the Lillooet River had begun to reach a kind of equilibrium, where decades of river scour began to stabilize. The watershed is a dynamic place, where sand and gravel (i.e., sediment) are mobilized throughout the system by summer snow melt and fall storms.

This movement of material can be amplified by development, industrial activities, and natural events like forest fires and debris flows. The rivers are powerful and are capable of wielding unbelievable force that can move boulders and bridges. Where the rivers are steep, the water flow is fast, and sediment moves quickly. As the river flattens, the streamflow slows and the mobilized sediments are dropped, resting on sandbars, and raising up the river bottom. In the Lillooet River, the flattening and deposition begins where everyone lives. With the ongoing deposition, in order to keep the flood protection working for those that live around the river, dikes need to be raised or the sediment must be removed.

To appropriately manage the flood protection investments, the Pemberton Valley Dyking District (PVDD) was formed in 1947. As a legislated Improvement District, it is authorized to collect taxes to fund ongoing maintenance of the required infrastructure throughout the Pemberton Valley. This is a role that has become increasingly complex over time. Gone are the days where the excavator is the first tool of choice to maintain drainage ditches and riverbanks, replaced with expensive consultants hired to navigate the required permitting and complex infrastructure design. And this is a good thing—we absolutely need more environmental protections, standardized assessment methods, and support for increasing disaster resilience for the increasing risk coming our way from a changing climate.

But we are at a period in time that the futurist Alex Steffan terms “discontinuity”—where past experiences can no longer adequately predict what might be experienced in the future. This makes regulating risk challenging for all levels of government that can be as under-resourced as the rest of the private world. This has resulted in reliance on professional associations to support policy building. And from this we now have excellent standards for environmental and structural components, but these are next to impossible to logistically or financially achieve when working to build up infrastructure from the 1940s. And starting to discuss moving people off the flood plain is not a conversation most are willing to entertain, even if there was financial incentive to accelerate it.

The flood risk in Pemberton has always been real, but it has been recently amplified. In August 2010, the largest landslide in Canadian history occurred in the Capricorn Creek drainage on the side of Mount Meager (known as Qwe’lqwe’lústen in the Líl’wat’s language). The landslide deposited 50 million cubic metres of sediment into the Lillooet River valley. The Lillooet River is a powerful force, moving what experts have estimated to be, at minimum, 180,000 cubic metres of sediment per year. That equates to an astounding 20,000 dump trucks dumping sand and gravel into the river every year, or about 54 trucks per day. This represents a four-fold increase over pre-slide estimates. This deposition is a serious problem for flood managers; as the sediment settles on the river bottom in the populated reaches, it pushes the water up and over the banks.

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CURRENT RISK ESTIMATES Which brings us to current-day flood-risk estimates. In 2003, the flood flow was considered to be a 1:200 year flow. This measure relates to the probability (0.5 per cent) that a flood of that size will occur in any given year. The 1:200 year flood flow is the gold standard for what flood infrastructure should be built to withstand. With the updated floodplain mapping completed in 2018 following the landslide, the 2003 flow has been recalculated as a 1:50 year flood, or the size of a flood that has a two-per-cent chance of occurring in any given year.

The two most recent flood events occurred in 2016 and 2021. The 2016 flood was caused by a November atmospheric river that inundated properties along the lake road in Mount Currie and properties south of Highway 99 near North Arm Farm. In 2021, a heat dome caused rapid snowmelt that again resulted in flooding along the lake road in Mount Currie and evacuations along Airport Road and the Peaks and Pioneer townhomes in Pemberton. Both of those floods were categorized as a ~1:5 year event, or a flood that has a 20-per-cent chance of occurring in any given year.

All of these categorizations lead to one thing: the risk is increasing, meaning that even during less intense rainfall events, there is a greater potential for flooding. This is especially challenging for flood managers working diligently to increase flood protection using a wide range of solutions to protect the most vulnerable properties in Pemberton and Mount Currie.

But the regulatory landscape is vastly different now than in the 1940s. Flood infrastructure is incredibly expensive to build to today’s standards, and in many cases, completely unachievable based on land constraints, cost, and logistical challenges with little opportunity for locally tailored solutions.

The BC Government is working on an updated flood management strategy and has just introduced a new Emergency and Disaster Management Act. There is recognition that risks need to be managed differently by rightsholders, decision-makers, supporting agencies, and all of us in the community, yet this is still a work in progress. Although 2003 was an extraordinary rainfall event, the past few years have taught us that we are moving into an unknown future, and understanding and preparing for it is all our responsibility. ■

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OCTOBER 20, 2023

35

SPORTS THE SCORE

Opportunity awaits at the International Freesports Film Festival THE RENOWNED SNOWSPORT GATHERING RETURNS TO WHISTLER, SHOWCASING PROS AND ASPIRING AMATEURS ALIKE A HUB ON THE WHEEL

BY DAVID SONG SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS

are oftentimes huge movie buffs.

They’re not necessarily the kinds of people who will pack a theatre in anticipation of the year’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters (though some may be). Instead, they’re the kinds of people who are subscribed to Outside TV, who get up at weird hours to watch the Freeride World Tour (FWT), and who love to make their own films while they’re out on a powder day.

For such a crowd, the International Freesports Film Festival (iF3) is a can’t-miss event.

“It is the place where you can get an idea of what the ski and snowboard industry really is,” said iF3 Whistler coordinator Mark Warner. “It’s the most comprehensive ski and snowboard film festival there is. We’ve got everything from urban to big mountain to backcountry and everything in between.”

MOVIE BUFFS Mark Warner (right) and Amie Engerbretson at the 2022 iF3 Movie Awards.

PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH

36 OCTOBER 20, 2023

Since its beginning some 16 years ago, iF3 has become a nexus of creative expression for world-class athletes and small-time filmmakers alike. All are welcome to submit their material for consideration by event organizers, who take pride in their dedicated amateur section.

Warner and his associates don’t care who you are. If you’ve made something that needs to be seen, they’re interested. It’s not just about raw athletic ability, either: storytellers and artists within the snowsports industry make up an integral part of iF3, where immaculate production work is celebrated just as much as immaculate off-axis rotations are.

“You’re only as good as the people that you reach, right?” said Warner. “So if we selected only the biggest and brightest names, well, how are we supposed to inspire the next generation?

We want these up-and-coming filmmakers to have an opportunity to be seen. This is that opportunity, where they don’t have to struggle for sponsors and for notoriety if they’re going to be putting their energy into a project.”

Originally based in Montreal, COVID19 forced iF3 to temporarily adopt a virtual format hosted by Warner and Leanne Pelosi from Whistler. That opened a door for the festival to plant roots out west as Warner— recognizing that travel restrictions precluded many from travelling to Quebec in 2021—

spearheaded the launch of an in-person event in the Sea to Sky. iF3 is now in the midst of its third full iteration in Whistler while maintaining satellite shows in Montreal, Chamonix, France and Santiago, Chile.

