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On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, Rico Suchy was sentenced in provincial court for the illegal hand-feeding of bears from his Panorama Ridge home.

On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, Rico Suchy was sentenced in provincial court for the illegal hand-feeding of bears from his Panorama Ridge home.

A $3,000 fine hardly makes up for the two bears killed as a direct result of his thoughtless actions – the $50,000 maximum fine would have been more appropriate considering that this went on in defiance of local bear-safe information, including weekly ads in the Pique.

This man, already having been investigated for allegedly operating an illegal rooming house, has shown no respect for this community and its residents. Despite pleas from his neighbours, and warnings from wildlife officials, he went ahead and endangered the lives of up to eight bears (and potentially the lives of the people in the area).

I challenge Mr. Suchy to publicly apologize to the residents of Whistler and give some indication as to what his value is to this community and why he has flouted local laws and the wishes of his neighbours at every turn.

Ian Ward

Whistler

Thanks for the enLIGHTment!

I am a twenty-something year old female here in Whistler and I often find my way home from the bar on our faithful WAVE bus service.

It's a dark walk along Matterhorn and up Forest Ridge in Alpine. Dark... and it'd be awfully scary if it wasn't for the few houses who leave a porch light on for me. As I sing (to keep the bears away, of course) I scurry from dark parts of the road.

A huge thanks from me on Lakewood Court to those who are my streetlights!

Joanne Van Engelsdorp

Whistler

I just wanted to thank all those involved in what we hope will become an annual Whistler Welcome Week. I was very happy to have been a part of the event both as an individual and as part of MY Place. Every event that I attended was full of happy newcomers. The energy and community spirit was nothing short of incredible. It was truly amazing to see so many, well orchestrated, and well meaning volunteers who I hope feel as proud to have been a part of this as I am.

Special kudos to Tessa and Greg, Youth Outreach Workers, for organizing the week, as well as all the staff from Whistler Community Services, a group who touch the lives of so many without always being able to be recognized for the work they do.

Rob Schwartz

Maurice Young Millennium Place

There’s a lot of flu around at this time of year. Always has been. Probably always will be. But the only thing that seems to be of epidemic proportions at the moment is fear stories about the flu.

Remember, this is the flu we're talking about. Not hucking yourself off a 60-foot cliff. Or driving the Sea-to-Sky highway on a Friday night.

The flu... something almost everyone easily recovers from. And then has immunity from (for that particular strain) for the rest of their life.

Are some at risk? Sure. (90 per cent of deaths from influenza occur among the elderly). But the vast majority of us will be just fine (and maybe even better off!) without a flu shot.

In fact, this year's flu vaccine doesn't even protect against the strain that is showing up in 80 per cent of the cases so far. And the majority of illnesses that result in flu-like symptoms aren't even caused by the influenza virus.

So turn off the news and do what the U.S. Center for Disease Control says is "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick" – wash your hands more often.

You might also try squeezing in a little sleep between now and Easter, exercising a little (but not too much!), and watching your diet. (No, beer is not a vegetable.)

Oh, and the next time you hear the latest horror story about the flu, or the shortage of flu vaccine, maybe keep in mind that the flu shot is manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry.

They are, by far, the most profitable sector of the Fortune 500. They know a thing or two about marketing. Could it be they play a role in media reports that frighten you into thinking you're at serious risk if you don't get a flu shot – every year... for the rest of your life?

Think about it while you go wash your hands.

Van Powel, RPN

Whistler

Early Friday, Dec. 5th, 2003. The morning ritual. Get up, get the coffee started, call the ski patrol weather report. Despite being not quite with it something seemed odd about the report I was listening to yesterday. The ski patrol voice made reference to changes expected tomorrow, Friday. Wait a second I thought, as the fog started to clear, today is Friday. I hung up and re-dialled to discover that the report I was listening to was for Nov. 18th.

Yesterday’s Whistler-Blackcomb phone-in report claimed 20cm new overnight. Their Web site said 26cm. More contradiction this morning; the phone report said 83cm new in the past 36 hours, the Web site says 67cm in the past 48 hours. Come on Intrawest, get your story straight.

This topic made for some lively discussion on the gondola yesterday. Somebody said they had heard that the reason given for shutting down the patrol report was that it had become too popular. Gee, let’s see, our service is gaining popularity. Maybe we can add another phone line. Nah, let’s pull the plug.

For most locals and people that spend a lot of time at Whistler, the "official" snow report lost credibility long ago. Am I the only person that’s convinced they measure the base on a north-facing slope right under the nozzle of a permanently placed snow-making machine? I came to depend on the patrollers’ report for accurate information to make decisions regarding clothing, which mountain to ski, what skis to take or whether to go skiing at all. Backcountry skiers depended on it for much more important reasons.

Please, please bring back those groggy, sleepy, scratchy, early-morning voices we have come to know and love.

Grant McIntosh

Richmond/Whistler

While looking at the options for our CSP I am reminded (like G.D. Maxwell) of the multiple-choice exams I took in high school. I got many right answers by the process of elimination without really understanding the question. I had very high grades and very low esteem for most of my teachers (except my physics and music teachers).

As I struggle to decide which choice is the least unsustainable, I’m finding them all dangerous. A healthy approach might be to encourage the municipality to consider responsible implementation no matter which option is chosen.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler has paid dearly already for mistakes occurring after a responsible decision has been made. I appreciate the opportunity to live in affordable housing in Whistler but I was incredulous when a certain contractor was hired for another "affordable" housing project after the way he botched Millar’s Ridge.

Don’t get me wrong, I love living at Millar’s Ridge, it’s a great community because of the neighbours. However, the buildings were constructed below the standard of what we bought and we have had to spend a lot of money to bring them up to code. The municipality had to fork over for damages that the contractor never covered. We couldn’t afford the legal fees to go after him.

This is just my personal opinion, but vote for whatever has the most "in it for you" (you will anyway) and make sure you heed the sane advice of your professional advisers (and your conscience) when it comes time to take action. Make sure that whoever you hire to build it, or maintain it, whatever the case, does so in an economically, environmentally and socially responsible fashion.

Leanne Lamour

Whistler

From Valley Trail to garbage trail

As a resident of Alpine, I am shocked and disgusted each time I walk from the Alpine store towards the high school as the trail is littered with garbage, candy wrappers, empty drink bottles, etc. Can't someone teach the school children to put their garbage in the bins?

2. It's not the highway that's dangerous.

On a recent Friday night I drove from Vancouver to Whistler, at the speed limit and taking heed of warning signs on sharp bends etc. During my trip I was overtaken by numerous vehicles which, just to pass me, had to be exceeding the speed limit. One even overtook me on double yellow lines. And in their apparent desperation to pass, most of them tailgated me so closely that I couldn’t even see them in my wing mirrors. No, it's not the highway that is dangerous it's the drivers.

The solution? Harsher enforcement of road rules, and as a British citizen, I would suggest hidden speed cameras and lots of notices warning of the cameras. The point is deterrent, not punishment.

Sarah Bourne

Whistler