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Re: Whistler-Blackcomb response to Giselle Portenier’s letter. I have been working as a snowboard instructor on Whistler Mountain for the last eight years and have noticed a trend by certain instructors to abuse their lift line privileges.

Re: Whistler-Blackcomb response to Giselle Portenier’s letter.

I have been working as a snowboard instructor on Whistler Mountain for the last eight years and have noticed a trend by certain instructors to abuse their lift line privileges. When I was first hired here, the rule for line priority on the Peak chair stated that private lessons with only one or two people in the group could use the ski-school line, and any other types of lessons used the regular line. This was out of respect for the people that waited patiently for their turn at the untracked powder.

These days the powder doesn’t seem to last as long due to the high-speed quads and the number of skiers that it can move to the top, so naturally people get more anxious to get there – especially if they have been waiting for an hour or more for the lift to open.

The current rules for instructors allow any type of lesson to use the ski school line on the Peak chair. However, myself and many other snowboard instructors realize the importance of respecting the people who have been waiting for the chair to open – simple common courtesy. There have been four instances this year where my students wanted to wait in line for one of the alpine chairs to open, and we lined up with the rest of the public.

The main purpose for the ski-school line is to keep lessons moving, since people are paying by the hour for a lesson, therefore waiting for a chair to open in the ski school line displays disregard for its intended purpose.

It is unfortunate that someone had a bad experience due to a ski instructor’s poor judgement call on that unwritten rule, and was the target of some disgruntled locals who have paid in one way or another to be in that line as well. It is also unfortunate that a visitor has been disenchanted with Whistler, but I have a hard time sympathizing with them as many locals’ bubbles have been burst by skyrocketing property taxes and costs of living.

The increase in poor behaviour by a minority probably has something to do with the increase in numbers of visitors (2 million +) and the increase in the number of slow zones.

Last year I was told to slow down while going down the Dave Murray Downhill. For me the magic of Whistler is slipping fast – into someone else’s fantasyland.

Rob Neilson

Whistler

Re: Whistler magic lost forever (Pique letters April 18)

I was there the day your group was pelted with "snow rockets." I think I even know which person you were since you described being at the back of the group.

You see, I was waiting in line for Peak Chair to open not for one hour, but for two. While you were skiing groomers and eating a hot lunch, people stood in line, anxiously waiting, wondering if they were going to get a lap in before they had to go to work.

We all know the benefits of ski school. I watched your group pull up in front of everybody and endure the "attack" for half an hour. The snowboard instructor who was waiting in line with his group behind me agreed that using ski school status to poach the lift line before the chair opens is pretty inconsiderate.

Fifty centimetres of fresh is a beautiful thing and despite what you think, the locals weren't out to hurt you, they were just trying to get their point across. All you had to do was go back to the end of the line.

I think that you are being a bit melodramatic over a snowball fight. Thanks for your life story, however someone such as yourself who claims to have seen the worst of humanity, you'd think you would be a little tougher. Sorry to burst your Whistler/Canada "fantasy" bubble, but maybe you should lighten up and even laugh about it like the other people in your group did.

Melanie Smith

Pemberton

Sustainability is a word that gets tossed around a lot lately. Whistler is gaining a reputation as being a leader in the sustainability movement in the corridor. I find that ironic in a place where the cars (SUVs) keep getting bigger, along with the garages to keep them in. Multiple family dwellings are torn down and replaced with mansions that are not lived in.

We are not the only community in the world to cater to the wealthy and squeeze out anyone who is actually trying to live a sustainable lifestyle. I'm not saying wealth is bad, but many wealthy people are rationalizing unsustainable lifestyles because they can. They're getting away with it because governments and business let them; money talks. If you know that someone has a lot of money and you think they might give some of it to you, you put up with all kinds of crap from them because they're the guest, the client, and they're always right. If you have lots of money you go around expecting to be treated that way and when someone stands up to you, are outraged and they get reamed out or fired.

