October 10, 2024

PAGE 18

GOOSE ON THE LOOSE!

Find out about the mission to find and help Wilson, the goose

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024

PAGE 26 FIND A MOUNTAIN MENTOR

Programs pair experienced outdoor folks with mentees to make the mountains more inclusive

WHAT THE CANDIDATES SAY

The candidates at the Oct. 2 allcandidates debate shared their vision for the Sea to Sky

INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY iLemayConway@squamishchief.com

Politics is often a place where opinions are left divided, but if there is one thing that came out of the Squamish all-candidates meeting last night, it’s that sometimes, even politicians can share the same goals.

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, each of the three candidates pining for the position of West Vancouver Sea to Sky Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) were passionately united on the need to improve regional transport, increase housing and fight climate change. High taxes, secure care and the privatization of healthcare saw the biggest divide within the panel. The debate, hosted by the Squamish Chamber, Tourism Squamish, and Downtown Squamish BIA was held in front of a 150-person crowd at Don Ross Middle School.

The event was moderated by former Squamish mayor Patricia Heintzman.

In terms of who is running, there’s BC NDP’s Jen Ford, a 10-year Whistler councillor who chairs the SquamishLillooet Regional District (currently on leave), has served as president of the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), and also chairs the Whistler Housing Authority (WHA).

There is the BC Greens’ Jeremy Valeriote, a former District of Squamish staffer, former Gibsons councillor, and husband to the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s

ALL CANDIDATES: Continued on 2

PHOTO BY DARRYL SCHWANKE

SPECTACULAR HARBOUR: A sunrise from Squamish’s harbour is something to behold.

chief administrative officer (CAO), who came within 60 votes of earning the Greens their first-ever seat on the mainland in 2020.

Then there’s the BC Conservatives’ Yuri Fulmer, who, like the party he represents, is a newcomer to the modern B.C. political scene. Originally hailing from Australia, Fulmer’s experience includes investing in 30 companies in various sectors, including Squamish-based natural food company, Chiwis. He is also the current chancellor of Capilano University, which has opened a Squamish-campus on Quest University’s former site.

HOUSING

Anyone who lives in Squamish or has tried to move here knows the housing market is tough to break into.

In response to a question on how each candidate will help solve the housing affordability crisis, Fulmer said the answer was simple: “We need to build more homes.”

“We can get projects, but that doesn’t fix your problem today if you can’t afford your rent this month,” Fulmer said.

“If you can’t afford rent this month and we tell you that we’re going to build affordable homes for you four years from now; that’s nice to have, but that’s really not helpful for today.”

He referenced the program announced by BC Conservative leader John Rustad last week dubbed the “Rustad Rebate.” The tax rebate offers a $1,500-a-month exemption on rent or mortgage interest costs from provincial income taxes, set to increase by $500 each year until doubling to its target amount by 2029 to $3,000 per month.

Valeriote responded by saying housing is a basic human right that everyone should have access to.

“The first piece of solving the housing problem is to acknowledge that housing is a key right, not commodity for investors,” Valeriote said.

“The BC Greens have committed $1.5 billion to build 26,000 units of non-market housing.”

Leaning on her six years of experience as the chair of the Whistler Housing Authority, Ford threw her support behind bills 44 and 47 to increase density in communities.

“I do [support the bills] because when you allow homeowners to choose to add gentle density on their single-family property, it allows seniors to age in place, it allows families to grow their housing on their property, without growing their footprint,” she said.

“They can add a suite, they can add a laneway house, and they can keep it affordable, or they can sell it, or they can rent it. That is a benefit to homeowners.”

SECURE CARE & PUBLIC HEALTH

While the candidates agreed on some topics, one issue that caused a divide was the expansion of secure care in B.C.

Valeriote opposed the expansion of secure care across the province, stating its success rate was “not acceptable.”

“There are horrible stories out there about what addiction can do, and those stories are tragic, but those kinds of things are not the reason to have a reactionary approach,” said Valeriote.

“We’re already committing 20,000 British Columbians per year into involuntary care. BC Greens do not believe in expanding it, as both these parties have said they will do, because it has a 3% success rate. That is not acceptable. That is not something that we should continue to do. This involuntary care happens in correctional institutions, which is not the right place for it.

“I think our policies will be much more humane and much more sensible.”

Fulmer took an alternative view, endorsing secure care and passionately defending that people with addictions should be subjected to the same treatment wait times as people with a broken leg.

“I accept [the expansion] profoundly. We have to admit drug addiction is a disease, and it’s a disease that, at its worst, needs the rest of us to show empathy, care and support and sometimes

that care has to be tough love and it has to be helping people at the worst moment of their lives,” he said.

“If you’re an addict and you’re sick and you go for treatment, a recovery bed is eight and a half months away. Can you imagine if somebody showed up at a hospital with a broken leg and we said treatment is eight and a half months away?

“It’s unacceptable and we need to do more.”

Ford took a personal approach to say that everyone knows someone who has been affected by toxic drug abuse—for her, it’s her uncle.

“This is a really difficult topic because I think that it’s heartbreaking when you know someone who has been affected by toxic drug abuse. I have an uncle who we don’t know where he is, but he’s been living on the streets for about 10 years. We hope he’s OK, and I really hope that someone is out there taking care of him,” she said.

“This government has proposed a compassionate, balanced approach for people who have been affected either by addictions or traumatic brain injury or a one-time recreational use of the toxic drug.

“Every one of us has been touched by this, and we need a balanced approach … involuntary care is an important piece of the spectrum of care, and this government has taken this very seriously.”

All candidates were strongly opinionated about the need to keep the public health system public, with Fulmer stating that some services are better off private, using Life Labs as an example of a public service offered by a private company—though Life Labs does not operate in Squamish.

“What we have proposed is that some health care services may be better done by private doctors. Let me give you an example; if you go and get blood taken today at Life Labs, that’s a private company and they turn around the results on the same day,” Fulmer said.

“The reason we do that is because there are areas where the private sector can do it more

affordable and more efficiently ... and blood testing is one great example of that.”

Ford also mentioned that there are “very small cases” where some private healthcare centres work with the system.

“That is part of a wholesome health care system,” she said.

GAS PRICES/REGIONAL TRANSPORT

Despite each supporting the need for reduced gas prices and increased regional transport, this was the first issue of the night where subtle jabs were thrown among candidates.

Fulmer was quick in his response to say that they needed an “inquiry to sort out what’s going on” and that they “need to do it quick, stop talking, let’s just get on with this.”

Valeriote shared his frustrations over paying the same price for fuel in Squamish as in Vancouver, despite having no regional transit as a bonus—something that he wants to change immediately.

But it was Ford who threw the first jab after she explained her plans to level out the gas and regional transit playing field by implementing “a fuel surcharge which will pay for regional transit.”

“[This is] so that local communities don’t have to pay for the regional transit; it will come out of the surcharge out of fuel sold in the corridor,” she said.

“Unfortunately, you have to have a member in government to deliver that regional implemented system and the BC Greens cannot implement a regional transit system if they are not in government; it just doesn’t work that way.”

TAXES

Candidates were asked by a member of the audience if it was fair for the government to take over half of a person’s income for taxes.

Fulmer, who was the most vocal about what he sees as high taxes in B.C., said that reducing taxes was necessary to keep people in the province.

CANDIDATES: Continued on 3

GOT NEWS?

Email your news tip or story idea to: jthuncher@squamishchief.com iLemayConway@squamishchief.com bchatterjee@squamishchief.com anoel@squamishchief.com

SLRD APPROVES TUP FOR FILM SET, CANADA SKATEBOARD FACILITY

Debate emphasizes need for film permitting process, district directors say

ALYSSA NOEL

anoel@squamishchief.com

Acommercial filming set and a private skateboard facility will be temporarily opening up in Britannia Beach.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) board voted in favour of a three-year temporary use permit (TUP) for Tiger Bay Development Corp.—with an amendment that includes language to leave room for a forthcoming film permitting process that would, for example, give residents near film locations more information on disruptive or noisy shoots.

Discussions on the TUP—which can be renewed for three years—spanned two meetings on Sept. 25 and 26. Director Tony Rainbow, who represents Electoral Area D, including Britannia Beach, lead concerns about noise.

“I’m not in any way opposed to the film

ALL CANDIDATES: Continued from 2

“I don’t think it’s fair [for the government] to take 52.5% because they actually took 53.5%. It makes people not want to live here,” he said.

“One-third of British Columbians of working age are ‘seriously considering moving province,’”he said. “Not ‘vaguely considering,’ they’re not ‘thinking about it,’ they’re seriously considering moving provinces.

“They’re not doing that because this isn’t the most spectacular place on earth; they’re doing it because they can’t afford to live here, and the tax is overwhelming. We have the fourth highest tax jurisdiction in Northern America, that’s after 50 states, all the provinces and territories. We need a lower tax break.”

Valeriote said his frustrations were around wealthy corporations paying “very little tax” and

industry,” he said. “I recognize what it does for the area, including Britannia. A lot of people in Britannia work in the film industry, and I’m not suggesting that they could never have rifle salutes or gunfire at night [during a film shoot], but there should be some communication.”

The TUP was ultimately approved with plans to move forward with a separate film permitting process for the SLRD. It’s set to include a communications plan to let residents know, for example, when a film has gotten an exemption for existing SLRD noise bylaws.

“I just wanted to recognize and, again, reinforce that it’s very important for this organization to have a film permitting process,” said SLRD Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Heather Paul. “A lot of the items that have been brought up here would be effectively addressed during that … process, including compensation to communities, notification to communities, even noises that might be outside of our noise bylaw, gunshot fired at 6 p.m. … That is

the provincial budget being $89 million and “not seeing any value for it.”

Meanwhile, Ford opposed the negative views around taxes by encouraging people to remember taxes pay for services.

“Nobody wants to pay more taxes, that’s for sure. But what I do enjoy from knowing that I’m paying my taxes is that not only will I have the services that I need, my family and my friends will have the services that they need,” she said.

“What we’re seeing from the taxes that we do pay, is a government that has supported people in every different way that we have heard that this province has said we need support in.”

CLIMATE AND HUMANITARIANISM

Wrapping up the evening was a question from the audience on how each candidate and party would act boldly to address climate and

definitely a large post-it note on my wall.”

The temporary set, meanwhile, will still have to apply for building permits for any buildings or structures larger than 10 square metres.

It’s located on the property where a wave park and 1,050 units are set to be built, pending rezoning, in the next two years. However, the applicant says the set and skate facility are located away from the first stages of that project and won’t be affected during the TUP’s potential six-year timeframe.

SKATE FACILITY

The skate facility, the council report says, will be used by Canada Skateboard, the official National Sports Federation for skateboarding in Canada. The facility will be private—not open to the public—and provide training space for Canada Skateboard athletes. The report notes only 10 athletes are eligible and won’t all be onsite at one time.

The facility will handle sanitary services on its

humanitarianism issues.

Valeriote said he understood the need to do more for the community and its residents.

“I think it’s really important to recognize that when we don’t act, that when we say we’ll act later, what we’re doing is endangering the health of all our residents and the future of our children ... This is an existential crisis,” he said.

Being a relatively new party, Fulmer said the BC Conservatives are “indebted to no-one.”

“We can do things that haven’t been done before. We can try things that haven’t been tried before. We don’t have the baggage that other political parties have. We are in a humanitarian crisis. We are in a climate crisis. We lost 400,000 acres of British Columbian forest last year due to forest fires,” Fulmer said. “We’ve got a crisis, and we need actual leadership.”

