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Letters to the Editor for the week of August 8

Whistler noise needs attention Good morning, Mr. Crompton: I hope you and your family had a nice peaceful sleep last night and, if you did, you obviously don't live in the village.
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Photo by Brandon Barrett

Whistler noise needs attention

Good morning, Mr. Crompton: I hope you and your family had a nice peaceful sleep last night and, if you did, you obviously don't live in the village.

I have been coming to Whistler now for years for work and pleasure, and I have been meaning to write this email numerous times but after last night, I've had it.

We try not to stay anywhere near the village because like clockwork, between 1 and 2:30 a.m., they let the hooligans out of the bars to wander the streets of the village screaming and yelling unabated!

This is not a one-off. It happens every time. How embarrassing for Whistler, how embarrassing for B.C. and Canada, as Whistler is one place that people come to from other countries to get a taste of the Canadian dream.

All the people and families that pay good money to stay here and have to endure that crap every night is beyond comprehension.

Never again will we stay in the village area.

Robert Booth // Maple Ridge

Alta Lake barges need rules

After reading the article in last month's Pique ("The slippery slope of impaired dinghy-ing," July 25) regarding "the rules on land or at sea," I'm pleased to see that after receiving a letter from Jan Tindle suggesting an electric motor bylaw for Alta Lake that the RMOW staff is looking into the matter and will bring review to council.

Most people I've spoken with, especially young people, are in complete support of allowing electric motors only. The majority believe it is overdue and will greatly reduce pollution and noise.

I believe a few exceptions could be made for commercial operators who need gas-powered motors for safety reasons.

I hope the staff and council will consider whether these barges and their operators need to abide by the same rules as those on land and water. As the article pointed out, these barges are watercraft vessels, yet they are not required to abide by the same mandatory safety requirements and laws that apply to all other watercraft vessels.

Also, I think staff and council should review whether the operators of barges should be subject to the same bylaws that apply to others in public places, such as parks, where alcohol consumption and fires are prohibited and noise levels are restricted from dusk to dawn.

In addition, I would like to ask council and staff to consider the impact of the growing number of barges on Alta Lake. As it is now, owners have moored barges in environmentally sensitive areas and abandoned barges have been found there as well. As numbers continue to grow, I hope staff and council will think about how to manage the numbers, the moorage and the cleanup.

Allowing electric motors only is a good place to start and I hope more policy will follow to ensure the safe, peaceful enjoyment of Alta Lake for all, while preserving the natural environment and the historic quiet, laidback atmosphere that Alta Lake is appreciated for.

Ken Mason // Whistler

'Suck it up'

To the hard-done-by residents of Mountain View Drive: The Resort Municipality of Whistler got rid of the porta-potty in the cul-de-sac and put up a number of no-parking signs.

I went there for a hike the other day and ended up parking right in front of someone's house. To me, it didn't make much sense.

Why not maintain the parking in the cul-de-sac where there is more space and no houses?

Oh well, it's a done deal now!

The quote in the paper read: "We now have a significant rise in traffic going up and down our street, and non-resident vehicles parking the full length of the legal side of the street" ("Municipality addresses parking issues on Mountainview Drive," Aug. 1). We live in Whistler and are always going to be at times inconvenienced by the popularity of our town. Take a drive down to Alta Vista on a sunny summer day and see what a congested neighbourhood really looks like!

As the saying goes, "suck it up buttercup." It's Whistler.

Jan Tindle // Whistler

Thanks, Whistler

On behalf of the Alzheimer Society of B.C., I would like to thank Whistler residents for their instrumental support of the 2019 IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's, and invite them to become involved with the event in 2020.

Whistler was one of 21 communities that came together on Sunday, May 5 to honour and remember people who have been affected by dementia.

Whistler residents raised more than $21,000, which contributed to the more than $1.1 million raised across the province. Without this funding the Alzheimer Society of B.C. would not be able to deliver local programs and services and support research into the causes of and cures for dementia.

Whistler's event honoured Chantel Jackson and Jane Burrows. Thank you to Chantel and the Burrows family for graciously giving the gift of their stories to help reduce stigma associated with the disease and let other people on the dementia journey know they are not alone.

We would also like to recognize the local offices and staff of our national title sponsor IG Wealth Management, which provided tremendous support for the event.

On the ground, each event is organized by a dedicated volunteer committee, without whom the event would not be possible. Huge thanks to Whistler's committee, led by Erika Durlacher.

You can help us build on the incredible success of this event next year! We are currently recruiting motivated volunteers to organize and implement the 2020 event—a variety of organizing committee roles are available. To learn more or to apply for a volunteer role, visit alzbc.org/walk or contact Matt Brooks at mbrooks@alzheimerbc.org or 604-681-6530.

