Pique Newsmagazine 3045

NOVEMBER 10, 2023 ISSUE 30.45

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE RANGE

Pandemic heli-ski shutdown doubled range of some B.C. caribou, study says When When COVID-19 COVID-19 travel travel restrictions nearly grounded grounded heli-skiing, heli-skiing, researchers researchers found found endangered caribou populations populations expanded expanded their their range range between 80 and 120 per per cent cent

14

BUILDING BUDGET RMOW preps 30-year civic building strategy

16

DENSITY DEVELOPMENT New housing legislation ‘wind at the back’ of the RMOW

42

THE SHOW GOES ON Village 8 revived for Whistler Film Festival

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

38 42

34 Widening the range When COVID-19 travel restrictions nearly grounded heli-skiing, researchers found endangered caribou ranges had greatly expanded. - By Stefan Labbé

14 BUILDING BUDGET

THE RMOW has set aside

28 PEACEFUL WARRIOR

Pembertonians have

money to develop a broad 30-year strategy for the development of, and

come together to raise funds for “peaceful warrior” Rich Prohaska who,

use of, space in its civic buildings.

after defying doctors’ expectations for years, is now in hospice care.

16 DENSITY DEVELOPMENT

New provincial

38 NEW ERA

It’s the beginning of a new era for Canadian

legislation designed to whip local governments into shape when it comes

bobsled, and recent selection races at the Whistler Sliding Cenre have the

to residential zoning is “wind at the back” of the RMOW.

top brass excited for what’s to come.

22 TOP SPOT

42 THE SHOW GOES ON

After nearly four years at the helm of the

Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, Whistler’s Heather Paul has been

Whistler’s Village 8

theatre is being revived for the 2023 Whistler Film Festival.

tapped as the new CAO for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.

COVER As someone who grew up thinking heli-skiing was the best thing I could ever imagine doing, I now look at it with disdain for all the reasons everyone else does. I’ll still be the first to jump in that extra seat though if anyone wants to take me! - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

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

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

If you want to truly honour our veterans this Remembrance Day, start

lobbying for them, writes Brandon Barrett.

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter writers give thanks for returning a coat with

Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com

sentimental value, celebrate Tapley’s Halloween festivities, and urge the community to support local artists.

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

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST Columnist Scott Tibballs laments Elon Musk’s hollowing of Twitter,

Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@piquenewsmagazine.com

a social media platform that used to be an invaluable public tool.

Advertising Representatives

58 MAXED OUT This week, Max breaks up with beleaguered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com GEORGIA BUTLER - gbutler@wplpmedia.com Digital/Sales Coordinator KATIE DOUGLAS - kbechtel@wplpmedia.com Production - production@piquenewsmagazine.com

Environment & Adventure

Arts Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com

33 THE OUTSIDER Vince Shuley gets some rehabilitation inspiration from the ever-resilient Whistler-

Reporters

ite, Don Schwartz.

Features Editor BRANDON BARRETT - bbarrett@piquenewsmagazine.com

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,

Lifestyle & Arts

40 EPICURIOUS Long-time Rimrock employees Chris McKinney and Steve Maile take the reins from founders Bob Dawson and Rolf Gunther in a new era for the Whistler fine-dining institution.

46 MUSEUM MUSINGS From recruitment to expertise, Neal Carter and Tom Fyles grew into local mountaineering luminaries.

ALISON TAYLOR, VINCE SHULEY Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of Pacific Coastal Publishing Limited Partnership, a division of Glacier Media) distributed to over 150 locations from Squamish to D’arcy.

The entire contents of Pique Newsmagazine are copyright 2023 by Pique Newsmagazine (a publication of WPLP, a division of Glacier Media). No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the Publisher.

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OPENING REMARKS

Want to honour our veterans? Lobby for them I WILL NEVER FORGET the summer after graduating high school when, struggling to find a halfway decent job in my Ontario hometown before heading off to university, my dad had a brilliant idea: “Join the army,” he suggested, “they’ll take anybody.”

Turns out, he was right. Thus began

BY BRANDON BARRETT my brief but illustrious career as a Bytown Gunner in Ottawa; formally known as the 30th Field Artillery Regiment, Canada’s oldest serving militia unit; less formally known as the Dirty 30.

Don’t let my affinity for regimental nicknames fool you: like Buster in Arrested Development, the army was not for me. Be it my aversion to authority, matching outfits, or being yelled at by angry, camouflaged sergeants at the butt-crack of dawn, let’s just say the lifestyle didn’t appeal to me.

To this day, friends are usually shocked to learn of my tenure as a reservist, correctly assuming that me and military duty go together like oil and water. At first glance, one can argue Whistler and the military have a similar dynamic. With the closest base in Comox, the closest regiment in North Vancouver, the closest legion in Pemberton, and a community mostly made up of transplants from near and far, our most direct connections to the military are often layered with degrees of separation.

You see it every year at our Remembrance Day Service at the Whistler Cenotaph. While the event sees healthy attendance from locals every Nov. 11, organizers typically bring in active servicemen and women and veterans from the Lower Mainland or farther to bolster the ceremony with an actual

military presence.

The reality is military and veterans’ issues are not on the radar for most Canadians. We wear our poppies every November and lay our wreaths with pride every Remembrance Day, but that’s about as far as it goes. Politicians will wax poetic about the horrors of war and the brave sacrifices our veterans have made in the name of freedom, but offer little, if anything, in the way of concrete support.

“For the last few decades, I have observed a near-continuous cycle of political deception that my fellow veterans seem to fall victim to. It is this: politicians almost universally insist that we matter and are worthy of special attention and accommodation regarding disability benefits. But in the political reality of today, we don’t matter at all,” writes retired military intelligence officer Robert Smol in the Ottawa Citizen this week. “To effect real change, veterans like myself need to wake

After years of neglect and ineffective administration resulting in a backlog of 40,000 veterans’ disability claims, in 2021, the federal government committed $140 million to work through them. Despite the funding injection, by the following year, the backlog had only grown worse, and wait times for firsttime applicants sat at 10 months, more than twice as long as Veterans Affairs’ standard of four months, as reported by Policy Options, the Canadian Institute for Research on Public Policy’s digital magazine.

This year, the first of thousands of injured Canadian military veterans are set to begin receiving disability payment top-ups as part of a $238-million class-action settlement that found more than 8,600 former members that had served in certain difficult circumstances weren’t paid the long-term benefits they were entitled to.

It is yet another example in a long line of Canada’s military members and veterans falling through the cracks of a political

face longer waits to access mental health services—sometimes up to seven months, according to Policy Options.

Since time immemorial, young soldiers have fought at the whims of those in positions of power, their lives and, too often, deaths, dictated by the stroke of a pen. For just as long, soldiers have been trotted out as political props, with the usual platitudes and hollow promises quick to follow. The only way to change that is if we, the public, speak up and make that lack of veterans’ support politically inconvenient once more.

In the meantime, you can pay your respects on Nov. 11 at Whistler’s Service of Remembrance, with attendees asked to arriave at the Whistler Cenotaph by 10:30 a.m. The veterans’ parade on the Village Stroll sets off from the Ted Nebbeling Bridge to the cenotaph at 10:53 a.m. sharp. The Whistler Singers and Whistler Children’s Chorus will perform songs of remembrance and lead the gathering in the singing of the national anthem and “God

Politicians will wax poetic about the horrors of war and the brave sacrifices our veterans have made in the name of freedom, but offer little, if anything, in the way of concrete support.

up to the truth that, regardless of the party in power, we are politically irrelevant.”

Smol and his fellow veterans unfortunately don’t have the same clout as their forefathers who fought in Korea or in the First or Second World Wars, when veterans’ issues were still fresh in the minds of many Canadians. Today, there isn’t much practical political advantage for our leaders to expand assistance and funding to veterans, despite the dire need.

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system that doesn’t place enough value on their specific needs. Compared to the general population, veterans experience higher rates of chronic pain, high blood pressure, and long-term disability. They have higher rates of unemployment and homelessness. Suicide rates among Canadian veterans are 50 per cent higher than average for males and double the rate for females. With just 11 occupational stress injury clinics for a population of 600,000 veterans nationwide, they can also

Save the King.” The ceremony will include a helicopter fly-past, cannon firing, poetry readings, and a presentation of wreaths.

Anyone wishing to place a wreath can purchase one from the Squamish Legion or make their own. Contact Steve LeClair at steve.leclair@shaw.ca if you wish to volunteer or place a wreath during the ceremony, which will also be livestreamed at whistler.ca for anyone wishing to attend virtually. ■

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR some acquaintances gave me the thumbs-up because they were happy for me.

It was then that I realized that my story attracted a lot of attention and I had become a “famous” person without wanting to. I was very embarrassed by this new situation because I didn’t expect it at all.

Even though I know this coat had already attracted people’s attention before, I am aware now that I won’t go unnoticed whenever I wear it again. But it will be fun, and I will be comfortable and warm. If life brought me this misadventure, there was a reason.

This story proves to me once again that Whistler is a beautiful and kind community— and a nice, big family. I am really grateful and happy that life brought me to Whistler a few years ago. I thank my lucky stars everyday.

And I thank you all again very much.

Hélène Castonguay // Whistler

Community bands together to return coat with sentimental value After an unfortunate incident on Oct. 27, when my blue, red and yellow wool coat was sold by mistake at the Re-Use-It Centre and returned the next day, I would like to thank store manager Louise Caparella, all her staff, the nice lady who brought back my coat, and all of you, my friends and Facebook friends, who supported me with your lovely comments. I really appreciated all the dedication everyone put into supporting me through this funny misadventure.

Don’t get me wrong: There were no bad intentions on anyone’s part.

Via different Facebook groups that Louise and I used to track down the coat, I was greatly impressed by the kindness of the Whistler and Pemberton communities. I had more than 500 hits and many encouraging comments from people I didn’t even know.

Here is the interesting story of my coat and the reason why I cherish it so much: I found it at a Value Village in Quebec City a few years ago for only a few dollars. Its uniqueness comes from the fact that it was inspired by a Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian, during the era of cubism in the early 20th

century. Mondrian used these three primary colors, red, blue and yellow, in his creations at the beginning of the 1940s.

Moreover, it’s the warmest and lightest coat that I ever had in my life because it’s made from 65-per-cent mohair wool.

So, when I lost it, I felt I had lost my favorite childhood blanket. You know what I mean?

In just 24 hours, I went through a variation of emotions, from despair to complete happiness. A crazy story and a very beautiful page in the story of my life.

Despite this happy ending, I would still like to tell you what happened when I came out with my coat the next day. Upon arriving on the Lost Lake dock for a short swim, a man I didn’t know asked me gently if I had bought my coat at the Re-Use-It Centre. I told him it was brought back to the Re-Use-It Centre the day before by the lady to whom it had been sold by mistake. It was nice to share this beautiful story with him that ended well.

Then, when I left the dock, I was stopped at least five times by different groups of people who asked me the same question, while

Feeding the jackal Nothing screams louder to the virtues of diversity, equity and inclusion policies than six people assembling in a local church with opposing views to Liberal Party policies and Pique opinion writers’ alt-left orthodoxy (“Action4Canada looks to set up Whistler chapter,” Pique, Nov. 3).

Contrary to their rights as established by freedom of expression in Canada, protected as a “fundamental freedom” by Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,

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NATIONWIDE EXPOSURE

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR as a “fundamental freedom” by Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, local media chose to attack, advocating to deny them of those rights. Naming and shaming the organizer. Ridiculing the venue. Proposing to cancel municipal tax-exempt status. No wonder Father Andrew L’Heureux of Our Lady of the Mountains declined comment. Why feed the jackal?

Steve Anderson // Whistler

‘Dismayed and disgusted’ Action4Canada was hosted in Whistler I was dismayed and disgusted to learn that the group, Action4Canada, was hosted by Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church last week. I stand with the LGBTQ+ community and I also join with the Lil’wat people in their hopes the muni will re-examine their policy around permissive tax exemptions for this church.

Emma Mullings // Whistler

Tapley’s 40th annual Halloween a scary success Thank you to everyone who took part in the 40th annual Tapley’s Farm Halloween festivities. Our wonderful neighbourhood once again pulled out all stops, from the artistically carved pumpkins to the themed houses and fabulous costumes with 50 houses participating, including the Munster and Chiasson families, who were among the first residents in the Tapley’s neighbourhood four decades ago. We welcomed more than 1,000 local children and parents to trick or treat.

We collected more than 15,000 pieces of candy through local donations and estimate that over 40,000 pieces were distributed.

Special thanks again to Bruce Stewart and Nesters Market for their continued sponsorship of the spectacular fireworks display and hot chocolate, and their generous candy donation. We also greatly appreciate all the candy donations from Fresh Street Market, Your Independent Grocer, The Grocery Store, and everyone who donated at our collection boxes around town, as well as the support of Myrtle Philip Community

School, Spring Creek Community School, Whistler Waldorf School, the Whistler Children’s Centre, and Teddy Bear Daycare.

Thanks to the Whistler Fire Rescue Service and its members for safely igniting the fireworks and handing out hot chocolate; to the RCMP and the conservation officers for their ongoing support; to BC Transit, Whistler Marketplace, FastPark and the RMOW for organizing the free Spook Shuttle; and to the Whistler Waldorf School for decorating the bus. Also, thanks to Pique Newsmagazine, Mountain FM and the Village Host program for your generous promotional support. And a special thanks to the grizzly bear for not ruining the festivities!

A big shout-out to the Whistler Secondary School Leadership Team and the 15 enthusiastic student volunteers coordinated

by Vice Principal John Hall for manning the entrance and supporting the ‘We Scare Hunger’ campaign for the Whistler Food Bank. Also a huge thank-you to Whistler Balloon Works for the entrance display.

Together, we reached our 40th-anniversary goal and raised a record $4,000 and 227 kilograms of non-perishable food donations collected to date for our Whistler Food Bank. In 2022, we raised $1,385 in cash and 252 kg of non-perishable food. Please continue to support our food bank!

It was encouraging to see so many people, kids and families dressed up, and that we were able to gather again to celebrate Whistler’s longest-running free community event. Our Whistler spirit is alive and well in Tapley’s Farm! See you next year for our 41st edition!

Shauna Hardy and Amanda Wilson // Whistler

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$2,999,000 Viner & Associates

604-935-6287

marshall@marshallviner.com

Support local art and artists Laugh Out LIVE! has officially launched into its third season, presenting two incredible nights at the Fairmont with the Whistler Writer’s Festival in October. We’d like to first and foremost extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire community, all our sponsors, and everyone who came out for a good time! We’re beyond excited for our

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.

8315 Glen Abbey Lane $4,990,000

New to Market Goldenwood is a luxurious, gated community located in the distinguished Green Lake Estates neighborhood. 8315 Glen Abbey Lane is ideally located on the fairway of the 16th hole of Nicklaus North Golf Course. This particular Goldenwood townhome offers 2,343 sq/ ft of wonderful open concept living space across 2 levels, where there are 4 bedrooms & 4 full bathrooms. A 2 car garage is a great option for a family with recreational gear and toys.

Learn more at maggithornhill.evrealestate.com MAGGI THORNHILL PREC* · ENGEL & VÖLKERS WHISTLER 4314 Main Street | Suite 36 | Whistler | BC V8E 1A8 0 +1-604-932-1875 | M +1-604-905-8199 maggi.thornhill@evrealestate.com *Personal Real Estate Corporation

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

11

Exciting NEWS!

Your favorite hairdresser has a new home!

Jess Tucker is now at Süco’s, offering the same expert hair services you love.

With over 16 years of experience, Jess specializes in Blondes, creative colour anad cutting.

Come visit us for a fresh look and a warm welcome.

Please book online to schedule your appointment today!

Book online at www.sucosbeauty.com

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

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Cornucopia show next week!

In its 2021/22 debut season, amid the onslaught of the global pandemic, Laugh Out LIVE! united our community and brought much needed laughter to Whistler at a time when we needed it most. Boasting 15 straight soldout nights at the Maury Young Arts Centre, with Arts Whistler, it was a dream come true and Laugh Out LIVE! was born.

Now, if you can take a moment to imagine what it might be like to be an artist trying to make a living in a sports mecca like Whistler. As a permanent or even temporary resident, we all need to make a conscious effort to go out and continue to support artists striving to be here.