Unsurprisingly, it’s been a harmonious fit so far.

“Whistler’s been great—it’s one of the hubs of the wheel, one of the go-to spots in North America,” said Warner. “You can go to an average person who maybe skis or snowboards a couple of times a day, or just knows about it, and they’re going to know what Whistler is. It’s synonymous with skiing and snowboarding.”

ELEVATING THE SPORT

iF3 has had its share of ebbs and flows. COVID was an obvious roadblock, and Warner thinks the advent of social media caused the festival’s energy to wane for a time as eye-catching reels became more accessible than ever before.

He also feels the post-COVID era has bred a generation that increasingly values communal experiences over the individual convenience of a smartphone. The trend, in turn, brings new energy to the iF3 community.

With all sorts of premieres happening throughout the week, this year’s event will culminate with a grand weekend finale on

Oct. 21 at the Maury Young Arts Centre. Fans can look forward to a full pull of content courtesy of names like Blank Collective, Sammy Carlson, and the father-son duo of Paul and Ian Morrison, as well as Revelstoke’s notorious Blondes. It’s all about gathering with like-minded snowsports enthusiasts and having a good time.

So why is it that skiers and snowboarders tend to identify so strongly with filmmaking?

“If you do something because you love it, it’s because you love it, and a lot of the time you want to find like-minded people and you want to share it with them,” Warner opined. “If I’m going to go out shredding pow by myself, it’s fun, but if I’m going out and shredding pow with a bunch of my friends, it’s the best day of my life. I’ve had countless best days of my life.

“Not only does [filmmaking] help elevate the excitement and level of stoke amongst everybody, but it also helps advance the sport. If you’re somebody that’s at the top of the level in your sport, and you can do something that not many people can do, absolutely show it. Everyone’s going to see that and they’re going to start saying: ‘hey, How did he do that? How do I do that? Can this be done again?’”

More information is available on the iF3 website at festivalif3.com. n

SPORTS THE SCORE

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Anna Segal to release 23.4 Degrees, a new ski film directed by Jeff Thomas

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THE FORMER SLOPESTYLE WORLD CHAMP CONTINUES TO LIVE HER DREAM ON CAMERA

BY DAVID SONG EVEN IN THE MIDST of a decade-long freestyle skiing career that put her atop the X Games and FIS World Championships, Anna Segal longed to become a filmmaker. After all, she’d grown up watching icons like Marie Martinod, Kristi Leskinen and the late Sarah Burke fly around on VHS (yes, VHS) tapes.

Movies like theirs helped the Australian fall in love with her sport at a time when it was still relatively unheralded in her home country.

As a young adult, Segal discovered to her chagrin that the ski film industry had little interest in promoting women. She ran into wall after wall in her bid to break onto the scene, as ladies on film crews were often treated as token representation. That didn’t stop Segal, who moved to Whistler in 2014 in the wake of the Sochi Olympics and used her newfound time in retirement to push for her unfulfilled goal.

Things finally began to look up in 2018, when Segal and her Freeride World Tour (FWT) veteran sister Nat launched their first movie: Finding the Line. The project was shown at festivals on multiple continents and eventually picked up by Red Bull Media House. It was the break Segal was working for.

Her brand-new film, 23.4 Degrees, will premiere on Oct. 21 as part of the International Freesports Film Festival (iF3) and screen again on Nov. 12 at the Longhorn Saloon. This time, the Melbourne native linked up with award-winning adventure producer Jeff Thomas to tell a story about the seasons on our planet.

DEGREES OF SEPARATION

With a famous mountain bike movie called Seasons already on the market, Segal and Thomas weren’t about to be derivative in labelling their own project. Leslie Anthony, who helped them write it, suggested the title 23.4 Degrees as a reference to the Earth’s axial tilt as it orbits the sun—without which seasons would be drastically different.

Segal was initially concerned about the abstract nature of the name, but ended up acquiescing.

She hopes her viewers come away appreciating the impact of seasonal change on contemporary human society, in particular mountain towns which depend on climate patterns for their livelihood.

“Every culture and every civilization has a connection to the seasons, and I feel like we still do. It’s a phenomenon that connects us to nature and the outdoor world so strongly,” says Segal. “Even though we have all these modern constructs around us that try to make our life more uniform, the seasons continue to have an innate effect on us, and I wanted to explore that through skiing and through the lens of living in a mountain town.”

Having lived in Pemberton for nearly

five years, Segal has had a front-row seat to the beauty and drama seasonal trends bring.

She doesn’t openly preach about climate change in her new film, but wished to include an underlying theme about how shifting ecological trends affect both recreation and more fundamental realms like agriculture and natural disasters.

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WOMEN WATCHING WOMEN

For many skiers and snowboarders, filmmaking isn’t just an enjoyable pastime or a way to document sick runs. It’s a way to elevate others in an era where women in particular are achieving goals once thought implausible.

Segal was the only girl in her area skiing park during her youth. Australia and New Zealand have produced a battery of female freestyle talent since then, including Olympic moguls champion Jakara Anthony and snowboarding savant Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.

The same growth can be seen in the film industry with groups like the Dead Barbies and the Blondes establishing themselves as leading ladies. (The Blondes are joining Segal for a doubleheader next month in the Longhorn’s Make It Snow Tour).

No matter who you are, it can be difficult to imagine yourself succeeding in any given field if you don’t witness others like you blazing a trail forward.

“I don’t know if men really understand how much women like watching other women do cool things,” Segal opines. “Yes, sometimes men are doing bigger airs or more flips and they think that’s what wows us, but I remember as a 15-year-old watching ski movies, I would skip through all the guys’ parts and just watch the women—not even consciously. I just wanted to see what they were doing and [try to] imagine myself also doing that.”

Having said as much, Segal gives plenty of due credit to fellow Pembertonian Thomas, who she views as one of her mentors. Formerly a competitive skier himself, Thomas has more than 20 years of experience telling the stories of action sport and is as committed to safety as he is to cinematography. In fact, he’s the one who originally came up with the concept behind 23.4 Degrees.

“Jeff is just an absolute movie-making mastermind,” Segal says. “He’s so efficient and so experienced in the filmmaking process that it made creating a film less stressful than I expected. He knows how to function in the backcountry and he’s also very safe. I always feel really good out there with him because we have good discussions about risk factors.

“Not to say it wasn’t stressful at times, but Jeff makes it as easy as possible, and it was an absolute pleasure working with him.

I can even discuss my line choices with him because he knows how I ski and what I like to ski—my strengths and weaknesses.”

