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It is great to see community support and a crew of people rally for something they believe in.

It is great to see community support and a crew of people rally for something they believe in. Over the last month a group of dirt bikers that includes kids, parents, business owners and adrenaline junkies have banned together as the Green River Riding Club. The club, named after the Green River which flows from Whistler to Pemberton, saw its first fund-raiser at Garfinkel’s June 19. It was a great success.

The newly formed club would like to thank all the people who came out to support us and especially the following sponsors: Garfinkel’s, Whiski Jack Resorts, Stella Artois, No Limits Motor Sports, West Coast Off Road Hummer Tours, Vision Motor Sports, Adventure Ranch, Cougar Mountain ATV, SMD Automotive, Lordco Auto Parts, Blackcomb Helicopters, Kypriakis, Evolution Cycles, Tapley’s, Evergreens Restaurant, Caramba, Billibong Clothing, Toad Hall, Diamond Head Yamaha, Valley Chainsaw, Fanatyk Co., and Fox.

Chad Breitenstein

President

Green River Riding Club

On Thursday, June 21, the Whistler Museum and Archives Society held a summer Solstice fund-raising event at the Dubh Linn Gate. We are pleased to announce that the event was a success with over 150 guests in attendance. The buffet and service provided by the Dubh Linn Gate was outstanding. We thank the Dubh Linn Gate and look forward to returning in the fall.

We would also like to thank the following local sponsors:

Whistler Audio Visual, Whistler Backroad Adventures, Whistler Air, Skitch, Spy Canada, Westbeach, Great Games & Toys, Intrawest Resort Development Group, Whistler Bike Co., Isobel MacLaurin, Canadian All-Terrain Adventures, Pique Newsmagazine, The Whistler Question, Mountain FM.

Highlighting the event, the Whistler Museum and Archives Society presented for the first time in public our newly designed Whistler Pioneer Photographs from the Myrtle Philip Collection which will soon be available to those who visit the museum’s Web site at www.whistlermuseum.org

We would also like to extend a special thank you to the museum staff, board members and volunteers whose contributions were essential. We invite everyone to join us this October for our next Dubh Linn Gate event.

Stephen Henderson, President

Whistler Museum and Archives Society

On Sunday, June 24, we experienced a touch of grace in Whistler.

The inaugural service of the Whistler Village Church at the new Maurice Young Millennium Place was a magnificent and touching multi-denominational celebration.

We wanted to take a moment to thank the people who first had the dream of an Interfaith Church, then created a plan and with more people coming on board and with tremendous determination saw that plan manifest into a unique multi-use facility.

The service itself, was a beautifully planned ecumenical achievement with representatives of the United, Anglican and Lutheran Churches participating. With the addition of the Highland United Church choir encircling us with their spirited voices, as one person exclaimed at the closing, "I don't want this to end!"

What an amazing and successful beginning! Congratulations Whistler! We look forward to many more "grace opportunities" at Whistler Village Church.

Dianne and Bruce Ledingham

Via e-mail

Re-Use-It Centre: Has a year gone by already??

It has been an amazing first year for all of us at the Re-Use-It centre, and we would like to update the community on our progress and plans for year number two.

Firstly, a huge thank-you to our faithful customers, our volunteers, our staff, our donors, and all of the service groups and businesses who so generously give of their time when we need them.

For those readers who have not yet heard about us, and for our customers who may have forgotten the details, here is a synopsis of what we do and how we operate.

We receive donated items from the community which are (hopefully) clean, in good working order and "re-usable." In turn, we sort the items, discard any garbage and then price the saleable goods for the store. The proceeds of the store support the programs operated by Whistler Community Services Society and they are as follows: Food Bank, Emergency Assistance, Santa’s Helpers, Parent-infant drop in, Community Kitchens, W.A.R. (Whistler Aids Resources), crisis line, Y.A.P.P. (Young Adults in Partnership Program) Counselling Assistance Fund, Home Visiting Volunteers, Healthy Communities, Community Schools Kidsports, Whistler Youth Peer Educators, Recreation Credit Program, Volunteer Exchange Program, Youth Outreach worker and The Survival Guide.

