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Letters to the Editor for the week of May 10th, 2012

Mother's Day — part two
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Sequels are rarely a good idea, so last year when I wrote a Mother's Day letter to the editor for my mom, Maryann Pereira, I did not think I would be doing it again this year.

It was a wonderful feeling to watch my mom open her gift on Mother's Day, a framed newspaper clipping of the letter.

At first she thought it was a joke...I guess that's what I get for being a prankster all my life!

After a lot of, "No, seriously mom...happy Mother's Day, I wrote this for you," Mama Pereira finally got the point.

My mom is one of the most important people in my life; she has influenced and instilled such great qualities over the years to my brother, sister and myself.

This year, although I would love to surprise my mom again and write something about her, my life has changed a bit. I am getting married!

Now, I am trying to make sure this letter does not come off in a "Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City" think-out loud-as-I-type-kind of tone. Plain and simple, my life is about to take a new and exciting turn, and now I will have two moms to celebrate this Mother's Day.

The more moms the better, double the guidance, double the food take-home packages, double the fun ... that sounds like a Spearmint Gum commercial.

I still work at World Vision and love it, so this year in addition to writing another letter to the editor I decided that a great way to support Maryann Pereira and my "new mom," Vijay Patel would be to support an expectant mom living in poverty through the World Vision Gift Catalogue (www.worldvision.ca). Or even sponsor a child in their name.

The way I see it, without my mom and my dreamy fiancée's mom we would not be saying our "I do's" later this summer. So the least we can do is give the gift in our moms' names to help two expecting moms have the same opportunity to be great mothers to their kid(s).

Maybe one day the two kids will meet and get married...OK, maybe that's a "Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City" thought.

Happy Mother's Day's to all the Maryann Pereira's and Vijay Patel's in the world. It does not matter how old we are, married or single, you're not just our moms...you're our whole world.

Alicia Pereira

Whistler

Are we really open for business?

We are again open for business. Here in Whistler we have heard that statement a lot of times in the last months, but on the other hand we are living in a different reality for small businesses. Do we want to become "Park Royal North" or create a community with a unique local flavor?

My apologies about my following considerations, but due to my MBA degree and business background, take them as a professional deviation.

The Whistler community is experiencing a "pay parking" underuse — at least at Lot 3 and the conference centre underground; so why we don't use the always empty Lot 3 to open "The Whistler Auto Mall" renting the empty spaces to car dealers. Pattison Auto Group could be interested in this great advertisement opportunity.

Doc Branigan's is closing... Great location for a small Canadian Tire branch.

Miro — are you closing the European style Pizza Café? You have an amazing location for a Starbucks there. We only have four in Whistler.

Sorry guys, nothing personal against "Big Boxes" nor big-chain stores. Please don't misunderstand me, when you invite these big chain stores into the community they are supporting our high school students and giving them jobs and invaluable training, this is a great community contribution. But I'm thinking about macro planning; let's take a look at the "Big Picture": We are open for business. Does that mean that we're ready to offer our customers what we want to sell them? Or what they expect to buy?

Do we really picture a European skier coming to Whistler to buy at a Benetton or a Gucci store?

By the way, international brands and chains are the only ones able to pay the Village shops' leases year-round for a long time. An average year round Village lease amount is less than a national newspaper advertisement campaign. No contest. It's cheaper for an international brand to pay rent here for a year and get the exposure, than to run a big ad campaign.

As an open-to-business community we need more Fruv's, more Lift coffee shops and Purebreads. We need more Fanatyk Cos, The Escape Route and Amos & Andes Whistler Sweater Shops that, while offering international brands, do it with a magic local touch.

Whistler is a unique and special place. Let's try to keep the Whistler experience unique and special. The RMOW should re-think the "Open for Business" policy, not by creating "Park Royal North," but by focusing instead on our customers' expectations and encouraging the spirit of local businesses.

Jorge T. Raavenna

Whistler

Volunteering is all of our responsibility

There are those upset with teachers for not continuing extra-curricular activities, concluding that those who want to be considered professional need to do so.

Let us follow this logic. Is your doctor any less professional because they refuse to make volunteer house calls after office hours? Is your lawyer any less professional because they won't give you free legal advice well after they should be home? How about that mechanic, less professional if they don't come over and fix your car for free on a Sunday afternoon?

Why are teachers less professional if they don't give of their own free time? What about those teachers that are, like many of us, doing volunteer service away from our jobs. Any less professional? So why has volunteering at schools become the professional standard for teachers?