Listen to local live music, buy local art, and, of course, see local comedy! Show your support for Arts Whistler and The Point Artist-Run Centre by participating in the events and programs they bring to our town. Take an art class. Do a workshop. Hit up a museum. Keep Whistler arts happening because if you’ve been here for a while, you’ve seen the infamous Whistler “turnover effect” and you know we’ve lost a lot of great artists over the years who couldn’t make it here. In my opinion, that’s partly on us as individuals (as well as our government). So please do your part to keep our artists working and creating that which brings YOU joy.

Ira Pettle, Rebecca Mason, and Dave Francis // Whistler

As Cheakamus continues to grow, parking hasn’t followed suit [A version of this letter was addressed to Whistler’s mayor and council, and shared with Pique.]

I am writing to express my concerns and the concerns of many residents in the Cheakamus neighborhood regarding the severe lack of street parking and visitor parking within our community.

Over the years, our neighbourhood has seen substantial growth in its population, which has put immense strain on the existing parking infrastructure. The current shortage of street parking spaces has become a source of stress and inconvenience for both residents and their visitors. The situation has reached a point where it is negatively impacting the quality of life in our neighbourhood.

I’d like to emphasize that Bayley Park, while available for parking, is not a practical solution for many residents and their guests.

It is located far from many homes, making it an impractical option for families with young children, individuals with injuries or disabilities, and those concerned about safety, especially during the winter months.

Last year, there was one particularly alarming incident I experienced when I was followed home one night after a late finish at a local restaurant by an adult male with a face covering. This underscores the importance of addressing this issue promptly. If I hadn’t had to park so far from where I was living, the chances of being followed would have been far less. This situation is incredibly disturbing, especially for single individuals like myself.

We should not have to fear for our safety while walking home in our own neighbourhood.

12 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

It is evident that the current parking situation is far from ideal and calls for a comprehensive solution that ensures the safety and convenience of all residents. Bayley Park’s primary purpose is for the sports field and using it as an overflow parking solution is not a sustainable option.

Additionally, it is disheartening to see that local bylaws have been disproportionately enforced in our neighborhood, with expensive parking tickets often targeting individuals residing in Whistler Housing Authority properties, which are designed to provide affordable housing for employees of the town. This punitive approach toward lower-income residents, who are vital to keeping our town running, is deeply concerning. It not only exacerbates the financial strain on those who can least afford it, but also creates an unfair burden on a specific demographic of our community.

Furthermore, I must express my strong disagreement with the conversation that occurred about the lot at the top of Cloudburst being turned into paid parking for Loggers Lake and trail access across from the new WHA builds that were completed this past spring. This decision not only affects those residents who depend on tenants or roommates to make ends meet, but also creates an undue burden on their tenants who may now have to deal with the extra added expense and inconvenience of parking, in addition to Whistler’s drastically inflated housing and rental costs. It is crucial that we consider the economic well-being of all residents, especially those in need, as we make decisions that affect our community.

In addition, I firmly believe that making any of these parking lots or potential future street parking paid is not a good solution. It would place an unfair financial burden on the residents and visitors who are already struggling with the ongoing recession and cost of living in general. Such a move would be detrimental to the sense of community and fairness that we hold dear.

I kindly request that the mayor and council consider, suggest and discuss alternative solutions to alleviate the parking problems in our neighborhood, while also reviewing the enforcement of parking regulations to ensure fairness and equity.

This issue affects the well-being of our community, and it is essential that we work together to find a suitable and safer resolution.

Please consider the accessibility to transit in the area as well. Trying to live without a vehicle in this community is not impossible, however it is highly inconvenient, especially since the least expensive grocery store, pharmacy and other essential services are a lengthy transit ride away, with limited service in off-peak season. This makes a commute from Rainbow neighbourhood, for less expensive groceries, to Cheakamus, by bus, very often upwards of a two-hour journey by transit one way.

This is costing families and individuals more time, money, and stress, and builds even more of a reliance on vehicles, requiring extra parking.

Morgan Hardy // Whistler n

PIQUE N’ YER INTEREST

Pour one out for the Twitter that was I NEVER LIKED X , the platform formerly known as Twitter, but I did appreciate it.

If and when it dies, we will still have to endure the injustice and indignity of how badly it has been degraded as a valuable tool, not just for for the media hacks among us, but society in general.

Since its creation, Twitter was an invaluable tool for professionals, news-

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS stibballs@piquenewsmagazine.com seekers, onlookers, bystanders, engagers, and others as a way to tap into raw, unfiltered information from across pretty much any divide you could think of.

Never before has the general public had such easy access to what is effectively a free wire service from every corner of the globe.

In everyday use, users could treat it like a benign message board to air thoughts and share vignettes of information or insight about whatever they liked. It could also be an invaluable way to disseminate information from or to a disaster zone, to highlight causes, and much more.

Its value was multifaceted—it wasn’t just a place to share information, but a place to connect with people that you might otherwise

never have had the opportunity to.

As one particularly charming local politician once said to me in my capacity as a community journalist, it was a great place for them to engage with “real journalists.”

I write this not to sing the platform’s praises or point out its many flaws, but to bemoan its degradation under the leadership of a megalomaniac since its purchase for an eye-watering US$44 billion

encouraged the spread of misinformation, removed limits on state-sponsored propaganda from Canada’s enemies, stifled public debate and consumed countless hours of his remaining employees’ time chasing grudges and generally just taking up oxygen.

And for what? Apparently his ego and/or shockingly stilted worldview.

Musk has brought with him all the arrogance of a venture capitalist, but

[T]here are so many nails in this particular coffin that the lid should be splintering into wood chips by now, and yet, the spectacle continues.

last year. Notably, creditors now claim it is worth US$19 billion. May we bask in the business acumen of Elon Musk.

Since he took over with sweeping claims he would make Twitter profitable and put an end to “wokeness,” Musk has fired thousands of staff, refused to pay rent for offices,

apparently very little of the understanding (see the spiraling business dealings of the platform for proof).

On top of that, he brings with him a dangerous contempt for the public good.

Earlier this year, he took aim at Wikipedia (again), asking questions about its funding

sources and financial management while completely missing the point: it’s run as a not-for-profit and operates off donations by design.

Musk’s forays into the cultural space are the most well-known, however. His edicts that words like “cisgender” should be considered slurs, while the use of actual slurs that I’d never repeat (not because I am “woke,” but because I’m a civil member of society) are on the rise on his platform is yet another nail in the coffin of a once invaluable social tool.

Having said that, there are so many nails in this particular coffin that the lid should be splintering into wood chips by now, and yet, the spectacle continues.

It is no wonder that top advertisers would jump ship given the options available to them: Engage with the crazy person smashing things for the sake of it, or don’t.

Musk took over Twitter claiming he was going to improve the viability of the platform and ensure its future, but his involvement is probably what will end it.

For all of Twitter’s many flaws, Musk’s part in its story will go down as a case study in how ego can destroy institutions.

Social media platforms come and go, but they all find a niche when they’re here, and we (sometimes) miss them when they are gone.

The degradation of the Twitter that was is a damn shame. Its demise under Musk will be a relief. ■

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13

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler council puts aside $50K to develop strategy for civic buildings RMOW HAS ENGAGED IN STUDIES TO FIT ALL REQUIRED DEPARTMENTS INTO ITS BUILDINGS ON BLACKCOMB WAY

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is budgeting $50,000 to begin working on a 30-year strategy for the development of, and use of space, at its municipal buildings on Blackcomb Way. The strategy has been triggered by ongoing reports and analysis into finding a way to fit all the required stakeholders into the Public Safety building (PSB) and neighbouring municipal hall.

The PSB has a long and storied history of upgrades and renovations and relocations of various departments, as noted in the staff report presented to council on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

First built in 1979, expanded in 1995 then renovated in 2012 and 2014, not including various upgrades over the years, the PSB’s most recent improvement was the addition of an all-new roof to deal with ongoing leakage problems, at a cost of a little under $1.5 million in 2022.

As explained by staff in its report, the need for a strategy was identified due to space restraints on existing users of the PSB and the resulting ongoing studies into what to do

BUILDING BUDGET The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Public Safety building.

PHOTO BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

14 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

about it, including reshuffling departments to other areas.

The PSB currently houses the local RCMP detachment and associated infrastructure, various municipal departments, and partially

on the right things and in the right order,” he said.

Through an agreement with the province and federal government, the RMOW is on the hook to provide all necessary space for the

“We believe we need to advance a long-term public safety and civic administrative building master plan looking out into the future to make sure we’re spending money on the right things and in the right order.”

- JAMES HALLISEY

hosts the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS)—though the fire chief operates out of a temporary trailer in the PSB carpark.

In remarks to council, James Hallisey, the RMOW’s general manager for infrastructure services, said staff was asking for a budget to create a longer-term plan to get things right, rather than deal with issues as they come up.

“We believe we need to advance a longterm public safety and civic administrative building master plan looking out into the future to make sure we’re spending money

RCMP to operate within the municipality.

Analysis into the PSB has previously resulted in plans by the RMOW to expand office space at municipal hall, to the north of the PSB on Blackcomb Way. The reshuffling of departments away from the PSB would include moving them into new spaces on the same site in order to create up to 6,500 square feet of additional space for the RCMP. As background, and in explaining the need for a broader strategy, staff explained that ongoing works into how to expand space

across the entire PSB has seen plans to work on the oldest portion of the building paused due to insufficient building standards from when it was originally built.

“The building standards used to construct the south end of the PSB (currently housing the WFRS) do not appear to provide a suitable foundation for further significant investment,” the report said.

The 1995 expansion was acceptable, however, and is to be included in ongoing works, staff said.

The report noted that strategic planning incorporating the PSB was needed to ensure the RMOW was able to provide the required space for all public safety and civic functions at its Blackcomb Way properties.

While it was the PSB analysis that triggered the desire for a strategy that would also include municipal hall, the staff report also noted that other key pieces of community infrastructure might be worth including too, such as the Meadow Park Sports Centre.

“Staff currently suggest keeping the scope of this project sufficiently broad at the outset to include key municipal building assets that are outside of the public safety realm,” it stated.

The council voted unanimously to support the staff recommendation to initiate planning for a 30-year Municipal Public Safety and Civic Building Strategy, and to include funding to the tune of $50,000 to come from RMOW’s general operations reserve. The funding will be included in the upcoming 2024 budget. n

NEWS WHISTLER

BACK TO SCHOOL Capilano University recently acquired the former Quest University location in Squamish.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPILANO UNIVERSITY

Whistler Institute, Capilano University ink memorandum of understanding THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS ARE ESTABLISHING A FORMAL CONNECTION TWO MONTHS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT THE NORTH VANCOUVER-BASED UNIVERSITY IS COMING TO SQUAMISH

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE WHISTLER INSTITUTE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with North Vancouver-based Capilano University to expand education opportunities for the Whistler community.

According to an Oct. 27 release, the MOU is the first step in developing a working relationship between the organizations, with the goal of providing access to educational programs to residents and visitors to Whistler, while providing Capilano University avenues for setting their students up with “work-integrated learning opportunities.”

“This collaboration with Capilano University presents new and exciting educational opportunities that will benefit the Sea to Sky community,” said Suki Cheyne, executive director of the Whistler Institute.

Cheyne said while the MOU represents the very early stages of a formal relationship between the university and the Whistler Institute, there were already plans between them to hire a Capilano University student to conduct research on the educational needs of the resort, and create a report that would guide next steps.

“We’ll look at the results and look at how we can partner and work together to benefit the community,” said Cheyne, who explained the goal of the research was to look for and highlight areas of education where Capilano could help develop a local component.

Whether through internships or research, the needs assessment generated by the MOU would point the way.

“There might be potential to have students come and work in the Whistler area and apply their learning,” she said.

“Ultimately it needs to connect to local industry and what’s already there, so there might be a natural fit with tourism or hospitality.”

The MOU partners are interviewing for the temporary research position at the end of this month, and Cheyne said they hoped to have a report to show for it by spring 2024.

The Whistler Institute, which emerged out of the Whistler Education group that formed in 2012 to re-imagine how educational opportunities could enhance the local experience, has an organizational agenda of identifying regional learning needs, and finding resources and partners to meet them.

Through partnerships with other educational organizations, the Institute—which is without a physical, brick-and-mortar space—has delivered 48 courses and events to more than 2,700 people.

Capilano University is based in North Vancouver and has a campus on the Sunshine Coast, and recently purchased the former Quest University campus in Squamish for $63.2 million ($48 million of which came from the provincial government). The university also has a presence in Mount Currie, where it offers courses through the Lil’wat Nation’s Ts’zil Learning Centre.

In the release, Laureen Styles of Capilano University said the school was looking forward to deepening connections with the area.

“By working together, CapU and the Whistler Institute will cultivate distinct, transformative and life-enhancing learning experiences for those in Whistler as well as CapU students, faculty and staff,” she said. n

Nicklaus North townhouse at Englewood Green!

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

15

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler welcomes provincial move to boost housing density NEW LEGISLATION AIMS TO DENSIFY SINGLE-FAMILY LOTS—SOMETHING THE RMOW IS AHEAD OF THE CURVE ON

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS NEW LEGISLATION from the province designed to whip local governments into shape when it comes to residential zoning is wind at the back of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), according to Mayor Jack Crompton.

“Ultimately [the Nov.1] announcement is good news for Whistler,” he said.

The legislation—which comes hot on the heels of other legislation around shortterm rentals—is part of the province’s larger Homes for People Action Plan, with changes meant to increase density across existing neighborhoods by overruling limits on density and allowing all single-family zones to permit secondary suites and laneway homes.

Overall zoning density will go up, with moves to require local governments to permit three or four housing units on single-family lots, and up to six on lots that are near frequent transit links.

The province is setting a timer, too. It is requiring all local governments to get in line by applying changes to their bylaws to reflect the provincial legislation by June 30, 2024.

The RMOW is ahead of the legislation since it already permits secondary suites in single-family residential zones, but it will be affected due to the densification changes.

The legislation also includes measures to speed up permitting and remove case-bycase public engagement for applications that fall within the guidelines of a municipality’s Official Community Plan (OCP). OCPs, in turn, would need to be updated every five years as a counterweight to less public engagement, by legislating more general feedback and community input at the planning level.

When asked whether removing avenues for public engagement would be a problem, Crompton said the changes were good for the community and that he didn’t believe Whistlerites would have an issue with the spirit of the changes.

“The resistance to worker housing in this town isn’t as pronounced as it might be in other places. Most of us know that we need to accelerate the work that we are doing housing people and so this helps do that,” he said.

“Housing for people who live in this place is critical to our long-term success. Most people understand that. There are very few days that I don’t bump into a resident who doesn’t talk to me about the importance of housing.”

Included in the legislation proposed is $51 million in funding to support the zoning changes required. Given there are 161 municipalities in the province, and many will have to bring forward significant changes to their bylaws, local governments will be keen to get a slice.

25-2250 NORDIC DRIVE WHISTLER

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$2,825,000 2.5

“We’ll be watching to see how the $51 million earmarked for these changes will be allocated and look forward to having additional resources to adjust to the changes the province is making,” Whistler’s mayor said.

Crompton stressed the RMOW was already laser-focused on providing more worker housing options, so while the legislation was welcome, it isn’t going to affect as large a change on the planning and permitting process as it otherwise might have.

“For many communities around B.C., this

“Most of us know that we need to accelerate the work we are doing...”

- JACK CROMPTON

will fundamentally shift the way they’ve been doing things to this point. For us, it’s wind at our back to really help us get where we want to go,” he said.

Increased density comes with increased strain on existing municipal infrastructure, which will require additional funds to keep up with demand.

“Our hope is that the province continues

9199 EMERALD DRIVE WHISTLER

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$3,150,000 2.5

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3

to invest in municipalities around B.C. Adding residential density means we’ll require growing infrastructure,” said Crompton.

For municipalities, funding for capital projects commonly comes out of reserve funds, which are topped up each year through property taxes as part of the yearly budget.

Crompton said he didn’t believe the RMOW would need to increase its contributions to reserves in response to increased density, saying that added density would support the required infrastructure through utilities and property taxes.

“We can’t afford to take our eye off the ball. We need to ensure we have strong reserves to continue to invest in important infrastructure,” he said.

The province has set out a rapid timeline: Local governments can expect a cheat sheet on what they need to do by next month, while the $51 million earmarked for zoning changes is expected for distribution this winter. Bylaws will need to be updated to accommodate the new zoning by June 2024, and every local government is required to complete an interim housing needs report by December of the same year.

