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For four years, a family in our community has had the courage and the love to fight for their daughter’s rights and to raise awareness of bullying in our community and throughout the province.

For four years, a family in our community has had the courage and the love to fight for their daughter’s rights and to raise awareness of bullying in our community and throughout the province. As a result of their dedication and persistence, bullying awareness has been raised, educational programs have been implemented, and government agencies are looking at legislation that will hold perpetrators and their supporters accountable. That family is the Dufours, and their actions have resulted in helping to ensure the safety of all of our children and perhaps in preventing other families from going through the same frustration and pain that they have experienced.

The Dufours have, however, not had the same success in their own case. They are now forced to sign off on the court case that was to vindicate their daughter. They signed off, not because of lack of evidence, but because of the legal and emotional costs. Our own School Board allowed a counter suit to be launched against the Dufours, alleging among other things, emotional and physical neglect of their daughter. We want to stand up and say we are proud of the Dufours. They have shown the integrity and the love to take a stand for their daughter, and the courage to take on the system. We recognize and appreciate their efforts and know the emotional and financial costs for their family have been high. Jamie and her family are frustrated and disappointed, because despite their honest and determined efforts, the community where Jamie was born and raised may not now or ever truly know and understand the truth of her situation.

If you would like to recognize their efforts, and show appreciation and support for the Dufours, please send an e-mail to safer-schools@telus.net

Trudy & Peter Alder

The Cathers Family

Carol & Phil Chernov

Ann & Francis Chiasson

Jane & Gary Clifford

Simone & Jim Crichton

The Crofton Family

Sue & Nils Daugulis

Ginny & Kerry Dennehy

Maureen Donovan & Dr. Andrew Hamson

Anne Fenwick

Steve & Michelle Flynn

Mary & Doug Forseth

Colleen & Dick Gibbons

John and Ruth Howells

Betty & Tom Jarvis

Carole & David Mains

Gail & Paul Morrison

The Munster Family

John Nichol

The Orr Family

Cathy & Steve Podborski

The Ratcliffe Family

John & Moe Richmond

Shayne Roberts

Randy & Mary Romanin

Heather Rondeau

Maureen & Boyd Schomaker

Sharon & Don Shaw

The Smythe Family

Laurie & Michael Vance

Buffy & Nigel Woods

 

Like school on Sunday… no class

I am compelled to write in response to the former Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, David Ahenakew’s, racist comments towards those of Jewish descent. As a Heiltsuk person and human being like any other, I am deeply concerned by his offensive and hateful remarks and wish to state for the record that his comments are entirely his own and should not be superimposed upon the views, values or belief systems of other Aboriginal Peoples. To do so would only spark more ignorance.

In these turbulent times, I am firmly of the opinion that what our world needs now, more than ever, is responsible compassion. A compassion that fortifies co-operation and ownership of what we as individuals value within our community(s). In First Nations homelands across Canada, I can assure readers without a doubt that harmony has been disrupted and immediate restoration is called for – without breeding more hateful and controversial recitations from any race or walk of life.

Racism, genocide and terrorism all stem from fear and lack of self-respect. Mr. Ahenakew has lost my respect and must be held accountable. He alone must bear the shame of being disavowed. I can only wish him continued healing and wellness on his journey.

As for those of us about to feel the ripple effects, I feel grounded in knowing that I have acted responsibly towards my brother and sisters.

Justin Wilson

Heiltsuk First Nation

 

Two articles, "Demand to exceed gas supply," July 25, 2002 and "Gas pipeline under review," Dec. 12, 2002 highlight the need for the efficient use of either natural gas or propane. The gas burning fireplace is a standard fixture in many hotels, condos, and detached homes. As we contemplate expanding gas supply, we need to question the efficiency of gas appliances. Presently there are no federal or provincial efficiency standards for gas fireplaces; however, the Federal Government will introduce efficiency standards for gas fireplaces in the summer of 2003. It is still up to the consumer to purchase the most efficient appliance.

I recently removed an 8-year-old gas fireplace with a 40 per cent efficiency rating (the manufacturers rating!) from my condo in Whistler. Clearly the builder/developer who installed my original fireplace knew I would be wasting 60 per cent of the heat potential of the propane. This flies in the face of any notion of sustainability. We do not need a new natural gas pipeline or more propane storage, we need to maximize the thermodynamic potential of the product being consumed.

We can only hope that the new standards change consumer behaviour in the future. Meanwhile, those old fireplaces keep pumping heat into the wind –what a waste of money and energy.

Keith Kennedy

Vancouver

 

As the snow creeps further down the mountains, and the air chills and the many strings of lights around the village sparkle nightly, Whistlerites prepare for Christmas and the surrounding holidays. There is much to revel in at this time of year, especially in Whistler, where your every whim can be attended to – there are many delights of the senses, such as beautiful foods, gifts and of course the sumptuous scenery. The symbols and trappings of Christmas can be found in the village and brought home to the many illuminated houses. The smells of cloves, cinnamon, mint and oranges; the sights of coloured lights, wreaths, decorated trees, the pleasures of wrapping and giving gifts. This is a wonderful place to await the coming festivities and to celebrate them. Whistlerites are unarguably rich in these respects.

