Pique Newsmagazine 3104

JANUARY 26, 2024 ISSUE 31.04

WWW.PIQUENEWSMAGAZINE.COM

FREE EXPLOSIVES

THIS IS HOW YOU

MOVE MOUNTAINS At Whistler Blackcomb, an elite team of avalanche professionals works relentlessly with the latest technology to keep skiers safe

14

FEES RISING Building permit fees set to rise by 30 per cent

15

PROJECT PLAN Council hears update on 2024 projects

36

NO PAIN, NO GAIN Shoulder Pains conquers Whistler Music Search

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THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

32

36

28 This is how you move mountains At Whistler Blackcomb, an elite team of avalanche professionals works relentlessly to keep skiers safe from avalanches. - By Will Johnson

14 FEES RISING

Building permit fees at the Resort

22 PAVE TO PLAY

An affordable housing project in

Municipality of Whistler are set to rise by 30 per cent after council gave its

Pemberton is moving ahead, while council debates the merits of paved

assent this week.

trails in its vicinity.

15 PROJECT PLAN

Whistler’s mayor and council

32 JOIN THE CLUB

The Whistler Valley Snowboard

heard an update on projects underway for 2024 at a recent Committee of

Club continues its upward trajectory, with an unprecedented 130 athletes

the Whole meeting.

currently registered.

17 WHO GOES THERE?

A wayward, injured owl

36 NO PAIN, NO GAIN

Aussie punk rock outfit

is on the mend after leading volunteers on a chase through Whistler Vil-

Shoulder Pains is riding high after conquering the 2023 Whistler Music

lage this month.

Search.

COVER Do ski patrollers grow to hate powder days like the rest of us hate Mondays? The job looks exhausting. Thanks to all the patrollers—there wouldn’t be half as many hoots and hollers in town without you! - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

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Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@piquenewsmagazine.com Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com Sales Manager SUSAN HUTCHINSON - shutchinson@piquenewsmagazine.com Production Manager AMIR SHAHRESTANI - ashahrestani@piquenewsmagazine.com Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@piquenewsmagazine.com Advertising Representatives TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com GEORGIA BUTLER - gbutler@wplpmedia.com Digital/Sales Coordinator KATIE DOUGLAS - kbechtel@wplpmedia.com Production - production@piquenewsmagazine.com Arts Editor ALYSSA NOEL - arts@piquenewsmagazine.com Reporters SCOTT TIBBALLS - stibballs@piquenewsmagazine.com RÓISÍN CULLEN - rcullen@piquenewsmagazine.com DAVID SONG - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com ALYSSA NOEL - arts@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,

NEW

NEW

THIS WEEK IN PIQUE

Weekend Forecast Inside

Weekend Forec Ins

SEE PAGE 11 >>

Opinion & Columns 08 OPENING REMARKS

A missing luxury stroller and a flubbed discount lead editor Braden

Dupuis to ask: If you don’t advocate for yourself, who will?

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter writers offer thanks to local health-care workers, say goodbye to a friend dearly missed, and advocate for better bus routes and a curling club in Whistler.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST If the first half of the season is any indication, the Sea to Sky region is eventually going to have to have a hard talk about snow, writes columnist Andrew Mitchell.

50 MAXED OUT The Resort Municipality of Whistler has abdicated any responsibility and, seemingly, interest in hosting a cold-weather emergency shelter, writes G.D. Maxwell.

Environment & Adventure

25 RANGE ROVER Columnist Leslie Anthony recounts a stay at the Swiss resort paradise of Bad Ragaz—the spa to end all spas.

Lifestyle & Arts

34 FORK IN THE ROAD When it comes to food waste, we do everything a big favour when food goes in our guts, not our garbage, writes columnist Glenda Bartosh.

40 MUSEUM MUSINGS Revisiting the contentious rise of snowboarding in Whistler and beyond in the 1980s.

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OPENING REMARKS

If you don’t advocate for yourself, who will?

ON THE LONG list of things I either want or need, a high-end baby stroller appears nowhere.

And yet, I was positively beside myself when, in October, I peeled a McDonald’s Monopoly game piece and instantly won a luxurious baby carriage.

I would have preferred cash, or a new car, but a win is a win, and the Graco Modes Adventure Stroller Wagon is among the very best high-end strollers on the market (thanks, Google).

As I racked my brain to answer the enigmatic skill-testing question, I imagined the envious looks of the parents on the Valley

BY BRADEN DUPUIS Trail as I pushed my little Cadillac to and fro.

That I am single and childless is beside the point, I told myself. Those other (actual) parents won’t know that—they’ll be too blinded by their envy to realize my stroller is actually full of skunk cabbage.

The BEDMAS of the skill-tester conquered, I sat back and let my imagination run wild with possibility for a moment or two, and then forgot about the stroller entirely.

I was reminded of it recently only by its continued absence.

Oh well, I decided. Easy come, easy go.

That might have been the end of this fascinating and essential story if not for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Smackdown and a financial injustice at a Granville Street sports bar (stay with me here).

The pub itself was bland and boring, and former Pique reporter Brandon Barrett and I only wandered in because of the sign advertising a 20-per-cent discount with proof of sporting event or concert at Rogers Arena.

We showed our server our ticket stubs from Smackdown (“Oh… WWE,” she said, as she fought with every ounce of willpower to

keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her skull).

“Ah yes, the Virgin Convention down at Rogers Arena. Not sure that counts as a sporting event, fellas, but we’ll see about that discount.”

When the bills came, full priced, I considered pressing the issue… and then just didn’t.

Instead, I followed the familiar path of least resistance all the way back up the highway to Whistler, where the next morning I sat and stewed about the forgotten discount.

The money itself is minor in the grand scheme of things, but highlights for me a longstanding, repeating pattern of confrontation avoidance—and all the ways our lives could be better if we only spoke up a little louder every now and then for what we want or need.

We see it playing out in Whistler, and council chambers across the country, in the form of NIMBYism.

Compare that to Whistler’s young, “transient” worker population. With its in-and-out, revolving-door nature, and with no proper council representation, the voices and needs of young workers are often reduced to a footnote at the end of municipal staff reports.

That’s not to say municipal officials don’t notice or care about them; just that in the absence of someone (or multiple people) forcing the issues on a regular basis, measures to help Whistler workers appear to amount to little more than lip service, in most cases.

Who tops the list of priorities? The deeppocketed developer actively engaging on its project; the local, organized non-profits desperately in need of support; the NIMBYs and their views and property values; the general taxpaying homeowner; the tourist and their vacation; and even the persistent letter writer.

Way down there at the bottom is the seasonal worker, who is only here for a year or

There’s a very simple reason NIMBYs get a bad rap: their tactics work. They advocate loudly, specifically, and over long stretches, often targeting those elected officials or board members who can help their cause.

There’s a very simple reason NIMBYs get a bad rap: their tactics work.

They advocate loudly, specifically, and over long stretches, often targeting those elected officials or board members who can help their cause.

They organize letter-writing campaigns and show up en masse to council to defend their interests. And, in many cases, they get what they want. Because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

two, and doesn’t have any time for or interest in local politics.

And why should they? Young people don’t come here to affect change; they come to have a good time. They put up with some bullshit, and in exchange they get the luxury of living in Whistler and skiing as much as their hearts desire. Fair trade, right?

The sad reality is that while they’re here, they are often exploited, forced to live in cramped quarters, working multiple jobs to

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from Purolator, informing me a shipment was created in my name.

Vindication.

By the time you read this, I will be the proud new owner of a very fine piece of infant transportation—a symbol of my own selfadvocacy, and a reminder to not be such a pushover all the time.

I still don’t have anything to put in it other than my skunk cabbage… but a moral victory is still a victory. ■

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pay the downright inhumane rent landlords in Whistler apparently feel no shame in asking. Yes, it’s always been like that. No, that doesn’t mean we should just shut up and accept it.

But if nobody ever says anything, or forces the relevant issues, nothing will ever get better for Whistler workers.

Because if you don’t advocate for yourself, who will?

My flubbed discount in a Vancouver sports bar dredged up a dozen or more different ways I could have spoken up for myself in the past, but didn’t—and I soon grew very bitter about the missing luxury stroller I have no use for.

And then, I did something rare: I shushed the inner voices telling me to just cut my losses and let another one go, and I acted.

I found a photo of the winning game piece.

I tracked down a contact with McDonald’s Canada. I stated my case, politely but firmly.

And the next morning, I got an email

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Thank you to Whistler health-care providers There can never be a time when the collective appreciation to our front-line medical care providers is undeserved.

Every day, month, and year, I am reminded of how unbelievably fortunate we are to have such an amazing line-up of health-care providers right here in our little ski village in the mountains.

For more than three decades now, my family and I have been so very fortunate to have had access to the Whistler Medical Centre’s resources, including skilled and caring doctors, nurses, lab and imaging technicians, front-of-house staff, and visiting specialists.

When we look at the many struggles facing our medical system across the province and country, and knowing that our access to care can always be improved and despite the many, many challenges, I count myself lucky to have access to the services and professional staff here in Whistler.

I am biased, as many in my family and many of my friends have long numbered in the ranks of professional health-care providers.

Six or seven aunts, a few cousins and now my daughter have followed a career path in nursing. The challenges to their personal and professional lives, and the emotional struggles they face as they care for the sick and injured, are documented every day.

Even though we are now moving through a post-COVID time, the stress and pressures our doctors, nurses and support staff are experiencing remain intense, often unresolved and at the forefront of our collective awareness.

For now, for today, I am writing this letter of support, awareness, and thanks to our healthcare community, because it’s so obvious and so deserved.

Thank you all.

Brian Buchholz // Whistler

In memory of Hugh Tollett I met Hugh Tollett while skiing on Whistler Mountain about 34 years ago. Little did I know what a powerhouse of human spirit I had just plugged into on that stormy winter day.

After that meeting we spent tons of time together, and he became part of our young family as Caroline and I got married.

Huey was game for anything—skiing, mountain biking, skydiving, swimming in

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.

whitewater... you name it, he was keen.

He loved our kids and dogs like they were his own, and was always going on adventures and pedalling away on his four bikes that he eventually gave to me for the folks in Mount Currie, when he could no longer ride because of balance issues, due to his brain tumours.

Huey was a tireless volunteer who helped me with more than 40 Loonie Races, 23 Cheakamus Challenges, and 11 BC Bike Races, along with Balding for Dollars with Dave Clark and any other cause he believed in. He was a social warrior, not a poseur.

Probably his biggest act of kindness was when he developed an incredible website for disabled residents and visitors to Whistler, whistlerforthedisabled.com.

He taught himself to program and worked tirelessly on it in order to help others leading up to the 2010 Winter Games. I won’t go into the dark details of the way he was treated by some members of VANOC and within government at the time … it makes me very upset.

Huey’s health was always an issue, as he was diagnosed with fatal brain tumours at an early age. Although he was losing senses slowly from their growth, he tried everything to keep them at bay. Surgery after surgery really took a toll on his spirit, and he still came to visit and always brought treats for the kids and the dogs.

He moved from Whistler to Vancouver to a

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 1503 Alta Vista Pointe housing complex for the deaf in East Van with a great park across the street where he wanted me to set up a slackline for him, so he could improve his balance. What a trooper.

He still came up to Whistler, taking the bus and staying with us, walking the dogs and always checking in on his friends. He felt alive up here, surrounded by active people, although his options were limited.

Perhaps my favourite Huey moment was when he came to visit us in Steamboat Springs when we lived there. Huey was a vegetarian and our dog, Beau, a beast of a black Lab, had taken to wandering to the game-processing shop just down the hill from us in Fairview, on the side of Howelsen Hill. The boys had been giving him elk hearts, and he was shining black from the big treats.

Anyways, they decided since it was the weekend they would give him a full femur, which he dragged back up the hill and

guarded on his porch. Huey and I were coming back up the hill, and there was a streak of blood on the pavement all the way back to our house. Huey thought Beau had been hit by a car, but to our surprise, there was this black dog with blood all over his muzzle with this massive, four-foot-long femur of an elk. Huey looked at him and said, “I guess he doesn’t like tofu.”

I think one of his favourite days in the last few years was the day we spent with Stu Wild on the barge, cruising on the lake. Not a care in the world. Thanks for that special day, Wildman.

I, along with his hundreds of friends in Alta Lake, will mourn his passing, and remember his fighting spirit and generous heart.

Until we meet again, hermano. You will always be in the soul of our family.

Grant, Caroline, Mahon and Caleigh Lamont // Whistler

3 bedroom townhome with 3 full bathrooms Views of the Whistler Peak

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Backcountry Update AS OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24 The region

has seen major swings in conditions throughout January, impacting the upper snowpack. The frigid arctic air two weeks ago resulted in the snow surface undergoing some faceting and the snowpack in exposed terrain was heavily wind-affected by the northerly outflow winds. After the arctic air retreated, the region received new snow accumulation. However, a substantial warming period last weekend caused the formation of a widespread meltfreeze crust which extends well into the alpine.

This crust has since been buried by periods of light snow accumulation over the past week.

Unfortunately, a major warming event is once again forecast to impact the South Coast this weekend. At the time of writing, the weather models are showing quite a bit of uncertainty about how this will play out, but it seems like some high-elevation rainfall is expected.

The impact of major warming events and high-elevation rainfall typically leads to a shortterm increase in instability and avalanche

danger, followed by a stabilizing effect and decreased avalanche danger in the long term.

At elevations where precipitation falls as rain, wet, loose avalanches can be expected. At the highest elevations where snowfall remains possible, reactive storm slabs should be expected.

Both conditions will test any instabilities in the snowpack. If there is any lingering weakness from the period of arctic air and faceting, it is most likely to wake up during the rain event, and small avalanches have the potential to step down to deeper layers.

Although poor conditions during the storm will likely limit recreational activities, if you choose to brave the rain, conservative terrain selection is essential. It is also important to minimize exposure to overhead terrain, as natural avalanche activity is possible during periods of heavy rain. Since we still don’t know exactly when the rain will arrive and the expected amount, it is important to check the latest avalanche bulletin at avalanche.ca before heading out. ■

CONDITIONS MAY VARY AND CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY Check for the most current conditions before heading out into the backcountry. Daily updates for the areas adjacent to Whistler Blackcomb are available at 604-938-7676, or surf to www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountain-info/ snow-report#backcountry or go to www.avalanche.ca.

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11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Changes to bus routes mean more cars in Whistler

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

Call at 604-602-9000 or visit www.macleanlaw.ca

Whistler needs its own curling club

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For years, council has been trying to get residents out of their cars in Whistler. The scheduled bus routes were working well until someone made the decision to drop the No. 32, which was so beneficial to residents of Emerald and Rainbow during the winter season.

There are many residents within these communities that would like to use the bus system to go skiing without taking our vehicles, however, the newly scheduled No. 30 does its last run south shortly after 8 a.m. Why? Most people leave for the mountains at 9 or 10 a.m. Yes, the No. 10 is frequently coming by, however, no one wants to walk from Village Gate to the lifts in their ski boots.

The decision to drop the No. 32 route to Emerald and Rainbow has put most of us back in our vehicles to go skiing. I believe council should look at reintroducing the No. 32, or extend the newly formed No. 30 until 11 a.m.

Hal Mehlenbacher // Whistler

I think it’s about time Whistler had its own curling club. A winter sport that’s not reliant on weather. It could be a club or a private venture that has an alternate function in the summer like a roller rink or a ball-hockey rink.

There would be regular curling leagues coupled with tourists who want try one of

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Canada’s national sports. If it was large enough, we could host international curling competitions.

But I’m getting ahead of myself—how about we start with just a club?

Ann Franssen // Whistler

More ways to watch the weather in Whistler “Ways to watch the weather” by Vince Shuley (Pique, Jan. 19) was a great summary of a lot of the best sources for info on what could arguably be our favourite topic of conversation: the weather.

I’d like to propose one more category: Most efficient & entertaining—The Whistler Pulse Podcast.

Laura Hanlon’s weekday podcast has been my daily go-to for the last three years.

She pulls together info from all the sources Vince mentioned in a beautifully concise and engaging audio file that I can listen to while getting ready or driving to the hill. Added bonus is that it’s totally local, so it includes info on things like road works, local events, and Coles Notes from our rabbit-hole social media groups.

Only downside is I’ve become so heavily reliant on her weekday updates, that I look forlornly at my Spotify on Saturdays, until I resign myself to searching for the info myself. Warning: highly addictive.

Sally Bennett // Whistler n

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Powder to the peeps IF THE first half of this season is an anomaly and not the harbinger of warm, dry winters punctuated by the occasional blizzard, this region is eventually going to have to have a hard talk about snow—specifically how our love for the powdered variety has resulted in lift lines

BY ANDREW MITCHELL stretching as far as the eye can see anytime we get a modest dump. Four good runs in five hours is not good value for anybody.

It hasn’t been a weekend-only thing for years, although weekends are definitely worse.

There are clearly enough season-ticket holders in Whistler, Pemberton and Squamish to track out all 7,200 hectares of terrain and all the gaps in between in a few short hours without a single weekender or tourist joining the mayhem.

In fact, absent of real data, I would guess Whistler Blackcomb is more of a local mountain than ever, and passholders with regional addresses make up the vast majority of skiers and snowboarders on the mountains on any given pow day.

It was inevitable. The population of the Sea to Sky region is growing in leaps and bounds, adding to the pool of diehard skiers

and boarders every year. Most people would grudgingly accept the added traffic and longer lift lines are an inevitable part of this growth, reasoning—correctly—that it’s still better than living somewhere flat, even if things feel more crowded. Having to wait 40 minutes in a lift line to get a second run is the most first-world of all first-world problems.

But it’s also clear to me the lines are getting longer, even if they’re moving faster with increased upload capacity, and that something has to give. I used to be able to sneak in seven or eight runs in the first two hours after the lifts cracked, now I’m lucky to get five. It definitely doesn’t help that I’ve been to other resorts where lift lines are relatively short and fresh powder can last for days instead of hours—nobody is panicking and everyone is happy. There’s no lift line at 6:30 a.m., or even 7:30 a.m., and you get strange looks from the lifties if you show up 15 minutes early.

