Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Where has Whistler gone?

They say home is where the heart is, well again I say where has Whistler gone? It's been home for 25 years and now who knows where the heart of this valley has gone! I was not going to write this until I saw the letter last week.

They say home is where the heart is, well again I say where has Whistler gone? It's been home for 25 years and now who knows where the heart of this valley has gone!

I was not going to write this until I saw the letter last week. I also remember the days before the no clothesline bylaw, I remember the school in the village, the little post office, the forest behind Grabbajava. I also remember the fear when I went for my coffee one morning, ready to walk down our little wooded trail to the village with my three-year-old boy and, oh my God, the tears dropped when looking at my son's face - the forest had gone! In one day our little forest had gone, no little path left. The only memory is the tiny group of trees on Blackcomb Way - look carefully and you may notice it!

I remember The Keg and the fire engine that was not tall enough to stop the fire. I remember when the conference centre was our tallest building! The completion of the Fairmont. The walk out to Lost Lake to find Lost Lake. The original lift barn in Creekside. Wow, where have our hearts gone?

Then came the black hole which is now the Pan Pacific and Holiday Inn. The little bridge that connected the villages, that's gone too as we have a cement one now. We have reached buildout, wow, I guess at least four times already. Remember the stables and the KOA campground with the teepee?

The good news is we still have our little cute museum. It's hidden behind the big new library. Gone is the wood bridge at White Gold, now a cement one that's rusty. Now we have a bus depot in the middle of our valley and maybe, just maybe there may be a plan to put some trees back along the highway to  buffer the constant high pitch sound we hear in Spruce Grove and hide the awful view of the hydrogen towers. And then we have the ever-increasing industrial area of Mons next to the beautiful Nicklaus North golf course, below the scenic mountains!

So where has our Whistler gone? We were a tourism village and in February the whole world was celebrating here, and now we are going to be allowing heavy industry and logging in our forests? Where is the tourism in that?

So where has our Whistler gone? I hope it's in the people of Whistler! Those people we say hello to on the Valley Trail, and they say hello back. Don't see that in Detroit or Toronto or even Vancouver!

We also all helped each other when we had to sandbag for the flood in Whistler Cay. The day Whistler Mountain went down, way back when it was two separate mountains Everyone from Blackcomb and locals come over to evacuate way into the night. We have the best fire and rescue, best medics and doctors. We have the best teachers, best principals and best neighbours, ski patrollers and ski Instructors - not for the pay but because that is where the heart of Whistler is!

Those people who hugged together, cried together and joined together this year, we also supported all achievements of all countries that came together. Who was there to welcome the torch - yes, all of Whistler and it was the heart of Whistler too. Could not move in the village on that one.

So here's my question - why should we say it's okay to live where the air has to be tested?

Why have we got an asphalt plant here? I was one of many that didn't know it was even there. I am not moving to Cheakamus but my friends are and I breathe the same air as everyone else - that's why we should support each other on this!

As for logging, well, I hope the heart of Whistler stands together to protect that path through the forest to the ancient cedars!

Iona Lake

Whistler

 

The best picture?

Asphalt plant operations increased and ready-mix concrete plant to be installed and operating as well? Is this behind the 150 metre asphalt plant relocation and the rezoning issues?

If the land is rezoned for heavy industrial operations as proposed now the future scenario may look even worse. Other toxic oil-based operations may be there as well!

Is this the best picture for Whistler, where tourists come to enjoy the nature and clean air? Is this the best future for the Whistler residents who chose this wonderful place to be their home?

The asphalt plant has been operating illegally for years, regardless what the municipal staff, the Mayor and the council members are telling us. When the mining ministry found out about this asphalt plant hideaway operating on his mining tenure, Mr. Silveri, the owner of the asphalt plant had to amend his mine footprint and remove the land on which the Asphalt Plant is sitting from the permit.

This amendment to the mine footprint is dated December 1, 2009.

Currently the asphalt plant operates illegally only under the municipal zoning and bylaws. But with Mr. Silveri's strong connections with our municipal leaders (and no business licence either), he does not have to worry I guess.

Whistlerites, please wake up and unite. Write letters to the municipality and express your concerns about heavy industries, the toxic air from the asphalt plant hanging over the whole valley, the decreasing of your property values, the environmental damages, etc. Say no to rezoning, say no to the asphalt plant, come to the Council meetings to have your concerns properly documented and write official letters to the Mayor. There are others in B.C. who have successfully protected their communities against heavy industry, such as Prince George. We can do it!

Judy Bonn

Whistler

 

Where do savings go?

I am really pleased to see in Pique 's headlines that "Winter Games under budget, says Olympic office" (June 17) and that the municipality therefore saved $3.5 million.

Can I look forward to a refund on my about-to-be-paid ridiculously-high property taxes? Or is it to be spent on relocating the asphalt pant and parties? Whatever happened to accountability?

I rant because I care...

John Fildes

Whistler

 

Think of the future

I'm new to Whistler (an Aussie, in town seven months) so I'm still not a "real" local, but I care for this town and it's gorgeous surroundings just as much as all the real locals.

As this section of Pique seems to be the place that locals impart their wisdom to the rest of Whistler I thought I'd share my latest gripe with the world. Frisbee Golf, Disc Golf, Frolf... if you haven't heard this sport is quite a popular one here in Whistler. What better way to pass a sunny afternoon than wandering through Whistler's gorgeous bushland with friends, throwing Frisbees and having a couple of beers? It's the golf course for those who can't afford the real one.

