The time is now for us to all do our part. Whistler Blackcomb’s opening is a few weeks away, and Christmas is on the horizon.
For the economic and social well-being of our community, it is time for us all to protect this beautiful town we live in. We need the mountains to open. We need our local businesses to stay open. And a lot of us need the schools to stay open.
If you have lived here long enough, you will remember the “slow” season, when tourism was quiet and businesses relied on locals for support. I am asking everyone to support your local businesses, because we need you.
Consider doing all your holiday shopping locally this year. Some businesses will give a locals’ discount, and all have strict COVID-19 protocols in place to keep you safe. Support all your local grocery stores because they are always supporting the local community.
Don’t shop online, try “offline” shopping for items you need. Nothing annoys me more when I see someone selling an item they bought online because it doesn’t fit or they don’t like it. Why not go into a store and try it on or view it, and buy it from someone locally who is trying to make ends meet?
Head down to Function Junction where you can find everything you want or need for your home. Walking around the Village, Creekside, or Function Junction is also a safe way to make eye contact with others and not feel so socially isolated.
Most everyone I know relies on tourism, directly or indirectly, to make a living. Whistler needs to be able to welcome tourists, even if they are Canadian, for businesses to continue to operate. We all need to make sacrifices to keep our town open and operating.
It’s been a long nine months, and for our community health, we need to all do our part to stay safe, keep our kids in school, support our businesses, and fingers crossed we can have a great winter.
Christy Craig // Whistler
Keeping a straight face
I note that the B.C. NDP is extending the rent freeze through to July 10, 2021.
During the election campaign, [NDP Premier John] Horgan said they would extend the freeze through to end of 2021.
Just wondering if there is some sort of online course I can take to learn how to lie with a straight face? Asking for a friend.
Patrick Smyth // Whistler
Highway fix
I was surprised when the recent article on Highway 99 (“RMOW eyes transit gains and short-term wins on Highway 99,” Pique, Oct. 22) did not mention the lights at Creekside, which is the main choke point/bottleneck. Solve the problem there and you would at least mitigate a lot of the other problem areas.
Jim Kennedy // Whistler
Rotary Club thanks
The Rotary Clubs of the Sea to Sky—Whistler, Whistler Millenium, Squamish, and Pemberton—thank all the participants, sponsors, and donors, local and worldwide who took part and contributed to the amazing success of the Sea to Sky Pedal for Polio Campaign.
It was an experiment as all our usual fundraising strategies are no longer possible with the COVID pandemic.
We raised $17,000, which when matched two to one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, means a grand total of $51,000 to be donated to the Rotary International-End Polio Now [initiative]. This is a huge contribution that will help to ensure that no children have to suffer the dreadful effects of this horrible disease.
Whilst polio is considered “eradicated” almost everywhere on the Earth, all children still need to have three doses of the vaccine to provide them with immunity. Many developing countries rely on organizations such as Rotary to provide that vaccine.
Thank you to the Sea to Sky community. You are amazing.
Gill Forester // President, Rotary Club of Whistler
Epic app fail
As it rained heavily [the other] night, I had visions of a large snow dump on the mountain. So I fired up my trusty Whistler Blackcomb (WB) app… and saw the notice that it was no longer supported. It referred me to the Epic app. I clicked on it and the first thing I noted was the user rating—1.2 out of five. Normally Apple would delist any app ranked this low.
Having endured the ham-fisted conversion from WB to Epic after the purchase, the saga continues.
And a former member of the Olympic Committee now living in Australia related their firsthand experience as to what to expect this winter. He and family all had passes. They booked a hotel for a week with the goal of skiing five days. They tried using the reservation system. Their son got four days, the Mom got two days and the Dad did not get any…
I guess time will tell.
Michael Hagerman // Whistler
CN Police warn drivers on crossing railway lines
CN Police officers are spreading a rail safety message in Pemberton and Whistler.
Last year in North America, there were more than 3,400 collisions with trains, resulting in more than 2,200 serious injuries or fatalities. Rail safety is a core value at CN and CN Police wants to be a part of the effort to minimize the risk of accidents related to winter driving.
This winter, chances are that people in Pemberton and Whistler will face some challenging driving conditions. Freezing rain, snow, sleet and whiteouts can make winter driving downright dangerous.
According to the [U.S.] Federal Railroad Administration, there is a spike in railway crossing incidents during the winter months. Reducing the likelihood of being in a serious car accident at a railway crossing in winter starts with proper planning and knowing some rail-safety basics.
Safety is a core value at CN and we want to take every opportunity to raise awareness on safe behaviour around rail.
We want everyone to: Be Rail Smart: Stop. Look. Listen. Live.
When approaching railway crossings, turn off your radio and heating fans so you can listen for trains, look for railway warning signs and signals and remember that snow may cover train tracks at a crossing, and if your vehicle gets stuck on a track, leave it there and immediately notify emergency responders by calling 911.
For additional safety tips or other information regarding rail safety or CN Police, visit cn.ca/en/safety/cn-police-service.
Mathieu Gaudreault // Senior Advisor, CN public affairs, Montreal