Watch the trailer for 23.4 Degrees at vimeo. com/869394960. n

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FORK IN THE ROAD

Food for hope in dark times FINDING WAYS TO EMBRACE DISPARITIES, AMBIGUITIES AND FEAR, STARTING WITH A SIMPLE MEAL WITH THE DARK CLOUDS of war and all its suffering blanketing Israel and Gaza, and now threatening to spill beyond, the piling on of even more uncertainty and trepidation to these already uneasy times can make it tough to find even a small speck of hope.

But reaching out to each other with open hands, not clenched fists, is exactly what we need right now. So I was somewhat soothed— relieved, really—to learn of various initiatives across Canada doing just that. Reaching out.

In Vancouver, members of Jewish

BY GLENDA BARTOSH and Muslim communities alike have been calling for peace and praying for civilians.

Civic leaders met members of Al Masjid Al Jamia, also known as the Travellers’ Mosque for the way it embraces both Muslims and non-Muslims. They talked, they listened, and they prayed for de-escalation and sent compassionate messages of peace and love to the civilians of Israel and Gaza.

Like so many people, members of mosques and synagogues and other communities across B.C., religious and otherwise, have been expressing their understanding of the pain and anger on both sides of the conflict,

BRIDGING DIVIDES Making a simple meal with some universal ingredients—and inviting new people to share it—can help close cultural gaps.

PHOTO BY PHOTO AND CO / THE IMAGE BANK / GETTY IMAGES

38 OCTOBER 20, 2023

and urging an end to the seemingly endless cycle of violence and dehumanization of Palestinians and Israelis alike. Seek dialogue and peace, and stop targeting civilians with violence is what people want to see from the leaders of Hamas and Israel.

Similar scenes are unfolding across Saskatchewan, Manitoba—all of Canada.

Some initiatives have been going on for years, pushed forward by people like Raja Khouri—an extraordinary champion of human rights (he’s an active member of the Canada committee of Human Rights Watch and longtime human rights commissioner in Ontario); the founding president and CEO of the Canadian Arab Institute; and co-founder of the Canadian Arab Jewish Leadership Dialogue Group. He, along with Jeffrey Wilkinson, an educator and Jewish American who lives in Canada and works with communities on building dialogue and solutions, have been working together for years to bridge divisions between Palestinian and Jewish communities in Canada and cultural and ideological divides of all sorts.

Coincidentally, just weeks before this latest war erupted, they jointly published a book about their efforts—one not yet available in public libraries, but one you can urge your favourite library to buy for shared reading if it sounds like a good resource to you.

The title alone is pretty interesting and provocative—The Wall Between: What Jews and Palestinians Don’t Want to Know About Each Other. Good chance it will make for some equally interesting and provocative reading, and subsequent conversations.

While you make your way toward your own understanding and reasoning around this conflict, here’s some more food for thought.

It’s a pretty sure bet that making a simple “multicultural” meal with universal

components from a cross-section of seemingly conflicting cultures, can open up at least some light and air. Especially if you invite people to share it you normally might not otherwise. Even better—make it a potluck and try to include at least some dishes equally popular in many regions, in this case the Middle East. You can, for instance, enjoy halva in Damascus, or Gaza City, or Tel Aviv—even India and the Balkans, or just about anywhere around the world, Likewise, one of my favourites—houmous.

If you try the recipe below, maybe take a minute while you’re mixing it up to consider the people suffering in the Israel-Hamas war, especially Gaza, one of the most densely populated bits of land in the world—more

HOUMOUS AMONG US Here’s my favourite houmous recipe after testing many, from Carol Gelles’ 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes with a couple of adjustments: 1 1/2 c. cooked or canned chickpeas, drained 3 tbsp. tahini 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 3 tbsp. olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tp. ground cumin 1/8 tsp salt or to taste Whir it all up in a blender until you’ve got the texture you like. Or, if you don’t have a blender, just mash it all up with a potato masher. Great for snacks or a whole meal (add some sliced cuke or tomato), it’s so tasty and satisfying.

crowded than Manhattan, and no high-rise buildings, with 2.3 million people, half of them kids, jammed into 365 sq. km. While it’s been blockaded for 16 years, the current “complete siege” means it’s been totally cut off from fresh water, supplies, fuel and electricity, now pushing 10 days as I write.

The International Red Cross / Red Crescent Society and World Food Programme are two of the many humanitarian agencies that would welcome any kind of donation towards their overwhelmed efforts.

ONE GREAT DISH. MANY, MANY STORIES

Depending who you ask, you could end up scratching your head, like I’ve done more than once, over where the heck houmous, hommus, hommos, hoummos or hummus comes from, never mind the proper spelling. (All the above are accepted, but I stick with the spelling at Orestes, the infamous Greek restaurant I worked at on Broadway in Vancouver to put myself through journalism school). I’ve found it in Jewish restaurants (“Oh yes, it’s definitely Jewish,” one Jewish chef told the BBC), Palestinian places, Persian and Turkish delis, and good ol’ Canadian grocery stores. Some say the first written reference to it was in Egypt (a 13th-century cookbook); others, the Hebrew bible. Some claim it’s from Syria, or maybe even Southwest Asia, where the first chickpeas were cultivated. Regardless, you can enjoy it simply scooped up with pita or lavash bread made in so many different cultures you can’t count them all—or however you care to eat it.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist whose kitchen shelves look like something from the United Nations. n

MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH OPEN DAILY: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

FITNESS CLASS SCHEDULE OCTOBER 20

OCTOBER 21

OCTOBER 22

OCTOBER 23

OCTOBER 24

OCTOBER 25

OCTOBER 26

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

I Mountain

I Strength &

I Spin

I Strength & Cardio 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Andy

I Strong

Glutes and Core 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Jess

Ready Conditioning 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Steve

Mobility 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Anna

Mixer 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Sylvie

I Strength Training for Endurance Athletes 8-9 a.m.

Marie-Anne

F Swim Fit Endurance 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Marie-Anne I Aqua Fit

I Aqua Fit

Shallow 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Marie-Anne

Deep 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Marie-Anne

I Full Body HITT 9-10 a.m.

Alex

I Low Impact Strength 9-10 a.m.

Andy

I Yin & Yang Yoga 9-10 a.m.

Heidi

I Low Impact Strength 9-10 a.m.

Anna

I Functional Strength & Conditioning 9-10 a.m.

Mel

I Strength & Stability 9-10 a.m.

Andy

F Pilates 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Josie

I Zumba 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Susie

R Mom & Baby 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Sara

R Swim Fit Technique 10-11 a.m.

Marie-Anne

F Be the Change 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Katrina

R Lift Club 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Steve

I Gentle Fit 1-2 p.m.

Diana

F Spin 5:15-6:15 p.m.