This isn’t meant to be a complaint, because I’m very much part of the problem, the same way you’re never actually stuck in traffic because you are the traffic. It’s just that every year it seems to get tighter with more and more diehards angling for the same lines, getting up earlier and earlier to stake out a spot. Powder mornings (I can’t call them “days” anymore) just aren’t what they used to be. The mountains are no longer big enough for all of us.

Which raises the question: besides complaining, what can we do about it?

Assuming again that skiing has a future at all given the progression of climate change, how do we meet the demand for powder in a way that visitors will continue to come here without being turned off by the crowds, long lines or the—let’s be generous and call it “intensity”—of thousands of local powder hounds?

Can we add a third mountain somewhere?

More lift-assisted backcountry opportunities?

More lifts on the terrain we already have, with more runs within the existing ski-area boundary?

Can we maybe expand those boundaries a little?

Will Garibaldi at Squamish, if someone buys it out of receivership, divert enough of the total traffic coming to Whistler to make a difference?

And for how long before the continued population growth leaves us in the same boat?

There are already long-term plans to develop the West Bowl-Bagel Bowl area of Whistler and, with a little summer grooming, there used to be runs in the Peak to Creek zone that could definitely be better utilized.

There were plans for a lift in West Bowl, as well as a plan to create another upload zone at the entrance to Cheakamus Crossing that I don’t think will ever happen given the terrain, south-facing aspect, altitude, and limited space to build a new base area.

Expanding within the boundaries has pluses and minuses. Expanding the alpine areas increases the area that needs avalanche control, and further delays the opening of the alpine. Adding more runs and glades below

the treeline, along with new lifts and lap-able zones, can help spread people out, but snow isn’t guaranteed at lower altitudes. At the end of the day, we’re still talking about tens of thousands of people. Expansion will help, but will it be enough?

One option that could work, or at least relieve lines of the most hardcore skiers and boarders, would be an experts-only, liftassisted backcountry experience similar to Silverton in Colorado.

Silverton has only a few cut runs, accessible from a single lift that runs to the top of an alpine ridge with mostly natural terrain below. It also requires you to ski with a guide from December to March, which wouldn’t fly here, but we could get around that by requiring members to take a safety tour of the mountain, have at least a Level 1 avalanche safety course, wear working avalanche transceivers to get on the lift, and wear tracking devices similar to those used by the Whistler Kids program that could alert officials when someone is still on the mountain at end of day or has gotten themselves into trouble.

There aren’t many mountains close enough to the highway to work—Brandywine, Powder, and Rainbow Mountains are the obvious choices, although there are a few other options on both sides of Whistler.

I know it’s not something that could happen overnight, it would just be nice to know that something is in the works. I can only set my alarm so early. n

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13

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler building permit fees to rise 30% STAFF EXPLAINED THE CURRENT FEE STRUCTURE ISN’T RECOVERING COSTS OR SUPPORTING REQUIRED SERVICE LEVELS

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THE RESORT MUNICIPALITY of Whistler (RMOW) is raising the cost of building permits (among other things) by 30 per cent.

In a staff report presented at the Jan. 23 council meeting, staff rationalized the current building permit rates are out of line with other municipalities, and do not represent adequate cost-recovery to the level of service expected by the community.

With that in mind, staff recommended rates for permits across the building department jump by 30 per cent.

Building permit fees have stayed stagnant at the RMOW since the last change to the relevant bylaw in 2012.

The updated pricing has been on the to-do list for a year and a half; staff were first directed by council to prepare an update to the permit fee structure at the June 7, 2022 council meeting.

The 30-per-cent increase applies to a wide range of permits submitted to the building department: building, plumbing, demolition, fireplace and chimney, moving, foundation, plan processing, building inspection and

BUILDING BLOCKS Building permit fees are set to rise at the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

PHOTO BY ROBCOCQUIT / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

14 JANUARY 26, 2024

other miscellaneous fees.

The cost of a building permit is linked to the proposed building cost being considered: Examples from the report say a $20,000 project would incur a $304.02 fee (up from $234); a $100,000 project would incur a $1,348.62 fee (up from $1,037.40); and a $2-million project would incur a $20,901.22

than Squamish, where a $100,000-build would incur a $1,100 fee, the City of North Vancouver ($1,115.74) and Richmond ($1,341.99), but cheaper than Coquitlam ($1,573.54), Burnaby ($1,513.69) and the District of North Vancouver ($1,473.09).

According to the report, the higher fees are needed because of additional resources

“This reflects the volume, growing complexity, and additional review needed for applications.”

- RMOW STAFF

fee (up from $16,139.40).

Staff compared the RMOW building permit fees (of a $100,000-value build) to those in the District of Squamish and six municipalities within Metro Vancouver, finding the RMOW fees were, on average, 30 per cent below all selected municipalities going by 2022 rates.

The increase would place RMOW fees within the middle of the pack (again, by 2022 rates), making it more expensive

added to the building official team that allow it to review permit applications “within an acceptable timeframe.”

An equivalent of 5.5 full-time equivalent roles were added to the department as part of the 2024 budget.

“This reflects the volume, growing complexity, and additional review needed for applications,” reads the report.

The busyness of Whistler’s building department has been a hot topic in recent

years, with the quarterly financial update at the Jan. 9 council meeting revealing in the first nine months of 2023, the department generated revenues 65-per-cent higher than during the same period in 2022 due to the number of applications coming across desks.

Also under the bylaw update, staff recommended a new fee for property record requests and the removal of fees related to microfilm requests (since everything is now digitized). Fees for archiving, fire-suppression system permits, site-servicing inspections, and highway use, clearing and inspections will remain unchanged.

Councillor Cathy Jewett asked whether the building community was consulted rather than simply informed of the upcoming changes, as indicated in the staff report, and was told by staff the local chapter of the Canadian Home Builders Association was consulted “over the years.”

Coun. Jeff Murl asked about the makeup of permit applications (and was told it was mostly building and plumbing), as well as why it took 12 years to consider updating the fee structure, to which staff responded they will likely look into a more regular fee update structure moving forward.

Council voted unanimously to give the updated fee structure first, second and third reading. The new fees will not come into effect until after formal adoption at a future council meeting. n

NEWS WHISTLER

Whistler projects: Big ideas for building and planning in 2024 THE RMOW HAS DESIGNS TO DRASTICALLY SPEED UP APPLICATION TURNAROUND WITHIN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT

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BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THERE IS NO SHORTAGE of projects on the go at the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), with the Committee of the Whole receiving a nearly two-hour report on what’s on the docket at a Jan. 9 meeting.

In a presentation that ranged from efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and works with parks, to the building department’s hopes and dreams for 2024 and the planning department’s various priorities, the RMOW’s general manager of climate action, planning and development services, Dale Mikkelsen, ran the gamut.

The RMOW has big plans for the building department, with hopes to speed up application processing.

“Right now our applications, generally, across the board, take up to 40 weeks,” said Mikkelsen, who acknowledged municipal staff and councillors are well-versed with this application period, given frustrations from residents and builders.

Mikkelsen said the building department has goals in 2024 to speed up processing for all applications to 24 weeks—still slower than the benchmark eight to 16 weeks in B.C., but significantly faster than the current 40-week turnaround time.

“If we can get to that in one year, then we see that in 2025, 2026, we will become a ‘benchmark’ municipality. We will be able to match that benchmark,” he said.

“I hope that we’re here in front of you at the end of 2024 saying we’ve met these objectives.”

A smaller target the building department also hopes to achieve is 8 to 12 weeks for simple renovations, permits, and even simpler family home applications that come complete to the RMOW with little back-and-forth.

But how will the building department get there? For starters, Mikkelsen reported the RMOW has three new building officials in training this month who will now begin moving through the training process to become better versed with simpler applications, working up to complex applications over the years. The RMOW will also seek to hire a senior official in the building department to deal with complex applications requiring problem solving, rather than rote knowledge of bylaws and processes.

“I think we’re coming into 2024 with a tailwind, versus a headwind, which has been a big challenge, as we all know, with the number of applications our building department is being asked to process on a daily basis, monthly basis, yearly basis,” said Mikkelsen.

“Our intention is to increase our staff resourcing levels to support building permit application reviews and provide succession and development within the team.”

To affect the acceleration in permit processes, Mikkelsen also reported the RMOW will engage in a performance review by a third-party company to assess whether its

plan and goals are appropriate; conduct an application form review to streamline the process and make it easier to understand; streamline internal workflow processes; introduce statistical reporting on permit review for public release; increase community education and engagement to help the public better understand how to submit complete applications; and increase visibility so applicants can see where their application is in the process.

“I think what we want to be able to do is have a front door and a clear and coherent application process,” said Mikkelsen, explaining the department wants the process clear enough that at the beginning of a permit application process, an application can be assessed—whether it is simple or complicated—and allocated to the staff best suited to hande it.

Over in the planning department, Mikkelsen reported RMOW staff are busy reviewing bylaws to ensure they align with new legislation introduced late last year that affects zoning rules across the province, including figuring out whether the only provincially-designated “transit-oriented development area” in Whistler, which is the Gondola Bus Exchange, even qualifies for the much denser building requirements.

The RMOW is working against the province’s timer on the legislation, which applies across the province.

Mikkelsen also gave a brief rundown on

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a number of major planned developments in the cards, including the 4500 Northlands development, which he described as “a very complex rezoning application.” It is a project that has long been on the radar.

“Staff will be coordinating a review of the community amenity contribution and understanding what the potential amenities are and the futures that are possible from the contribution,” said Mikkelsen. “We’ll also be reviewing the architectural massing and the form of the development for the community.”

According to Mikkelsen, a staff review is still underway through Q1 and Q2 of 2024, with “very comprehensive public engagement in Q2 and Q3 of this year, [in] at least two different pods of meetings and engagement.”

Watch the complete staff report on the RMOW website. n

JANUARY 26, 2024

15

NEWS WHISTLER

‘I was overwhelmed and in tears’ $20K DONATION BRIDGES FUNDING GAP FOR MUCH-NEEDED WHISTLER COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY PROGRAM

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS THANKS TO A GENEROUS $20,000 donation from two Whistler locals, the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) will be able to continue its counselling assistance program uninterrupted for the rest of the financial year.

That couple—Jon Dietrich and Carol Leacy—reached out to Jackie Dickinson at WCSS when they learned the well-used counselling assistance program was $8,000 over budget only nine months into the year.

“They gave me a call within 24 hours of the story going out trying to learn more about the financial gap we had … I met up with them on Monday, and they have filled that gap with a $20,000 donation to support our counselling assistance program,” said Dickinson.

“There was an amazing moment where I could go through the office and say to our team—to those people who qualify, we don’t have to turn anyone away.”

The WCSS counselling assistance program is designed to provide clinical mental and emotional counselling to Whistler residents who cannot otherwise afford it, for whatever reason. In December 2023, the program helped 147 people connect with important services, but an annual budget of a little over $30,000 had blown out to more than $38,000

with three months still on the calendar. (WCSS operates on a April-March fiscal year).

Dickinson said WCSS anticipated at least another $15,000 would be needed to keep the program running.

“I was overwhelmed and in tears when they said it was going to be $20,000,” she said.

Dietrich and Leacy are longtime Whistler locals who regularly contribute to groups doing much-needed work in the community.

Dietrich told Pique the WCSS counselling

assistance program is a valuable resource for Whistler, especially given the season.

“We believe that counselling can have a really positive impact to a person’s life,” he said.

“It has been a really tough fall for the community, and we would hate to see people not have access to such a valuable resource due to their financial restrictions.”

Dietrich and Leacy have previously made donations like this one to worthy groups in Whistler, such as the Whistler Health Care

Foundation, Whistler 360 (the board of which Leacy serves as chair), and the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation.

“We are happy to support WCSS, as the services they provide directly impact community members in need,” said Dietrich.

“We believe that anyone who donates to WCSS can be confident that their dollars are being put to the best use.”

Go to the WCSS website at mywcss.org for more information. n

‘His presence illuminated any room’ GOFUNDME LAUNCHED FOR FAMILY OF MAN WHO DIED SKIING IN WHISTLER FRIENDS OF A MAN who died in a “serious incident” on Blackcomb Mountain last week are raising funds for his family.

Ron Stuber, 62, was reportedly skiing in Sapphire Bowl on Jan. 19, an expert-designated area in Blackcomb Glacier Provincial Park, when the incident occurred.

“After emergency care and evaluation was performed by an on-duty physician at the site of the incident, the guest was pronounced deceased and transported off Blackcomb Mountain,” WB said in a statement.

In a GoFundMe launched Jan. 23, Stuber is described as a beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend, survived by his wife

Emma and their son Gus. “If you knew Ron, you know that he was a kind, generous, and loving person,” it reads.

“His presence illuminated any room and he was known for his warmth, humor, dynamism, and capacity to embrace all individuals. He touched the lives of many people and played a pivotal role as a primary caregiver in the lives of many. His loss is felt deeply by all who knew him.

“We are raising funds to support Emma and Gus during this challenging time. The contributions will be allocated to aid his family as they navigate through this difficult period and will also be placed into a trust for

Gus’s future.”

Whistler Blackcomb COO Belinda Trembath offered condolences in a statement released Jan. 23.

“Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol and the entire Vail Resorts family extend our deepest sympathy and support to our guest’s family and friends,” she said.

The RCMP did not respond to a request for more info before press time. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

As of Pique’s press time, the GoFundMe had amassed $3,175 of a $50,000 goal. Find it at tinyurl.com/mr47s45u.

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NEWS WHISTLER

NIGHT OWL An injured owl spotted around Whistler Village this month is reportedly on the mend.

PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE

Whistler Village’s wayward owl on the mend AN INJURED BARRED OWL THAT SPENT AT LEAST A WEEK EVADING CAPTURE IS RECOVERING DOWN IN DELTA

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS AN INJURED OWL that proved elusive when it counted is making a speedy recovery at the OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Centre’s Delta location after it was captured Monday, Jan. 15.

The one-year old, female barred owl led some volunteers on a week-long search through Whistler Village, being seen as far as the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre and in the bright lights of the central village, where she was even filmed being approached by a man who petted her for a few seconds before she flew away (which, of course, is not advised with any wildlife).

General manager at OWL, Rob Hope, told Pique that sort of behaviour from an owl is a clear sign it wasn’t well.

“Obviously, it’s not normal for people to be able to pet them, and we want to make sure that when and if she gets released, she’ll avoid that,” he said.

Hope said the owl was captured by a local OWL volunteer and some good-hearted helpers who were searching for her for days, and it was a good thing she was finally netted.

“She does have a broken wing, and she’s compromised in her left eye, so she was probably hit by a car,” he said.

“She was able to get around, but she was not well, and people were able to pet her because she was compromised.”

Hope said the owl had her wing wrapped, and is on medication for her eye, which still needs to clear up. When she is doing better,

they’ll make sure she can hunt and fly before next steps.

“She’ll be here for a bit because we’ll livetest her with live food before she’s released, we’ll put her with some wild barred owls and see how she reacts around people,” he said.

Hope said barred owls are known for how adaptable they are.

“They’re in our backyards here in the city, all the way out into the middle of the woods,” he said. “They have quite a variety of prey, and their survivability is quite great as well as a species.”

For Whistler, they are good to have around, he added.

“They’re pretty good at cleaning up rodents, they’ll also take small birds sometimes. They are good to have around as pest control,” he said.

The owl will be returned to the area when (and if) her recovery stays on track.

“She’s probably going to be another couple of weeks for the wing, and a few more days for the eye,” Hope said. “We’ll rehabilitate her and see where we end up.”

For future reference, people should not approach wild animals to pet them, Hope added.

“Giving them their space is important,” he said. “Every situation is different, unfortunately sometimes with head traumas they’re not quite normal, so they will act differently than a bird that’s been around people.”

Any questions or concerns about wildlife—specifically owls and raptors, which are OWL’s specialty—can be directed to OWL through owlrehab.org. n

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Board of Variance seeks volunteer The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) invites applications for a member position on the Board of Variance. This voluntary role requires a three-year commitment from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2027.

Operating under the authority of the Local Government Act, the Board rules on minor variance applications where compliance would cause a person undue hardship primarily relating to matters such as siting, dimensions and size of buildings.

Board Guidelines: • The Board consists of three (3) members appointed by Council.

• Regular meetings of the Board are held on the last Monday of every month, except for December, at 5:30p.m.

• Members of the Board serve without remuneration for a three (3) year term.

• Members, officers and employees of the Resort Municipality of Whistler and members of the advisory planning commission, are not eligible to be appointed to the Board of Variance.

Preferred Experience and Skills: • Experience in construction, development, design, planning or architecture.

• Ability to assess case-specific information and to visit sites under consideration.

• Ability to read architectural plans.

• Must be objective and exercise sound judgment.

Scan the QR code or visit whistler.ca/bov for more information about the Board of Variance and information on how to apply.

Submission deadline: February 23, 2024 at 5:00p.m.

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/bov JANUARY 26, 2024

17

NEWS WHISTLER

Conservative nomination race grows to three for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country SECHELT’S DR. PAUL DHILLON HAS THROWN HIS HAT INTO THE RING TO BE FEDERAL CONSERVATIVE NOMINEE FOR THE RIDING

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS DR. PAUL DHILLON of Sechelt is the latest to enter the race to be the Conservative nominee for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in the next federal election.

Dhillon, who works as a local family physician in Sechelt, said in a release he is running to bring his expertise in health-care to the race.

“This nomination is an opportunity to enact real change in our health-care system, something I am deeply passionate about,” he said.

Besides his professional career in medicine, Dhillon is the medical director for Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue, a Rotary Club member, and has 10 years of experience as a reservist medical officer with the Canadian Armed Forces—all traits which give him a “distinctive perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Canada today,” according to the press release.

A key focus of his campaign will be on health-care, specifically the improvement of physician training and recruitment strategies.

