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Choose a proven leader

It's election time. Whistler has a new CAO and will have a different Council. Some key staff positions have been turning over. This term has been difficult and very different from 2005-2008 when I served on Council.

It's election time. Whistler has a new CAO and will have a different Council. Some key staff positions have been turning over. This term has been difficult and very different from 2005-2008 when I served on Council.

What was missing this time around? Respect and teamwork. With fresh faces on staff and Council, Whistler needs a steady experienced leader in the Mayor's chair.

I think Ken Melamed is best positioned to pull a new team together and get the RMOW back on track. He has seen a lot of change in his time at Municipal Hall. He has learned some tough lessons and has been willing to listen. He knows leadership.

The other councillors running for mayor have not shown this ability. They seem to have a cursory understanding of municipal financial management and they lack the leadership and team building experience that Ken has demonstrated.

The next Council has to shift gears and make positive change. This will not be achieved through a simple slash and burn approach. Ken led Whistler through the Olympics and has been a tireless ambassador for the resort and community. He remains the best choice to steward Whistler's next chapter.

Tim Wake

Bowen Island

Make an informed vote

For those of you that know me you probably also know that I was the co-creator of the organization known as Whistler's Coalition of Concerned Citizens. I along with my co-founder have since left the organization and we have had our names removed from the Corporate Registry in Victoria. Many people have been asking me recently what has been happening with the Coalition so I feel it is important to comment.

The intention was for it to be a grass roots "people's voice" with no special interests. Unfortunately, it was hijacked by what I believe to be special interests (not recognized early by me), which is one of many reasons why I recently bowed out.

In its infancy we were very pleased with the Coalition's ability to generate a significant attendance at last year's Budget Open House. Shortly thereafter someone from Ontario joined us and he suggested that we make the mail-in ballot voting process our first goal. That has now been accomplished. It wasn't until the voting eligibility criteria became known that people out of province are not eligible to vote!

Despite numerous requests for the Coalition to make its members known publicly I was only able to get some people to publish their names. Even at that time there were only a few "front people" who put our names out. Several others refused to publish their names. Now they have released a few more names but not all. Why?

What was supposed to be an open and transparent organization was moving further and further behind closed, and inaccessible doors, with backroom deals even inside what was now best described as a "Secret Society."

It was the organization's intention to gain the public support (by) writing about galvanizing issues, and then to be able to recommend (focused on out of town people and the mail-in-ballots) a choice for Mayor and enough councillors to control Municipal Hall. The non-transparent process of choosing and untimely publication of their choices has now poisoned the debate and interactive open discussion.

One retailer was financing most of the ads to drive home the idea that the homeowners should foot the bill for the parking so that the retailers could enjoy continued free parking for their customers. I am of the belief that our economic model should move towards a "user pay" system and that the parking rates have since been modified and are now very fair and reasonable.

If you are interested in voting and qualify to vote then learn about the candidates on your own through the many transparent opportunities available and don't leave it up to a "Secret Society" to guide you and the rest of us on their hidden agenda. That is exactly what we don't want!

Jack Mann

Whistler

 

 

Bears pay the price

I was, and am still, feeling much despair after learning the news of Jeanie's death, and that her baby cub had to be taken away from the greatest love of his or her little life.

How terribly sad. Just before hibernation too.

I have lived here now for seven years, and each year, it has become more and more taxing to learn of how many bears are ending up dead due to careless drivers or garbage/human food being left accessible by us humans.

This most recent occurrence has left a grinding knot in my stomach, due to the sadness of Jeanie having to loose her life in the midst of motherhood, and leading a fine life as a bear.

Seems like the best way to resolve conflict with bears is to DESTROY the bears, rather than placing considerable consequences on the people responsible for catering to unnatural behaviour of bears.

I do recognize that certain measures have been implemented this year to create more awareness to the public and to deter the bears from unnatural food sources, and for that I am grateful.

The thought that comes to mind though, is that it always seems to take a great catastrophe in order for the spotlight to be big enough to recognize things need to change and fast. And who paid the ultimate price, but our dear Jeanie and her cub.

Cindy Holcombe

Whistler

 

Better not to humanize bears

Yes its sad that yet another problem bear has been destroyed. "Jeanne is Gone" (Pique Oct.27). What is even sadder is that we created a situation where we publicly popularized, humanized, marketed and ultimately contributed to her death. This bear was exploited by the very people that wanted to protect her.

I do not oppose bears being tagged for research, or the education that results from it. However, becoming emotionally attached to any wild animal is foolish. Naming any animal that is not a pet only creates a difficult situation in the end. As someone who raises livestock, I do not allow my children to choose animals as pets and name them. I'm only protecting them from any unnecessary emotional harm.

Mike Roger

Birken/Whistler

 

Wiz of the West wows

Congratulations to the fantastic performance put on by our Whistler kids in the Missoula production of "The Wiz of the West."

Thank you to the Millennium Place staff for being so helpful; the Whistler Arts Council for donating the theatre  - it made such a difference; the Parent Advisory Councils of Ecole la Passerelle, Spring Creek and Myrtle Philip Community Schools; Rachael Lythe for her brilliant piano playing; the McKenzie family for hosting the Missoula troupe; the Pique for such great promotion; all the parent volunteers who helped leading up to, during and after the performance and lastly to the parents in this community for their continued support and encouragement of their children in the arts. Bravo!

Alli van Gruen

Whistler

 

Park and Spook Success

I wanted to take the opportunity to send a public thank you to all the members of the community that were vital to the success of the 9th annual Park & Spook Goblin Express free shuttle for trick-or-treaters in Whistler.

Jim Watts, thank you for coming up with the idea of the Park & Spook Goblin Express nine years ago and bringing the main partners together - the Marketplace parking lot owners for providing the parking, the papers for getting the word out and the RMOW with our partners BC Transit and Whistler Transit Ltd for delivering the free shuttle between the Village and Tapley's farm.

This year a special thank you goes to Kevin Damaskie and the Whistler Beavers, as well as Ms. Reynolds and the children from the Waldorf school. Both groups provided great decorations for the Goblin Express buses. Definitely a team effort!  Thank you again and see you next year for a spooktacular time!

Emma DalSanto

Transportation Demand Management Planner