Despite agreeing with Fulmer’s message, Ford

own with a portable toilet, hand sanitizing, and athletes bringing their own water. The proponent has also made arrangements with the nearby Outbound Station for additional potable and non-potable water if it’s needed. No services are required for commercial film production use, the report says.

Overall, “it seems like a good temporary use of the land,” said director Mike Richman, Mayor of the Village of Pemberton.

“It’s a good industry in our corridor, and provides some good jobs. I’m hopeful next month they don’t go, ‘OK, now we want a drive-in theatre.’ And next month we want this or that. Warning to Tiger Bay: that’s not the idea. Having a training facility where a maximum of 10 skateboarders are going to be at a time … I think that, to me, is low impact to the community. The film industry is a good one. I just want to make sure we’re doing it in a way that limits the impact to the neighbours and residents nearby in terms of noise.”

went on the attack to question a comment made by BC Conservatives’ party leader John Rustad.

“I would say it’s great that you’re not beholden to the BC Liberals, but your leader, John Rustad, has said that climate change is not humancaused. How do you follow a leader who says that climate change isn’t something you need to worry about?” she asked Fulmer.

In rebuttal, he defended his leader saying Rustad “never said there isn’t a crisis.”

“He’s never said that it’s made up. John comes from a community in the north and believes that climate change is real, we all believe that climate change is real. Come on now, there is not a person In British Columbia wouldn’t recognize that climate change is real, and John is among them. What John said is it is not the ‘only’ crisis in British Columbia, and with that Jen, I do agree.”

Topfloor 2bed, 2bathcorner unit at The Artisan. Open plan living with 180 degree views of The Chief,Shannon Falls, Mt. Garibaldi,and Atwell Peak. Extra largestorage locker,oversized parking spot,and common bike storage.

Gardens.

CALLS FOR PARTIES FROM THE ALZHEIMER SOCIETY OF B.C.

With dementia cases in B.C. expected to triple by 2050, advocates push for a robust dementia strategy prioritizing stigma reduction, timely diagnosis, and improved long-term care options

JENNIFER THUNCHER jthuncher@squamishchief.com

Folks at the Alzheimer Society of B.C. are hoping that dementia will be a topic of discussion for politicians and voters in the lead-up to the provincial election this month.

According to the society, about 85,000 people in British Columbia are currently living with dementia; that number is expected to grow to almost 250,000 by 2050.

Author Rosella M. Leslie literally wrote a book on dementia, Losing Us: A Dementia Caregiver’s Journey based on her experience with her late husband, John, who lived with the disease.

With her current husband, she co-runs a Memory Café in Sechelt, a weekly not-for-profit program where persons with dementia and their caregivers can engage in exercise and conversation.

Reflecting on her experience and those of the many people she has engaged with on the topic along the way, she notes how unique each experience is.

“Every person with dementia is different, so their needs are always different,” she said.  But there is also a sameness between the

stories of people who live with dementia or love someone who has it.

“It is always that feeling of being alone,” she

said.

Yet most Canadians report some experience with dementia, with close to eight in 10 knowing someone living or who has lived with it, according to the federal A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Achieve - 2023 Annual Report.

The society is calling on all provincial candidates from each party to commit to a new, modern and funded dementia strategy that prioritizes the following: reducing stigma and social isolation, improving the process of diagnosis and ensuring support is available at the right time.

These echo many of the issues Leslie experienced on her family’s journey or hears about from those she has met along the way.

STRATEGY NEEDED

“The last time that we had a [B.C.] strategy was a number of years ago. It predates the pandemic. It predates a lot of things that have changed in the world of dementia, including the latest forecast numbers we have for the growth in number of people living with dementia,” Jen Lyle, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., told The Squamish Chief.

“Frankly, we know this is an issue that matters to British Columbians.”

REDUCING STIGMA

Lyle said that misunderstandings about dementia lead to stigma, and that keeps people living with dementia and their families from getting the care they need.

“It deters people from getting a diagnosis. It deters people from seeking support or disclosing their illness; it deters people from seeking treatment, and that’s why one of our key asks … in this dementia strategy is that we allocate some meaningful funding towards addressing stigma and reducing the isolation people can sometimes experience when they are living with this disease,” she said.

Specifically, the society is asking for $10 million for a three-year province wide public awareness campaign that’s focused on reducing misconceptions about dementia, including those harmful stereotypes.

“So that we can ensure that people are comfortable with having these conversations and are proactive about their brain health, just in

STIGMA: Continued on 5

PHOTO BY GOC/E+/GETTY IMAGES

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. is calling on politicians of all stripes to commit to make things better for people who live with dementia, and their families and loved ones.

general,” Lyle said.

IMPROVING THE PROCESS

Lyle said the society hears from many that simply getting a timely dementia diagnosis is a struggle.

“One person we spoke with spent over 10 years trying to get a diagnosis because nobody initially really took him seriously that something was wrong,” she recalled.

“We’ve had people who’ve had to struggle with misdiagnosis for years, and then we’ve had people who have been able to share how relieving it was to finally get an answer for why they were seeing the changes they were seeing, either in themselves or in their family member.”

Improving the diagnostic experience is twofold, said Lyle.

One is having a clear clinical pathway, which includes co-ordinated support throughout the dementia journey.

Lyle said that the vision is that someone with dementia would encounter wraparound support similar to what is offered with a cancer or multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

The second piece the society would like to see in improving diagnosis is addressing the gap in staffing.

“We don’t have enough geriatricians and physicians who specialize in the care of older adults. In fact, we have about half the number of geriatricians we should have right now, and we know that gap is going to widen,” she said.    “The province has already successfully

implemented targeted recruiting for specific healthcare professions. All we’re saying is take that and apply that to this field because we don’t have enough.”

SUPPORT AT THE RIGHT TIME

Lyle said the society hears quite frequently from families about how difficult it currently is to navigate the healthcare system to access the support that they need when they need it.

She said there are many ways to tackle this issue, but one simple one that politicians could commit to is to eliminate the copay model for publicly funded home care.

“B.C. is the most expensive province for how the copay system currently works, and that acts as a financial barrier to people accessing home care who otherwise would benefit from it,” Lyle said.

Another ask is for more access to day programs for people living with dementia.

“We still have less capacity in our adult day programs than we did before the pandemic,’ Lyle said.

People living with dementia benefit from attending adult day activity sessions led by specially trained staff, she added.

This provides an opportunity for a care partner to bring the person they are providing care for to a group setting, and they can drop them off.

Some programs run for five hours. Some run for longer.

This provides respite for the person caring for the person with dementia. It also allows the person living with it to get out of the house.

“It gets them into a situation where they can connect and socialize and engage in all of those activities that we know help combat social isolation, and frankly, are good for your brain,” Lyle said.

The society is also calling on parties to commit to reviewing the Assisted Living Program, which provides housing, hospitality services and regulated assisted living services for adults who can live independently, but need help day-to-day.

“It’s promising, but does it actually meet the needs of people with mild or moderate cognitive impairment, not from what we’ve heard,” Lyle said.

“To review that program and see how it could be changed to better support people in those early stages of the disease is something that could be very impactful,” she said.

Finally, the society is also asking for the incoming government to increase the number of long-term care beds across the province, meaning adding more spots in long-term care facilities.

“If you are assessed as being eligible for long-term care, you need it now. And yet, what we then ask people is to wait and do the best you can with what you have. That’s a big ask, and that puts people in those situations where they run into crisis, and they end up in the emergency department instead.”

The BC Seniors Advocate noted in the Monitoring Seniors Services 2023 Report that the average wait time for space in a long-term care home is seven months.

“And we know from speaking to families

across the province that it can be much longer than that, in some cases, over two years, to try and get into long-term care,” Lyle said. “You’re on a waitlist for long-term care. You can’t get in in a timely fashion. Something happens to your family member that precipitates a crisis. You land in the emergency department. You’re admitted into hospital, and then you’re told they can’t go home, and then they end up waiting in hospital—which is not a good place to be, especially if you’re living with dementia, and you don’t need to be there until they can be transferred into long-term care, and that’s a pathway nobody chooses.”

’IN AN IDEAL WORLD’

If she could wave a magic wand and the society’s asks granted, Lyle envisions a smooth path for people with dementia and their families.

“In an ideal world, we would have open conversations about our brain health from a very young age,” she said. “We would already know as children that taking care of our brain is good for us, and we would already know and be comfortable talking about ways in which we can reduce our risk of dementia,” she added.

“In an ideal world, dementia wouldn’t be a stigmatized term. If we were living with a diagnosis, we would feel comfortable sharing it, and we would feel comfortable asking for help when we need it. We would have access to a diagnosis early so that our options for treatment and intervention are broad; we would have a clear pathway laid out for us so that we’re not left trying to figure out on our own what it is we’re supposed to do next,” she continued.

CANDIDATES ON DEMENTIA CARE

West Van-Sea to Sky candidates asked: Which initiatives in your party’s platform will help improve access to dementia care services?

JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@squamishchief.com

Recently, representatives of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. set out decisive action they wanted to see candidates commit to in the lead-up to the provincial election on Oct. 19.

The Squamish Chief asked the three candidates running for Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky: Which initiatives in your party’s platform will help improve access to dementia care services, including in communities like Squamish, which are outside city centres?

Jeremy Valeriote, BC Green Party candidate

“I had the honour of visiting Hilltop House earlier this week to meet with residents and staff to hear about how they’re doing, and to discuss their concerns. I truly appreciated the wisdom and perspective from long lives lived in the Sea to Sky,” said Valeriote.

“I heard about how the lack of long-term care beds in the corridor meant residents were separated from their families and communities. I heard from a Lil’wat Nation member who would be much happier and healthier if they could reside near Mount Currie and about a

Squamish Nation member who is displaced to the North Shore, away from their family, on a long waitlist for Hilltop,” he continued.

“While I am encouraged to hear that Hilltop will be replaced with a larger, modern, long-term care facility in the next few years, population growth in the corridor means this is likely to be insufficient.

“From what I heard, it seems the same systemic problems affecting our healthcare services can be seen in dementia care: leadership out of touch with staff delivering services; a lack of transparency around criteria for qualifying for long-term care; bureaucracy hindering patient care; and a funding model that counts people instead of treating them as human

beings.

“On dementia care, the BC Greens would defer to the experience and advice of the Alzheimer Society, who have led the way in educating the public and reducing stigma. They recommend that we support family practitioners to do more early screening for dementia. Early detection improves outcomes, which is another reason why we must tackle the family doctor shortage and guarantee access to primary care for all. Plus, we must establish a clear dementia care pathway so families have clarity about what happens next,” he said.

“There also needs to be a dementia support strategy, with a focus on cultural safety because the stress caused to brain health by experiences such as racism and colonization increases the likelihood of dementia.

Finally, on care across the province we would accept the recommendations of the BC Seniors’ Advocate to develop and implement a Provincial Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Plan focused on achieving equity in care services. For-profit, publicly-funded care homes cost more and deliver less care, so BC Greens want to assist in a significant expansion of non-profit care capacity.”

Dr.Marie-ChristineLacasse graduated from LavalUniversity,Faculty of Dentistry, in 2014 and extendedher studiesatMcGill University by completing ageneral practiceresidency. She is staying at the forefront of dental technologies andtechniquesbyconsistently exceeding therequirements for continuous educationand advanced training.Dr. Lacasseisdedicated to providing exceptional care to the localcommunity and the dental needs of our patients. Herdedicationatworkand passionfor patientcareand well-beingmakeher avaluableadditiontoour team.