“This work fits nicely into the Housing Action Plan that we are already working on,” said Crompton. ‘[The province’s] timeline, though aggressive, is something I expect us to be able to meet.” n

725/727-4050 WHISTLER WAY WHISTLER

FOR SALE

$939,000 2.5

SQFT: 2,417

2

2

SQFT: 1,145

• Freshly renovated townhouse in sought-after Taluswood

• Main living area opens to a large patio and huge flat yard

• Fantastic investment opportunity

• Ski right home to your heated garage this winter

• Private primary bedroom on whole top floor

• 1 bedroom lockoff suite - 2 separate units

• Wood-burning fireplace, new appliances, fully furnished

• Vaulted ceilings, views of Wedge and Armchair Mountains

• Perfect mix of personal use and revenue

• Your perfect Whistler retreat or zoned for nightly rentals

• Short walk to Green Lake and 8 min drive to the Village

• Located at the base of Whistler/Blackcomb

NICK SOLDAN HARRISS

SADIE BRUBAKER

JOSH CRANE

604 902 0091

604 907 1400

604 902 6106

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josh@joshcrane.ca

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17

NEWS WHISTLER

Next build on horizon for Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 WHISTLER COUNCIL HEARS UPDATE ON PLANS IN PROGRESS FOR NEW 102-UNIT BUILD

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE WHISTLER 2020 Development Corporation (WDC) is already looking to its next project as part of Phase 2 of Cheakamus Crossing’s development.

“We have a pretty solid project plan together that we can now move forward with,” said John Morley, president and COO of WDC, at a council meeting last month.

Morley was updating council on plans for Lot 5, the third site to be developed as part of the ambitious housing plans for Cheakamus.

While it’s still in the early phases, Morley gave some quick facts and numbers about the build, located across from Lot 2B’s active construction site at 1450 Mount Fee Road. “[The plan] proposes a twobuilding Whistler Housing Authority (WHA)-operated rental development [with] similar specifications to the currently underconstruction 2B project,” said Morley, who noted Lot 5, at build-out, would consist of 102 new units, with 121 parking stalls in line with zoning requirements.

Those 102 units will be split between 24 studio apartments; 40 one-bedroom apartments; eight two-bedroom, onebathroom apartments; 24 two-bedroom,

UNDER CONSTRUCTION The Pique editorial team joins the Whistler 2020 Development Corp. on a tour of Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2 construction in 2022.

FILE PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS

two-bathroom apartments; and six threebedroom, two-bathroom apartments.

“There’s a good range of unit sizes,” said Morley, who believes the project would be able to cater to a wide selection of needs of those on the WHA rental waitlist, which, as of

last month, sat at 564 households, a number Morley noted had increased by 70 or 80 people since Q1 2023.

The estimated project budget is $48.2 million.

“Obviously as we move forward with more

detailed designs, we’ll refine those budgets and do our best to keep the cost down against what is still a very challenging construction cost environment,” Morley said.

More detail in the way of funding will come clear as the project comes closer to fruition. Shifting project costs were cited by Morley as a concern given rising construction costs across the industry, and interest rate uncertainty.

However, with ongoing construction at Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2, the WDC has “a finger on the pulse with regards to what costs are and where they might be headed,” Morley said.

Speaking of timelines, Morley said the WDC hoped to submit a development permit application to the RMOW in early December.

“This would allow for site preparation work to start in April 2024,” he said. “The conservative, safe schedule would be just foundations and parkade in 2024, with the superstructure woodframe in 2025, which would see the units delivered in late Q2 to Q3 2026.”

The currently-under-construction 1450 Mount Fee Road is expected to have its 48 units available for occupation in early 2025.

That site was one of two in Whistler slated to receive federal financing, to the tune of $15.2 million, which was announced earlier in October. n

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NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler MP talks up federal role in housing, backs provincial short-term rental legislation FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LOCAL HOUSING PROJECTS A ‘LONG TIME COMING,’ SAYS PATRICK WEILER

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS WHISTLER MP Patrick Weiler describes the feds’ Oct. 13 housing funding announcement as a “long time coming” for the community.

“We were able to do this announcement, which was very exciting especially in this environment right now, when interest rates are where they are,” he said.

The announcement, made in front of the freshly-minted housing complex at 1315 Cloudburst Drive in Cheakamus Crossing, was to talk up the $89.5 million in federal financing committed to 238 units across the riding, including 106 in Whistler. The funds come in the form of fully repayable lowinterest loans from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Authority.

Weiler said federal government support for projects led by local governments and organizations was critical to ensure those projects were able to go ahead.

“Without that, we would not be able to provide housing for the workforce in Whistler, which would be fatal for businesses that need to operate, but also for the community,” he said.

The $89.5 million is divided between four projects: two in Whistler, one in Squamish and one on Bowen Island, with $30 million being plowed into Whistler projects. The aforementioned 1315 Cloudburst Drive development by Whistler Sport Legacies is completed and occupied, while the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA) is currently working on the 1450 Mount Fee Road development, slated to be housing workers by late 2024.

The 106 new units supported by federal funding will help, but there’s more to be done, said Weiler.

“We’re going to need to continue to build housing,” he said. “Whistler grew by 20 per cent in the past five years, and it’s a very desirable place to be, so we’re going to continue to need to work closely with the RMOW and the WHA and others to make sure we’re able to get that housing built.”

Among other items on the housing ticket, the federal government is currently debating Bill C-56 (referred to as the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act), which according to federal finance minister Chrystia Freeland, is intended to get more rental homes built faster, by removing GST for the construction of new purpose-built rental housing. The legislation was introduced in Ottawa in late September and is currently in second reading.

Weiler, who sits on the parliamentary finance committee, said C-56 would make a “huge difference in ensuring we have more of those rental projects built, which is one of the largest gaps and needs that we have in Canada as a whole.”

Weiler said he wanted to address purposebuilt rental projects already underway and their eligibility to have GST waived as part

20 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

FED FUNDING MP Patrick Weiler sees local housing projects as “critical” to their communities.

FILE PHOTO

of the bill’s review, highlighting the recent projects in Cheakamus that are either already underway or completed.

“It’s projects like these that are so critical,” said Weiler, who lauded the value of working with local governments and groups like the WHA and Whistler Sport Legacies.

“They’ve stepped up to ensure that critical housing gets built … which we very much need so we have the services we need in the community we live in.”

B.C. MAKES THE RIGHT MOVE ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS, SAYS WEILER

On the provincial front, Weiler said he and the federal government welcomed British Columbia’s new legislation on short-term rentals (STR) as another tool to increase the supply of affordable, long-term housing.

The legislation is designed to push STR stock into the long-term market by introducing a requirement that operators only rent out rooms in the home they live in, along with greater powers for local governments to enforce against bad actors, and more strenuous reporting requirements at the provincial level.

“From the numbers I’ve seen across B.C., it could be up to 8,000 homes that could be made available,” said Weiler. “I’ve seen this in other areas of the riding, particularly on the Sunshine Coast where they’ve moved ahead with similar bylaws locally, and the effect has been a lot of those units have gone into the long-term rental market.”

Weiler added local context must be considered as well, noting Whistler is a tourism-based community and economy, and has zones intended for STRs. “It’s important that [the new laws] dovetail with local zoning.”

Whistler is one of 14 municipalities across B.C. exempt from the requirement STR operators live in the property they rent rooms out of. n

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NEWS WHISTLER

SLRD names Whistler’s Heather Paul as its new top bureaucrat PAUL, WHO BEGINS IN THE CAO ROLE IN JANUARY, HAS SERVED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SLCC FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE SQUAMISH-LILLOOET Regional District (SLRD) has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer, with Whistler’s Heather Paul slated to begin in the role in the new year.

Paul is a familiar face in the region, having most recently served as the executive director of the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) in Whistler for nearly four years. She previously worked for the Resort Municipality of Whistler for 16 years, primarily in her capacity as a systems analyst.

“I am excited to join the team at the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District,” said Paul in an SLRD release. “The regional district is an important level of government, and a strong and powerful advocate and ally for the region.

“I look forward to working with the dedicated professionals at the SLRD in advancing the work of the organization in support of the communities in the region.”

The SLCC has not yet announced a successor to Paul.

Paul’s credentials as a bridge builder were lauded in the release from the SLRD, which talked about the excellent relationships she had forged with both the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations, as well as various local, regional and provincial government partners.

“Heather brings tremendous leadership, strong relationships and a wealth of local knowledge to this role, and to the organization,” said SLRD board chair and Whistler Councillor Jen Ford in the release.

The initial press release from the SLRD claimed Paul held an Executive MBA from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a detail that was complicated by Paul’s personal LinkedIn profile, which originally noted her as having an Executive MBA from five months of study as well as having completed an online “MBA Essentials” certificate from the LSE. An Executive MBA traditionally takes two years to acquire from other economics schools, and domestically costs at least $60,000.

The MBA Essentials certificate, as offered by the LSE, is a 10-week, non-credit bearing program that costs about $5,400 and is noted by the LSE website as not being the equivalent of an MBA. In an email to Pique, an SLRD spokesperson confirmed Paul holds the MBA Essentials certificate, not an Executive MBA, and chalked up its initial press release to an administrative error on the district’s part, based on Paul’s LinkedIn. Paul’s LinkedIn page has also been amended to remove reference to an Executive MBA since Pique asked about the inconsistency.

Ford said the district was aware Paul did

not possess an Executive MBA at the time of hiring, and that it did not impact its ultimate decision.

“All of this was divulged,” she said, noting that the search for a new CAO was led by talent acquisition firm Leaders International, which completed all the necessary background checks and vetting of experience and education. “There is no concern from the hiring committee that we were misled.”

Asked why her LinkedIn originally listed the Executive MBA, Paul wrote in an email that it was an honest mistake. “I used ‘Executive’ assuming it was a universal language for immersive education and certificate learning in short sprints. Learning yesterday that Executive MBA stands alone as a degree, I removed that line from my LinkedIn. The certificate I earned is still listed on my profile,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to be misleading, and I understand that even a mistake can be misleading. Ultimately, I own that, and the confusion this has caused. Since the day I decided to improve the future for myself and my family by changing careers, and with limited time and resources, I have relied on [the] Executive Education sector to increase my core skills while accepting every opportunity to learn on the job and in the community.”

Paul will be the fourth person to hold the title of CAO at the SLRD in recent years,

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following the retirement of longtime CAO Lynda Flynn at the beginning of 2020.

The most recent search for a CAO at the regional district began in July 2023, when previous CAO, Craig Dalton, vacated the position after about a year and a half in the role.

Nikki Gilmore has been serving as interim CAO, and will stay in that role until Paul’s slated start date, Jan. 15, 2024. Gilmore previously served as CAO for the Village of Pemberton.

The role of CAO has been especially busy for the last few years: Including Gilmore, all three previous holders of the role were handed big-ticket items as soon as they came onboard. Dalton started as CAO with the regional district amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic recovery, while his predecessor, Melany Helmer, served a year during the pandemic itself. Gilmore’s tenure was dominated by the wildfires that ravaged the province and affected swathes of the SLRD over the summer.

The CAO is traditionally the top-paid employee of a municipal body. In 2022, Craig Dalton was paid $219,998.

The SLRD extends from Britannia Beach to beyond Lillooet, encompassing four municipalities and four rural areas with a combined population of a little more than 50,000 people. n

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NEWS WHISTLER

As she moves on from president role, Jen Ford looks back on her UBCM years WHISTLER COUNCILLOR HAS SERVED WITH THE UNION OF BC MUNICIPALITIES FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS WHISTLER COUNCILLOR Jen Ford is a month (and change) into her last year serving on the executive of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), having recently become “past president” at the September UBCM Convention in Vancouver.

Ford was elected UBCM president last September. But what does a past president do in an organization like UBCM? Quite a bit, Ford explained.

“The past president serves as the institutional memory,” she said.

For the next year, Ford will advise the sitting president; will represent UBCM at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM); and will retain chair roles on various UBCM committees, both because of her experience and a major shake-up of the UBCM executive following last year’s municipal elections.

Typically, the UBCM president serves three years prior as one of three vice presidents, starting as third VP before moving up the ladder each year. In 2022, two UBCM VPs lost campaign bids in their home municipalities, meaning the current president, Coun. Trish Mandewo of Coquitlam, was first elected as third VP only last year before being acclaimed as president at last month’s UBCM Convention.

For Ford, the next year will serve as an offramp from her time with UBCM. She said she learned a lot and was proud of the work done, but going back to the beginning, she originally joined UBCM to apply certain skills from her previous career. “[In] my previous career, I was in conference services. So UBCM was actually my client in 2008,” she explained.

“When I started to see the link between UBCM and local government and Whistler, I thought I could use that skill to help them with conferences, and I already knew the lay of the land here in Whistler. That’s why I originally put my hand up.”

Five years later, she acknowledged how UBCM does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to helping new politicians get their bearings, and local governments making their voices heard.

For her part, Ford highlighted progress made on childcare and the work local governments have done to apply codes of conduct among her proudest achievements— two files she stressed she could not take credit for, but played a hand in developing.

UBCM successfully lobbied for the oversight of childcare in B.C. to move from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) to the Ministry of Education—an effort Ford said has given the issue the space and attention it needs.

“When it was in the [MCFD], it was not getting the profile, because they were dealing with kids that were aging out of foster care and the childcare file was very small,” Ford said.

“I think it has given it the profile that it didn’t have before.”

Childcare formally became the responsibility of the renamed Ministry of Education and Childcare in early 2022, and thousands of new childcare spaces have become available thanks to more funding and attention.

An item more on the housekeeping side of municipal politics is the application of codes of conduct to local councils. The province now requires local governments to consider whether to establish a code of conduct within six months of a municipal election.

“It isn’t as strong a language as we had hoped for, but it was better than nothing,” said Ford, who said bad-faith behaviour within councils around the province had been a building issue over time, requiring UBCM to step in to advocate for best practices.

The legislation introduced in 2021 is sticky for local governments, requiring new councils to consider establishing a code of conduct or review the existing one. If there is no code of conduct and they decide not to establish one (or review the old one), they have to have good reasons why.

“It gives [codes of conduct] the profile that it requires,” said Ford, who explained both local

governments and the candidates who consider running for office needed to think about how they govern behaviour and relationships.

“How we do the work we do is as important as what work we do. Because, as we’ve seen, there’s a lot of conflict out there in councils,” she added. “We’ve had really good councils that I’ve been a part of—we’ve had great professionalism, great teamwork. We don’t always agree but we do it respectfully … [but] some of my colleagues on the board have worked on councils that have been super dysfunctional.”

Ford has a little under a year to go before she wraps up with UBCM, but she said she’d do it all again.

“I loved every minute of it,” she said.

Going forward, Ford said UBCM has heard from local governments that they want to see the province step up with local health support, including more input on “wraparound care” for people seeking rehabilitation from illicit drugs. While the provincial pilot program on the decriminalization of some drugs was welcomed, Ford said local governments wanted more provincial supports behind the program.

“It needs to come with all the support required—transitional housing [and] mental health supports are the two big ones that local governments have been asking for, and I think we’ll get there,” she said. “it’s just a process of time and continued advocacy.” n

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NEWS WHISTLER

SLRD lobbies for more provincial support for wildfire recovery THE REGIONAL DISTRICT IS STILL CONSUMED BY WILDFIRE RECOVERY EFFORTS, ACCORDING TO INTERIM CAO

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE SQUAMISH-LILLOOET Regional District (SLRD) is pushing for greater provincial support for communities to plan for, and recover from, disasters like this summer’s wildfires that burned thousands of hectares of land in remote areas north of Pemberton and west of Lillooet, in what was British Columbia’s worst fire season on record.

In a report last month on the state of the SLRD’s staff in the aftermath of the local fires, interim CAO Nikki Gilmore said it had taken a huge commitment of time and resources, with efforts to recover still ongoing and cutting into other SLRD programs.

“The reality is a lot of those initiatives weren’t able to be put forward because [the fires were ongoing] for 11 weeks. That’s a significant amount of time, and at this point staff are tired,” she said at the Oct. 25 SLRD board meeting. “It’s not that anyone’s not wanting to proceed with these projects, they just don’t have time.”