Courtney

I Gentle Fit 1-2 p.m.

Diana

OCT 20 FRIDAY

I TRX Mixer 5:15-6 p.m.

Mel

I Functional Strength & Conditioning 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Steve

I HIIT Express 5:15-6 p.m.

Alex

R Prenatal Fitness 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Sara

I Dance Fit 6:15-7:15 p.m Mel

F Dryland 6:45-7:45 p.m.

Steve

F Spin 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Alex

F Dryland 6:45-7:45 p.m.

Garret

F Spin 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Marie-Anne

I Slow Flow Yoga 8-9 p.m.

Laura

I Zumba 6:30-7:30 p.m.

I Yoga Roll & Release 8-9 p.m.

Laura

POOL HOURS

OCT 21 SATURDAY

OCT 22 SUNDAY

OCT 23 MONDAY

OCT 24 TUESDAY

OCT 25 WEDNESDAY

OCT 26 THURSDAY

MAIN LAP POOL

6 a.m.-3:45 p.m. & 6 A.M.-1 P.M.* 6-8 p.m.

6-9 A.M. & 12-8 P.M.

6 a.m.-3:45 p.m. & 6-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-3:45 p.m. & 6-8 p.m.

LEISURE (KIDS) POOL

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 9 A.M.-1 P.M.* 4-8 p.m.

12- 8 P.M.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 4-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 4-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 4-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 4-8 p.m.

HOT SPOTS

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 A.M.-1 P.M.*

6- 9 A.M. & 12-8 P.M.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

*SATURDAY OCT 21: POOL CLOSED AS OF 1 P.M. FOR SEA WOLVES SWIM MEET

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

whistler.ca/recreation | whistler.ca | 604-935-7529 @RMWhistler |

@rmwhistler |

@rmowhistler

Halloween Spooky Skate at Meadow Park Sports Centre Saturday, October 28 | 6:30-8 p.m.

All ages welcome

Dress in costume and skate under the disco lights!

Learn more at whistler.ca/skate

Sunday Morning Pool Closures The entire pool area (leisure pool, lap pool and hot spots) will be closed on Sunday mornings for swimming lessons from 9a.m. to 12p.m., Starting October 22 ending December 10.

Thank you for your understanding as we allocate staff resources to enhance lesson offerings and promote water safety within our community.

View the monthly pool schedule at whistler.ca/MPSC

ARTS SCENE

Bronwyn Preece honours the Sea to Sky and its First Nations inhabitants with new book SEA TO SKY ALPHABET WAS OFFICIALLY RELEASED ON OCT. 10

BY DAVID SONG IT IS SAID one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. That’s the approach Bronwyn Preece wants people to take to her new literary work, featuring illustrations by Kate Zessel: Sea to Sky Alphabet.

You and I might assume alphabet books are very simplistic tools designed to help young children develop basic language skills.

Preece diverged from that classic model when penning Sea to Sky Alphabet, a poetic and culturally rich book readers of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy. It’s not the first time she’s been down this road: in 2012, her previous title Gulf Islands Alphabet found its way into stores.

What does Preece find so compelling about this particular sub-genre?

“I’m a lover of alliteration. I always have been, and so this is not a traditional alphabet book,” she says. “It’s not, ‘A is for avalanche,’ period. It is more a mechanism for weaving stories, and I think through alliteration, I find a way to roll with the landscape. I find that it’s an entryway to learning the nuance of a place.

It’s not as simple as it looks, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Both of Preece’s alphabet books are

LEARNING PROCESS An image from Bronwyn Preece’s book, Sea to Sky Alphabet.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATE ZESSEL

40 OCTOBER 20, 2023

homages to places dear to her heart. The Victoria native spent years off the grid in a Lasqueti Island house powered by water wheels and solar panels, an experience that inspired Gulf Islands Alphabet. She moved to Whistler about six years ago and immediately began absorbing the culture of

APPRECIATION AND RESPONSIBILITY

The Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations represent an integral part of the Sea to Sky’s character. Preece affirms this fact by including words from both languages in her book, thanking the Squamish Nation

“Truth and reconciliation to me is not a fixed set of ways or procedures. It’s an open space for engaged, respectful dialogues...”

- BRONWYN PREECE

her new home.

“Part of me arriving in a new place is to actively learn its story and its history from all sorts of different angles and all sorts of different communities,” Preece explains. “This book is, in many ways … a love letter to place, an acknowledgement of my deep appreciation for having the privilege to live here.

“I learn something new every day about this place. For the past six years, I say I’ve been learning the language of the mountain, and I think what this book encompasses for me is just to share that learning process and a deep appreciation for the multi-dimensional character of the Sea to Sky corridor.”

Language and Cultural Affairs Department (Sk_wx_wú7mes Úxwumixw Ta na wa Ns7éyx_nitm ta Snew’íyelh) and the Lil’wat Culture, Heritage and Language Authority (LCHLA) for their support. The book also includes a QR code and a glossary so readers can learn how to pronounce the words within.

Preece acknowledges neither nation historically used a written or orthographic language system, thus the phonetics within her book do not directly represent the Squamish and Lil’wat languages.

“The impact of colonization was, and continues to be, devastating. Holding this awareness, I seek ways to move forward

responsibly, with humbleness and transparency, inviting collaborative possibilities,” Preece writes in the preface to Sea to Sky Alphabet.

“Truth and reconciliation to me is not a fixed set of ways or procedures. It’s an open space for engaged, respectful dialogues and the possibility of collaborative opportunities,” she adds in an interview with Pique. “It’s about staying open and actively participating in positive changes, because positive changes are needed.”

Preece can’t remember a time when she didn’t write. She churned out her fair share of fiction as a youngster and jokes that she independently keeps Canada Post afloat with her passion for letters. She deals in a variety of genres, from children’s literature to poetry, and seeks to explore social and ecological issues in a non-didactic manner.

“I’m not trying to hammer home a message,” says Preece. “My work is underscored by strong ethics of appreciation and responsibility. I feel a need, a welcome need, to learn about the history of the Lil’wat and the Squamish beyond tokenism. I couldn’t write a book about this place I’m so loving without including a very integral part of its history, both past and living.”

Sea to Sky Alphabet was officially released on Oct. 10, but Preece will be signing autographs Oct. 28 at Whistler’s Armchair Books and reading from her new work on Nov. 5 at Little Bookshop in Squamish (the latter being part of the Canada Council National Public Readings Program). n

MUSEUM MUSINGS

UP AND UP The original gondola on Whistler Mountain.

Need a lift?

BY ALLYN PRINGLE WHEN WHISTLER Mountain opened for skiing during the winter of 1965-66, it had four lifts (one gondola, one chairlift, and two T-bars), all supplied by GMD Mueller of Switzerland. The company founded by Gerhard Mueller also won the contract to install the gondola and chairlift, and two of his employees arrived in the area in the early summer of 1965.