PHOTO BY DOMINIK LANGE ON UNSPLASH

The Squamish Chief has been asking MLA candidates a series of questions regarding the election.

DEMENTIA: Continued on 7

Yuri Fulmer, Conservative Party candidate

“British Columbia’s healthcare system is in crisis. Our once globally envied system is letting far too many people slip through the cracks; often, these people are our seniors and those living with dementia,” Fulmer said.

“That is why the Conservative Party of BC has announced our “patient first” model for healthcare that puts the emphasis on delivering quality care for all people, regardless of how they access that care. On Sept. 24, John Rustad also announced our party’s plan to stand up for seniors. The plan includes tax credits for caregivers and increased funding for home support services, which are both critical to supporting those living with dementia. The plan also calls for an increase in support and streamlined care for seniors with dementia through a comprehensive, person-centred care pathway from early diagnosis to advanced stages.

“Over the last seven years, the NDP’s failure on this file has left families no choice but to step in to support their loved ones with their time and money; this is unacceptable. As your problem-solver in Victoria, I will take action for our most vulnerable people, alongside John Rustad and a Conservative government.”

BC NDP candidate Jen Ford

“People want the best care for their loved ones—and that’s especially true when it comes to stressful diagnoses like Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. And while I’m not in a position to release platform details just yet, I can say with certainty that we’re taking action to deliver healthcare that supports people with Alzheimer’s,” Ford said.

“We’re training and hiring more doctors, nurses, home care workers and other healthcare workers than ever before, and we’re committed to connecting people to the healthcare they need. According to Doctors of BC, in Whistler, 10,000 patients have a family doctor—up from roughly 6,000 a year ago,

thanks to the Whistler 360 Health Collaborative, which has brought on new family doctors thanks to our new family doctor payment model,” she continued.

“We’ve also made important progress in long-term care. Since 2017, we’ve opened over 1,000 new long-term care beds and announced 25 new and expanded long-term care homes, with many more to come. We also opened Canada’s first publicly funded Dementia Village. Close to home, we’ve made a $286 million investment in a new long-term care home in Squamish, Hilltop House, which will add 58 new long-term care beds and four hospice beds, and include a 37-space child-care facility on-site,” she added.

“And we’re committed to supporting seniors to live at home for as long as possible. In the most recent budget, the BC NDP committed $354 million for both community-based seniors’ services and home health services, to support more seniors to live safely in their own homes longer. This includes $227 million to improve the quality of home health services for seniors by adding more healthcare workers to the workforce.

“John Rustad’s Conservatives plan to cut $4.1 billion from the healthcare budget. This would hurt us all, but people with conditions that require frequent or ongoing treatment would be especially hard-hit.

“In communities like ours, outside large urban centres, we know the risk of cuts and closures better than most. The best and most dignified care is care close to home. As a city councillor, I’ve fought for a better life for my constituents. And I’ll fight just as hard as your MLA. That is my commitment to you.

“Now is the time to hire doctors and nurses, and build out our infrastructure. There’s a plan in place, and we’re starting to see good results. We know that there is much more work to do. And we won’t stop until the job is done.”

People can vote in the nearest district electoral offices, advance voting places, and voting places for Final Voting Day on Oct. 19.

PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS

BEAR INTENSITY: Local photographer Brian Aikens saw several grizzly bears on his recent trip to Bute Inlet last week.

DEMENTIA: Continued from 6

Budget2025

Distric tofSquamish2025–2029Five-Year Financial Plan workshops areunder way. Followalong,ask questionsand get involved while the draftbudget is beingreviewed and discussedby Council. letstalksquamish.ca/budget-2025

DevelopmentReview

• Redbridge –Nor th (Phase 2) –DevelopmentPermitAmendment

• Discover ySales Centre – Temporary UsePermit

• 2100 Newport Ridge –DVP Buildings 30-38 (DP000587) – DevelopmentPermit squamish.ca/review

WatermainFlushing

Dead end flushing,which removesany stagnant water and unwanted buildupinthe pipes, will take placethroughout Squamish,until mid-November During flushing,theremay be brief periodswhen the water becomes cloudy,discoloured or have amild chlorine taste, howeverthe water remains safetodrink .Ifyou experiencethis,please flush your taps by running wateruntil clear.

Infrastruc ture

• Annual Watermain Upgrades: Work continues in ThunderbirdRidge. squamish.ca/building- our-future

Let’sTalk About...

HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday, Oc tober14 Municipal HallClosed

vices

Age-Friendly Communit y

TheDistric tofSquamish is creatingan age -friendly communityplan!

To help create ourplan,weare reaching out to communitymembersofall ages especiallyseniors whoare comfor table sharing their experiences.

Completeour survey to shareyour thoughts! letstalksquamish.ca

TheAquatic Centre is open!

Abig thanks to ourmaintenance team forall the hard work ensuring thatthe facilities are safe,clean,and work ing well

604-815-4040

Squamish Fire Rescue Foremergencies: 911 Office Closed

Squamish Public Librar yClosed

The55ActivityCentreClosed

TotRiders (1–5yrs)

Please note, this is an unsuper vised drop -in programthat requires parent/guardian par ticipation. WHAT’SHAPPENING IN RECREATION AND CULTURE

Steam room opening dateisstill to be confirmed. Check withBrennan Park forthe latest information

FamilyYogawith Hannah Yoga and breathwork are combined with stories, games,and songs to engage bothyou and your little one! Suitable forchildren ages 2to6

Pool schedule: squamish.ca/rec/ poolschedule

Come visit the gym forsome fun Ride -oncarsand trikesprovided.

Women’s Hockey 101

Have youeverwantedtotry hockey but felt toointimidated to lace up your sk ates?The SquamishWomen’sHockey Academyoffers the only local hockey sk ill development programcoached by women,for women. We focus on introduc tory sk ills such as sk ating,shooting, passing,and learning the rules andfundamentals of the game

for details: squamish.ca/rec

Over 4.3 million take- out cups and 1.8 million plastic utensilsare thrown away in Squamish each year.

To reducesingle-use item waste, the Distric tis consideringrequiringthatfood ser vicebusinesses:

•Use only reusable produc ts fordine-in services (excluding por table food vendors)

•Distributesingle-use straws, utensils,chopsticks, stir sticks,beverage traysand condiment pack ages only when requested fortake -away.

We arelook ingtohear from local businesses to inform the specifics of the regulationand inviteyou to provide feedback . squamish.ca/single -use

Business Oppor tunities

• StrategicPlanning Software Tool Request forProposals

• Subdivision and DevelopmentControl BylawUpdate Request forProposals

squamish.ca/doing-business-with-the -distric t

WHAT DOES THE NEW FIRE HALL 2 LOOK LIKE?

The $15.8 million upgrades have wrapped up and the new facility is ready to serve the public

Notice of BylawReadingsfor Zoning Amendment

6:00 pm, Oc tober15, 2024 at MunicipalHall

District of Squamish Zoning Bylaw2200, 2011 Amendment Bylaw(38779 and38795 BritanniaAve)No. 3033, 2024

Affec tedLands

Lot1 Block22Distric tLot 759 Plan 7828; Lot2 Block22Distric tLot 759 Plan 7828; Lot3 Block22Distric tLot 759 Plan 7828; and, Lot4 Block22Distric tLot 759 Plan 7828

PIDs:010-311-084; 010-311-092; 010-311-114; 010-311-131

INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY

iLemayConway@squamishchief.com

Construction on the new Fire Hall 2 is officially complete.

On a rainy Friday morning, The Squamish Chief took a tour of the new and improved fire hall with Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Aaron Foote.

“The old hall that was here was built in 1978, and it didn’t have a lot of the groundwork that was done for this hall,” Foote said.

“This hall has hundreds of stone columns that the fire hall is sitting on. This area has some tough building conditions with settlement and so the stone columns help to stabilize the ground, and then anything that’s built on top of it shouldn’t move in the event of an earthquake or even just normal settlement.”

Fire Hall 2 is located at 40439 Tantalus Road.

The new hall has the possibility to have four stories of wood frame built on top of it which Foote says could potentially be rental apartments in the future.

To clean some of the gear used by the firefighters after responding to an event, a high-tech ultrasonic cleaning tank has been installed, which at first glance looks like an industrial-sized dishwasher.

“We unload all the equipment that we used in the fire like flashlights, radios and air packs, and they get washed down in [this room], and then some of the parts would go into this ultrasonic cleaning tank,” Foote said.

“So this uses a chemical and hot water, and it uses ultrasonic vibration to get into all the microbes of the equipment, such as face masks and that sort of thing, and really cleans it to factory, brand new cleanliness.

“It’s super high tech, we have one of these at [Fire Hall 1] as well, and I think we’re the only fire department that has one of these in the Lower Mainland that I’m aware of.”

An addition coming soon to the $15.8 million facility is a sauna in each of the bathrooms— something Foote says is a game changer after a

day of putting out fires.

When they head towards the flames, firefighters are often exposed to toxic chemicals.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified firefighting as a known carcinogen: Between 2005 and 2016, 86% of occupational fatality claims for Canadian firefighters were linked to cancer, according to Health Canada.

“What the sauna does is it makes you sweat out the toxins, so your skin is very porous and able to absorb smoke and chemicals,” Foote said.

“Basically, the saunas are there, so you sweat all those toxins out and then you go have a shower. The difference it makes is incredible, you can smell a fire on yourself for about a week, but if you’re able to sweat it out, you have a much better chance of reducing those toxins.”

The facility also has new dorm rooms for department members, as well as a kitchen, lounge area, and gym.

Squamish Fire Rescue currently has one fire chief, two deputy chiefs, 13 career firefighters and 50 paid on-call firefighters. The combined new fire halls will house seven fire apparatus, and four response vehicles.

The new facility is the second of three critical facilities identified for priority replacement in the District of Squamish’s 2019 Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan.

“These are critical life safety facilities that we have invested in substantially and not only does this ensure our firefighters have access to appropriate facilities, but it vastly improves our community resiliency,” said Mayor Armand Hurford in a press release.

“Council set an ambitious goal to upgrade critical facilities and safeguard the needs of our rapidly growing community now and into the future. It’s very exciting that two of these facilities are now complete with many more upgrades planned or already underway throughout our community.”

The first of the three projects was the $16.7 million upgrade of the Alex Munro Fire Hall 1, which opened on Aug. 26, 2022.

Proposed BylawAmendment

Thepurpose of theproposedbylaw is to rezone theaffected landstoaccommodate a29unittownhousedevelopment.

BylawReadings

Considerationoffirst, second andthird readings of theproposedBylaw will be at theRegular CouncilmeetingonOctober 15, 2024, at 6:00pmin CouncilChambersatMunicipal Hall,37955 Second Avenue,SquamishBC.

No Public Hearing

In accordance with thenew Provincial housinglegislation,Sec tion 464(3) of theLocal Government Ac t, localgovernments areprohibitedfrom holdingpublichearingsrelated to zoning applications fordevelopments that areprimarily residentialand areconsistentwiththe localgovernment’s Official Community Plan (OCP). This proposal meetsthose requirements. Acopyofthe proposed bylawand relatedinformation that hasbeenormay be considered by theCouncil maybeinspected online or at MunicipalHall.