However, the truism we've heard thousands of times ring true no louder than at this time of year. People live in extreme poverty all over the world while unsustainable lives are lived by the lucky few. The key to change is within us; the power to make a difference is ours. Each choice we make, each product we buy and then consume, is one more vote we make for one side or the other: a globalized world in which we continue to poison the planet and ourselves, or one in which we live in harmony with the ecosystems that sustain us.

This time of the year, while you’re enjoying the first runs of the season, the new snows, and the inevitable anticipation of parties, food, and holiday, raise your consciousness a little. There is no better time to be an informed consumer than at the highest point of consumption of the year. Be aware of where your purchases come from, educate yourself on the issues. Work a little harder to find gifts that represent the change you want to see happen. Embody the parts of human nature that make us wiser, better people.

No matter what your religion this holiday season, be the change. Be joyous, be well.

Leah Noble

Whistler

 

Heads up or pants down?

A recent poll showed that the majority of British Columbians who support hosting the Olympics do so because they believe it will be economically beneficial. Unfortunately, if history is any example, they’re likely to be disappointed.

In Utah, for example, post-Olympics tax revenues have fallen so far short of predictions that the state is facing a US$155 million shortfall.

Their Olympic Legacy? They have slashed spending, cut programs, dipped into emergency funding, and may order more employee layoffs.

A former Utah Tax Commissioner stated: "Anyone who thought we were going to see a big spike in revenues because all of this money was getting spent during those four weeks didn’t look at it logically."

And the current Chief Economist of the Utah Tax Commission found, "50 per cent of the retailers did well and 50 per cent didn’t do well."

But what about that $100 million profit you heard so much about? Well, first of all, any profit from the Games goes to the IOC and the Organizing Committee, not the hosts. And second, that $100 million "profit" doesn’t take into account the $2 billion of taxpayers‚ subsidies. If you take that $100 million and subtract the $2 billion it cost taxpayers, what you’re left with is hardly a profit.

In fact, there is no reliable evidence that any host has made money on the Olympics since L.A. in 1984.

Calgary, for instance, although we often hear they made a profit, actually lost $14 million. And according to investigative reporter Thomas Walkom, that’s not counting the close to half a billion dollars that taxpayers paid.

In Lillehammer the debt was about $500 million. In Barcelona, a deficit of $1.4 billion. Nagano? No one knows how much they lost; organizers burned the books.

So if we go into this thing expecting the costs to double (as is typical), knowing taxpayers will have to cover those cost-overruns and will be legally responsible for any debt, and accepting that we will have to pay interest on the billions we borrow to pay for everything (remember, we’re broke), then we will go in with our heads up. Otherwise, like many others, we may be caught with our pants down.

Van Powel

Whistler

 

I was surprised to read Shelley Phelan’s letter expressing her surprise at what she described as "dirty politics" in the Pique’s election coverage. Shelley took exception to Bob Barnett’s and G.D. Maxwell’s choice to endorse certain candidates in Whistler’s municipal election, while praising the Whistler Question’s choice to remain "unbiased."

Far from being "dirty politics," it is a time-honoured tradition for newspapers to endorse election candidates in the appropriate formats – that is, in editorial columns or opinion pieces, as opposed to news articles which should, and do, as far as I’ve read in the Pique, remain neutral.

Only in recent years, usually out of fear of offending anyone, namely advertisers or corporate supporters, have newspapers tended to take the safe "unbiased" road and zip their collective lips on such matters – some kind of modern, faceless democracy in action.

Personally, I like to know where my newspaper stands, so I can figure out its political stripes. The more opinions expressed (again, in the right channels), the better.

For the record, when I owned the Question we didn’t shy away from expressing opinions in editorials and columns, not to be contrary, but to stand for what we truly believed was best for the community and to flush out as much debate as possible. We were threatened with more than one lawsuit and the withdrawal of (major) ad revenue when we stepped on toes, but that’s the nature of the game when you believe in certain principles.

Glenda Bartosh

White Rock, B.C.

 

RE: Whistler Film Festival

I am writing to acknowledge the huge effort behind, and excellent delivery of, the second annual Whistler Film Festival. The presentation was first class in every respect – from film selection to publicity, exhibits, workshops and the big R-Rated Party. This world-class event attracted attention from the film industry and film lovers alike. With this kind of commitment to quality, the Whistler Film Festival will become one of the key film festivals in North America within a few years.

If you missed the festival, you missed out. The quality of both international and Canadian films was extremely high, and many favourites from the festival lineup were films that we would otherwise not get a chance to see. JET, a short film produced by youth in Port McNeill (Vancouver Island) was perhaps the biggest surprise, showcasing enough maturity, creativity and young filmmaking talent to inspire others to give it go.

As a film lover and arts advocate, I encourage the development of events of this stature and level of professionalism. It’s good to see our community and visitors alike respond so positively to new initiatives that showcase our commitment to the arts, film and mountain culture.

On a personal note I was most impressed with many of the Canadian entries focusing on real life issues and exploring the fabric of who we are as human beings. Our proud Canadian filmmakers are masters in the art of storytelling and creative artful cinematography.

To those who enjoyed the festival as I did, spread the word – let’s help make this one of the biggest annual events on the Whistler calendar. Special congratulations to Shauna Hardy and Kasi Lubin who co-produced the weekend-long celebration, presenting excellence in film along with excellence in event creation. We look forward to next year’s event and to seeing the Whistler Film Festival segment presented during the Celebration 2010 Festival in February, 2003.

Congratulations on this great success.

John Hewson

Arts Advocate