The SLRD’s Area A—covering 3,715 square kilometres in the Upper Bridge River Valley and home to 305 people—was the worst hit, with 56 properties impacted by the fires, of which 51 were a total loss. Many of the properties were built decades ago,

with different building and environmental requirements. Their destruction, and the subsequent need for clean-up, means there are logistical and jurisdictional snafus for property owners and the SLRD. Gilmore said the SLRD had maintained efforts beyond the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to provide residents with information they needed for the recovery, noting that cleanup of properties, water-quality testing (due to runoff into lakes used for water supply), and environmental concerns were sticking points for residents that had remediation responsibilities beyond their capabilities.

With so many properties affected, Gilmore said efforts to expand services to meet residents’ needs and obligations had run into problems.

“We asked [the province] for $220,000 to expand hours and bins at the Gold Bridge transfer station and Lillooet landfill, and we were denied that,” she explained, adding the SLRD has been challenging the province on that due to the capacity needed to adequately carry out clean-up, which is estimated at 4,000 tonnes of debris.

The SLRD inquired about financial assistance for property owners in the recovery, but heard from the province that the fires were “an insurable event” and, as such, the affected properties should have been insured.

“Coulda, woulda, shoulda. The reality is

individuals need a little bit of assistance,” Gilmore said, adding SLRD staff was trying to line up more resources for locals in the meantime.

However, Gilmore also said the SLRD does need to set some expectations, noting eventually they would run out of financial streams for help because the province was directing resources elsewhere, and responsibility would fall to landowners.

“The public expectation needs to be measured against the fact that this is the biggest wildfire season in British Columbia’s history and there are [other] communities that have suffered as well,” said SLRD board chair Jen Ford.

“When the province is looking at how they allocate time and resources, they are going to do it based on a number of criteria … Where we fall into that needs to be taken seriously when we hear from residents. It’s not that there isn’t a desire to help them, but there’s a triage in place.”

Director Jenna Stoner said recovery from disasters is an area governments have not done an adequate job planning for.

“I think this is going to come to the forefront more and more, especially after this wildfire season,” she said, adding new regulations from the province on emergency management would further expose the gap in readiness.

Stoner questioned whether regional districts like the SLRD, which had rural and remote areas disproportionately affected by wildfires, were capable of stepping up given the resources available. “‘It seems impossible,” she said. “We have a hard enough time managing the EOCs, and realistically our EOC staff managing recovery should be preparing for the next wildfire season and they’re already exhausted and they need a break.”

Stoner suggested the SLRD consider pushing for more centralized, regional recovery support, “so we don’t have to recreate this effort over and over again,” especially considering other communities were experiencing many of the same logistical headaches.

Director Laurie Hopfl agreed, saying local governments needed more from the province, and suggested the SLRD collaborate with other local governments in their push for support.

“If I look at Lytton, they’re at two-plus years, and the recovery… a lot of it has not even started. I think we really need to look at that. We can’t wait two years,” she said. “We need something proactive and we need it now … We wait another year and we’re back into the forest fire season.”

The SLRD board voted unanimously to write a letter to UBCM lobbying for more action from the province on assisting communities in recovery planning and resources. n

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NEWS PEMBERTON

Fundraiser for Pemberton’s ‘peaceful warrior’ Rich Prohaska raises $47K AFTER DEFYING DOCTORS’ PROGNOSES FOR YEARS, PROHASKA IS NOW RECEIVING HOSPICE CARE IN SQUAMISH

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE PEMBERTON community is rallying behind one of its own, Rich Prohaska, who, after defying doctors’ prognoses for years, is now receiving hospice care for terminal cancer.

In 2019, Prohaska was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and given “weeks to months” to live. Four years later and he has consistently beat doctors’ expectations, as he and his family explored a multitude of treatment options.

Sadly, the beloved Pembertonian recently suffered numerous seizures, and it was discovered his tumours have grown. He is now receiving care through the Sea to Sky Hospice Society in Squamish.

Family friend Wendy Brookbank set up an online fundraiser through GoFundMe that, at press time, had raised $47,000 of its $50,000 goal for the Prohaska family. She explained Prohaska’s wife, Heather, has taken leave from her job at Signal Hill Elementary, leaving the family with no steady income.

“He was diagnosed four and a half years ago, and he was given a very short timeframe for living,” she said. “They used traditional as well as alternative medicines. It included a completely vegan diet, all organic food, nothing processed. That alone was very, very expensive. Now Rich has been moved down to

ALWAYS SMILING The Prohaska family.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDY BROOKBANK

28 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

a hospice. This money is going to help them in their day-to-day while they don’t have any income, also to offset a lot of costs.”

The Prohaskas have exhausted every financial avenue possible since Rich’s diagnosis, Brookbank explained.

“They have used their life savings in order to save Rich’s life,” she said. “We hope to just put money back into their everything. The whole community wanted to do a GoFundMe a long time ago. Rich is an extremely proud guy. They are hard-working people and they didn’t want to accept monetary donations.”

The response to the GoFundMe has been overwhelming. Brookbank stressed it’s a testament to how loved her friend of more than three decades really is.

“Somebody described him as a ‘peaceful warrior,’” she said. “That’s such a great description of Rich. He is calm and always smiling. He just makes everyone around him feel really good. He is very dedicated. The man is a machine. He could lead the most amazing rock climbs.”

Prohaska enjoyed a prolific skiing and climbing career. A certified heli-ski guide for a number of companies in the region, he was also an avid mountaineer.

He summitted Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, so many times—eight—that he is affectionately known as “Mr. Logan” in the mountaineering world. In 2017, he also served as guide to his daughter Naomi when the 15-year-old became the youngest person to summit Logan. Prohaska also counts first ascents in Baffin Island, China, Greenland, and Antarctica.

“I first met Rich in the early ’90s,” said Brookbank. “He was living in his van in the day lot in Whistler. There were a whole bunch of us, all avid skiers and climbers.

There were three of them that engaged in really big mountain adventures. They travelled all over the world for first descents and first ascents. His daughters are now the same age as my daughters. We have just been close for all those years” Prohaska was determined to do everything he could to buy more time with his family.

“The very first oncologist he saw said he had weeks to months to live,” said Brookbank.

“Rich is a highly motivated person in everything he does. He started looking at all the ways to make this better. He did this with chemo and radiation. There were times when his markers were super low. He was in great form. He was outliving the timeline that doctors were giving him.”

The family’s church, Pemberton Community Church, has also rallied around them during this difficult time. “He is also a very religious man, a devout Christian,” said Brookbank. “He puts a lot of faith in God. They have a big religious community. They really hoped with all of this, there might be a miracle and it would work.”

The Prohaska family drew attention to their neighbours, Dawn Hunter and Bendigo Noble, two other Pembertonians dealing with their own cancer diagnoses who the community has raised funds for. At press time, roughly $83,000 had been raised between those two recent GoFundMe campaigns, a testament to the care and generosity of

Pemberton locals.

Brookbank said the Prohaskas are blown away by the standard of care Rich is now receiving.

“Rich really felt like he could do this on his own,” she said. “Heather was administering the pain medication. Then, the pain just got too great. Rich felt he wasn’t ready yet. Even a month ago, there was no talk of not winning.

The doctors in Squamish just said that they could really help him down there. He checked in and the whole care at the Squamish hospice centre has just been amazing. They are taking care of Rich, taking care of Heather, taking care of their kids.

“The greatest thing that has happened down there is that he’s comfortable, very comfortable,” Brookbank added. “He is declining, but he is able to do it in a comfortable state. The facility that we have in this corridor is just next level.”

Brookbank said the Prohaskas have been deeply moved by the support and messages they’ve received so far.

“Even with the GoFundMe, people feel like they can finally help in some way,” she said. “They have been such strong community members for so many years. It’s so nice for Rich, Heather and the girls to even look through the names and feel loved. They see that their dad is someone that has really made an impact on the community.”

Donate to the fundraiser at gofundme. com/f/the-prohaska-family. Hunter’s fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/f/evv39u, while Noble’s can be accessed at.gofundme.com/f/ cwnbv3-bring-ben-home. n

NEWS PEMBERTON

Pemberton’s animal shelter preps for busy months ahead

IN AN AREA WHERE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE IS KEY...

PEMBERTON ANIMAL WELLBEING SOCIETY SAYS IT IS CURRENTLY WELL OVER CAPACITY, WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF PETS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE PEMBERTON ANIMAL Wellbeing Society (PAWS) is gearing up for a busy few months ahead, as the animal shelter it operates continues to be jam-packed full of pets for adoption.

Anna Scott, the society’s outgoing executive director, said unwanted litters make up a lot of their numbers.

“A lot of animals that aren’t spayed or neutered are running around and reproducing at very quick levels,” she said. “One cat can have a litter by six, eight months old. Then those kittens can have their own litters.

You can see how quickly it would get out of control. A lot of people see a cute puppy on Facebook and agree to take it on. Then by the time it’s turning into a teenage dog, they end up bringing them over here. We often get dogs here at around the year mark.”

The number of unwanted animals has continued to increase since a COVID-19 pandemic-fuelled adoption spree.

“There was a huge increase,” said Scott.

“We used to get lulls in surrenders. There would be times when the shelter would be empty for weeks or maybe a month. We haven’t had that since COVID-19. We are over our capacity. We have quite a small set-up, but all the shelters in the whole corridor are packed.”

As the holiday season approaches, staff at PAWS reiterated that caring for an animal is a long-term endeavour, not just for Christmas.

“Animals are not gifts,” said PAWS manager Zara Waelchli. “They are a life-long commitment for their life.”

Assistant manager Imogen Lowery explained some families decide to adopt this time of year when they know they will be sticking around home for the holidays, given how frightening a change in environment can be for a young pup or kitten.

“Usually with our animals, they are used to shelter life,” she said. “They need time to decompress when they are going into any new environment. Christmas with lots of social activities is not the best time. That is one thing you want to avoid: taking home a new animal and then having 25 people in the house. It would be a pretty horrible way for them to start their new life and sets them up for failure.”

PAWS is ready for some new hands on deck, with a new post seeking volunteers generating plenty of interest. ”We just put up a post looking for volunteers and we got a lot of interest,” said Lowery. “It is like a job. We have to come in and clean. There are a lot of animals and a lot of poop,” she said.

“We have to find the people who are ready for that, as well as the cute stuff like cuddling the puppies. We are actively looking for dedicated volunteers at the moment who are willing to come in at least once a week for two hours.”

The crew also desperately needs drivers to

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HIP-HOP HOORAY Members of the so-called “HipHop Crew” at Pemberton’s only animal shelter are currently up for adoption.

PHOTO BY IMOGEN LOWERY

usher animals to vet appointments.

“One of the big things we are looking for at the moment are drivers who drive from Squamish to Pemberton a lot,” said Lowery. “We work quite a bit with Eagleview Veterinary Hospital [in Squamish]. A lot of our animals get their spay and neuter surgeries at Eagleview, so we are always looking for people who can be added to our driver list.”

Among the dogs currently up for adoption at PAWS is the so-called “Hip-Hop Crew”: Missy Smelliot, Tupup, Diggy Azalea, Salt-NPupper, Puff Doggy, Busta Ruffs, Doja Dog, Cardi Bark and, of course, Snoop Dog. Meanwhile, the shelter’s annual Santa PAWS fundraiser will be held Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at North Arm Farm, where pets and families can pose with the bearded man himself. Proceeds from a raffle and silent auction will all go straight to PAWS. Staff stressed everyone is welcome, not just those with pets.

PAWS also recently paid an emotional goodbye to Scott, who began in 2017 as a volunteer before assuming the executive director role in 2019. “I’m just about to go on maternity leave and I’m emotional about it,” said Scott.

“This has been my life for the last five years. Working with animals literally saved my life. I was in a very bad place when I started volunteering here just as a once-aweek volunteer. It gave me purpose and it gave me something to think about other than myself and what was in my head. For me, the best reward is seeing these animals going to their forever homes.” n

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W I N 1 o f 2 S N O W PAC K A G ES

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The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler is looking for housing for our Staff Associates We take pride in the homes we lease and you can rest easy knowing your home is looked after with The Westin. We have: • A designated Housing Manager • Monthly rent paid by the hotel directly • Maintenance issues overseen by our Engineering team • Scheduled Monthly Inspections • No Visitors, smoking or pets allowed at any time PLEASE CONTACT Megan O'Donnell on 604.2037854 or people@westinwhistler.com

Winter Extra Service: Seasonal return of the routes 4 Marketplace and 20X Cheakamus and free evenings and early mornings on route 7 Staff Housing Introduction of new route 33 Alpine via Spruce Grove Additional trips on the route 5, 7, 21 and 25 Peak Winter Service (Dec 1, 2023 - Mar 31, 2023): Additional trips on routes: 4 Marketplace, 5 Upper Village/Benchlands, 6 Tapley’s/ Blueberry, 7 Staff Housing, 20X Cheakamus and 21 Spring Creek For more information, visit bctransit.com/Whistler.

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Whistler Village property owners, managers and merchants As the winter season is with us again, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind owners, property managers and merchants of the importance of keeping walkways, roofs, stairs and landings adjacent to their stores and properties free of ice and snow. It is essential that customers and guests visiting our Village feel safe and comfortable in being able to travel freely about the area.

You are required to clear snow and ice from walkways, roofs, stairs and landings adjacent to stores and properties by 10 a.m. daily.

RMOW Property Maintenance Bylaw No. 810 Get ready for winter by: 1. Stocking up on ice-melting products (not road salt) and shovels 2. Checking the heat tracing on stairs and ramps around your property Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Download the Property Maintenance Bylaw at www.whistler.ca/bylaw in the Frequently Requested Bylaws section.

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THE OUTSIDER

Rehabilitation inspiration I LIKE to think there’s two different seasons in the final months of the year. There’s fall, which gives us the best biking conditions, the occasional sunny stretch and all that social media noise about pumpkins and feeling cosy in down jackets again. Then there’s pre-winter, which is colder, rainier, less about squeezing

BY VINCE SHULEY the last drops of summer activity and more about preparing your gear—and your body— for snowsports. The weeks of pre-winter can occur at different times each year, but I’d argue the “fall-back” time change in early November is a reliable baseline.

Pre-winter has a different meaning for me this year. Seven months into my ninemonth recovery from two shoulder surgeries, I definitely have the worst of it behind me.

When I say “worst of it,” I’m referring to the post-op pain, having one of my arms all but useless in a sling and last (but certainly not least), not being able to participate in my usual outdoor activities.

A part of any rehab process is realizing there’s always someone going through a tougher journey than you are (Whistler is renowned for injury one-upmanship, with

HEALING VIBES Beating the Impossible documents the life of buzzing highs and brutal lows of Don Schwartz’s life.

PHOTO BY VINCE SHULEY

people peeling back their clothes to show the scars of their own surgeries, all of which seem to come with a lengthy story). I currently have friends going through longer, more arduous rehabs of their own. I have friends and family who are battling cancer, either in their own bodies or that of their loved ones. You never have to look far in your friend circles to hear stories of overcoming extreme adversity, one that makes your own rehab “journey” seem like all you had to do was spend the better part of the year on the couch.

candidates mentally and physically over the course of several days with gruelling tasks and deceptive mind games. The intense training, preparation, and brutal physical output during the event and the weeks and sometimes months of recovery from the Death Race is just one part of the book, and it doesn’t come anywhere close to being the hardest thing Schwartz has ever done.

In 1990, at the age of 20, Schwartz survived a helicopter crash while heliskiing near Blue River, B.C. He walked away with burns that

Whistler is renowned for injury oneupmanship, with people peeling back their clothes to show the scars of their own surgeries, all of which seem to come with a lengthy story.

My birthday this year was just days before my first surgery, and my partner gave me a book about not only overcoming injuries and setbacks, but embarking on challenges that can change your life forever. That book is Beating the Impossible by longtime Whistler local Don Schwartz, who I interviewed for a 2013 Pique feature story titled, “Breaking Point.” The story was themed around the 20-kilometre Tough Mudder obstacle race, but I found Schwartz’s story much more compelling than the bro-down or corporate team building exercise one finds at Tough Mudder. Schwartz is a three-time participant in the Death Race, that masochistic event in the Vermont hills that tries to break its

came close to killing him, but his conviction to survive was unbreakable. While living in the burn unit in Calgary, Schwartz endured torturous skin grafts as doctors attempted to make him whole again. Somehow, his intense meditative mental exercises helped him avoid major reconstruction of his ear and nose largely driven by his motivation to compete at an international snowboard event, just a casual couple of months later.

But what hit me as one of the most enduring journeys of his life (there are many in this book) was Schwartz having to wear a plastic burn mask full-time for four years in order to prevent the scars from disfiguring his face. These traumatic experiences are the

ones that make a Death Race look easy, at least in Schwartz’s eyes.

