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Don’t judge volunteers too soon

RE: Golden SAR Incident Last week, I read with interest Nancy Wilhelm-Morden's comments regarding the motivation for her client, Mr.

RE: Golden SAR Incident

Last week, I read with interest Nancy Wilhelm-Morden's comments regarding the motivation for her client, Mr. Gilles Blackburn to name, among others, Golden and District Search and Rescue Society in a lawsuit emanating from the SAR Team's failed efforts in locating two lost skiers last winter. The unfortunate consequence of which was that his wife, Marie-Josee Fortin, succumbed to exposure and died.

This is a very tragic outcome and one that, predictably, is on the increase with the larger volumes of people venturing off piste and skiing into the backcountry without proper equipment, experience, planning or knowledge. The subject matter, on its own, evokes a lot of emotion. In this case, the filing of a lawsuit has further complicated the issue in that one of the cascading effects has been, that it has now become clear to every volunteer SAR organization in the province that government liability coverage does not extend to societies or its officers and directors. This has been a huge wake up call to every SAR team in B.C.

Golden and District SAR was fortunate enough to have in place private insurance that should adequately cover any costs emanating from this action. The remaining SAR teams in the province, after reviewing their coverages, have elected to continue providing volunteer search and rescue service to their respective communities while their parent organization works to seek resolution to the liability issue with the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

These have been very trying times for volunteers. Many have had to re-examine their motivations for volunteering so much of their time, in light of this new reality. As citizens of a mountain community I would ask that we all try to elevate our understanding of the facts and ramifications surrounding this particular case.

Specifically, we all need to appreciate that Nancy Wilhelm-Morden's comment that "they (the Blackburns) cried for help and their cries for help were heard by both the Golden Search and Rescue and by the RCMP...  who did nothing" is simply an allegation at this point in time. Volunteers deserve the right to have their side of the story told. As emergency responders, many are trained to mute their comments in the aftermath of a tragedy, often out of respect to the deceased, their friends, companions and family.

The significant media coverage this story has generated has unfortunately also created perfect conditions for an out of court settlement, in which case, we may never learn the truth around this tragedy. However, in the event this does not occur and a court trial ensues, be prepared for some compelling testimony on: acknowledgement of risk, personal responsibility and appropriate behaviour. After which, you can be the judge on whether volunteers acted appropriately or not.

Brad Sills

Whistler SAR Volunteer

Lessons from Michael

There are even less than six degrees of separation between many in the valley and the late Michael Jackson.

Michael was well known for his prolific frivolous spending habits of $30 to $40 million a year and as a consequence had run up debts of $270 million by 2005 with Bank of America. Jackson's main assets were his Neverland Ranch and a 50 per cent ownership in his music publishing company, which owns valuable rights to over 200 songs of the Beatles.

But during this period his trial on child sexual abuse charges severely curtailed his own earning power and his loans were looking less than wholesome - in stepped our old friend Fortress and bought the loans from the bank, likely at a steep discount. Fortress refinanced the loans, upping the principal to $300 million and reducing the interest payments, but by 2008 with cash requirements not being met, they moved to take possession of Neverland and conduct a foreclosure auction.

Fortunately for Fortress another hedge fund, Colony Capital, stepped up to the plate and took over Fortress's problem. Colony became the major shareholder of Neverland, with Jackson maintaining a 35 per cent interest.

Colony also owns the Las Vegas Hilton and plans were afoot for Michael to do a Celine Dion-type of show at the hotel over an extended period of time.

Then before this took place the 50 London performances were announced, and this was to be an even better way for Michael's debt to stave off the hedge fund's cash requirements.

Even in death Michael may not be out of the grasp of Colony Capital, with rumours circulating that Colony is promoting burying Jackson in Neverland and turning it into a Graceland type memorial site.  However, this may be easier said than done as there are laws about being buried in one's own backyard.

So if you work for the mountain and curse the day when Fortress took control of Intrawest, loading it up with debt, making work tougher, almost working you to death, then you are not alone. Poor Michael had been in the clutches of the hedge funds for five years before his body could not take it any more.

Is there a lesson to be learned by our mayor and the muni council in all this? I believe so, as they should take much greater care in accumulating debts from spending on frivolous items such as fancy jackets, medallions for "special VIPS," new fire trucks and final Olympic Hockey tickets for "the chosen few." As with Michael, we are setting ourselves up to be on the debt treadmill which could threaten to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs that created this great community in the first place.

Lennox McNeely

Whistler

Deflated Spirit

Recently, I resigned as my community's Spirit of B.C. Chairperson; it was a far from easy decision to make.

Spirit of B.C. was created in support of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed to promote community spirit and create long lasting legacies after the Games. Being a part of this committee was one of my greatest and most fun accomplishments. I worked with dedicated volunteers and a committee of unbelievably talented individuals who wished for nothing but the greatest experiences for Pemberton (most of whom were responsible for an amazingly successful 2009 Pemberton Winterfest).

It was with the heaviest of hearts that this resignation even took place. Wanting nothing but the best for your community should not be a stressful endeavour. Wishing to create fun festivals, and engage the place you live, should not be an opportunity for criticism or underhanded attempts at slowing change.

This is a time to embrace all our province has to offer surrounding the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and believe me - if you look, there are so many opportunities for arts and culture, sports, literature, and promoting volunteerism. You don't need to look far.

Most communities have a Spirit of B.C. Committee - volunteers, dedicated to you. It is not about politics or money, or having the best media coverage. It's about heart, substance and new ideas. Some things cannot be elected, and spirit (our spirit within) is one of them.

