Pique Newsmagazine 3124

Stories from the ashes

Gun Lake residents are still reeling from a disastrous 2023 wildfire. - By Ro ´ is ´ n Cullen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

06 OPENING REMARKS As officials seem content to spend in circles, the Resort Municipality of Whistler is a veritable consultant’s paradise, writes editor Braden Dupuis.

08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In which the Whistler Naturalists say thanks for another successful BioBlitz.

13 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST When it comes to foreign interference, from sea to sea, Canada is a mark, writes Scott Tibballs.

46 MAXED OUT Apparently, not only do politics stink, we stink. At least some of us do. Or might. Sometimes. Not always.

12 VISION QUEST Local officials heard an update on a new Smart Tourism initiative this week, which aims to map out a new vision for tourism in the resort.

13 GOING UP? A new adaptive chairlift prototype showcased in Whistler last week could mean a vastly improved guest experience for adaptive riders.

28 DOWNHILL DYNASTY With its third-consecutive B.C. High School Mountain Bike Championship, Pemberton Secondary continues to punch above its weight.

32 BARN BURNER Pemberton’s Mountain Muse Festival returns to the Downtown Community Barn June 22 and 23.

COVER I don’t think I could choose amongst my collection of memories. Thankfully it’s the memories I value, not the objects! - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

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Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT

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Whistler: A consultant’s paradise

THIS WEEK , Whistler’s mayor and council heard a presentation on the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s (RMOW) new-ish focus on Smart Tourism (ST), accompanied by a characteristically stiff and verbose, seven-

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

By typical RMOW standards, it is packed with buzzwords and jargon, using many

As explained in the report, in November 2023, the RMOW issued a request for proposals “seeking a consultant to lead the facilitation of a ST visioning journey” (emphasis added).

In December, a contract worth $42,000 was awarded to Vancouver-based consulting firm Resonance for the work, which held a visioning workshop in April.

According to the RMOW, the “primary output of this workshop will be a draft vision for the future of tourism in Whistler that will be shared in summer 2024.”

No word yet on which lucky consultant will get to turn the draft vision into a fullyrealized, hallucinatory episode, but it already sounds good, doesn’t it? Paying someone to help us envision what the future might look like?

It’s such a good idea, in fact, that we just can’t help but do it every couple of years or so.

Case in point, Whistler’s new Smart Tourism initiative, with its fancy new committee and consulting fees, is not to be mistaken for (deep breath): Whistler 2020; the Official Community Plan; the Economic Partnership Initiative; the Strategic Planning Committee; Tourism Whistler’s recent “placebranding exercise;” The Balance Model

Initiative; or the Whistler Sessions.

Yes, the OCP is mandatory, some of the listed initiatives are complementary, and some are at least partially funded by grants, but make no mistake: these initiatives all constitute a variation of the same work, often paying different people to “consult” on it, and then calling it different things.

And yes, “Smart Tourism” is one of council’s priorities—but one would think, with the term being nearly half over, it would make more sense not to start fresh with a new consulting firm, embarking on a new visioning journey, but to pull from the hundreds of hours of community discussion and consulting input the RMOW and Tourism Whistler have no doubt accumulated through initiatives like the Balance Model, the Whistler Sessions, the place-branding exercise, and the still-recent OCP review.

Because for all the millions of dollars the RMOW has funnelled into the bank accounts of consulting firms with names like “Aspire” and “Innovolve” over the past decade, a fat lot of good it has done to improve the lives of the people who actually run this place: the workers, and the long-term locals.

The fact is, in 2024, it is harder than ever before to make a go of it in Whistler as a young person. This is not the fault of our local officials, and far from it—things are getting tougher everywhere. But at least the consultants know they can still count on us for an easy meal.

Judging from a cursory review of other B.C. municipalities, none seem to have such a circuitous, infinite relationship with consulting firms as Whistler.

Why is that? It’s simple, really. Whistler can afford it, and other communities can’t.

than the promised quick results.

At most local governments, resources are often so scarce the only real option is to wait for higher levels of government to dictate your world with policy or bequeath you with funding.

And so the reality is, in many cases, the best thing a municipal government can actually do is… nothing.

In normal municipalities, this is simply an accepted fact. Here in Whistler, we expect, nay, demand progress, even if said progress amounts to chasing our own tail in perpetuity.

And so our local government, flush with a budget not afforded to other communities, obliges us. It strikes committees. It commissions studies. It hires consultants. It spends in circles, forever.

Whether or not we ever see results is almost beside the point, in this exercise—it’s

Hiring consultants is the best way to make it look like you’re doing something, even when you’re not. In that way, the consulting industry becomes a sort of makeshift political shield for the RMOW and our elected officials.

Being this inefficient is a luxury other communities simply don’t have.

In the past 10 years, we have seen task forces on resident housing and regional transit (of which today we have neither), and endless aspirational open houses with fancy, fine-tuned poster boards.

Where do we stand in 2024?

The housing situation is worse than it has ever been. Prices are out of control and more long-term locals are giving up the ghost every year. It’s buzzwords and rhetoric over results, 9.9 times out of 10.

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Hiring consultants is the best way to make it look like you’re doing something, even when you’re not. In that way, the consulting industry becomes a sort of makeshift political shield for the RMOW and our local elected officials.

Because the hard truth is there are rarely any actual answers to the big problems we face as a society, and certainly never any easy ones. When it comes to most issues, the best we’ve really got to go off are educated guesses. Bold, brash decision-making is more likely to yield unintended consequences and backlash

the illusion of progress that matters.

Every year, when the tax-increase discussion comes around, the RMOW presents it as a balancing act between maintaining services, rebuilding reserves, and keeping taxes low.

That is no doubt true.

But when we talk about efficiency at municipal hall, a fantastic place to start would be to stop making faceless consulting firms richer with endless, vacuous, redundant make-work projects that produce no quantifiable results for Whistler residents n

Whistler’s ‘SlimeO-Blitz’ a success

This year marks the Whistler Naturalists’ 18th-annual BioBlitz event that celebrates biodiversity through education and scientific research. Our focus was on slime moulds this year, which are fascinating organisms that we don’t know much about in B.C.

We were therefore very fortunate to be joined by B.C.’s best experts (Tyson Ehlers, Ryan Durand and Pam Janszen) for our first “Slime-O-Blitz.” They presented to five classes and gave a wellreceived public talk. They also had a great time finding new slime moulds on Blackcomb Mountain and in the Callaghan Valley.

Most of their finds will be new to the Whistler list; some are even new to B.C., North America, or potentially to science. These and other visiting scientists, some of the best in B.C., also presented to local classes and surveyed for their target species.

This year’s BioBlitz presented to 35 classes at five different schools: Spring Creek, Myrtle Philip, École la Passerelle, Whistler Waldorf and Whistler Secondary—a total of approximately 800 students. Thank you to all the students and teachers for your enthusiasm and interest! We hope these hands-on presentations increase a sense of wonder for students and help build appreciation for the natural world

“[S]ome are even new to B.C., North America, or potentially to science.”

- KRISTINA SWERHUN

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.

around them, which then fuels an interest in stewardship.

For elementary schools, the topics included pollination, ecology, the web of life, forest friends, energy flow and food chains, wildlife of Whistler and nature art. Students got to learn about insects, see live aquatic invertebrates, go for nature walks, handle examples of decomposers, match pollinators with flowers they pollinate, touch pelts and skulls from B.C. mammals, and get introduced to slime moulds.

Classes at the high school had in-depth presentations and field outings on slime moulds and visits from provincial wildlife health biologists who demonstrated how wildlife necropsies are done.

A huge thank you to the Whistler Community Foundation, which has consistently supported BioBlitz (and we’re both celebrating 25 years this year!) and the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment, our charitable partner. We also received generous support from the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Community Enrichment Program and BC Nature. Other support came from the Whistler Biodiversity Project, Whistler Blackcomb, Tantalus Lodge, Whistler Museum, Whistler Library, Arts Whistler, Creekside Market, Toad Hall and Avalanche Pizza.

Sincerely, the WNS board: Kristina Swerhun, Bob Brett, Samantha Ray, Ashley Bordignon, Sabrina Hinitz, Mel Tardif, and Chloe Van Loon. Kristina Swerhun // on behalf of the Whistler Naturalists n

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From sea to sea, Canada is a mark

THE GOVERNMENT of Canada has taken an untenable position on the foreign interference discourse currently swirling thanks to the recently-released report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP).

The 84-page report, which was informed by thousands of documents gathered from various government departments

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

and organizations exposed to foreign affairs, included the revelation there are parliamentarians currently sitting in Ottawa who were “semi-witting or witting participants [emphasis theirs] in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics”—a line you can find in Section 164 on page 67 of the report.

The report itself is quite a read—anyone remotely interested in governance or Canada as a sovereign nation should read it from cover to cover. It thoroughly explains tactics

powers, draws eight findings and makes six recommendations on what to do about it.

Given the report describes—at length— foreign interference as a national security threat, Canadians should be furious there are parliamentarians helping foreign powers meddle in domestic affairs for their own benefit.

The untenable position the government has taken is not naming those parliamentarians who are found to be helping

Second, while the report says there were parliamentarians involved in these activities, it leaves open the fact there are parliamentarians who are not. However, by not naming the accused, all parliamentarians are tarnished by the same brush, and come under scrutiny.

Third, Canada does not exist in a vacuum, and is an integral power in the G7, G20, NATO, USMCA, UN and more—organizations in which it plays a vital diplomatic, economic,

Trust cannot be rebuilt if there is a perception the government is compromised from within, and certainly cannot if it actually is.

foreign powers, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, without dropping the T-word,

intelligence and military role. In all of these organizations, Canada has allies and

our enemies. To our allies, Canada is a weak link that cannot be trusted; to our enemies, Canada is a mark.

Fourth, taken together and combined with the continued decline in trust in institutions, refusing to commit to transparency on violations of public trust by the most public faces of government is more acid on the foundations of our government’s own legitimacy. Trust cannot be rebuilt if there is a perception the government is compromised from within, and certainly cannot if it actually is. While transparency is not committed to, speculation will continue until something breaks.

Fifth, failure to take action and publicly out politicians who engage in questionable activity with foreign states is signalling to the guilty parties they have gotten away with it, and to others that they can, too.

Finally, for the government itself, the story has legs, and it could run all the way to the next election. There is not much political opponents of the government have to do to fan the flames and take advantage of the situation. They have already failed to take hold of the issue, and now it is running out well ahead of them.

A great place to start is to name the

Whistler embarking on smart tourism ‘visioning journey’

COMMITTEE AIMS TO MAKE TOURISM WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY IN THE LONG-TERM

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

WHISTLER’S MAYOR and council heard an update on its long-in-development smart tourism strategy this week, which is highlighted in its 2023-2026 strategic plan as a priority area for the municipality alongside housing, climate action and community engagement.

In an update to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) regular council meeting on June 11, the RMOW’s economic development officer, Richard Kemble, reported on how the municipality sought to understand smart tourism through community engagement and research of other community approaches.

“One key lesson that emerged was that success can only be achieved through building partnerships and meaningful collaboration,” Kemble wrote in a report to council.

Kemble listed example communities of Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Queenstown, New Zealand; and Amsterdam in the Netherlands as sources of research into smart tourism, and went into where the RMOW is now, with a Smart Tourism Committee (STC) made up of 16 voting members including some from council,

municipal staff, local businesses, cultural organizations and the community at large.

According to the report, the STC recently completed a workshop that was a “visioning journey” led by a consultant that would guide Whistler’s “collaborative approach to destination management and stewardship.”

A draft “vision” from that workshop is expected to be shared this summer, with community input to refine it, and “ensure

sense of ownership and pride in the envisioned future of Whistler’s tourism industry,” it reads.

An example of community stewardship used was that of Venice, which Kemble described as “bold” in introducing a pilot daytrip tax, where non-overnight visitors must register and pay five euros per day to visit the city.

“This exemplifies a difficult policy decision that seeks to find balance amidst

“One key lesson that emerged was that success can only be achieved through building partnerships and meaningful collaboration.”

- RICHARD KEMBLE

alignment and excitement behind a collective vision of what could be. Core themes that will emerge through this vision will explore the balance of visitors and residents, community collaboration and how to be brave with our decision making.”

Support from the community and local businesses is critical to smart tourism, Kemble wrote in the report.

“Engagement efforts will seek to garner feedback from all interest holders to foster a

growing tourism and visitation pressures,” he said. “The tax is designed to act as a tourism deterrent, while simultaneously generating revenue that can be reinvested to help manage their tourism volume.”

The outcomes of that pilot are still being researched both in Venice and among observers, including Whistler.

“As the [smart tourism] initiative continues to evolve, learnings from busy tourist destinations such as Venice will be

reviewed to help accelerate the learning process for Whistler,” writes Kemble.

“In this way, the successful methods can be adapted or considered, and the unsuccessful ones can be avoided.”

Kemble ended his report by warning that if Whistler does not update its management practices to handle the expected continued increase in tourism, “we risk degrading the tourism and resident experience that has been carefully cultivated over time.

“We already feel the pressure of peak days, whether it is sitting in traffic, standing for hours in a lift line, or being unable to find a place to sit in our parks. If these peak days become more frequent, these issues will only intensify.”

Speaking to his report at the council meeting, Kemble said the focus of smart tourism as a concept and work being done on the RMOW level with its partners is to take advantage of the community’s strengths, while limiting whatever weaknesses come about from being popular.

“The real question is how do we increase our ability to welcome visitors while preserving the magic of what makes Whistler special,” said Kemble.

“We really need to lean in on what is Whistler and what makes us happy to be here,” he added, listing the environment and community as some of those reasons.

Community engagement with the STC-

GET SMART What does the future of tourism look like in Whistler?

PHOTO BY MIKE CRANE / GETTY IMAGES

Adaptive chairlift prototype showcased at Whistler Blackcomb

‘I REALLY THINK THE TIME FOR PEOPLE TO SKI AND DO ALL THE SPORTS THEY WANT INDEPENDENTLY IS NOW’

BY LIZ MCDONALD

ADAPTIVE MOUNTAIN BIKING in Whistler could eventually have a better guest experience, thanks to a new adaptive chairlift prototype.