Like I said, there’s always someone who has been through more than you. And those people have learned how to bounce back in a way most of us couldn’t even conceive.

After reading his book, I realize I don’t have Schwartz’s iron will. I don’t have the patience and determination to complete a Death Race, nor do I want to challenge the status quo of modern medicine by willing myself to heal faster and return to activity sooner than the doctors say I’m supposed to. But he is living proof that you can not only survive after knocking on death’s door, but you can accomplish more than you ever thought possible. Hitting rock bottom means you can only go up.

Beating the Impossible isn’t the only motivational survival story out there. But few stories are as relatable to the Whistler lifestyle and our desire to get back and play in mountains, where we belong. My own journey back to the life I was enjoying won’t be the same compelling narrative, but a small part of Schwartz’s disciplined approach to rehabilitation has indeed rubbed off on me.

I’m waking up earlier to make sure I don’t miss my daily physiotherapy exercises. I’m eating better while drinking less (within reason).

But mostly, I’m feeling more motivated than ever to get outside and return to doing what I love best.

Bring on winter. Let’s fucking go.

Vince Shuley hasn’t looked forward to ski season this much in a long time. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider, email vince.shuley@gmail.com or Instagram @whis_vince. ■

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

33

FEATURE STORY

By Stefan Labbé

A

pause in B.C. heli-skiing operations during the first year of the COVID19 pandemic led some endangered caribou populations to more than double their home-ranges, a new study has found.

The research, published in the journal Animal Conservation last week, came amid what the authors described as “Earth’s sixth major episode of mass extinction” and suggests human presence alone could be limiting mountain caribou’s access to food.

Pandemic heli-ski shutdown doubled range of some B.C. caribou, study says When COVID-19 travel restrictions nearly grounded heli-skiing, researchers found endangered caribou populations expanded their range between 80 and 120 per cent

34 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

FEATURE STORY

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“It’s been shocking,” said Ryan Gill, the study’s lead author and a biologist at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan (UBCO) campus.

“Without any physical changes to the landscape, just our presence can affect how wildlife use space in the natural environment.”

Southern mountain caribou once ranged as far south as Idaho, but today they hold the tragic title as the latest large mammal to be wiped off the face of the contiguous United States.

In Canada, caribou can no longer be found in iconic national parks like Banff and Jasper.

The species is listed as threatened but population declines and shrinking habitat have led federal authorities to recommend their status be downgraded to “endangered” for nearly a decade.

Death often comes to caribou in the jaws of a predator. But that deadly moment has deeper roots. Logging and oil and gas exploration have carved up forests across B.C., opening up paths for predators to hunt mountain caribou.

Without human influence, the species has adapted to escape that fate, migrating with the seasons from low- to high-elevation old-growth forests. Using their wide hooves, caribou can travel on top of deep snow and reach lichen hanging off trees in places few predators can reach.

Today, however, that same winter range overlaps with heli-skiing operations, a primary human disturbance in late winter stretching across 40,000 square kilometres of mountain, according to the study’s authors.

Eddie Petryshen, conservation specialist with the Kootenay-based group Wildsight, said he hopes the latest study “rings some alarms” with the B.C. government and within the heli-ski industry.

“It’s really concerning in terms of cumulative effects. We’re already seeing those caribou hit by logging,” Petryshen said. “[Heli-skiing] is an additional impact that is really, really significant.”

COVID-19 created a ‘golden opportunity’

T

his is not the first time experts have raised concerns that the backcountry presence of people could be hurting caribou. In 2008, UBC masters student Nicola Freeman found evidence that caribou pellets had higher levels of stress hormones after being exposed to heli-skiing and snowmobiling. But that research was never published, and with no chance to measure what would happen in a counterfactual world where humans disappeared off the landscape, little work has been carried out since.

So when Canada closed its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an 84-per-cent decline in skier days across B.C., Gill said the “near absence” of human activity created a “golden opportunity” to measure the impact on caribou.

“Humans leave the landscape for one year—is anything really going to happen?” said Gill, who works between UBCO’s Quantitative Ecology Lab and Biodiversity Pathways, an independent research group focused on caribou.

“We weren’t sure.”

To find out, Gill and five other biologists from UBCO and Environment and Climate Change Canada used collars fitted with GPS trackers to trace the movement of 120 female caribou between 2018 and 2022.

They were then released back into their three sub-populations—the Hart Ranges east of Prince George, Columbia North north of Revelstoke, and the Central Selkirk region north of Nakusp.

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FEATURE STORY Every 13 hours, the GPS devices would beam a signal back to the scientists. The researchers then compared the animals’ movement with a series of digital maps showing terrain, forest type, seasonal snowfall and approved commercial heli-ski tenures.

Whether the heli-skiers were present or not, the biologists found caribou continued to seek out high elevations, gentle terrain, and the old forests rich in the arboreal lichen the species survives on.

What changed was how far they could travel to track down food. During the 2020 “anthropause,” the mean home-range of the three caribou groups grew 80- to 120-per-cent larger compared to years when normal ski operations dominated.

Caribou movement also shot up, climbing to 11.9 square kilometres from 7.8 square kilometres in 2019 and 8.7 square kilometres in 2021, the study found.

The results, concluded the researchers, show that heli-skiing operations may be restricting the late-winter movements of southern mountain caribou. As the animals avoid encounters with people, the area they gather food from may becoming increasingly limited.

“Wildlife can’t perceive our intentions,” Gill said. “When we’re out there, and we see an animal we think, ‘Oh, that was a nice animal’ and ‘We’re just here to look at it.’ Ungulates, especially, perceive us as predators. They perceive any interaction with a human as a potential predatory event.”

Heli-ski group says it hasn’t given up on expired agreement

T

he research comes six years after the expiration of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the heli-ski industry and the B.C. government. The agreement said operators must remain 500 metres away from caribou while in flight, and if the animals were seen, skiers should avoid the area for 48 hours.

Even if that agreement was renewed, the authors of the latest report said the measures “may not be sufficient to mitigate the negative effects of heli-skiing on caribou” and that protocols “should be revisited.”

Ross Cloutier, executive director of Helicat Canada, said that while he would “carefully” review the latest study, the pilots and guides that make up the industry group’s members “still adhered to” the MOU’s provisions “just as though the agreement existed.”

Cloutier said “reasonable increases” to the 500-metre flight distance and 48-hour restriction “could be accommodated.” On the other hand, ”unreasonable increases would definitely result in business impacts and closures.”

“We are in continual discussions with the government related to wildlife management and we are very supportive of caribou recovery efforts. I have no information as to when, or if, wildlife policies will be renegotiated,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said it’s working with heli-ski operators—as well as all other users of Crown land—to “mitigate any potential negative impacts” on wildlife, including caribou.

“We have been reviewing current management practices for some time, and

we will be making appropriate changes to address improvements in technology and increased understanding of the challenges facing species at risk, such as the southern mountain caribou,” said the spokesperson.

The ministry added it supplied background data to the authors of the study and would incorporate its results to address concerns around species at risk.

“There’s still a lot of unknowns,” Gill said. “I mean, we don’t know where the heli-ski industry fly and how they fly and where they are relative to those animals. That’s a big piece of the equation that we don’t understand.”

Mapping needed to show the way

W

ithout maps to show the way, Gill said spotting wildlife from the helicopter is incredibly challenging even when you know they are there. Add managing the risk of flying and keeping people safe, and it becomes untenable, he said.

“The burden is on the pilots and the ski guides which is kind of an impossible task,” he said.

“It’s unfair to those people.”

To that end, Gill is working to layer Strava data, an open-source GPS platform used by athletes, to track where the heli-skiing operators go. That way the province can start to see on maps the kind of buffer zone the caribou really need.

Even better, said Gill, would be unreleased flight log data, something the heli-ski industry is still negotiating with the B.C. government.

Inevitably, said the longtime Revelstoke resident, who counts many friends who work in the heli-ski industry, any regulation is going to require sacrifices on all sides.

“If there’s limitations to where they can operate… it’s going to have an effect on their bottom line,” Gill said.

“There might be some awkward conversations at Christmas parties. There might be invitations rescinded. But I think that the majority of people on the ground, they want to do the right thing.” n

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SPORTS THE SCORE

Canadian bobsled team readies up for season BOBSLEIGH CANADA SKELETON HAD ITS ANNUAL SELECTION RACES NOV. 2 AND 3 AT THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE

BY DAVID SONG IT’S THE BEGINNING of a new era for Canadian bobsled, and recent selection races at the Whistler Sliding Centre (WSC) have the top brass excited for what’s to come.

Team Canada’s finest stopped by last week for some sessions on Earth’s fastest ice track. Melissa Lotholz carved through a pair of monobob runs on Nov. 2 in a combined time of one minute and 51.41 seconds, enough to prevail over Bianca Ribi (1:51.73) and Mackenzie Stewart (1:52.82).

In two-man bobsled, Taylor Austin and his brakeman Shane Ort (1:45.45) got the better of Patrick Norton and Shaquille Murray-Lawrence (1:46.59).

Among developmental athletes in the two-woman discipline, Eden Wilson and Morgan Ramsay (1:50.07) clocked in ahead of Erica Voss, pushed by Cadence Chernoff (1:51.75).

One day later, it was Ribi’s turn to fly.

She linked up with familiar partner Niamh Haughey for a victorious effort among elite two-woman tandems (1:46.46). That forced Lotholz and Alexandra Klein to settle for second (1:46.93), while Stewart and Caelan Brown were third (1:49.75).

Ribi earned the first-ever IBSF World Cup monobob gold medal here in Whistler, but felt like she struggled all week in training. Though not fully satisfied with her monobob runs, she

SLIDE WITH PRIDE Two Canadian bobsledders prepare to launch at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Nov. 3 for BCS selection races.

PHOTO BY DAVID SONG

38 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

let out an emphatic cheer at the end of her two-woman event.

“Coming off of my gold medal from last year, I knew the lines that I was capable of achieving, and I just felt like I wasn’t driving to my full potential,” Ribi said. “I was able to put it together for two big runs on race day, and so it was just excitement and relief. Really happy to be able to do it with Niamh.”

The lone four-man sled of Austin, Ort, DeVaughn McEwen and Anthony Couturier had a nice tune-up (1:43.32), roughly a second slower than the World Cup bronze medal effort Austin had in Whistler last year with Murray-Lawrence, Cyrus Gray and Davidson de Souza.

here in Whistler and haven’t had a crash, so I’m taking that as a win,” Appiah admitted.

“Having Leah in the back of my sled for a second season is going to be good.”

All in all, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) technical coach Justin Kripps likes what he’s witnessed.

“It’s really exciting to see people start to hit their stride—to go from not having done the sport very much, or just learning how to drive, to starting to really understand it and have some good lines down the track,” he said.

“We have a lot of newer athletes in the program right now and a lot of great progression over the last three weeks of sliding here in Whistler, so that’s been really encouraging. Our women’s

“This is the first time I’ve actually been here in Whistler and haven’t had a crash, so I’m taking that as a win.”

- CYNTHIA APPIAH

Voss took a turn in the monobob (55.79), outracing Kristen Bujnowski (1:01.88).

Gray has transitioned to pilot school after opening his career as a brakeman. After a smooth first attempt, he was unable to complete his second run from atop the WSC as a mechanical issue prevented him and Cesar De Guzman from entering their sled cleanly after the push.

Cynthia Appiah and Leah Walkeden had the luxury of forerunning instead of participating, but theirs were valuable reps nonetheless.

“This is the first time I’ve actually been

team in particular is really strong.”

PRESSURE IS PRIVILEGE

Storylines abound going into this year’s World Cup campaign. Gone is the old guard— Whistlerite Chris Spring has retired, as have Kripps and his Olympic bronze-winning fourman squad of Cam Stones, Benjamin Coakwell and Ryan Sommer. Christine de Bruin, the monobob bronze medallist from Beijing, is serving a three-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

BCS as an organization underwent change

last November when Tara McNeil replaced the controversial Sarah Storey as president.

All of that paves a way for Appiah, Ribi, Lotholz and Austin to lead the Maple Leaf on the road to Milano Cortina 2026.

Canada is getting back an influx of experience with Lotholz, who finished seventh in Pyeongchang and 12th in Beijing.

The Barrhead, Alta. native took a year off after her last Winter Games, completing her undergraduate degree and getting involved with church initiatives. Ultimately, returning to competition felt right.

“Coming back was a big decision because I enjoyed the non-athlete life for a little bit, but at the end of the day, it really felt like I just wasn’t done in this space,” Lotholz said. “It’s been cool because I’m in a different role than I’ve ever been before. I hadn’t been on the ice since [Beijing], and every single year you come back and you’re like, ‘Will I know what to do at 145 kilometres per hour?’ But it feels really good to be back in the front seat.”

Lotholz is now the only Canadian with two Olympics under her belt. She’s embracing her new place as mentor and gelling with her new brakewoman Klein.

At 6-1, Klein is one of the tallest women in the sport, and found a second lease on her athletic life after a pro basketball career in Luxembourg. Unlike Gray—himself a former competitive hooper—she has no desire to go the piloting route, instead focusing on the art of the push.

Klein has been a captain in Europe and at her alma mater, Bryant University. She hopes to become a leader with Team Canada as well.

“One of my big goals is to grow into that role model as a brakewoman so when newer athletes come in, they have a safe space, they have a mentor, somebody that they can go to,”

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NEW ERA Left to right: DeVaughn McEwen, Anthony Couturier, Shane Ort and Taylor Austin at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Nov. 3.

PHOTO BY DAVID SONG

she explained. “Having that support system is just so important. Melissa is going to help me [succeed] and I’m going to help her.”

Likewise, Ribi and Haughey have lofty aspirations for themselves. No longer are they the green underdogs trying to stockpile World Cup experience, as was the case last year.

Now, they drive one of their nation’s top sleds.

“If you can make it out of Canada, that’s almost like Top 10 in the world because we’re so competitive within the country,” said Ribi. “Niamh and I always tell each other: pressure is privilege and you’ve got to show up on race day.”

“It’s nice having great teammates to push each other,” Haughey added. “We’re competitors when it’s time to be competitors, and then as soon as it’s time to be friends off the track, we’re really good at putting the bobsled aside and coming together.”

AN EXCITING TIME

Meanwhile, Austin is currently the lone pilot on the men’s senior team. The Calgarian made his Olympic debut in Beijing, where he managed 20th place in two-man bobsled and 23rd in four-man. Many bobsledders get their start in other sports and Austin is no exception, having played football for the University of Calgary.

Today, the 33-year-old finds himself leading the charge.

“Lyndon Rush, then Justin Kripps, and now Chris Spring retiring,” Austin remarked. “Those are some pretty prestigious pilots, so for me to be the next one up and coming, it’s definitely a privilege. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but I’m definitely willing to put in that work and see if I can try and keep up with those guys.

“Last year was great, obviously, starting the season off strong with a bronze medal

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here in Whistler. [Afterwards], going to tracks that I’ve never been at before was definitely a learning curve, but I’m proud of my team and what we accomplished last year and looking to build off that this season.”

Gray is still learning the ins and outs of the front seat, which makes Norton Canada’s No. 2 driver. Perhaps his best outing came at a North American Cup (NAC) event last season in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he earned gold and bronze in two-man. Working at his father’s Harley Davidson shop in Ottawa prepared him well for the duties of maintaining his sled: an unheralded but vital part of the sport.

Norton, a former hockey player, believes that more NAC reps will give him and his team valuable experience.

“The North American circuit offers us the opportunity to get on the tracks that Europeans don’t spend as much time on, so when the World Cup does return to these tracks, we have the practice in the lines and the feel of those tracks to be able to perform well,” he said.

Unlike years past, when national team spots were expressly on the line during selection races, BCS is undergoing what highperformance director Chris Le Bihan calls a “technical evaluation” for its athletes.

“We’re not sitting here surprised with our athlete pool,” Le Bihan explained. “We go through these types of cycles every couple of quads where you have an elite group of pilots and teams [retire]. It’s an exciting time. You get a bigger crop of people coming in, and you get to see what they’re made of over the next couple of years and prepare them for either an Olympic experience, or to be the next senior team athletes at the start of the next quad.”