This past spring, Ed Schum, one of those two employees, came into the Whistler Museum and sat down with Cliff Jennings and our director Brad Nichols to share his memories of constructing Whistler Mountain’s first gondola and Red Chair.

Schum was already planning to come to Canada with a friend when he saw an ad in a newspaper for ski-lift technicians. He and 15 other people were hired by Mueller, who hadn’t officially received the contract to install the lifts at Whistler yet. They worked for Mueller for about a year and a half before four were chosen to go to Canada. Schum and another man named Walter were sent to Whistler Mountain, while two others were sent to install a gondola in Quebec.

According to Schum, he and Walter arrived in Vancouver in mid-June and were flown up to the Whistler area by Quadra Construction, which built the foundations for the lifts. Schum fell in love with the area during that flight, and predicted he wouldn’t be going back to Switzerland after the job was done. Upon arriving at Alta Lake, they found the Whistler Mountain site was pretty much as it had been described to them by Mueller: a nice parking lot where the gondola station would go, and then, up the mountain a little bit, “it gets really rough.” The pair went back to Vancouver to buy a truck and some tools, met with Franz Wilhelmsen and a couple other directors of Garibaldi Lifts Ltd., and then drove back up the “highway” to start work while staying at Cypress Lodge.

There were pieces of tower all over the

WHISTLER MOUNTAIN SKI CORPORATION COLLECTION

parking lot they started assembling. They quickly discovered the Swiss way of raising the towers wouldn’t work with the rough terrain and limited vehicle access (Schum estimated it would take about 18 months to put in the towers that way), and so Quadra Construction put them in touch with a pilot named Buzz at Okanagan Helicopters who had helped with the construction of the tower foundations.

Together, they worked out the rigging needed, and Buzz flew in the towers of the gondola and Red Chair. It took a day or two, a dozen sets of rigging, and “crews all over the place” to install more than 30 towers for the two lifts, and Schum remembered all of the flying was completed by his 24th birthday in early October.

Once the towers were installed, the gondola still required a cable and cars. A splicer came from a cable company in Vancouver to oversee the splicing of the Swiss cable, a process that required at least six people and very careful oversight. Both Schum and Jennings remembered an unexpected mishap when the heavy cable, still on its spool, broke the floor of the midstation, but the cable itself was unharmed. Additional workers were also hired to assemble the gondola cars, which were cheaper to transport in pieces.

Schum recalled that Walter went home once the lifts were running, while he stayed to ensure they continued to run smoothly. After the first season, it was decided the gondola was too low in some places and some of the towers needed to be raised, which Schum took part in. When Mueller opened an office in British Columbia, Schum went to work there, but would occasionally return to Whistler Mountain for maintenance work, where he worked closely with Doug Mansell, who was in charge of the lift operations.

As he predicted on that first flight, Schum ended up staying in the province, though the place and occupation changed over the years. The lifts he built remained on Whistler Mountain until 1992, when both the gondola and the original Red Chair were replaced. n

OCTOBER 20, 2023

41

ARTS SCENE PIQUE’S GUIDE TO LOCAL EVENTS & NIGHTLIFE Here’s a quick look at some events happening in Whistler this week and beyond.

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS (and submit your own for free!) at piquenewsmagazine.com/local-events

GREEN LAKE BIRD WALK GREEN LAKE BIRD WALK Join the Whistler Naturalists on the third Saturday of the month for a walk to Green Lake and the Fitzsimmons Creek Delta. Open to anyone interested in learning about birds. There will be experienced birders on hand who are happy to share their knowledge while monitoring bird activity. More information at whistlernaturalists.ca/birding. > Oct. 21, 8 a.m. > Meet just across the highway from Meadow Park, at the small parking lot beside the River of Golden Dreams > Free

WHISTLER EXCELLENCE AWARDS Get ready for the most dazzling event of the year, the 2023 Whistler Excellence Awards presented by BlueShore Financial! Step into the glittering world of business brilliance and join us for an evening of inspiration, exceptional talent, unwavering dedication, and the spirit of creativity that resides within our community. But it’s not just about recognizing the finalists and winners—it’s about embracing the unique brilliance of Whistler’s business community as a whole! > Oct. 25 > Fairmont Chateau Whistler > $190

HIGHER EDUCATION: THE NEXT PARADIGM Join the Whistler Institute at this Global Perspectives Speaker Series event designed to stimulate discussion and inspire action around major issues facing Whistler and beyond.

President and vice-chancellor of Capilano University

FILE PHOTO BY LIZ BARRETT / WHISTLERSWILDTHINGS.COM

Paul Dangerfield will speak to how the landscape for higher education is changing, and quickly. This session will talk about the current environment in higher education and what Capilano University is doing to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. This event will take place in the theatre at the Maury Young Arts Centre in Whistler. Doors and a cash bar in the gallery will open at 5:15 p.m. The event will be followed by a ticketed private threecourse dinner at Quattro Restaurant to allow for the opportunity to continue the conversation. More info at whistlerinstitute.com. > Oct. 26 > Maury Young Arts Centre > $30

MAKING CONNECTIONS DEMENTIA FRIENDLY SOCIAL CLUB MAC’s Making Connections is a weekly program for people with early stage dementia and their caregivers on Wednesday mornings.

More like a social club, this program starts with 45 minutes of gentle fitness, followed by games and brainstimulating activities, and socializing over a light lunch.

The goal is to slow cognitive decline in the afflicted and allow caregivers to bond, share experiences and develop their own support network.

Register at whistlermac.org under the events tab, Making Connections Program.

Prepay by e-transfer to treasurer@whistlermac.org. > Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. > Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church > $5

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1 SPOOKY, SCARY This year’s Field of Screams in Pemberton raised more than $4,000 for the Pemberton Animal Wellbeing Society (PAWS). PHOTO BY KELLY COSGROVE / LENS AND LISTINGS PHOTOGRAPHY 2 RAISE THE ROOF Zero Ceiling’s development and operations coordinator Chantal Limoges, performer and host Gia Metric, and co-executive director Lizi McLoughlin pose for a photo at Zero Ceiling’s Cirque for Change fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 13. PHOTO BY CHRIS STARCK / STARCKPHOTOGRAPHY 3 , 4 SUMMER SKIING Two-time Olympian Karen Vagelatos and her cousin Bob Calladine returned to Whistler Bowl this summer, 60 years after skiing it in August of 1963—which was three years before the Garibaldi Lift Company opened the resort. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOB CALLADINE 5 WORLD CLASS Ian Parker, world-renowned concert pianist, astonished the audience in his Oct. 15 performance presented by Whistler Chamber Music with his technical prowess and passionate interpretation of some of the most recognizable pieces in classical music. PHOTO BY LEN VAN LEEUWEN 6 FESTIVAL OF COURAGE Students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 came together to engage in various activities at Whistler Waldorf School’s recent Festival of Courage, which is an event that celebrates the core values of courage and resilience. PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER WALDORF SCHOOL