What it has become is the dumping ground for our society. They have had to take on what society no longer is prepared to do. We are told that without teachers volunteering kids will not play sports, get hefty scholarships, exercise, participate in theatre, experience camp-outs, graduation parties, cruises, trips overseas, or visits to the parliament buildings. Many businesses will go broke if a teacher doesn't give up his weekend away from his family. Many kids will go hungry and have no clothing to wear if teachers don't volunteer. These used to be jobs of parents and other community volunteers.

Maybe we should rethink this volunteer gig. Instead of demanding that teachers give countless hours outside of teaching we should thank them for the time they do volunteer for us.

While the government has chosen to demonize these people maybe society should just be thankful for what we get, be feeling guilty to be expecting more, and then expect more from ourselves. Volunteer service does not define a teacher as a professional — any more than it defines the rest of us — this is their way to give back to society as members of our community, and giving back to society is not the sole domain of teachers. 

You and I could do the same.

What are you doing after school on Friday or this weekend? Want to look after 30 kids?

Bruce McCloy

Langley

Whistler RMI funds distribution

In the summer of 2011, we here in Whistler were introduced to the free concert series in Whistler Olympic Plaza. In reality the series was not free at all but paid for through the RMI fund.

It is my understanding that this fund is generated through the two per cent hotel tax and returned back to our local government for distribution through the RMI Fund and the Festival Events and Animation program.

The concert series, while most enjoyable, was to generate overnight hotel accommodation visits to Whistler, which it largely did not accomplish, and to produce spin-off expenditures, which it surely did do to some extent.

The Jazz Festival, which followed the free concert series, was a great financial failure for those financing it. Unfortunately it is not common practice for humans to pay for something that they have just been given for free several times in a row. It's called consumer conditioning. I remind you, however, that we did not get these concerts for free. They were paid for with tax dollars.

Unfortunately the concerts that were part of the free concert series did not generate the overnight visits, but rather entertained those who were here regardless, and those of us that also live and work in Whistler who had the night off.

If we are to continue using RMI Funds to finance concerts in Whistler Olympic Plaza we need to track who is coming to Whistler for such an event, and how many have come.

It's my opinion that the whole use of the Whistler Olympic Plaza is upside down. Instead of paying performing artists to play we should be taking bids from performing artists to use this venue. The venue currently holds 8,000 spectators. If the RMOW constructed temporary bleacher seating ... we would possibly have room for 10,000 to 12,000 spectators. How many destinations in the world offer all the beauty and all that Whistler offers? Not many! We need to provide the performing artists with grounds' security; we need to provide them a baseline of promotion, and also the technical support to allow performing artists to showcase in this venue. The financial risk and the rewards, however, should be that of the performing artists.

We are not generating or attracting the calibre of performing artist acts or entertainment that will fill hotel rooms in Whistler. When you attract performing artists like Celine Dion you will fill hotel rooms.

Establishing a reserve cost for use of the venue should be predetermined and it should then be marketed to and targeted at performing artists. If we can attract big name performing artists to Whistler to help fill hotel rooms then they in turn should receive a percentage of room night sales as well, plus the concert ticket sales revenue which they can determine. The unit price would be variable from one performing artist to the other. Concert ticket sales and Whistler accommodation would need to be purchased together in order for the performing artists to receive a percentage of the room night sales.

When we provide this kind of live entertainment venue and business model, jazz festivals will not sit empty here in Whistler and those who (risk) their monies will not leave in financial despair. Let's give that some thought because our RMI funds could be used for other important uses that will help strengthen Whistler's position globally as a resort destination that people feel they must visit.

Brian Wolfgang Becker

Whistler

(Editor's note: RMI is an incentive based program, annual funding is calculated based on a resort municipality's accommodation units, a percentage value (one to four per cent) is assigned based on the number of accommodation units in the resort multiplied by the amount of accrued payments of two per cent Additional Hotel Room Tax, paid to the resort municipality for the previous calendar year.)

Service above self

The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self" and it is the ruler on which we judge ourselves, and our actions. In our little community, we have a Rotarian who is the embodiment of this lofty goal.

For years, Doug Deeks has reached out to the native community of Skatin; he has identified a need and marshalled resources to fulfill that need — providing a playground and then playground equipment; finding sewing machines and someone to teach classes in sewing; creating a library, setting up a catalogue system and stocking the new shelves with books; and each year providing gifts for the children at Christmas.

These are just a few examples of the needs that he has spearheaded, ably assisted by his wife Joan. Along the way, the Rotary Clubs of Whistler and Whistler Millennium have jumped in where they could, but the dynamos behind this have always been Doug and Joan Deeks.