Developed by a team from the University of Utah’s Spinal Cord Injury Acute Rehabilitation (SCIAR) program and the university’s engineering program, the adaptive chairlift is another step towards independence for adaptive riders. SCIAR program lead Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth was in Whistler June 6 to showcase the prototype and other equipment developed by his subsidiary business, Tetradapt.

The chairlift was on display, alongside an adaptive sit-ski and sailboat, and groups from Whistler Blackcomb (WB) and the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program came to check out the equipment.

ADAPTIVE CHAIRLIFT PROTOTYPE

Omer Dagan works in business development for WB, and he explained adaptive bike loading at WB has been a trial-and-error process that considers different types of bikes and chairs to determine the best way to load each guest using an adaptive mountain bike (AMTB).

What is novel about the adaptive chairlift is it would allow for biker independence.

“The exciting thing for us with a concept like this, is that if it comes to fruition in this configuration, it would mean that users don’t need to get out of their bikes,” he said.

Dagan used the new Fitzsimmons chairlift as an example, where a lift operator

“[I]t would mean that users don’t need to get out of their bikes.”

- OMER DAGAN

would need to stop the chairlift, the adaptive rider would get out of their bike and sit on the chair, and the lift operator would then load the bike. The process is reversed at the top of the chairlift.

“That can be quite a slow and cumbersome process and not very efficient. Nor is that a particularly great experience for the rider

‘VISIONING JOURNEY’ FROM PAGE 12

produced “vision” will take place in the second half of 2024, with a destination management plan being an end-goal in the future.

During questions and comments, all councillors that spoke to the item indicated support for smart tourism as a concept and endorsed the work done by the RMOW to get ahead of the issue of a growing provincial population and growing tourism numbers for Canada in order to ensure the community is brought along with tourism as a benefit.

Councillor Cathy Jewett highlighted how many of the examples found in the update were cultural examples, and posed the possibility that Whistler could “be the example that people look to for destination management” in the outdoor attraction space.

“Whistler to be a global leader is such a great goal, I’m looking forward to the work to get there,” she said.

Coun. Ralph Forsyth, appointed chair of the STC, said while “smart tourism” had historically been a difficult concept to define, he was pleased work done on the file reflects what the RMOW heard during the last election cycle.

“The community felt left out of the tourism product, and that there was nothing for them

in tourism other than employment,” he said. “I am hopeful that that is responsive enough for them and they see that we’re working towards the message that they sent us.”

Mayor Jack Crompton said what was presented was an important piece of working towards sustainability as a community.

“Since the last election, whenever I talk about smart tourism with people I think of a data-forward, progressive effort to drive a tourism economy that serves Whislerites and Whistler, so people in place,” he said. “That data-forward approach that is thinking in enormous scale and scope and aspiration gets me really excited.”

Crompton said he agreed with Forsyth’s assertion that smart tourism as a concept had come from the community signalling it wanted more from tourism as a sector.

“Our community felt if we didn’t manage tourism it would manage us—I think this is a great foundation on which to build,” he said.

The “smart tourism strategy” has $50,000 budgeted for it for the 2024, funded through the general operating reserve.

All councillors voted to receive the update unanimously. n

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themselves having to get in and out of their bike every single time,” he said. “So something like this has the potential to significantly improve the guest experience.”

For full instructions on how AMTBs lift load, WB has an instructional video on its accessibility webpage.

WB is in conversation with the SCIAR program about the potential applications for the adaptive chairlift in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, as well as its use for winter operations and sightseeing. SCIAR has done preliminary testing at Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Utah, and is working with lift maker Doppelmayr to create an appropriate design.

Dagan said it’s still early days, and couldn’t say exactly when the technology would be implemented in Whistler, but accessibility is a constantly evolving process at WB (and in the municipality).

“As we’re preparing for the Invictus Games in February next year, trying to continually make improvements to the guest experience is something we’re prioritizing, and this is part of that,” he said. “This is not something that is going to come to fruition overnight.”

The requisite approvals could take years, from provincial regulators, to engineering teams and lift manufacturer Doppelmayr.

The concept first started after feedback from adaptive riders about their experience highlighted the need for better wayfinding and lift loading, according to Dagan. Now,

there are AMTB trail-rating systems in the bike park, on trail maps and online and instructional videos for lift loading, as well as dedicated wheelchair and bike storage space in the gondola barn of Skiers Plaza.

TETRASKI AND SAILBOAT

Rosenbluth and his team designed the tetraskis to accommodate individuals with complex injuries and illnesses, like no trunk control and

limited or zero arm control.

Using a joystick controller or breath control, athletes have very fine independent control of the device.

Tetraski also partners with non-profits to ensure the technology is available for people who benefit.

“I think this is one tool where the world doesn’t need 100,000 of them. We might need a couple hundred. And so we’re really trying to look for partners and ways to just do this

together,” Rosenbluth said.

“We should just have these available. I really think the time for people to ski and do all the sports they want independently is now. We don’t have to do it as dependently as we’ve been doing it for 40 years.”

Adrià Flor is the lead coach for WASP, and in charge of its facilities and equipment. He’d like to see breath-control technology available for WASP athletes.

“If you don’t have the technology, then you rely on someone to help you all the time. You can experience things but you can’t be independent,” he said. “That’s part of the goal, working on independence rather than just having the experience.”

The breath-controlled equipment could be used in WASP’s sit-skis, sailing boat and bikes, so people with higher injury compete independently.

The breath-controlled sit-ski costs US$30,000, a price tag that’s out of reach for WASP without a fundraiser to purchase the technology. But Flor said each year there are hundreds of athletes who come from around the world and within the Sea to Sky for adaptive sports programming, and he could think of more than 20 people who could use the technology.

He suggested WASP would be interested in leasing a tetraski and if it was something athletes need, they could fundraise for the overall cost.

“We need support from the community to make that independence happen. And that means that we need more funding, so ... any support we welcome.” n

THE GIFT OF LIFT Dr. Jeff Rosenbluth stands with Omer Dagan, Carly Fox and James Peter beside an adaptive chairlift prototype. PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD

Whistler council votes through code of conduct; remuneration pops up again

THE RMOW (ALMOST) HAS A NEW CODE OF CONDUCT TO GOVERN BEHAVIOUR

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

WHISTLER’S MAYOR and council is one step closer to adopting a new code of conduct bylaw, complete with six amendments, after the bylaw passed first three readings on May 28.

Under the amendments to the new code (developed at the encouragement of the province) made at the April 9 council meeting, councillors made changes around harassment and discrimination, interactions with staff, complaints outside of jurisdiction, the informal resolution process, the release of final reports on incidents, and reimbursement.

A seventh amendment first brought forward by Councillor Ralph Forsyth to remove the reduction of councillor pay as punishment when found to be in contravention of the bylaw was defeated at the April 9 meeting, and Forsyth brought it up again at the May 28 meeting, describing financial punishment as a “sticking point” for him.

Under the code as proposed to be adopted, councillors who are found by an investigator to be in breach of the code suffer an automatic reduction in pay, prior to any remediation actions that can be voted on by council.

“I don’t think that we should be in the business of docking people’s pay for things we feel they’ve said and done,” said Forsyth.

“This is absolute downloading by the provincial government onto municipalities, and all of the encumbrances and responsibilities that it entails, with absolutely no training or understanding of the ramifications that might come forth,” he added.

“If someone is out of line, and you want to dock half their pay, is that the kind of person you want to [welcome back]? Is that person not going to resign after, or not show up at all?”

Forsyth suggested instead they leave out remuneration for now, and consider including it at a later date after the ramifications of new codes of conduct around the province were understood.

Coun. Jen Ford was swayed by his argument, indicating she would support Forsyth’s position and consider amending the code in the future, while Coun. Jeff Murl questioned the value in introducing a code without any “teeth” to enforce rulings.

Mayor Jack Crompton said there were “problems” with municipalities around the province, and there needed to be codes that could manage bad behaviour.

“We’re going to have a code of conduct , [and] that needs to have consequences. I think financial consequences are reasonable,” he said.

When it came to a vote on Forsyth’s amendment, Ford and Coun. Jessie Morden voted with him, while the remaining four voted against.

When it came to voting on the unamended code as presented by staff, Ford spoke of her

support for the bylaw and its need in ensuring proper conduct of councils.

“It’s good, let’s see how it works and hopefully we’ll never have to use it,” she said.

Forsyth voted against the code given the failure of his amendment, but said it was good the municipality had something to ensure proper behaviour.

“I would say this is a complete abdication of the province’s responsibilities to govern its municipalities, which they are solely responsible for,” he said.

Crompton prefaced his support for the final bylaw by saying he was voting for it “with unease.”

“I am concerned about politicians managing code-of-conduct complaints for other politicians,” he said.

“Ideally enforcement of local elected officials is managed by apolitical people like judges, so that politics doesn’t drive decisions.”

Crompton listed some concerns with jurisdictional powers, but noted he had opted to not try to change it further because he was comforted by commitments to regularly review the code.

The code ultimately passed 6-1 with only Forsyth against, and council unanimously supported directing staff to prepare a resolution to go to the Union of BC Municipalities asking the province to amend the community charter to include a mandatory municipal code of conduct, and to appoint a provincial municipal ethics commissioner with the power to adjudicate and direct consequences including council member removal for code-of-conduct violations.

The code will come back for adoption at a future meeting, after which point it will be in effect. n

CODE WARRIORS Council watches a presentation at committee of the whole earlier this year.

FILE PHOTO BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

Whistler puts in UBCM asks for September

EVACUATION PLANNING, SUPPORT FOR TOURISM, AND HOUSING TOP PACKED AGENDA

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

WHISTLER HAS COMPILED its wishlist for September’s Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention, after a discussion at the committee of the whole meeting on June 11.

With deadlines for minister meeting requests rapidly approaching on June 21, corporate coordinator with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), Julie Sakamoto, ran Whistler’s mayor and council through some of the benefits of taking advantage of the meetings, and provided a list of meeting requests so far.

Currently, elected officials and municipal staff at the RMOW are seeking meetings with the minister of emergency management and climate readiness to discuss evacuation planning (which they also did in 2023); the minister of finance and the minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport (separately) to discuss funding for tourism-supporting infrastructure; the housing minister; the minister for Indigenous relations and reconciliation; the minister of transportation and infrastructure to discuss regional transit; and the minister of water, lands and resource stewardship to discuss flood mitigation efforts in Fitzsimmons Creek.

Sakamoto said the meetings are a “great opportunity for dialogue with ministers,” and highlighted meetings from 2023 and what resulted of them as proof. She said meetings with the minister of emergency management yielded follow-up conversations with provincial-level staff on the matter of evacuation-planning, while meetings with finance yielded expanded uses for MRDT in tourism funding.

On housing, the RMOW previously pushed for more focus on local context to be considered in provincial legislation, while on the tourism front, the municipality was engaged in ongoing discussion around the “invisible burden” of tourism wherein areas

with high visitation had limited ways to collect funding besides through property taxes.

The convention, which will take place in Vancouver Sept. 16 to 20, will welcome representatives from B.C.’s 161 municipalities and 27 regional districts—making the 15-minute ministerial meetings highly sought after. UBCM is the main policy-forming meeting for municipality-level government in B.C., and advocates on behalf of local governments to higher levels.

Sakamoto also added that, given 2024 is an election year, there could be some movement in ministerial appointments following the Oct. 19 election.

During discussion, Councillor Ralph

Forsyth suggested adding a meeting with the ministry that would be responsible for provincial approvals of mountain biking trails in the area—which according to staff would be the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, which oversees Recreation Sites and Trails BC, while Coun. Jessie Morden asked for a meeting with the Ministry of Education and Childcare to discuss childcare costs.

Coun. Cathy Jewett also asked to speak with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure about regional transit, saying, “we’ve really gotta just keep asking the question, I think,” given it’s an election year. She also said she’d be interested in flagging the potential for a transit lane to the south of Whistler to ease traffic congestion.

Coun. Jeff Murl asked for follow-up meetings with ministries engaged in 2023 to see what progress has been made on previous conversations, while Mayor Jack Crompton talked about the need to maintain ongoing conversations with ministries responsible for tourism and emergency planning.

The conference would have marked the last time Whistler Councillor Jen Ford sits on the UBCM executive after five years in various executive-level roles, but she is on leave from the role of past president after she was nominated as BC NDP candidate for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky last month. n

Political hot potato or done deal? Green candidate takes aim at WLNG

GREEN CANDIDATE FOR WEST VANCOUVER-SEA TO SKY, JEREMY VALERIOTE, SAYS WLNG ISN’T A DONE DEAL FOR SQUAMISH

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

AS THE PROVINCIAL election draws nearer, Green candidate in West VancouverSea to Sky Jeremy Valeriote is positioning himself as representing the only party that doesn’t believe the Woodfibre LNG project near Squamish is a done deal.

Straight after Jen Ford was acclaimed as the NDP candidate for the riding, Valeriote’s campaign highlighted his position, and said in a release he looked forward to discussing the BC NDP’s support for Woodfibre LNG in the coming campaign.

“Their positions put them at odds with the prevailing wishes of the people who live and work in the Sea to Sky corridor and Howe Sound,” reads Valeriote’s words in a release from May 22.

“Investing in the new green economy should be a priority over misguided investments in polluting fossil-fuel projects that will soon be obsolete as the energy transition gains even more momentum.”

Speaking with Pique in the days after, when asked about his positioning on the issue, Valeriote was more tempered, and hedged his statement.

“I don’t know for sure the positions of the other candidates, but based on the party records and what’s gone on to date since the 2020 election when I was the only candidate opposing it … I’ll be more than happy if there are other candidates that like me don’t think it’s a good idea, but that remains to be seen,” he said.

Asked for her position on the project, Ford talked up the BC NDP’s environmental regulations it placed on the BC Liberalapproved project.

