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Finding the right path — Andrée Janyk reflects on her first year on council

"I think there is a lot of confusion in this community right now. We walked into being a world-class resort somewhat naively. And now we're not really sure who we are...
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"I think there is a lot of confusion in this community right now. We walked into being a world-class resort somewhat naively. And now we're not really sure who we are... Unless we figure it out soon, we're going to miss out on opportunities to re-enforce what we really want this place to stand for!"

- Andrée Janyk, fall 2006

She's like one of those crazy perpetual-motion machines. She just doesn't stop. Doesn't matter whether it's early on a summer's day and she's exhorting her charges on the soccer pitch or deep in winter's grasp and she's leading her gaggle of skiers down the hill. The woman with the familiar gap-toothed smile and weather-crinkled eyes simply refuses to grow old.

And she's not afraid of stepping out with her opinions. From pedagogy to high-performance sports, from quality-of-life to social responsibility, she won't hesitate to let you know exactly where she stands. Fortunately for Whistlerites, much of her energy is devoted to making this place a better community. Yes, she can be overwhelming sometimes with her persistence. And no, she'll rarely back down when she's on a mission. But then that's what passion is all about.

You see, Andrée Janyk is truly passionate about Whistler. Okay, so maybe she's just passionate about life in general. I mean, new-grandma Andrée has the kind of CV that virtually shouts "Go for it." But it's not like she promotes her youthful accomplishments or anything — au contraire, it's taken me years to gather together all the puzzle pieces of her story.

I already knew, for example, that she'd been a member of the national ski team in the late 1960s — and had just missed being named to the '68 Olympic squad ("By just one spot," she says). But until last week, I didn't know that she'd enrolled at SFU after retiring from ski racing, where she proceeded to become one of the only students ever to participate in three different varsity sports there — field hockey, cross-country running and track. "That was a fun time," she says. "SFU was a new university — only two years old — and very political. Very engaged too." She laughs. "I heard some great speakers in the main quad there. In fact, that's where I learned a lot of my politics." Hmm...

After graduation came a stint in Europe. But she didn't go as a ski bum — or at least not a conventional one. No, Andrée was still a student, living in Brussels and studying for a PhD in kinesiology. There are no mountains in Belgium. No real ski hills of any size. But that didn't stop our intrepid young traveller. "I taught skiing in Val D'Isere on weekends," she says. "Even got a coaching job in Tignes for a while." She laughs at my look of disbelief. And quickly explains. "I'd study all week, take the Friday night train from Brussels to the French Alps, sleep on the train, ski Saturday and Sunday, and then return to school for class on Monday." More laughter. "I was young then. I had lots of energy. It was a great adventure."

And her PhD degree — did she ever complete it? She sighs. "I only got a Masters," she says. "Missed it by just a bit... you see, I was back in Vancouver writing my thesis when (oldest daughter and future ski champ) Britt came into my life." She can't help laughing again. "She was a very busy child you know, and well, I just couldn't do it all."

There's still a lot more to Andrée's story. Like her stint at Capilano College where she helped launch the school's fitness leadership certificate program or her time running the BC Fitness Appraisers' Association out of her home. But I'm sure you get my point. This is one very competent woman. And a woman who has devoted enormous chunks of her very qualified time addressing one of the most vital issues in Whistler: kids' educational and physical development.

This is how the long-time school trustee explained it to me six years ago: "My focus has always been on youth — setting up opportunities for the next generation... making things happen at the grassroots level. Why? Because I believe a community is best perceived by the way it treats its children. If we want to end up with good adults at Whistler, we need to come up with good models. We need a strong school system and a great sports and arts program."

The thing about Andrée Janyk is that she walks her talk. That's why I was so intrigued to see her run successfully for a council seat last November. I knew she was doing it for the right reasons. Knew she understood many of the challenges now facing Whistler. I also knew she wouldn't be intimidated by the big-ego'd boys in the backroom. At the very least, I thought, she'd be able to keep the villains in line.

And now, nearly a year later, I want to hear her thoughts on the process. I know she's not going to bullpooh me — she's way too honest and forthright for that — but I'm curious to see if her recent involvement with Whistler's legislative process has mitigated her opinions some. You know, softened her approach. And to be perfectly frank, it sounds like it has. I'm shocked. I've never heard Andrée be so conciliatory with her remarks before. Never heard her be so diplomatic with her comments.

But enough of my observations. You be the judge.

On this year's council members: "The team is fantastic," she says. '"We have a very balanced group of councillors and I'm really enjoying my time with them. I also think we work particularly well together." She laughs. "I gather that's quite a change from the past. But then, we all mostly came in on a similar platform: keep taxes to zero per cent, be cognizant of the cost of government, be fiscally responsible and listen to citizens' needs and concerns." She pauses. Smiles. "And, you know, there are big issues and little issues we have to deal with in Whistler..."

But the biggest change, she says, "is that you won't see ad hoc decisions made by this council based on personal agendas anymore. We want to be able to take a step back, you know, so as to be able to properly analyse an issue before having to make a decision. We want to create a process that lets us fully understand the ramifications of the choices we make for Whistler — whether it's new economic initiatives or post-secondary educational opportunities."

And she says that simply wouldn't be possible without the wholehearted support of the municipality's new CAO. "Mike Furey's really easy to work with," she says. "He's got a great relationship with council. I think he's got a good handle on his job."

But it's more than that. "The strength of the current council," she explains, "is that we've all been part of the Whistler experience for a very long time. I mean, we're hardly rookies. We KNOW Whistler... we know what works here." She sighs. "And we also know what doesn't work here..."

Like? But she won't let herself get cornered by my sneaky questions. "I firmly believe everyone on council is working with the same goals," she maintains. "We're all asking ourselves the same question: 'Does this fit with the Whistler story? Does this initiative move the community's agenda forward?'" She stops speaking. Takes a deep breath. "I think at some point Whistler politicians forgot that they were allowed to say: 'No! I'm sorry, this doesn't fit with what our community stands for.' And I think this is what our current council is learning how to do. For me, it's pretty straightforward. I see us as a new council trying to resolve old conflicts with a different — and hopefully more inclusive — approach."

I told you. This is Andrée Janyk 2.0 — a softer, gentler version, if you will, of the original Andrée. She laughs when I point this out. "I'm trying to let go of my passion," she admits. "Trying to go quietly about my job. After all, I get criticized so often for being, well, you know..." She lets the rest of her sentence trail off.

And yet. And yet. Passion is what Andrée brings to the table. Passion for skiing and learning and playing and working together and making community. It's her ebullience that makes her unique. Her youthful joie-de-vivre. Her enthusiasm for new challenges and fresh adventures. This is what makes her so valuable to Whistler. Such a big part of our story.

I mean, just listen to her when she speaks about her love for Sea-to-Sky country. "I live in heaven," she exults. "And I try to remind myself of that as often as I can. Whistler is such a unique place... and with such a distinctive culture. There's just nowhere else like it on the planet." She pauses. Smiles one last time. "I see so many opportunities for us in the future, you know... we just have to make sure that Whistler becomes the community we want it to be."

See what I mean? I just hope Andrée doesn't let too much of her passion go.