• Online at: squamish.ca/showcase

•Municipal Hall at 37955 Second Avenue,Squamish, BritishColumbia, from October 3–15 between 8:30 am and4:30 pm,Mondaythrough Friday.

Enquiriesregarding theproposedamendment bylawmay be made to the Planning Department at 604-815-5002 or by emailtoplanning@squamish.ca.

Datedthis10thday of Oc tober, 2024 at Squamish,British Columbia

PHOTO BY INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The fire truck in the new fire hall.

PermissiveTax ExemptionPublicNotice

PermissiveTax Exemptions allowthe District of Squamish to support voluntar y, non-profit organizationsbyexempting land, improvements or both,fromtaxation,under section224 of the CommunityChar ter.

BylawNo. 3108, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027 1481323BCLtd.

Lot1BlockQDL4261New Westminster Distric tPlan VAP11984 BCAGroup 1. PID008-976-503. Heldby1481323 BC Ltd1098 Wilson Cres.(AssessedunderRoll No.5000054108000).

BylawNo. 3109, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027 TheNatureTrust of BC

Block DDistric tLot 486New Westminster Distric tBCA Group1SROWLMP53541. PID025-392-204. Held by Natures Trust of BC (AssessedunderRollNo. 5000503005000).

BylawNo. 3110, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of

Federation of Mountain Clubs of BritishColumbia

(a) Lot1,Block6,Plan4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-678. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040951001).

(b)Lot 2, Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-708. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040952000).

(c) Lot3,Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-716. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040953000).

(d) Lot4,Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-741. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040954000.

(e)Lot 5, Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-767. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040955000).

(f )Lot 6, Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-783. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040956000).

(g)Lot 7, Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-813. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040957000).

(h) Lot8,Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-821. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040958000).

(i)Lot 9, Block 6, Plan 4566,Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-830. OwnedbyFederationMountain Clubs

BC1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040959000).

(j)Lot 10, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-864. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040960000).

PermissiveTax ExemptionPublicNotice

BylawNo. 3110, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter.

Federation of Mountain Clubs of BritishColumbia

(k) Lot11, Block 6, Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-929. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040961000).

(l)Lot 12, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-937. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040962000).

(m)Lot 13, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-945. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040963000).

(n) Lot14, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-703-970. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040964000).

(o)Lot 15, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-011. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040965000).

(p)Lot 16, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-054. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040966000).

(q) Lot17, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-089. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040967000).

(r)Lot 18, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-127. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040968000).

(s)Lot 19, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-160. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040969000).

(t)Lot 20, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-186. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040970000).

(u)Lot 21, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-232. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040971000).

(v) Lot22, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-259. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040972000).

(w)Lot 23, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-291. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040973000).

(x) Lot24, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-330. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs

BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040974000).

(y) Lot25, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-348. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040975000).

(z) Lot26, Block6,Plan 4566, Distric tLot 1957. PID 007-704-372. OwnedbyFederationMountainClubs BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessedunder Roll No.4000040976000).

(aa)Block 8, Plan 4566, District Lot1957, 17328R forElec trical PowerTransmission purposes, 17634R PID 010-343-563. Owned by FederationMountainClubs BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessed under Roll No.7700041025000).

(ab)Block 9, Plan 4566, District Lot1957, 17328R forElec trical PowerTransmission purposes. PID 010-343-580. Owned by FederationMountainClubs BC 1986, PO Box19673, Vancouver,BCV5T 4E7. (Assessed underRoll No.7700041036000).

PRINTED EVERY

CONTACT US

THURSDAY BY GLACIER MEDIA INC.

T: 604-892-9161

news@squamishchief.com ads@ squamishchief.com classifieds@squamishchief.com subs@squamishchief.com production@squamishchief.com obituaries: ads@squamishchief.com

EDITOR

JENNIFER THUNCHER jthuncher@ squamishchief.com follow @thuncher

REPORTER

INDIGO LEMAYCONWAY iLemayConway@ squamishchief.com

REPORTER BHAGYASHREE CHATTERJEE bchatterjee@ squamishchief.com

REPORTER

ALYSSA NOEL anoel@ squamishchief.com

SALES MANAGER

CATHIE GREENLEES cgreenlees@ squamishchief.com

MULTI- MEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE KIM BOATMAN kboatman@ squamishchief.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

DENISE CONWAY dconway@ squamishchief.com

PUBLISHER SARAH STROTHER sstrother@wplpmedia.com

The Squamish Chief is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Editor Jennifer Thuncher at jthuncher@squamishchief.com. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.

Reproduction of any material contained in this publication is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the publisher.

EDITORIAL

ON INFORMATION

Oct. 6 to 12 is National Newspaper Week. If you are like most folks, you likely think Canada is more free with information given to the press than the U.S. Nope.

This was brought home to us in The Squamish Chief newsroom last week when, tragically, a local climber died while climbing Mount Baker in Washington State.

Our newsroom put in a call to the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s office, who patched us through to the actual medical examiner, who confirmed for us right then, on the phone, the information we were looking for: who died, what they died of and if it was accidental.

We then put in a call to the Whatcom County Sherriff’s office. The communication official’s voicemail directed the media to text her. Moments later, she texted back with a news release, which included information about where the climber was, how he was reported missing, the agencies involved in the search and the steps of the mission. It also included officials’ quotes, and a photo to use.

The officials treated us like it was our right and job to ask for this information and their job to tell us.

Our accurate and informative story based on what we learned was up within an hour.

That is not how it works if someone dies in Squamish, B.C. or Canada.

First, usually, no official agency releases the deceased person’s name.

The B.C. Coroners Service used to release the names of the deceased whose deaths it was reviewing, but that stopped in 2017.

RCMP are usually tight lipped as well.

Now, dear reader, we aren’t saying that media should be told before family or that we need gory details. And this certainly isn’t a shot at the front-line humans of these agencies, who aren’t to blame for the policies in place that they must abide by. There’s also the simple capacity issue: not enough staff to deal with media questions.

But deaths in public are often in the community’s interest to know about, so worthy of journalists’ coverage. As humans, we want to know what happened, who it was (or wasn’t) that passed away, how they died, and what can be learned from the death.

Take reporting on Sea to Sky Highway deaths: letting the public know what happened serves as a warning, a deterrent, raises awareness and may make the public push leaders to do something about the state of driver education, or of the highway.

Not having timely, accurate information leaves the public in the dark, or worse, circulating misinformation on social media.

That isn’t good for anyone.

It seems to us, if the U.S. population is worthy of timely and accurate information distributed through its free press, so are you.

RHETORIC ESCALATING CLASS-WARFARE

property taxes on homes worth more than $3 million. He said the top 2% of British Columbians are paying higher taxes “and we use that money to support the rest, who are really struggling with affordability.”

“I know when you are so rich that the Red Hot Chili Peppers play for your birthday party, it’s possible to lose perspective.”

You can’t have an election in B.C. without a dash of class warfare, but it’s more obvious than usual this time around.

The philosophical gap between the major parties is more pronounced since the middling BC United camp gave up in August and ceded to the Conservative Party of B.C.

The rhetoric has escalated accordingly. This week it touched on a prominent billionaire who quickly became a symbolic representative of the haves, as opposed to the have-nots.

Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon, put up a billboard in front of his house (assessed at $82 million, the most expensive home in B.C.) proclaiming that “the NDP is Communist.”

It’s in NDP Leader David Eby’s Vancouver-Point Grey riding, no less. Asked about it Friday, Conservative Leader John Rustad said: “I don’t disagree … when he calls David Eby a communist.”

Continuing the thought, he said: “David Eby seems to think that the private sector has no role in providing housing, and I’m not interested in Soviet-style housing in B.C.” Eby retorted Friday: “If you’re a billionaire like Chip Wilson, I understand I may not be your guy… I guess John Rustad is your guy.”

Eby acknowledged earlier that the NDP increased

Rustad has also repeatedly referred to Eby’s “radical ideology” during the campaign.

Eby and the NDP have happily returned fire, portraying Rustad as a dangerous extremist whose policies aid the rich and hurt regular working people.

“Fomenting fear and misinformation is something that John and the Conservatives want to do in this election, and pit people against each other,” Eby said.

Much of the class-conscious name-calling centres on housing policies. Housing is ground zero for the affordability crisis, so the clash of ideas on that issue is acute. It covers big versus small government, public versus private initiatives and promises versus results.

Eby tackled housing again Friday, promising to double the speculation and vacancy tax that was introduced seven years ago to discourage speculation and encourage owners of vacant properties to rent them out.

Despite dramatic legislative moves and billions of dollars worth of commitments by the NDP in the past few years, he had to commiserate once again with people searching for a place to live “and realizing that maybe I’m never going to be able to get in the market. … It’s an urgent problem and it didn’t show up

Continued on 13

PROVINCIAL VIEW LES LEYNE

Ha7lh skwálwen cht kwis emút cht iy sts’its’áp’ cht iy kw’shétsut cht na7 tkwa temíxw tl’a Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw

(We have good feelings that we live, we work and we play on the lands of the Squamish Nation)

PROVINCE: Continued from 12

Discussing people stuck in substandard housing, he said: “That’s not how it’s going to work in our province. That can’t be how it’s working.”

He announced the speculation and vacancy tax, which applies in dozens of communities, will be doubled — to 1% of the vacant home’s value for B.C. citizens, and 3% for non-resident owners.

“You can avoid the tax entirely by renting out your home. We actually don’t want people to pay this tax,” Eby said.

The government said it prompted thousands of new rentals over the past several years. Even so, it brought in about $80 million a year from owners who stood pat, despite the extra cost. The revenue is trending upwards as more communities are included in the tax’s coverage.

Rustad was non-committal about the speculation and vacancy tax, saying it is something that needs to be looked at. But one of his candidates promised at a public meeting he would repeal it.

Rustad said the NDP blames everyone but themselves for housing problems.

“First it was foreigners, then it was

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES

When our daughter and her partner moved to Squamish some five years ago, we had our first visit to the area. They took us to a wonderful little secret “golf course in the woods” up an FSR. It was a typical West Coast drizzly day. With water dripping off the green moss, the moment was magical. Last week, we returned to the area with our five-year-old grandchild, hoping to show her this special place in the woods. To our dismay, we found a swath of knockeddown trees and scraped forest floor, courtesy of FortisBC and their plan to link up with the Woodfibre LNG facility. (The notices said it was FortisBC work.)

Now, I know this development is bringing jobs (mostly short-term) and handing out “gifts” to community groups in the Squamish area, but at what cost? It’s not just the loss of a secret golf course. We know that LNG is methane, a super pollutant. Recent peer-reviewed work shows that LNG exports are as bad as coal for the environment. As CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment) has stated: “Fracked methane gas is not a transition fuel. It causes harm to human health and the environment and is a major driver of global warming.”

These fossil fuel companies have recently taken down many of their “greenwashing” ads because LNG will not help solve the climate emergency. Does Squamish want to be the site of the next carbon bomb?

With an upcoming provincial election, I urge community leaders and residents to critically examine this development’s

LETTERS POLICY

JOIN US

ONLINE

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

long-term consequences. Let’s prioritize sustainable growth that preserves Squamish’s natural treasures for future generations, rather than sacrificing them for short-term gains.

Gary Bota Sudbury, Ontario SAVED & SUPPORTED

On Monday, while kayaking down the Squamish River, a friend and I had our kayaks overturned when we were swept into a large tree in the middle of the river.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to avoid it, we were carried into it by the current.