“While the BC Liberals approved this project and construction is already underway, David Eby and the BC NDP took action to mitigate impacts on the community,” she said in an email to Pique, highlighting environmental and housing requirements the government imposed since it came to power that she said were focused on concerns on local housing and community safety.

“This was the first time that the Environmental Assessment Office introduced this kind of requirement, and like many people in our region, I was glad that the EAO implemented it.”

Ford and Valeriote are the only two candidates currently in the field for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.

But back to Valeriote, on Woodfibre, he was steadfast in his position and adamant the project was not a “done deal,” despite ongoing works.

“As far as I understand, it’s still in preconstruction. It was permitted in 2015, and went dormant for quite a number of years likely until the Ukraine war spiked gas prices, so there is work being done on it. There is still permitting to go,” he said.

DONTMISSOUT! Onlineregistration closesSaturday15th*

*Limited amount of in-person registration available on the 16th

“I don’t believe that it’s a done deal or a fait accompli.”

Valeriote has form on the subject—he fought against it back in 2020 when he was the green candidate in that election, too. As he is claiming for 2024, in 2020 he was the only candidate of the then three (Green, NDP, Liberal) that said it could be reversed.

Valeriote said that besides global markets, the environmental case against the project is stronger than before.

“A government could come in and say they’ve now decided based on scientific climate evidence that this is no longer a responsible thing to allow in this province, and we should be spending our public subsidies on renewable energy,” he said.

A spokesperson for WLNG rejected Valeriote’s assertion the project had any question marks over it.

“The Woodfibre LNG project has been approved by federal, provincial and Squamish Nation governments and is under construction,” they said to Pique in an email.

“Projects undertake ongoing scopespecific permitting work over the course of construction, but all major authorizations for the project are in place. There is no question about whether the project will proceed or not—work is underway, and many local people and businesses are benefiting from Woodfibre LNG construction.”

The proponents highlighted the project’s commitment to being the world’s first netzero LNG facility when completed in 2027, and took aim at the District of Squamish for dragging its feet on the temporary use permit for worker housing on a floating hotel nearby.

“It’s important to recognize that the District Council’s opinion on the floatel and the community’s opinion may not be the same,” they said.

The provincial election will take place on or before Oct. 19.

Find the full version of this story at piquewnewsmagazine.com. n

Noticeof Proposed Zoning andParking AmendmentBylaw- NoPublic Hearingto beheld

ZoningandP arkingAmendmentB ylaw (CheakamusCrossingPhase2 RM-CD2Zone) No.2448,2024(the“ProposedBylaw”)

Purpose: ThepurposeoftheProposedBylawistoamendtheRM-CD2zonetoallowadditionaldensity onLot5 at1475MountFeeRoad.TheProposedBylawamendstheRM-CD2zonewithregulations specifictoLot5 toprovidea GrossFloorArea(GFA)increasefrom6,975to7,075squaremetres,and FloorSpaceRatio(FSR)increasefrom0.68to0.69.TheProposedBylawalsoraisesthemaximumGFA ofanyapartmentbuildingfrom3,500to3,650squaremetres.

SubjectLands: ThelandsthatarethesubjectoftheProposedBylawareshownonthemap attachedtothisnotice,andarelegallydescribedasLOT 5DISTRICTLOT8073GROUP1 NEW WESTMINSTERDISTRICTPLANEPP111931

BylawReadings: Considerationofthefirst,secondandthirdreadingsoftheProposedBylaw willbeattheRegularCouncilMeetingonJune25,2024.

Tolearnmore: Acopyoftheproposed Bylawandbackgrounddocumentationare availableforreviewfromJune11,2024to June25,2024at:

•MunicipalHallat4325Blackcomb Way,Whistler,BC,duringregular officehoursof8:00a.m.to 4:30p.m.,MondaytoFriday (statutoryholidaysexcluded)

•OnlineontheResortMunicipality ofWhistler(RMOW)websiteat: whistler.ca/RZ001186

Formoreinformationvisit: whistler.ca

SCANTHEQRCODE FORA COPYOFTHE PROPOSEDBYLAW ANDBACKGROUND DOCUMENTATION

ResortMunicipalityofWhistler whistler.ca

DONE DEAL? The Woodfibre LNG site in Howe Sound near Squamish.

FILE PHOTO BY ANDREW HUGHES

PublicNotice

NoticetoamendBusinessLicenceBylawNo.855,2019

TheCounciloftheVillageofPembertonintendstoamendBusinessLicenceBylaw No.855,2019attheregularcouncilmeetingtobeheldat5:30pmonTuesday, June18,2024.Thepurposeoftheproposedamendmentisthefollowing:

1.Toremovethelimitsonthenumberofbusinesslicencesavailableforshorttermvacationrentalandmobilevendorbusinessesfromthebylaw.Thelimit onshort-termvacationrentalbusinesseshasbeenaddedtoZoningBylawNo. 832,2018.

2.Toamendthedefinitionsofshort-termvacationrentalandbedandbreakfast businesses.

3.Toadda newbusinesslicencetype,bedandbreakfastinn.

Thebylawwillalignthedefinitionofshort-termvacationrentalwiththedefinition setoutintheShort-TermRentalAccommodationsAct.Copiesoftheproposed bylawandbackgroundinformationmaybeviewedontheVillagewebsiteat Pemberton.caandinspectedattheVillageofPembertonOfficeat7400Prospect StreetduringofficehoursfromFriday,June7thtoTuesday,June18th.All personswhoconsiderthattheyareaffectedbytheproposedbylawwillbe providedreasonableopportunitytomakerepresentationtoCouncilinwriting. WrittensubmissionsmustbeaddressedtoMayorandCouncilandmustbe receivedbynoononFriday,June14th:

Email:corporate@pemberton.ca

Mailordelivery:Corporate& LegislativeServices,POBox100,7400Prospect Street,Pemberton,BCV0N2L1

WrittensubmissionsreceivedbeforenoononWednesday,June12thwillbe includedintheagendapackageandwillbeavailableontheVillagewebsiteat pemberton.ca.

GwendolynKennedy Manager,CorporateandLegislativeServices

Whistler tinkers with five-year financial plan to fund fire staffing

A DECISION TO INCREASE STAFFING AT FIRE HALL NO. 3 IN WHISTLER REQUIRED SOME CHANGES TO SOURCE THOSE FUNDS

BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

WHISTLER’S MAYOR and council has approved changes to its five-year financial plan, inspired by changes to staffing levels at the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS) and a handful of other projects.

Under the changes, to which council gave first three readings at the May 28 regular meeting, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) gave the green light to funding the increased staffing of its Fire Hall No. 3; adjusted Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) spending; covered expenses for the recent code-ofconduct update; funded a cultural initiatives program; and updated transfers to the Cheakamus Crossing Affordable Employee Housing reserve (CCAEH).

The top item was the changes to WFRS staffing, which came about after council agreed to increase firefighter staffing in January in order to bolster the community’s coverage.

“Today’s decision is to fund these expenditures,” explained the RMOW’s chief financial officer, Carlee Price, adding there are several components to the funding for the fire hall over the five-year period to 2028.

“First is to fund the 2024 expenditures for fire staffing through a reduced contribution to the general operating reserve,” she said.

“Then, for the years 2025 through 2028, the proposal is to fund these expenditures with an increased tax requisition. The proposed increased tax requisition is just a little bit too small in 2025 to 2026 to fund the full amount of planned fire-staffing expenditures, and so in just those two years, a proposed reduction to the general capital reserve contribution is also being recommended.

“In total, these changes will add $2.5 million in expenditures when fully rolled out in 2028 relative to expenditures for this program in 2023.”

In questioning, Councillor Cathy Jewett said she was caught on the increase in property taxes, and sought clarity on what percentage increase was required to raise the funds needed per year.

“We’ve avoided talking about tax rate in this report because we do need to have a future conversation about what this all means,” said chief administrative officer Ginny Cullen in response to Jewett’s line of questioning.

With further querying, Cullen added the RMOW wanted to “avoid landing on a specific rate now because we have lots of discussion to have before we do.”

On the RMI front, which are funds vended from the province to tourismfocused municipalities for tourism projects, Price reported an additional $1.3 million in RMI funds as a result of “excellent tourism performance in 2022 … this money has been agreed to be directed to support village and parks maintenance and landscaping in the year ahead.”

Price went on to explain that despite a reduction in payments into the general operating reserve as a result of the WFRS staffing changes for 2024, with additional RMI funds covering some tourism-facing projects, the otherwise taxpayer-sourced funds could be diverted back into the operating reserve, which as a result ended up higher than expected.

Other changes included funding for the RMOW’s legislative services in the review of committees of council, and the code of conduct. Initially, $30,000 was allocated, but an additional $30,000 was requested to complete both projects by the end of 2024.

Meanwhile, $50,000 is allocated to “cultural initiatives and learning and education videos” for 2024 that was expected to happen in 2023. According to a staff report, the videos are to “support education and awareness around important community values.”

“Videos in 2024 will be produced to support outcomes of our accessibility plan, as well as a video highlighting Lost Lake to support smart tourism, climate change, and engagement messages,” it reads.

Finally, the changes related to the CCAEH involve a new reserve-funds agreement with the Whistler Development Corp (WDC), which altered the amount paid to the CCAEH reserve over 2024 and 2025.

Find the full report and a video of the presentation at whistler.ca. n

INCREASED COVERAGE Whistler’s Fire Hall No. 3 in Spring Creek will see increased staffing after a municipal budget amendment.

PHOTO BY SCOTT TIBBALLS

SLRD says it is committed to helping homeowners rebuild lives after wildfire

MORE THAN 40 STRUCTURES WERE LOST TO A WILDFIRE AT GUN LAKE IN 2023

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

REPRESENTATIVES from the SquamishLillooet Regional District (SLRD) say they are committed to advocating for constituents affected by wildfire last summer.

More than 40 structures burned to the ground when a rare fire tornado formed over the edge of Gun Lake near Gold Bridge, B.C. in the early hours of Aug. 18, 2023. Since then, homeowners say the journey to rebuild their homes has been marred by countless obstacles and senseless red tape.

In an interview with Pique, SLRD officials stressed they have been in constant communication with the province to help Gun Lake locals rebuild their homes as soon as possible.

SLRD chair Jen Ford said every homeowner is in a different situation, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

“One of the things that our staff did well from the beginning was engage with the province, [and] with Red Cross to ensure that they could connect directly with the homeowners. Each property had unique circumstances,” she said. “To go out with a blanket statement wouldn’t have worked. Not every property had the same level of need in terms of what their insurance and rebuild looked like. Our staff called each and every homeowner separately so that we knew what they needed. We couldn’t say that we gave the homeowners the same box of tools, because it didn’t work that way.”

Chief administrative officer, Heather Paul, said primary homeowners were prioritized from the beginning.

“Canadian Red Cross provided a few thousand dollars for primary homeowners that were uninsured. There were three individuals that were able to take part in that program,” she said. “Wildfire insurance was deemed widely available. It’s the province that deems that. Our job is to advocate on behalf of the constituents when it comes to how provincial regulations affect them and how we operate. The Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) does not apply if insurance is readily available. It also never applies to secondary homeowners.”

Paul acknowledged secondary homeowners faced the same level of heartbreak, particularly those whose generational homes were lost in the blaze.

“There is no difference when it comes to love of the property,” she said. “There is no difference when it comes to the connection to the property. I was there. It was devastating. That love, loss and grief is real. Primary homeowners are prioritized again and again when it comes to funding. That is something our team sees constantly.”

She added the SLRD made sure everyone had a bed to sleep in before turning to the future.

“We ensured that people who were made homeless had a place to live and that they had all the resources they need to rebuild. Then, the SLRD started to waive fees,” said Paul. “Area A has some select funds which are usually used to support non-profit community groups and infrastructure. Those funds were used to start waiving fees for everyone. We waived fees for load limits of scrap metal at the Gold Bridge station for residents that were affected by the wildfire. We amended the building bylaw to allow for

reduced building costs, around 30 per cent.”

Initially, homeowners were required to hire a qualified professional engineer before even removing debris—a rule that has since changed.

“Debris clean-up and riparian assessment was a really big conversation,” said Paul. “When the province made the rule about the riparian setback and clean-up, they weren’t thinking about wildfires. It basically told everyone that if they wanted to clean the trees or the dock that is burnt, you need to get a qualified engineer professional to come in before you even start. The SLRD staff started to point out that it wasn’t fair, and it is inaccessible. People were cleaning up anyway.”

Paul added the cost created a barrier for hard-working people who were just trying to do the right thing.

“It took some time, and they changed the legislation,” she said. “For clean-up, a qualified engineer professional is not needed. This removes that huge cost.”

However, expensive costs still prevent people from getting their lives back on track. “Qualified engineer professionals are still needed to rebuild,” said Paul. “That’s still a barrier.”

When asked about the delay in homeowners not being allowed to remove rubble from their properties, officials said they could not have moved any faster.

“There were groups of people who wanted to start before the evacuation order and alert had been removed,” said Ford. “They wanted to get in there and start the clean-up before the winter because they saw that the snow melt was going into the lake. There were delays because of the availability of qualified engineer professionals. TELUS was there installing telephone poles. There were many different people trying to work in the same space for a long time. Meanwhile, there were still crews on the ground dealing with the hazard itself.”

The chair said the SLRD tried to coordinate crews to ensure minimal delays. She heard locals’ frustration at the time.

“Unfortunately, some people didn’t see that as fast enough,” said Ford. “It wasn’t for lack of want or trying. It just takes time to get into these spaces and to do the work safely. We wanted to protect our staff and the public for that period of time. As the weather changed, it became difficult for people. We moved as fast as we could.”

Paul added the SLRD supported waterquality testing. “We went to the province and said that the community shouldn’t be paying for that,” she said. “The water quality in Gun Lake was famous for how clean it is.”

Homeowners were also able to dispose of hazardous materials free of charge.

“We made funding available to homeowners through a hazardous materials survey reimbursement program,” said Paul. “We didn’t want asbestos and things like that to sit on the property, but it costs a lot of money to drop things like that at a landfill. If they were dropping it off, they would submit the invoice and the SLRD would pay for it. It didn’t matter if people were primary or secondary homeowners.”