Michelle Murray

Pemberton

Special thanks

Just a quick note to thank all involved in making the annual Ken Quon Car Wash and Hot Dog sale a success. Trilogy for the use of the Market Place parking lot, Jimmy Chan of IGA, Brenda Baker and friends for rolling all of those dogs on the grill, and a very special pat on the back goes to David Rushbrook and the huge turnout of Whistler Volunteer Firefighters who made it all happen.

Of course a big thanks to all who enjoyed a dog or a wash. Whistler, you are special!

Tom Thomson

Whistler

Pay at municipal hall

I think the muni should step up and show their support for the Pay Parking. The municipal parking lot should be converted to a pay parking lot as well.  It is a prime location to have pay parking stalls. They are easy access to the village, especially for those who are not able to climb the rocky embankments of the day skier lots or have handicap issues.

Why should the muni get great free parking spots in town when everyone else has to pay?

With their recent raise they can afford to pay like everyone else.

Derek Barton

Whistler

One leg at a time

When I was a teenager in the early '80s I wanted a pair of Schneider ski pants. You know the ones... stretchy with the stitched in pads on the knees and shins. The problem was they were $700. I pleaded and bargained with my parents to take me back to Sport Chek to get them and they did. We went back to the store, found my size in the cool black with dark red (no neon for me) and took them to the counter to pay. (This is the part where you all need to put down your Blackberry's and PDA's, close your laptops and listen... just listen like I did when I was 13 thinking I had all the answers.) I gave the pants to the person at the till and my mom asked if they had layaway. Huh? Layaway? To make a long story shorter... and I trust you all see where this is going... my parents asked me if I had $700. I said no. And they said when you do, you can have the pants.

Nearly a year later, after collecting bottles, saving birthday money from grandparents (a dollar for every year I aged... you do the math), and a summer of Saturdays filling bags with screws in my parents waterbed factory for 5 cents a bag, I bought those pants for $700 - and a matching Schneider sweater, the one with the windproof front and the gate-bashing pads on the elbows to match the pants, with the extra money I had earned and saved.

Many years later, late 30-something, nice cars, cool bikes, lots of ski pants, working for a big fortune 500 company, credit cards, lines of credit, and still paying rent in Whistler, a one liner on a Dr. Phil show with a married couple in debt trouble took me back to that first day in 1982 I thought I was taking those pants home: "You can't afford it." I cancelled all the cards but my VISA, rolled our debts into one payment and convinced the bank they should help us buy a home with the WHA. A couple years later I opened my own business. Less is more.

Those words are echoing down the halls of the RMOW, "You can't afford it." The parking, the paving, the water treatment, the new uniforms, the buses, the raises, the plaza, the whatever it is the municipality is doing at Rebagliati Park. We simply can't afford it. It's not about legacy or maintaining the experience or our obligation to our partners at VANOC, the Ministry of Transportation, or how long it's been since council's last pay increase. It's about whether or not you have the $700. I haven't seen the RMOW bank account but I'm pretty sure the near 20 per cent increase in my property taxes in one year, not three as promised, is a sign the RMOW doesn't have the money. The tax payers are not the municipality's line of credit.

In his book, Let My People Go Surfing , Yvon Chouinard (founder and owner of Patagonia brand) lends a quote from the pioneer French aviator Antoine de Saint Exupery: "In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away..."

I trust that in all of this the mayor and his team have the best intentions but maybe, just maybe, we are all here, and now the world is coming, because this place we call home is perfect enough. No finger pointing, no rhetoric, just simple advice. The mayor and council have two more years to make this right. Please, stop spending more of my money and make this a better place by doing less and taking less from the hard working people who really make Whistler what it is.

Hi Brooks

Street To Peak

Whistler

Use the carrot

I'm one of many, and have always felt like others could send their letters. But this week I just needed to do something in response to the article about the mayor defending pay parking. Ken Melamed argues that we are 10 years behind transportation demand management and that he has studied Aspen and Vail.

Firstly, it is called demand management for a good reason. Isn't it about the user?

I also did a quick search on Vail and found this information: 1. Parking is free during the summer; 2. Buses are free; 3. They provide real-time bus arrival information (which would be a great advantage in Whistler since the schedule is so unreliable that when I have an appointment in the morning I simply need to drive my car).

So Ken asks how the community would instead like to reduce the number of people who drive to the village. Better transit system. It's that easy (or not).

Whistler's locals are actually more and more Squamish or Pemberton locals. What about transit between those two communities and Whistler? It's expensive and limited.

Transit in Whistler is the most unreliable service I have ever had to use in Canada. It's extremely expensive considering the short distances and the routes just don't seem to use resources for the best (buses, drivers, time, energy...). There are no or limited racks on the buses for skis and snowboards, as well as for bikes during the summer. And unfortunately buying bus tickets or a pass does not provide a very good discount.

Life in Whistler is already so expensive I cannot afford to pay for my car, the insurance, the pay parking for when I really need to take my car to work, and a bus pass. It's just too much.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure paving the day lots is a fully green job. Those heavy-duty machines and the oil-based pavement are, of course, very environmentally friendly.

If the goal is to limit the use of cars, then start by improving the transit system. Then give locals a discounted pass that makes sense for them economically. Allow locals to buy discounted parking passes (many Whistler employees have jobs that require a vehicle, pay parking or no pay parking). Use the carrot, not the stick.

Julie Moularde

Whistler

Paying through the nose

May I please put in my two cents worth regarding the now paid parking and proposed parking situation in our village.

I believe it is only fair, that every permanent Whistler resident and property tax-paying citizen should receive a parking pass; to be applied inside their car window. I suggested this when the Main Street parking regulations were first introduced.

We pay through the nose in Whistler, from property tax to home insurance coverage and most of all groceries. It is shameful the way we are taken advantage of. We should receive some sort of benefit for our contribution in making Whistler the resort that it is.

Please consider this.

Helga Ruiterman

Whistler