“He was most recently the face and

IN THE RUNNING Sechelt’s Paul Dhillon is the latest to enter the race for the Conservative Party nomination in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL DHILLON

impetus of a national physician campaign to improve residency Family Medicine training,” reads the release. “This will now happen without increasing the duration of training, a change that, if implemented, would have decreased the number of Family Physicians

in the country.”

Working on the campaign appears to be what gave Dhillon a taste for politics.

“It was such a unique and challenging experience to work with so many organizations and physicians across the country to enact

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this policy change, which ultimately will provide more Family Doctors for Canadians, who need them so desperately right now,” he said.

Dhillon will go up against at least two other already-declared candidates for the riding nomination: Marcus Wong, a former West Vancouver councillor, and Keith Roy, a Whistler-based real estate agent.

“I hope I can make a significant impact not just in our riding, but for the country at large by taking this step,” said Dhillon.

Other candidates may still step up; the call for nominations closes at the end of January.

Whichever candidate Conservative Party members select to represent the party at the next election will go up against the incumbent, Patrick Weiler of the Liberal Party.

Weiler first won the riding in the 2019 election, replacing former West Vancouver mayor, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, also of the Liberal Party.

West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country has a large Conservative base, having previously elected Conservative MPs in the 2004, 2008 and 2011 elections.

Find out more about Dhillon at his website, pauldhillon.ca.

The next federal election will be held on or before Oct. 20, 2025. n

NEWS WHISTLER

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Fairmont Chateau Whistler gets new general manager

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THE FAIRMONT CHATEAU Whistler is undergoing a changing of the guard at the top, with longtime general manager Norm Mastalir stepping aside, and company man Ken Hall stepping into the role as of mid-January.

Hall comes to Whistler from Quebec City, where he served five years as general manager of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

He has 33 years’ experience with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, having held manager postings in Chicago, Montreal, and Jasper.

“I am so excited to start my new role and continue the great work that has been achieved

by Norm Mastalir and the exceptional team at Fairmont Chateau Whistler,” said Hall in a press release.

“The hotel’s recognition as one of Canada’s top resorts is a testament to their efforts, and I look forward to building on this success by enhancing guest experiences and showcasing the ‘Best in the West.’ This will certainly be an epic adventure!”

Hall’s focus will be on maintaining the existing Fairmont offerings, with plans to renovate the hotel’s restaurants and expand the terrace, while cultivating new markets and developing visitor experiences beyond the lucrative golf and ski seasons.

He has big shoes to fill: The outgoing general manager of Fairmont Whistler, Norm Mastalir, has run the show since 2011, and has a long and storied history working in the Whistler business community.

“I just had my 66th birthday,” he said in an interview with Pique. “I’m not planning on retiring to a rocking chair, but I’m planning on taking it a little bit easy. I’ll be just four months shy of my 45th anniversary with Fairmont hotels and it’s been a long and joyful and exciting career, but you get to a point in your life when it’s time to take it easy for a bit.”

Mastalir said he is excited to see Hall take over as general manager.

“He’s spent time managing the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, which is a very similar environment to Whistler—a small town where the large hotel general manager needs to be part of the fabric of the community … Ken certainly understands that and likes that role,” he said.

Looking back on his time in the hotel industry, Mastalir said the responsibility of reinventing the resort multiple times a year kept things interesting and fun, but he said mentoring promising young talent was a major bonus, having watched many young aspirants move up the ranks—including Hall.

“A lot of people come to places like Whistler to start their career, and it’s super exciting to watch them progress and work through the various departments,” Mastalir said.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ELECTORAL AREA C

Monday, January 29, 2024 at 7PM via Zoom Public Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 466 of the Local Government Act that a public hearing will be held electronically regarding the following bylaws: 1. Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area C Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 689, 1999, Amendment Bylaw No. 1825-2023; and 2. Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 765, 2002, Amendment Bylaw No. 1826-2023.

STEPPING UP Ken Hall is the new GM of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, taking the reins from longtime GM Norm Mastalir.

PURPOSE OF BYLAW 1825-2023 & BYLAW 1826-2023 The bylaws are associated with an application to amend the zoning and designation at 2559 Blackwater Road, a 4-ha parcel, to reduce minimum parcel size in order for future subdivision to be possible. The SLRD is proposing to rezone from Rural 1 (Resource Management) where the minimum parcel size is 40 ha, to Rural 3, where the minimum parcel size is 1.5 ha, as well as to re-designated from Resource Management to Rural Residential. These changes will enable a future subdivision into up to two lots.

The area covered by Bylaw 1825-2023 and Bylaw 1826-2023 is 2559 Blackwater Rd - DISTRICT LOT 2160 LILLOOET DISTRICT as show on the map below:

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT WHISTLER

“Ken Hall is a great case-in-point. I actually hired Ken 33 years ago in his first job out of hotel school at the Jasper Park Lodge. Now he’s coming to take over from me—that is personally very rewarding.”

Mastalir, who was named Whistler businessperson of the year in 2022 by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, led Fairmont Whistler through the COVID-19 pandemic—which besides a few hurricanes in Bermuda was just one of many challenges he’s faced in his (almost) 45-year career.

“We tried to keep ourselves busy and be as aggressive as we could about returning to business and keeping guests safe, and the full team here deserves great credit for doing a great job with that.

“We were able to get back on our feet much more quickly. I think the whole community of Whistler deserves to be congratulated for the way that was managed, because there are other destinations that are still trying to figure out how to get back to pre-pandemic levels, and Whistler achieved that at the beginning of last year.”

Looking forward, Mastalir said he’ll be sticking around in Whistler, so it’s not goodbye.

“I am planning on doing a lot of skiing this winter, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.

“I will certainly keep myself active doing something in the community—I don’t know what that is yet—but we plan to live here.

We love it here and enjoy being part of the community.” n

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION A copy of the proposed bylaw and relevant background documents may be inspected at the Regional District office, 1350 Aster Street, Pemberton, BC, during office hours 8:00 am to 4:00 pm not including weekends and statutory holidays, or by requesting an electronic copy from planning@slrd.bc.ca. All persons who believe that their interest in the property is affected by the proposed bylaw shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the bylaw.

1. Submit Written Comments to the Board: Written submissions must be addressed to “SLRD Board of Directors,” and include your name and community of residence. Until 4:00 pm on January 29, 2024, written submissions (mail or email) will be received at the following: Email: Hard Copy:

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

2. Participate via Zoom: The public hearing will take place electronically on January 29, 2024, at 7PM via Zoom. Log-in details will be posted to the SLRD notice page: www.slrd.bc.ca/inside-slrd/notices three days prior to the Public Hearing.

You may also email the Planning Department three days prior to the Public Hearing at planning@slrd.bc.ca to request the Zoom hearing access information.

JANUARY 26, 2024

19

NEWS WHISTLER

Electric vehicles and you: Lower fuel costs, higher up-front price and taxes?

EVS ARE MANDATED TO MAKE UP 100 PER CENT OF NEW CAR SALES BY 2035—WHAT COULD THAT LOOK LIKE?

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS ELECTRIC VEHICLES are coming.

At least, if both the B.C. and federal governments get their way, by 2035, every light-duty vehicle sold from dealerships near you will be electric.

Victoria announced its plans to mandate the sale of electric vehicles in British Columbia in October of last year, with the feds following suit in December with a nationwide adoption timeline that leads to the same goal.

The main push behind the legislation on both levels of government is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: “Canadians have been clear: they want clean air, good jobs, and a strong economy,” reads the first line of the federal government’s information package on its legislation, while the province’s release is all “cleaner vehicles,” “cleaner transportation,” and “cleaner British Columbia.”

So they’re both on the same page.

Another aspect they’re on the same page about is the cost—both levels of government offer rebates that can be stacked to reduce the sticker price hit of an electric vehicle.

Despite their growing popularity, electric

vehicles remain at a premium over their petrol- and diesel-powered counterparts, though this is changing, according to their proponents, who say EVs will achieve parity in short order with higher adoption.

‘WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE’

Following the province’s announced plans last year (but prior to the Canadian government mandates), Pique spoke to Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. Qualey said the 100-per-cent adoption rate by 2035 is aggressive, but car makers and governments are pulling in the same direction with their intentions.

“We’re all on the same page recognizing the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gasses, and we understand their desire to put some targets in place to get industry moving,” he said.

“Most of the manufacturers have put billions and billions of dollars on research and development and are electrifying most of everything in their fleets.”

But the government targets are aggressive, and unlikely to be met, he said, pointing to

consumer concerns.

“All you have to do is go on social media or listen to radio programs and hear comments by consumers with a litany of questions and issues around everything from the price of electric vehicles … charging of vehicles … the cost of the charge is an issue … and on and on and on,” he said.

“I think everybody recognizes that it’s great to be trying to make a transition, but the way things are is fraught with all sorts of challenges, and quite frankly it’s a little too far, too fast.”

Charging infrastructure and range anxiety aside, Qualey said price is a major sticking point, highlighting penalties in the province’s legislation that target manufacturers who don’t hit the sales percentage requirements.

“Right now manufacturers can face … up to $20,000 of penalty per vehicle that they sell that’s outside of these arbitrary ratios the government has set,” he said, pointing out those penalties could be passed along to consumers.

“The average price of a [new] car in Canada now is $66,000. That’s any vehicle, gas or otherwise. You add $20,000 to it, it’s really expensive.”

Qualey also said an unintended

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consequence could be a reduction in vehicle availability that would in turn increase prices—something British Columbians and Canadians saw during the pandemic, when car makers had near-empty lots and vehicle prices spiked in both the new and used sector.

“If they can’t make these targets, then in order to make the target and not face these penalties they’re going to have to basically shrink the volume of vehicles they’re making available for sale in the province,” Qualey said.

Looking beyond just consumers, the new mandates will affect governments as well: government fleets can include hundreds of vehicles of all manner of configurations, including trucks, and they’ll also need to be updated, with the funds for budgets coming from taxpayers at one point or another.

“All of this is going to make it expensive for everyone, and absolutely for municipal governments and anybody that’s got a fleet of vehicles that needs trucks and medium- to heavy-duty vehicles,” Qualey said.

“It’s going to plague consumers, both for their own vehicles plus in their taxes they’re going to have to pay, because municipal governments will have fleets that are going to be incredibly expensive.”

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NEWS WHISTLER ELECTRIC CITY

Digging down on the municipal fleet cost angle, it’s an expense that gets folded into budgets, so represents a cost that isn’t obvious to most people, as they pay for government fleets through their taxes.

Pique reached out to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), the District of Squamish and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) for some facts and figures about their fleets, and asked some questions about expenses.

The RMOW has 150 items in its fleet, of which “approximately” 100 are vehicles including medium- and heavy-duty trucks, according to a communications official from the municipality.

As of October 2023, the RMOW fleet included six battery electric vehicles, two plugin hybrids and nine hybrids, with plans for more to be added in the next year.

Atop the municipality’s standard fleetreplacement policy, the RMOW also has its Big Moves suite of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing the community as EV-friendly. The RMOW has a budget of $2.14

MARCH 1 & 2, 2024 these targets is a priority. Taking the steps needed to get to this point is therefore part of the budgeting process.”

The DOS communications official said, “yes, more money will be spent on vehicle purchases,” given their higher cost.

“However, less will be spent on operations due to the lower costs of fuel and maintenance.

It is projected that EVs will be cheaper than Internal Combustion Engine vehicles within the next three to five years.”

Asked whether there would be flow-on increases in taxes for residents, the DOS said there could be a taxpayer impact, “however, there are also significant opportunities for cost savings as it relates to fleet operations and maintenance.”

For the SLRD, officials said they do not expect a faster electric-vehicle adoption timeline to have a large impact on their budget, which makes sense given the SLRD’s much smaller fleet, which is already 50-per-cent hybrid.

So it’s a mixed bag when it comes to the cost of electric vehicles and local government. Yes, they are likely going to cost more to purchase

“[T]here’s real practical cost-related issues for both consumers and companies and governments...”

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million for its vehicle-replacement program in 2024, though most of that will go towards a new fire truck.

The District of Squamish (DOS) is a smaller fish than Whistler, with 80 vehicles in its fleet, of which eight are electric, along with an electric ice machine and one hybrid truck.

A DOS communications official told Pique the district is in the process of creating a detailed fleet assessment to understand what vehicles it has which can be replaced by EVs (the RMOW did something similar in 2022).

The next layer of government, the SLRD, is significantly smaller than both the RMOW and DOS, with only four vehicles in its fleet— but two of them are hybrids. The district has electric vehicle considerations baked into its replacement policy, which states that purchasing a hybrid or other fuel-efficient passenger vehicle “will be preferred wherever possible,” while cost is also factored in.

Pique asked all three whether the new electric vehicle adoption timeline could have an impact on their bottom line.

“While EVs are currently often more expensive to purchase than a gas- or dieselpowered equivalent, we know through modelling as part the 2022 Zero Emission Vehicle Fleet Assessment that fuel cost savings and reduced maintenance will balance out a portion of those additional initial costs,” said the communications official from the RMOW, who added the preferance is to replace any vehicles up for consideration with a zeroemissions option.

“The RMOW has set some ambitious targets to mitigate climate change and reduce Whistler’s climate impact and has many actions underway, including the move toward electrification of our fleet,” they said. “The community has made it known that reaching

for the time being, but ongoing expenses are probably going to go down.

PRACTICAL COSTS

In the end, it appears any rising costs of vehicles will be folded into overarching budget considerations and analysis of a vehicle’s cost over its lifetime, and therefore more difficult to pull apart and point to.

For the New Car Dealers Association of BC, Qualey said they remain supportive of mechanisms that encourage uptake of electric vehicles, and tools that encourage carmakers and sellers to get on board, but he believes it should be more mindful of cost to consumers.

“We can all want to get this transition underway, but there’s real practical cost-related issues for both consumers and companies and governments with fleets that they’re going to have to have a very close look at … and it seems we’ve gone a little too far a little too fast in making these kinds of requirements,” he said.

“There’s an opportunity for government to work with industry when it comes to the actual regulations that tie to this legislation to make sure we’re building in flexibility to take into account some of these unintended consequences to allow manufacturers to continue to work towards the target of a transition, but not to make it totally unaffordable for British Columbians to buy a vehicle.

“At this stage, we remain hopeful the government is willing to have those conversations.”

Could the provincial targets be walked back, given how aggressive they are?

“I don’t think they’re going to take the targets away,” Qualey said. “I don’t see there would be any appetite for that, particularly with an election coming, but who knows.” n

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JANUARY 26, 2024

21

NEWS PEMBERTON

To pave or not to pave?

HARROW ROAD DEVELOPMENT MOVES FORWARD IN PEMBERTON AS COUNCIL DEBATES NEW TRAIL

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter AN AFFORDABLE housing project in Pemberton is set to move forward after council approved a related development permit on Jan. 23.

The Sea to Sky Community Services (SSCS) project on Harrow Road has been in the works since 2022, and a related zoning amendment was adopted in October 2023.

Located at Harrow Road and Highway 99, the 63-unit, five-storey building will feature a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, with 30 per cent allocated for market rentals, 50 per cent for “rent geared to income,” and 20 per cent for low-income households. The 9,000-square-foot bottom floor will be used for SSCS’ new offices—in which they will run 28 of the 40 programs they offer throughout the Sea to Sky—with the rest of the space slated for commercial uses. The project is “highly likely” to be completed within five years.

Council previously adopted a two-year permissive tax exemption for the build, and also agreed to waive associated development fees totalling $311,383.

The building’s aesthetic form is described as “simple and functional.” SSCS describes the proposed architectural design of the mixeduse building as modern contemporary, and

PAVING THE WAY An artist’s rendering showing what the Harrow Road apartment complex will look like after completion.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SEA TO SKY COMMUNITY SERVICES

22 JANUARY 26, 2024

says it will feature a palette of colours found in the natural landscape, including hues of white, grey, and wood tones. Materials used in the build will be durable to withstand the test of time.

Trees planted around the development will allow the building to blend in with the surrounding natural environment, and will shield residents from the sights and sounds of the adjacent highway.

The project will also provide a link from the Friendship Trail near Pemberton Valley Lodge to the existing trails along Arn Canal.

Whether or not to pave this link was a subject

Coun. Laura Ramsden felt a discussion is needed on council’s stance on paving versus not paving trails. She noted it would be easier to put gravel on the trail now and then pave it later if needed.

“There is an inherent sense of increased risk when you move from gravel to a different substrate when you’re riding a bike or walking,” she said. “I’m not comfortable with the changing surfaces. I definitely align more with a non-paved surface for many reasons.

We need to take into consideration that e-bikes go at 30 km/h. Is that appropriate to be having on the same paths as pedestrians?

“I have concerns about paving every recreational piece in town.”

- KATRINA NIGHTINGALE

of debate at the Jan. 23 meeting.

Councillor Katrina Nightingale worried the use of e-bikes on the trails could lead to a serious accident.

“We have talked before about the increased use of e-bikes. We have seen the speed at which they go. As we look to the future, I have concerns around the assumption that e-bikes are going to be on those trails as well as people walking and moms with strollers,” she said. “I have concerns about paving every recreational piece in town. I realize it makes it easier for snow plowing.”

Who is this trail for?”

Mayor Mike Richman said council will need to consider whether the route is going to be used as a recreational trail or as a way of getting from A to B. “If it’s a walking trail … I don’t see the need to pave it either,” he said. “That to me is an important factor in deciding whether the paving is appropriate or not. We all want to connect the town in as many ways as we can.

Some of it will be more recreational and some of it will be more active-transportation based.

I think that’s an important conversation we

can have at some point.”

Coun. Ted Craddock asked if the money set aside for paving the trail could be put into more landscaping on the Harrow Road site.

“I would prefer not to see asphalt all along the trails,” he said. “That’s not my idea of a trail. As far as e-bikes are concerned, they shouldn’t be on the trails anyway.”

Director of housing for SSCS, Jessie Abraham, stressed the trail should be paved for accessibility purposes.

“Our preference would be that it stays paved,” she said. “Our target populations for our housing units are seniors, families, and people with disabilities. We often find that there are a percentage of our tenants that have mobility challenges or are in a wheelchair. We are expecting folks with mobility issues to be housed in this apartment building. For us, the trail is more of an opportunity to use the site and to get outside.”