Senior public affairs officer of the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Aaron Hinks, said the province is working closely with regional districts on this issue.

“The province has provided funds to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District for recovery supports to steward community members through the recovery process,” said Hinks. “The province also continues to work with the regional districts to identify barriers and provide updated guidance on debris removal within riparian areas. The SquamishLillooet Regional District is reviewing building permit applications.” n

STARK CONTRAST The aftermath of the fire at Gun Lake, seen in the spring of 2024.

PHOTO BY GUILLAUME RACINE

‘We need to find a way to work together in a better way’

MP PATRICK WEILER ELECTED CHAIR OF CANADA’S INDIGENOUS AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

BY RÓISÍN CULLEN Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

THE NEW CHAIR of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee, MP Patrick Weiler, is ready to hit the ground running. The Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs reviews, examines and reports on issues affecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and northerners. Elected chair on June 4, Weiler served as a member of the committee from 2021 to 2023.

The local member of Parliament told Pique  he has seen first-hand the injustice Indigenous people in Canada face on a daily basis.

“Prior to politics, I used to practise in aboriginal and environmental law. It’s one of the things that made me want to get involved with politics,” he said. “I wanted to improve the relationship with Indigenous Peoples across Canada. I used to work for First Nations across B.C. I saw the way that the government at the time was interacting and dealing with First Nations. I thought it was unfair.”

He said federal governments were not treating First Nations as a rights holder, though there has been great societal and political change since then.

“Our government has always said that this is the most important relationship it has,” said Weiler.

During his time as a lawyer, Weiler saw how people were excluded on decisions about projects happening on their own traditional territories. “That was under a very different legal regime that has been updated,” he said. “The adoption of UNDRIP at the provincial and federal level makes things very different. The objective not to distinguish aboriginal title through the process of negotiation is a major change. Those points show major progress, but they have happened far too slow for Indigenous people and settlers alike.”

Weiler explained his role as chair means he must ensure operations run smoothly.

“The committee hears evidence and that lived experience to see how the government can move forward in a better way,” he said. “It provides recommendations to the government. We did some really important studies like land back, Indigenous languages and emergency preparedness. I like that it’s a collaborative committee as it allows us to get work done.”

Weiler said the committee is the start of important change at the highest level.

“Over our history, the way that governments have treated First Nations is not honourable,” said Weiler. “We need to find a way to work together in a better way. I was honoured to be elected chair and I am looking forward to dealing with some legislation. We are about to start our review of C61, which is an act relating to water. We will be able to hear evidence on that legislation and make changes.”

Weiler noted the Lil’wat Nation is currently facing a major injustice when it comes to flooding. “They were moved to a reserve that is one of the most flood-prone areas in the entire valley,” he said.

When asked if one of his Indigenous colleagues would be better suited for the role, Weiler insisted he will represent his fellows to the best of his ability.

“This is something that could be done by one of my Indigenous colleagues. You want to make sure that you do the best that you can to support,” he said. “My role is making sure that their voices are heard as much as possible. In ways, it’s more important that their voices are heard as active voices rather than as a chair.”

Weiler added he has seen Canada come on in leaps and bounds in terms of reconciliation since he was growing up. “When I was in high school, we didn’t spend much time understanding and learning the shameful history Canada has with Indigenous people,” he said. “That has very much changed now. The history is now ingrained in the curriculum. Younger generations are far more aware of what has happened. Things have changed considerably for the better.”

Weiler hopes to continue to lend a listening ear to communities in his new role.

“Far before being elected chair, I have always taken meetings with Indigenous people from across the country to see where I can support them in their needs and priorities,” he said. “That might mean change in government policies, infrastructure needs or other things. I would be interested in visiting other First Nations to see some of the challenges and opportunities there. “

The MP adds he wants to make sure the committee stays on track on the issues that matter most.

“I don’t want to see things go off the rails and for us to get distracted from the important work that we need to do,” he said. “I want to see us be able to give appropriate due diligence to legislation that comes before the committee. My hope is that we can work quickly and efficiently to give First Nations that platform so that they can be heard. We can then act on it.” n

TAKE A SEAT MP Patrick Weiler was recently elected chair of the Indigenous Northern Affairs Committee.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICK WEILER

H5N1: Outsmarting the Roadrunner

LAST WEEK, people who pay attention to such things noticed some interesting twists to the now three-year global march of Avian Influenza A(H5N1).

If you receive the daily ProMED digest of global disease outbreaks in plants, animals and humans (recommended reading—though it might affect your sleep), you’ll have been

BY LESLIE ANTHONY

treated to regular updates as the virus burned through birds, into marine mammals, into land mammals (both wild and pets), and on into American dairy cattle. That has been bad enough, but recent reports are emblematic of a disease situation that seems entirely out of hand, with entries like: Avian influenza— USA (WY, IA) H5N1, dairy cows, unreported fatalities; Avian influenza—USA (NM) house mouse, and; Avian influenza—Mexico: (MX) human H5N2, fatal.

We’ll unpack how those are related in a minute, but know that the Government of Canada is paying close attention, with many pages on its various websites dedicated to disease explanations and risk factors for everyone from farmers to health-care workers to the general public. The information is all solid and science-backed.

(The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative leads a multi-agency surveillance program for avian influenza. A link to its Wildlife Dashboard can be found at cwhcrcsf.ca/avian_influenza.php. For outbreak information in Canada, check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; in the United States, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and internationally, the World Organisation for Animal Health and OIE Avian Influenza Portal.)

Although avian influenza mainly affects birds, it sometimes infects mammals, including humans. As with many diseases, some birds fall ill and die while others that are infected appear healthy. The numerous types of avian influenza are all caused by strains of type A influenza. Some, such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9)—classified as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) based on the severity of illness in birds—have also caused serious illness in humans. Of 900 recorded cases where bird flu has jumped to humans, the mortality rate is 52 per cent. Though this may be an overestimate given that mild infections can go undetected, still… Fifty. Two. Per cent. Makes COVID’s 1.4-per-cent mortality rate seem like diaper rash.

Although the World Health Organization states the likelihood of sustained human-tohuman transmission remains low, and there’s no evidence to the contrary, we’ve heard that before. Influenza viruses mutate like mofos and have already ingratiated themselves to many groups of birds and mammals to which they weren’t previously well adapted.

Human cases can occur through direct contact with infected birds (dead or alive) or contaminated environments. For instance, infection has been reported after de-feathering of dead H5N1-infected swans

(the virus can survive in feathers for more than five months). There’s no documented case of humans contracting it from a mammalian pet despite increasing reports of mammalto-mammal transmission, and spillover from infected livestock to humans (three cases from dairy cattle). Mutations within some Eurasian/North American strains have shown enhanced replication in mammalian cells, evasion of immune response, and increased virulence (remember omicron?). As well, recent findings from pathogenicity and transmissibility studies indicate these strains cause more severe illness, and some common flies—and possibly beetles—can act as mechanical transmitters of H5N1 and other avian influenza viruses. Uh oh.

How did this start? Out of Asia in 2020, to Europe with migrating birds and into poultry flocks, millions of which were culled, then back into seabirds and on to sea mammals. In North America, its arrival was off the radar. In December 2021, while we were all in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, bird flu turned up on a farm outside St. John’s, Newfoundland. Hundreds of farm birds died, and the rest were culled.

The jump from seabirds to sea mammals was the eye-opener. Last October, for instance, the virus killed 17,400 elephant seal pups in Argentina—95 per cent of the colony’s young—and some 24,000 South American sea lions; in the U.S. alone, 90 million birds were culled in a useless attempt to stop a virus simultaneously killing mammals from squirrels to skunks, dolphins and polar bears before infiltrating livestock for the first time by jumping to dairy cows. Virologists the world over have never seen anything like it.

HPAIs aren’t really a food-safety concern, largely because pasteurization (milk) and

cooking (eggs, poultry, beef) tend to kill and disassemble viruses. Indeed, every meat and dairy product we eat is swimming in Salmonella, E. coli and other nasties that require proper handling. But if you choose to eat raw, look out. A recent study confirms high virus-level infections in rodents fed H5N1contaminated raw milk. In a June 11 update, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported 36 more H5N1 detections in wild house mice, all in the same New Mexico county, as well as four more in domestic cats (which eat mice and birds) for a total of 23 known cat cases. WastewaterSCAN, a national monitoring system based at Stanford University, launched an H5N1 avian influenza wastewater dashboard that now shows detections at about a dozen locations.

Is H5N1 coming for us? Is it only a matter of time before it mutates enough to not just jump into, but move between humans? Epidemiologists think so. Finland is the first country preparing to offer avian influenza vaccines to poultry farmers, veterinarians, scientists, and people who work on fur farms, but others are discussing the idea or working to secure supplies. Last week, the U.S. contracted for millions of H5N1 flu vaccine doses to add to its stockpile, and the EU is likewise making 40 million doses for 15 countries. Beyond a dedicated vaccine, having had a number of different seasonal influenza vaccinations might also confer some level of immunity to H5N1. But for now, I suggest you pay attention to a situation that is not only fast-evolving, but unprecedented in the annals of global disease. Hopefully we don’t all end up coyotes in a roadrunner’s world.

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

FLIGHT PATTERNS Although avian influenza mainly affects birds, it sometimes infects mammals, including humans.

PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY

Stories from the ashes

With another wildfire season fast approaching, Gun Lake residents are still reeling from a disastrous 2023 wildfire

By Róisín Cullen

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the days get longer and the weather warms, B.C. residents start to think about the inevitable forest fire season. The age-old question pops up: “What would you rescue if your home was on fire?” Would it be the Scrabble board that carries memories of competitive game nights and alleged cheating? The cowbell your late mom used to ring so vigorously? Would it be the old rocking chair placed peacefully in the corner?

And worse: What happens after your happy place burns to the ground, leaving memories of long days on the lake and late nights by the fire in the rubble?

Last summer, residents of Gun Lake, west of Lillooet, learned the answers they didn’t want to know as they watched their homes burn in real time on social media.

Lightning is believed to have sparked the Downtown Lake fire on July 11, 2023. The fire burned out of control for weeks before a cold front caused flames to intensify resulting in the “incredibly rare” occurrence of a “fire tornado” forming over Gun Lake on Aug. 18.

In total, more than 40 structures were lost to the fire, some held in their respective families for generations, leaving families to sort through the ashes with another wildfire season fast approaching.

These are some of their stories.

‘Like watching a Hollywood movie’

Laura O’Keeffe’s family had their place on Gun Lake since 1978.

“I’ve been going up there since I was a baby,” she said. “We go up there every long weekend, every summer, New Year’s and Easter. It was my happy place.”

O’Keefe and her mom were at their happy place the night before they had to evacuate on July 31.

“Our neighbour came pounding on the door at 10:30 p.m.,” she says. “We evacuated over to the other side of the lake and we were watching it from there. We just took a few precious things. We left our beds ready to get back into, thinking that we would be coming back.”

O’Keeffe’s home was lost forever in the fire tornado.

“Not only did our trees burn, they were uprooted,” she says. “It was a really windy night. The wind just turned and brought the fire back to all of our places. It was like watching a Hollywood movie. I didn’t watch it burn. My husband told me I had to turn it off. He said I didn’t need to watch that.”

The next morning, the first thing O’Keeffe thought about was her mom’s Scrabble game she had left behind.

“I woke up and saw that my neighbours had sent a photo of them playing Scrabble into our chat. I immediately went online and tried to replace our Scrabble board,” she says. “We played it all the time. It was my mom’s from when she was young. I don’t know what I was thinking when I left it behind. It was a strange thing to think after my first initial cry.”

The family was faced with an impossible decision, and

most of the things rescued had far more sentimental value than monetary worth.

“Our place was like a museum full of stuff, but we had to leave most of it. It sounds stupid, but I saved board games that I knew were impossible to find now,” says O’Keeffe. “My dad was a firefighter. He had a fire alert bus from around the 1930s that he had bought at an auction. It was a big, heavy thing. I brought it home and I felt that it was ridiculous. We used to do paint nights up there, so I brought all of our paintings. We have a shared diary that we all write in; we brought that home. We brought home the kids’ drawings that had been on the walls for years.”

When O’Keeffe was first allowed to return in September 2023, everything was gone. One of the only things that survived the disaster was a toy Tonka truck, parked amongst the rubble.

“Some of my family chose not to come up that day,” O’Keeffe says. “We just looked at the debris. We sifted through some of the rubble to see if there was anything that we could salvage. I cried when I first saw the road towards our place where the burn started. When we got to our property, I was just kind of in shock.”

It’s not an exaggeration to say the family is now starting from scratch.

“When you insure for the city, you don’t think about insuring for trees, telephone poles, your water line and your septic system. That’s not even a consideration in the city,” says O’Keeffe. “You expect a fire truck is going to arrive and save something. We have nothing left.”

O’Keeffe vows to do all she can to restore their home away from home, taking the reins from her 83-year-old mom.

But the recovery now consumes their lives.

“It’s exhausting and it takes all our time,” says O’Keeffe. “Every day, we talk about something to do with it. There are a lot of frustration and challenges. We have our ups and downs, but it feels like there are a lot more downs. We just have to take a deep breath and remind ourselves that it is not a war between each other.”

O’Keeffe gets emotional when she speaks about the little things that remind her of their loss.

“I have just been driving around lately. I just see all the green and I know our place is just a bunch of scorched debris,” she says. “I just think about the fact that I will never be able to hang a hammock in our trees again and look up into the sky.”

Something as simple as a trip to an outdoor living store can serve as a reminder of the way of life that went up in flames. “Going into Canadian Tire brings me to tears,” O’Keeffe admits. “I’ll think about the things we need and used to have. It’s crippling when we think about it. I am always surprised by how depressed I get when I go into those kinds of stores.”

Nevertheless, life still prevails at the lake, and so does the O’Keeffes’ hope of having a home there again.

