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Letters to the Editor for the week of April 9th

Immediate action needed to support Whistler businesses I can't help but try to analyze what I see as a big disconnect going on between the Government of Canada, the provincial government and the real estate market in Canada.
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Photo by Braden Dupuis

Immediate action needed to support Whistler businesses

I can't help but try to analyze what I see as a big disconnect going on between the Government of Canada, the provincial government and the real estate market in Canada.

We have been asked, not told, by both levels of governments to close our retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops, spas, hair salons and all other non-essential services in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

If the government had ordered us to close, that would probably have forced the insurance companies to actually pay out the business-interruption insurance policies that we all carry. Instead, government decided to ask that we all work together and in doing so relieved the insurance companies from paying out because there was no "damage" to our business. A virus isn't considered damage.

Our commercial landlords, for the most part, have either requested full payment each month or offered to defer part of our monthly rental costs and start paying that balance back at a later date. The excuse most landlords are using is that they have mortgage payments to make and seem to think that tenants should have ample funds to use up in the case of business interruption.

Shouldn't the landlords also have ample funds to cover an emergency? Since closing my store mid-March, I have taken in zero dollars, and by the end of April, I should be able to make an income of zero dollars again. Where is the shared responsibility in that scenario?

Now to my point: In B.C., the provincial government announced plans to help residential tenants by paying up to $500 per month paid directly to the landlord. I suspect it's being paid directly to the landlord so as not to alarm lenders. If lenders start getting nervous, then it becomes a house of cards ready to fall down in even a mild wind. How many residences in Canada have mortgages? Many, I suspect. That measure will temporarily keep the housing market from coming down too far, too quickly.

So far, the Government of B.C. hasn't announced any measures to assist either the commercial landlord or tenant. Is it part of the NDP platform to ignore the many calls to help businesses survive during a crisis? Does it now fall on the federal government to mandate some sort of relief for businesses?

By the way, a $40,000 loan is just piling on debt. It's not relief. Not paying a BC Hydro bill is not going to save a business. Deferring health tax is not going to save a business. Allowing PST filing and payments to be deferred until September is not going to save a business if it can't open. Essentially deferring payments won't save businesses. 

So I ask you, government leaders, why is there this disconnect?

If something significant isn't done immediately for commercial landlords and their tenants, not only will the weak not survive, but it will also take a significant toll on the strong.

Not knowing when businesses will be allowed to open again is hard because as we've been told, this virus will keep us closed for at least another two months, if not longer.

We are always being told how important Whistler is to B.C. tax coffers. Even if you take the long view, it's hard to imagine that it's beneficial to allow a huge vacancy rate to occur in Whistler by not offering a solution to the current tenants.

Keep us in place, and magically, tax dollars will flow again once we are allowed to open. If you don't, then it won't be business as usual for a long, long time.

Peter Elzinga // The Beach Whistler

Time for a conversation about our future

Week 4. That escalated quickly. Q.U.I.C.K.L.Y. Faster than we washed our hands pre-COVID-19.

It's not that we didn't see it coming, but holy ... Sit. Down. Now. Wow.

The "disheartened fizzle" that we had anticipated of the seasonaires' departure turned into an appalling display of Lord of the Flies-esque behaviour, both up at staff housing and on the lake as it appeared everyone was intent on taking home, and thereby spreading, the virus.

A Whistler keepsake, perhaps? Ugly.

Let's never speak of this again, shall we? Deal.

With that (hopefully) out of Whistler's system, the mass exodus now continues to trickle down the highway, destination: not-Whistler. Peace and quiet flourishes, except for a brief explosion of gratitude daily at 7 p.m. Spring continues to taunt us with the promise of brighter days ahead; it's never been so close, yet so... incredibly... far.

And now we find ourselves with an abundance of time. It's weird, to just hit the pause button on life. So fully and completely... paused.

Like the vast majority of Whistler's residents, I too have found myself unceremoniously unemployed due to this whole situation, our community ACL tear, as you'll recall from my letter to the editor the week of March 26. I've been thinking about a few things these past few weeks, mostly to the tune of the Beach Boys' classic tune "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

What else do we have to do right now other than dream about the future, of what could be once we make it through? Considering we've all got the time, let's share. Complete fantasy, vaguely possible, or heck-yes-why-hadn't-we-thought-of-that-before? It's all fair game.

Whistler, it's time for a chat. (Yes, I'm aware there's plenty of chatter on the Whistler Facebook groups, which is great to see, but let's include everyone, try something different during this time of pause.)

Uncertain where to start?

I'll go first! Wouldn't it be nice if we could ban Airbnb everywhere outside the village? Great start! How about implementing rent caps on Whistler properties so that locals can actually live here. Preposterous—I love it! Or limiting the number of humans allowed to live in a two-bedroom apartment to something crazy, like four?! Perhaps Whistler's housing task force—stay with me here—operates with force! Why not?!

Locals' ski-pass pricing? Now I'm pushing it!

Mayor Jack Crompton? Councillors? We're gonna need your assistance here, but I'm hopeful it's nothing some virtual meetings can't do. This is our town so let's bring it back to a town that reflects us. Whatcha got, Whistler? Speak up!

Kate Turner // Whistler

Hire Canadians to work on farms

I sympathize with local farm operators and would really like to support them (see Pique, March 27, "Farm workers to be exempted from COVID-19 travel ban"). Now, more than ever, farming is an essential service in our province and country.

However, the article suggested that farms need foreign workers to operate and I do not believe this to be true currently. There are thousands of healthy, out-of-work Canadians who can help and are in desperate need of work and housing right now.

Recently, we recruited farmhands and supervisors for a Pemberton farm and the response has been overwhelming.

It would be a shame to bring in any more foreign workers, especially since new workers who get sick could add more burden to our already challenged health-care system.  

At least until this crisis passes, I'd like to plead with farms to support our community and hire locally.  

Jacki Bissillion // Owner and president of Whistler Personnel Solutions