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Letters to the editor for the week of March 14th

KBLL raises $21,000 The third annual Kathy Barnett Leadership Luncheon was held this year on International Women's Day.
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KBLL raises $21,000

The third annual Kathy Barnett Leadership Luncheon was held this year on International Women's Day. This year's event at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler had our biggest attendance ever and continued to build on the successes of the last two years.

Over $21,000 was raised for the Kathy Barnett Memorial Fund, which is administered by the Community Foundation of Whistler. Because of the successes of this event over the last two years, four grants were awarded and presented this year to deserving women in the corridor who will use those funds to add to their education and experience, and bring this back to contribute to their communities.

The Kathy Barnett Leader Luncheon, with this year's theme of "Mentoring Leaders of the Future," achieved these successes because of a hard-working and dedicated committee, corporate and personal sponsors who support the values and recognize the importance of this event's contribution to the community, our enthusiastic and committed keynote speakers, the 20 mentors who were recruited and who have volunteered to share their knowledge and experience recognizing the value of "paying it forward," the Fairmont whose management and staff provided the expertise, professionalism, venue and staff, our many enthusiastic volunteers, many of them volunteering for the third year in a row, and of course to all of our attendees.

A huge thank you to all of these individuals does not seem adequate, as this wonderful event that honours Kathy's leadership, her values and her community support, and strives to follow the lead that she set, would not have been possible.

Thank you to all, we are already looking forward to next year's event.

Deborah Smythe, Nicole Shannon

KBLL Event Chairs

Smart, strategic leaders needed

I have no doubt that the BC New Democrats will soon release the traditional platform that political parties issue in glossy detail full of planks and promises (Where is the NDP Platform? Pique March 6, 2013). When I ran successfully in Alberta in 1986 our "Making it Happen" platform came out on the day the writ was dropped.

However, I was surprised then, and am increasingly now, by how little difference "platforms" make in voters' decision making, let alone in actual governing by the winning party. Dave Barrett's 1972 NDP platform did not contain plans for "resort municipalities" that gave birth to Whistler. Nor did Gordon Campbell's carbon tax figure in any Liberal platform (except for Stefan Dion). None of us heard Obama and the Democrats talk about gun control in their platform last fall — it was only after Sandy Hook in December.

They remain useful documents and exercises for the body politic. But I'm beginning to think of them like static strategic plans, when what we need is dynamic strategic thinking.

In a world full of breakthrough innovations, economic uncertainties, powerful global forces and transient local players, a carefully worked out platform with planks and promises in March 2013 may well be redundant a year or two from now.

We still need presented an overarching set of directions and goals. Yet what I think is more reliable and significant are the collective values and principles that inform smart, strategically alert political parties and leaders.

For Adrian Dix and the BC New Democrats heading into the May election, The 12 Principles for Sustainable BC (http://www.bcndp.ca/sustainablebc) are more than enough for me to align with and work for. Unfortunately Liberals in the past and even neo-liberals today have a legacy of what David Brooks of the New York Times calls a mushy party of the middle with a basic principle of trying to please all sides.

On principle there are substantial differences. I look forward with you to having them articulated by dynamic candidates in the upcoming provincial election.

William Roberts

Whistler

Senior skiers afraid

The "Whatever happened to Respect," article by Michel Beaudry (Pique Feb.28) is so timely. Sympathies to Peter Ladner — hoping he will recover and ski again.

Almost all of my friends who still ski and are seniors have been hit from behind or the side by an out-of-control skier or snowboarder.

I am the only one who has not been run into and injured. Skiing at Blackcomb March 2 and 3 I had help from my son, Don Schwartz.

He stayed behind on the runs and acted as a tail gunner and protection for me. Mr. Beaudry is right. Older skiers are feeling under attack. I usually ski Sunshine Village at Banff and the problem is the same. No respect. I told a boarder to go take a lesson and learn some ski etiquette after he just about crashed into me from behind at the bottom of the run where there is a SLOW sign.

Patty Schwartz

Calgary

Asphalt petition

We, the NAP2 (No Asphalt Plant) are collecting signatures for our Public Nuisance and Annoyance Petition. It is going very well but we are missing some people due to their other commitments. Therefore we have the permission to offer location and times at the HI (Whistler Hostel located at Cheakamus Crossing) to invite eligible petitioners to sign our Petition.

We would like to be sure that nobody eligible is missed. The additional opportunity for signing would be as follows:

• Thursday March 14, 2013 between 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

• Friday March 15, 2013 between 10 a.m. and 12-noon

• Friday March 15, 2013 between 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.One of the NAP2 team members will be there.

Judy Bonn, NAP2 Team Leader

Whistler

Collective purchase?

Years ago, I saw an advertisement/request to send a financial contribution to an environmental foundation in Costa Rica and the money would be used to help save the rainforest.

Keeping that in mind and seeing that the remediated Petro Canada site in Creekside is up for sale for $1.2 million makes me wonder what we can do.

