In response to the Pique’s online poll [this week] “Health Canada has officially authorized a COVID-19 vaccine. Will you get the vaccine when it becomes available?” I am writing this letter.
The poll’s intention, I surmise, is simple. Pique is wishing to understand in a non-rigorous fashion what are the thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine in terms of safety and efficacy at the individual level. Underlying the question is the assumption that a significant proportion of the poll responses may indicate hesitancy in receiving the vaccine.
Vaccine hesitancy has grown in recent years, perhaps anecdotally driven by vast and easily attainable information on the internet and social media, amongst other factors. It has been studied extensively to better understand root causes and also methodologies to overcome. Certainly coercion of any kind is neither warmly received nor effective. So let’s not shame people or try to argue with them to change their mind.
My writing this letter is a simple request of everyone, including the Pique, to suggest to people to get advice from someone informed and trusted.
Both of those descriptors are important.
Informed is someone with verifiable expert knowledge: A scientist, healthcare practitioner, researcher, etc. Trusted is likely someone with whom you have a personal relationship or otherwise have a firm belief in their reliability and truth: A friend, family member, doctor, etc. This narrows the potential list of people from which to accept advice greatly.
Together let’s eliminate the obvious ones—politicians, big pharma, leftist media, social media, friends, co-workers, family—oh, and certainly the author of this letter. (Note, this letter is to suggest how to get good counsel, not whether you should get the vaccine.)
Perhaps this informed and trusted person is your family doctor. This makes sense to me as it checks both boxes. I know they are informed, having completed medical school and ongoing professional development. And I inherently trust them with my overall health based upon personal history with them.
Over the coming weeks and months, there is likely to be significant societal debate about the COVID-19 vaccine. We are all going to be sick of hearing about it, regardless of your personal vaccine advocacy or hesitancy.
It will be interesting to see how governments and the healthcare sector approach the task of advocating for all to receive the vaccine. Let’s hope it is not a heavy-handed approach. Good luck to each reader in their own personal decision-making process based upon informed and trusted advice.
Dale Tiessen // Whistler
WB in-person staff saves the day
Like many passholders, I was disappointed when Whistler Blackcomb (WB) sold to Vail Resorts.
The frustration grew as we watched [Vail Resorts] make multiple decisions that basically told the existing skiers to piss off. All they wanted was an additional destination for Epic passholders in other regions. And the switch over was pathetic as we learned they would be replacing the well-run WB computer system with their severely antiquated system.
This year, I had a challenge. They charged my credit card twice for a pass. I tried calling customer service twice … on hold for 3-plus hours and gave up.
Then I decided to try [online] chat. The message back was that I was 1,736th in line and the wait time would be 638 minutes. It was such a joke that I took a screen shot.
Finally, I showed up at the customer service windows in person. I was greeted by this positive-energy person who immediately made my day (wish I had noticed her name). She said that I would need to talk with her manager Mark. He was dealing with another customer and five minutes later came over.
He was amazing… In spite of the continued issue of the Vail Resorts 286 computer driven system, he was able to find the file and issue a credit.
So THANKS Mark. I could tell that there is a lot of stress on those needing to work with substandard technology. But, the true, positive spirit shone through and I am so grateful to have you and the team there to help us create that positive spirit that is WB.
Michael Hagerman // Whistler
Whistler should consider affordability for visitors
On Nov. 28, 2020, Pique’s Alyssa Noel highlighted the many challenges Whistler businesses and the Whistler Chamber of Commerce can expect to face in the coming weeks and months ahead to keep the “doors open” until defeating the pandemic is achieved.
As a former long-time resident and annual visitor, I have witnessed Whistler facing its share of global events that at a local level can have a great impact on travel to the resort.
There’s little doubt that the current pandemic has had the greatest and most-prolonged negative impact to business in Whistler’s history.
I first visited the resort nearly 30 years ago, at the time walking through Village Square reminded me of a great, outdoor mall with its sprawling anchor featured at the base of Whistler Mountain. Since, Whistler Blackcomb has cemented its status as a truly world-class destination.
Annually my family will come to Whistler for one week in March. Due to the pandemic we have decided to delay the planning of this trip until perhaps February when we might know more about how the mountains are operating in this new environment.
We were also curious to understand what one week in March will cost for five days skiing purchasing lift tickets for two adults and one teenager. After choosing our dates and the three lift ticket products in our shopping cart the total came to just under $2,200. Add airfare, transfers, accommodations, F&B, and it seems extraordinary that the domestic-destination market will be looking at Whistler Blackcomb given the current economic environment in Canada.
During a season in which annual skier visits could be at an unprecedented low due to travel restrictions beyond the resort’s control, would this not be the year for Whistler Blackcomb to make a great appeal to the Canadian market, an appeal to [incentivize] Canadians who are not restricted from domestic travel to choose Whistler Blackcomb?