What's bothering me is the trash I see people leave all over this course. If you're carrying beer, you're carrying it in a bag, so crush your cans and put them back in your bag when you're done, not in the closest tree, tee box or conveniently placed rock. An aluminum can takes between 80 and 200 years to decompose (estimates vary depending on whose website you are looking at). Not to mention cigarette butts, which take between one and 12 years to decompose.

News Flash: ya mum ain't following you on the golf course!

Take some initiative people. We're all here cause we love to hang out in this beautiful place, keep it beautiful for all the ski/bike bums to come in the future.

Liz Boyer

Whistler

 

Should Whistler care?

World leaders arrive in Toronto this week, should Whistler care?

It's easy to be cynical about the G20 meeting in Toronto and feel that these meetings of world leaders do not relate to the average Whistler resident, but you'd be wrong. About 1,000,000 Canadians sponsor children in developing countries through organizations like Christian Children's Fund of Canada. For many in Whistler, this is their personal international aid program. Ensuring that all children live a productive, healthy life is a clear hope for many Canadians.

The G8 and G20 meetings, though definitely imperfect, help create policies that directly impact human dignity and economics. Those of us who care about children have an interest in helping create strategies that translate into meaningful changes in people's lives.

Today, we are challenged by a complex matrix of global issues. Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has called these, "problems without passports." They affect us all - rich or poor. Through the G8 and G20 meetings, Canada has a unique opportunity to champion some of these problems, such as aid and development effectiveness and healthcare for children. Discussing these issues helps the million children and their families who are being assisted each day by Canadians who, I believe, care very much.

Philip A. Tanner

Ph.D. Director of Programs

Global Operations Christian Children's Fund of Canada

 

Run around on the bus

Last Thursday afternoon our nanny attempted to return home with my two-year-old son from the Village using our local transit system. As they boarded the #2 bus at the Village Gate Boulevard, they were informed by the driver that they could not ride the bus unless my son's run bike was placed on the outside bike rack.

For those who may not be familiar with a run bike, it is a small pedal-less bike that is lightweight and smaller than a tricycle.

This came as a surprise to our nanny, given that they had come into the village several hours earlier by bus without incident. In fact, they have been riding the bus with the run bike for the past three months without incident.

My nanny attempted to mount the run bike on the bike rack but it became immediately clear that the bike was far too small for the rack, that there was no way to safely mount it and that the bike would immediately come out of the rack, thus creating a danger to the bus as well as the bike.

Since the bike could not be mounted on the rack, the driver told my nanny that they were not welcome to use the bus and drove off, hence stranding them in the village.

While this was traumatic for my son, who until then has enjoyed riding the bus, it was also inconvenient for me as I had to leave work by car, drive to the village to pick them up, drive them home and then drive back to work.

When I called Whistler Transit to complain, I was informed that this is indeed policy - i.e. no bikes on the bus - and that some drivers follow this policy while others are more lenient.

For a community that is working to encourage residents to use transit more often "as we move towards sustainability," there is clearly a disconnect between policy and a user-friendly system. It is ridiculous that Whistler Transit disallows children's bikes but continues to allow riders to take skis, snowboards, golf clubs, skateboards, etc on the bus. While I definitely understand the need for safety and that most bikes should be mounted on the outside rack, run bikes are tiny and can safely be held just like any of the other sports equipment currently allowed on the bus.

I was told that Whistler Transit "will consider" a review of their policy and will examine how this policy is communicated to riders.

In the meantime, for any caregiver considering using Whistler Transit with a small children's bike - don't do it. Stay in your own neighbourhood or take the car. That's what our family has been forced to do.

Kerry Chalmers

Whistler

 

Move Pemberton skatepark

I would like to commend Richard Klinkhamer for his letter last week and his tireless efforts to bring some light to the problems associated with having a skatepark under power lines. This is a huge issue and for some reason it seems like it has not been taken seriously.

If the Village of Pemberton is finally ready to spend all this money on a skatepark after years of planning and fundraising, it should be done properly and put somewhere that does not pose such obvious and dangerous health risks. It seems quite closed minded to ignore this.

Those defending the location are saying it's too late to make a change, the site has already been filled, there is nowhere else to put the park, we might lose the grant, and even "it's not like kids are going to be hanging out there all day anyways." Right now we still have a chance to make a difference, but it will be too late once the park is built.

There is testing and research available that links exposure to electromagnetic fields to cancers in children. What if it actually starts happening and we will know we had a chance to do something about it and didn't?

In addition to Richard's concerns about power lines and drainage, there are no trees or shade at the proposed site, which will be less than ideal for hot weather.

There is a public meeting at the Pemberton Community Centre on Thursday June 24 at 6:30 p.m. for input on the design and layout of the proposed park. Anyone with ideas, feedback, concerns etc. should be encouraged to come out and share your thoughts. I know there are many local residents and members of the skate community with passionate opinions about this, and if we don't say anything it looks like we don't care.

Nada Shureih

Pemberton

 

Answering the Challenge

I would like to thank everyone who helped make the 19th annual Citta Challenge a great success. Starting with the Municipality who realize that this race is one of the many things that make Whistler great. The fact that they realize the importance of animation in Village Square shows their commitment to ensuring a great guest experience. I love seeing the curious looks from tourists as costumed participants navigate a shopping cart blindfolded through a slalom course.

Thank you to the participants who sold out the event. I look forward to seeing you all next year.

Thank you to all our village neighbours.

Thank you to all the local businesses that donated so many terrific prizes.

Thank you to all our fantastic volunteers, I am truly moved that you all donate your day to Citta.

And last, thank you to all the Citta staff, who went above and beyond to make sure a great time was had by all. I am really looking forward to making the 20th Citta Challenge the best ever. See you all next June. Start training soon.

Scotty Gadsby

G.M. Citta