“We have heard that there are some chipmunks back up there, which is good to here,” says Laura. “Grief comes in waves and unexpected ways and is different for everyone. Some people dream about it nightly, some keep envisioning the house being engulfed in flames. Some haven’t had a chance to grieve as they try to get on with recovery.”

Families say their goals of a return to normality are being held back by red tape and ever-changing goalposts.

The B.C. government’s Riparian Areas Protection Regulation requires an environmental assessment through a qualified environmental professional, which costs from $5,000 to $10,000, O’Keeffe explains.

“In October 2023, 12 owners thought they were getting a head start on obtaining this, only to be halted by the government deciding to redefine the rules in the middle of it. Even if owners wanted to, they can’t move forward until the government makes a decision,” she says.

“There is no timeline as to when this will happen. Most burnt structure debris and many burnt ‘danger’ trees are in the riparian zone, and will require heavy equipment to remove, but machinery cannot go in without the assessment, and WorkSafe BC states that workers cannot go into an area where there are danger trees.”

O’Keeffe added she believes most people will not be able to afford to rebuild.

“To get to a blank slate could cost $75,000 to $100,000 before we even begin to rebuild,” she says. “Some of the hurdles include environmental testing, tree removal, hazardous materials testing, and then removal by qualified professionals, removal of all other debris, septic systems, hydro pole replacement, provincial and SLRD government regulations and permits, skyrocketing building costs, sourcing and hiring qualified professionals, material and labour force (including food and lodging), [and] replanting trees.”

‘I knew things were never going to be normal again’

Laura’s oldest friend, Wendi Harder, has a lifetime of memories at the lake. Her mom, dad and friends built the road to their property themselves. They were also famously the first family in the area to have a phone.

“We had a phone in the tree,” laughs Harder. “Our neighbour worked for [the phone company]. They strung a telephone wire through the trees and around the lake towards our house.”

Harder had an ominous feeling things were about to change forever as she watched the fire grow on Aug. 1. Just before they were told to evacuate, she told her husband to go fishing with his friend.

“I knew things were never going to be normal again,” she says. Harder’s parents built their home with their bare hands. It was her mom’s favourite place in the world.

“Mom turned 90 in August. The plan was that all the grandchildren would be there,” says Harder. “We were going to have her 90th birthday party at Gun Lake on Aug. 6. By that time, we were evacuated.”

Harder rescued a memento from the good times—a cowbell her mom used to ring before dinner.

“The last time I rang it, Laura came running over with her plate and cutlery,” Harder recalls.

She wanted to be the first to tell her elderly mother their place by the lake no longer existed. “When the fire hit, I sent a message to all of my friends not to call mum and ask her how

“She saw the cabin as it is now. She was very stoic and sad. Everything they had worked on for decades was gone. She wanted to rebuild. She wanted to get back there again.

she was doing,” says Harder. “She still loved to go up there. They built the place. She put the roofing on the little cabin.”

Her mom later returned to assess the damage.

“She saw the cabin as it is now. She was very stoic and sad,” Harder says. “Everything they had worked on for decades was gone. She wanted to rebuild. She wanted to get back there again.”

Sadly, the beloved matriarch passed away at the beginning of this year. “She won’t get to see the rebuild,” says Harder. “She was left with the memory of everything just gone.”

‘Like losing a member of the family’

Brenda Heikkinen was pregnant with her second son when they bought their cabin in 1999, after starting with a lot off the water in 1995. Since then, her children have spent every summer by the lake. Little kids playing in the water quickly became grown-ups excited to spend time together as a family.

“We never had TV or internet there,” she says. “It was really great for the kids, even when they were older coming up. If I had known that was going to happen, I would have taken more stuff. I took nothing with me.”

Some of Heikkinen’s neighbours stayed until the bitter end. “They were able to save their properties. They were up there until the end. They were able to get pumps,” she says. “One of them had had a video of the fire burning at both sides of him when he was trying to get out of there. It just took off so fast. “

Heikkinen tearfully recounts the moment she found out her happy place was no more. “I found out Aug. 2 from a close friend, with a picture, nothing left but burnt debris.

It was sickening and devastating,” she says. “It was like losing a member of the family. Before that, I kept just saying to myself that I believe in miracles.”

Heikkinen was planning to retire soon from her job of 42 years to her summer home. Now, she doesn’t know if she can retire at all. “When you’re ready to retire, it’s not like you have savings to rebuild a place,” she says. “The debris is still on the ground. I have no power poles, no water pump, not even an outhouse. We are looking at getting a trailer. There is no way that I can build a place again.”

Heikkinen has only been back once since the fire destroyed what was meant to be her idyllic escape from working life.

“It was a weird thing for me,” she says. “The picnic table behind the cabin was still standing, and a white, plastic chair. My white chair was still just sitting there.”

As far as recovery efforts, Heikkinen shares her neighbours’ frustration.

“The government has just told us what we can’t do,” she says. “You just give up.”

‘You just never think that it’s going to affect you’

Anna Earl feels like the rest of the world has forgotten about their community.

“I am not bitter,” she says. “It didn’t happen to them. They weren’t there and they didn’t see it.”

The British woman moved to Canada five years ago. “We had only bought our property at Gun Lake two years before the fire,” she says. “We bought it with the view for it to be our permanent home. It was going to be where we lived forever. We were in the process of renovating it ourselves. It was amazing and I was loving it. We had taken out a big loan.”

Anna and her husband have travelled the world, but were ready to lay down their roots.

“It’s our happy place,” she says. “I have never been somewhere and felt that same kind of affinity towards it. I have travelled the world, but I just wanted to be there all of the time. It is the most beautiful place, and it just does something to me.

GUN LAKE 2024

When I arrive in the area, I just feel like I’m at home. Losing the house was devastating.”

The Aug. 18 fire tornado took their home, a sight they never thought they would see. “That was when our house went,” Earl says. “We lived in Australia before, so we were very aware of fire as a force of nature. We knew that there were forest fires in Canada. You just never think that it’s going to affect you.”

The couple are now struggling to make ends meet, faced with the reality that you still have to pay a mortgage on a house even if it has burned down.

“Thankfully, our insurance will pay for us to rebuild,” Earl says. “Heartbreakingly, most of our neighbours are not in that position. Some people will just not be able to pay for it. Will their debris just lie on the ground?”

When Earl returned to Gun Lake, it was to an apocalyptic scene.

“There’s nothing there,” she says. “There’s some twisted metal which was the roof. The glass in the windows has melted. There are pools of hardened liquid glass on the ground. Our barbecue is gone. There is nothing left of it. There is a metal bathtub and a fireplace remaining. Other than that, it’s just ashes. It’s like someone just erased the area. It was really eerie, the end of days.”

Earl is haunted by an old rocking chair they left to burn.

“You never pack everything,” she says. “There was a beautiful old rocking chair in the house when we bought it. We miss silly things that don’t make sense.”

Coupled with the initial shock and dismay of losing it all, there are now doubts people will be allowed to rebuild their homes on the original sites.

“All of our houses were built right on the waterside because they were built so long ago. In modern times, you wouldn’t be allowed to build there. Because all of our houses are in those zones, it looks like we will not be allowed to rebuild there,” Earl explains. “They are very concerned about the environmental impact of rebuilding. If we are not allowed to build where we were, we will have to build on the other side of the road. The loss in value is huge. There are [BC Hydro] power lines in front of the lake. We would just be looking at power lines. Some days, it does feel kind of hopeless.”

‘That beautiful piece of land will never be the same’

Jessica Chardon’s property was the Gun Lake Yacht Club back in the 1930s/early 1940s. Her grandfather bought the property back in 1948, and three generations have been raised there since. At the time of the fire, it was her uncle’s primary residence.

She remembers piling as much as they could possibly carry into her car, when the call to evacuate came. “During pack-up the sound of the fire was like a freight train, and it was glowing red from above us,” Chardon says. “We tried to get our sprinkler system working, [but] it had low pressure and wasn’t working effectively.”

Chardon’s mom refused to leave her home.

“She wanted to try and organize the sprinkler system,” she says. “My mom slept in her car overnight at a safe distance from the fire and returned to the property in the morning. The wildfire structure support personnel were on our property, and they got the sprinkler system working. Mom left mid-day Aug. 1 after the wildfire structure support personnel said they would be back to set up an efficient sprinkler system. The property burned at approximately 4 p.m. that same day.”

All three historic cabins and their contents were reduced to ash. Two sheds containing family photos, family memorabilia and household goods were destroyed. Chardon’s uncle is a sculptor, and all of his equipment burned.

Chardon says the SLRD has added to the confusion and grief.

“The clean-up process has been slow and overwhelming,” she says. “There has been minimal government direction and financial assistance.”

The family now worries they will never be allowed to move back home.

“The property has been deemed high-risk from the government-acquired geotechnical survey,” Chardon says. “This will hamper rebuilding. The SLRD won’t even allow an outhouse during cleanup process. No matter what happens, that beautiful piece of land will never be the same.”

Pique reached out to the Ministry of Emergency

PHOTO BY GUILLAUME RACINE

Management and Climate Readiness, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Chair of the SLRD, Jen Ford, says every homeowner is in a different situation.

“One of the things that our staff did well from the beginning was engage with the province, [and] with Red Cross to ensure that they could connect directly with the homeowners. Each property had unique circumstances,” she said. “To go out with a blanket statement wouldn’t have worked. Not every property had the same level of need in terms of what their insurance and rebuild looked like. Our staff called each and every homeowner separately so that we knew what they needed. We couldn’t say that we gave the homeowners the same box of tools, because it didn’t work that way.”

Ford confirmed legislation has changed since some of the properties were originally built.

“There are a few properties that were built very, very close to the waterline. When legislation changes, that’s just a fact,” she says. “The waterline might also have changed. It happens in every community. It is challenging. Many of the properties up at Adams Lake [in B.C.’s Interior, which also saw a severe wildfire in 2023], are unable to rebuild what they originally had as they may have been built over the water. We are willing to work with those homeowners on a case-by-case basis.”

As for the outhouses, the SLRD’s chief administrative officer, Heather Paul, adds the regional district and province are in constant conversation.

“This conversation is one of those things that we are trying to bring up with the province,” she says. “At the time, legislation is that it has to all be septic.”

Ford stressed the SLRD is learning for the future as severe weather becomes a more regular part of life.

“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all for these climate events. These climate events are a reality,” she says. “We can provide info as to real life experiences on the ground. We all have valuable experience to share with the province on what worked and what didn’t work. Look at the community of Lytton—they are still grappling with how to rebuild a town almost four years after it burned down. Unfortunately, we will see it again.”

See related story on page 19. n

Three straight provincial mountain bike titles for Pemberton Secondary School

REBECCA BEATON, ISLA INGLIS AND PATRICK TARLING LED THEIR TEAM IN SQUAMISH

BY DAVID SONG

CHALK UP A third consecutive B.C. High School Mountain Bike Championship for Pemberton Secondary (PSS), which continues to punch above its weight class despite being one of the smallest schools in the field.

Rebecca Beaton struck gold at the Provincial senior girls’ enduro by clocking 12 minutes and 23.50 seconds while her teammate Isla Inglis put down a fifth-place result (13:00.50).

Patrick Tarling likewise finished fifth among senior boys in Squamish (10:52.90), mirroring Emily Wilson’s effort in the junior girls race (12:58.40).

Tarling did manage to secure bronze in cross-country (45:52.20), as did Inglis (1:02:39.30) while Beaton ended up fourth (1:03:08.90).

“It’s huge for the kids, especially the seniors that are going out on a bit of a swan song,” said first-year head coach Kevin Glavas. “They’ve always created a contagious energy [around mountain biking]. The banner is awesome. I think it gives them a huge sense of pride and showcases the fact that there’s a lot of really talented kids here, especially on the girls’ side.”

‘WE’RE SHOCKED AGAIN’

New rules limited the number of athletes each school could bring to Provincials, and PSS was allowed to field 30 riders—leaving more than 20 on the outside looking in. Why were these changes implemented? Squamish is more accessible to Lower Mainlanders than the tournament’s previous hosts in Langford and Rossland, creating a surge in registration.

Pemberton’s provincial team was assembled from the ranks of top point-getters in the North Shore Mountain Bike Series.

“Three years ago, when we won [our first banner], that was a huge deal because it was so unexpected,” recalls Beaton. “This year, we weren’t really sure how things were going to go. We kind of expected that we weren’t going to win because we just couldn’t have as many athletes ... so we’re shocked again.”

Sam Tierney, whose best placing was 11th in senior boys’ enduro, feels healthy group dynamics went a long way towards securing victory.

“Provincials is one of the few instances in mountain biking where everyone really works together as a team,” he said. “I think [this banner] really exemplifies how we have a solid team all around. It represents how much of a biking-focused community we are that we can come out and win three in a row.

“The coordination and teamwork of everybody involved [was on point]. Our coaches are great, staff from the school helped manage and they were great. Everyone really came together and did their best.”

Glavas certainly helped make the wheels turn, pun intended. The local parent stepped up after various other commitments dragged former coach Nicole Jean away from the PSS bike program. In addition to being a lifelong hockey player, Glavas has participated in numerous races himself and brings a holistic

approach to this new role.

The keyword here is “fun.” Athletes often end up riding faster and more safely when they’re enjoying themselves, while an excess of pressure—especially on youth—may obstruct positive skill development.

Glavas feels he and other local parent volunteers mainly do grunt work in support of the bike team. They organize practices, manage logistics, ensure their kids are hydrated and fed, and offer bits of advice… but it’s the riders who put in the legwork.

“You’d be surprised at how adaptable and supportive all the kids are to each other,” Glavas said. “Leading up to Provincials, they were riding with us two days a week and most were riding four to five days a week by themselves.”

PSS students had heaps of praise for their new coach.

“Kevin’s the GOAT,” Tarling quipped. “He killed it. We missed Ms. Jean, our old coach, but we couldn’t have done it without Kevin, for sure. He did a lot of [mechanical work] too, and he’s really just a man of many talents.”

