Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letter to the editor

A journey we take together

It was 13 years ago, that Morgan Protter was born at Squamish Hospital.

However, right from the beginning it was obvious that all was not exactly "normal." Within three months it was clear that, in fact, something was very wrong. At first we thought she was blind. Then, as experts came on board and testing was done we learned she was "globally developmentally delayed," which is medical speak for "no one knows why she will always be like a one-year-old, but she is, so get used to it." Over the years we became serene with this ambiguity, as no deadlines or established outcomes hung over her head. She is, and always will be, totally dependant upon us, and her network of generous caregivers, for everything necessary for life and comfort.

Throughout our journey with Morgan, Mary and I have brought her along as "our baby" who will never grow up. She's gotten big though, about five feet tall and 100 lbs and we dread the day we won't be able to pick her up to give her a hug.

For the last 10 years, Mary has stoically transported her to shopping, her doctor's appointments and school, using our 1999 Plymouth mini van. Morgan was secured using an "Easy On" vest, basically a parachute harness that straps into the car. These last few years have been very difficult as Mary had to lift all 100 lbs of her out of her wheel chair, laterally transfer to the middle of the bench seat, then strap her in. Then she had to wrestle the 120 lb wheelchair into the trunk.

Well something had to give. Freaked out occupational and physiotherapists made it clear that this situation was a time bomb, ticking loudly. It was also pointed out, a little harshly I thought, that neither Mary or I were getting any younger. Adding to all this was the news that Mary's mother wasn't doing very well and had to move into assisted living in Squamish, and then later into a complete care facility. This proved doubly frustrating, as the mini van could only seat five of us, including Morgan, so we had to take two vehicles every time we visited Mary's mother and take her out for dinner or an excursion.

So, we began fundraising to acquire a full-sized van with a wheelchair lift.
We set our sights high, on a Sprinter Van, as everything about it was superior to the Chevy or Ford option.

It took time, there were some missteps, but this spring it all came together. We received funding from the Vancouver Foundation's "Giving In Action" charity; the President's Choice Children's Charity through the Extra Foods Store in Squamish and The Heart Of The Variety Club Charity. Then Mei McCurdy, of the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, facilitated a donation for the van, with the help of Greg McDonnell and the WCSS. Donal Gibson of Boundary Road Sprinter Sales also made a substantial reduction to our final invoice leaving us with an acceptable final bill for the finished, converted Sprinter Van. Craig Tschriter of Shoppers Home Health Care had the lift installed and worked hard with Sprinter Sales to get it to us on time.

We took delivery three weeks ago and it is beautiful. The side-mounted Braun lift folds away to allow easy access through the sliding doorway. There are six forward-facing, comfortable seats, each with a shoulder belt. There are tie downs and tracks for two wheelchairs, side by side. Every safety option possible is installed and Mary is busy reading a very thick owner's manual.

It has not been lost upon us that we are indeed very fortunate to have this wonderful van for Morgan. Living in Whistler is a gift and this fabulous result would not have been possible had we lived somewhere else.

Greg McDonnell and Lorna Van Straaten of the WCSS haven't stopped helping. They have partnered with Kerry Chalmers of CFOW and the two agencies are providing assistance funding for an Ergo Basic Chair and a special needs Trail Jogger for Morgan. Soon, she will have alternative seating to her wheelchair, both inside the home and out and about on the Valley Trail.

Throughout our journey with Morgan we have been delighted and amazed by the many people who have given their time and help to us, asking nothing back in return, only that their efforts contribute to Morgan's happiness and our ability to keep her safe and comfortable. These are truly special people who we would have never met otherwise. We are humbled and made better by the experience.

So on behalf of Morgan and our family, we wish a heartfelt thank you to all of you. We will be forever grateful.

Adam and Mary Protter

Whistler

 

Thanks from a Loonie veteran

I always figured that if you lived in this town long enough you would eventually get to write one of these letters and since my number has finally come up, here goes.