At the moment I have enlisted five investors who would like to purchase it to stop any further gas station construction.

Regretfully it is still zoned for this regardless of polluting so much of the surrounding area. Seems to me if Whistler can shake its finger at the Enbridge pipeline project, then maybe we should try and resolve the problem in our own front yard.

There is no more room for environmental damage here.

Anyone wishing to purchase this property and convert it back to a healthier state of environment can contact me. The more the merrier.

Geoff Swan

Whistler

Still Giving Thanks

In April of 2011, my husband, Ron, and I got the news that his melanoma had metastasized.

We were heartbroken, overwhelmed and feeling lost.

Then we came home to Pemberton. News gets around quickly in a small town and this time was no exception.

The love we have felt, and keep feeling, has been phenomenal. We have been supported financially, spiritually and emotionally! There have been anonymous donations through the mail and through our pastor. There have been many, many meals dropped off, gas cards given for the many trips to the city, supermarket gift cards to pay for months of food, prayers offered; the list goes on and on. We have received so much and feel very humble in the midst of this outpouring of love.

I am writing now to apologize for taking so long to say a public "Thank you!"

You all have been used by God to help us through this journey.

Ron continues his fight. His cancer is not willing to admit defeat at this point.

We are not sure what the future holds (it may include trips to Edmonton for a clinical trial, or possibly chemotherapy), but we are blessed to know the One (God) who holds our future in His hands.

Ron, Lisa, Tatiana and Arabella Fogarty

Pemberton

Cats rule

Hey Max. My name is Lord Nelson. Thursday I jumped up onto the counter beside Doug while he read your column "Dog power" (Pique March 7, 2013). I was piqued because "power" is not the word I've heard Doug associate with Dog. I was surprised to see (editor) Clare (Ogilvie) didn't edit out your inflammatory remarks about cats.

If you belittled us in your presentation Wednesday and it flopped, it could have been half your audience was offended cat lovers. I could have read your column over Doug's shoulder for one of my favourite things to do is jump up onto his shoulders and ride around the house looking at the world from his point of view.

I'll bet even in his youth your lab Zippy never did that.

If I just want to look out the bedroom window on my own I'll jump straight up four feet, turn sideways and land on the four-inch sill. I can also jump onto the sill from the bed, which is over four feet away. Dogs can't jump vertically higher than a phone book and only jump horizontally if they can land in water.

Doug rescued me and my pretty stepsister Lady Zola from WAG in 2006. He didn't even have to show us the litter box. Not once since have we asked him to take us out nor, like only a dog can, have we ever made him feel guilty for not taking us out.

I'm a lap cat but Doug knows it's mostly because his lap is 30 degrees above room temperature. It was well over three years before my sister even let Doug brush her, the story of his life, apparently.

You're right — we follow no one, not even the Pope. So, if you need to be motivated, like guilt trips, want to be a leader, or have a pathological desire to be loved, you get a dog.

If Doug was 40 years younger and he gave us the opportunity, we could be "chick magnets." Although I fear it might be too late, we could still be "hen magnets." If Doug ever brought one home for a visit I'd be all over her...for a minute or so. I have a life.

I wasn't upset by your suggestion that if Doug dies before us we'll eat him. Once when he was talking on the phone to one of his sisters he said, "If I die before them my cats will probably have to eat me to survive because it will be months before anyone will know."

In the event he has to euthanize us Doug expressed a thought you likely share despite your different preference in pets. He hopes there will be a private entrance to the euthanasia room so strangers won't see an old man cry.

Lord Nelson, beloved companion of Doug Barr

Whistler

Work experience thanks

The Grade 9 students at Whistler Waldorf School would like to send a special thank-you to the local businesses that provided amazing work experience opportunities for us the last few weeks:

• Whistler Alpine Guides Bureau

• Extremely Canadian

• RMOW IT department

• RTOWN Communications

Over the past week, the Grade 9 students at the Whistler Waldorf School were granted the opportunity of going to a company or an organization for a week of work experience. All the students covered a vast array of jobs.

One of the students joined Whistler Alpine Guides Bureau, in an avalanche skills training course program. Thank-you to Andrea de Vries at Whistler Alpine Guides Bureau and a special thanks to the course instructors for providing this opportunity.

Extremely Canadian also volunteered to take a student under its wing, providing him with an amazing introduction to the world of ski instruction. That student would like to thank Jill Dunnigan for this.

Two of the students joined forces with Kelly Blunden at the Resort Municipality of Whistler; both students were provided with IT experience and knowledge and they would like to thank Kelly and everyone else who made this possible.

Lastly, we would like to thank RTOWN for showing and teaching one of the students the art of videography. This student would like to thank Jackie Bissillion and Michael Bruno for making all this possible.

From all of us in Grade 9 at Whistler Waldorf School, thank you for providing us with these brilliant experiences!

Justen Bruns, on behalf of the Grade 9 students

Whistler Waldorf School