Opinion

A student of Whistler, if there is such a thing, could have gone a long way toward understanding this town by attending the three public meetings held at the conference centre this month.

Suddenly September has become the defining moment of this council’s term in office.

It has all the ingredients that make small-town politics fun: outrage, intrigue, a deal with the biggest company in town, threats, deceit (according to some), ransom demands (according to others), and a bus-load of outraged-intrigued-threatening cond

While it may be dangerous to read too much into one public hearing on a warm summer night in August, it was interesting to gauge the mood of the more than 50 people jammed into council chambers this past Monday evening.

If it’s such a good deal, what’s the hurry? We refer, of course, to the proposed Emerald Forest deal, announced last week.

Despite the fact only 3/7ths of council was present for Monday’s meeting where the terms of the deal to preserve the Emerald Forest were introduced, the significance of this decision should not be overlooked.

Nearly 40 years ago, when a group of Vancouver businessmen first proposed development of Whistler Mountain as a ski area and future site for the Winter Olympics, the federal government offered to make Garibaldi Provincial Park a national park.

Building the perfect resort Two items dominated Whistler council’s regular meeting this week, if time spent discussing issues is a measure of each issue’s significance.

Bed units and parking stalls Bed knobs and carrot-sticks A pair of municipally-sponsored information sessions concerning Intrawest’s Comprehensive Development Strategy for Creekside, including The Peaks and Spring Creek, were reasonably successful la

One of the most frustrating things about Whistler has been the pace and scale of development and how there has been little opportunity for local input once a plan is in place.