We were able to tie our kayaks to the snag while we bailed them out.

We got my companion safely back into his kayak, but because of the current and being over waist-deep in water, I could not get back into my kayak.

I climbed onto the snag, and we assessed the situation.

The nearest shore, cluttered with large trees through which the current flowed rapidly, was uninviting.

The far shore was quite a distance, and we could not determine if I could walk safely to it.

We were out of the water and relatively safe, so we decided to stay put.

Quarterbacked by my wife, 911 was called.

The SAR team mobilized a co-ordinated response on the ground, in the air, and on the water. The RCMP trailered and launched their jet boat.

The Coast Guard put out a mayday call on VHF.

A family in a RIB at the mouth of the

speculators and then it was vacant properties, and then it was Airbnb. David Eby has been looking for the boogeyman in the cupboard. … My perspective is [he] created the barriers for being able to get housing going. We want to make sure that we unleash the potential of the private sector.”

He cited a 30% decline in housing starts this year as being unacceptable.

Les Leyne covers legislature sittings. He has written an opinion column since 1995 and was a political, municipal and general assignment reporter prior to that.

When do you vote? (At advance poll? By mail? On Election Day.)

Have your say at squamishchief.com

Who will you vote for to be MLA in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky?

River heard the VHF call. They motored up the river. AJ, Amber, and Logan manoeuvered skillfully and picked me up off the snag, cold, wet and very grateful.

Simultaneously, the RCMP jet boat, carrying three wonderful officers, picked up my friend and brought him and our two kayaks to shore.

Once ashore, we met other members of the team who were involved, another RCMP officer who assiduously kept my wife informed as to the progress of the operation and was extremely supportive. I learned a number of things: a situation can go from amazing to disastrous in an instant; bailing equipment, rope, life jackets, and a reliable communication device are a must when on the water in a kayak.

But most importantly, we are blessed to have an emergency response system powered by knowledgeable, caring and competent staff and volunteers.

The role of people on the water who listen to VHF channel 16 and who respond to emergencies when they can be of help is so important.

We are blessed to have such a system in place.

The Squamish Chief welcomes letters to the editor of up to 400 words. Letters should be exclusive to this publication and are meant to respond to a local story in The Squamish Chief or raise an issue happening in town. Please include your name, neighbourhood and daytime phone number. The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for Thursday’s edition. Full names and neighbourhood will be published with the letter. The publisher reserves the right to refuse and edit letters for length and clarity or to address legal concerns. Email letters to: editor@squamishchief.com. overnight.”

I feel a little chagrined to have had to call on it. If we had gone around the snag on the other side we would likely have been fine.

I want to thank very sincerely, on behalf of myself and my friend, Robert, and our families, all of those who were involved in providing assistance and care so promptly.

In grateful appreciation.

John Guilfoyle Squamish

MOST READ STORY

New pump track opens in Squamish’s Miyíwts Park

TOP TIKTOK OF THE WEEK

This week, Indigo LemayConway visited the new fire hall on Tantalus Road. Check out this and many other videos on our channel @squamishchief

Squamish

ABOUT A LOCAL: IN THE ‘SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN’

Arlene

McArthur’s life story—a tale of family, a changing Squamish, and the ever-present Mount Thyestes

Arlene McArthur looks out the window of her spotless Brackendale home, where she has lived for 65 years, gesturing toward Mount Thyestes.

This mountain has been a constant companion, she says.

She even named her self-published memoir after it, titling it, In the Shadow of the Mountain. “The mountain; it is always there—but sometimes it is not. It is always the same, and yet it is never the same,” she writes in the forward of her book, which was published in 2013.

“It has been a protector, confiner, weather predicter and comforter.”

In front of McArthur, who turns 90 next year, on her wooden kitchen table, are photo albums of a life well lived, full of family, nature and faith.

EARLY YEARS

McArthur, who was born in Alberta but grew up in Cloverdale, is OG Squamish. She arrived on Feb. 4, 1954, a new bride of seven months.

She sailed here via the Lady Cynthia, arriving at the Squamish Government Wharf, having sailed from the Union Steamships dock in Vancouver.

Though there was a fancy lunch onboard, she had been too nervous to eat.

She and her new husband, Jim, were coming to the area to help expand a branch of the

Jehovah’s Witness church.

“It was unassigned; there was no congregation here. There was no Kingdom Hall or anything. So we just came up to help out,” she told The Squamish Chief.

Picked up by a friend at the dock, the young

couple made their way to Brackendale by car.

“Mud puddles filled the potholes and ruts as we splashed along,” she writes.

“We passed a few buildings, but I didn’t see any sign of the town. ‘How far to Squamish,’ I asked. ‘You just went through it,’ was the answer.”

The memoir is filled with delicious tidbits, such as the fact a Brackendale property would go for $375 when she was a new resident.

And the McArthurs had a hand in naming the street their current house sits on after the Axens.

“They lived over on Government Road; they never lived on this road, but they lived around. They had a lot to do in this area,” McArthur said. The idea had been floated by officials to name the road McArthur, but she and Jim didn’t want that, so instead, they asked it to be named Axen.

“Mr. Axen worked hard at getting the municipality to build a dike along the Squamish River to stop the erosion that was eating a lot of land every year,” McArthur said.

SMALL TOWN CHARM

Though a tiny community, Squamish had a movie theatre for a time.

Starlight Theatre was operated by the Leeworthys.

“He ran the projector and she ran the show,”

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF Arlene McArthur in her Brackendale home looking through photo albums.

McArthur recalls, noting that Mrs. Leeworthy wouldn’t allow any funny business, kicking out any teens that interrupted the showing.

Dogs were loose around town, McArthur recalls, noting you would go downtown and see them roaming around, mostly welcomed by locals.

But some canine encounters weren’t so pleasant.

“I was walking along the road, and the dog came out and tried to get behind me. I hadn’t paid much attention when I first saw the dog—because it wasn’t barking—until it grabbed the back of my leg,” she wrote.

She called the dog’s owner, Mrs. Patterson and told her what happened.

“’Oh! He’s always doing that,’” the owner replied.

“Unfortunately for the dog, he bit a child from the nearby school one day, and that was the end of the dog,” McArthur said.

CHANGES

For a city girl, it was quite an adjustment to be in the more rural and rugged corridor, but there were plenty of upsides, she recalls.

“We had no traffic lights or even any neon signs to speak of. There was no radio station and, for sure, no TV station. But we also had no need to lock our doors. If we didn’t know everyone, we certainly knew most of the people. We had one policeman and his job was mostly filling out birth and death certificates,” she said.

The McArthurs had five children, four boys and a girl, all born at Squamish Hospital.

Her book is filled with other happy memories, such as skiing at the “small ski hill” that opened in Whistler.

There was heartache, too, such as the death of their son Nathan when the young man’s truck hit a tree on July 25, 1982.

And the death of her beloved Jim a few years after her book was published.

One of McArthur’s favourite activities was hiking. In particular to Black Tusk. “I would go tomorrow if my legs would still take me there,” she wrote.

The family hiked and camped all over the region.

Canadian newspapers are powered by journalists, not AI They check the facts so you can trust what you’re reading. That’s why 4 in 5 people in Canada come back each week for more. Thanks for keeping it real with us. nationalnewspaperweek.ca

McArthur also loved the hike to Elfin Lakes. The plentiful red heather at Diamond Head is a vivid and colourful memory.

She recalls that going on a hike simply meant driving up to wherever you wanted to go, parking with ease, letting out the dogs and the kids and doing whatever you wanted, no crowded parking lot or trails or leashed dogs.

Reflecting on the changes in Squamish, McArthur sees the good and the not-so-good in progress over the time she has lived here.

“Some good things, like when we first moved into this house ... we had no electricity, no plumbing. So, you know, we had to bring in water and heat it up on the stove, and we had to go out to the toilet,” she recalled.

“Now, we’ve got that, and we’ve got good roads; in those times, it was just gravel roads, not even gravel, it was just dirt. ... And, if you walk down the road, you were choking on the dust that logging trucks were making.”

On the other hand, it was easier to be a young couple without much money in town and still make a go of it, she said.

“We didn’t have much money, you know, and so what we did, we just built the house and moved in. There were no doors, there was nothing on the floors, but you can’t do that now. Now you have to build a complete house and have it inspected and OK’d and everything, and young people just can’t do that because they can’t make enough money to finish a house, and even renting is so expensive now. It’s very hard for young people.”

Through it all, the changes, ups and downs, the mountain, along with her family, nature and her faith, has been her constant.

“We have enjoyed its protection, its moods, its solidarity, and its beauty over the years. We hope and intend to stay close to it for as long as we can,” she says, in the closing of her book.

While In the Shadow of the Mountain is not available in any library, The Squamish Chief will keep a copy at its Second Avenue office for a couple of weeks for folks who want to come by and look through it for a bit of local history.

‘About a local’ is a regular column about an interesting resident. If you have someone who you think would be a good fit for this column (and said person agrees) let us know at news@ squamishchief.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARLENE MCARTHUR; JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Arlene McArthur and husband Jim; some of the nature photos in Arlene McArthur’s album.

PermissiveTax ExemptionPublicNotice

BylawNo. 3111, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027

Provincial Rental HousingCorp.

(a) Lot4,Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-319. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.201-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384004).

(b)Lot 5, Block4,Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-327. Held by Provincial Rental HousingCorp. 202-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384005).

(c)Lot 6, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-335. Held by Provincial Rental HousingCorp. 203-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384006)

(d)Lot 7, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-343. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.204-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384007).

(e)Lot 8, Block4,Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-351. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.205-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384008)

(f )Lot 9, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t. PID030-266-360. Held by ProvincialRentalHousingCorp. 206-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384009).

(g)Lot 10, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-378.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.207-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384010)

(h)Lot 11, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-386. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.208-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384011).

(i)Lot 12, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-394. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.301-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384012).

(j)Lot 13, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-408.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.302-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384013)

(k)Lot 14, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-416.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.303-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384014).

(l)Lot 15, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-424.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.304- 38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384015)

(m) Lot16, Block 4, District Lot486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-432. Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.305-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384016).

(n)Lot 17, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-441.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.306-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384017)

(o)Lot 18, Block 4, Distric tLot 486, Plan EPS4384, Group 1, New Westminster Land District.PID 030-266-459.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.307-38020 Four th Ave(Assessedunder Roll No.5000504384018).

(p)Lot 2Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-231.

HeldbyProvincial Rental Housing Corp.101-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175002).

(q)Lot 3Sec tion3 Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-240.

HeldbyProvincial Rental Housing Corp.102-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175003)

(r)Lot 4Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-258.

HeldbyProvincial Rental Housing Corp.103-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175004).

(s)Lot 5Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-266.

HeldbyProvincial Rental Housing Corp.104-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175005)

(t)Lot 6Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-282.

HeldbyProvincial Rental Housing Corp.105-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175006). $919 $956 $994

PermissiveTax ExemptionPublicNotice

BylawNo. 3111, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027

Provincial Rental HousingCorp.

(u) Lot7Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-29.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.301-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175007)

(v)Lot 8Sec tion3 Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-304.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.302-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175008).

(w)Lot 9Sec tion 3Township 50,Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-312.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.303-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175009)

(x)Lot 10 Section 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-321.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.304-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175010).

(y)Lot 11 Section 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-339.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.305-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175011)

(z)Lot 12 Section 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-347.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.401-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175012).