Adds Tierney: “I can only ever say good things about [Coach Glavas]. He always did a good job managing the team, keeping spirits high and making sure everyone was motivated. If you came to him with a problem, he always knew how to solve it.”

KEEPING THINGS INTERESTING

Three-peats are rare in sport. The last major professional franchise to earn one in North America was the Los Angeles Lakers, which won NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. It may sound weird to put “Pemberton” and “dynasty” in the same sentence, but that’s how dominant Spud Valley’s young mountain bikers have been in recent memory.

It’s not easy to acquire both the high fitness demands of cross-country riding and the technicality of enduro, but the depth of the PSS team buoyed it to victory. Most athletes finished within the top 10 of any given event and displayed consistency all year long.

Girls contributed their fair share to the success.

“Our team is really unique in that we have a really strong group of girls,” Beaton remarked. “That’s something that a lot of other schools don’t have, and most we see are super male-dominant. It means a lot to me personally to see that many girls having fun and doing so well.”

Glavas believes a rising tide lifts all boats. He’s seen more overall participation this year from other Sea to Sky schools, including Whistler Secondary, which grabbed North Shore banners for its Grade 8 boys and Grade 8/9 girls.

It’s the end of the line for Beaton, Tarling and their fellow seniors, but others like Tierney and Wilson are poised to carry the torch next year. If PSS does lock down a fourth straight banner, they would replicate the dominance of the NHL’s New York Islanders (1980-1983) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners softball team (2021-2024).

Beaton would love to see it, but she isn’t getting too carried away.

“I’m of course sad that I won’t be there next year, but I feel really confident that there’s so many other kids that we as seniors have been able to support and encourage,” she said. “They’re going to come up and just fill our shoes, and it’s going to be another amazing year.

“But at the same time, I feel like we could give another school a turn. We’ve got to keep things interesting.” n

DYNASTY SECURED Left to right: Kevin Glavis, Krista Walden, Oscar Tarling, Sam Tierney, Jack Kettles, Rebecca Beaton, Abbie Glavas, Nora Glavis, Arleigh Kemp, Liv Teitzle, Emily Wison, Isla Inglis, Anja Taylor, Grace Cleland, Rory Taylor (front left), Sophie Firth (front right).

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN TIERNEY

Elyse Nieuwold, Geoff Kabush win 2024 Back Forty overall

SPORTS BRIEFS: POTVIN, DEWAR SET COURSE RECORDS AT RUN

COMFY NUMB; ILES WINS WORLD CUP SILVER

BY DAVID SONG

OVERALL CROWNS FOR the 2024 Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) Back Forty bike race have gone to Elyse Nieuwold and Geoff Kabush.

Nieuwold’s aggregate time of two hours, 25 minutes and 54.2 seconds was fast enough to deliver her the women’s championship ahead of runner-up Andrea Burley (2:40:18.0) and third-place contestant Kirsty Stormer (2:44:19.3).

Three-time Canadian Olympian Kabush took gold among men (1:52:36.8), with Eric Olsen clocking in for silver (1:53:39.1) and bronze going to Michael van den Ham (1:57:30.1).

Meanwhile, the ladies’ timed descent featured the same podium in a different order: with Burley on top (3:51.1) ahead of Stormer (3:53.8) and Nieuwold (3:56.3).

Max McCulloch (2:58.1) superseded Kabush (3:00.0) in the men’s descent, with Joe Swann rounding out the fastest three (3:08.6).

Sam Owens (2:25:35.0) and Theresa Frendo (4:16:56.2) emerged victorious in their respective hardtail competitions.

Having just wrapped up its fourth iteration, the Back Forty carries on a legacy first sparked by the now-defunct Nimby Fifty event that once took place in Pemberton.

POTVIN, DEWAR SET COURSE RECORDS AT RUN COMFY NUMB

Two course records fell on a scorching Saturday in Whistler as an unprecedented 258 runners hit the trails on the 20th anniversary of Run Comfy Numb on June 8.

Joshua Potvin wrapped up the men’s 25-kilometre event in two hours, five minutes and 40 seconds, beating Philippe Brunet’s 2022 time by 1:40 despite taking a wrong turn in the final stretch.

Potvin was the class of his field, but runner-up Patrick Haunschmidt (2:25:03), and third-place Jeffrey Russell (2:25:09) made it a podium sweep for North Vancouver.

“It’s a tough course, really tough, but beautiful, holy smokes, calves cramped up there a bit, but just so technical,” said Potvin in a press release. “I think that [Comfy Numb] is one of the most technical courses I’ve run. I think it’s harder than North Vancouver’s trails, not a lot of elevation, but a lot of winding. It’s beautiful.”

Remarks race director Kristian Manietta: “It’s a cross country mountain bike course, but it’s so much better to run. I’m stoked on how the day went. The feedback we received from the runners and our volunteers were simply awesome.”

Squamolian Fiona Minty won the women’s 25k in 2:48:56, closely followed by Corri Longridge of Vancouver (2:49:48) and Janell Traynor of Victoria (2:49:55).

“Start to finish was a blast,” commented

Minty after just her second trail race. “These events are the ones where people like myself who are new to the sport feel the magic of what trail running is all about.”

Another relative newcomer to the sport, Matt Luongo, led the 50k from pillar to post (4:33:31) to make Port Moody proud. Vancouver’s Patrick Chui earned silver (4:50:13) and men’s bronze went to Jeremy Douglas (4:52.06).

Yet it was Claire Dewar of Pemberton who turned the most heads, outrunning most of the men en route to a new ladies’ course record (4:48:41) as a last-minute entrant.

Dewar wasn’t the only woman to best the former benchmark of 5:36:05 set by Megan Komori Kennedy in 2022.

Second place-female Kelly Young of Squamish reached the line in 5:05:52 and longtime Whistlerite Angela Shoniker clocked in at 5:22:34. Shoniker’s run was all the more impressive as it came on the back of a third overall in last weekend’s Whistler Half Marathon at age 49.

Full results are available at runcomfynumb.com/results.

ILES WINS WORLD CUP SILVER

An untimely ailment did not hold Finn Iles back from another successful World Cup outing.

The local downhill ace banged up his thumb in training and elected to sit out both the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Leogang, Austria. That left him with one chance to make his mark, and he delivered: three minutes and 7.917 seconds for a silver medal.

Only Loic Bruni, Iles’ Specialized Gravity teammate, navigated the storm-soaked track any faster to claim gold for France (3:05.523). Kiwi Lachlan Stevens-McNab clocked in for bronze (3:08.638).

“I really thought I didn’t have it today,” Bruni told reporters after the fact. “The conditions changed so much today compared to yesterday which was more my style. I tried everything I had - I was betting on the track drying up a bit. I was glad to start last. I pushed so much and made little mistakes at the top … I finally got going after the motorway.”

Bruni and Iles sit first and third in UCI season standings respectively, with Luca Shaw between them.

Meanwhile, less than half a second separated Dane Jewett from Max Alran in the men’s junior race, but it was the young Frenchman who ultimately emerged for his inaugural victory of the campaign (3:17.292). Even so, Jewett can be proud of his runner-up performance (3:17.711) which vaulted him clear of Switzerland’s Mike Huter in third (3:20.169).

“So stoked!” wrote Jewett on his Instagram account. “Very happy to get second at the third stop of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series and grab the overall lead in the standings. Onto Val Di Sole next!” n

PHYSIOTHERAPY

Advanced Manual

www.backinactionphysiotherapy.com backinactionphysiotherapy.janeapp.com/

Hercelebrationoflife willbeheldon Saturday,June22, 1:30pm at theRoyal Canadian LegionHall621 FirstAve LadysmithB.C. Atimeto rememberand celebratethe wonderfulpersonthatshe was.

Fanfare for Flute & Fromage

WHISTLER’S NEW CHEESE AND WINE SHOP OFFERS UNIQUE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DELIGHTS FOR THE UNREFINED OR DISTINGUISHING PALATE

BY LIZ MCDONALD

WHEN TWO HEFTY , ribbon-adorned boxes of Flute & Fromage’s cheeses were dropped off at Pique Newsmagazine’s office, the editorial, production, and sales departments eschewed their daily deadlines for a moment and united in appreciation for the tantalizingly tasty treats (everyone except our editor, Braden Dupuis, who said he is too “Prairie boy” for fancy cheese*).

As the newest cheesemonger in town, Flute & Fromage caters to cheese fanatics, pairing milk-made morsels with natural wines, beer and ciders. Its storefront at 102 - 4305 on the Village Stroll invites guests to browse products with knowledgeable cheeseheads (the food, not state-based reference) on-hand who can inform and pair products to shoppers’ palates.

Whether one stays on the intimate, nineseat patio to lounge and savour a bite or gathers a plate to go out and enjoy a picnic, options abound. Customers can even request complimentary delivery in Whistler or pay a $30 flat fee for trips farther afield in the Sea to Sky.

business with an education in food systems from York University.

“I’m thrilled to welcome guests into my labour of love. After so many years of ideating and planning, it’s an incredible feeling to open the doors to Flute & Fromage,” May said in a release. “It’s my

“I’m thrilled to welcome guests into my labour of love. After so many years of ideating and planning, it’s an incredible feeling to open the doors to Flute & Fromage.”

- TARA MAY

The independently owned boutique cheesemonger brings local and international cheeses to Whistlerites’ palates thanks to owner Tara May.

As an on-and-off-again Whistler local for 30 years, May has merged winter days in Symphony Bowl with her international dining experiences to curate the shop’s offerings of local and global fare. She comes to the

privilege to open the shop in Whistler, a place that I have called home for 30 years. It’s a haven for cheese and wine lovers, but it’s also a gathering place for anyone seeking connection, conversation and enjoyment.”

This reporter’s lactose intolerance is so severe she usually avoids the delight (pain), but for some reason (in the name of journalism), I said yes to trying the new

cheese on the block.

Delicately arranged and carefully wrapped, Cheese to the People gift boxes make gift-giving easy, for others or yourself.

Whether it’s the blue-veined Roquefort Carles, the nutty Garrotxa, a Shropshire Blue or the prosciutto, the flavours were overwhelming and intriguing to a palate that used to be acclimated to an old cheddar cheese or what she thought was fancy— grocery store brie.

The field berry jam shone alongside the gooey triple cream Chateau de Bourgogne, and both layered well atop a baguette the Pique team added to our picnic.

While not knowingly a truffle lover, the Moliterno al Tartufo was this writer’s favourite, though I hadn’t realized fungi and fromage would pair before this tasting.

The shop is an addition to the cheese scene in Whistler, with one store offering a charcuterie experience and another fondue. However, the international flavours, combined with the wine offerings, help set the store apart.

Read more at fluteandfromage.com

*Editor’s note: It’s true. Medium cheddar or bust. n

MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE

Mountain Muse Festival returns for 2024

THE PEMBERTON-BASED MUSIC EVENT WILL RUN JUNE 22 AND 23

BY DAVID SONG

MOUNTAIN MUS E is back for another year.

This year’s edition of the local music festival will again light up the Pemberton Downtown Community Barn for two fun-filled summer nights.

On Saturday, June 22, Austin Ross and the Pemberton Project will join the Big Love Band in putting on a lively ticketed show for guests aged 19 and up, with hot food and beer on tap. The next day, Sunday, June 23, festival newcomers Laura’n Art and the New Mountain Rangers are in the mix alongside Archie Peters and Broken Arrow for a free concert and artisan’s market.

“For us, it’s really important that these artists have original work that they’re going to perform because that’s what we’re trying to support,” says Pemberton Arts Council (PAC) chair Joan Richoz.

“Saturday’s a really high-energy event. Sunday’s a little more low-key and we’re encouraging families to come.

“Austin Ross is a born-and-bred Pembertonian, the Pemberton Project is a rock ‘n’ roll kind of band, and Big Love is great. They

really get people dancing,” she adds. “We don’t have a children’s entertainer like we did last year, but we’ve got two Indigenous artists from Mount Currie: Archie Peters and Broken Arrow.

[This will be the first time] Laura and the New Mountain Rangers will be performing … and they are fabulous.”

As Pemberton continues to expand, there is much discourse surrounding what could

‘WHAT WE LOVE TO DO’

The New Mountain Rangers—also known as the Courageous Mountain Rangers—haven’t been together quite as long as The Rolling Stones, but Jeff Heintzman figures he and co-founder Mike Grenzer have been playing for more than 20 years. Both are versatile musicians who sing in addition to handling the guitar, banjo and mandolin.

They’ve gone through their share of

“It’s a good vibe, we feel good … what a magical part of being in the Sea to Sky.”

- BRETT FLORIO

happen and how to prepare for the inevitable. Grassroots music festivals cannot solve all of these problems, but they are a valuable way for locals to remain connected with each other and keep their fingers on the pulse of their own arts community.

“I think it’s so important not just for people who are well-established, but for new people to come and find a way to be part of the community,” Richoz opines. “When you move to a new place, it’s not easy for everybody to make new friends and [Mountain Muse is a great way to do that].”

lineup changes over time, but are currently joined by guitarist and dobro man Brett Florio and bassist Rajan Das.

All look forward to being part of Mountain Muse for the first time.

“This is what we love to do,” explains Florio. “A lot of bands do just corporate events, bars or certain types of venues, but we really like to do community arts events. It’s a good vibe, we feel good … what a magical part of being in the Sea to Sky. It’s such a wonderful place, people are so nice,

and we get to play music that we’re excited about.”

Armed with a flavourful repertoire, the New Mountain Rangers liken their content to a mix of “hard-driving bluegrass, blazing hot fiddle tunes, melancholy murder ballads, Latin love songs, Western and jazz-inspired numbers and plenty of originals” on their website. They’ve also got unique takes on familiar work by Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Gillian Welch and more.

“By the nature of playing acoustic instruments, we don’t get a chance to play a lot of bars and noisy venues where we would overpower the audience,” Heintzman says. “The best venues for us are the ones where we’re outside, or where the sound of people talking will dissipate and we can be heard.”

The Downtown Community Barn fits that bill, and Richoz for one looks forward to seeing everybody strut their stuff.