Team Canada returns to Whistler Nov. 27 for NAC competition. n

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

39

EPICURIOUS

Whistler institution Rimrock Café under new ownership LONGTIME EMPLOYEES CHRIS MCKINNEY AND STEVE MAILE TAKE THE REINS FROM FOUNDERS BOB DAWSON AND ROLF GUNTHER

BY BRADEN DUPUIS IF THERE’S A SECRET behind the Rimrock Café’s success—one of Whistler’s longestrunning and most revered local restaurants—it can be traced back to one word: consistency.

From the quality of the food to the familiar faces on the serving staff, customers know what they’re getting when they walk through the doors of the Creekside institution.

It’s a quality new owners Chris McKinney and Steve Maile—who purchased the Rimrock from founders Bob Dawson and Rolf Gunther earlier this year—aim to carry forward as the restaurant enters a new era.

Both McKinney and Maile have worked

ROCK THE HOUSE Longtime Rimrock employees (and now owners) Chris McKinney (left) and Steve Maile.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RIMROCK CAFE

at the Rimrock for more than 20 years—and they’re not outliers.

“There’s plenty who have worked here even longer than us, so I think people recognize that,” McKinney said. “Not to be a cheeseball, but it’s like fine-dining Cheers, you know? Everybody knows your name.”

The familiarity of the staff is more than just comfort for diners—it’s part of what makes the Rimrock so successful, added Maile.

“We rely on the experience that we have throughout the kitchen and the front of the house—we don’t have to micromanage,” he said. “We can trust for the most part that everyone already knows how to do their job, and it’s just making sure they’re provided with all the right tools to make that happen.”

Founded in 1986, the Rimrock is replete with local history and memories—a fact not lost on its new owners.

How do they intend to honour that history?

“Changing as little as possible,” McKinney said with a laugh. “Obviously

there’s going to be changes, but not so much that people that have been coming here since it opened are going to think, ‘Oh, this is not the same place I remember it being.’ Our goal is to honour Bob and Rolf. They honoured us by giving us the opportunity, and we’re going to honour them by maintaining their consistency and loyalty to their customers.”

McKinney, who will take the role of head chef, and Maile, who will act as general manager, are a bonafide Whistler culinary success story.

Both arrived in the resort in the late ’90s, cutting their teeth in local kitchens, rising through the ranks, eventually landing at the Rimrock.

“We definitely owe it to Bob and Rolf that they wanted to sell it to someone in-house, and we were lucky enough that we were in a position to make that happen,” Maile said, adding that owning their own restaurant was always the goal.

“Chris and I actually talked about it when we worked in the kitchen together, a long, long time ago. We both knew that

we wanted it to happen, and been thinking about it for honestly more than 10 years.”

What can guests expect when they visit the Rimrock once it reopens Nov. 9?

“The goal is no discernible change other than slight quality improvements … and not only honouring the former owners, but also all the memories that have been created here, by the thousands of guests we’ve had over the years,” Maile said.

There have already been some “minor tweaks” with a couple dishes, but guests shouldn’t expect a drastic departure from their favourites, McKinney added—though the new owners plan to be more active in the community going forward.

Both McKinney and Maile are fathers, and along with another Rimrock employee are “very active” in local youth hockey, McKinney said.

“We’re happy to support that, and looking next year at some other stuff, hopefully, to support the community,” he said.

Read more at rimrockcafe.com. n

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Join The YC Crew and Counsellor, Kayla Benbow for...

SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH OPEN DAILY: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

FITNESS CLASS SCHEDULE NOVEMBER 10

NOVEMBER 11

NOVEMBER 12

NOVEMBER 13

NOVEMBER 14

NOVEMBER 15

NOVEMBER 16

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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

Steve

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

Anna

I Spin TRX Mixer 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Mel

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

Lou

R Boys

Learn 2 Lift 7:15-8 a.m.

Josh

I Strength

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

Marie-Anne

Training for Endurance Athletes 8-9 a.m.

Marie-Anne

I Aqua Fit Deep 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Marie-Anne I Full Body HIIT 9-10 a.m.

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

Josie

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

Heidi

I Low Impact Strength 9-10 a.m.

Anna R Swim Fit Technique 10-11 a.m.

Marie-Anne

Remembrance Day – No Classes

I Gentle Fit 1-2 p.m.

Lauren

F Pilates Mat Class 12:15-1 p.m.

Liv

I Aqua Fit Shallow 8:45-9:45 a.m.

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

Mel

I Strength & Stability 9-10 a.m.

Lou

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 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.

Sara

I Slow Flow Yoga 8-9 p.m.

Laura

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

Carmen

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

Laura

POOL HOURS NOV 10 FRIDAY

NOV 11 SATURDAY

NOV 12 SUNDAY

NOV 13 MONDAY

NOV 14 TUESDAY

NOV 15 WEDNESDAY

NOV 16 THURSDAY

MAIN LAP POOL

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

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6-8:45 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-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. & 4-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-8 p.m.

11:45 a.m.-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-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.-8 p.m.

6-8:45 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.-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.

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

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FRIDAY NOV 10+24 | 6:45-8:30PM @ THE YC | AGES 13-18 (GRADE 8+) Fun evening chats with our special guest Counsellor, Kayla Benbow, and The YC Crew, all about Healthy Relationships. Whether it’s your friendships or someone you’re dating... get the tea on creating great connections!

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

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ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

604.935.8187 • youthcentre@whistler.ca The Whistler Youth Centre WhistlerYouthCentre (The YC)

ARTS SCENE

Village 8 being revived for 2023 Whistler Film Festival THE LOCAL MOVIE THEATRE HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE EARLY JANUARY

BY DAVID SONG ALL SORTS OF Oscar-worthy blockbusters, Canadian productions and mountain culture flicks are on tap for the 2023 Whistler Film Festival (WFF), but one announcement stands out among the rest: Village 8 is returning.

For a limited time, anyway. WFF organizers are putting the defunct theatre back into service during the festival, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. The facility closed on Jan. 5, with former operator Imagine Cinemas citing logistical and staffing issues as its reason for pulling the plug.

The theatre’s screens and projection equipment have so far been left intact.

“We were able to engage in some talks with the owners of the building and have made an arrangement with them to be able to operate

BACK FROM THE DEAD Audiences mingle in the lobby of the Village 8 theatre during the 2022 Whistler Film Festival.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL

42 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

the space as a theatre for the duration of the festival,” explains the festival’s executive director Angela Heck. “We will be running three screens in there and it will look exactly the same from a screening perspective as you would have expected at last year’s festival. We

8 was the corridor’s lone source of timely Hollywood entertainment as well as the venue of numerous WFF screenings.

Its closure forced people to look elsewhere for their film fix. Arts Whistler, for instance, put on a handful of screenings

“It was a huge development for us that we were able to proceed with Village 8.

It just makes so much more sense.”

- ANGELA HECK

are bringing in concessions as well, so people will have a full festival experience.”

The Sea to Sky has had to go without a commercial movie theatre since Imagine Cinemas left town. Many were saddened to hear the news, praising the modest multiplex as a weatherproof change of pace to complement Whistler’s bevy of outdoor recreational options. For years, Village

at the Maury Young Arts Centre and at Olympic Plaza during its summer outdoor movie series. Such ventures could only mitigate the loss of a local gem, but the WFF was prepared to march on.

“We were prepared to find alternate screening venues,” Heck says. “You have to remember: when the festival started 23 years ago, we were building pop-up venues in the

conference centre and around the place, so we were looking at those options as well. It was a huge development for us that we were able to proceed with Village 8. It just makes so much more sense.”

It is too early to say whether anyone will continue operating Village 8 in the future, but WFF decision-makers intend to take a more serious look at available opportunities in time.

HI AGAIN, HOLLYWOOD

Befitting the temporary return of Whistler’s lone commercial theatre, the WFF is making two of 2023’s biggest hits available: Oppenheimer screens Dec. 1 at noon, and Barbie follows suit Dec. 3 at the same time.

The year’s most pervasive cinematic phenomenon has, up until now, passed Whistler by. Barbie leads the worldwide box office with approximately US$1.44 billion in revenue, and Oppenheimer is third with just under $947 million. Against the odds, Greta Gerwig’s feminist fantasy comedy meshed well with Christopher Nolan’s solemn study of the man behind the atom bomb, causing audiences

ARTS SCENE

LET IT SHOW The Whistler Film Festival is set to return in person from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER FILM FESTIVAL

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Many more projects round out this year’s WFF lineup. Outdoor recreation enthusiasts should note the world premiere of 500 Days in the Wild, chronicling Dianne Whelan’s unprecedented 24,000-kilometre odyssey on the Trans Canada Trail: Earth’s longest such pathway. Another solid choice in that vein

EC

A GROWING FOOTPRINT

is Adaptation, which documents a group of adaptive mountain bike athletes at the BC Summer Games.

There’s also the Whistler premiere of Solo, voted Best Canadian Feature at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Sophie Dupuis-directed story follows a young drag queen as he grapples with a complex romance and a meeting with his estranged mother.

No two seasons are quite alike for the WFF, but Heck and her team continue to proceed as best they can.

“The last three years have been completely unruly, right? We can’t say it’s business as usual,” she remarks. “This year, the challenge was the [Writers Guild of America] strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike that has really impacted the industry and changed what we were able to access.

“Honestly, without the support [of the Sea to Sky community], it would have been a much rougher ride, especially in the years coming out of the lockdown. We really noticed that the audience in 2021 set us up going into 2022 in a better way.”

Originally a product of COVID-19, the WFF’s online edition is returning again from Dec. 4 to 17. Approximately 80 per cent of festival content will be available remotely, though not movies in the running for major awards.

The WFF brand has expanded across Canada in recent years due in large part to its online aspect. Even Prince Edward Islanders are getting in on the act by way of a new PEI Market Accelerator program designed to mentor Maritime filmmakers as they build their skills.

“It’s really one of the foundations of what we do,” says Heck. “By having talent programs that are so closely aligned with opportunities to meet industry professionals, [we help people] develop their projects. Why Whistler and P.E.I.? Well, because the training that we’re doing to develop storytellers is working and people are noticing the results.”

Other key WFF talent development initiatives include the Sea to Sky Shorts Showcase to be unveiled Nov. 8, Power Pitch on Nov. 30 and the Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship.

Learn more about the 2023 WFF at whistlerfilmfestival.com. n

9D

to flock to both films—often on the same day.

Five more Oscar candidates are also on their way at the upcoming festival.

Kicking things off Nov. 29 is Maestro. Bradley Cooper directs and stars as American composer Leonard Bernstein, while Carey Mulligan plays Bernstein’s wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, in a biographical look at the couple’s marriage and respective careers.

Another major biopic comes in the form of Origin, an Ava DuVernay-helmed production based on Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Aunjanue Ellis stars as Wilkerson as she embarks on a globe-trotting investigative journey into racism, hierarchy and social stratification.

May December brings Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore into the fold. Portman plays an actress who travels to Georgia to study her next role: a woman embroiled in a prolific tabloid romance. Moore co-stars as that very woman, who must subsequently navigate an intrusion into her tempestuous marriage.

American Fiction is the last Best Picture nominee among the WFF’s latest offerings.

In it, Jeffrey Wright portrays a novelist who writes an outlandish book to protest cultural stereotypes and reductionist forms of so-called “Black entertainment.”

Meanwhile, Rojek is Canada’s selection for the Best International Feature category. It is a hard-hitting documentary in which director Zaynê Akyol speaks with incarcerated Islamic State members and their wives to learn about their fundamentalist beliefs amidst the Rojava-Islamist conflict in Kurdistan.

“We have attracted a great number of Oscar-worthy films, and, of course, our great Canadian independent features as well,” says Heck. “Our [director of programming] is Paul Gratton and he’s over the moon. He said it’s never been a better year for attracting films.”

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

43

ARTS SCENE

Pemberton man shares the life of a rebel in I Survived Myself AT 66 YEARS OLD, PETER ‘PERU’ CHRZANOWSKI HAS NO INTENTION OF SLOWING DOWN ANYTIME SOON

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter PEMBERTON’S PETER “Peru” Chrzanowski has squeezed enough life into his decades on Earth to last him multiple lifetimes. Thankfully, the local daredevil has captured his extraordinary life in a new memoir, I Survived Myself, first published in his native Polish.

The book illustrates the life of a rebel, a ski bum and a vagabond. Chrzanowski was always determined to do life his way, whether that meant wrangling a racoon into a classroom for show-and-tell, throwing chestnuts at a priest or simply posing as a journalist to gain a press pass.

Chrzanowski’s life in the wild has been far from smooth sailing, leaving him with more insight on what it means to be alive than most. He’s crashed his paraglider into power lines in Mexico. He watched helplessly as his friend Gerhard Singler fell to his death from the West Couloir on Wedge Mountain near Whistler.

The 66-year-old has no intention of slowing down anytime soon, either. “I just naturally kept going. I felt that I had a bit of a

lucky streak,” he says. “It never held me back.

It just went from one to another.”

Death has come knocking on Chrzanowski’s door more times than he can count. “When I first fell during my big accident in Peru, that was really scary. When my paraglider collapsed, that was really scary.

I didn’t know if I would come out of it. I had to crawl out of the jungle a few years ago. That was scary,” he recalls.

Chrzanowski details travelling to the “land of blue lights,” a place he did not want to leave when the veil between life and death grew thin. “A lot of people have had out-of-body experiences and go through the tunnel,” he says. “You’re part of the universe. There is no past, present or future.

You’re there. You feel like you’re talking to souls or maybe people that you know from the past, but you can’t quite find who they are. You’re very comfortable.”

The Poland native is not scared of what comes next, acknowledging he still has plenty of adventures on his mind. “There is still so much that I would like to do in the material world. I’ve slowed it down and I’m a lot more careful. I’ve learned a lot. I want to enjoy what the Earth has to offer. I don’t want death to be painful, that’s for sure. I’m not really scared

ON THE EDGE Pemberton’s Peter Chrzanowksi’s adventurous life is captured in his new memoir, I Survived Myself.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER CHRZANOWSKI

of it,” he says.

Sometimes, Chrzanowski wonders if there was something out there looking out for him, or a reason why he has made it through six decades living on the edge. “There is something out there. Sometimes, I wonder why was I special. Others didn’t make it.

Maybe I was doing something right,” he says.

Chrzanowski has been criticized around

Whistler for his natural draw towards mountains untouched by men. “We were young,” he says. “We were full of piss and vinegar. It was different. The gear just wasn’t there for the touring. I guess we were just skiing a lot of stuff that regular people weren’t.

The patrol was worried. All of those runs were permanently closed, like Friday the 13th.”

The extreme sport pioneer thinks skiing has changed over the years—and not necessarily for the better. “I think in general skiing was more harmonious,” he says. “It was more for the joy of skiing, not all about the equipment or the clothes. It was way more down to Earth. Whistler was smaller.

Things grow out of their boundaries. We were poor. We were making films and films were so expensive to make at that time. The process was just so expensive. You had to cut corners everywhere. You had to find cheap gear.”

Chrzanowski chose a different life to friends who eventually settled into the 9-to5 groove: the life of an adventurer. “I think we chose a different path,” he says. “We were rebels in that way. We travelled a lot.

We didn’t have families. It was a different way of doing life. People always look at that as rebellious.” ■

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ARTS SCENE

FOOTBALL IS BACK!

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

Catch all the games on Thursdays, Sundays & Mondays (with volume)

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

Join us for Monday Night Football when our dinner special is MNF Flatbread!

$19.50 plus tax with a choice of 3 toppings.

Buckets of 4 Budweiser, Bud Light, or Moosehead for $32 including taxes on Sundays & Mondays

REMEMBRANCE DAY

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FILE PHOTO BY MEGAN LALONDE

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE

drink festival, Cornucopia, is cooking up something hotter than ever and we’re not sure you can handle the heat!

The three featured comics—Amber Harper Lynn, Alistair Ogden and Paul Myrehaug—are guaranteed to have you falling off your seat and giggling all the way home (even if you live in Cheakamus)! > Nov. 16, 8 p.m. > Whistler Conference Centre > $40, available at showpass.com/ comedykitchen2023

On Nov. 11, veterans, Canadian military units, first responders, residents and visitors will gather at the Whistler Cenotaph as we pause, reflect and remember the more than 116,000 Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to Canada.

The service begins with the Veterans’ Parade and Colour Party from the Ted Nebbeling Bridge down the Village Stroll to the Cenotaph. > Nov. 11, 10:30 a.m. > Whistler Olympic Plaza > Free

Laugh Out LIVE! is back with another brand new comedy variety show at Whistler Cornucopia: Whose WINE is it Anyway: The 2nd Sip! With special guests Jonny Fleet, Sarah Williamson, and Kelly Dyer.