(aa) Lot13Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-355.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.402-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175013)

(ab) Lot14Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-363.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.403-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175014).

(ac) Lot15Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-371.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.404-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175015)

(ad) Lot16Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-380.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.405-39842 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175016).

(ae) Lot37Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-606.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.105-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175037).

$994 (af) Lot38Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-614.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.104-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175038).

(ag) Lot39Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-622.

Held by

(ah)

(ai)

(aj)

(ak)

(al)

(am)

Corp.103-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175039).

Lot40Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-631.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.102-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175040) $987

Lot41Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-649.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.101-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175041).

Lot42Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-657.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.305-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175042)

Lot43Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-665.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.304-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175043).

Lot44Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-673.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.303-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175044) $1,009

Lot45Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-681.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.302-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175045).

(an) Lot46Sec tion 3Township 50,PlanEPS175, New Westminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-690.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.301-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175046) $939

THE GOOSE IS LOOSE! NET GUN FUNDRAISER SUCCEEDS TO RESCUE ‘WILSON,’ THE GOOSE WITH AN ARROW

Community raises $2,000 in six hours to help capture injured goose and support future wildlife rescues

BHAGYASHREE CHATTERJEE

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Acommunity-driven effort in Squamish has raised $2,000 to purchase a net gun to help capture and rescue “Wilson,” a Canada Goose who has been living with a 33-inch arrow lodged in his rump for the past four months.

A net gun is a non-lethal weapon designed to fire a net which entangles the target. Fun fact—the net gun was invented by Colin Brown in 1969 to help police catch robbers. While it didn’t work for that, it became useful for capturing wildlife.

Tim Cyr, a wildlife photographer and volunteer with the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC (WRA), organized the fundraiser in just over six hours, with every dollar going toward helping injured wildlife.

(The campaign has since garnered more than $3,000.)

The goose was first spotted in Sechelt, where WRA tried to catch him for several weeks without success. Wilson then disappeared, only to reappear two months later in Squamish. Despite his injury, Wilson has continued to fly, feed, and remain part of a local goose flock.

“People have been trying to catch him for months,” Cyr said. “He’s incredibly smart and quick—every time we get close with nets, he takes off. A net gun is the only way we’re going to catch him now.”

Wildlife Rescue teams have attempted four rescues, but Wilson remains elusive. The $2,000 raised will purchase the net gun, spare nets, and cartridges to aid in his capture.

Cyr, who has been monitoring Wilson closely for the past two months, believes the equipment will not only help rescue the goose but will also be useful for other wildlife,

THE WINNING PROGRESSIVEVOTE

Thefutureisdependent on ahealthy environment. We need to endoil and gassubsidies,protect ournatural assets andprovide long-termstablefunding for environmentalprotections

including great blue herons and smaller injured animals.

WILSON’S CONDITION WORSENS

While Wilson has proven resilient, his condition has worsened over time. “He’s limping much more now,” Cyr said. “When I zoom in with my camera, I can see there’s no bleeding, which is a good sign, but the limp is concerning.”

The net gun will take a few months to arrive, but Cyr hopes to catch Wilson sooner with the help of a volunteer from Delta, who has agreed to assist with a similar piece of equipment.

“If anyone gets close enough to try and pull the arrow out, it could kill him,” Cyr warned. “We need to leave this to the professionals— Wildlife Rescue will handle it once we have the proper tools.”

COMMUNITY SUPPORTS WILSON’S RESCUE

The community has rallied around Wilson, with residents calling in sightings from Brennan Park, the high school field, and the local golf course. “Everyone’s cheering for him,” Cyr said. “It’s awful that someone would do this, but it’s heartening to see how much people care.”

Cyr’s GoFundMe campaign raised the $2,000

goal in just six hours, faster than he expected. “I thought it would take a couple of days,” he said. “The response was overwhelming. I probably could have asked for more and still met the goal.”

Once Wilson is captured, the arrow will be surgically removed at a wildlife hospital. “We can’t just pull it out because the scar tissue has wrapped around it. It needs to be done properly, and if the wound is infected, they’ll treat that too,” Cyr said.

The rescue and rehabilitation of Wilson is part of the broader efforts by the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC, a non-profit that relies heavily on volunteers and donations to operate. Cyr highlighted the importance of the net gun in future rescues as well, noting, “There’s so much this equipment can help with—this isn’t a one-time tool.”

Wilson’s name was chosen by Cyr and two women he met near Mountain Blind Channel. “We were talking about the goose with the arrow, and the name ‘Wilson’ came up,” Cyr said. “It just made sense, especially since it’s a reference to the movie Castaway.”

Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The Squamish Chief’s Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

HEALTHCARE

Accessible healthcare is builtthrough publicly funded options. By eliminatingpaper work and establishing communit yhealthcarecentres across theSea to Sk y, we will ensure youget thecareyou need,whenyou need it

HOUS ING

ENVIRONMENT BETTER REGIONAL TR AN SIT

Af fordable housingstartswithnon-market solutions. We will strengthen tenant protections, upscale non-market housingavailabilit yand provide26,000affordableunits ever yyear.

We’llmakesureregionalpublictransit finally comestothe SeatoSky!We’ll also fightfor free andfrequent localtransit.

PHOTO BY TIM CYR Wilson with an arrow in his backside.

VALDY REFLECTS ON NEARLY 50 YEARS PERFORMING

Storied musician has spent decades gracing the BAG stage

ALYSSA NOEL

anoel@squamishchief.com

It seems time flies when you’re having fun—and touring relentlessly.

Veteran Canadian folk musician Valdy quickly estimated just how long he’s been coming up to perform on the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG) stage.

“I’ve been coming up there since 1976, so about 35 years,” he said, before quickly recalculating. “Wait! That’s 48 years.”

Now 79, Valdy, also known as Paul Valdemar Horsdal, still tours both Canada and the U.S. regularly.

“The bottom line is music is my therapy,” the two-time Juno Award winner said. “I love to sing. I love to play. And I get to do it for almost two hours a night. The fact that I get paid to do it—let’s go! That’s fair to me.”

Those tours have regularly included stops in Squamish.

In the beginning, nearly 50 years ago, Valdy had some fresh hits on the radio, like “Rock and Roll Song.” But the first time he came up to Squamish was to hear Vancouver act The Pied Pumpkin play.

“They were wonderful, joyful players,” he remembered. “I went up to hear them, and I met Thor [Froslev, the late founder of the Brackendale Art Gallery]. I enjoyed what they were doing.”

The experience had a profound impact on him; he hired Pied Pumpkin’s Shari Ulrich to record on his album, spawning The Hometown Band.

The Salt Spring Island musician returned to the venue every year to perform at the Eagle

Wing Ding, celebrating the end of the Eagle Count.

“I did that with a band of circulating musicians for 30 years,” Valdy said. “I’d get a call from Thor. It was just such fun to play for something he had been working so hard to make happen—and help make it happen.”

While the venue has changed hands since Froslev’s passing, Valdy, who performed at the BAG last Friday, Oct. 4, said he was pleased to see it retain its original charm.

“It’s the best news on the planet,” he said. “It’s an institution. It has the memories of generations of people who still live there.”

When he looks into the crowds these days, he sees primarily new faces, with a smattering of familiar ones.

“It’s lovely,” he said. “Most of the people up there are of a younger spirit and age as well, to a degree. It’s a vital group of people who live up there.”

One place where spirits might still be young, but the age will be a little older is the Snowbird Extravaganza tour, taking place this winter in Texas, Florida and Arizona. The tour travels to snowbird destinations, playing for Canadians south of the border.

“It’s seniors playing for seniors,” Valdy said. “I’m a senior, but I’m still 19 inside.”

That might be true, but he wore the title proudly earlier this month for National Seniors Day on Oct. 1. His sister helped organize a gathering—one of many across the country—of seniors demanding climate action.

“I wrote a song for that and sang it at my sister’s event in Salt Spring,” he said. “It’s called ‘Stop the Subsidies and Fund the People.’ I’m a bit of a pro-green activist, writing about whatever comes.”

848 9273

PHOTO BY AAFREEN ARORA

SPECTACULAR SQUAMISH: A quiet moment at Sp’akw’us Feather Park.

BylawNo. 3111, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027

Provincial Rental HousingCorp.

(ao)Lot 47 Section 3Township 50, Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-703.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.405-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175047).

(ap) Lot48Sec tion 3Township 50, Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-711.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.404-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175048).

(aq) Lot49Sec tion 3Township 50, Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-738.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.403-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175049).

(ar) Lot50Sec tion 3Township 50, Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-746.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.402-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175050). $1,034

(as) Lot51Sec tion 3Township 50, Plan EPS175, NewWestminster Land Distric t. PID 028-397-754.

Held by Provincial Rental Housing Corp.401-39850 Government Rd (Assessedunder Roll No.4000500175051).

BylawNo. 3112, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper

SeatoSky Montessori Society

by

LotC,Sec tion 2, Township 50, Plan LMP13031 Part N½ of SW ¼BCA Group1 PT,New Westminster Distric t. Held by Distric tofSquamish,Sea to Sk yMontessoriSociety(Roll No.4000067944002)

BylawNo. 3113, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of

(a) Block CSec tion 1Township50New Westminster Distric tPlanVAP12475 Part NW ¼BCA Group 1. Leased From Distric tofSquamish to Squamish Valley Golf &Country Club. 2458 Mamquam Road (Assessedunder Roll No.4000067676000). $84

(b)Lot DTownship50New Westminster Distric tPlanVAP12475 BCAGroup 1Except Plan BCP30206 ExcPlans: SROW PL 15402 as Hwy/pt dedicatedRdBCP30206 NW ¼ofSEC 1&ofNE¼ofSEC 2. PID008-886-211. LeasedtoSquamish Valley Golf and Countr yClub and held by Distric tofSquamish. 2458Mamquam Road (Assessedunder Roll No.4000067681000). $26,135

Total

PermissiveTax ExemptionPublicNotice

BylawNo. 3115, 2024

taxes imposedifnot exempt.

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027

SquamishChamber of Commerce and Tourism Squamish Society

(a) LotADL4261 New WestminsterDistric tPlanVAP12786 Group1(SeeBW510918) PTNof 38551 Loggers Lane Temporar yO fficeHeld by Distric tofSquamish, Tourism Squamish Society, Squamish Chamberof Commerce (Assessedunder Roll No 4000054857006).

(b)Lot ADL4261 NewWestminsterDistric tPlan VAP12786 Group1(SeeBW510918) PTN of 38551 LoggersLane– VisitorCentreand Retail Services Held by Distric tofSquamish, Tourism Squamish Society (Assessedunder Roll No 4000054857007).

BylawNo. 3116, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by

Provincial Rental HousingCorp.

LotA,Plan EPP81010, Distric tLot 486, Group1,New Westminster Land Distric t. PID030-673-526. Squamish Helping HandsSociety– ProvincialRentalHousing Corp. Held by Distric tofSquamish.(AssessedunderRoll No.5000001321005).

BylawNo. 3118, 2024

Abylawexemptingproper

SquamishSikhSociety

Lot1,Block 14, Distric tLot 486, NewWestminster Distric t, Plan VAP15013, BCAGroup 1, Squamish Sik hSociety PID 007-711-328. (AssessedunderRoll No.5000000865000).

Estimatedpropertyvalue taxes imposedifnot exempt.

BylawNo. 3119, 2024

Estimatedpropertyvalue taxes imposedifnot exempt. Estimatedpropertyvalue taxes imposedifnot exempt.

