Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Commercial operators at local park provide great service

'Give us a chance to do the Canadian thing and be able to paddle on the beautiful lake, for whatever reason does not allow us to bring our own boat on the lake'
whistler rainbow park dock
A Whistler letter-writer is defending commercial operations at Lakeside Park.

[This letter is] in response to the [cover feature] article by [reporter] Braden Dupuis “Too Much Summer Lovin’?” and the commercial operation at Lakeside Park (Pique, May 13). 

Over the past 30-plus years I have been impressed at how beautiful this [park] and all the Whistler parks are.

There is now a well-treed berm and nice defining dock that separates the park from the nearest neighbour’s property. 

A commercial operation has been in place for over 30 years providing a variety of boating pleasure options to locals and tourists alike.

Some 25 years ago I was enjoying the beach with my two young boys, while a young boy struggled with his board and was attempting to rest with his hands touching the neighbour’s dock. He was angrily met by a woman … discouraging the youth from touching her dock. Later, when the police arrived … [and] handcuffed the [woman], I quickly grabbed the boys and left the park.

Glad the property owners now are brandishing pens and not [weapons]!

I am an off-the-lake property owner in Whistler and think the commercial operation is a great service for locals and visitors alike. The operation is very neat and hidden well. The operation in my mind does nothing to detract from the park, it only adds value and enjoyment.

To be able to walk or ride down to the lake and rent a canoe is just so convenient. If this operation saves just one non-lake boat from entering the system and introducing an attaching species, we should be paying the operator for his service. If you know anything about mussels or Asian Milfoil, you will agree that the fewer boats that enter multiple waterways the better.

The past 30 years has seen residents go from 5,000 to almost 15,000. The parks have seen this increase and responded with flush toilets and parking to keep the residential streets free of traffic, and visitors to these parks from parking in residential areas.

In my humble opinion, I cannot see a reason why the commercial operation should be suspended, nor how it could possibly be rational to think that any noise, pollution etc.issues be less if this operation was not there.

Whistler is a great place to live, let’s enjoy it. And for those of us not living on the lake, please give us a chance to do the Canadian thing and be able to paddle on the beautiful lake, for whatever reason does not allow us to bring our own boat on the lake.

A much better story would be from the geese’s point of view and where.

Mike Dempsey // Whistler