We get a large volume of donations and not all of it can be used in the store. We are then able to pass on a tremendous amount of good "stuff" to other charitable/social serve agencies. We help groups first in our corridor, but there is lots to go around to Lower Mainland charities as well. This helps us to fulfil two of our most important mandates: To help spread the resources around the community and to keep things out of the landfill.

We also concentrate on helping our local non-profit groups to raise funds for their own special projects. The group will come in and do a "volunteer night" at the centre, helping sort, clean, organize and keep the store presentable and they earn money for their organization Big Brother/Sisters, United Church, WAG, Pathfinders – they all benefit from the centre. In addition, for this year we have set up a small grants program to which other local community groups can apply.

The Re-Use-It Centre has regular staff and we also have volunteers. For everyone who volunteers with us, they get a $5 per hour store credit. This is a necessary incentive for people to come and help out. Because we process such a huge volume and variety of donations the bulk of the stock makes it to the store as soon as we can price it get on the shelves. After a couple of shifts, 99 per cent of our volunteers exhibit what we call the "rummaged out" phenomenon. For all of you "pack rats" who are trying to change their ways, just come and volunteer for a few shifts and we will cure you. We welcome all volunteers, it is a hard and sometimes intense job, but it is always fun and very rewarding. It allows everyone to "make a difference."

We are always moving ahead and trying to improve. We are doing some painting and redecorating this week and we are excited to spruce things up a bit for our customers. We will be extending our hours starting Monday, July 2. We will be open Daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We look forward to being able to introduce some new ides and services in our second year, so keep watching – one of our mottos is "there is never a dull moment at The Re-Use-It Centre."

We think of ourselves as a "work in progress" and we are grateful to have the opportunity to make a difference in our community. We consider your feedback to be valuable and please fill in our feed-back forms at the centre.

Thank you for your continued support, patronage and positive input.

Maureen Liddy

Re-Use-It Centre Co-ordinator

I had heard that Pique was featuring an article on religion in Whistler, and this being a subject that interests me, I looked forward to reading it. But what a sad disappointment it proved to be. Why the Pique, known for its quality writing and incisive reporting, would give front page coverage to such a biased, misinformed and intolerant article is beyond me.

This article was not a balanced or reasoned examination of religion in Whistler. Rather it was one long, unpaid advertisement for one church in particular, perhaps because the writer is herself, I believe, a member of that church. I find this dishonest reporting. It's like paying an employee of RJ Reynolds to write an article on the benefits of smoking, while conveniently failing to mention their involvement with the tobacco lobby.

How absurd, judgmental and sanctimonious to call Whistler the "Valley of sin" because relatively few people attend religious services here. I know many, many good people in this valley (and I bet you do too) who give tirelessly of their time, energies and money for the benefit of others, and who are not affiliated with any religious group. Perhaps they find spirituality in their own way. Is their contribution less welcome to God because they do not attend church, chapel or synagogue?

Who exactly, in the writer's opinion, would qualify as "God's people" in this "valley of sin?" Would that be the group with 20, 30, or 200 attendees? I am puzzled by her constant harping on numbers. Is there some kind of competition here that I'm unaware of? Is there a celestial abacus at work? ("Oh dear,",I imagine God saying, "I've counted twice and you only have 30 in your group. No heavenly reward for YOU!" ) I grew up attending a tiny village church with a congregation of about 20. Was our praise and love of God less viable because we were a small group, or does that depend on our percentage of the total village population? I hope the Lord has a calculator.

Personally,I am unimpressed by people who attend any church based largely on the fact that they can listen to rock music and have a good old loud sing-song. How deep is someone's faith based on these criteria, even were there thousands of them? How about we bribe people to come to church by paying them, and thus attract even more. Would the large numbers qualify them as God's people? Perhaps if these people stopped singing and dancing for a few moments and spent some time in silent reflection they could give some genuine thought to their beliefs and to the agenda and methods of their church.

