Applause for the mayor on climate change letter
I am so dismayed to read the recent "Letters to the Editor" regarding the mayor's letter to the oil and gas companies.
Climate change is real and instead of being scared out of their minds about the current state of the planet, (the fossil-fuel industry) vilifies environmentalists and "tree huggers."
Many times, these naysayers are the ones that profit the most from the destruction of the Earth's crust and vegetative layer. It doesn't take a genius to see that things are almost beyond repair unless we take drastic measures.
Total system collapses are occurring in every single ecosystem across the globe, from northern boreal forests to the great Amazon, yet everyone still wants their piece of the pie. But the pie is our planet and not meant to be cut up purely for human usage or profit.
What is hypocritical is that these critics bully the mayor for making a living supplying (bus) transportation. And for those of you who think all of us horrible greenies should either move to a cave and cook our buffalo over a fire-pit or shut up, well, I'm sorry but we ain't going anywhere and we ain't going to shut up, because without us, what then of our poor planet?
I congratulate the mayor and team, and fellow B.C. municipalities, for calling out oil and gas producers. Good on them.
Isn't this the same as suing cigarette companies and Monsanto for Round-Up?
The oil and gas companies have no incentive to shift towards a less-polluting business model if they can continue to profit without paying a share of the costs of said pollution.
The trillion-dollar fossil-fuel industry has the knowledge to implement a shift towards alternatives, but unless they are held accountable, there is no impetus towards change.
Sarah Valentine
Whistler
Why ICBC rates rise
I read Catherine Power-Chartrand's Letter to the Editor, Jan. 10, 2019, (in Pique) "Seeking a Witness," and it encouraged me to write a letter as well, as I too am seeking a witness.
On Dec. 8, 2018, I was driving home (south) on Gondola Way at approximately 11:15 a.m. As I was passing Marmot Place, I saw a car heading (north) swerve around the corner into my lane. I stopped my car at Powder View in the hope that the driver of the oncoming vehicle would be able to correct the direction of her car and go around me. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and she hit me head on, resulting in my car being a write-off.
The woman emerged from her car in tears apologizing profusely for hitting me.
Two young men appeared at the scene and managed the traffic to ensure that my car was not hit again. My car had been pushed into the northbound lane, facing west as a result of the impact of the head-on collision.
The police were called and information exchanged.
I went to Avis to rent a car and on my return home, the woman that had hit me was standing on the corner of the scene of the accident. I drove her home and during our conversation she again apologized and suggested that she should pay for my car rental. I pointed out that accidents happen, that I obviously was not happy about the accident but appreciated her apology and offer of payment. I declined the offer of payment for the car rental.
I called ICBC to report the accident upon my return home that afternoon.
On Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, I called ICBC again to get an update and learned the woman who had hit me had changed her story claiming that I had been in her lane.
Had this been the case, she would have hit me on the driver's side of the car.
So I am looking for a witness who is able to validate my statement that I was not at fault, in that he may have heard the driver of the vehicle that hit me accept responsibility for the accident and apologize for the same.
Nancy Forrest
Whistler
Oil and gas companies' conomic contributions
Much has been written about Whistler's mayor's poorly thought out (climate-change) letter to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
I am heartened, quite frankly, by the realistic backlash to that letter by many B.C. residents as well. In fact, so much has been written in contradiction to Mr. Mayor's ill-conceived letter that I will not spend time on this issue other than to provide him, and all citizens of B.C., a little economic update.
With regard to the oil and gas industry, I will not comment on the vast amount of tax dollars that have been paid to the provincial coffers, nor the benefit in jobs created in the province, nor the economic benefit of goods and services provided or created by virtue of the petroleum industry.
I will provide you with one statistic only. Twelve times a year, the B.C. Crown offers petroleum and natural gas rights for sale in the province. These lands are bid on by industry in a competitive process. The funds generated by those sales go into general revenue for the government of the day to spend as it sees fit on anything from healthcare to forest-fire protection and anything and everything in between. I cannot speak to the choices a government of the day makes in its spending budget. However, just so you know, between January 2005 and Dec. 31, 2018, industry has invested, in land-sale acquisition only, the staggering amount of a little over $7.8 billion dollars. This equates to an average of $561 million every year or an average of $47 million every month for 14 years.