Last Loonie Race I was settled into my usual, comfortable spot of around 86th place in the field when I made what I initially thought was a minor pilot error. As I swan-dove into space, the view afforded to me quickly led me to believe that this would not be another typical over-the-bars tumble. The stump encountered halfway down the very steep embankment confirmed my concern. Before I had even skidded to a stop, I was carping for oxygen and a helicopter while being serenaded at full volume by a young lady with a very good set of pipes. After that it got a little blurry.

What I do remember was having three people by my side while we waited. I also remember it hurt a lot and it was hard to breathe, so I may have been a little panicky.

To Leanne, maybe Amber and a third girl, whose name I repeatedly asked her for but have forgotten anyway, thanks literally for the support while we waited for the backboard.

To Councillor Grant "Dangerfield," thanks for keeping me distracted for, like, an hour with your wit and commentary. Even though the laughter hurt like hell it helped pass the time a little more quickly.

Thanks to the bucket brigade, the ambulance attendants and fire department as well as a significant number of others who deferred their dinner and beer to help haul me up the slope. At the end of the day I came to realize that not only do these folks do this stuff every day, but that my little experience will in no way stand out as being particularly exceptional or difficult. Still, hats off to everyone involved because it made a huge difference to me.

Loonie Races and care of the wounded are two things that Whistler does very well and should be proud of.

Dave Williamson

Whistler

 

Not even once

G.D Maxwell indulged in some fancy phallic phraseology in his July 22 opinion ("I won't be sticking up for my member"), but failed to grasp why the Private Member's Bill I introduced has attracted overwhelming support from people of all political spectra. There is always a place for humour but not at the expense of what is at stake in this debate. Mr. Maxwell, the Bill creates new penalties for people who intend to manufacture crystal meth or ecstasy and who gather the ingredients of those substances.

The Bill passed Third Reading last month with support of all Members of Parliament. It was the first and only Private Member's Bill in the 40 th Session of Parliament to pass unanimously. Additional support came from municipalities, such as Whistler's Mayor and Council, regional districts, First Nations, the RCMP, the B.C. Association of Police Chiefs, health care workers and struggling addicts.

Mr. Maxwell took me to task for an emphasis on enforcement rather than narcotics-related harm reduction.

However, even the most adamant supporters of harm reduction, such as NDP MP Libby Davies, voted in favour of the Bill. Why? Because regardless of party, she agrees with the extreme dangers posed by these drugs. Anyone who doubts this warning can refer to Ms. Catherine Spanevello, the parent of a daughter who died from using Ecstasy once. The RCMP have referred us to Ms. Spanevello's case to refute the uninformed view, implied by Mr. Maxwell, that Ecstasy may be safe; in fact, drugs distributed as "Ecstasy" commonly contain Crystal Meth.

The harm reduction debate relates to users . Bill C-475 doesn't penalize users; it goes after producers. Almost everyone I've met, including the long list of supporters listed above, thinks the people who profit from getting our kids addicted to these things should be punished. Bill C-475 targets the high level drug manufacturers and traffickers, NOT the kids on the street.

John Weston, MP

West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country

 

Thanks but no thanks

In response to MP John Weston's July 26 press release: "West Van MP John Weston's bill to make buying legal products for illegal drug production a criminal offence is headed to the Senate. Last week, the House of Commons passed third and final reading of Bill C-475 - a bill Weston stated deals with the growing problem of crystal meth and ecstasy."

Dear John, thanks for once again furthering criminalization rather than working toward harm reduction. It's always easier to simply throw more people in jail - especially the disenfranchised - rather than working toward the admittedly more challenging goal of decriminalizing what is otherwise a health issue.

Indeed, thanks again for supporting the jailing industry and more invasive means of surveillance of consumer purchases rather than wasting your time imagining a world where treatment and open-mindedness concerning substance use and abuse would be the norm rather than the freak exception.

And thanks again for supporting the removal of the long census form - I mean who wants that privacy intrusion when the New Government of Canada is otherwise monitoring your mundane drug-apparatus purchases anyway?