Nightingale’s worries were not eased.

“What it raises for me is even greater concerns around safety,” she said. “We are seeing it all the time now, incidents with e-bikes.”

Richman moved the resolution, adding further discussions on the future of the trail network will be needed between staff and SSCS. “We will have units in this building for folks with different physical disabilities,” he said. “We certainly want them to be able to move about the property properly. That resonated with me. I’m wondering [if we can] move ahead with the resolution and allow some space to discuss the concerns raised.

I don’t want to slow down the development permit. Everybody seems to be comfortable with all other aspects of this.” n

NEWS PEMBERTON

Lil’wat Nation woman donates clothes to Vancouver’s homeless in honour of late sister LUCINDA JONES GABRIEL TOOK ACTION TO HELP THE MOST VULNERABLE AHEAD OF A RECENT COLD SNAP

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A KIND-HEARTED Lil’wat Nation mother saw this month’s icy temperatures and knew she had to do something to help those without shelter. Lucinda Jones Gabriel immediately collected warm clothing to bring down to Vancouver.

She was inspired by her late sister Melissa Jones, who lived in the city. Gabriel comes from a long line of strong women, and her family organizes Lil’wat Nation’s Indigenous Strong Powwow every year. The family collected blankets, tarps, toques, scarves, gloves, and socks for Vancouver’s homeless, and dropped the goods at Carnegie Community Centre on Hastings Street. In previous years, they gave the clothes directly to people they saw sleeping rough on the street.

Gabriel and her family, like many others, struggle financially, but count themselves lucky to have a roof over their heads during the freezing cold weather. ”I am learning to be grateful for my life,” she said. “I have a home, a hubby, children, two granddaughters, and a job. Sober for 24 years. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, or how grateful I should be. So in honour of my sister, I bring coats, blankets, hats, toques, gloves, and anything we can to the homeless people. My family and I have been doing this for about five years.”

They usually try to distribute the muchneeded clothing during Christmas, but this year Gabriel was struck with an illness.

“I heard about the cold spell coming, and remembered that we never brought any winter stuff for the homeless people,” she said. “This year was the first time I asked for donations, and three kind ladies donated about a bag of clothes.”

Determined to set a powerful example for her children and grandchildren, Gabriel wants to donate to Vancouver’s homeless as much as she can.

“I am learning a lot about how the Indian Residential Schools have a negative impact on so many lives and that all the abuses still affect them today,” she said. “I am a first intergenerational survivor. Both my parents were forced to go. I remember my grandmother, she was always caring, our safety place when I was a child. I didn’t have much. We weren’t rich with money (even today) but I am teaching my children ‘to give, to help, to be kind, to be grateful for all that we have.’ I am breaking the cycle, and my children are, too.”

After Gabriel’s sister died suddenly, she found every trip to the city incredibly painful.

Now, she associates Vancouver with her daughter Hannah’s determination to become a successful filmmaker.

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IN LOVING MEMORY Lucinda Jones Gabriel and her late sister, Melissa Jones. Gabriel and her family donate clothes to those in need Jones’ memory.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCINDA JONES GABRIEL

I missed her so much,” she said. “I still do. It was hard for me to go to Vancouver because it would remind me of her. I would cry before I got there and when we left. Now, my daughter Hannah Jones moved to Vancouver to go to college. I always loved going to visit her, but when it was time to bring her back to her apartment and drive back home, I would always cry.

“I realized how I am proud of Hannah Jones, ‘the rez kid with a dream,’ for moving to the city to pursue her goal.”

Gabriel sees striking similarities between her daughter and her late sister, mainly their shared desire to make the world around them a better place.

“Both are caring girls, kind, helpful, generous,” she said. “Melissa would give you anything that would help you, even if it was her last dollar. I was proud of her for moving off the rez. She was younger than me, but she was always stronger, more courageous. She was stylish and her hair was always done.”

There was nothing in the world that could stop the kind soul from achieving her dreams, Gabriel said.

“She had arthritis, but Melissa didn’t let that stop her,” she said. “The doctor said she wouldn’t be able to have any children, but she proved them wrong and had a beautiful baby girl. She gave, she cared— she lived in the city and I do this in memory of her.” ■

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23

SCIENCE MATTERS

What no one’s talking about: forest degradation and how to fix it CANADA IS REGARDED as a country of spectacular nature, with magnificent forests.

The boreal forest alone, stretching from Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador, makes up 55 per cent of Canada’s land mass and is home to numerous plant and animal species, as well as human communities. Listening to government, you could be forgiven for thinking our forest management practices are beyond reproach.

They aren’t.

New research confirms what some have known for decades: industrial logging isn’t ecologically sustainable. Rather, it’s rapidly degrading forest habitats and threatening species, including caribou.

BY DAVID SUZUKI

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A study by Brendan Mackey and colleagues from Griffith University in Australia looked at forestry in two Canadian provinces and found the Canadian Government “claims that its forests have been managed according to the principles of sustainable forest management for many years, yet this notion of sustainability is tied mainly to maximizing wood production and ensuring the regeneration of commercially desirable tree species following logging.”

Industrial logging decreases natural levels of large old growth and creates roads that fragment forests. Although the Mackey study focused on Quebec and Ontario, the situation is not unique to these provinces. In British Columbia, a study found more than 97 per cent of old-growth forests have been logged.

“Ecologists found only 2.7 per cent of the trees are actually old,” the Narwhal reports,

degradation in Canada and exposes the federal government’s failure to track industrial logging’s cumulative impacts, especially on remaining primary and oldgrowth forests.

It points to the lack of information in Natural Resources Canada’s report on the negative impacts of logging infrastructure on forest regeneration, population declines of key iconic forest-dependent species such as boreal caribou and the endangered spotted owl, and logging’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“Seeing Through the Spin” also highlights a failure to assess the alignment between logging practices and Indigenous rights, such as the degree to which forestry practices uphold Canada’s obligations to ensure free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples. “There is no mention of the challenges Indigenous Nations encounter in asserting their jurisdiction over land stewardship, or the significant barriers many Indigenous Nations face when trying to implement their conservation priorities with provincial governments, particularly in forests managed for industrial logging,” the report observes.

We need systemic change. But is it possible to change direction? Of course it is.

Many improvements can be made. Logging practices can be updated to address primary and old-growth forest maintenance, lower logging rates, increase rotation ages, reduce or eliminate herbicide applications, obtain Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent, ensure viable wildlife habitat is maintained, leave more on-site biomass after harvests and decrease the amount of disposable and short-lived forest products.

Forests are critical for all life. They help regulate the planet’s climate, provide habitat for a rich abundance of diverse plants and animals, give sustenance to people, protect

We need systemic change. But is it possible to change direction? because, as one of the study’s authors, Rachel Holt, points out, “old forests on these sites have dwindled considerably due to intense harvest. We’re talking a tiny fraction of a fraction. We’ve basically logged it all.”

In Ontario, the rotation age of forests—the age they reach before they’re logged—is usually 80 to 100 years, while the period between wildfires is 114 to 262 years.

Where can one learn about logging’s cumulative impacts? Not, it turns out, from the federal government. It uses carefully curated statistics to perpetuate Canada’s image as a sustainable forestry leader.

In response to the glaring omissions and gaps in the annual “State of Canada’s Forests” report, a coalition of national and regional conservation organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation, responded with their own report, “The State of the Forest in Canada: Seeing Through the Spin.” It highlights examples of forest

and maintain watersheds, prevent erosion and flooding—even supply oxygen. Industrial development is putting all of that at risk, which puts us at risk.

Canada has committed to protecting climate and biodiversity by halting and reversing forest degradation and loss by 2030—just six years from now! Canada was also a leading force behind the global Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework late last year.

It’s past time to put words into action and do better at protecting forests. Having honest conversations about the state of the forests, and what needs to change, is a good place to start.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Boreal Project Manager Rachel Plotkin. ■

RANGE ROVER

Bad Ragaz, a spa to end all spas ON A FROSTY autumn in 1242, afield on a bird hunt, monks from the Benedictine abbey at Pfäfers, Switzerland, were piqued by a mist rising from a narrow gorge along the Tamina River. This being the Middle Ages, locals had long-attributed such issuances to dragon’s

BY LESLIE ANTHONY breath and assiduously avoided the source.

But driven by their own divine imagination— or lack of birds—the curious monks made the difficult descent to discover hot springs pouring from rock adjacent to the river. In a land of ice-cold, glacier-fed cataracts, this was surely a gift from god.

Not only were the warm, lightly mineralized waters restorative to soak in, but people from near and far afflicted by a litany of ailments (again, Middle Ages) were happy to pay local entrepreneurs—who leased the springs from the business-minded abbey—for just this privilege. From here, things followed the predictable course of any miracle cure: steep prices for a limited resource.

The first cost was difficult access: those who could shimmied down ladders into the gorge; others were lowered in baskets by rope, blindfolded to prevent panic. Thus delivered, the ill bathed in rock depressions until 1350, when the appearance of wooden tubs noticeably improved their lot. Two centuries hence, a medical treatise on the healing powers of thermal waters provided impetus to build a bathhouse to which the heralded flow was routed. When, eventually, the abbey

ELEGANCE ABOUNDS Switzerland’s Grand Resort Bad Ragas is truly a sight to behold.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAS

was demolished, local government improved access to the springs.

Nowadays, a rock tunnel leads to grottos where, following an 11-year journey through the Alps, some 8,000 litres per minute of water gush at a miraculously consistent 36.5 C—body temperature. Yet to experience its blissful caress, you needn’t even visit the source; in 1840, a wooden pipe began carrying this “blue gold” four kilometres to a hotel in the village of Ragaz, hard against the Liechtenstein border on the Rhine River.

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz was born.

A second grand hotel with garden, park, and Europe’s first thermal baths and pool soon followed. During the glamorous Belle Époque, Bad Ragaz was the place to be for poets, painters, politicians and princesses.

the art I clumsily ask how difficult—and costly—the bubbles are to clean. The curt answer is “very”—on both counts. But enough proletariat guilt; as I’m whisked off on a property tour that would require a GPS to execute on my own, it’s clear that if expanding my state of well-being can’t be accomplished with two five-star hotels, two golf courses, casino, gyms, Olympic medical centre, myriad thermal baths and pools, countless spa experiences and treatments, and seven restaurants with six Michelin stars and 75 Gault Millau points between them, then I am truly unexpandable.

Fortunately, I prove not only malleable, but fanboy susceptible to every form of comfort on offer. By the universal spa metric of “number of towels left behind,” a morning

Saddled by Canadian hoi polloi sensibilities, instead of appreciating the art I clumsily ask how difficult— and costly—the bubbles are to clean.

Doubtless each appreciated its architectural splendour, topiary-constellated grounds, excellent gastronomy, impeccable service and stunning surroundings. I say doubtless because, as I roll up a winding drive to Grand Hotel Quellenhof last winter, gob-smacked by the only giant sequoias I’ve seen outside of California (who would dare?), I, too, am transported to a time when elegance and extravagance ruled.

Greeted by a smartly uniformed phalanx at a line-up free desk, I note a wide, sweeping staircase debouching from on high around a five-storey cascade of dangling glass orbs that channel the spring’s life-affirming effervescence. Saddled by Canadian hoi polloi sensibilities, instead of appreciating

spent sampling the resort’s labyrinthine facilities is a raging success. Offerings are so extensive (“Sauna World,” for example, is an entire sector given over to various international takes on baking yourself in a box), the set-pieces for each so perfect (the massage room themes a Buddhist temple under a waterfall), they feel like holodeck options on the Starship Enterprise.

In the afternoon I meet Lorenz the wine sommelier (the resort also boasts dedicated water sommeliers and coffee sommeliers) in a plexiglass “wine round” for a lesson on Swiss wine that involves cork orientation on the Bündner Herrschaft, a wine-growing microregion known as “Switzerland’s Burgundy.”

Essentially a wide bench above the Rhine, a

walk through its villages of Malans, Jenins, Maienfeld and Fläsch not only nets charming vineyard vibes, but historical fortresses, castles, and churches. After tasting four eyebrow-raisers with Lorenz it is clear that water isn’t the only local liquid trading on palatable minerals; pinot noir and chardonnay grapes dominate, but no less than 42 varieties are spread among 70 wineries across the Bündner Herrschaft (which is less than half the length of B.C.’s Naramata Bench). It’s a good send-off for a walk to Maienfeld, closest village to Bad Ragaz.

Strolling beneath an umbrella through light rain, I double-take at golf-course ponds afloat with psychedelic Mandarin ducks, the only ones I’ve seen outside of China (who would dare?). Crossing the Rhine, I make my way upward along neat public paths through vineyards as old as 800 years, their gnarled, manicured motherwood suggesting as many tales as the hulking castles, soaring steeples, and stone wall embracing Maienfeld’s neatly kept streets. At town’s end a sign points the way to “Heidiland”—the very alp in which Johanna Spyri’s eponymous tale was set. With monomaniacal focus on thermal water and eternal wine, one mustn’t overlook that Bad Ragaz is also a gateway to this quintessential Swiss icon.

That night I dine in two-Michelin-starred IGNIV with a friend. We’re served a 15-course phantasmagoria of shared plates comprising food I’ve never heard of prepared in ways I can’t have imagined. Lorenz materializes to administer wine pairings that parallel my foot-tour. With wellness quotient and waistline now fully expanded, I take another walk after dinner. Rounding a corner on the expansive grounds, I encounter an intriguing mist, and trace it to an outdoor pool—like a curious monk following dragon’s breath into the night.

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

JANUARY 26, 2024

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FEATURE STORY

THIS IS HOW YOU

T

MOVE MO

By Will Johnson Photos by Izzie Larter, courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

hey say faith can move mountains, but explosives come in handy, too.

At Whistler Blackcomb, one of the largest ski resorts in North America, an elite team of avalanche management professionals have developed the science behind their profession for decades, operating as a pseudo-militaristic force that treks through some of the most challenging backcountry terrain on the planet in search of danger. From the thick of the Coast Mountain range, surrounded by jutting peaks of biblical proportions, they wage war on the weather with artillery guns, time bombs, and advanced ski-cutting techniques.

It’s a job many skiers are unaware of, or at least take for granted, as they enjoy the freedom and safety of a carefully groomed slope. Visitors at the resort are largely oblivious to the looming menace surrounding them at all times, or the elaborate calculations and manoeuvres the team must go through to safely open the lifts each day. From their lofty alpine headquarters, the team meticulously studies weather reports, snowfall calculations and historical patterns to choose which areas need intervention before something tragic occurs.

This means they must oversee not only the in-bounds runs, but all the gargantuan terrain surrounding them.

‘YOU DON’T WANT TO BE WRONG, BECAUSE THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE QUITE HIGH’ Last year, Dave Iles was named the snow safety manager

28 JANUARY 26, 2024

for Whistler Blackcomb, a new position that works closely with the two dedicated forecasters assigned to each mountain: Nicole Koshure and Tim Haggerty. Together they are the triumvirate of avalanche management at the resort, communicating daily and overseeing a team of more than two dozen members who zip across the landscape in snowmobiles, helicopters and snowcats.

“I’m late in my career now, since I’ve been doing this for over 35 years, so I know I’m not the sexy part of this job anymore,” Iles tells Pique.

“But I have a good perspective on the industry, and I have a lot of dealings with the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), so it’s more of a wisdom position, where I can help the forecasters make their job easier and offer perspective.”

Once Iles, Haggerty and Koshure identify problem areas where potential avalanches could endanger the resort, the next step is to deploy their troops to neutralize the risk. It may seem counter-intuitive, but often the best way to avoid an avalanche is to trigger one in a controlled manner. They can do this by firing explosives or by skiing into potential avalanche start zones, knocking the snow downhill themselves—which is always a precarious position to be in.

“With ski-cutting, you don’t want to be wrong, because the consequences can be quite high,” Iles says.

“If it’s the right day and it’s working, then it’s good, but if you have loose snow or a soft slab condition, or if you get into any kind of moderate or heavy snowfall or if you have wind, then you want to be using explosives, because otherwise you’re going for a ride.”

All of this occurs before customers arrive, which means the team is hard at work long before the sun comes up. And the all-consuming nature of the position keeps them not only occupied throughout the day, preparing for whatever

NICOLE KOSHURE

FEATURE STORY

At Whistler Blackcomb, an elite team of avalanche professionals works relentlessly with the latest technology to keep skiers safe

U

OUNTAINS condition will face them next, but also keeps the wheels churning long after they head home for the night. Each storm, each snowfall, each wet wind off the ocean is cause for concern and study.

The first time Iles saw an avalanche bury a skier was decades ago in Fernie, while skiing recreationally with a friend. He heard the unmistakable rumble of snow barreling towards him and quickly manoeuvred out of the way, only to watch a fellow skier hurtle down the slope past him with the tumult in hot pursuit. Instinctively, he understood this person’s life was now in his hands.

“Another guy and I, we made this quick decision to jump on to the slope behind him. There was still debris and the snow was still moving. We skied down the ridge and this guy went into a gully, but he did the right thing and held his hand over his head. By the time we reached him there was only his fingertips sticking out,” he says.

“I remember I reached down in the snow and stuck my fingers in his mouth. He was yelling ‘get me out of here,’ but he was fine and we dug him out. It was a lesson about snow conditions, because we had changed elevations and there was something lower we weren’t expecting.”

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL TRADITION The science behind avalanche management is less than a century old, and is rapidly changing as technological innovations become available. While contemporary teams utilize daily weather reports, digital snow tracking systems and sophisticated timed explosives, past generations were often operating on gut instinct. When Whistler Mountain first opened to the general public in the 1960s, patrollers were known to lob dynamite into problem areas on nothing more than a hunch.

It was the winter of 1972 that solidified the need for avalanche management in the public consciousness, after a blizzard blanketed the area. Four missing skiers were determined buried by an avalanche, an event that inspired the resort to bring on a California specialist named Norm Wilson. He was the one who introduced more sophisticated terrain analysis to the operation, and established systematic patrol routes. The infrastructure he put in place laid the foundation for the work being done in Whistler Blackcomb’s alpine today.