Likely the resort’s anchor tenant can get past the economic impact of the pandemic, but the small businesses must too survive, these business owners are local homeowners and taxpayers.
Vaccines are on the way, hopefully one year from now the holiday season will feature a packed village, 35,000 daily skier visits and the vibe we all know. In the meantime, what can the local business leadership do to help those who can visit make the choice to do so in 2021, at a time when the resort needs support like never before?
Rob Reed // Ontario
Ol’ skeptical me
I was skeptical in 1966 when my father tossed us into the back of his 1964 Plymouth Fury station wagon (no seatbelts) to rumble up a gravel road for hours to scope out a planned ski resort: so-called “Whistler.”
I was skeptical again when Blackcomb Mountain opened in 1980, but my heart was immediately won over and it has been my favourite slope ever since.
But I was again skeptical and saddened when Vail Resorts took ownership. On many fronts I remain so. Coming into this season I remained skeptical and waited until the last possible moment to purchase my pass.
However, I now have to admit that my expectations have been exceeded in many ways. I feel Vail Resorts has made the right moves regarding COVID-19. We’re still out skiing, lifties seem to be upbeat and happy, grooming is still happening, and most of all, we get to point our skis (boards) downhill and enjoy what we have here. For that, I am thankful, and a bit less skeptical.
Dave Milligan // Whistler
Whistler Blackcomb lot parking should be for paying guests
On Sunday [Dec. 13] a couple of things happened.
First, on the way up to Lot 8 to park at Blackcomb (since we didn’t want to take a chance on no parking at Lot 6 due to house parking taking out about 60 skier parking spots—see below) we were diverted to park in Lot 7.
First off—again there was no “lot full” sign put out at Lot 6 at that time, but I’m pretty sure it was full.
We didn’t want to park in Lot 7 and this has never been a problem before this early in the morning (8:15 a.m.). I asked the parking attendant why all cars were being diverted to Lot 7 and not allowed to park in Lot 8. I was told, “It’s to help with social distancing at the gondola. To make sure that not too many people are showing up there at once…”
This of course makes no sense. In fact you would think that it would be better for social distancing to have day skiers parking at multiple lots in the morning, so they aren’t all crammed together in the same lot. So yes, I’m pissed off that [Vail Resorts is] not allowing us to park at Lot 8 early on the weekend mornings.
A quick poll of the other day skiers and boarders revealed the same frustration. In fact I heard others, unsolicited asking the same attendant the same question.
Request: Allow day skiers to park at lots 6, 7 or 8 in the morning or provide a good explanation as to why not.
Second—I got new, unverified information about the house-parking-only situation at Lot 6 taking out about 60 spots.
I was informed that house parking is actually staff parking for employee-housing residents. So Vail Resorts, which prides itself on an unmatched guest experience, has given priority for parking to its staff over its paying customers? Seems a bit of an inconsistency to me.
I get it, Vail Resorts has extra Canadian staff this year that need a place to put their cars since they drove to Whistler from wherever they are from, but why would [Vail Resorts] give them parking in the lot where their cars appear to just be collecting snow and not going anywhere, taking spots from paying customers with their families?
This is one more straw that further angers season passholders from around the Sea to Sky community who already have trouble with Vail Resorts on a number of levels.
Vail Resorts’ management should realize that this kind of poor decision making will not help endear Sea to Sky passholders to its brand or leadership team. It does the opposite.
Request: Move your staff parking to another location in the valley that is accessible by bus since [staff] do not need their cars in Whistler anyway if they are living in staff housing and working at Whistler Blackcomb.
Ken Bell // Whistler
Welcoming our growing diversity
Our thanks to the Whistler Community Foundation for highlighting our growing diversity through community demographics.
Since April 2020, the Whistler Welcome Centre has supported individuals living and working in Whistler who speak 21 mother languages, the top three being Arabic, Japanese and Spanish, and we will certainly see this reflected in the 2021 census.
The statistics presented for mother tongues spoken in Whistler from census 2016 lose some depth in the regional consolidation, and include some inaccuracies. Actual mother tongue statistics for Whistler from the 2016 census reflecting the larger demographic resident groups were:
• 82-per-cent English
• 5-per-cent French
• 2-per-cent German
• 2-per-cent Tagalog and other Filipino dialects
• 2-per-cent Japanese
• 2-per-cent Spanish
• 2.5-per-cent Slavic languages (Czech and Slovak representing 62 per cent of those)
These [statistics] show how diverse our community is, and especially reflect the vibrant Japanese, Filipino, Czech, Slovak and Spanish speaking communities that we have been seeing grow locally over the last few years, through immigration and expanding multicultural families.
Carole Stretch // Whistler Multicultural Society