And of course, last but not least, thanks for ignoring the work of scientists at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS/ http://maps.org ), that association of leftist idiots who recently convinced the DEA and relevant American scientific associations that organized therapeutic use of MDMA (ecstasy) as well as LSD could once again begin in a proper setting. Who needs progress when we can just lock the long-hairs and ex-ravers up, eh? HOORAH!

Tobias c. van Veen

Whistler

 

Settlement defies explanation

For the last several weeks, I've been listening to various members of municipal staff, and the mayor himself, explain away the $400,000 payment to settle a legal matter with Alpine Paving. Since, as they say, the legal settlement is privileged, they can't, apart from the value of the $400,000 settlement, talk about it. I got to thinking that while the settlement might reasonably be part of a non-disclosure agreement, you can't settle a legal action without first starting one, and those are filed at the B.C. Court Registry, which has an online searchable database of all the legal cases started in the province over the last 20 years. If you're curious, the web address is https://eservice.ag.gov.bc.ca/cso/

I spent a couple of hours searching cases involving the RMOW, Alpine Paving and Whistler Aggregates. I found that while all three have been involved in much - but understandable in the course of business - litigation, none of them have crossed paths in the courts. Whatever the $400,000 settlement is for, it's not for any legal action in B.C. between the RMOW, Alpine Paving, or Whistler Aggregates.

While I can hear the explanation already, something along the line of "it was threatened litigation that we averted bringing to court," I can't imagine any lawyer worth their robes who would throw up their hands and agree to a huge cash settlement in regards to a matter that hadn't even been filed with the courts. When you think about it, all the RMOW has done with regards to moving the asphalt plant is ask Alpine Paving nicely to move and offer them help in finding an alternate location, hardly what you'd think about as heinous conduct deserving of a large cash settlement.

David Buzzard

Whistler

 

Credit to RMOW

Further to the article by Andrew Mitchell in last week's Pique (Tourism Whistler puts post-Olympic plans into motion), we wanted to thank him, but make one clarification, giving credit where credit is due.

In fact, it was the RMOW who brought the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference lead to Tourism Whistler and who invested time and resources to secure the group for June 2009. And yes, last year's FCM conference came to fruition through the resort-wide efforts of all of our members - the hotels, the business community, Whistler Blackcomb, and Tourism Whistler - but the 3,000-delegate conference, which brought 10,000 room nights to Whistler, would not have been possible without the RMOW.

Building upon last year's FCM success, the RMOW has also assisted Tourism Whistler in bringing the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) this September 2010, which will bring about 1,100 delegates, resulting in 3,500 room nights for the Resort.

Barrett Fisher

President & CEO

Tourism Whistler

 

Enough is enough

Starting Sept. 10, the loggers roll into town and not for a convention.

Hi fellow Whistler residents and visitors, So it turns out that despite the fact that Whistler residents are against the logging plans, the CCF (Chekamus Community Forests) and the municipality press on with plans to cut many of Whistler's forests. More and more reports and letters by "out of town forestry experts" are commissioned to say how great the plans are, but in the end it's going to be the same guys with the same Stihls and Husqvarnas cutting down our trees. Only now, more trees will need to be cut to pay for those reports and certifications.

Shouldn't Whistler be hiring tourism experts instead of logging experts? The logging is going to be affecting tourism more than anything.

To make matters even worse the CCF is still planning on using clear-cut type methods that destroy that section of forest, rather than selective logging that allows the forest to continue to live. Yes, in their plans will be the odd patch of trees left here and there, for what I would say is just for public appeasement, and of course maybe the odd bird could use it for hop scotching across while looking for a real forest.

Now the biggest issue I see is that there is no official opposition to stop this ludicrous action of logging for money in a resort municipality. In the old days it was the municipality and the First Nations people that the logging companies were afraid of but now it's the muni and the First Nations that own the logging. So who is left to be the opposition?