"Oh, but I recycle," you say. Oh, yeah, we're great at recycling, the salve we use to erase our conscience and guilt about the fact that we're lousy at re-using and useless at reducing. Those are supposed to be the first priorities; Reduce, Reuse and then recycle as a last resort. We've got it all backwards. How do you know that anything you put in that bin actually gets recycled? You don't, you just pile all the wrong stuff into the wrong bin and it all ends up in the garbage because no-one has time to sort through it, it's all contaminated. But that's OK, your conscience is eased and no-one is the wiser. If we stopped buying the packaging in the first place, and reused whatever containers we do have to buy, we wouldn't have to recycle so much. The fact that we do so much recycling points to the fact that we haven't got it right. We're too rich and lazy to bother. The piles of "returnables" in the recycle bin are evidence of this affluent laziness.

We can change this. We can make an effort in our own lives by putting into practice the ideas and suggestions we champion on a superficial level. I am specifically addressing those who think they can afford not to. I'm addressing anyone who is thinking of replacing their late model SUV with an even bigger, later model. I'm addressing anyone who is thinking of selling their ’70s ski cabin for a tidy profit so they can leave and be replaced by someone who's probably not Canadian and won't even be living in the mansion they use half a forest to build. There is no point in protesting logging and mining while we continue to demand more wood and metal to support our lifestyle.

I'm challenging the wealthy people of Whistler to get off our asses and do the hardest work of all, the work we can't pay someone else to do for us. Sitting on some committee or council may help to rationalize our excesses but it doesn't really change anything. The day we show some kindness to someone who has nothing to do with our job or our next contract is the day our smiles will be real. The day we buy things in bulk and make meals from scratch, keep and maintain our cars for 10 years, or better yet leave them at home and take the bus, that day we'll be getting it right. The day we simplify our own lives and stop lamenting how it's useless anyway, that will be the day the world changes for the better.

Leanne Lamour'

Whistler

 

This letter was addressed to Larry Bell, Chair and CEO of BC Hydro.

I am writing you to express my concerns with BC Hydro’s involvement with "green energy" hydroelectric projects (IPPs) in the Sea to Sky Region.

I represent the forth generation of Pemberton farmers in my family; my great-grandfather moved to the Pemberton Meadows before the existence of paved roads, power lines, and BC Rail tracks. I know the region intimately as I am a Fish & Wildlife biologist with extensive knowledge of our local rivers, streams, and wetlands.

I would like to request that BC Hydro refrain from accepting applications under the November 2002 "Request for Green Power Generation," and that BC Hydro review its definition of "green energy." More specifically, I demand that BC Hydro withdraw support for an IPP on the Ryan River Watershed. The current pressure that BC Hydro is placing on IPP producers is impacting the Lillooet and Squamish River Watersheds hydrologically, ecologically, and socially. Currently, there is lack of research and baseline information on the extent of these impacts. The present "gold-rush" mentality displayed by BC Hydro indicates an embarrassing lack of foresight and adherence to the Precautionary Principle. These are not "green" practices.

A brief list of the impacts from IPPs include:

• habitat loss for several threatened and vulnerable listed wildlife species (eg.Spotted Owl, American Peregrine Falcon, Keen’s Long-Eared Myotis) and fish species (eg. Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, and Coho Salmon).

This list of species may appear to be insignificant to those with no association to them, but in fact, they are species that represent a host of other lifeforms. This is why they are listed with COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildllife in Canada) and CDC (Conservation Data Centre) as threatened or endangered. They are high-profile species, and when their habitat is in danger, the people/organizations behind the threat face enormous challenges in terms of public support and governmental backing. A good example of this is the loss of credibility suffered by those who were interested in logging Clayoquot Sound in the early/mid-1990s.

• loss of upstream nutrient/food production. Invertebrates (bugs) live in the upper reaches of streams and rivers, and represent the bottom of the food chain. If they are lost, species that rely on them for food will also be impacted, as well as the people who rely on that system for clean, pure water.