Some of the innovations that emerged during that time included the Avalauncher system, invented by Monty Atwater, an artillery gun which allowed patrollers the ability to reach remote areas and trigger avalanches from a safe distance.

Another team member, Bruce Watt, created the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association, which is still operating today. These developments had an impact across the country, and even the world, and led to the 1981 inaugural meeting of avalanche professionals in Vancouver, which led to the creation of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA).

Since Iles worked alongside many of these longtime avalanche experts, he understands how current patrollers and forecasters are indebted to their contribution to the profession.

“Compared to most other resorts, we’ve been way ahead of the game. The level of training we have, as far as number of people we’ve trained and the level to which we’ve trained them, I don’t think there’s anywhere in North America that’s superior,” he says.

“We have people who have been here for 30 years, and the historical records we’ve compiled are invaluable. The knowledge gets passed down, there’s lots of continuity, and then the next group takes it and refines it so that you’re always learning, always getting better.”

A UNIQUE SKILL SET If you want to succeed on the avalanche management team at Whistler Blackcomb, you have to possess an eclectic skill set: you must be an excellent skier, be trained in searchand-rescue techniques, have an aptitude for math, a calm personality that thrives in high-stakes situations, and be able to make sense of weather charts and snowpack analysis.

On top of all that, some patrollers, like senior avalanche forecaster Haggerty, are experts at training avalanche rescue dogs, a process that takes more than two years.

“These dogs are trained as human-scent dogs to detect scent underneath the snow, then dig to the source and keep digging until the person is out,” Haggerty tells Pique.

“Their range is far greater than any human, so if somebody without a beacon is buried under the snow these dogs can cover so much ground and find them in a timely manner, whereas it might take 50 or 100 probers to cover that area.”

Haggerty has worked as a patroller for more than a quarter century, working his way up through the ranks to become the top forecaster on Whistler Mountain. He considers the gig more than a vocation; it’s a calling. And according to him, the only people who will be successful are those who are truly passionate about being outside.

“I’ve instructed for CAA in a professional capacity for years now, and I sit on a number of committees, and they set you up for the basic training, but really it’s a trade. It’s more like the 10,000-hour rule where you have to be out there applying knowledge, and gaining additional training.

That’s super important to us,” he says.

“A lot of the stuff you don’t know, you think to yourself, ‘I’m gonna get somebody killed if I don’t figure this out.’

JANUARY 26, 2024

29

FEATURE STORY

Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new, or a different pattern pops up that we’ve never seen before. To be a good patroller, you have to like being outside, because if you’re not out there in the storm it’s hard to make accurate judgment calls.”

Just to make things a little more difficult, climate change is now impacting operations as glaciers move and the terrain changes accordingly.

“The environmental reality is that our resort is on par with the rest of the world, coming into a warmer period. If you look at the stats for the last 30 years, the temperature is up one degree, which may not seem like a lot, but our glaciers have receded significantly in the time I’ve been here on both Whistler and Blackcomb,” Haggerty says.

“Our average snowfall is 1,100 centimetres a year, but in the short time since I’ve been here I’ve seen 1,600 cm seasons and 800 cm seasons. Then it feels like we’re warmer in the summer, with more dry spells and forest fires. If we have a big winter we get burn snow, or summer snow, which lingers until the next season, while meanwhile our glaciers aren’t holding up certain rock walls anymore, and that’s where we’re seeing cracks form,” he says.

“The terrain is ever-changing, and there are certain features we always have to keep an eye on, but as long as it keeps snowing we’re in business.”

‘YOU CAN LOOK AT NUMBERS ON THE SCREEN, BUT IT’S NOT TRULY WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE’ Part of the avalanche management job can be accomplished through sheer grunt work, but there’s a huge portion that

30 JANUARY 26, 2024

is quite cerebral, and requires a deep engagement with the study of weather and snow science. For Koshure, the senior avalanche forecaster at Blackcomb, it was her studies at the University of British Columbia that led her to the position she’s in today.

“Avalanche management requires dynamic thinking.

You have to have a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C. We always have a weather person and a forecaster, and while the weather person goes out to collect measurements on what came down overnight, the forecaster has to wrap their head around the temperature, the humidity, the wind speed, the freezing levels, and make decision about opening the lifts,” she tells Pique.

“You can look at numbers on the screen, but it’s not truly what you experience outside. Even days where nothing seems to be happening, where you think you can catch up on paperwork, you still need to ski through and make sure everything is OK. On seemingly benign days, you can end up dealing with all kinds of things, like a chairlift breaking down. So no day is the same, and things can look very different from season to season.”

In recent years, the resort has worked with Pascal Haegeli, an avalanche researcher at Simon Fraser University. WB has created an employment funnel for graduate students to work their way up to roles on the mountain, giving them an opportunity to put their studies into practice.

“What I’ve learned is that Canada has done exceptionally well with how we manage avalanches, particularly compared to the U.S. and Europe, because we have one governing body that is good at sharing information and creating training programs,” Koshure says.

“If you talk to Americans, they’re way more broken up, but because B.C. and Alberta are so close geographically, we have a huge advantage in the realm of education and safety.”

Koshure also realizes that no matter how much you prepare, and no matter how clear your signage is, customers will inevitably break off the beaten track into dangerous territory.

“We have pretty extreme terrain we manage to open safely for the public. People look at our terrain and go, ‘whoa’. The Coast Mountains are rugged and it’s certainly impressive we can ski in some of these places, but sometimes we struggle with the public getting into areas where they shouldn’t be. This is a common issue in the industry,” she says.

“We try as best we can to give people access with designated routes, but we struggle constantly with people going uphill, and they don’t realize the potential risks they’re exposing themselves to. You can only put so many signs out. People end up exposing themselves to danger, going into blast zones or places we’re not granting access to, so for forecasters it’s a struggle to get our work done and then make sure the public isn’t somewhere they shouldn’t be.”

Koshure encourages all skiers to educate themselves about where they’re going, which is helped by an interactive map available on the Whistler Blackcomb website.

“We want people to understand there are repercussions for their pass, because we have no tolerance for going out of bounds,” she says. “They don’t understand that patrollers are doing their best to get as many people skiing as possible; we’re not sitting around drinking coffee. And the last thing we want is people having a conflict with an avalanchecontrol route.”

from research papers,” says Haggerty.

One of the things he’s eager to learn more about is remote avalanche control systems, which have been introduced globally but have yet to be put to use at the resort.

“We’re one of the biggest resorts in North America and we’re pretty ahead of the curve, but lately we’ve been falling behind. With this technology I wouldn’t have to put workers in start zones, because everything is controlled with a push of a button, which means we could open safer and quicker. We do a great job with what we have, but we could be doing a better job if given the opportunity,” he says.

“There are a few types of Remote Avalanche Control Systems. They are infrastructure built into an avalanche start zone that can initiate an avalanche while being controlled from a computer by the avalanche technician,” he said. “The types vary from utilizing an oxygen/propane mixture that is ignited to actually deploying explosives into the start zones with similar effects to a 4kg blast.”

With all of the developments over the past half century, Iles feels skiers are safer than they’ve ever been—thanks primarily to the hard preparation work of the avalanche management team.

“We work in a hazardous environment, and the amount of risk we take is something we can control. There are people who fight wildfires, or fly planes, and if they have the training and skills and mentorship they can do that work. It’s the same with the avalanche industry, and when I think about any accidents that occurred, it usually came down to the human factor or hazardous attitudes,” he says.

“You may have the technical skills, but the bigger thing is making sure you eat, that you don’t drink alcohol or miss sleep, that you don’t have that machismo and feeling of being invulnerable. It’s definitely safer out there than it was 30 years ago, and our fatality rate is pretty much zero, and part of that comes from management understanding the risk and not putting the same pressure on forecasters to open at all costs,” he adds.

“There’s no more, ‘get it open,’ because now it’s more, ‘do what you need to do.’”

According to Koshure, the avalanche crew ends up forming deep bonds.

“A huge part of this avalanche management thing is we’re all together, and a huge part of that is the team elements, and these very close bonds with your teammates,” she says.

“You’re in risky situations, and your partner in avalanche control is responsible for your safety while you’re responsible for theirs. It’s like a lot of first responders, where you go through these different experiences and become more like a family.” ■

TIM HAGGERTY

THE FUTURE OF AVALANCHE MANAGEMENT The field of avalanche management is growing exponentially each year, and specialists from all over the globe come together every few years to trade best practices and discuss new technologies. In 2026, Koshure and Haggerty will host the International Snow Science Workshop, which will have 120 professionals in attendance.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the world to Whistler for a snow science knowledge and exchange event, where we merge practice with theory and test hypotheses

IAN CRUICKSHANK

George “Steven” Hitchen Aka – Esteban, Jésus, Hitch, James, Potato Jack, Weave, the “Wine” guy

Steven was born February 1960 and passed away in December 2023.

A celebration of Life is planned at the Royal Canadian Legion in Pemberton on Saturday February 24th at 2pm.

Steven arrived in the Whistler area in the late 80’s & moved to Pemberton shortly thereafter, Resident # 615 & 616, if memory serves! Making his home on Fernwood Street, with his lovely wife, Janet.

He managed Little Mountain Bakery, helping lead & grow that business to over a million dollars a year back in the day, that’s a whole lotta bread! He also managed the “Loafers” in the Whistler Slow Pitch league, go Loafers!

Steven’s true passion was wine & the restaurant industry. He became a certified sommelier & returned to the industry in some of Whistler’s iconic restaurants; The Creekside Grill Room, Bear Foot Bistro, Hy’s, Araxi’s, Quattro. The Pony in Pemberton.

With stints in Vancouver at Blue, Quail’s Gate Estate in the Okanagan, & in Yellowknife!

Along the way delighting guests & mentoring many servers, hosts, bussers & collaborating with some of the finest Chefs in the land.

And the epic dinner parties! If you were lucky enough to be invited, they were always an adventure, a learning experience & you wanted to be invited back, perhaps even get your wine bottle on the wall of fame!

In the early 2000’s, Steven’s path turned towards community service where he has left a lasting legacy. He opened his home to many new residents to the area. His door & home were open for some 20 years “housing” people as they got their bearings, found a career/home, or just needed a helping hand.

A charter member of the Rotary Club of Pemberton, the Club’s longest serving member, he earned a Paul Harris Fellowship for his service to the community.

Steven’s contributions within Rotary, the community & his lasting legacy include; the “Notta Park”, The Rotary “Link” trail at One Mile, the Teen Dock, the Dog Beach, the annual flower basket campaign that funds PSS graduate bursaries, milling much of the wood for the Downtown Community Barn, Winterfest, Winterfeast, AugustFest in conjunction with the Slow Food Cycle, the Rotary/Chamber Golf Tournament, a Friend of the Library, Seniors, among many other groups as a bona fide, committed stakeholder in Pemberton.

Steven was a committed & enthusiastic member of the Legion, serving on its executive, passionately promoted the Poppy Fund & Remembrance Day, worked the bar, as well as supported the Pemberton Cemetery.

Steven also was an advocate of Pemberton’s participation in the Pemberton Festival, recruiting & leading 50+ local bartender/ambassadors, at Turner’s Tavern, arguably the best bar during the last version in 2014-16.

One of his most lasting legacies is the current version of the Pemberton Barn Dance, a date not to be missed on the Pemberton calendar for many years now.

He took the reins with the Club, as well as the Lions after the first Pemberton Festival, (oh yeah, he led the Pemberton Barn Dance Bar at that too!)

Steven was the architect of the current event held annually at the Community Barn, a partnership with the Lions Club that raises @ $30K that is earmarked to contribute & support community initiatives by both clubs.

Steven spent parts of the last 2 years at Pemberton Lions Villa, Squamish Hospital & Hilltop House as his health declined.

Friends & family would like to thank his friends, neighbours, the Villa, the Pemberton Medical Clinic, Squamish Hospital, Hilltop House & Lions Gate for their care of him during this time. Staff remarked that despite his condition, Steven was always strong, friendly & hilarious.

Steven’s passion for Pemberton & its youth was significant. His passing is a huge loss to the community & those he loved & was loved by locally & beyond.

Steven is survived by his brother Terry (Linda), nieces Heather & Haley, brother Blair (Liette) & his former wife Janet. Steven was predeceased by his parents, Ray & Helen.

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31

SPORTS THE SCORE

Whistler Valley Snowboard Club continues upward trajectory AN UNPRECEDENTED 130 ATHLETES ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH THE CLUB

BY DAVID SONG AN EARLY-SEASON lack of snow forced members of the Whistler Valley Snowboard Club (WVSC) and their peers across British Columbia to be patient, but winter has finally gotten going and so too have the athletes.

Four Whistlerites took command of men’s slopestyle at the Jan. 17 Nor-Am Cup event in Sun Peaks. Tosh Krauskopf grinded and soared his way to gold, followed closely by silver medallist Lane Weaver and Finn Finestone, who earned bronze. Neko Reimer nipped at their heels all day, but ended up fourth.

Onetime WVSC member Amalia Pelchat locked down a silver of her own that same day in women’s slopestyle.

Local BC Provincial Slopestyle Series riders are likewise racking up the hardware.

Six reached the podium on home soil back on Jan. 5 and 6—a contest that had organizers labouring to make things happen despite unfavourable weather conditions.

Ten WVSC contenders left Big White with medals around their necks the following weekend, braving temperatures in the minus30s to strut their stuff.

“The guys are riding really well. They’re having fun and it’s showing in the results,”

SLOPESTYLE SWEEP Lane Weaver (left), Tosh Krauskopf (middle) and Finn Finestone swept the men’s slopestyle podium at the Sun Peaks Nor-Am event on Jan. 17.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROB PICARD

32 JANUARY 26, 2024

said WVSC founder and director Rob Picard.

“It’s quite exciting. I’m pretty stoked and proud of [all the club members]. The biggest part of what we try to do is encourage progression and having fun.”

BIGGER AND BIGGER

Since its beginnings in 1997 (with only six or seven people in the fold at that time), the WVSC has been an obvious choice for young Sea to Sky snowboarders looking to upgrade their skills and spend time on fresh powder. At the turn of the century, Picard figures the club had about 80 members before experiencing the occasional downturn in enrolment in subsequent years.

It’s safe to say there’s no cause for concern, however. An unprecedented 130 kids now train with the WVSC under 20-odd coaches and support staff. Heading the program is Joe McAdoo, a veteran coach who mainly works with high-performance athletes.

“These are the biggest numbers we’ve ever dealt with,” Picard said. “At the end of the day, we don’t have a great marketing budget to really sustain that, but through word of mouth and our success in general … it’s getting bigger and bigger every year.

I’m already anticipating our numbers to grow next year, so I’ve got to plan for that by making sure I have enough staff and the right staff to do it.”

WVSC offers opportunities for all skill levels. Most youngsters cut their teeth at grassroots events held by local resorts like Whistler Blackcomb before ideally graduating to the BC Provincial Series or other, similar tours. Top-flight riders will in turn use those

experiences as a stepping stone to the Nor-Am circuit that takes them south of the border.

“We make sure that the right work gets put in and everyone’s prepared to do it—and that we’re doing it in a safe and productive manner,” said Picard. “You have to go [compete] for the right reasons, and most of our crew make sure that the athletes are ready so they’re not going to risk injury.”

The WVSC crew have helped develop a number of Canadian national teamers over the years, including Finestone, Truth Smith, Jacob Legault, Amalia’s older sister Juliette Pelchat and 2022 Beijing Olympian Darcy Sharpe.

‘OUR COMMUNITY IS OUR FAMILY’

Picard knows a thing or two about competing for the right reasons.

He grew up in Saint John, N.B., alongside Mark Fawcett, who represented Canada at the 1998 and 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Though Picard never made it to the highest level, he had his time as a sponsored pro snowboarder who—like many others—came to Whistler to experience true mountain life. In 1996, the former Blackcomb Ski Club recruited Picard to be a coach, and he describes it as a “most amazing year.”

An idea that would eventually become the WVSC began to take shape.

“Maybe this is an opportunity to get involved in something and have a career as a snowboarder,” Picard remembers telling himself. “It’s great to get paid to do it, but then you’ve got to try to figure out how to pay yourself to do it.

“I saw an opportunity to nurture the sport that I love, take care of people and bring people to Whistler from outside of the province to have the same experience that I did—being part of the community of winter sport.”

These days, Picard’s responsibility as a director prevents him from coaching nearly as much as before, but he’s content working with his coaches and ensuring they have the necessary tools to foster up-and-coming athletes. Together, they’ve earned the trust of many a Whistlerite.

“The Whistler Valley Snowboard Club is more than just a skills development program— it’s a whole little community of coaches, parents, and athletes who ride, travel, and compete together, making a ton of memories along the way,” said Jeremy Postal, whose son Silas won U18 provincial series bronze on Jan. 6 in Whistler.

“The coaches create a really fun learning environment and they do a ton of mentoring with the kids,” Jeremy continued. “I often hear them talk about ‘creating good humans,’ and as a parent we put a lot of value on that.”

Picard, in turn, praises his staff and the community at large, knowing he could do very little without them.

“Our community is our family, and it shows with the support we get from them,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and … I always get the same feedback from most of the kids I’ve ever worked with. [They say] it was the best time of their lives: being part of our program, the friendships and everything they got to experience with us. For me, that’s a really special part of what I do.”

Learn more about the WVSC at whistlervalleysnowboardclub.ca. n

SPORTS THE SCORE

Sam Cordell looks to play his part in the Canadian moguls renaissance THE WHISTLER-BASED NEXTGEN ATHLETE IS A CANFUND GRANT RECIPIENT

BY DAVID SONG SAM CORDELL CROSSED another item off his professional bucket list late last year in Idre Fjäll, Sweden by qualifying for his first moguls World Cup final. The Whistlerite ended up 16th with a score of 65.74 as Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury (85.02) added another win to his unrivaled resume.