Use code LOCAL25 for the discount and you will receive a complimentary drink. > Nov. 13, 8 p.m. > Whistler Conference Centre > $35, available at showpass.com/ laughoutlive2023

This year’s Comedy Kitchen, part of Whistler’s food and

FOR SALE

Meet with me via video conference, telephone, and email.

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FREE CONSULTATION

Whistler’s seniors’ advocacy group, the Mature Action Community, is hosting a fall roundtable discussion and panel session on housing for seniors.

This afternoon is aimed at those 55-plus (or anyone actively planning their older future) who are either renting or owning their home or looking for a home whether it is market or WHA housing or other. We will take a snapshot of the current demographics of housing seniors here in Whistler. If you want to age in place in Whistler, what type of housing do you need? What are the issues? What is suitable seniors’ housing?

Questions can be sent in advance to info@whistlermac. org.

Light refreshments will be served. > Nov. 18, 1 p.m. > Whistler Public Library > Free

We’ve got you covered.

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Pick up the latest issue of your favourite read on stands and in hotel rooms throughout Whistler.

Duane Kercher, Real Estate Agent & Managing Broker

Real Estate Sales & Long-Term Rental Management Cell: 604-932-7849 Email: duane@whistlerproperty.com

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

45

MUSEUM MUSINGS

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ON THE TABLE The Table, also known as Table Mountain, in Garibaldi Provincial Park.

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Imagine waking to views of your favorite runs on Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains; or soaking in the hot tub with the evening alpenglow on Wedge Mountain and Armchair Glacier. This 3520’ post and beam masterpiece is a short walk to the Whistler High School, Meadow Park Sports centre and the dynamic offerings of Rainbow Plaza. This Alpine Meadows home offers 5 spacious bedrooms, 4 luxurious bathrooms, 3 fireplaces, 2 living areas, chefs kitchen, a double garage with heated driveway.

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From recruitment to expertise, Carter and Fyles grew into mountaineering luminaries

BY REBECCA MACKAY NEAL CARTER started climbing mountains at 15 years old, after a trip up Grouse Mountain with his uncle. Over the next few years, he continued exploring the Grouse area on his own.

When he met Tom Fyles, a Vancouver postman and member of the BC Mountaineering Club (BCMC), in 1920, he was introduced to a world of mountaineering possibilities. Fyles, along with fellow mountaineer Mickey Dodds, took Carter on a trip up Goat Mountain. There, they showed Carter the mountains the club was exploring, as well as other areas of interest.

Carter joined the club that week and became one of its regulars.

By joining the club and climbing with experienced mountaineers, Carter learned

experienced leader.

A few years after Fyles joined the BCMC, he served as a committee member, then became their climbing director for nine years, until he left the club in 1926. He became synonymous with the BCMC, leading several expeditions and successful ascents. Fyles also soloascended some difficult climbs, including The Table. Though not a recommended route today, to an early 20th-century mountaineer, it was a welcome challenge.

After the BCMC first encountered The Table in 1914, it was closely studied and was of particular interest to Fyles. A few years later, Fyles and two other members made a trip out to attempt the summit. He led more trips to The Table in the following years, including one with Carter in 1922 that was the second known ascent of the extraordinary, flat-topped mountain.

“That’s one mountain that I never want to climb again!”

- NEAL CARTER

quickly about solid mountaineering techniques—and the associated risks. On a trip he took with Fyles up Cathedral Mountain, he slipped as he was summiting the mountain, a near-accident that taught him about the value of caution. It did not, however, deter him from building his mountaineering career and becoming a leader within the community.

Fyles had a similar introduction to the BCMC. Moving to Vancouver from England in 1910, he was immediately awestruck by the mountains, but did not know how to “get there.” Two years later, after a failed attempt to find a way to the trails, he met a member of the BCMC at the post office where he worked.

He took Fyles up to the Grouse Mountain cabin, and that was it; Fyles joined the BCMC. Though it was an adjustment at first—he had never camped before and didn’t know what equipment to bring—he was a naturally talented climber and quickly became an

“That’s one mountain that I never want to climb again!” Carter was reported to have said. “The only consolation was that it was in the fog, so we couldn’t see how far the drop below us was as we three clung to the loose chunks of rock that kept threatening to pull out of the sheer wall.”

Though Fyles eventually left the BCMC, he continued his mountaineering career through the Alpine Club of Canada. He and Carter were on many expeditions together, including the attempt on Mount Waddington in 1934, when they lost their friend, Alec Dalgleish.

Many years later, Carter successfully advocated for a mountain in Bella Coola to be named in honour of Fyles.

Mapping the Mountains, the Whistler Museum’s latest temporary exhibit telling the story of the 1923 Carter/Townsend expedition of our local mountains, ends Nov. 14. n

PARTIAL RECALL

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1 2 3 SPOOK LOOKS Local photographer David Buzzard was in Tapley’s on Oct. 31 to capture all the spooky scenes from the neighbourhood’s 40th annual Halloween festivities. The event raised a record $4,000 and 277 kilograms of food for the Whistler Food Bank. PHOTOS BY DAVID BUZZARD / DAVIDBUZZARD.COM 4 TRICK OR HEAT Sparky (back row) and other members of the Whistler Fire Rescue Service celebrated Halloween by handing out candy to trick or treaters in Rainbow. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN MACCONNACHIE 5 HAUNTED? FLAUNT IT Grade 12 students’ haunted house at Whistler Secondary School was a frightening success. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTY CRAIG

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS! Send your recent snaps to arts@piquenewsmagazine.com

Recycle? Yes or no?

Get the BC RECYCLEPEDIA App

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21-4314 Main Street NOVEMBER 10, 2023

47

ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF NOVEMBER 10 BY ROB BREZSNY

WWW.WHISTLERLAWYER.CA adam@whistlerlawyer.ca | 604.905.5180

Iconic Whistler Hair Salon For Sale!

Established in 2001, The Loft Salon is a thriving icon in Whistler, catering to both men and women. Boasting a large and loyal client base, this profitable salon offers turn-key operations with all equipment included and comprehensive training for the new owner. Seize this unique opportunity to own a piece of Whistler’s beauty legacy.

Contact us today to make this thriving salon your own.

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Have you booked your staff

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Wildwood in Function Junction are taking reservations for staff Christmas Parties.

A 4 course sit down dinner $59.95 per person minimum of 20 people, maximum of 44 people.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your victories-in-progress are subtle. They may not be totally visible to you yet.

Let me describe them so you can feel properly confident about what you are in the process of accomplishing. 1.

A sustained surge of hard-earned personal growth is rendering one of your problems mostly irrelevant. 2. You have been redefining what rewards are meaningful to you, and that’s motivating you to infuse your ambitions with more soulfulness. 3. You are losing interest in a manipulative game that doesn’t serve you as well as it should. 4. You are cultivating more appreciation for fascinating and useful problems.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus physicist Richard Feynman was a smart and accomplished person who won a Nobel Prize. He articulated a perspective that will be healthy for you to experiment with in the coming weeks.

He said, “I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and there are many things I don’t know anything about.” Give Feynman’s approach a try, dear Taurus. Now is an excellent time to explore the perks of questioning everything. I bet you’ll be pleased with how free and easy it makes you feel.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To earn money, I have worked as a janitor, dishwasher, olive picker, ditchdigger, newspaper deliverer, and 23 other jobs involving hard labour. In addition, I have done eight artistic jobs better suited to my sensitive temperament and creative talents. Am I regretful or resentful about the thousands of hours I toiled at tasks I didn’t enjoy? A little. But mostly I’m thankful for them. They taught me how to interact harmoniously with a wide array of people. They helped forge my robust social conscience. And they motivated me to eventually figure out how to get jobs I really loved. Now I invite you to take an inventory of your own work life, Gemini.

It’s an excellent time to evaluate where you’ve been and where you want to go in the future.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are so many kinds of sweetness. Zesty, spicy sweetness. Tender, balmy, fragrant sweetness. Sour or bitter sweetness. Musky, piquant sweetness. Luscious, succulent sweetness. One of my favorite types of sweetness is described by Cancerian poet Stephen Dunn. He wrote, “Often a sweetness comes as if on loan, stays just long enough to make sense of what it means to be alive, then returns to its dark source. As for me, I don’t care where it’s been, or what bitter road it’s traveled to come so far, to taste so good.” My analysis of the astrological omens suggests to me that you are about to commune with at least three of these sweetnesses, Cancerian. Maybe most of them.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Dan Savage advocates regular indulgence in sloth. He notes that few of us can “get through 24 hours without a little downtime. Human beings need to stare off into space, look out the window, daydream, and spend time every day being indolent and useless.” I concur, and I hope you will indulge in more downtime than usual during the coming weeks. For the sake of your long-term mental and physical health, you need to relax extra deep and strong now—to recharge your battery with delicious and delightful abandon.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): According to my deep and thorough analysis of your astrological rhythms, your mouth will soon be a wonder of nature. The words emerging from your lips will be extra colourful, precise, and persuasive.

Your taste buds will have an enhanced vividness as they commune with the joys of food and drink. And I suspect your tongue and lips will exult in an upgrade of aptitude and pleasure while plying the arts of sex and intimate love.

Congratulations, Mouthy Maestro!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In addition to being a

masterful composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756– 1791) played the piano, violin, harp, bassoon, clarinet, horn, flute, oboe, and trumpet. His experience led him to believe that musicians best express their skills when they play fast. It’s more challenging to be excellent when playing slowly, he thought. But I will invite you to adopt the reverse attitude and approach in the coming weeks, Libra.

According to my astrological analysis, you will be most successful if you work gradually and incrementally, with careful diligence and measured craftiness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In my horoscopes for Scorpios, I tend to write complex messages. My ideas are especially thick and rich and lush. Why? Because I imagine you as being complex, thick, rich, and lush. Your destiny is labyrinthine and mysterious and intriguing, and I aspire to reflect its intricate, tricky beauty. But this time, in accordance with current astrological omens, I will offer you my simplest, most straightforward oracle ever. I borrowed it from author Mary Anne Hershey: “Live with intention.

Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Play with abandon. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends.

Do what you love.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her poem Requiem, Anna Akhmatova says, “I must kill off memory . . . and I must learn to live anew.” I think most of us can benefit from periodically engaging in this brave and robust exercise. It’s not a feat to be taken lightly—not to be done more than once or twice a year. But guess what: The coming weeks will be a time when such a ritual might be wise for you. Are you ready to purge old business and prepare the way for a fresh start? Here are your words of power: forgiveness, clearing, cleaning, release, absolution, liberation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): We need stories almost as much as we need to breathe, eat, sleep, and move. It’s impossible to live without them. The best stories nourish our souls, stimulate our imagination, and make life exciting. That’s not to say that all stories are healthy for us.

We sometimes cling to narratives that make us miserable and sap our energy. I think we have a sacred duty to de-emphasize and even jettison those stories—even as we honour and relish the rich stories that empower and inspire us. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Capricorn, because you’re in a phase of your cycle when you will especially thrive by disposing of the bad old stories and celebrating the good ones.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I could be wrong, but I don’t think so: You are smarter and wiser than you realize about the pressing issues that are now vying for your attention. You know more than you know you know.

I suspect this will soon become apparent, as streams of fresh insights rise up from the depths of your psyche and guide your conscious awareness toward clarity. It’s OK to squeal with glee every time a healing intuition shows up.

You have earned this welcome phase of lucid certainty.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Indigenous cultures throughout history, shamans have claimed they have the power to converse with and even temporarily become hawks, coyotes, snakes, and other creatures. Why do they do that? It’s a long story, but one answer is that they believe animals have intelligences that are different from what humans have. The shamans aspire to learn from those alternate ways of seeing and comprehending the world. Many of us who live in Western culture dismiss this venerable practice, although I’ve known animal lovers who sympathize with it. If you are game for a fun experiment, Pisces, I invite you to try your own version. Choose an animal to learn from. Study and commune with it. Ask it to reveal intuitions that surprise and enrich you.

Homework: What increasingly unnecessary duty could you abandon and thereby fuel your drive to be free?

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

Please send all inquiries to

bob@wildwoodrestaurants.ca.

48 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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

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THE GLEN (PEMBERTON) Furnished studio suite 10 min walk to bus and town. Separate entry, parking, Suitable for quite single 1300, or couple 1600. Include Wifi, share laundry, text shirley 604-9359421. 604-935-9421

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

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

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HOME SERVICES MOVING AND STORAGE

Free Housing Join our team of Plumbers and Gas Fitters Hiring 3rd and 4th year apprentice or journeyman candidates with experience in service/repair work.

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• Providing fully stocked truck, tools, and phone.

• Extended health plan available.

• We can hire skilled foreign workers and support permanent residency applications.

• Short-term accommodation available free of charge. Long term housing options available as well.

Send your resume to: Dough@spearheadsph.com

THE 2023-2024 PEMBERTON GUIDE

Vacasa’s forward-thinking approach and industry-leading technology help set us apart as the largest full-service vacation rental company in North America.

We are seeking individuals with a passion for providing exceptional vacation experiences for our Owners and Guests.

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

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(Full-Time, wage Year-Round) $24.50 per hour Apply online today! https://www.vacasa.com/careers/positions or email: paul.globisch@vacasa.com or call to find out more details at 604-698-0520 We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

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We are looking for someone who has attention to detail, is able to work independently, can communicate clearly, is a problem-solver, is willing to use a computer and can self lead completing daily tasks.

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51

Community

Lil’wat Nation

Child and Youth Therapist- Maternity Leave

NOTICES

Department: Special Needs

LEGAL/PUBLIC NOTICES Warehouse Lien Act

Status: Contract Full-time Start Date: November 2023 End Date: June 20, 2024

Staff Accommodation, Perks & Benefits

Pay Grid: $57,330 to $80,080 per year.

WE’RE HIRING

Reporting to: School Admin team Summary of Duties: The Child and Youth Therapist works with students aged 4-18 within a school-based setting. The child and youth therapist uses trauma-informed and therapeutic modalities including narrative therapy, expressive arts, and CBT. The child and youth therapist will report to the school admin support team.

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

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Whistler Olympic Park is hiring for the 2023–2024 season (November to April) We are one of the largest cross country skiing and snowshoeing venues in British Columbia, located in the beautiful Callaghan Valley, just south of Whistler.

Open positions:

What we offer: STAFF HOUSING OPTIONS IN WHISTLER! Competitive wages Transport and carpool options to/from work Benefits package & perks, incl. health & wellness options Full time, part time and casual roles available WB season pass financing & more Whistler’s most unique & inspirational workplace!

• Lifeguard/Swim Instructor The starting wage for thisof position is $24.86 per hour Resort Municipality Whistler

Opportunities •Employment Supervisor, Utilities – Wastewater

APPLY NOW!

·· Legislative and Privacy Coordinator Lifeguard/Swim the starting wageInstructor for this position is $43.80 per hour ·· Program Leader Skate Host ·· Lifeguard/Swim Instructor Wastewater Treatment Plant Process Supervisor •·· Solid Building – Plan Examiner II or III Waste Technician Labourer I – Official Village Maintenance the staring wage for this position is $40.30 per hour ·· Accountant Youth and Public Services Specialist

whistlerolympicpark.com/careers Looking to adopt?

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

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

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Manager, Safety and Compliance This position will provide leadership and compliance in the prevention of incident injury and illnesses across all operations and Venues for the Whistler Olympic Legacy venues

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52 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

For more information, please call Cooper’s Towing Ltd. @ 604-902-1930

Nordic Ski Patrol $23/hr start wage Groomer $25/hr start wage

Employment Opportunities

Get noticed!

Whereas the following registered owners are indebted to Cooper’s Towing Ltd. for unpaid towing and storage fees plus any related charges that may accrue.

Notice is hereby given that on November 24, 2023, at noon or thereafter the goods will be seized and sold.