“These musicians are all really good,” she says. “There’s so much talent in the corridor … and [this Mountain Muse] will be even better than the last two years.”

More information can be found at pembertonartscouncil.com/ mountainmusefestival. Early birds will receive a discounted rate of $25 per ticket up to the first 100 tickets sold, compared to $35 the day of. n

BARN BURNER The Pemberton Downtown Community Barn at the 2023 Mountain Muse Festival.

Rachel Lewis reflects on one year of Music Together

LOCAL DEMAND FOR THE FAMILY-ORIENTED MUSIC PROGRAM HAS STEADILY INCREASED

BY DAVID SONG

ONE YEAR INTO her tenure as centre director of Music Together Whistler, Rachel Lewis has plenty to feel good about.

All three of her inaugural semester classes last July filled up quickly, totalling 42 students. Enrolment held steady in the months that followed, with numerous newcomers dropping by on recommendation from their friends or family members. There’s a clear local demand for the Music Together curriculum: an early childhood-oriented program that since 1987 has been recognized internationally.

Many Sea to Sky kids strap on a snowboard or a pair of skis at two, three or four years old. Why, asks Lewis, should there not be a similar option for artsy youngsters?

“I’ve heard from a lot of parents in town that it’s really nice to have an arts option,” Lewis says. “While skiing and biking are very much part of Whistler culture … I’ve been a musician in town for 17 years and I’m really deep into that community. I think in general, most adults wish that they were more musical. When they see a program that nurtures the musicality in their kids from as early as birth, it really gets them excited.”

Music Together distinguishes itself from other musical programs in a few ways, chief among them an emphasis on adult involvement. While trained teachers lead students in a variety of songs and dances, intentional parental engagement is a must.

“You are your child’s greatest role model during the ages of zero to five, and they’re looking to you to figure out what’s most important in each moment,” Lewis says. “Not only that, but your voice—whether you want to believe it or not—is your child’s favourite voice. If you’re chatting to your friend, they’re going to be hearing that. If you’re singing along, they’re going to hear that and recognize making music is important.”

Fortunately, parents won’t have to sit through countless renditions of “Hot Cross Buns” and the nursery rhymes that feature prominently at libraries and daycares. Instead, Music Together (headquartered in Hopewell,

Joinuson Wednesday, June19,tolearnaboutanddiscusssomeofthemost importantissuesourcommunityfaces:climate,housing,smart tourism,and communityengagement.

• Informationandinteractivedisplaysfrom4–5:30p.m.&6:30–8:30p.m.

• Updateon:climate,housing,smarttourism,andcommunityengagement from5:30–6:30p.m.

• DiscusswithMayor,Council,staffandyour neighboursfrom6:30p.m.onwards.

N.J.) disseminates an ever-changing array of 12 syllabi that keep things fresh. Certain educational milestones are always included, with each semester featuring a given amount of instrumentals, minor-key content and songs in odd time signatures.

Research indicates preschoolers tend to learn effectively in a mixed-age setting. Therefore, Music Together offers a mixed-age format that includes infants and toddlers up to five years old. Afterwards, graduates and their folks may choose to continue into Rhythm Kids which is aimed at pupils aged four to eight. Given the fact children aren’t typically ready for private voice lessons until they start elementary school, Rhythm Kids serves an important and heretofore-unfilled niche.

Lewis ensures her students feel at home in each class, regardless of their personality or needs.

Some youngsters are active and kinesthetic— they need to move in order to effectively retain concepts. Others are much more visual, literally watching and learning. Still others pay close attention to what they hear, even when they’re across the room from their teacher.

“A lot of parents will think, ‘oh, my kid’s not really feeling it because he just sits there and watches,’ but that’s actually a very typical response for some kids,” says Lewis. “The observers are really taking it all in. They’re still processing the different time signatures, modes of key and tonalities [in each song]. Then, some kids are instantly up and dancing around. It’s different kinds of learning, but it’s all learning.”

Going forward, Lewis hopes more and more Whistlerites come to appreciate what Music Together has to offer. She would love to see demand explode, to the point where people are setting reminders on their phones to register for classes before they fill.

“I have really enjoyed connecting with new families and strengthening my bond with families that I’m already friends with,” remarks the longtime singer-songwriter.

“You’d be surprised at how many adults can’t sing on key and hold a steady beat, so the goal is to raise children who will become musical adults.”

Read more at musictogetherwhistler.com.  n

DownstairsattheWhistlerConferenceCentre (upstairsistheInsideScooptradeshow). Childminding,lightfoodandrefreshmentsareincluded. Learnmoreanddiscussonlineatwhistler.ca

ResortMunicipalityofWhistler whistler.ca

WHISTLER’S INSIDESCOOP

Not-to-be-missedsummer event fortourism &hospitalitystaff GetthescooponWhistler’s activities, lodging,and food andbeveragescene. FREEENTRY. FREEAPPIES. FREEDRINK.PRIZEDRAW.

WHISTLERCONFERENCECENTRE June19, 2024|2-6PM

MUSIC MAKERS Rachel Lewis (far left) teaches a Music Together session in Whistler.

PHOTO BY NICOLE MADSEN

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!)

XFONDO

WHISTLER BC CUP DOWNHILL

Come cheer on B.C.’s best riders as the BC Cup Downhill Series returns to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. The celebrated BC Cup is a collective of gravityfuelled events forming Canada’s premier downhill mountain bike racing series.

Find more info at cyclingbc.net.

> June 14 to 16

> Whistler Mountain Bike Park

> Varies

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE

Join The Point Artist-Run Centre for their annual fundraiser, Disco on the Lake with DJ Vinyl Ritchie. An evening of fun and entertainment accompanied by a fourcourse dinner and wines selected by Whistler Wine Guy.

> June 15, 6 to 10:30 p.m.

> The Point Artist-Run Centre

> $90 ($75 for members)

HOLISTIC TOUR & INDIGENOUS TEA OFFERING

Experience an authentic Indigenous wellness tour with Cultural Ambassadors through the Salish Forest followed by a tea offering. Beginning with a welcome song, short film and brief introduction to the Centre, a Cultural Ambassador will guide an interpretive forest walk, presenting herbs and medicinal plants that grow in the region. Following in the Longhouse, guests learn and savour the healing benefits of traditional teas, served with First Nations traditional Bannock.

> June 15, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

> Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

> Adults $25; kids $12; under 5 free

XFONDO

From the creators of the award-winning RBC GranFondo Whistler, XFONDO is back in Whistler! XFONDO is not an exclusive gravel cycling event, rather it’s an adventure on all the terrain a bike can take you. It’s a visceral experience, real and perceived with your new event buddies, sharing an experience that will be a full-on challenge for all your skills. From winding gravel switchbacks to flowing descents framed by unreal mountain scenery (and a ton of mud just waiting to be sprayed), Whistler serves it up. The courses are 42 to 60K with an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 metres.

Read more at xfondo.com.

> June 15

> Base Camp, Spruce Grove Park

> $299

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH

Celebrate National Indigenous History Month during June with the spirit of Skwxwú7mesh and Lílwat7úl at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler. Connect with Cultural Ambassadors as they share interpretive forest tours, craft workshops, live carving, art, performances, craft, storytelling, and guided tours of the museum—Whistler’s authentic Indigenous experience. On Friday, June 21, experience the SLCC for free in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day.

> June 1 to 30

> Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre

> Adults $25; kids $12; under 5 free

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RESORT

MUNICIPALITYOFWHISTLER

NOTICEOFMEETING ONANNUALREPORT

Tuesday, June25,2024 starting at 5:30p.m.

AtMaury YoungArts Centre, 4335Blackcomb Way, WhistlerBCin theFranzWilhelmsenTheatre

NOTICE ishereby giveninaccordance withSection99ofthe CommunityChar terthat the CounciloftheResort Municipalityof Whistlerwillbe consideringtheannual report at theRegular Council Meetingon Tuesday, June25,2024.

INSPECTIONOFANNUALREPORT: A copy oftheannual report is available forpublicinspectiononour website at www.whistler.ca /corporateplan or at theCustomerServiceDeskofMunicipalHall,4325Blackcomb Way, Whistler,BC,during regularofficehoursof8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m.; Monday to Friday (statutoryholidays excluded).

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: Pleasesendsubmissionsor commentsonthe annual report prior to 3:30p.m.on Tuesday, June25,2024 to:

Email: corporate@whistler.ca

Fax:604-935-8109

Mail:Attention:LegislativeSe rvices 4325Blackcomb Way, Whistler,BC,V8E0X5

Pleaseaddress your correspondence to Mayorand Council.

Whistler’s first council

BY ALLYN PRINGLE

WHEN WHISTLER’S first municipal council was sworn into office on Sept. 6, 1975, the four councillors (Garry Watson, John Hetherington, Bob Bishop and Al Raine) and Mayor Pat Carleton were faced with the daunting task of building a resort in the ski area. As the first council of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), however, they first had to hire some municipal employees. Over the past few years, the museum has sat down with two of the earliest employees of the RMOW, Geoff Pearce and Kris Shoup, and heard about their experiences.

According to both Pearce and Shoup, the first position to be filled at the RMOW was that of building inspector. Jim Murray, who had previously been an inspector for the SquamishLillooet Regional District, was the first hire of the new council. He was soon followed by Pearce, who began as municipal clerk.

[I]n 1976, the population of Whistler was about 530 people.

Pearce moved to Whistler in February 1976, though he had already been called in to take minutes at a zoning bylaw meeting in December 1975 to get a feeling for Whistler. He had heard about the job from his boss in Squamish, where he was working as the municipal clerk, who told him he should apply. Upon his arrival in Whistler, he found it was pretty bare from logging but looked like it had “great potential.”

Mount Whistler Lodge. Offices were set up in a trailer next to the liquor store (also located in a trailer at the time), and for a while RMOW staff worked out of the lunchroom of the first Myrtle Philip School, not far from the current location of Municipal Hall.

For his first few years as municipal clerk, Pearce also functioned as the treasurer and collector of taxes. Outside of the RMOW, he worked as the approving officer for the area and was a volunteer firefighter as well. In 1980, Pearce was promoted to administrator, a position he held until 1985.

From bringing together private water systems, to building a sewer system, to planning and constructing the town centre, Pearce remembered staff and council “worked really hard,” including working through the winter holidays of 1978-79. The development proposals for Phase 1 of the Town Centre were due Dec. 22, 1978, and council, Sutcliffe, Moodie & Griggs (the project-management firm leading the town centre project), and staff spent the next few weeks evaluating the proposals in order to announce the winners in early January 1979.

According to Pearce, when he began working for the RMOW in 1976, the population of Whistler was about 530 people, which meant you got to know most people quite well, especially those you worked with. He was invited to the Carletons’ house for coffee with Pat and his wife Kay and, as part of his job was to personally deliver the council envelopes on Friday night to the councillors’ homes, he would often leave either John Hetherington or Franz Carpay (elected to Whistler’s second council) to last so he could sit down and have a beer. In between committee meetings and council meetings, the group would go out for dinner together, rotating through the various restaurants in the area.

Resort MunicipalityofWhistler whistler.ca

The workplace of the RMOW moved around quite a bit in the first few years. That first meeting Pearce attended took place at the gondola base in either L’Apres or the cafeteria, and he remembered attending council meetings in Carleton’s garage and the

Pearce left Whistler for Smithers in 1985, though he returned for a year before moving to Victoria. As recently as 2019, however, he still received calls looking for background knowledge on the RMOW’s early years. Next week, we’ll take a look at some of the experiences of Kris Shoup, the fourth employee of the RMOW. n

EARLY DAYS Whistler’s first council: Bob Bishop, Al Raine, Geoff Pearce, Pat Carleton, John Hetherington and Garry Watson.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARRY WATSON

JoinourBoardofDirectors!

JointheWhistlerCommunityServicesSocietyBoardof Directorsandplayanessentialroleinguiding,creating andbuildingthefutureofthisvitalanddynamic communitysocialserviceorganizationwhose mission istosupportandadvocatefor ahealthycommunity.

Successfulcandidateswillhave astrong backgroundinoneormoreof:

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NewBoard Directorsmustbeabletoattenda monthly boardmeeting(canoccasionallyattendvirtually),as wellas amonthlyfinancecommitteemeeting(mainly virtualattendance),aswellastimetosupportthework oftheboard.

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ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology

WEEK OF JUNE 14 BY

ARIES March 21 - April 19 The term “maze” has various meanings. Most commonly, it signifies a puzzling cluster of choices that lead nowhere and bode frustration. But there are more positive meanings of the word. In ancient myths, a maze was where heroes underwent ritual tests. There they might summon ingenuity to win access to a hidden treasure. In modern psychology labs, the maze is a structure used to stimulate learning in rats. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the maze you are now in is metaphorically akin to the second two meanings, not the first.

TAURUS April 20 - May 27 There is an abundance of good news, Taurus. In the coming weeks, your conversations could awaken realizations that will augment your wealth—both the financial and emotional kind. So be eager to commune with vigorous souls who inspire your power to attract resources and goodies. Furthermore, you could generate enriching benefits for yourself by engaging with unfamiliar influences that are outside your web of expectations. Don’t be too sure you already know everything you need. Helpful surprises could arrive if you’re extra open-minded.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20 Though 2024 isn’t even half over, you have already earned the title “Least Boring Zodiac Sign of the Year.” Or maybe a more positive way to frame it would be to award you the title “Most Scintillating, Interesting, and Stimulating Zodiac Sign of the Year.” Please keep doing what you have been doing, Gemini. Entertain us with your unruly escapades and gossip-worthy breakthroughs. Encourage us to question our dull certainties and dare us to be more fun. If we seem nervous to be in your stirring presence, disarm our worries with your humour.

CANCER June 21-July 22 Your subconscious mind is full of marvellous capacities and magic potencies. But it also contains old habits of feeling and thinking that influence you to respond to life in ways that are out of sync with what’s actually happening. These habits may sabotage or undermine your conscious intentions. Now here’s the good news: In the next nine months, there’s a lot you can do to dissolve the outmoded imprints. You will have more power than ever before to perform this wizardry. So get started! How? Ask your subconscious mind to send you intuitions about how to proceed.