If you have questions about dementia, please call the First Link Dementia Helpline at 1-800-936- 6033.

Krista Frazee // Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Saluting Don MacLaurin

That was a great article in Pique last week on Don MacLaurin and the Whistler Interpretive Forest ("A glimpse into the Don MacLaurin Collection," Aug. 1).

We would love to see the Cheakamus Community Forest make a formal commitment to maintaining the Whistler Interpretive Forest (WIF).

Many thanks to the Rotary Club and the Community Foundation of Whistler for the five-year project to update the WIF.

Peter Ackhurst // Whistler

Bears needed protection

After five or six years, Ironman organizers still don't get how to protect our bears.

After the race was over, bears where seen getting into the gel packs at the finish line and making security guards climb fences to get away from the bears because nothing was done to remove the garbage.

I think Ironman event organizers have had more than fair warning regarding bears and should be charged under the Wildlife Act. Happy to see Ironman gone if they can't do something so simple.

Geoff Gerhart // Whistler

Good riddance, Ironman

I am writing this letter in response to Dan Falloon's opinion piece in the Aug. 1 edition of the Pique about Ironman's exit.

I just have to say I appreciate his balanced piece even though I may hold a different view than him.

I have found other articles in the Pique unnecessarily pro-Ironman. For me, it is good riddance to the Ironman. I am just ecstatic to see it go back to Penticton. In fact, the race leaving is some of the best news I have heard lately!

As a long-time local, I was absolutely disgusted to learn about the shamefully large amount of B.C. taxpayer money the for-profit event received. Whistler is busy enough in the summer and does not need this event.

The road closures and delays were extremely disrespectful to the general public, as it holds them hostage from moving about their own community. I mean, the buses did not even run for large parts of the day from Cheakamus, for heaven's sake, and it is a fairly long walk or ride to the village.

All this for some show of exclusive elitist vanity. This is coming from someone who has raced triathlons and run, bikes and swims.

Do not get me wrong, I support sports events and do not mind short road closures or delays, but what we have seen with this race is outrageous.

Ironman, I hope the door hits you on the way out and you do not come back. I hope the "unGrandFondo" rides off into the sunset next.

Darcy Anderson // Whistler

Forty Mile worth the trouble

I enjoyed Leslie Anthony's column about his canoe trip down the Yukon River to the historic site of Forty Mile ("A big day," Aug. 1).

In 2015, I drove to Forty Mile, alone, in a brand new Jeep, with only a hand-drawn map. I started on the Top of the World Highway that goes from Dawson City, Yukon to Tok, Alaska, and turned off on an unmarked, dirt road that looked about right. When the road deteriorated to two tracks and the grass growing down the middle got 30 centimetres high, I would turn around and take a different route. This happened maybe six times. I even saw two grizzly bears, my first ever, standing up and looking at me curiously.

Eventually I found a small parking lot, an outhouse, and a sign saying Forty Mile, so I started off walking. About a kilometre later, I passed a grave surrounded by a white picket fence, then the Anglican church came into view followed by a grass clearing and the remains of the Gold Rush town.

The general store had a huge wooden bar on the door and a sign saying to lift it and go in and use it for shelter in an emergency.

There was a large, red water tank on wheels for fighting fires, the RCMP barracks and a sign saying more ruins were down the trail (but I kept thinking of the two grizzlies). Two German paddlers came ashore from the river and said "hello" and offered me some of their bug spray. Apart from them, I saw no one.

Forty Mile was the town that the miners travelled to in 1896 to register the first claim on Bonanza Creek that started the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898—there was no Dawson City then, only the Canadian outpost of Forty Mile. Now, Dawson has been restored with its gravel streets and wooden sidewalks and National Park guides in period costumes, and Forty Mile doesn't even have a sign on the highway.

If you are looking for a unique Canadian holiday, head north to the Yukon and start exploring the old Gold Rush sites.The best time to travel is mid-August to early September, when the tourists and the bugs disappear, the cottonwoods turn gold and the tundra turns red.

Ruth Buzzard // Whistler

Thanks from the Pemberton Canoe Association

The Pemberton Canoe Association would like to acknowledge the generous contributions made to the club this season.

The first thank you is to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation for its grant, which will allow the club to purchase a new sprint kayak and canoe.

The club would also like to thank Squamish Mills for its donation, which is allowing the club to purchase a four-man sprint kayak.

These new boats will be great additions to our flatwater program.

Finally, the club would like to thank all the volunteers in the club that do a multitude of jobs to keep this club running, and the Village of Pemberton that continues to aid us in running and expanding our programs at One Mile Lake.

Karen Tomlinson // Pemberton Canoe Association