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Letters to the Editor for the week of February 7

An unsettling incident A PSA to all young women out there: Last week, my daughter and her friend shared a taxi home from another friend's house in the late evening. After dropping her friend off, my daughter (who is in high school) continued on.
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An unsettling incident

A PSA to all young women out there: Last week, my daughter and her friend shared a taxi home from another friend's house in the late evening.

After dropping her friend off, my daughter (who is in high school) continued on. During this portion of the ride, the taxi driver (allegedly) began making extremely lewd and inappropriate sexually suggestive comments.

This upset my daughter and she decided to ask the driver to let her out. She proceeded to walk the rest of the way and arrived home very upset and disturbed by the encounter. 

I immediately notified the taxi company, which advised me to call back the next day after 4:00 p.m. to speak to a manager.

In the morning, I notified the RCMP, which actually took the matter seriously and sent a constable to take a report. Thank you to the RCMP for its quick response and especially the constable for his consideration and follow up. 

This matter is now in the hands of the RCMP and the company involved. Though it is likely not much will come of this particular incident, at least a report has been filed.

Regardless of age, we should all have the peace of mind that taking a taxi home is a safe source of transportation.

I know there are a lot of good guys driving taxis here in Whistler who are working hard and assisting their customers in getting home safely. We are grateful to each of them.

This particular driver should be held accountable. 

Be safe out there, and please report any inappropriate behaviour.

Take good care of yourselves and each other. 

Karly Stephens
Whistler

Get home safely

A few days ago at around 4 a.m., I heard a noise on the front stoop of the house that sounded louder than the usual masked suspects, raccoons.

I opened the door to find a freezing young woman on the staircase leading to my entrance. Freezing. At 4 a.m. At -20 C with wind chill. She was already hypothermic and completely disoriented.

A 911 (call) later and I had half of Whistler (emergency services) in the mud room taking care of her. Thanks, guys and gals. You rock.

People, don't spend that last dollar on a drink. Save a $20 bill for a cab in a separate pocket. 

This girl was trying to get to Spring Creek. I live in Twin Lakes. Do the math.

Patrick Smyth
Whistler

All part of the plan

Your editor has drawn attention to the increasing age and affluence of the Canadian skier/boarder (see "What will the future hold?," Pique, Jan. 31). She examined increasing costs as a cause (as exemplified by the cost of a day pass) but fails to note that the greying of the slopes is due to the business plan of the resort owners. That plan is to drive the industry up market.

There are two issues here: firstly, the resort owners want to reduce the day-trippers and casual skiers and increase "destination" tourists. (The latter are a much more lucrative demographic.)

How better (to accomplish this) than to up the cost of a day pass? And there is the added advantage that if by the increase, they can move the day-tripper to a season pass, they have gone a long way to weatherproofing the place. They've got the money whether it snows or not.

Secondly, the resorts have no wish to increase participation, as that would mean capital expenditure to increase skiable terrain. The resorts want to keep the numbers the same but drawn from a different demographic: greyer and richer. Vail Resorts spent, (it) claim(s), millions (of dollars) on "improvements" to Whistler Blackcomb, not on further skiable terrain but in making access for its increasingly elderly clientele easier. 

And where does this leave the day-trippers from the Lower Mainland? They should hope Garibaldi at Squamish gets off the ground and it implements a business plan that caters (to those) Whistler Blackcomb (has) abandoned.

Silvia McIvor Glen
Whistler