LEO July 23-Aug. 22 The fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” will serve as a prime metaphor for you in the coming weeks. Ruminate on its themes as being applicable to your life. I’ll refresh you with the main points of the story. Young Jack and his mother need money, so she decides to take drastic measures. She bids him to sell the family cow at the marketplace a few miles away. But on the way into town, Jack meets a man who coaxes him to sell the cow in exchange for magic beans—not money. When Jack returns home, his mother is angry at his foolishness. In disgust, she flings the beans out the window into the dirt. Later, though, the beans live up to their promise. They grow into a giant beanstalk that Jack climbs to reach the lair of a giant who lives in the clouds. There Jack retrieves three of his family’s lost treasures, which had been stolen by the giant long ago.

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Before the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century BCE, Chinese people had built many local walls designed to keep out invaders. Qin Shi Huang initiated a great public works project to connect all of these fragments into what’s now known as the Great Wall of China. He also erected a vast system of roads and a city-sized mausoleum filled with the Terracotta Army: sculptures of 8,000 soldiers with their chariots and horses. Qin Shi Huang was a big thinker who was also highly organized! In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to glide into your very own Qin Shi Huang phase. What long-lasting structures do you want to build in the next 11 months?

ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Psychologist Carl Jung believed we could accomplish profound self-transformation by working hard on our psyches’ unripe and wounded aspects. That might entail honest self-examination, objective observation of how we affect others, and a willingness to recognize and forgive our mistakes. Jung also recommended another way to heal our neuroses: through the power of numinous experiences. By “numinous,” he meant mystical, sublime, or awe-inspiring. Jung said such visitations could radically diminish our painful habits of mind and feeling. They might arrive through grace, thanks to life’s surprising interventions. They may also be coaxed to appear through meditation, dreamwork, communing with myth and fairy tales, and spiritual practices. I foresee a wealth of numinous events in your life during the coming months, Libra. May they bring you a steady stream of healing.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 In a moment, I will list events I foresee as being possible for you during the next 11 months. They are cosmic tendencies but not cosmic mandates. Whether or not they actually occur will depend on how you wield your willpower—which, by the way, could be freer and more muscular than it has been in a long time. Now here are the potential developments. 1. An offer to create one of the most symbiotic unions or robust collaborations ever. 2. Great chances for you to capitalize on the success of others. 3. Alterations in the family configuration. 4. Major shifts in loyalty and affinity. 5. A raise in rank. 6. Revelations of secrets you can use to your advantage.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Have you been metaphysically itchy and psychologically ticklish? Are you unsure whether those tingling sensations you’re feeling are worrisome symptoms or signs of healing and awakening? I believe they are signs of healing and awakening. They suggest you are doing the metaphorical equivalent of what a snake does when it sheds its skin. Expect imminent redemption, Sagittarius! Reframe the discomfort as a herald of relief and release.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 It’s time for Super Mom to make an appearance. Some circumstances in your life could benefit from healing tweaks best initiated by her. And when I say “Super Mom,” I’m not necessarily referring to your actual mother. I’m envisioning a wise older woman who sees you as you really are and who can assist you in living your destiny according to your own inner necessity, no one else’s. If you have no Super Mom in your world, see if you can locate one, even hire one. I also recommend creating an inner Super Mom in your imagination. You need and deserve sympathetic input from the archetype of the sage crone.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 I suspect that later in 2024, I will authorize you to commune with boisterous adventures and tricky risks. But right now, I advise you to flirt with modest adventures and sensible risks. Can you contain your burning, churning yearnings for a while? Are you willing to coax your crazy wild heart into enjoying some mild pleasures? By early autumn, I’m guessing you will have done the necessary preparations to successfully roam through the experimental frontiers. Until then, you are most likely to corral X-factors on your behalf if you pace yourself and bide your time.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 “Oh God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul.” That prayer was the handiwork of Piscean philosopher Joseph Ernest Renan. If his ironic minimalism is the only spiritual aspiration you can manage right now, so be it. But I hope you will strive for a more intimate, expansive, and personal connection with the Divine Intelligence. The coming weeks will be an extra favourable time for you to speak and listen to mysterious powers beyond your rational comprehension. Please take advantage! Go in quest of the sweet, deep lowdown directly from the Sublime Source!

Homework: Try letting go of a burden that’s not necessary to bear any longer. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

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

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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

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!

The Museum is currently seeking:

Permanent, Full-Time

Cardinal Concrete, A Division of Lafarge Canada Inc is the leading supplier of ready-mix concrete in the Sea to Sky Corridor. We are currently seeking a career oriented individual to fill the role of Commercial Transport/Heavy Duty Mechanic at our Head Office Location in Squamish, BC.

This is a skilled position which primarily involves preventative maintenance and repair of a large fleet of commercial transport vehicles including concrete mixer trucks, dump trucks, trailers, forklifts and light-duty trucks.

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.C. Certificate of Qualification, and/or Interprovincial Ticket as a Commercial Transport Mechanic, and/or Heavy Duty Mechanic Ticket

• 3-5 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience

Compensation $45.57 to $49.07

To view a full copy of this Job Description visit: www.cardinalconcrete.ca/about/careers

Apply to: info@cardinalconcrete.ca

Coordinate all aspects of the Permanent Collection and Special Exhibitions, including registration, maintenance, security, records, and assisting with research and exhibition development.

• Permanent, Full-Time

• $55,000 - $60,000

• Health Benefits

• Transit Allowance

• Wellness Benefit

Apply and learn more via the QR code, or email applications to bbeacom@audainartmuseum.com

Lil’wat Nation Employment Opportunities

Ullus Community Centre

•

• General Manager of Community Services ($120,000.00 to $135, 000.00 per year)

• Financial reporting manager ($59,878 - $74,564 per year)

• Human Resources Generalist ( $57,330.00 to $64,610.00 per year)

• Receptionist ($17.40 to $20.90 per hour)

• Housing Administrator ( $46,683.00 to $63,973.00 per year)

• Transition House Support Worker ($20.90 - $29.45 per hour)

Xet’òlacw Community School

• Education assistant ($38,038 - $53,599 per year)

• Social Worker/Counsellor( $80,371.20 - $91,673.40 per year)

• Elementary School Teacher: Grade 3 ($60,015.00 to $109,520.00 per year)

• Educational Counsellor/ Teacher ($60,015.00 to $109,520.00 per year)

• High School English Teacher ($60,015.00 to $109,520.00 per year)

• High School English and Humanities Teacher ($60,015.00 to $109,520.00 per year)

• Language Resource Worker or Language Teacher ($46,683- $63,973 per year)

Lil’wat Business Group

• Transfer station supervisor ($25.65 to $35.15 per hour)

• Cashier($17.40 to $18.50 per hour)

• Junior Saw Labourer ($19.00 to $24.00 per hour )

• Senior Saw Labourer ($23.00 to $29.00 per hour )

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

• Pension Plan • Employee Assistance Program

• Gym facility • Extended Health Benefits

• Professional Development

BOOKKEEPER WANTED WHISTLER BUSINESS IN CONSTRUCTION

A long standing local business in Whistler is looking to hire an experienced full time, long term bookkeeper with minimum 5 years experience whom would work with us in house in our office Monday to Friday, off on weekends and holidays.

Must have experience with:

• Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable • Payroll

• Tax remittances and bank reconciliations

• Sage 50 (required)

• PST regulations (preferred)

• Must have Canadian Residency

• Wage to start at $32 - 35 per hour (negotiable as per experience)

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.

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

Resort

• Guest Services Coordinator

Termpositionwithastartingwageof$34.87anhour.

• Parking Enforcement Officer

PermanentFull-timepositionwithastartingwageof $31.98 an hour.

• Western Toad Program Assistant

Casualpositionwithastartingwageof$29.53anhour.

NOW HIRING!

Full Time Assistant Meat Manager

($64,480 – $72,800 (+ benefits) depending on experience)

Full Time Meat Wrapper

($17.40/hr - $22/hr (+ 20% discount card& benefits) for full time staff)

Full Time Grocery Clerk

($17.40/hr - $21.50/hr (+ 20% discount card& benefits) for full time staff)

Part Time Cleaner

($19/hr - $24/hr)

Our Team enjoys:

ü Flexible schedules ü Training and experience

ü Full Benefits & Employee Discount Card

ü Prime location in Pemberton

ü Short commute = less time, more $$$

Municipality of Whistler

BLACKCOMB CHIMNEY

What’s that smell?

AN APOLOGY to begin.

After multiple emails from the loosely affiliated Orangutan Anti-Defamation Chapter of the Primate Protection Society, arising from the photo accompanying last week’s Maxed Out, I unreservedly apologize to orangutans around the world. No slander

BY G.D. MAXWELL

against any of you was intended. But once again, humour is a very subjective endeavour.

While I did not provide the AI-generated photo accompanying last week’s column, I found it both amusing and aspirational. Having said that, I can understand why some folks thought it unnecessarily defamed orangutans, suggesting a closer affiliation with the former U.S. president than the fact some 97 per cent of human genes are shared with orangutans.

I’m assuming the association that sparked the photo was my preference of referring to the former president as the Orange Monster.

I would like to state categorically I do not consider orangutans monsters. I do, however, consider the former president a monster.

Orangutans are threatened. The former president is threatening. Orangutans are peaceful, caring creatures. The former president is neither, unless caring only about himself counts. Orangutans spend most of their day feeding, fruit making up the largest part of their diet. The former president spends much of his day feeding, Big Macs making up a large part of his diet. Orangutans can act, as witnessed by the character Clyde in Clint Eastwood’s Every Which Way But Loose. The former president can only act badly.

Most of the photos taken during the recent criminal trial of the former president show him sitting at the defendant’s table glowering. I recall reading that is a practised look he believes makes him look Baaaaad. And simultaneously presidential.

By contrast, the openly curious look of the orangutan in the photo looks far more, well, human, than the mug shots of the former president.

Earlier I referred to the photo as aspirational. I believe if the former president was capable of higher-level thought, he’d aspire to be reincarnated as an orangutan. That said, I’m more inclined to believe if there’s any true measure of karma, he’d be more likely to follow the path of Gregor Samsa. Gregor who?

In Franz Kafka’s novella, Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find he has been transformed over night into a ungeheueres Ungeziefer, German for monstrous vermin, generally thought of in literary criticism as a cockroach.

Having stated that, I would ask forbearance from cockroach lovers to cut me some slack for suggesting an equivalency between those monstrous vermin and the former president. Thank you.

So, I hear you ask, where exactly is this headed? I’m glad to say nowhere you

imagined.

Whether it’s Canadian, U.S. or global politics, it would not be unfair to say things stink. In last week’s elections, the European Union saw a strengthening of far-right parties. As one European commentator noted a short time ago, Europe seems to be trending toward its natural political state: fascism. Dissatisfaction with everything is fuelling a desire for populist leaders pandering to the fears, real or not, felt by people around the world.

The war between Israel and Hamas is tearing the social fabric of countries with no real dog in that fight. The war between Russia and Ukraine threatens to expand to wider confrontations with Putin puffing about nukes playing an inevitable role.

But where there’s a stink—or an insecurity to be taken advantage of—there’s a product a marketing department has to figure out how to flog. I guess we should have seen it coming. Once we were convinced we couldn’t or shouldn’t present ourselves to the world without spraying, swiping or somehow applying something to our under arms, whether there was or was not actually some offensive smell emanating from there, it was a short walk to masking the unbearable odour of what one company refers to as swamp ass.

Enter butt-crack deodorant.

Swamp ass is a term I was unfamiliar with prior to reading this important news item. While I rarely get through a month without a reader—readers—suggesting I have

Dissatisfaction with everything is fuelling a desire for populist leaders pandering to the fears, real or not, felt by people around the world.

Things stink.

And the only stink anyone is doing anything about is body stink?

In another one of those “news” stories that make people think about supporting the move to de-fund the CBC, the wide coverage of D-Day last week eclipsed the other big story our national news organization covered—the aromatic trend toward whole-body deodorant.

I’m not making this up.

Apparently, not only do politics stink, we stink. At least some of us do. Or might. Sometimes. Not always.

my head up my arse, I have never enjoyed sufficient flexibility to actually get my nose close enough to my posterior to confirm or deny the existence of swamp ass.

And having never passed up a careerlimiting move, I’ve never been one to kiss arse in a professional setting, either. So I can’t vouch for the existence of this phenomena in others.

While I have admittedly been in close contact with, shall we say, the nether regions of people with whom I was sharing intimate moments, the upwelling of emotion and

desire most likely masked any chance of considering whether or not we would have been wise to shower first.

Which, I’d like to point out, is something I and most people I know do pretty frequently. Even on camping trips, I’ve plunged into icy water long before doing so was an activity promoted by influencers—whatever they are— and followers of trends. As uncomfortable as it often was, it seemed preferable to becoming offensively malodorous to myself, let alone those around me. But then, we all smelled like campfires.

Apparently the marketing machines that spent untold billions convincing people, women especially, that any scent they give off, even pheromones, should be masked by something flowery and unnatural needed new frontiers to conquer. So we have specific products to apply beyond armpits to such potentially offensive places as under-boobs— both female and male—the aforementioned butt cracks, places referred to as simply privates, feet, and pretty much every other square inch of our bodies.

By needling our fears and insecurities, personal-care companies are developing so many products for so many areas of our bodies we’ll all need to pack toiletry bags the size of steamer trunks to hold them. I guess the upside to all this is, perhaps, an opportunity, as is happening with water shortages in Calgary, to bathe less frequently... if at all.

Unfortunately, the war on stink is waged only on our bodies. There are no salves, lotions, potions or sprays to counteract the stench of bad politics and bad public policy. The only hope is demanding better from those we elect. And the only hope of that is getting better people to run. And that seems, at the moment, hopeless.

It stinks. n

PHOTO BY SIPHOTOGRAPHY / E+ / GETTY IMAGES