Abylawexemptingproper ties fromtaxation.Authorized by Section224 of theCommunity Char ter. 2025 2026 2027

SquamishHelping Hands Society

LotB,Plan VAP3960,Distric tLot 486, Group1,New Westminster LandDistric t, PTN–For Permitted Use–Continuous emergenc yshelteraccommodation incl,daytimedrop-in program, 37930 Second Avenue. Leased to Squamish Helping Hands Societyheld by District of Squamish.(Assessed under Roll No.5000000932001).

Total

VALLEYCLIFFE ELEMENTARY’S NEW SWING GIVES ALL KIDS A SEAT AT PLAYTIME

First accessible playground equipment installed paving

the way for more inclusive

upgrades

BHAGYASHREE CHATTERJEE

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Valleycliffe Elementary School celebrated a special occasion on a rainy Sept. 26 with the unveiling of its first piece of accessible playground equipment—a swing designed for children of all abilities.

The new swing, the first of its kind in the Valleycliffe neighbourhood, is designed to ensure accessibility for all. A pathway runs right next to the swing, allowing students who use wheelchairs to access it easily and independently.

According to Statistics Canada, in British Columbia, about 10% of children in schools have special needs, which can include physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges.

The Squamish event, attended by students, parents, and Coun. John French, included a ribbon-cutting ceremony by a young student and a tour of the school grounds. The project was made possible by donations from Tire Stewardship BC, the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, and Woodfibre LNG.

Jennifer Kelly, vice chair of the Valleycliffe Elementary Parent Advisory Council (PAC), shared how the project came to life.

“We worked with students and staff to develop

a plan to refresh our playground. After a tough time during COVID, the grounds were looking worn out, and we felt there was a need for more modern and accessible playground equipment. So, we put together a plan, wrote some grants, and were thrilled to win three, which allowed us to install a new, accessible, and inclusive swing,” she said.

Kelly also talked about what motivated her to take on the project. “Valleycliffe has such a wonderful community spirit. We have amazing staff, parents, students, and neighbours who inspire us to take on big projects. Valleycliffe has

a long history, from the wetlands to the vegetable garden and the annual fundraising to take kids to camp. Many people go above and beyond, and it’s really because of our beautiful community that we feel inspired to do this,” she said.

The project took over two years to complete, from the initial idea to installation. Recent data from Accessibility Canada indicates that only one in 10 playgrounds in the country meet accessibility standards.

“It’s wonderful to see the kids enjoying the swing after all the hard work,” Kelly told The

Squamish Chief.

The event was wrapped up with hot coffee, some snacks and a chance for children to jump on the new swing.

“The Valleycliffe community is so strong,” Kelly said. “Our parents, teachers, and neighbours are dedicated to making these projects happen. We’re grateful for all the support and excited for what’s next.”

Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The Squamish Chief’s Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

PHOTOS BY BHAGYASHREE CHATTERJEE/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The new accessible swing at Valleycliffe Elementary.

FROM SAWMILL TO SANCTUARY: MIYÍW TS PARK OPENS

Once off-limits, the waterfront park transforms into a space for locals to enjoy

BHAGYASHREE CHATTERJEE

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Under bright autumn sunshine, Squamish’s newest green space, Miyíwts (pronounced my-oats) Park, officially opened today. Located along the Mamquam Blind Channel, the park offers playgrounds, walking paths, and waterfront views, providing a new outdoor place for locals.

The District of Squamish, in partnership with Kingswood Properties and Bosa Properties, has officially opened Miyíwts Park, at SEAandSKY (Waterfront Landing).

Miyíwts Park, meaning “mouth of the river” in the Sḵ wx wú7mesh sníchim (Squamish language), was named in recognition of the park’s location, where a channel of the Squamish River once ended.

Kálkalilh aka Deanna Lewis from the Sḵ wx wú7mesh Nation led the opening ceremony, offering a traditional blessing and sharing the significance of the park’s location. During the event, Lewis presented the witnesses with a small offering of thanks, a tradition in her community. “It’s an offering of thanks, 50 cents,” Lewis said.

“Traditionally, we didn’t have money; hundreds of years ago, we gave seafood or handmade gifts like tools or a game set. Today’s equivalent is money, so this is just a small gesture.”

Lewis also emphasized the park’s significance for the Sḵ wx wú7mesh people. “Our songs come from the water, and water is how we pray. The closer you are to the water, the closer you are to our spirits and ancestors,” Lewis said. She shared memories of the site, recalling a

time when it was almost off-limits to her community. Now, she said, it’s a place for the Nation members to “live, work, and play.”

“This park represents over a decade of vision, planning, and collaboration,” said Lucas Berube, senior director of development for Bosa Properties. “It’s more than just a green space—it’s part of a complete community that will offer housing, public spaces, and ecological restoration.”

The park offers a wide range of amenities, including walking and cycling paths, a playground, a pump track, and a basketball court.

“Opening Miyíwts Park to the Squamish community is a significant milestone in transforming a former industrial site into something that benefits the broader community,” said Squamish Mayor Armand

Hurford.

According to a press release, the key component of the park’s design is its focus on ecological restoration. “Over the past several years, Kingswood and Bosa Properties have conducted extensive remediation work, including the treatment of contaminated soils and the removal of abandoned boats and debris from the Mamquam Blind Channel.” reads the press release.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who participated in the Kiewit Golf Tournament! The generous contribution of $55,000 raised for the Squamish Food Bank, will make a significant difference in the lives of many in our community, providing essential resources to those in need. We are grateful for the spirit of giving that made this event such a success. A special thank you to Sandy Walters for organizing the event, and to the volunteers, sponsors, and participants for your time and dedication. Together, we are making a positive impact!

A SHOPPING CART FULL OF DAFFODILS to all the volunteers and the generous Squamish people who contributed to the

7,222 lbs of food collected and the $4,360 cash and online donations for this year’s BC Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thank you all for caring and helping to restock the foodbank’s shelves. What a community effort!

~ BCTFD Squamish Team

Got something nice to say or some constructive criticism? Send your Darts & Daffodils: Email: news@squamishchief.com or drop off at The Chief office (38117 Second Ave.) during business hours. Deadline for submissions is Monday at 4 p.m. for Thursday’s paper. All submissions must be signed and include a phone number for verification. Maximum length is 75 words. Darts are intended to be an anonymous critique between private parties. Darts must not directly or indirectly identify an individual or business.

It’s more than just a green space—it’s part of a complete community that will offer housing, public spaces, and ecological restoration.

LUCAS BERUBE

The landscape has been revitalized with native vegetation to protect the natural shoreline.

“We’ve created something special here today, but there’s much more to come,” said Berube. “We’re looking forward to completing over 1,000 homes, another waterfront park, and the pedestrian bridge in the coming years.”

The pedestrian bridge is expected to be complete this winter.

Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The Squamish Chief’s Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

please email: info@seatoskyhospicesociety.ca

PHOTO BY BRANDON TANG

(L-R) Lucas Berube, Bosa Properties; Lorne Segal, Kingswood Properties; Deanna Lewis, S ḵ wxwú7mesh Úxwumixw; Mayor Armand Hurford; Sandra Aeng, Bosa Properties; Derek Lee, PWL; Jonas Velaniskis, District of Squamish.

DARTS & DAFFODILS

NEW PUMP TRACK OPENS IN MIYÍW TS PARK

This marks one of the first paved pump tracks in a District park

ALYSSA NOEL

anoel@squamishchief.com

The new pump track in Miyíwts Park, which had a soft opening late last month, is a unique feature in Squamish.

“This is [one of the] first paved pump track[s] in a District park,” said Ted Tempany, owner of Dream Wizards, a professional trail-building company that designed and built the amenity alongside PWL and Axiom. “That’s significant because, as time goes on, hopefully, we’ll be able to build more. Also, as the District gets more comfortable, hopefully, we can build them a bit bigger too.”

The new pump track, located in the SEAandSKY development, is built for “little rippers.”

“But I’ve heard people say it’s great for big kids too,” Tempany added.

One big perk of the feature is the landscaping around the area. One side includes large rock seating for parents and observers, with a view of the waterfront.

“Working with PWL was great for me because my focus is building something fun and safe for the kids. PWL was creating the

space around it. It’s super cool to see the garbage cans and bike racks and benches,” Tempany said. “If you go, for example, to Brennan Park, it doesn’t have those things. It’s very bike-centric. It’s cool to see how

something that works so well for bikes is integrated into a park setting.”

One challenge they ran into: the nearby waterfront.

“The projected flood line varied a little bit,

so the elevation for the pump track changed a bit. [PWL] was ridiculous with what they can do with drawings and the turnaround. They’re able to make changes on the fly. With the small area we had to work with, we fit something that’s super fun and safe and rides well for little rippers,” he said.

The project marked Tempany’s third time working with pavement—which isn’t as easy as it might seem. “Since our first paved pump track at the casino, we learned paving is difficult. We worked with Alpine Paving, and those guys are artists … I have to say thanks to [them] for the excellent work they did. It’s the smoothest pump track in town.”

Tempany said his dream is to see pump tracks scattered around town so that every young rider can access one from their home.

“Our town is spread out,” he said. “If your kid wants to go ride with their buddies, that involves driving and parking. It’s been our long-term dream to have a pump track, skills area in each part of town. It’s slowly happening.”

Building new bike features like this one is rewarding when you finally see it come together, he added.

“There’s this excitement the equivalent of Christmas morning every time you open something new,” he said. “It’s a cool little spot.”

Snoop &Mar tha

Twoadventurous rabbits in care for almost ayear waiting fortheir home. Theirfavorite pastimeisfood, food, and more food. Both will come running when you callthem, andtheyknow the sound of the treat bag and areexper ts with food puzzles. True to theirnames, Snoop is mellowand Mar thaisa bit more set in her ways, but both are social and ver yenter taining.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA NOEL/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF A child takes advantage of the new pump track.

BritanniaMineMuseumgratefullyacknowledgestheir community sponsors:

MOUNTAIN MENTORS: HELPING WOMEN AND GENDER-DIVERSE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY

The group facilitates one-to-one mentorship programs to create a safe space in the backcountry for all

INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY

iLemayConway@squamishchief.com

Heading into the backcountry can be an exciting, but also nerve-wracking experience, especially if you are new to the mountains in B.C. but a local group is hoping to help change that.

Mountain Mentors have created one-to-one mentorship programs for women and gender-diverse individuals to make the backcountry a safe space for all.

“We provide one-to-one mentorship through a very extensive pairing process. We have three cohorts; in the winter we have ski touring and split boarding, and in the summer, we have a climbing cohort as well as a hiking cohort,” Mountain Mentors president Monika Tesiorowski told The Squamish Chief.

“The cohorts differ in sizes between 60 individuals for what we typically see for ski and snowboard, all the way to our biggest cohort which has been 120 individuals in our hiking program.”

Mentors and mentees are paired together and make the commitment to go out once a month throughout the season.

Mountain Mentors serves communities

SRWS thanks everyone whosupported Squamish Rivers Day

Thanks to thecommunity,weplanted 100plantsaround the hatchery’s new fish friendly pond!

across the Greater Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton regions, but pairs can recreate wherever is best for them.

“Pairs recreate wherever it is most convenient for them, and where it makes the most sense depending on their skill level and goals for the season,” program manager Indra Hayre said.