This, I might say, is a really smart tactic if your goal is just getting those trees down. Some of my logging friends in Squamish told me they had been run out of town 20 years ago and are now calling Whistler the hugest bunch of hypocrites. They also tell me that our forest is purely decadent and only good for looking at anyway.

To me it would make more sense if the CCF board included members of the public, since it effects us all. Some recreational tour operators, outdoor groups and AWARE, our local environmental group, should surely all be sitting at the table. And shouldn't the decisions on how the money gets spent be made by the community as well?

Now I realize that all the people involved have really good intentions. There is no crooked politics going on, it's just a predicament that's landed Whistler in this awkward situation. The B.C. Forest industry wants Whistler to log up to 80 per cent of its forests and turn them into tree farms, leaving only 20 per cent of the area's forests in their original wild, beautiful, raw, old-growth state.

Imagine how our tourist resort decision makers must feel being in a position of having to defend logging. I feel for them and I see that they are trying to actually save Whistler.

The dilemma, I am told, is that it's either a) Whistler cuts the trees down and does it well or b) someone else does and Whistler loses control. Their logic makes sense but what about c) NONE of the above? Whistler has always been a rule breaker. That's how we got to be so great. Forestry has set up a great program of community forests and I applaud them, but does Whistler the "Resort" Municipality, the big tax-maker for B.C. (11 per cent of all tourism revenues), actually fit this cookie cutter plan?

Someone needs to go to Victoria, put on a tie, arm themselves with all the letters, petitions, tax revenue, international appeal data, tourism job statistics and renegotiate the contract.

They could also mention that we have had to cut so much for the Olympics, such as the two highways, enormous venues, the new village, the huge parking lots, all the trails, the medals plaza, the bus station - and all that should be more than sufficient to fill the next 20 years' quota.

This better happen soon or in only five weeks we will all be watching a terrible logging show. A resort is made by a series of compromising specific cuts. If we do cut a tree it is meant to be building our future in tourism. If we all do it responsibly, following ecological sensitivity, then we are in the purpose of our community. Cutting for profit just diminishes tourism.

Let's all get on the same page; work towards a common goal. Let's only cut what fits with Whistler's tourism purpose. Use only what we need, like the odd new ski run, some trails, power lines, roads, golf courses, housing developments. But just going out and destroying nature that we rely on for money is, well, foolish.

I bet the logs go straight to the Squamish log sort, on to ships heading to the mill that got moved from there to China. What are we thinking?

Let's do an "experiment" and hold off on cutting the trees for say another 20 years. Call it the "Whistler Bubble." This way we can see how the world, people, environmental laws and tourism evolve prior to taking this planned irreversible action.

The remaining old growth forests have been here since before Columbus arrived so what's another 20 years? Then if the trees "really" do need to be removed we will all be sure it's a smart decision.

Thank you everyone that has supported me in my battle to save Whistler's forests. Thanks Mr. Mayor, council, CCF and the municipal management for listening and I feel bad for having to be in a period of conflict with you. I appreciate the CCF for finding a temporary resolve for my business but now I am speaking in the best interest of our whole community. There seems to be no choice but to challenge the current plans. I am asking that Whistler use the authority it has and postpone all logging for at least another year while the program is reconsidered by the province and by our whole town.

People come to Whistler for its wilderness.

Allan Crawford

Whistler

 

In the eye of the beholder

So on July 25, 2010 I found out that one of my landscaping properties had been subjected to the second theft this summer. It seems that someone appreciates my work so much that they felt it necessary to steal two hanging baskets and four big planted buckets over the past couple months!

I really wonder about a person who can look at these planted creations and say to themselves, "wow, that's so beautiful I think I'll steal it for myself!"

I think that this really shows how low a person's view of other people's property can get... stealing plants that are for everyone's enjoyment shows how amoral one's thought process can be.

I hope you keep your stolen plants looking nice since you obviously have the ability to look past the fact they don't belong to you.

Derek "cowboy" Maxheleau

Whistler