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ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF OCTOBER 20 BY ROB BREZSNY

40th Annual At Tapley’s Neighbourhood

ARIES (March 21-April 19): JooHee Yoon is an illustrator and designer. She says, “So much of artmaking is getting to know yourself through the creative process, of making mistakes and going down rabbit holes of research and experimentation that sometimes work out—and sometimes don’t.” She adds, “The failures are just as important as the successes.” I would extend this wisdom, applying it to how we create our personalities and lives. I hope you will keep it in mind as you improvise, experiment with, and transform yourself in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Sometimes, we droop and shrivel in the face of a challenge that dares us to grow stronger and smarter. Sometimes, we try our best to handle a pivotal riddle with aplomb but fall short. Neither of these two scenarios will be in play for you during the coming months. I believe you will tap into reserves of hidden power you didn’t realize you had access to. You will summon bold, innovative responses to tantalizing mysteries. I predict you will accomplish creative triumphs that may have once seemed beyond your capacities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini novelist Meg Wolitzer suggests that “one of the goals of life is to be comfortable in your own skin and in your own bed and on your own land.” I suspect you won’t achieve that goal in the coming weeks, but you will lay the foundation for achieving that goal. You will figure out precisely what you need in order to feel at home in the world, and you will formulate plans to make that happen. Be patient with yourself, dear Gemini.

Be extra tender, kind, and accommodating. Your golden hour will come.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Some astrologers say you Crabs are averse to adventure, preferring to loll in your comfort zones and entertain dreamy fantasies. As evidence that this is not always true, I direct your attention to a great Cancerian adventurer, the travelling chef Anthony Bourdain.

In the coming weeks, I hope you will be inspired by these Bourdain quotes: 1. “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” 2. “What a great way to live, if you could always do things that interest you, and do them with people who interest you.” 3. “The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough—to know there is no final resting place of the mind.” 4. “Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Iain S. Thomas writes, “The universe is desperately trying to move you into the only spot that truly belongs to you—a space that only you can stand in. It is up to you to decide every day whether you are moving towards or away from that spot.” His ideas overlap with principles I expound in my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. There I propose that life often works to help dissolve your ignorance and liberate you from your suffering. I hypothesize that you are continually being given opportunities to grow smarter and wilder and kinder. In the coming weeks, everything I’ve described here will be especially apropos to you. All of creation will be manoeuvring you in the direction of feeling intensely at home with your best self. Cooperate, please!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Never do anything that others can do for you,” said Virgo novelist Agatha Christie. That’s not a very Virgo-like attitude, is it? Many astrologers would say that of all the zodiac’s signs, your tribe is the most eager to serve others but not aggressively seek the service of others on your behalf. But I suspect this dynamic could change in the coming weeks. Amazingly, cosmic rhythms will conspire to bring you more help and support than you’re accustomed to. My advice: Welcome it. Gather it in with gusto.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I’m not enamoured of Shakespeare’s work. Though I enjoy his creative use of

language, his worldview isn’t appealing or interesting.

The people in his stories don’t resonate with me, and their problems don’t feel realistic. If I want to commune with multi-faceted characters dealing with fascinating dilemmas, I turn to French novelist Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850). I feel a kinship with his complex, nuanced understanding of human nature. Please note I am not asserting that Shakespeare is bad and Balzac is good.

I’m merely stating the nature of my subjective personal tastes. Now I invite you to do what I have done here: In the coming weeks, stand up unflinchingly for your subjective personal tastes.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As much as I love logic and champion rational thinking, I’m granting you an exemption from their iron-grip supremacy in the coming weeks.

To understand what’s transpiring and to respond with intelligence, you must partly transcend logic and reason.

They will not be sufficient guides as you wrestle with the Great Riddles that will be visiting. In a few weeks, you will be justified in quoting ancient Roman author Tertullian, who said the following about his religion, Christianity: “It is true because it is impossible.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As a Sun-conjunctUranus person, I am fond of hyperbole and outrageousness.

“Outlandish” is one of my middle names. My Burning Man moniker is “Friendly Shocker,” and in my pagan community, I’m known as Irreverend Robbie. So take that into consideration when I suggest you meditate on Oscar Wilde’s assertions that “all great ideas are dangerous” and “an idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea.” Oscar and I don’t mean that interesting possibilities must be a risk to one’s health or safety.

Rather, we’re suggesting they are probably inconvenient for one’s dogmas, habits, and comfort zones. I hope you will favour such disruptors in the coming days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some people might feel they have achieved the peak of luxury if they find themselves sipping Moët & Chandon Imperial Vintage Champagne while lounging on a leather and diamondencrusted PlumeBlanche sofa on a hand-knotted Agra wool rug aboard a 130-foot-long Sunseeker yacht. But I suspect you will be thoroughly pleased with the subtler forms of luxury that are possible for you these days. Like what? Like surges of appreciation and acknowledgment for your good work. Like growing connections with influences that will interest you and help you in the future. Like the emotional riches that come from acting with integrity and excellence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): There are more than 20 solutions to the riddle your higher mind is now contemplating. Several of them are smart intellectually but not emotionally intelligent. Others make sense from a selfish perspective but would be less than a blessing for some people in your life. Then there are a few solutions that might technically be effective but wouldn’t be much fun. I estimate there may only be two or three answers that would be intellectually and emotionally intelligent, would be of service not only to you but also to others, and would generate productive fun.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Naturalist John Muir didn’t like the word “hiking.” He believed people ought to saunter through the wilderness, not hike. “Hiking” implies straight-ahead, no-nonsense, purposeful movement, whereas “sauntering” is about wandering around, being reverent towards one’s surroundings, and getting willingly distracted by where one’s curiosity leads. I suggest you favour the sauntering approach in the coming weeks—not just in nature but in every area of your life. You’re best suited for exploring, gallivanting, and meandering.

Homework: My new book is available: Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. http://bit.ly/IsAstrologyReal.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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You have a degree in journalism, are passionate about community news, and have a sense of what makes a compelling local news story. You are a strong writer, seek to engage and inform your community in print and online platforms, and use social media effectively. You are self-motivated, efficient and deadline driven, with a curious, critical mind and an acute attention to detail. You are able to work well both on your own and with a team.