• Cumulative impacts to water quality downstream of the penstock intake and pumphouse. On a watershed basis, impacts to one stream can result in the loss of valuable ecological functions downstream in other rivers, lakes and wetlands. In terms of fish populations, this is a serious issue in B.C., as the repercussions can be felt by the provincial fishing industry; an industry which currently cannot afford to see less adult salmon returning to the ocean because of spawning habitat loss.

When BC Hydro announces its call for Green Power generation proposals, it is using public funds to support an initiative that does not have public backing. This is an illegitimate use of public monies, and as such, we deserve to be made aware of these actions. That is why we in the Pemberton Valley have mounted strong resistance against these practices, and are in the process of telling our story to local, provincial, and national media outlets. The misconception that IPPs are producing "green energy" must be exposed, and the pressure placed on IPP producers by BC Hydro to produce such environmentally destructive forms of power must be public knowledge. We are doing our best to make this public, and we will not halt until BC Hydro removes the call for applications and stops hiding current practices under a veil of "green" labels.

I am fully aware of the difficult situation BC Hydro finds itself in these days as the demand for power increases with our ever-growing population. I have done extensive field work in the Peace-Williston area and Revelstoke area, and am therefore aware of the alternatives to run-of-the-river projects. However, I am not satisfied that BC Hydro has made enough attempts at educating the public about reducing power consumption. I am confident that were BC Hydro to make a greater effort at reducing current power demands in the province, it would not need to support such entirely false initiatives such as "green energy."

After all, the demand for power is not always present, and at these periods of low demand, our power is sold elsewhere. But BC Hydro does not have the right to "sell" BC’s habitat, nor the fish and wildlife populations that depend on it. Nor is BC Hydro welcome to proceed any further with accepting applications for IPP projects until we, the taxpayers and stewards of our local environment, are involved in the process from the onset.

Lisa Helmer

Pemberton

Although many residents of Whistler are well informed on eliminating backyard attractants that lure in hungry bears, often they are unaware that it is actually the law. There are two laws that affect Whistler residents with respect to feeding bears or otherwise attracting bears to their property.

Whistler Garbage Disposal Bylaw No, 1445, 1999:

No domestic garbage and no food waste or other edible waste that could attract bears shall be stored outdoors, including on any patio, balcony or deck. It must be deposited in a bear-proof container.

Bird feeders must be suspended on a cable or other device so that they are inaccessible by bears. Feeding bears and depositing or storing any domestic garbage, food waste, or other edible waste that could attract bears is prohibited (this includes composters).

Every person who contravenes any provision of this Bylaw commits an offence and upon summary conviction is liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000 and the cost of prosecution or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or both. Most often a verbal warning is given on a first or minor offence and an MTI fine of $100 on a more serious or second offence.

The bylaw also includes some provisions which make bear-proof waste containment and enclosures mandatory, with some exceptions for special events. Containers and enclosures must be kept closed and secure when waste is not being deposited and if damaged, must be repaired in a timely fashion.

B.C. Wildlife Act:

There is also provincial legislation that makes it an offence for people in B.C. to feed dangerous wildlife (ie. bears, cougars, coyotes, and wolves) or to disobey orders to remove and clean up food, food waste, or other substances that can attract dangerous wildlife to their premises. Conservation Officers may issue a written dangerous wildlife protection order, which requires "the removal or containment of compost, food, food waste or domestic garbage." If people fail to comply with the order, they could face a penalty of up to $50,000 and/or six months in jail.

Both the Whistler bylaw and provincial legislation can be downloaded from our Web site: http://www.bearsmart.com/bearSmartCommunities/bylaws.html .

Thanks for doing your part to live in harmony with our bears. Only you can prevent a conflict situation. To learn more call 604-905-BEAR (2327) or log onto get BEARsmart.com.

Sylvia Dolson

Executive Director,

J.J. Whistler Bear Society

Canadian Bear Alliance

Thanks Whistler!