For Cordell, who’s only been on the national NextGen roster since 2022, every milestone matters.

“Canada’s one of the preeminent countries in moguls skiing. We have such a long history, and now I feel like our team is in a bit of a renaissance,” Cordell opined. “We have a bunch of guys my age that are all starting to come into their own, like Julian Viel, LouisDavid Chalifoux, Elliot Vaillancourt. [Elliot is] a bit older than me, but he just got his first World Cup medal [Dec. 15] in France.

“Mik Kingsbury is 31. He’s the oldest World Cup winner in history. It’s him and it’s all the young guys who are six, eight or 10 years younger than him, so he’s an amazing mentor for us. Just to watch him train and see how he deals with every little detail is invaluable.”

Newly-minted national teamers are still green in terms of top-flight international experience and must labour to secure funding even as they try to bolster their physical and mental skills. Cordell is accustomed to working each summer and basically being a part-time athlete. That’s why the grant he received from CANFund—an entirely donation-run organization—goes a long way.

“To get a grant like that, you can set yourself up and just train full time,” said Cordell. “You don’t have to worry about financial costs at all—you just give yourself 100 per cent. Charities like CANFund fill that gap that a lot of people have in their athletic careers and I think they do an amazing job.

Can’t express how much I’m grateful for that.”

Other Sea to Sky athletes who benefit from CANFund’s generosity include alpine skier Brodie Seger, ski cross racer Tiana Gairns and bobsled pilot Mackenzie Stewart.

‘A PROPER SKI EDUCATION’

Cordell is originally from Vancouver, and inherited his parents’ love of skiing. He signed up with the Blackcomb Freestyle Club (now Freestyle Whistler) at 11 years old and cut his teeth in all the freestyle disciplines, but moguls always came more naturally to him. The B.C. development team sent him an invite when he was 15, and he’s scarcely looked back since.

“Moguls combines aspects from every discipline of skiing, in a way,” Cordell explained. “You have the acrobatic sensibilities of slopestyle. You have the need to think on your feet that you get in freeride and big mountain—as you have to really find a line and learn a course over a couple of days.

GRANT FUNDING PROGRAM

CALL FOR HEALTH CARE APPLICATIONS Deadline: Feb. 20, 2024 Apply here to fund your health initiative

INTO THE BLUE Sam Cordell takes flight amidst the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky.

PHOTO BY SEB BERTHIAUME

It has the technical edgework and turning side of racing.

“In moguls, you really get a proper ski education, so to speak … and to me it’s the perfect amalgamation of everything I like in skiing.”

One of Cordell’s most notable career achievements to date is the dual moguls bronze he earned last March at the Canadian National Championships. Nationals are typically the only chance provincial or NextGen-level skiers get to test themselves against the senior team, and reaching the podium in Val SaintCôme, Que. helped Cordell earn his recent World Cup opportunities.

He’s got plenty to say about the unique challenge of dual moguls.

“In singles, I suppose you’re a lot more meticulous with your plan,” Cordell remarked.

“You’re looking to hit certain moguls and jump in a certain direction … there’s a lot of little details that you’re really focusing on.

In dual, that all goes out the window—you’re just focused on going as fast as possible while still staying on your feet and making it down the hill.

“A big part of dual moguls for me is relying on senses other than your sight. You’re really listening in your periphery to know what the other skier is doing. If they’re maybe out of control, you can sometimes [discern that] based on the sound their skis are making.”

The next few years will be key for 23-yearold Cordell as he tries to establish himself as one of Canada’s top talents. He specifically shouts out former B.C. team coach Josh Kober and his family for getting him this far, and looks forward to upgrading his game en route to (hopefully) a future Olympic or World Championships appearance. n

Funding made possible thanks to

THE GOUDGE FAMILY FOUNDATION & THE TOUCHET FAMILY FOUNDATION www.whistlerhealthcarefoundation.org

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Ryan Eisenbock, CIM® – Portfolio Manager

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JANUARY 26, 2024

33

FORK IN THE ROAD

Waste—Not wanted!

WE DO EVERYTHING A BIG FAVOUR WHEN FOOD GOES IN OUR GUTS, NOT OUR GARBAGE IT’S EASY TO have fun with the little proverb, waste not, want not. Or is it waste not, want naught? Then there’s, wasted—not wanted. Or my little spin, above: Waste—Not wanted!, with an exclamation mark to juice up the effect.

Whatever way you spin it, this timeworn expression still rings true, as any good aphorism should. Depending which source you use, it’s been around in one form or

BY GLENDA BARTOSH another either since the mid-16th century, or the late 1700s, starting life as something a little more alliterative but clumsy, namely, “Wilful waste makes woeful want.”

Woe to us all as we waste! But you have to admit, considering today’s sky-high grocery bills, it feels kind of nuts that, according to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), about one third of the average household garbage at Whistler is food!

Think about it… It’s like adding up everything you spend on food in your household in a month, dividing it by three, then going to a bank machine and getting that

POP-UP DRAWER Tall condiments usually stored on the fridge door may not fit in the produce drawer, but give a try to bringing your fresh fruits and veggies forward into the view seats.

PHOTO BY GLENDA BARTOSH

34 JANUARY 26, 2024

amount in cash and feeding it to your dog.

Kind of a variation on one of the latest pop internet memes where Cecil, the goofy mutt in Pittsburg, eats $4,000 in cash—U.S. cash— which was meant to pay a contractor.

Cut out food waste, and it’s like jacking up your income without even asking for a raise!

Me, in more than one Pique column over the years (try this one from August 2015 for starters); the fearless staffers at muni hall; greenies around the world—for years, tons of us have been urging us all (selves included) to stop wasting food. There’s the sheer squandering uselessness of it all and now, with polar vortexes slipping down south to deepfreeze Canadians while Australians burn up in record heat, it’s a really simple, easy-peasy, common-sense way to cut the greenhouse gas emissions f’ing up our climate.

Just check out the info at whistler.ca/ composting, or any reliable source on our climate crisis. Food (and yard) waste generates methane, which is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping the sun’s heat around our fair Earth. And it accounts for six to eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Then there are all the “Clean up your plate.

Your eyes are bigger than your stomach!” exhortations I grew up with from all the moms and dads and grannies and grandpas, the old aunties and uncles and farmers—those good Canadians who drilled it into us it was wasteful on so many levels when we chucked out perfectly good food. Waste of time, of hard labour, of carefully nurtured soil, you name it. I’m always amazed how little food past generations wasted when all they had were iceboxes and root cellars.

But maybe we advocates have all been far too earnest about eliminating food waste, for it’s still happening, most of it in our poor little innocent fridges. Perfectly respectable lettuce wilted into a skanky ball. Moldering takeout leftovers we totally meant to eat. (At least we took them home and didn’t relegate them to the bus bin at the restaurant. Still…).

And it happens on our cupboard shelves, too. The crackers skulking behind the tins, half eaten, the rest gone stale. The Thai sauce that expired in 2019 and you only used once.

Maybe you don’t have a 55-year-old piece of wedding cake hidden in your freezer, but you know what I’m talkin’ about…

SHAKE THINGS UP! HAVE SOME FUN!

Enter Jiaying Zhao. JZ, as she calls herself, is an associate professor of psychology and sustainability at UBC. She’s also definitely fun, pointing out tongue in cheek she’s not Jay-Z, the rapper, in the TED Talk she gave in New York last February that’s been making the rounds, for all the right reasons.

JZ and her UBC colleague Elizabeth Dunn have come up with Happy Climate so we don’t all doom and gloom ourselves over reducing emissions.

In this case, JZ’s main headliner is feng shui-ing our fridges by moving all the fresh produce out of the produce drawers and putting it on the door, where we usually keep condiments, or to the front. Either way, it’s in our direct line of vision. I’m not sure that’s exactly applying the principles of feng shui, or that the condiments in the drawer thing will

work for you if you’ve got tall bottles of stuff, like we do (see photo above), or you’re trying to stuff that tall celery onto the door. But I get where she’s going.

It’s fun to shake things up! I did it just by rearranging things for the photo above, which, if you look carefully on the left, gives away one little secret we have. Don’t store fruit and veggies, especially leafy perishable ones, in regular plastic bags. That goes double here on the Wet Coast with its high humidity. We’ve been using Debbie Meyer reusable green bags for years. After I gave some fresh basil in one to an old pal, she was so impressed with how long the tender leaves lasted she got some as a gift for her daughter, she, too, of the skanky lettuce syndrome.

I like what JZ is saying about keeping things in sight. We constantly go through our fridge and apply what any good prairie mom or newspaper uses—the “bring forward” principle.

Got a story idea not ready to be published?

You stick it in the “bring forward” file for next issue. Do the same with your perishable stuff—bring it forward. You’ll soon be cutting your waste way back, and having fun stirring things up on your shelves.

I also like another message JZ has for us. Don’t feel bad about cutting down on meat and dairy—the other big greenhouse gas emitters. Just consider them a treat.

In fact, consider any fresh food a treat.

We’re so lucky to have it and eat it.

Take care of it.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who’s always hated wasting food. n

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

FITNESS CLASS SCHEDULE JANUARY 26

JANUARY 27

JANUARY 28

JANUARY 29

JANUARY 30

JANUARY 31

FEBRUARY 1

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

I Mountain

I Strength

I Spin Mixer

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

Lou

R Youth

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

Josh

I Strong

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

Jess

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

Steve

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

Anna

7:30-8:30 a.m.

Sylvie

F Swim Fit

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

Marie-Anne

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

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

Andy

I Low Impact Strength 9-10 a.m.

Lauren

R Mom and Baby 2.0 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Lou

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

Carmen

F Vinyasa Flow 9-10 a.m.

Nicki

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

Heidi

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

Marie-Anne

I Low Impact Strength 9-10 a.m.

Anna

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

Mel

I Strength & Stability 9-10 a.m.

Lou

F Swim Fit Endurance 10-11 a.m.

Marie Anne

R Be The Change 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Mel

R Swim Fit Stroke & Technique 10-11 a.m.

Marie-Anne

I Gentle Fit 1-2 p.m.

Diana

Love the corduroy?

Let’s save it together.

Walking, running, and dog walking must be done elsewhere in Whistler while the Lost Lake Nordic Trails are open.

I Gentle Fit 1-2 p.m.

Diana

F Yoga & Pilates Blend 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Liv

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

Andy

I Mountain Ready Conditioning 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Steve

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

Andy

F Spin 5:45-6:45 p.m.

Marie-Anne

F Spin 5:15-6:15 Courtney

whistler.ca/nordic

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

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

Courtney

R Pilates Mat Class 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Liv

I Dance Fitness 6:45-7:45 p.m.

Mel

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

Carmen

I Slow Flow Yoga 8-9 p.m.

Laura

F Bike Fit 6:45-7:45 p.m.

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

Laura

POOL HOURS JAN 26 FRIDAY

JAN 27 SATURDAY

JAN 28 SUNDAY

JAN 29 MONDAY

JAN 30 TUESDAY

JAN 31 WEDNESDAY

FEB 1 THURSDAY

LAP POOL

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

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

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

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

6 a.m.-8 p.m.

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

LEISURE POOL

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 3:45-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 3:45-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 3:45-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 3:45-8 p.m.

9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 3:45-8 p.m.

HOT SPOTS

6 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.

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).

whistler.ca/recreation |

@RMOWRecreation | 604-935-PLAY (7529)

Disco Skate is back at Meadow Park Sports Centre on Saturday, January 27 from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Bring your friends!

ARTS SCENE

Shoulder Pains powers through 2023 Whistler Music Search SAM AND CHARLIE AND TBA ROUND OUT THE TOP THREE; HENRY DOBELL TAKES DAVE MORRIS ORIGINALITY AWARD performer who passed away years ago, the Originality Award continues to be viewed as an honour in Whistler music circles.

BY DAVID SONG AFTER FIVE WEDNESDAYS of showcasing myriad up-and-coming talent, the latest Whistler Music Search (WMS) has its victor.

Shoulder Pains, a brand-new punk rock band consisting of vocalist Christopher Durbin, bassist Charles Stenner, and Tom Scrimshaw on drums, took home the grand prize of $1,000 and a series of winter gig opportunities courtesy of Coors Original and the Crystal Lounge. Durbin and company walked an underdog’s road in the November competition: despite finishing second in their preliminary round, they impressed the judges enough to advance as a wildcard pick.

They proceeded to win it all.

“The recognition is good,” says Durbin.

“Maybe people are interested in some alternative music in town, and I think that’s the most exciting thing for me.”

Duo Sam and Charlie earned second place and took home a new Takamine guitar, while third-place entrants TBA received a Volt audio interface.

Meanwhile, Henry Dobell earned the Dave Morris Originality Award. Named after the late Morris, an active and beloved local

HOUSE OF PAIN Shoulder Pains band members, left to right: Chris Durbin, Tom Scrimshaw, and Charles Stenner.

PHOTO BY JAYDEN SMITH

36 JANUARY 26, 2024

TAKING THE CHALLENGE

Longtime Sea to Sky musician Rachel Lewis, who had the privilege of hosting last November’s WMS, was privy to judging deliberations throughout the event. She remembers the judges being intrigued by Shoulder Pains’ style and stage presence, acknowledging their potential yet wanting to see more. In particular, they wanted Durbin to get out of his vocal comfort zone—the so-called “shout singing” many punk rockers are known for.

Durbin credited Erik Van Meerbergen, a.k.a. Big Love, and Brancho Relaxo as the judges who spoke well of him and his crew.

In return, they put every bit of feedback into action for their final performance. In just a few days, they came up with a flamenco punk song and a jazz punk offering to prove their versatility.

Colour Lewis impressed.

“Chris sang more, they did more original tunes and their stage presence was even better than on the first night that they performed. Overall, the judges were impressed by their cohesiveness as a band and Chris’s ability to step out of his comfort zone,” she remarks. “He took the challenge and ran with it. [Shoulder Pains] obviously brought a bunch of people as well to cheer them on, which really contributed to the fun

vibe of the whole competition.

“Crowd appeal was one of the things on the judges’ scorecards, so they got lots of points there.”

Durbin, for his part, appreciates the opportunity to become more acquainted with other players in the Sea to Sky. “It was interesting to see what else was out there. What the other bands are like, what the other solo artists are like—to see where we maybe stood out from the other people in town,” he says. “There were some great competitors. A girl called Grace did this solo electric guitar and vocals gig, and I thought she was really great.”

‘OUT OF THE WOODWORK’

The WMS has been a staple of our performing arts landscape for years, and it remains as popular as ever. Loads of applications stream in every year—enough to fill two whole months if desired. Organizers like Monty Biggins are inevitably forced to turn people away due to time and booking constraints.

Biggins wasn’t able to attend this year’s music search due to a scheduling conflict with his open mic nights at RMU Whistler, but was active in the background fielding applications, running stage setup and spearheading promotional efforts.

“My offering is simply how amazing it is to see 18 local Sea to Sky acts come out of the woodwork to perform,” Biggins says. “We seem to be getting less and less opportunity from venues to share our music, yet the

number of creative people doing music is abundant.

“It’s amazing that the Crystal Lounge and a couple other local venues—RMU, Alpine Cafe—continue to focus on the grassroots local offerings while so many other venues have turned to DJs or outsourced to booking entities and acts from outside of the Sea to Sky area.”

As a former WMS winner herself, Lewis knows first-hand how much of a jump-start it can be to an aspiring artist’s career. She remains very involved with the local music scene, even giving private voice lessons to those like Durbin and Dobell.

“Since COVID, I’ve been completely out of the loop about who is here, who’s playing and who’s saying what,” Lewis admits. “I’ve got two young kids, so I don’t go out to the Crystal Lounge anymore for jam night or anything like that.

“The music search was a great opportunity for me to be able to see who’s in town. I didn’t recognize anybody that played in the competition, but I’m getting to know a few of the contestants.”

Durbin, Stenner and Scrimshaw didn’t necessarily intend to band together from the start. They became acquainted by chance during open mic nights at the Crystal Lounge and bonded over Australian punk rock. Musically, Durbin likens Shoulder Pains to other Aussie groups like The Chats and Amyl and the Sniffers: bands who tend to emphasize storytelling and humour as much as melodic prowess. n

ARTS SCENE

THE LIBRARY BY THE MACALLAN INSTANT CLASSIC Violin player Kai Gleusteen (right) and his wife, pianist Catherine Ordronneau.

Four Seasons Whistler Exclusive Pop-up Bar

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAI GLEUSTEEN

Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau to perform Feb. 4 in Whistler THE HUSBAND AND WIFE DUO SPECIALIZE IN VIOLIN AND PIANO, RESPECTIVELY

BY DAVID SONG THE WHISTLER CHAMBER

Music Society’s Concert Series returns in 2024 with Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau, an accomplished violin and piano duo from Barcelona.

Gleusteen serves as concertmaster for the symphony orchestra at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and runs his own chamber music operation, Kaimerata Concerts, whenever he’s not touring with his violin.

Ordronneau, a gifted pianist, has received the highest possible distinction from France’s Conservatory de Rouen.

Both enjoy performing in British Columbia, and look forward to their first time in Whistler.

“We used to be avid skiers, we love the mountains and sharing our music anywhere in any community is a pleasure,” Gleusteen says. “Whistler is an exciting new place and we’re very anxious to be there.”

The duo first met in 1997. Both had earned top prize in a Parisian music contest and were playing at an exhibition for former winners.

Gleusteen wasn’t able to hear Ordronneau’s performance, but she complimented him on his, thereby piquing his interest. Though the exhibition owner initially wanted Gleusteen to collaborate with other pianists, he had his first recital with Ordronneau near the turn of the century, and their relationship developed from there.

AN UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING OF MUSIC

Unlike his wife, Gleusteen wasn’t constantly running to his instrument as a kid. There was a fair amount of bartering and negotiation in the household as his mom, Elsi, pushed him to practice violin more. Yet despite all the topflight teachers, masterclasses and recitals, Elsi paradoxically did not want her son to take up a career in music, so Gleusteen studied physics and math in university.

Those subjects eventually bored him.

Violin did not.