Finally, Doug received the recognition he so richly deserves when he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award for his years of service through Rotary to the people of Skatin.

The Rotary clubs of Whistler want everyone to know the amazing job Doug has done and just how proud we are of him.

Beth Harlow, president, Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium

Jim Miller, president, Rotary Club of Whistler

Saying goodbye

All parents will have, or have already had a moment like this: Side by side at the Vancouver airport, we said goodbye to a youngest child. He is off to Norway to begin his independent life. His lovely girlfriend awaits him there, as do the challenges he's picked in a new country.

His older brother, a young Canadian soldier, has been gone two-plus years now. Saw him off at the same airport as today to wish him well on his way overseas to face battle in Afghanistan.

For all history all parents sleeplessly worry and feel fear when their child goes into battle — any type of battle. In this case I listened to CBC every morning, as it was the first to broadcast Canadian casualties and the regiment they were in.

Our son thankfully came back safe, considered a remarkable and respected soldier, and I am happy he's found a calling and is doing well at that.

His home is now near a military base in Ontario, dedicated to being a good soldier. Our youngest's home is now in Norway, dedicated to the University of Oslo.

They will be OK, both of them — close to home or far away. They are sure doing better than I did at their ages. Bet that's the same for many of us. Proud parents, we look forward to their happiness in the futures they have chosen, and hope we have served them well, all of us.

Breaks a heart though to see the youngest one off. Bet that's happened to parents for thousands and thousands of years.

Be prepared: The tree/cave/mud hut/thatched cottage/farm acreage/house/apartment get's pretty quiet, pretty quick. Thank goodness we've got email.

Matthew Cote

Vancouver

We can make a difference

I received a letter from BC Hydro today stating that it will be installing the new smart meter at my place soon. This makes me wonder how many smart meters have made their way to Whistler already and I hope we can stop this from happening.

On stopsmartmetersbc.ca, it is said there are now 39 cities in B.C. that have moratoriums and/or have requested to opt out, so I hope Whistler does the same!

There is so much information out there about the negative effects these have; I thought BC Hydro had backed down from putting them up like they did in California, which even criminalized smart meter installations (see "PG&E Begins Removing "Smart" Meters Due to Health Effects" in the New York Times, Jan 5, 2011).

We can make a difference!

Marie Fortin

Whistler

Bottles full of thank-yous!

A big thank you to the Whistler community from the Grade 6/7 students at Spring Creek and École La Passerelle for helping them achieve great success on their bottle drive on April 29! Over $1,200 was raised and it couldn't have been done without the many generous bottle donations from various restaurants and businesses in Whistler.

Thank-you also to all the kids and parents who helped sort and count bottles throughout the day, and drive around to pick up bottles, and to Chad and Hamish at Regional Recycling for all of their support!

A special thank you to the following businesses: Roland's, Doc Branigan's, La Rua, GLC, Dusty's, Whistler Blackcomb, Araxi, Boston Pizza, and Profile Ski Tuning.

Merci!

Grade 6/7s, Spring Creek and École La Passerelle

Tea-time thanks

On behalf of the Whistler Arts Council, I would like to thank everyone who came out to our inaugural Artists in Wonderland fundraiser Sunday, April 29 at the Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre.

Guests enjoyed Paintertainment's costumed Alice, Queen of Hearts, and Mad Hatter, live guitar by Mike from Montreal and balloons by Andrew Twisty. David's Tea was served in teacups from the Whistler Arts Council's collection. Delicious cake and cupcakes from Sugar Momma Pastries, sumptuous seafood from Whistler Cooks and finger sandwiches were included in the après fare.

Special thanks to our volunteers — Sara Marrocco, Amber Clark, Cindy Goss, Jessica Ferguson, Hannah Chornoby, Amy Mongomery, Dean Feser, Sandra Epplett, Jacqui Tyler, Chris Quinlan, and Andrew Twisty.

Thank you to the SLCC, Nesters Market, Sumac Ridge, Purebread, Nonna Pia's, Jane Roberts, Tan Zion, Delish Catering, David's Tea, Pemberton Distilleries, Cary and Paulo Lopes, Laurie MacCallum, Kathleen Tennock, Marcelle Armatage, Lorien Chilton, Sabrina Perfitt and to all the artists, individuals and businesses that donated items for our auction.

Thank you for supporting arts and culture in Whistler!

Kelly Johnston, WAC development manager

Whistler