“Some pairs will use the Sea to Sky Gondola if they have passes; others will frequent the Garibaldi region and Red Heather Hut. Because of our relationship with Whistler Blackcomb and the Epic Promise program, we also have slackcountry passes that we use to host socials and offer to folks who don’t have them but want to access the backcountry off of the mountain.”

Hayre said the program is important for areas such as Squamish where it can often be difficult to find like-minded people with similar life experiences.

“We live in a beautiful place where so many people move here to connect with the outdoors and advance their skillset, but sometimes it can be challenging to meet like-minded people with similar life experiences who we feel psychologically safe with to access these spaces with,” Hayre said.

She said Mountain Mentors strives to remove some of the barriers that women and gender-diverse folks experience in the backcountry, as well as give people the opportunity to share the knowledge that they’ve received over the years.

“Programs that create access for people are important because they help change what it

means to exist in these spaces, and they can empower more women and gender diverse folks to take up space confidently in environments and communities that weren’t necessarily built with them at the forefront,” she said.

Tesiorowski said the end goal for Mountain Mentors is for mentees who have completed the program to become mentors and encourage other women or gender-diverse people to explore the backcountry.

“Our ultimate hope is that they do want to become mentors, but if not, they’re able to take this sense of confidence and trust in their own abilities back to their communities and maybe invite another woman into the backcountry,” she said.

“The goal is to have more people generally feel that they can go out and feel that they can invite others into this space, because it can feel super intimidating.”

The winter Mountain Mentors program runs from December through to March and costs $175 for the entire program.

The Mountain Mentors website states that “prospective mentees and mentors should either already have, or be obtaining their Avalanche Safety Training 1 (AST1) course. Additionally, they must either own or have access to an avalanche shovel, beacon, and probe as well as the gear necessary to participate in their activity of choice (eg: splitboard, skis, skins, boots, poles, snowshoes).”

Applications for the winter cohort are now open and will close on Oct. 27.

PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH A Mountain Mentors pair.

PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS HOOT!: A local barred owl. Have a photo to share?

it

PEAK STRENGTH CLUB: NEW POWERLIFTING GYM OPENS

The strength-based gym is owned by international powerlifting gold medalist Lisa Kitagawa and partner Lucas Paczek

INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY

iLemayConway@squamishchief.com

For Lisa Kitagawa, powerlifting changed her life, and now alongside her partner Lucas Paczek, she wants to show others how powerful (and fun) strength training can be.

She stumbled into powerlifting during the COVID lockdown, and by 2022 Kitagawa had qualified for the IPF Classic World Championships in South Africa.

“I got into fitness in 2018, and I started with CrossFit. I was 100 pounds more than I am now, and I had never touched a barbell and just didn’t know what a gym was,” Kitagawa told The Squamish Chief.

“I really liked the atmosphere and fell in love with the strength side of things. I did a couple of random CrossFit competitions and things like that, and then unfortunately, lockdown happened, and everything kind of shut down.

“My friend had a home gym set up, and I was like, well, maybe we’ll try and get strong for a little while. So I switched over to doing some powerlifting and then realized I was a lot better at powerlifting than I was at CrossFit.”

Kitagawa said squats, bench presses and deadlifts were her strongest skills, so she decided to hire a programming coach, and before she knew it, she was on her way to the world championships.

“It was crazy… the worlds are like the Olympics of powerlifting,” she said.

“I hadn’t really done any travel before that, so my first sort of international travel was by myself, on a 50-hour adventure to South Africa.

“I didn’t do anything extravagant there, but just being there was amazing, I think I ended up pulling like the 11th best deadlift in my weight class.”

Fast forward to Aug. 6 this year and Kitagawa brought home gold in the under 69 kilograms category at the International Powerlifting Federation’s North American Regional Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I ended up winning in my weight class, which was really cool. I got a gold in the back squat, a bronze medal in the bench press, and then a gold medal in the deadlift, and then gold overall. And then our Canadian team for the women’s and the men’s actually came silver overall.”

Now alongside her partner Lucas Paczek, they are hoping to expand the powerlifting community in Squamish in their very own gym.

Peak Strength Club is located at Unit 103 - 1121 Commercial Place.

The club opened on Sept. 25 and is a

powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting gym open for all strength-based athletes.

Whether you’re just beginning on your strength journey or you’re a seasoned pro like Kitagawa, Paczek says the space has something for everyone.

“Both of us always wanted to open up our own gyms eventually one day and we kind of just tossed around that idea for a long time. I was always on the internet looking at potential gym spaces. Squamish is really hard to find any sort of commercial space, no matter what your business is, whether it’s a restaurant or mechanic shop, there’s just nothing available,” Paczek said.

“I used to come here because this used to be the O’Briens pet store, so I’d always come and get my dog food here which is pretty funny to think about. So I just sent it to Lisa and said, ‘if we really want to do it, this is the space to do it. It’s really the only option.”

The gym has powerlifting competition-specific equipment, including two deadlift platforms and adjustable powerlifting racks that you can use to squat or bench press.

The space also has other exercise equipment typically found in a gym.

The big thing that both Paczek and Kitagawa hope to achieve with Peak Strength Club is a community for powerlifters and strength athletes as a whole.

“I think a lot of people are scared to get into powerlifting. It’s quite intimidating, by the sounds of it, but once you actually go and start powerlifting, people generally get pretty obsessed about it, and that’s all they think about and look forward to, especially at competitions,” Paczek said.

“If it’s your first competition, often a lot of people are really scared, but the strongest people at that competition will be the first ones to help the new people.

“That’s kind of what we’re trying to

highlight here, is just the community aspect of it, building your own little gym family.”

Kitagawa hopes to show other women that strength training isn’t always about bulking up like the Hulk—sometimes, it is just about being able to build the strength you never knew you could have.

“It’s very empowering as a woman to be able to lift heavy things. I guess there’s that scary side of being ‘too bulky,’ but it takes a lot of effort to do that. You’re not just going to get bulky from lifting in general; you have to try really hard to do that,” she said.

“So, that shouldn’t be something that stops women from doing this kind of thing. It’s more about the empowerment of feeling strong and feeling like you can lift up that thing by yourself, or take all the bags of groceries in on your own.”

Memberships for Peak Strength Club are $88 a month, but the gym also does drop-in passes, 10-visit and 20-visit passes.

Land Act: Notice of Intention to Apply for a Disposition of Crown Land

Take notice that the District of Squamish from Squamish, BC has applied to the Ministry of Forests (FOR), Surrey, for a Statutory Right of Way for the purpose of institutional/public works for a pedestrian active transportation bridge covering unsurveyed Crown land over the Mamquam Blind Channel

The Lands File Number for this application is 2412857 Comments on this application may be submitted in two ways:

1) Online via the Applications and Reasons for Decision Database website at: https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications

2) By mail to the Senior Land Officer at 200 – 10428 153rd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1.

Comments will be received by the Ministry of Forests until November 16, 2024

Comments received after this date may not be considered.

Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record For information, contact Information Access Operations at the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services in Victoria at: www.gov.bc.ca/citz/iao/

PHOTO BY INDIGO LEMAY-CONWAY/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Lisa Kitagawa and her partner Lucas Paczek with their dogs Tater Tot (the blonde) and Spud.

Urban, Sebastian September 17, 1985 -September 30, 2024

Sebastian (Seb) Urban of Squamish, British Columbia, originally from Guelph, Ontario, died while climbingMtBaker, in Washington state, USA. While only making it to 39 years old, he managed to fill his life with more adventure, purpose, and love than most could fathom. He biked, ran, hiked, climbed, mountaineered and skied his way around the globe, adventuring and mis-adventuring across 6 continents,inover 40 countries with loved ones and new friends alike

Born in Serbia, Seb came to Canadawhen he was three years old, learning to speak English by watching cartoons. With childlike joy, deep care and compassion for others, aflare for the ridiculous, and avery sensitivesoul, he made deep and genuine lifelong connections at every turn.

Seb will be forever remembered by his common-law partner, Elysseand their beloved dog, Nash; his parents Valerie and Oskar; his brother Kris and partner Tara; nieces Brooklyn, Mya; nephews Lincoln, Nikola, Ilija, Ayden and amagically massive network of those privilegedenough to call him friend.

•1,2 &3 Bdrm Apts from $1999.99/mo

•Includes Heat,H/W &Parking

•Secured, Bright,Spacious

•Beautifully landscaped grounds

•CommonLaundry& Storage

•Near Bus, Shopping &Schools

1st$1,900/mth.+

Coin laundry. Ph: 778-998-7265 /1-604-324-5857 / 604-418-7258 or email:takhar79@hotmail.com

NOW HIRING!!

CDA(CERTIFIEDDENTALASSISTANT)

wage range $30-$35 with benefits

Please send resumes to nancy@atwelldental.com

WE’RE HIRING

Reachgreat heightsinone of these Full-Time Positions at the District of Squamish

Manager of Recreation Services,Permanent Full-Time

ProjectManager2– Capital,Permanent Full-Time

Director of Public Works,PermanentFull-Time

Applyatsquamish.ca/careers

PLEAS ER ECY CL ET HIS NE WSPAP ER

18. Headache cure

Greek harp

Sales pitches

Cultivate

Circle sections

Rust element

Perky

Hit lightly

Holy Communion and Morning Worship Sundays at 10:00 AM Rev Cameron Gutjahr 1930 Diamond Road 604-898-5100

www.squamishanglicanchurch.ca info@squamishanglicanchurch.ca

ARIES March 21-April 19

The harmful impact of physical inactivity on your well-being could become apparent To motivate yourself, try inviting your friends to join you in activities that promote a more active lifestyle and better health.

TAURUS April 20-May 20

If you’re facing a professional transition or retirement, you must be clear about your next steps. Create a strategic plan to shape your future according to your aspirations and expectations.

GEMINI May 21-June 20

Exciting learning opportunities will propel your career to new heights. Be patient and let happiness guide your actions so you can realize your dreams.

CANCER June 21-July 22

After deep reflection, you may need to make essential changes to your environment. Re-evaluate your priorities and look for a living environment that better suits your needs and those of your loved ones

LEO July 23-Aug. 22

Saying “yes” to everything that comes your way could lead to being overwhelmed by commitments Take the time to gather and analyze necessary information before making important decisions

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Putting in extra hours at work could improve your financial situation. Afterward, consider devoting more time to your love life, responding to growing needs in this area.

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22

You’ll be in the right place at the right time to make a lasting impression. For your efforts and efficiency at work, you’ll receive well-reserved rewards and applause.

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Leaving your comfort zone could be difficult if you are strongly attached to your roots and possessions. Consider getting rid of unnecessary things to free up space in your life

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21

Expressing underlying thoughts openly and using your authority could help resolve complex situations Boldness might help unblock restrictive deadlocks and ensure harmony in your life

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Significant financial investments, such as purchasing a new vehicle, may be necessary to maintain your professional image and avoid unforeseen events Making a solid budget is essential.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb 18

Your determination to impress could pay off at work You’ll grow your customer base and achieve your goals Move forward with confidence You’ll be successful if you act

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20

If you’re looking for the perfect job, find the inspiration to define your path. Your imagination will help you create a masterpiece

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 x 3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3 x 3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3 x 3 box.

Worship Ser vice Sundays 10am on our website and Facebook Live 2262ReadCres. 604-898-3737 www.squamishbaptistchurch.org Exalting Jesus, Equipping His Followers, Engaging the World