In that regard, Gleusteen shares something in common with Ordronneau, who made it through two years of law school before focusing fully on music. Their shared chemistry has proven a blessing to them both in the professional realm.

“There’s a lot of partners who have their respective careers, but they don’t get along musically, and the fact that we do is such a luxury because it means that we can travel together and perform together,” says Gleusteen. “Otherwise, you know, it can be quite a lonely life as a musician.

“Catherine and I share similar goals, objectives and especially our concept of what music-making is. When we rehearse together, we don’t say very much, and the moment we have people added in, we find that we have to talk much more to explain things. A lot of it is just understood when we rehearse together, because we’re thinking of music in the same way.”

Gleusteen and Ordronneau work as hard as anyone to put on a quality show whenever they’re on tour, but they’re not concerned about defining their own musical style.

“When you perform, you prepare a lot.

You have a certain concept and an objective, but then what comes out is in the eye of the beholder,” Gleusteen comments. “I wouldn’t know how to actually define the product we make. We just love the music and try to respect the text of the composer as much as possible. What comes out to the audience? I can’t tell you.”

As lifelong lovers of classical music, the duo focuses on showcasing a different composer each year. Through Kaimerata Concerts, they’ve already spotlighted Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and more, and they’ll no doubt bring a diverse offering to Whistler. One of the pair’s current favourites is Richard Strauss (not to be confused with fellow composer Johann Strauss), who is known for his operas and tone poems during the late Romantic and early modern eras.

Gleusteen and Ordronneau take the stage Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. in the Maury Young Arts Centre. Find out more about their show at whistlerchambermusic.ca/concert/kaigleusteen-and-catherine-ordronneau. n

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Resort Municipality of Whistler

NOTICE OF ASSISTANCE

In accordance with section 24 of the Community Charter, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) hereby gives notice that: The RMOW intends to provide assistance through partnering agreements for 2024 in accordance with the Council Policy A-39 - Fee for Service (FFS) to: • Whistler Arts Council (dba Arts Whistler) up to the amount of $577,500 to operate Maury Young Arts Centre and develop, produce and promote arts programming in Whistler;

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

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

• Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council up to the amount of $73,500 to provide invasive species expertise, program development, training and education in Whistler; • Whistler Animals Galore Society up to the amount of $120,750 to operate an animal shelter in Whistler; • Whistler Museum and Archives Society up to the amount of $218,400 to operate the Whistler Museum; and • Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association up to the amount of $282,450 to maintain the existing off-road trail network within Whistler (together the FFS Recipients).

On January 23, 2024 Council passed a resolution approving the above-listed funding amounts to the FFS Recipients at a Regular Meeting of Council. All of the FFS Recipients are providing important services to the Whistler community and Council has determined that the assistance being provided by the RMOW furthers the goals of the Whistler community as identified in Whistler’s Official Community Plan. All funding under these agreements is due to be paid in 2024 subject to the FFS Recipients satisfying milestones throughout 2024 and continued availability of funding.

Pauline Lysaght Resort Municipality of Whistler Corporate Officer

Notice of Intention to Consider Issuance of a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) for Cannabis Retail The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) gives Notice of Intention to consider issuance of a TUP for Cannabis Retail at its Regular Meeting of Council on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. This is rescheduled from the Regular Meeting of Council on January 9, 2024.

The purpose of the TUP is to allow a cannabis retail business in a designated location. In addition to bylaw requirements, TUP for cannabis retail applicants must demonstrate alignment with the Cannabis Retail Policy and be approved

by Council.

TUP for Cannabis Retail Application - Nesters Plaza The Nest

#103– 7015 Nesters Road

To learn more: A copy of the application materials are available for review: • In-person: at Municipal Hall, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday (statutory holidays excluded) • Online: on the RMOW website at whistler.ca/TUP00116 How to provide input: Written comments must be received by 5:00 pm on February 5, 2024, to cannabis@whistler.ca, or to the RMOW Planning Department, 4325 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC V8E 0X5. Include “TUP00116 TUP for ‘The Nest’” in the subject line, your name and mailing address.

Written comments received by January 26, 2024, will be included in the Council package and published on February 2, 2024. Any written comments received after January 26, 2024 but no later than February 5, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. will be distributed to Council in a late correspondence package.

Attend the meeting: All are welcome to attend the Council meeting on February 6, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.: • In-person: at the Franz Wilhelmsen Theatre in the Maury Young Arts Centre at 4335 Blackcomb Way • Online: via digital broadcast available at whistler.ca/council

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/CannabisRetail

38 JANUARY 26, 2024

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRA PETTLE

WHISTLER PRIDE AND SKI FESTIVAL

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca

TUP00116

FAMILY LITERACY DANCE PARTY Whistler is proud to host the annual Whistler Pride and Ski Festival, celebrating its 31st year in 2024. One of the biggest and best gay and lesbian ski weeks in North America, the LGBTQI pride week features a packed events schedule of skiing, snowboarding and social events.

Find more info at whistlerpride.com. > Jan. 21 to 28 > Multiple venues > Varies

ROSSIGNOL WE RISE WOMEN’S NORDIC SKI DAY Women’s Ski Day returns to Whistler Olympic Park! As part of Rossignol’s We Rise initiative, all women+ are invited to experience a day of cross-country skiing in the beautiful Callaghan Valley. Take advantage of special discounts and activities, plus, beginner and intermediate skiers can register for the day’s special program that includes an all-women group lesson led by one of the talented coaches, lunch, a ski-waxing clinic, goodie bags, and a chance to win prizes.

Find more info at whistlerolympicpark.com/things-todo/event-calendar/rossignol-we-rise-womens-ski-day. > Jan. 27 > Whistler Olympic Park, Callaghan Valley > Varies

FAMILY LITERACY DANCE PARTY WITH IRA PETTLE Nothing adds up to fun quite like singing and dancing together, and no one brings the magic to life quite like Ira Pettle. Celebrate Family Literacy Week with original songs and old favourites designed to get bodies moving and voices joining in. Designed for kids from birth to six years old and their caregivers, this free event speaks to the inner child in everyone! No registration required. > Jan. 28, 10:30 to 11 a.m. > Whistler Public Library Fireplace Lounge > Free

SWEDISH AFTERSKI Tuesdays are for the Swedish! Don’t miss out on the ultimate après-ski celebration! A local tradition for nine years, come and party like the Europeans do. Celebrate a day on the slopes with dancing and singalongs. > Jan. 30, 2:30 to 7 p.m. > Longhorn Saloon & Grill

Roland's Pub is open for lunch Wednesdays & Thursdays from 11:30am!

Join our lunch club!

Get 10 stamps on your lunch card and your 11th lunch is free* (Restrictions apply) Children are welcome everyday until 10pm, so bring the kids in for brunch on the weekends from 11am - 2pm.

PARTIAL RECALL

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1 BETTER TOGETHER The Whistler Community Services Society was the grateful recipient of a $20,000 donation from Whistler locals Jon Dietrich and Carol Leacy recently. See related story on page 16. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WCSS 2 TOONIE TIME Conditions were perfect at the Lost Lake Nordics Trail for the first Toonie Ski of 2024 on Jan. 18. Forty excited skiers, aged 10 to 75 and up, set off to race, glide, and shuffle through Lost Lake’s trails at night by light and headlamp. Prizes, food, and fun were had by all. The next Toonie will be held Feb. 15 at Lost Lake. Stay up to date at whistlernordics.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER NORDICS 3 UP TOP The view from the top of Flute, looking south to Cheakamus Lake, on Jan. 18. PHOTO BY AMIR SHAHRESTANI 4 QUESTIONABLE REUNION Some past Whistler Question “Questionables” had a fun reunion in Miami last week. From left: Suzanne Astells, Rahoul Ghose, Catherine PowerChartrand, and Claire Macdonald. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE POWER-CHARTRAND 5 STILL GOT IT Pique’s art director Jon Parris has not lost a step on the mountain, even after all these years. But what is the paddle for? PHOTO BY AMIR SHAHRESTANI

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

Recycle? Yes or no?

Get the BC RECYCLEPEDIA App

Go Niners!!

Stay Stinky!!

21-4314 Main Street

www.rcbc.ca RECYCLING COUNCIL OF B.C. MEMBER JANUARY 26, 2024

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MUSEUM MUSINGS

BOARD TO DEATH A snowboarder cruises across the slushy and chilly water at the 1994 Slush Cup. PHOTO BY DIANNE WHELAN / WHISTLER QUESTION COLLECTION

Off the lip: the rise of snowboarding in Whistler

Call your Pique sales rep today to find out more

BY REBECCA MACKAY

604-938-0202 sales@wplpmedia.com

SLRD PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DRAFT ELECTORAL AREA A OCP BYLAW NO. 1822-2023 Provide your input into the new proposed Electoral Area A Official Community Plan (OCP) as part of Phase 4 of the Electoral Area A OCP Review and Update Project Review the DRAFT OCP here: getinvolved.slrd.bc.ca/draftareaaocp

1. OPEN HOUSE

2. SURVEY

Join us via Zoom for an interactive presentation on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 6pm

Complete the online survey February 6-20, 2024 at getinvolvedslrd.bc.ca/draftareaaocp

Details will be posted to: getinvolvedslrd.bc.ca/draftareaaocp

Did we get it right?

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Area A OCP Project Team 604-894-6371 ext. 264 areaaocp@slrd.bc.ca www.slrd.bc.ca/AreaAOCPUpdate

40 JANUARY 26, 2024

WHAT’S YOUR favourite mountain, Blackcomb or Whistler? As many know, this has been a hot debate since Blackcomb’s opening in 1980. It amped up even further when snowboarding was welcomed with open arms on Blackcomb Mountain in the winter of 87-88. Whistler Mountain proceeded with caution before it allowed boarders to shred the slopes a season later.

According to Dave Murray in a 1988 interview, “the mountain doesn’t have any problems with snowboards on the mountain in the long-term, but in the short-term, Whistler is very concerned with looking ahead and planning relatively slowly when new innovations come into play.”

Whistler Mountain waited to see how the sport did on Blackcomb before snowboarders were invited to Whistler, largely due to the popular perceptions of snowboarders at the time. Snowboarding was already booming in the United States by the time it reached Canada in the early 1980s. The sport attracted a younger crowd, and a few black sheep would come off as reckless and rude. Many skiers believed it was dangerous for them to be allowed on the mountain, and that it would result in injuries and constant issues.

Some skiers didn’t act too kindly toward them, either. Snowboarders Ken Achenbach, Dano Pendygrasse and Doug Lungren recall being spat on and sworn at, and one skier even threw a shovel at them. There were even fist fights between boarders and skiers in the Blackcomb terrain park, which was run by snowboarders at the time.

But, snowboarding was in its early days—it needed time and space to innovate, integrate, and evolve.

On Blackcomb, Dave Perry, VP of marketing, recalled they did extensive research into how it was going in the U.S. before allowing snowboarders on the mountain. Their research showed there was not actually a problem.

“We’ve got a considerable number of snowboarders on the mountain, they tend to congregate in certain areas, they’ll find a

spot with a tube shape with a big winddrift or something and play there,” Perry said.

“They don’t mix on the main runs as some people think.”

Blackcomb’s support, and later Whistler’s, was crucial to the boom snowboarding enjoyed in Canada, with many pegging the resort as the centre of Canadian snowboarding.

For anyone who thought it was a fad, well, they were wrong.

A lot has happened in the last 30-plus years, but snowboarding is still a relatively young sport, meaning the museum does not have as much information or records of it as we do for sports like skiing. In the last decade, however, the museum has received some great content about snowboarding, along with cool artifacts, and will be using these to recognize the sport and a few of the riders involved.

On Jan. 31 (from 6:30 to 9 p.m.), the Whistler Museum will open our latest exhibit, Off the Lip: the Rise of Snowboarding in Whistler, where we revisit the beginnings of snowboarding in Whistler and the impact it had on the resort and the sport. Off the Lip will be on exhibit until April 30.

This is also a chance to showcase some of the amazing photographs we have from collections, including Greg Griffith, Blackcomb Mountain, and the Whistler Question. Over the course of the exhibit, we will share several images of snowboarders we were not able to display. For many, we have little information on the riders, and are hoping you might be able to fill in the gaps with names and other details.

As professional hoarders, we are always looking to expand our knowledge of subjects, so let us know if there is anything you are inspired to share or show us.

We hope to ignite memories through our exhibits, and there are two subjects to do with snowboarding we are particularly curious about: did you take a snowboard lesson with world champion freestyle skier Stephanie Sloan? Were you part of the Rad Mad Mom’s Club, a group of women who hit the slopes with Whistler Mountain’s first snowboard instructor, Greg Daniells?

Find more info and get in touch at whistlermuseum.org. n

ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology WEEK OF JANUARY 26 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Dani Shapiro has published six novels, three bestselling memoirs, and a host of articles in major magazines. She co-founded a writer’s conference, teaches at top universities, and does a regular podcast. We can conclude she is successful.

Here’s her secret: She feels that summoning courage is more important than being confident. Taking bold action to accomplish what you want is more crucial than cultivating self-assurance. I propose that in the coming weeks, you apply her principles to your own ambitions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Throughout history, there has never been a culture without religious, mythical, and supernatural beliefs. The vast majority of the world’s people have believed in magic and divinity. Does that mean it’s all true and real? Of course not. But nor does it mean that none of it is true and real. Ultra-rationalists who dismiss the spiritual life are possessed by hubris.

Everything I’ve said here is prelude to my oracle for you: Some of the events in the next three weeks will be the result of magic and divinity. Your homework is to discern which are and which aren’t.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Several wise people have assured me that the pursuit of wealth, power, popularity, and happiness isn’t as important as the quest for meaningfulness. If you feel your life story is interesting, rich, and full of purpose, you are successful. This will be a featured theme for you in the coming months, Gemini. If you have ever fantasized about your destiny resembling an ancient myth, a revered fairy tale, a thousand-page novel, or an epic film, you will get your wish.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Life as we live it is unaccompanied by signposts,” wrote author Holly Hickler.

I disagree with her assessment, especially in regard to your upcoming future. Although you may not encounter literal markers bearing information to guide you, you will encounter metaphorical signals that are clear and strong.

Be alert for them, Cancerian. They might not match your expectations about what signposts should be, though. So expand your concepts of how they might appear.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I wrote a book called Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. Among its main messages: There’s high value in cultivating an attitude that actively looks for the best in life and regards problems as potential opportunities. When I was working on the book, no one needed to hear this advice more than me!

Even now, I still have a long way to go before mastering the outlook I call “crafty optimism.” I am still subject to dark thoughts and worried feelings—even though I know the majority of them are irrational or not based on the truth of what’s happening. In other words, I am earnestly trying to learn the very themes I have been called to teach.

What’s the equivalent in your life, Leo? Now is an excellent time to upgrade your skill at expressing abilities and understandings you wish everyone had.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1951, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made a movie adapted from The Idiot, a novel by his favourite author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Kurosawa was not yet as famous and influential as he would later become. That’s why he agreed to his studio’s demand to cut 99 minutes from his original 265-minute version. But this turned out to be a bad idea. Viewers of the film had a hard time understanding the chopped-up story. Most of the critics’ reviews were negative. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, with two intentions: 1. I encourage you to do minor editing on your labour of love. 2 But don’t agree to anything like the extensive revisions that Kurosawa did.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have selected a poem for you to tape on your refrigerator door for the next eight weeks. It’s by 13th-century Zen poet Wu–Men. He wrote: “Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, / a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. / If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season

of your life.” My wish for you, Libra—which is also my prediction for you—is that you will have extra power to empty your mind of unnecessary things. More than ever, you will be acutely content to focus on the few essentials that appeal to your wild heart and tender soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist Carl Jung wrote, “Motherlove is one of the most moving and unforgettable memories of our lives, the mysterious root of all growth and change; the love that means homecoming, shelter, and the long silence from which everything begins and in which everything ends.” To place yourself in rapt alignment with current cosmic rhythms, Scorpio, you will do whatever’s necessary to get a strong dose of the blessing Jung described. If your own mother isn’t available or is insufficient for this profound immersion, find other maternal sources. Borrow a wise woman elder or immerse yourself in Goddess worship. Be intensely intent on basking in a nurturing glow that welcomes you and loves you exactly as you are—and makes you feel deeply at home in the world.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In a set of famous experiments, physiologist Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to have an automatic response to a particular stimulus. He rang a bell while providing the dogs with food they loved. After a while, the dogs began salivating with hunger simply when they heard the bell, even though no food was offered. Ever since, “Pavlov’s dogs” has been a phrase that refers to the ease with which animals’ instinctual natures can be conditioned. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Pavlov had used cats instead of dogs for his research. Would felines have submitted to such scientific shenanigans? I doubt it. These ruminations are my way of urging you to be more like a cat than a dog in the coming weeks. Resist efforts to train you, tame you, or manipulate you into compliance.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Before poet Louise Glück published her first book, Firstborn, it was rejected by 28 publishers. When it finally emerged, she suffered from writer’s block. Her next book didn’t appear until eight years after the first one. Her third book arrived five years later, and her fourth required another five years. Slow going! But here’s the happy ending: By the time she died at age 80, she had published 21 books and won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. By my astrological reckoning, you are now at a phase, in your own development, comparable to the time after Glück’s fourth book: well-primed, fully geared up, and ready to make robust progress.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath,” wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald. I’d like to expand that metaphor and apply it to you, Aquarius. I propose that your best thinking and decision-making in the coming weeks will be like swimming under water while holding your breath. What I mean is that you’ll get the best results by doing what feels unnatural. You will get yourself in the right mood if you bravely go down below the surface and into the depths and feel your way around.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In honour of this pivotal time in your life story, I offer four pronouncements. 1.

You can now be released from a history that has repeated itself too often. To expedite this happy shift, indulge in a big cry and laugh about how boring that repeated history has become. 2. You can finish paying off your karmic debt to someone you hurt. How? Change yourself to ensure you won’t ever act that way again. 3. You can better forgive those who wounded you if you forgive yourself for being vulnerable to them. 4. Every time you divest yourself of an illusion, you will clearly see how others’ illusions have been affecting you.

