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Letters to the editor for the week of August 9th, 2012

Birken debate drifting
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With respect to the Birken Community Centre, it's ironic how a project that was meant to bring the community together has the potential to do the opposite. While engagement and debate can be healthy, I urge my neighbours to be civilized as we iron out our differences.

It seems the opinions have become overly political, aggressive and drifting off in tangents. I'm confused how the fire hall has become a major component. As a volunteer firefighter myself, I can assure everyone that location and facility has been, and will always be, a community asset. I can also attest that we do not need to upgrade that building to lower our insurance premiums.

What we need is a new truck and more volunteers. That, however, is a different source of funding (and a different issue).

Personally, I feel the more real estate we have in our community the better. At this point, I fear if the debate continues the way it has, we will be left with nothing.

Mike Roger

Birken

How soon we forget

Two weeks of articles in the paper on how the poor asphalt production industry is feeling unfairly treated has reminded me how short our memories are.

How soon we forget that for decades we had a monopoly situation and once the community pressured our local government to finally go to tender we saved 22 per cent from Alpine's price. Is it safe to scratch our taxpayer heads when in nine years $7.1 million tax dollars went to Alpine (not including parking lots and Olympic work)?

How soon we forget that Alpine already moved their portable asphalt plant described in their license of occupation as "temporary asphalt plant" from another quarry but for some reason it appears it can never move again. If this is the case why do their licenses exist in five and 10-year blocks?

How soon we forget that Squamish finally also went to tender two years ago and in a recent staff report claims a $200,000 per year savings each year in asphalt costs since doing so.

How soon we forget that unfortunately shortsighted planners thought heavy industry creating dust, noise, toxins and quality of life issues would not be a problem next to 1,000 people living a few hundred metres away, even if in closed meetings they were worried about these things.

How soon we forget that times change and quarries open and close throughout this province but for some reason there appears to be gold in this one.

How soon we forget we live in a community that strives for healthy living; that brags to the world to come and enjoy our clean fresh mountain air.

One thing I haven't forgotten is that, though we require Alpine's product, do we have to sacrifice our quality of life without finding a solution to this obvious mistake?

I don't think you'll find one person in our neighborhood that is trying to shut down Mr. Silveri's business, we just would like it to move again.

Thank you council for allowing hundreds of your taxpaying citizens to have enjoyed the best summer so far in our legacy neighbourhood!

Tim Koshul

Whistler

Where's common sense?

On the whole, the bus drivers in Whistler are generally pretty decent guys. However, after reading about the bus driver who refused to help someone strap in their wheelchair and now, after what I've just witnessed, I really have to question, "Do they have any common sense?"

A mother gets on the bus carrying her toddler's bike under her arm. I'm not really sure you can call it a bike, it has no pedals, no chain, no brakes and it's about the size of a skateboard. She gets on and is met with, "You're going to have to put that on the front bike rack." Seriously.

After a few minutes of trying various ways of getting a one-and-a-half foot-long bike into an adult bike rack the bus driver is happy with one wheel precariously balancing in one of the adult wheel wells. The mother is not so happy, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure that it would have fallen off and gone under the bus while travelling, which wouldn't be great on the highway.

So rather than say: "Fine then, you can bring it on," the bus driver leaves the mother and the very unhappy child (it's a hot day) standing at the bus stop. Great service!

Remember, this is a bus service that carries dozens of sharp edged skis and snowboards in the cabin all through winter. The tiny bike was not a safety issue in comparison. The bus driver that refuses a three-year-old-ish kid and a flustered mother on a bus because of a bike that's no bigger than a skateboard, and tries to fit said bike into an adult bike rack, is probably more of a safety issue.

Pete Wilks

Whistler

Why is this acceptable?

To beat the 33-degree heat on Sunday I went to Lost Lake to cool off. While doing some people watching I witnessed a young woman approach a group of strangers and ask if she could be penetrated by their sex doll. Next to me was an elderly couple eating cherries (who I'm sure were pretending they didn't hear what was just said), and all around were families with young children.

Why is this acceptable?

I'm mortified that this is what dominates our public areas on weekends. The village after the bars close is one thing, but at 2 p.m. in the afternoon on a Sunday?

Last weekend I had friends visiting from out of town with their young children. I was visiting them at their hotel and while sitting in the hot tub with the toddlers, one young woman loudly exclaimed to her friend next to us, "Why do people come to Whistler with their children? It's so annoying!"

It is shameful that these young women feel they are dominating the "Whistler scene" and have the right to disrespect others around them. What's worse is that nothing is being done to address it.

Mandy Rousseau

Whistler

Owners must be able to control their dogs

With regard to "Canine encounter cause for concern" (Pique letters, July 26, 2012), this was a vicious unprovoked attack by a pit bull in Alpha Lake Dog Park on July 20, 2012. A female owner of a white and grey pit bull allowed it to run freely in the dog park while her almost white shepherd was on a leash. Her pit bull viciously attacked a golden retriever cross as it was emerging from the lake. When the woman approached the fight with her shepherd on a leash, her shepherd joined the attack. Clearly, this woman had no control over either of her two dogs.

Although the owner of the dog being attacked was able to grab both the pit bull and shepherd by the collar to end the fight, his dog was severely injured. When he took her to the vet, she required several stitches to close the puncture wounds on her chest, head and back.

When I saw them a few days later, it was distressing to see their traumatized dog with large patches of fur shaved off revealing stitches on her chest, head and shoulders. The owner was traumatized as well. I know this family and their dog very well, as I have looked after, and taken this dog for walks, when they were on holiday. This is an affectionate gentle dog who gets along well with other dogs and everyone she meets.

However, the owner of the attack dogs should not be allowed to walk her dogs off leash and without a muzzle. Since her pit bull and shepherd have a propensity to attack and bite another dog without provocation, they should be designated as "dangerous dogs." These dogs should only be walked by a competent person, who has demonstrated good control of both dogs.

Her excuse that the pit bull was a rescue dog does not excuse such a vicious attack. Instead, she owes a special duty of care to take extra precaution when taking her dogs not only to a dog park, but anywhere off her property. At the very least, she should come forward to pay the vet bill.

Martha Melling

North Vancouver