Notwithstanding the other economic contributors mentioned earlier in this letter, imagine the benefit to the residents of British Columbia that those land-sale dollars alone have provided.
To those that have written letters condemning the foolish letter written by the mayor of Whistler, thank you for your support.
To those that continue to denigrate the Canadian oil and gas sector, think of the contribution of the oil and gas industry each time you use a government service.
Les Burden
Alberta
Remembrance of late Jane Burrows
Further to your welcome eulogy by Pique columnist Glenda Bartosh about the remarkable contribution of Jane Burrows to her community of Whistler, the article also notes that Jane (nee Archer) Burrows' hometown was Kirkland Lake, in Northern Ontario (Pique, "Fork in the Road," Jan 17).
Also, Kirkland Lake will be hosting a 2019 Summer Homecoming from Saturday, June 22 to Sunday, July 7. We will be celebrating 100 years as an incorporated community.
The Archer family was well known in Kirkland Lake; her father and brother, as owners of Archers Dairy and past presidents of the Milk Marketing Board of Ontario.
With pride, I note that Ken Pickering and two of my sons, now of Squamish, also share Kirkland Lake as their home community. I suspect there are others in the area and would welcome hearing from them. The common links are the Britannia Mine, forestry and the love of skiing and the outdoor activities that this fine area offers.
Pique and community are to be commended for their remembrance of citizens and their lifelong efforts in creating such a thriving area.
Paul Filteau
Ontario
Whistler Skating Club thanks
A huge thank you to everyone who came out last month, on Dec. 14, to support the Whistler Skating Club's skate performance and fundraiser, Starry Night Holiday Show.
We would like to thank the many club parent volunteers, coaches, program assistants and the Meadow Park staff for their hard work in the production of this event. And, to the community of parents, family members, friends and skating fans that came out to celebrate the beauty and joy of skating, providing donations at the entry, silent auction, turkey toss, dinner and bake sale, we also say thank you!
We graciously thank the Real Estate Association of Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and many other businesses, groups and individuals that kindly contributed to our Starry Night Holiday Show. These generous contributions help make it possible for our club to achieve its goal of providing recreational and competitive skating opportunities to the Whistler community.
Anyone inspired to learn to skate or improve their skating can register for skating programs starting in April of 2019. For more information or to register, call 604-935-7529 or visit whistler.ca/recreation.
Heidi Florio
Whistler Skating Club
Calling out hypocrisy
Once again, Bruce Kay, we thank you for coming off your high perch and educating us all about the perils of climate change (Pique, "Letters to the Editor," Jan. 10, 2019). Your grasp of the English language is truly remarkable. How you get all those big words in one sentence is beyond my scope.
The reason that we call out the hypocrisy is because it's the low-hanging fruit. When we go after the low-hanging fruit it does one of two things: opens a meaningful and honest debate, or brings out the anger and the fury of the far left-wing Marxist ideologues.
It's a dirty tactic, I know, and yes, it looks juvenile as you pointed out, but what's the alternative? We have been told the debate is over, the consensus is in, the computer models work, and we are all doomed. Unless, however, you pay us a carbon tax and we will surely fix the problem.
You expect us all to have short memories and ignore the fraud and mismanaging of the funds geared toward the climate-change file right here in town.
Forget about the complete failure of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Copenhagen Summit emails that exposed their true colours. Forget about Al Gore and his banker buddies at Goldman Sachs and their profitable carbon-exchange system. Forget about the democide (non-military deaths, civilian deaths by own government) between 200 and 300 million in the last century. Forget about the human-rights violations of the member countries of the Paris Agreement. Forget about the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations' alleged cover-ups of fraud and pedophilia within their organizations.
We are not going to be silenced or easily offended by your command of the English language. I will send a donation to Rebel Media today and then go skiing on our Republican-endorsed mountains.
David McLatchie
Whistler