At the second annual Raise the Ceiling fundraiser on March 18th we raised over $7,625 for the Whistler Photographic Society and the Zero Ceiling Society of Canada. A big, fat THANK YOU needs to go out to the folks who made this night a success: Silicon Mountain Printing, Shits and Giggles, Snosurfer Design, the Inspired Group, the TWSSF, Sky Vodka and Grand Marnier, the GLC, Leanna Rathkelly, the Delta Whistler Resort, Sue Ross and her crew of hotties, ‘Wild’ Bill Hortie, the dedicated volunteers, the Pique Newsmagazine, the local businesses who very generously provided additional prizes and most importantly the pro photographers who donated the images to be auctioned!

We raised money for two worthy causes, and had fun... perfect!

Jeannette Nadon,

Whistler Photographic Society

Chris Winter,

the Zero Ceiling Society of Canada

Thanks to my friends and their friends for an unforgettable Dual Mountain Scavenger Hunt last Easter Saturday. It helped put some magic back into the mountain.

Thanks too to anyone in the village, the lifties and the patrollers on both Mountains who cheerfully put up with numerous questions and requests. And of course, thanks to the staff of the Chateau Whistler who probably had the toughest job – team after team of middle-aged, champagne-drinking Scavengers crashing their pool in various stages of undress. It was a great day.

Giselle Portenier

Hunt Master

I have tried to avoid too much exposure to the pervasive coverage of the Iraq/U.S. conflict, but it is impossible not to have some thoughts on the unfolding events. I have also read various rationalizations or justifying reasons why the war was inevitable, justified, or necessary. Like most issues there is always more than one perspective.

But what will happen in Iraq now? Surely now the real battles will be fought. Not for oil or territory, though no doubt these will be factors, but for the political and ideological future of the Iraqi people of all faiths.

The question that interests me is, is it possible to create and install a democratic system in such a country under existing conditions?

Like people in many areas of today’s world, it seems to me that we must remember that tribal associations are very strong in the Middle Eastern countries, as they are also with indigenous people in Africa, the Americas, and Australia, as a few examples. Arabia did not even exist, except as a group of independent states, 100 years ago. The area was full of warring tribes fighting for land, water, and territorial rights in various areas. Indeed this is a common feature of all human history.

Consider all the historical examples of what has happened when a western colonial power has governed and then left a tribal culture ie: India and Africa. The results are almost always disaster. There are few things in this world more powerful than instinctive religious beliefs held by those in an impoverished environment with only uncertainty and fear before them.

Can the U.S. truly believe that, just by eliminating Saddam and his forces, they can lay a democratic foundation over the shifting sands of the political aspirations of Sunni and Shiite Muslims as well as Kurds?

We shall see.

And to those who point to the death count in Iraq as a reason for intervention by the west, do the names Hutu and Tutsi ring any bells? Where were our western humanitarian ideals where they were concerned?

Harry W. Midgley

Garibaldi Highlands

Turn off the TV

Re: Ralph Forsyth’s letter to the editor, "The actual facts" (Pique, April 18)

Conspiracy Theory: Something people say when they don't want you to think about what's really going on.

It sounds like you don't have a clue either. Your letter and, presumably, your understanding of the "actual facts" make assumptions which express the basic ideas and framework of the U.S. propaganda system. Try reading Noam Chomsky or John Ralston Saul rather then watching CNN.

Marilyn Manso

Whistler

On April 17 2002, an American pilot, apparently nicknamed Psycho, who could have been high on speed, dropped a multi-kilogram bomb, that may have had uranium in it, on Canadian troops in Afghanistan during a training exercise. During the first Gulf War, 49 per cent of all casualties were caused by friendly fire. The veterans of Gulf War I are one of the loudest opposition groups to the war in Iraq. Except they don’t get much coverage from the Ministry of Disinformation, otherwise known as the media. Many of the Gulf War Veterans are now getting sick from handling armourments that contained Uranium and studies in Kuwait show rising levels of birth defects. War is a terrible way to Globalize countries.

Bjorn Gimse

Whistler