Homework: Release yourself from the pressure to live up to expectations you don’t like.

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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

JANUARY 26, 2024

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Classifieds

Where locals look

604-938-0202

RENT SELL HIRE

Accommodation

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LONG-TERM RENTALS

SEEKING

MARKETPLACE

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604-932-0677 info@mountaincountry.ca MOUNTAINCOUNTRY.CA

CALL OR PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED WITH OUR ONLINE SERVICE FOR EITHER PRINT OR ONLINE...OR BOTH!

Tuesday 4pm Secure & scamless Fully searchable Î Targeted online community Î Categorised listings Î No reposting Î Trusted by locals Î Make your listing stand out with featured locations Î Î

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* Rates are based on using Pique’s selfserve online application at classifieds. piquenewsmagazine.com

Get the added punch to make your business ad standout with a classified display ad.

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EMPLOYMENT

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

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

Photo by: Corinne Boles

Hi I’m Phil, I recently arrived at WAG with my bestie, Lil, and am so excited for the new adventures ahead! I’m a bundle of fun and have made a big impression on the staff at WAG already.

I am full of life and will make the best buddy for someone looking to add to their family. I’m still learning lots but know for sure my favourite things are peanut butter and jumping for joy in the yard! I’d love a home where the humans have lots of time for me, to play, learn, adore me and keep me safe.

Breed: Pitbull Mix Gender: Male Age: Under 1 year old Size: Medium Visit whistlerwag.com or more information or to fill out an application.

www.whistlerwag.com

HOME SERVICES EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES BUILDING AND RENOVATIONS

Wiebe Construction Services Serving Whistler for over 25 years

Hiring for Summer Full-Time Positions SSISC is recruiting for several positions on both the Field Team and the Education & Outreach Team.

Positions are full-time, 4 days/week Ssisc.ca/jobs

• Kitchen and Bath • Renovations & Repairs • Drywall • Painting • Finishing • Minor Electrical & Plumbing

Ray Wiebe 604.935.2432 Pat Wiebe 604.902.9300 raymondo99.69@gmail.com

HOME SERVICES MOVING AND STORAGE

WE ARE HIRING! big or small we do it all!

Call 604-902-MOVE www.alltimemoving.ca

DHD CONSTRUCTION LTD., a Squamish-based, full-service construction and development company is

HIRING THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: 2 ASSISTANT SITE SUPERVISORS SITE FOREPERSON CARPENTER APPRENTICES LABOURERS COMPETITIVE SALARIES EXTENDED HEALTH & DENTAL BENEFITS PERSONAL TOOL PROGRAM

SERVICES COMPUTER/INTERNET Explore your Digital Potential Explore the potential of a Mobile App, enhance further your online presence, or delve into the potential opportunities that Crypto/Bitcoin could have on your business.

Be a part of the DHD team and our exciting project – Finch Drive. A 20 acre, master-planned community using modern building technologies to achieve some of Squamish’s most energy efficient, multi-family homes.

Ready to discuss your digital future?

Contact me for a no-obligation chat.

Services

Whistler’s premier visitor magazine is on stands now!

HEALTH & WELLBEING SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

See our full page schedule ad in this issue of Pique for details

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.

Owner Relations Manager $55,000 per year

Full Time all year round Apply online today! https://www.vacasa.com/careers/positions or email: paul.globisch@vacasa.com or call to find out more details at 604-698-0520 We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Looking to adopt?

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

www.whistlerwag.com

SHARE YOUR PASSION GOLF MAINTENANCE OPPORTUNITIES Summer Seasonal Experience a summer like no other in Whistler! The Whistler Golf Club is an Arnold Palmer designed course, situated just a short walk from Whistler Village. In concert with Mr. Palmer’s “go for it” attitude when he played, we believe the golf experience we provide should be fun, entertaining, accessible, and memorable. To that end, we are looking for employees who have an engaging and outgoing personality and can get truly “cranked up” everyday to deliver our branded service experience.

Group Fitness Classes Fridays –Gentle Fit 1:00-2:00 pm w Diana Saturdays – Yoga & Pilates Blend 5:30-6:30 pm w Liv Sundays- Vinyasa Yoga 9:00-10:00am w Nicki Tuesdays – SPIN 5:45-6:45 pm w M-A Wednesdays – Zumba 6:30-7:30 pm w Carmen Thursdays – Swim Fit- Endurance 7:30-8:30am w M-A

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

For more information about DHD, full job descriptions and how to apply, visit www.dhdev.ca.

I provide expert, unbiased advice to optimise your digital strategy. Benefit from my 25+ years of experience crafting award-winning digital products across a broad range of industries.

Transform your business today!

Contact: egarson@gmail.com

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’re hiring for the following specialized positions on our Golf Maintenance team for the 2024 summer season: • Irrigation Technician (Full Time, Seasonal, $23 - $26 per hour)

Look for our Winter 2024 Issue!

Find it on select stands and in Whistler hotel rooms

• Head Gardener (Full Time, Seasonal, $21 - $24 per hour) • Grounds Maintenance (Full Time & Part Time, Seasonal, $20 - $23 per hour) What we offer: a fun team and work environment, competitive compensation package, and free golf at our legendary course!

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

JANUARY 26, 2024

43

Resort Municipality of Whistler

Employment Opportunities • Capital Projects Supervisor starting wage of $48.27 per hour

• Computer Systems Technician - GIS starting wage of $38.07 per hour

• Program Leader - Myrtle Philip Community School starting wage of $27.57 per hour

• Equipment Operator III - Roads starting wage of $37.05 per hour

PLAY HERE

Resort Municipality of Whistler whistler.ca/careers

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

Experience in Plumbing is required. Gas Fitting and HVAC would be preferred but not essential.

Wages are based on experience.

Part-time or Full-time positions available.

» piquenewsmagazine.com/jobs

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

Staff Accommodation, Perks and Benefits

Come build with the best team.

Our team of people is what sets us apart from other builders. As we continue to grow as the leader in luxury projects in Whistler, our team needs to expand with us.

We are currently hiring: Experienced Carpenters $30 - $45.50/hourly. Wage based on experience. Red Seal is a bonus, but not mandatory.

EVR is committed to the long-term retention and skills development of our team. We are passionate about investing in our team’s future.

We offer: • Top Wages • Training & Tuition Reimbursement (Need help getting your Red Seal?)

• $500 Annual Tool Allowance • Extended Health and Dental Benefits (Also includes Family Benefits.)

• Flexible Schedule - Work Life Balance. (We get it. We love to ski and bike too.)

• Assistance with Work Visa and Permanent Residency (We can help.)

• Positive Work Environment We promote from within and are looking to strengthen our amazing team. Opportunities for advancement into management positions always exist for the right candidates. Don’t miss out on being able to build with the team that builds the most significant projects in Whistler.

Send your resume to info@evrfinehomes.com We look forward to hearing from you!

www.evrfinehomes.com

44 JANUARY 26, 2024

SUPERVISOR, GUEST SERVICES

Whistler Olympic Park is hiring a Supervisor, Guest Services in the coordination of all sales and bookings of seasonal programs and activities, rental products, as well as summer visitor and campground bookings

Our ideal candidate: Has experience with customer service in outdoor recreation and sport program delivery Is organized, proactive and enjoys working as part of a team Has supervisory experience including recruitment, training and performance management

What we offer: Staff accommodation options Benefit package & perks incl. health & wellness options, WB season pass financing & more Wage commensurate with experience starts at $26/hr

APPLY NOW! whistlerolympicpark.com/careers

Lil’wat Nation

Employment Opportunities Ullus Community Centre • Food Centre assistant ($20.90 - $29.45 per hour) • Advanced Education Registrar ($38,038 - $53,599 per year) • Administrative Assistant, Language and Culture ($38,038 - $53,599 per year) • Band social development worker assistant ($17.10 - $20.90 per hour ) • Financial Reporting Manager ($93,475.20 - $101,556 per year) • Accounts Receivable Coordinator ($38,038 - $53,599 per year) • Transition House Support Worker ($20.90 -$29.45 per hour) • Administrative Assistant, Lands and Resources ($38,038 - $53,599 per year)

Xet’òlacw Community School • Substitute Teacher( $32.02 - $58.36 per hour) • Social Worker/ Counsellor ($80,371.20 -$91,673.40 per year)

Lil’wat Health & Healing • Nurse Manager ($59,878 - $99,717.80 per year) • Assistant Health Director ($93,475.20 - $101,556 per year)

Lil’wat Business Group • Cashier ($17.10 to $18.50 per hour) • Geographic Information Systems Technician ($52,000.00 - $99,840.00 per year)

Benefits Pension Plan • Employee Assistance Program • Gym facility Extended Health Benefits • Professional Development Please visit our career page for more information: https://lilwat.ca/careers/

Staff Accommodation, Perks and Benefits

Supervisor, Whistler Athletes’ Centre

Looking for a great job and accommodation in Whistler?

Join our team at the Whistler Athletes’ Centre, an accommodation venue catering to athletes, sport groups and outdoor enthusiasts. As part of our amazing team, you will be working with guests from all over the world, with the convenience of staff accommodation within easy walking distance.

Our ideal candidate: • • • • •

Professional and friendly Strong leadership skills Passion for exceptional guest service Multitasker who enjoys working in a fast paced environment Flexibility to work evenings and on weekends

What we offer: • • • • •

Competitive wage $26/hour Affordable staff accommodation Benefits package including dental and wellness Recreational allowance & ski season pass financing Industry discounts on apparel

APPLY NOW!

whistlerathletescentre.com/careers

WE ARE HIRING! CERTIFIED DENTAL ASSISTANT ($30-35) RECEPTIONIST ($22-27) • Full time or Part time • Employee Benefits • No weekends or evenings • Locally owned and operated family practice • "Best Dental Office 2023 as voted by readers of Pique Newsmagazine" Please send your resume and a little about yourself to: managercreeksidedentalwhistler@gmail.com.

JANUARY 26, 2024

45

NOW HIRING! Full Time Meat Manager

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

Full Time Assistant Meat Manager ($54,080 – $70,720 (+ benefits) depending on experience)

Our Team enjoys:

A public information meeting will be held by

Stark Architecture

ü

Flexible schedules

ü

Training and experience

ü

Substantial Employee Discount Card & Benefits

ü

Prime location in Pemberton

ü

Short commute = less time, more $$$

for the Rezoning Application for

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.

7451 and 7453 Frontier St, Pemberton on Thursday 1st February in the Pemberton Community Centre, Activity Room D from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

For more information about the application, please see the Village of Pemberton’s website under current development applications.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE.

PLAY HERE

» piquenewsmagazine.com/jobs

WE ARE

HIRING! We’re Hiring! Experienced Carpenters

CERTIFIED DENTAL ASSISTANTS $30-35/Hour Full or Part Time Available Relocation Bonus Available

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

46 JANUARY 26, 2024

Send Your Resume To Us liz@whistlerdental.com APPLY NOW

MORE INFORMATION whistlerdental.com/careers

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1

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Coordinator, Accounts Senior Accountant – Manager, Safety and 3 – Maternity Leave Receivable Compliance Maternity Leave

9 ThisThis 4 iswillprovides This position accounts receivable invoicing position provide leadership andreceivable compliance inand the position responsible for accounts invoicing collections, balance sheet and bank reconciliations, prevention ofmonthly incident injury and illnesses across all operations and collections, monthly balance sheet and bank reconciliations, 7dailyforrevenue overseeing audit and analytical reporting and Venues the Whistler Olympic Legacy venues for Whistler Sport Legacies in the Finance Department Our3 ideal6 candidate: 5 Our Ourideal idealcandidate: candidate has experience in: •• 3+ general accounting 3+years years general accounting or accounts receivable 8practical •• Accounts invoicing and collections Accountsreceivable Receivable invoicing and collections 6 4•• Month Monthend endreconciliations reconciliationsincluding includingallallbank bankand andbalance balance sheet sheetaccounts accounts •• Financial 7 1 3analysis Financial analysisand andPOS POSsystem systemreporting reporting •

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PUZZLES ACROSS 1 6 10 14 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 34 35 39 41 43 45 47 48 51 53 55 56 59 61 62 64 66 68 70 72 73

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MEDIUM

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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.

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 47

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JANUARY 26, 2024

49

MAXED OUT

RMOW dropped the ball on coldweather emergency IN AUGUST 2005 , Katrina, a huge, powerful, Category 5 hurricane, hit the city of New Orleans. In the chaos that followed, nearly 1,400 people perished. The emergency response of the city, state, and federal governments was unfocused, delayed, and not terribly effective.

New Orleans had an award-winning emergency response plan.

Only a handful of agencies came out of the aftermath of Katrina with full marks—the Coast Guard, the National Weather Service, and particularly the National Hurricane Centre, praised for its accurate and timely

BY G.D. MAXWELL forecast of what was about to hit the Gulf Coast.

Katrina was a massive emergency with a lot of moving parts and overlapping jurisdictions. It’s not hard to imagine how the response fell short.

But what about smaller emergencies?

How do we judge governmental or agency response to those?

In 2012, Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) staff prepared a provinciallymandated Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment. It identified 32 hazards that “could affect the Resort Municipality of Whistler.” They were rated Very High to Low, explaining, “no municipality has unlimited resources allowing them to plan for every hazard event possible, therefore some form of ranking is required when deciding which hazards are most important to plan for.”

Five hazards were ranked high-risk: earthquake, interface fire, water-supply interruption, minor snowstorm, and volcano.

To date, the body count from all five is zero.

In a listing of Whistler’s emergency history, there are only two events in which lives were lost: The 2003 “Rain on Snow Event” that washed out the Rutherford Creek Bridge, killing five people when their vehicles plunged into the creek; and the 1995 Quicksilver lift failure that resulted in two deaths and 10 injuries.

On Dec. 4, 1999, Whistler legend and pioneer Seppo Makinen froze to death in his camper. There were assorted factors— and some speculation—that contributed to Seppo’s death, but hypothermia was the ultimate cause.

Nowhere in the list of 32 hazards is the one that occurs virtually every year, sometimes more than once a year: extremely cold weather. Not as attention-grabbing as, say, volcanic eruption—the most recent one having occurred more than 2,300 years ago—and not to say the others aren’t important, but the lack of inclusion of potentially fatal cold weather is a bit of a head scratcher, since Seppo isn’t

50 JANUARY 26, 2024

STANDRET // ADOBE STOCK

the only cold weather-related death to occur in Whistler.

So why isn’t extreme cold on the RMOW’s radar? Maybe that’s because we are a mountain community, a resort mountain community.

And Canadian. Hey, it gets cold here. Deal with it. Or, perhaps as Nancy Reagan would have said, “Just get a coat!”

Or is it the muni simply doesn’t want to deal with cold weather? I mean, who really dies of cold? Poor people? Underhoused people?

People living rough? Homeless people? Our people?

The fact is the RMOW has abdicated any responsibility and, seemingly, interest in hosting a cold-weather emergency shelter.

This was demonstrated when temperatures most recently dropped down to dangerously cold levels. Not only did the muni pass the responsibility off to the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) to deal with the emergency, their ability to respond with basic,

Cold Weather Shelter Plan only ran until the end of March, 2023. C’mon. Why might we need it again?

The muni remained intransigent on how cold was too cold, insisting on -20 C notwithstanding the province’s Assistance to Shelter Act pegged the temperature at -4 C. And since their largesse ran out the end of last March, they never bothered to either renew or replace the plan with something more permanent.

So it fell to the WCSS to open its doors for overnight guests. Problem was, the demand was greater than the maximum supply previously agreed to by the fire chief. But whereas the manager of protective services might not have been able to thaw out the Sea-Can, the fire chief was urged to see if maybe the capacity at WCSS might not be nudged up a bit.

Rearrange office furniture, slip in a few more cots, buy a few more pillows and, voila, more room in the manger. Full marks to the

And you know who those people seeking shelter from the cold were? If you guessed homeless tramps, you’re wrong. They were local employees. necessary supplies was hampered due to their cache of emergency supplies being located in a frozen-shut Sea-Can! But wait, I hear you say, wasn’t this sorted out a little over a year ago when the RMOW decided they’d open the library as an emergency shelter when the temperature dipped below -20 C? That was so 2023, dearies. Get with the program. This is 2024.

That first iteration of the RMOW’s Extreme

fire chief for stepping up and providing timely, helpful action.

Interestingly, the RMOW’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan—up for review and revision this year—lists all the government and external agency support groups the town might rely on for help in emergencies. There are 11 “Local Partners” listed, including the Salvation Army, WAG, Whistler Transit, WSAR, and School District 48.

Not among those local partners? WCSS!!

While the RMOW was trying to thaw out their emergency supplies, WCSS was stuffing people into their managers’ offices, paying for hotel rooms for some, running the food bank, providing outreach services for residents needing help, underwriting counselling services and assisting many locals with their own, unique emergencies.

And you know who those people seeking shelter from the cold were? If you guessed homeless tramps, you’re wrong. They were local employees. The people local businesses so desperately need to keep their doors open.

The people who help keep the “resort” in our resort municipality.

Section 8.1 of the Plan says, “During emergency events, Mayor and Council need to make themselves readily available to come together and consider and approve bylaws, emergency resolutions, or a declaration of a state of local emergency, if necessary.”

Italics, mine.

Section 8.2 says, “The [Chief Administrative Officer’s] office serves a coordinating managerial role to assure the continued operation of municipal government services.”

The cold-weather emergency has passed, thankfully. Even my frozen-shut garage door opens again. But it was forecast well in advance. Everyone knew it was coming.

Vancouver opened up many additional spaces.

Other municipalities did the same.

Ours punted. No one who was supposed to be readily available or coordinate things did. Perhaps it wasn’t an emergency. Perhaps it wasn’t the kind of emergency the town wants to deal with. Not nearly as sexy as a volcano, eh?

Or perhaps the RMOW is just so tied up in rules and plans and bureaucracy it simply can’t respond to even the most foreseeable, most frequent, most prosaic of emergencies.

I’d sure hate to see what happens in a big emergency. ■

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