Ideally, you have experience working in a newsroom, and adhering to strict deadlines. Other relevant skills include newspaper layout, copy editing, long-form feature writing, SEO, and video editing.Located in the mountain resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, Pique Newsmagazine is the unequivocal leader in reporting, interpreting and understanding the culture of the Coast Mountains and what it means to those who live, work and play in Whistler.

At 29 years young, we’ve established ourselves as the locals’ publication that is inquisitive and edgy, provoking conversation and building community. With our peers we’re acknowledged perennial winners at the BC & Yukon Community Newsmedia Awards (BCYCNA) and Canadian Community Newsmedia Awards (CCNA) for general excellence and reporting categories, as well as several Webster Awards honours over the years. We’re known for our unique artsy design, weekly long-form features and comprehensive news coverage, but of course our reach is global, with loyal readers from all over the world who come to piquenewsmagazine.com daily for the best Whistler storytelling and news source.

To apply, send your resume, clippings, or other relevant materials, as well as a cover letter making the case for why we should hire you, by 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, to: Braden Dupuis at bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com

We are hiring

Accounting Paymaster WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

PERKS & BENEFITS:

YOUR EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

• Full-cycle payroll for approximately 750 employees • Always following Employment Standards and CRA Regulations • Support the training and development of hotel leaders on all payroll duties • Processing T4s/T4As at the end of the year • Other duties as assigned

• One complimentary hot meal per shift • Exclusive rates at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts across the globe • Discounts on Food & Beverage, Fitness Centre and Golf Memberships • Opportunity to grow your talent within Fairmont Chateau Whsitler and over 5,000+ Accor properties worldwide

• Previous computerized payroll experience • Working knowledge of Dayforce software • Canadian Payroll Association Level 1 Certificate an asset

APPLY HERE

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We are currently hiring for the following position:

Project Coordinator Our ideal candidate will have: • 1-2 years minimum direct experience with project schedules, RFIs, estimates, budgets and contracts • Ability to read/bid construction plans.

• Comprehensive knowledge of subcontractor scopes.

• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate with project owners, architects and our office team.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office • Construction Management Software experience a plus (Procore or Bluebeam, MS Project or Merlin) • 3D Modeling experience a plus (Sketch-up, Revit)

For more information on all we have to offer, please visit www.evrfinehomes.com or send your resume to info@evrfinehomes.com OCTOBER 20, 2023

51

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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 15 18 19 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 37 38 39 40 42 43 44 46 47 48 52 53 54 56 57 58 59 60 62 63 65

Sheriff’s star Bondman Minor error Grads-to-be Pointer Account George or T.S. Farm denizens -- -- Janeiro Reader of manuscripts Meaning Wet nurse Calif. neighbor Comfort Matter at hand Hit the sack Did in Fruit stones Fjord In a tangle Wonderland girl Fire iron Portland’s state UFO pilots Positioned Engrossed Frolic River in Nebraska Cereal grain Fake birds “Norma --” Stringed instruments Gator relative Stream To pieces Neighbor of Mex. Bit of cake Clear

66 67 68 69 71 73 75 76 77 78 82 84 85 86 87 90 91 93 94 95 97 98 99 100 102 104 105 107 108 109 110 112 113 114 117 118 119 123 124

Slim Bed and breakfast Too little, too -Seemingly (2 wds.)

Entire Small monkey Fireplace residue Period of time Hunters’ grp.

Wear down Cleanse Annex Fruit peel Tex- -Writer Triumph Caught sight of -- Edna Everage Deteriorate Broken-arm support Ballpoints Sound reasoning Energy Wining and -Dog type White sale items Undershirts Libertine Destined Dangerous thing Three-wheeler Got along Plant part Mere show Chartered Season Kind of processing Prove to be false Dwindled

125 127 128 129 131 133 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142

“The Prince and the --” Tier Withered Steeple Denmark city Where Greeks once gathered “Encore!”

Fruit drink Expert Leg bone Comp. key Opposing forces Frame of mind Pester playfully

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 23 30 32

Farm buildings Sprite in Shakespeare Motored “-- Save the King” Ovines Tranquil Long stories Memory method Move to and --- of two evils Aboriginal Alaskan Yearn “Mayday!”

Very long time Break to pieces Send Small drum Things from antiquity Bauble Molt Express a belief Snow vehicle

34 36 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 58 59 61 63 64 66 70 71 72 74 76 79 80 81 83 85 87 88 89 90

Many years Steakhouse employee Jot Silk cotton “-- Call the Whole Thing Off” Part Spiked club Former students Not yet developed Push Woodwind Spoken test Emporium Tennis great -- Sampras Braid Twist and turn Go aimlessly Except Conflict Recoil Saucy List of candidates Approval score Tolerate Do wrong Hurtful Gives it a go Footnote abbr.

Oscillate Copier part Help recall Business VIPs Not up Hurry Month after Aug. Western Indian Lasso Cellar contents

92 93 95 96 98 101 102 103 104 106 108 109 111 112 113

Use money Actor -- Sutherland Reptile Similar Singer -- Minnelli Show ever-changing colors Ennui Regretted Coffeehouse order Austrian pastry Stark Assistant Faithless one Showy garb Stopped for a moment

114 115 116 117 118 120 121 122 124 125 126 130 132 134

Stuff Notorious ruler In flames Seraglio -- Domingo Wine quality Doughnut shape Cognizant Far-reaching Mexican money Rapids transit Brooch Levee Mild oath

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

Enter a digit from 1 through 9 in each cell, in such a way that: • Each horizontal row contains each digit exactly once • Each vertical column contains each digit exactly once • Each 3x3 box contains each digit exactly once Solving a sudoku puzzle does not require any mathematics; simple logic suffices.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: VERY EASY

4

6

2 6 2 4 1 8 5 8 1 7 9 6 5 4 5 9 3 2 8 3 7 6 3 7 1 8 6 7 5 4 9 2 5 3 V. Solution, EASY # 29 tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

8 4

5 3

7 8

6 9 1 2 7 5 3 1 9 5 9 5 6 2 7 8 2 7 5 6 9 3 4 3 5 6 6 4 8 7 V. EASY

# 30

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

OCTOBER 20, 2023

53

MAXED OUT

The dopamine of Disneyland IT’S THE MAGIC KINGDOM , the selfproclaimed Happiest Place on Earth. It’s an American—now global—icon with its roots firmly planted in a mythical past that may or may not have existed. It’s a mouse house.

It’ll transport you from a pioneering past to

BY G.D. MAXWELL an imaginary world formerly the exclusive redoubt of opium eaters. It’ll test your patience, assault your senses and leave you wondering about the state of humanity. And, it’ll drain your bank account.

It’s Disneyland.

People—locals, visiting writers— frequently conflate Whistler with Disneyland.

Not even close. Whistler is granola and a onebedroom apartment with four roommates; Disneyland is magic mushrooms and Xanadu.

