Letter to the editor

Over the years, I have read many good letters sent to the Editor and thought it was time to write one myself. Recently there have been issues that have come to the fore and it is evident there are many concerns regarding our "best friends." Such as the finding of a litter of puppies left outside in a wet winter day, ending in euthanasia for one; a number of pets seriously injured and/or killed on the road; reports of citizens being charged, chased, knocked over and/or bitten; dangerous dogs having to be destroyed; not to mention the ongoing number of homeless animals collected and cared for by WAG.

What I am leading to by these examples is the lack of respect and compassion for our pets and the citizens of our community. The above describes the absence of a foundation of basic responsible pet ownership.

First, one should take the time to carefully choose the right pet. This cannot be stressed often enough. Pet ownership brings many necessities; veterinarian care, fresh water and quality food, socialization, exercise and play, training, collar and leash. This is not by any means a complete list. Perhaps the above-mentioned puppy would not have been laid to rest if it had been vaccinated and provided with care and shelter.

The situation of an owner of an attacked dog experiencing the anguish of caring for an injured and dying pet, or a citizen dealing with the emotional and physical scars of being bitten, could have been avoided if the attacking dogs were behaviorally healthy and kept. Leashing, kenneling and containing a pet within a home environment are not forms of cruelty and certainly would have saved the lives of needless road kills.

Identification plays a role in being able to reconnect owner and pet and is especially useful in an emergency. The dog license fee is an affordable type of identification and supports our animal care facility and animal control services.

I trust this explains how important it is that we all do out part as pet owners and citizens. I challenge our community to demonstrate and voice their concerns safely to those who repeatedly ignore the very basics of what it means to responsibly enjoy our community. Those of us at animal control/bylaw will continue our own challenge of increasing awareness through presence, education and enforcement.

Re: Employee housing problems; Councillor Milner’s comments

After having read the July 6, 2001 issue of the Pique, I must admit that I was a little taken back with Councillor Milner’s comments suggesting that perhaps employers should be charged for having more than a certain number of employees. Isn’t Whistler based on the service-hospitality industry? In order to provide world class service, the industry needs a much larger staffing pool to draw on in order to provide our visitors with the service and Whistler experience that they dearly pay for and well deserve.

I am involved in the hospitality industry, and am a citizen of Whistler. I have dealt with the difficulties of trying to source staff and help those great workers and colleagues try to find suitable housing. We must also remember that in addition to the bustling ski season, we do have some pretty dismal shoulder seasons to deal with.

I, along with many of the other Whistler-based business managers and owners, greatly appreciate having local companies like Shannon Byrne’s Paradata Systems here. Sure, their employees live here and occupy some housing, however think of the benefits:

• They pay rent (both commercial and residential) a full 12 months per year;

• Patronize local suppliers, merchants, restaurants, grocery stores, dry cleaners, etc. 12 months per year;

• Spend money on ski passes, recreation facilities, charities, and other services, again all year round.

The particular mention of Paradata is ironic as high-tech companies are the most sought after, environmentally friendly, and as they export intellectual applications globally, thus helping to expose Whistler to the world while earning revenues around the world and spending a large amount of those revenues right back here in Whistler.

I believe we should be proud of our local corporate citizens and find more practical ways of solving employee housing

We are writing this letter as members of the newly formed Whistler Triathlon Club in an effort to raise awareness of motorists for cyclists on our local roads and highways.

With the formation of our new club and the increasing number of cyclists on the highway we feel it appropriate to voice our concern with motorists and "sharing the road."

There are a number of members in our club who spend up to 15 hours per week riding bikes on the highway to train for upcoming competitions. Some of our members are not so experienced with road riding, and others have been riding for years. It really doesn’t matter how much experience you have, when a car or truck passes by within a few feet at 80+ km/h it scares the crap out of you. Think about standing beside the highway with your back to traffic unable to turn and see what is approaching and how close they are to you, and know they could be only a few inches away when they pass by at what seems to be light speed –pretty scary! We are painfully aware of the consequences if we were actually struck by a passing vehicle.

In our club we do express to our members the importance of riding safely and that we are considered vehicles on the road, subject to the same laws as drivers. Although we try to ride as far to the right as possible, sometimes we are forced to ride closer to the white line than we prefer. Debris on the side of the road, such as glass or rocks, broken pavement on the shoulder, or places where there is no pavement on the right side of the white line, represent a real hazard for us. Sections of the highway where the white line is faint or completely faded leaves no separation between us and automobile traffic.

There seems to be too many stories of close calls with passing vehicles not to try and raise the awareness of drivers.

Some points to consider when driving:

• Be aware of an approaching cyclist and what they may have to negotiate around when you are passing them;

• Don’t focus your attention on the cyclist, as we tend to drive where we are looking;

• Be aware of oncoming traffic and allow as much room between you and the cyclist as safely possible;

• A quick beep of your horn would help to warn the cyclist that you are approaching and you think the distance between you and the cyclist will be limited. Don’t lay on your horn unless it is critical.

Please try to consider these points for the safety of everyone this summer. We would really appreciate it if drivers make an effort to "share the road."