1. Brian Neil Ferguson 2014 Ubilt Boat Trailer Plate # WDD55F $8762.25 2. Owner : Unknown Boat 13K-46124 T.A.C $8526.00 3. Jonathan Boyce 2003 Chevrolet Venture VIN: 1GNDX03E23D275328 $3391.50 4. Webb Wilkinson Riley Jackson – 2006 Audi A3 VIN: WAUMF78P76A203199 $3423.00 5. Matterson Grace 2002 GMC Envoy VIN: 1GKDT13S222418521 $4305.00 6. Norman Luke 1969 Dodge/Ram Coronet VIN: WS27L9G193844 $2079.00 7. Lundrigan Shawn 2002 Dodge/Ram Dakota Vin: 1B7GL42XX2S685946 $2068.50 8. Owner: unknown 2011 Dodge/Ram Avenger Vin: 1B3BD1FB1BN564128 $1590.76 The vehicles are currently being stored at Cooper’s Towing Ltd 8065 Nesters Road Whistler, BC, V8E 0G4

Our ideal candidate: •

Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) certification

•

OFA III, (or equivalent) CPR / First Aid Certification

•

Knowledge of BC regulatory framework of health, safety and environment

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whistlersportlegacies.com/careers

piquenewsmagazine.com/ local-events/ Seeking Relatives/Friends of Cameron Chu Whistler’s Storall is seeking relatives/friends of the late Cameron Chu, specifically his brother Byron Chu, regarding a storage matter.

Please call or email with any information. Ph: 604-938-1313 Email: info@whistlerstorage.com

Warehouse Lien Act Alan Sidorov, unless $2,730.00 plus all costs of this action are paid the contents of your storage Unit G24 at Mons Holdings Ltd 8080 Nesters Rd.Whistler, BC will be sold at 10:00am October 31,2023 Abc Professional Bailiffs Ltd 604-618-1721 doug1413@gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Part Time Work at Recycle Depot Sites – Nesters/Function – Training provided – send resume to denise.imbeau@gflenv.com Spel'kúmtn Community Forest Strategic Planning facilitation Spel’kumtn Community Forest (SCF) is seeking proposals from experienced consultants who can provide strong strategic insight, facilitation skills, and craft a compelling, actionable strategic plan. The work will include background research and engagement with the SCF, facilitating a one-day, in-person strategic planning workshop, and drafting a 3-5 year strategic plan for the SCF. spelkumtncf@gmail.com www.spelkumtncf.com Whistler Personnel Solutions Full-time, part-time & temp jobs.

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

Lil’wat Nation

Employment Opportunities Ullus Community Centre • Homemaker ($38,038 - $53,599 per year)

NOW HIRING!

• Social Worker ($80,371.20 - $91,673.40 per year) • Financial Reporting Manager ($93,475.20 - $101,556 per year) • Family Enhancement Worker ($38,038 - $53,599 per year) • Band Social Development Worker Assistant ($17.10-$20.90 per hour)

Xet’òlacw Community School • Child and Youth Therapist ($57,330 - $80,080 per year)

Full Time Meat Manager

Lil’wat Health & Healing • Custodian ($17.10-$20.90 per hour)

($64,480 – $76,960 (+ benefits) depending on experience)

• Nurse Manager ($59,878 - $99,717.80 per year)

Full Time Assistant Meat Manager

• Assistant Health Director ($93,475.20 - $101,556 per year) • Administrative Assistant to Health Director ($38,038 - $53,599 per year)

Ts’zil Learning Centre • Administrative Assistant - Culture Centre ($38,038 - $53,599 per year)

Lil’wat Business Group

($54,080 – $70,720 (+ benefits) depending on experience)

Our Team enjoys: ü

Flexible schedules

Benefits Pension Plan • Employee Assistance Program • Gym facility Extended Health Benefits • Professional Development

ü

Training and experience

ü

Substantial Employee Discount Card & Benefits

Please visit our career page for more information: https://lilwat.ca/careers/

ü

Prime location in Pemberton

ü

Short commute = less time, more $$$

• Kitchen Staff: ($17.10 - $18.50 per hour)

MASSAGE THERAPIST/ BODY WORKER Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler is seeking a Massage Therapist / Body Worker

Download or fill out our online application at https://www.pembertonsupermarket.com/ about/employment/ or stop by the store and we will give you an application to fill out.

You can also email us at jobs@pembertonsupermarket.com or call us at 604-894-3663.

We've Got You Covered VISITORS’ GUIDE 2017-2018 FREE

• Competitive contractor wages • Flexible hours REQUIREMENTS: • Minimum of 2 years experience in a Luxury brand, or Spa • Canadian recognized Massage Course with 2200 hours or equivalent diploma If this exciting opportunity sounds like a fit for you, please email: robin.jewers@ fourseasons.com

We’re Hiring! Experienced Carpenters

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION? WANT TO COME AND WORK FOR A GREAT TEAM WITH LOTS OF ROOM FOR CAREER GROWTH? APPLY TO CONNECT@TMBUILDERS.CA BENEFITS, FULL TIME WORK, WAGES $30-$45 BASED ON EXPERIENCE

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

53

CIVIL CONSTRUCTION AND SNOW SERVICES BUILDING AN EXCELLENT COMPANY, PEOPLE, RELATIONSHIPS, AND RESULTS

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STRONG WORK ETHIC

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES SNOWPLOW OPERATOR, Whistler - Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s Licence required.

Must be available from November 15 through March 31. Prior work experience an asset but all those with a willingness to work hard and learn are welcome to apply; on-the-job training is provided. $28-$33 per hour.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, Squamish - Minimum 5 years or 5,000 hours operating experience on excavator. Full-time, Monday – Friday. $33-$42 per hour.

Y APPL

coastalmountain.ca/careers instagram.com/coastalmountainexcavations

D E L T A

W H I S T L E R

V I L L A G E

S U I T E S

WE'RE HIRING CHIEF ENGINEER

(The salary range for this position is $74,000 to $97,000 annually)

ASSISTANT ROOMS MANAGER (The salary range for this position is $49,000 to $58,000 annually)

STAFF HOUSING COORDINATOR (The pay range for this position is $24.00 to $26.50 per hour)

HOUSEKEEPING (The pay range for this position is $21.98 to $24.26 per hour)

STAFF HOUSING AVAILABLE.COMPETITIVE RATES & BENEFITS.GLOBAL DISCOUNTS.GLOBAL CAREER.

Join the #1 Global Leader in Hospitality. Apply at Jobs.Marriott.com.

Contact Adela.Celustkova@deltahotels.com for more information, or drop by and talk to us - we love to meet new people.

54 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Based in beautiful Whistler, BC, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) is seeking an Executive Director to lead a high performing, passionate team.

The Executive Director is an advocate of the SLCC, building strong community awareness and support. The ideal candidate for this role will be responsible for implementing the SLCC’s strategic plan, striving for financial sustainability, and rooting all business decisions in the culture of the centre.

At the core of all SLCC business decisions is the sharing of Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation culture through art, history, language and cuisine.

The ideal candidate will bring previous experience from an executive role, exemplifying strong business acumen and a proven ability to align and lead teams from a place of inspiration, compassion, and empowerment.

Experience leading full cycle financial planning, budgeting and reporting is required.

Annual salary range between $100-135k.

Please visit SLCC.ca/careers/ for complete job description and application process. Posting closes on Friday, November 30th.

Looking for a New Career in Whistler?

WHISTLER CAREER FAIR When: Sunday, November 19, 2023 from 12-3pm Where: Whistler Public Library 4329 Main Street INCLUSIVITY. DIVERSITY. EQUITY. ACCESSIBILITY

REGISTER NOW

• • • •

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

55

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TILE

PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 14 18 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 32 34 36 37 38 39 41 43 44 45 47 49 52 53 55 59 60 62 64 65 66 67 69 71 72

73 74 75 77 78 80 82 84 85 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 96 97 99 102 104 105 106 107 108

Healthy lunch option Dressed School event, for short Singer Diana -Healing potion Naan alternative Hourly fee Synthetic fabric Split Square pilaster Send forth Relating to the eye Mavens Coniferous tree “Mamma --!”

Farm denizen Turnstile Flanders or Beatty Celebration Simple seat Allows Fall mo.

Word of woe Brought back Food fish Official seal Stark Unlikely tale Nitpicker Japanese dog breed Food cupboard Actor -- Gosling Chop finely Hawaii’s bird Party beverage Newt Male animal “Dear -- Hansen” Comic’s offering

110 112 114 115 117 119 120 121 123 125 126 129 131 132 133

A little sticky Badly Uproar Mine’s output Wipe out Give authority to Power source Apples and oranges Snap up “The Way We --” Sky sighting Putter around No longer working Luster Go off course Sailing vessel King or queen Runner in a race Clumsy boat Contends Cul-de- -Rep.’s counterpart Statue by Michelangelo Like a steak Counting everybody (2 wds.)

Tumbled Flitted Eat to excess “-- and gentlemen” Cell or salon Belfry creatures Invocation Two of a kind Scone Genesis son “Casablanca” pianist Rounded handle Tantrum in public Lyric poet Craze

136 138 140 141 142 143 145 147 149 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158

Composer Stravinsky Boston hoopster, briefly Wine category Lot Tractor-trailer Do museum work -- Major Old Greek coin Subatomic particle Avid “King and I” setting Standard Tex-Mex fare Shipping route Sharpen Influence Jobs for actors

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 23 28

Car with four doors Wonderland girl Existed Line of rotation “I Know What You -- Last Summer” Hoisting device Solitary Trial fig.

Width of a circle Tending to moralize Hit hard Relating to the ear Alloy Place for an urban garden Tolkien creature Garden pest Kind of goose Do again Alliance letters Gun the engine

31 33 35 38 39 40 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 54 56 57 58 60 61 63 66 68 70 73 74 75 76 79 80 81 83 84 85 86 89 91 92 95 97

“-- anybody’s guess” Abbr. in business French article Troublesome bug Bed on a train Core Urban renewal target Poker stake Ornate Not sweet, said of wine Cleveland’s waters Belted out a tune Home furnishings giant Spiced cake Fishing spot Character Automatic Frightened Doctrine Purplish color Bark Neither’s partner Soft colors Streamed Freeloaded Coin toss outcome Enjoy a drink Chemin de -Head of state Spice mix for ribs Take in Join Part of a foot Breakfast cereal Food retailer Ribbed fabric Beelzebub Tear Hydroplaned Lummox Dull surface

98 100 101 103 105 106 107 109 111 113 114 116 118 120 122 124 125 126

Currier and -Encourage Beverage on tap Bit of paper Tart fruits Explorer Sir Francis -Horse of a color Reveal a secret Land parcel Leaves high and dry Grating Earnest Knot-tying craft Family member Caviar So-so grade Mouser Editor’s notation

127 128 130 132 133 134 135 137 139 141 142 144 146 148 150

Chills and fever Fable’s point Grow red Warm and pleasant Untamed Whac- -- - -Wines and -Sitar music Group of performers “Requiem -- -Heavyweight” Japanese sport Sawbuck -- Luis Obispo Curtsy counterpart Corn unit

LAST WEEKS’ ANSWERS

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

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: HARD

2 4

3 9

1 2 7 8

4

1 5

6 3

3 8 6

1

4 6

1

2 7

6 2

3 9

4 2

HARD # 29 Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

9

4

7 8 7 HARD

7 2 5 9 6 2 8 4 6 5 9 5 7 4 2 8

6 2 7 8

1 # 30

ANSWERS ON PAGE 50

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

57

MAXED OUT

Dear Trudeau, it’s not you, it’s me (actually, it’s you) DEAR JUSTIN, Like your famous father, I went for a walk. I wish it had been a walk in the snow like his was all those years ago, but we seem to be having one of those years again where the arrival of snow is keeping us in suspense.

Never a good thing when you live in a ski resort.

Anyway, snow or no snow, I decided you shouldn’t run for Prime Minister again when the wheel comes around in October 2025.

Your time is up. You’ve disappointed too many people too many times and, frankly, shown a real inability to continue in the job.

BY G.D. MAXWELL So, this is quits. I’m done with you. I hope you don’t take it too badly. After all, it’s probably not you; it’s me.

Why now? Why not. It’s 2023. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I’ve been willing to turn a blind eye to your porkies, both big and small, for the past eight years. I’ve swallowed bile at your inability to tackle tough issues while I watched you cave to short-sighted gain and play the power politics game. I’ve supported you when I wished there was an alternative.

And I’ve breathed sighs of relief when, one after another, your party defeated—okay, “defeated” probably isn’t the right word— when your party squeaked out another term in government as opposed to the bozos running against you.

First there was the stinking old fish, Stephen Harper. Ironically, another PM who stayed too long in the job. Remember him?

You should. It was your only true victory over the opposition. But then, Harper probably could have been defeated if the Liberals had run Brigette DePape (the former Senate page who famously disrupted a 2011 Throne speech in protest) as leader against him. She was more responsible for bringing him down— and changing the face of the nation’s stop signs—than you were.

Then you donned your dark face and conjured a genie out of Aladdin’s lamp to whip, who was it? Oh yeah, Andrew Scheer... who got more votes but fewer seats in 2019.

His defeat almost made me forgive you for walking, nay, running away from your Sunny Ways promise after the 2015 electoral win to make it the last election under the first-pastthe-post system. You remember, don’t you?

The first really big, bold promise you set fire to. You were keen on a ranked ballot system and everyone else preferred proportional representation. Oh well, I guess the ends justified the means, assuming that’s ever really the case.

Less than two years later, you called a snap election. During the pandemic. What was that about? You have your own walk in the snow?

58 NOVEMBER 10, 2023

FLICKR / COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Or just fired up a bowl of something wonky?

The face of opposition was different: Erin O’Toole. The result was the same, except you got even less of the popular vote than in 2019 and, a year later, entered your confidenceand-supply agreement with Jagmeet Singh to prop up your minority government.

And even that agreement saw its early fissure this week.

You spent much of your first term hiding behind “commitments” made by the former government to justify your actions. Most egregiously, you used that excuse, proven

And as for spending, you’ve been telling us since 2015 a balanced budget was just around the corner. While I’m not a balanced budget harpy, I’d be happier to see the financial hole the country is digging itself into not get so deep so fast.

Until now, it could be argued your biggest failure was one of hubris. You have miserably failed to pay heed to the threshold task every leader must undertake... and so few actually do. You have completely punted on grooming a successor. Your unwillingness to do so has left the party as vulnerable as the

So much for the argument the carbon tax was neutral because of the rebates people received.

later to be false, to continue sales of armoured vehicles to the Saudis for the sake of a handful of jobs in Ontario, a place you desperately needed votes.

You’ve dangled a national pharmacare plan in front of us since 2019, happily watching while we danced around like kittens chasing a piece of yarn always just out of reach. Your NDP partners pushed the point recently and you dangled it in front of us again. For a spendthrift like you, even the cost of this shouldn’t be a barrier, since study after study has come to the same conclusion: such a plan would save money spent on health-care in the long run.

late, unlamented Progressive Conservative party was when Brian Mulroney handed Kim Campbell a stinking bag of poop and bid her good luck in the next election.

For a long time, it seemed you might have been grooming Chrystia Freeland for the job.

She’s smart, hard-working, dedicated and, at this point, tainted, having spent too long carrying the load for you. Pity that.

And now Mark Carney’s making noise and being touted for your job. Hard to tell how that might play out, but first blush brings back uncomfortable memories of the un-electable Michael Ignatieff. Mike was an historian; Mark’s an economist. While many see his time

as governor of the Bank of Canada as a good thing—especially in light of your own grasp of finances—many will see it as baggage.

All that aside, Justin—and acknowledging if there were an election tomorrow, I’d vote for my current Liberal MP, Patrick Weiler, based on the hard work and good decisionmaking he’s brought to the job so far—the precipitating cause of my breakup with you is your blatant pandering to the handful of seats from Atlantic Canada you’re currently holding and likely to lose anyway in the next election.

Yeah, buddy, you talked a good game on the environment. On climate change. But you gave even that away for a few votes in heating oil land. In one incredibly dumb move, you struck the death knell for carbon pricing in Canada and handed the opposition the biggest gift they could ever imagine getting: Leverage.

So much for the argument the carbon tax was neutral because of the rebates people received. So much for your green creds, caving on the worst possible form of home heating fuel. Hell, you might as well have given them tax credits to switch to burning coal.

In one move you’ve not only made the unspeakable leader of the opposition look good, you’ve given every premier west of Atlantic Canada a club to beat you with. Over and over again.

There’s still two years before an election has to take place. I don’t think that’s enough time for any new Liberal leader to plaster over the damage you’ve caused. I know it’s not enough time for me to start to grapple with a world where the Orange Monster is back in charge down south and PP is the PM up here.

You know, on second thought, it is you, not me. ■

T N

EW

TO

M

AR

KE

T KE AR M TO EW N

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