Incidentally, to judge from the writer's breathless admiration for a church mothers group she will be sad to learn this is hardly a new or unique idea; my mother belonged to a very active mothers' group at our little church more than 40 years ago and yes, they even had keen members who never attended the church.

I suggest the writer try another article based on a more accurate measure of Whistler's spirituality and "Godliness" which would focus on the many acts of loving generosity and spirit that happen every day in this "valley of sin."

As a dear friend of mine said recently, "numbers don't matter. Jesus started with 12."

Linda McGaw

Whistler

In the May 25 issue of Pique Newsmagazine there was an article regarding timing of the construction of the new Whistler area elementary school. In the second to last paragraph it was stated that the school board had considered naming the school the Don Ross elementary school, but instead decided to rename Brackendale secondary Don Ross secondary school. This information is incorrect.

I would like to clarify that the board has not had any discussions about the name of the new elementary school in Whistler.

Amy Shop

Chairperson, School District No. 48

Re: Public meeting in council chambers on June 26 regarding Lake Placid Road

As we are all aware, funds were budgeted in 1993 for the improvement of Lake Placid Road, leading west from Highway 99.

We’ve waited eight long years. But we have not waited for a third class road in what we call a first class resort.

As a long time pioneer in the area, I am disappointed that the municipality is not going to build a road that is complete in every detail – curbs, gutters, underground wiring and covered ditches.

Lake Placid Road is the gateway to Whistler from our railway station, whose access property my family donated to the community free of charge (about 7,000 square feet of land). The road also leads to the newly built Legends project on upper Lake Placid and the planned First Tracks development.

It was Whistler’s first road and has been allowed to become Whistler’s worst road. And now there is talk of doing the job half right. That does not show good planning or leadership. Where is the leadership? Where is the vision?

I am not proud of what I see from the railway station. The road starts off as Tobacco Road. Development rights were promised but long since forgotten.

Everyone has shown great patience in the future improvement of the road. For example, the Husky station has been waiting to kick off its $3 million renovation. There are others waiting to do likewise. This will increase not only employment opportunities for Creekside, but modernization all along the route.

I would rather see an all-or-nothing approach than a patchwork one.

I am also disappointed that the municipality has gathered us together at the end of June. No matter what is decided today the work will not be finished before winter. Go back to the drawing board. Go back for the necessary funds. And do it right – right before our eyes next spring.

I hope the municipality will consider this approach and move forward with determination after eight long years.

John R. Taylor

Whistler

The Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC is very concerned about the resolution that was passed by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board at its last meeting concerning the Lillooet LRMP. We are referring to the resolution brought by Directors McLean and Oakley, which reads "THAT the SLRD send a letter to the Premier asking him to set aside the Lillooet LRMP and bring it back to the LRMP table so that the community can reach consensus on the two options.

Representatives of the FMCBC. have been at the LRMP table since its formation five years ago. We participated in table discussions, working group meetings, and in the mediation sessions that led to the final offer selection process that the table agreed to use.

We want to stress that there was consensus on the final offer selection process at the table. All table members agreed to accept the decision of government and to work together to implement the decision. We all knew that there was a risk that the "other" offer would be selected and explicitly accepted that risk.

We want to bring to your attention that there are several table members who supported the offer that was not selected who have stated that they will live with the decision and are ready to begin working on phase 2.

We suggest that the members of the SLRD board review the resolution that was passed, and modify it to reflect more accurately the process and context in which the decision was reached by governments. In our view, the resolution should read "THAT the SLRD send a letter to the Premier asking him to provide direction and resources to the Lillooet LRMP so that work can begin immediately on completing phase 2, in accordance with the consensus that was reached at the table on implementing the decision that government was asked to make."

I would be pleased to provide further information or clarification.

Brian Wood

Co-Chair, Recreation and Conservation Committee

FMCBC