Whether your trip is good or bad depends on your version of reality.

Disneyland opened in 1955, smack in the middle of the post-war, somnambulant decade marked by a growing middle class and the baby boom. At least in North America.

Anyone on this continent who ever went to a movie or had a television was both immersed and brainwashed in Disney culture. It was ubiquitous and largely unavoidable.

Disney was everywhere in popular culture.

For a wide swath of the boomer cohort, Disney was popular culture. Throughout the decade there were re-releases of the groundbreaking, full-length animation films of the earlier decades—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, films that created the link between cinema and character marketing.

Animation—an expensive, timeconsuming process in that pre-computer world—gave way to feature films with human characters: Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Davy Crockett, Old Yeller. They and the occasional animated films, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty, reeled kids in and stoked the furnace of all things Disney.

And then all hell broke loose. Disney came to television. To fund the construction of his nascent theme park—something that had been incubating in his head since 1948— Walt Disney launched the first television show that was one long commercial: Walt Disney’s Disneyland, in 1954. Not only did it leave a country salivating for a theme park that wasn’t yet open, it was solely responsible for a generation of kids wearing a dorky hat with a faux racoon tail trailing down their backs.

It was followed by The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955—who can forget the closing scene in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket with a platoon of grunts marching off singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme song?—and the Sunday evening cultural phenomena Walt Disney Presents and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, the latter of which was largely viewed in black and white by all but the

54 OCTOBER 20, 2023

PHOTO BY BRANDI ALEXANDRA / UNSPLASH

fortunate few who had access to colour televisions.

The television shows eventually faded into irrelevance, and if they live at all, they live only in syndication or on YouTube. The Disney films regressed from art spawning marketing to pure marketing with the purchase of Pixar by Disney studios in 2006,

numbered 18 million annually. The first day we got to the end of the line to get through security, I thought there were about that many people there. I needed binoculars to see as far as the security gates.

There are a lot of things you can’t bring into Disneyland. These include the oneinch-long Swiss Army knife I always carry.

Whistler is granola and a one-bedroom apartment with four roommates; Disneyland is magic mushrooms and Xanadu. and a subsequent parade of thinly-disguised commercials designed to separate you from your savings.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Why is he boring us with this nonsense?” Fair question.

I unexpectedly found myself in Disneyland last month. That’s because I unexpectedly became a grandfather almost seven years ago.

By marriage, not blood. But the distinction is lost on children who only know me as grandpa. And checking with friends who have both children and grandchildren, visits to Disneyland seem to follow that path of procreation like gesundheit follows achoo.

And my takeaway is this: it is one continuous freak show.

Other than the post-holiday, overextended period of mid-January/February, September and October are supposed to be as uncrowded as the place gets. I’d hate to see it at its peak. Pre-covid, visitors to the park

As a weapon it’s useless. But to dig slivers out of your fingers, file a ragged fingernail or cut off tags from grandkids’ stuffed toys they’ve convinced their parents they can’t live without, it’s very useful. Fortunately there was an over-crowded stroller—allowed—to hide it in.

Whatever the longest lift lines are you’ve ever waited in, they’re nothing compared to the lines you’ll wait in repeatedly for everything from rides to food at Disneyland.

If you want to and are able to pay more than just the entry fee, you can pare down the wait times.

There are several tiers of extra payments you can make depending on a ride’s popularity and your willingness to go into debt to keep your kids from howling. According to an analysis done by the money management website LendingTree, 18 per cent of visitors go into debt to pay for their trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Most of those folks racking up debt, 87 per cent, believe the experience is worth it.

Disneyland reaches something in their psyche that produces an almost dopamine effect.

Turns out it might not be just the park and associated memories of everything Disney.

The park is redolent with machines called Smellitizers. I am not making this up. There is a guttural connection between smell and memory and emotion, and the folks at Disney tweak the very air you breathe to make sure you enjoy yourself.

While the secret of the scents is, well, secret, they didn’t seem to be working all that well when I was there. Unless I was passing a cart selling the ubiquitous turkey legs, the predominate smell I noticed there was an uncomfortable combination of popcorn and farts. From Frontier Land to whatever they call Star Wars land, every lineup of people smelled of popcorn and farts.

I blame the concession food that is strategically positioned every 100 steps or so. To give you an indication of just how frequent you’ll stumble across food carts—not to mention actual restaurants—the millennial parents I was with had devices that measured our steps. The daily average was about 18,000.

You do the math.

I felt more out of place at Disneyland than non-skiers feel in Whistler during the winter.

I was surrounded by people totally immersed in the culture. People who have annual passes.

People who wear the regalia as daily wear.

People who looked like their daily caloric intake was several times the recommended amount, and all came from the food carts.

It was trippy. The grandkids loved it. I had a blast. And when the rest of the grandkids are old enough, I’ll find a convenient excuse to be doing something else. ■

T KE AR M TO EW N

#219 – 2050 Lake Placid Road: Lake Placid Lodge 3 bed / 2 bath fully furnished condo. Walk to Whistler Mtn Gondola, nearby pubs, shops, parks and lakes. Enjoy owner use and excellent nightly rental option too! $2,599,000 + GST

#324 – 3309 Ptarmigan Place: 324 Greyhawk. 2 bedrooms plus loft, 2 baths. South facing. 1,470 square feet. Excellent views of Blackcomb Mountain. Phase 1 zoning allow for nightly rentals. Covered Parking, Hot Tub, Sauna. $1,995,000

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#415 – 4910 Spearhead Place: Newly renovated 1060 Sqft 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo in Woodrun, which is a quiet concrete ski-in/ski-out building on Blackcomb Mountain. $2,480,000

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3359 Osprey Place: Located on one of the best streets in Whistler in the favourable Blueberry neighbourhood is a fantastic option for your Whistler escape! Views, location, flexible zoning & privacy - 4 very important aspects of any home and 3359 Osprey Place has it all! $7,900,000 Maggi Thornhill PREC* 604-905-8199

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South Chilcotins. Located at the foot of the protected rental zoning and unlimited owner use adds flexibility to your Access Whistler Mtn. ski in-out trails & Creekside via private wilderness area, enjoy wildlife viewing, fishing, relaxation, investment. Vaulted ceiling over fireplace. Private hot tub, gondola. Build your legacy home or Phase 1 Nightly Rental recreation and more. 1.2 acres with solid buildings. As isdouble garage! $3,280,000 residence. $4,250,000 (GST Exempt). Artist drawing. where is sale. Call for more info. $649,000 Connie Spear 604-910-1103 Kathy White PREC* 604-616-6933 Rob Boyd – Boyd Team 604-935-9172

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*PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION. ©2023 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated.

4807-C Casabella Crescent Montebello - Quarter Ownership

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