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Where is Terasen’s commitment to sustainability? In the article headlined "Terasen looks to Whistler for pipeline support" from last week’s Pique, Terasen officials expressed that they, like many, including myself, would like a co

Where is Terasen’s commitment to sustainability?

In the article headlined "Terasen looks to Whistler for pipeline support" from last week’s Pique, Terasen officials expressed that they, like many, including myself, would like a community decision made as to how we should proceed with heating Whistler in the future. Energy – and especially heating – in Whistler are clearly significant contributors to both local air quality and localized climate issues such as pine beetle and shorter winters.

This decision, however, should not necessarily be forced forward without adequate review, which to date has in my mind been insufficient and lacking local consultation. Keep in mind also that at any time Terasen has the right to forgo new customers in an effort to protect existing customers. Their past decisions to accept new load is clearly in part, leading to current energy peaking issues.

According to a quote, Terasen officials infer that not making a decision may lead to some less sustainable option. When comparing propane to natural gas it is clear that natural gas is a winner as far as sustainability goes; cleaner, slightly safer and little less expensive for the time being. However, why should we be forced to chose between two unsustainable options when there are many other routes as expressed in my Sept 10 th Pique letter to the editor?

Switching to natural gas today, based on a project that amortizes the costs over 50 years, clearly shows that Terasen gas is expecting to provide natural gas to Whistler for 50 years in ever increasing amounts. In fact, as described by comments made in last week’s article they are even willing to bully new users (RMOW and Olympic facilities) to make long-term guarantees through holding existing customers price hostages. In addition, and based on their own numbers, the slight drop expected in emissions such as Green House Gases compared to propane will be wiped out within five years. After this period emissions of climate-changing gases will still continue to cumulate each and every year as Terasen seeks to add more users to the system. Their own projections show a minimum 50 per cent increase in yearly emissions due to heating which, over 20 years, accumulate to add more than 25 times more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere!

If Terasen, as many other energy companies like BC Hydro, showed any interest in moving towards sustainability and developing a plan to wean us off their soon-to-be limited and expensive fossil fuels (due to global trading, limited supplies and emission taxes) then it might be worth considering a short term use of natural gas. Although, with a 50-year investment dependant on shipping fossil fuels, no corporate direction towards sustainability, and a captive audience forced to pay whatever the price of natural gas will go to during this time frame, why would they help our community switch off? In fact, the comments made in the article show that the company will put as much effort as possible into furthering the use of natural gas fossil fuels in Whistler as long as possible.

Dan Wilson

Whistler

 

Crisis – a crucial stage at which future events are determined. (Random House).

Q: This council, when elected almost two years ago, promised to deliver 500 employee beds by the end of their term. How many do you think will be delivered in the next 14 months?

Nick Davies: "The answer at this point is: I have no idea."

I was hoping that at the next election we could move on to accountability… obviously we will need to go back and focus on housing… again!

Bob Lorriman

Whistler

 

I am writing this letter in response to the Sept. 17 Pique article (Employee housing waitlist longest ever) and the controversy surrounding the lack of affordable housing in Whistler. It is evident there is a need for affordable housing in Whistler and a serious lack of supply to meet growing demand. What’s more, there is enormous uncertainty surrounding the timeline when more housing will become available and how much of the Whistler Housing Authority waitlist the next project will satisfy.

For various reasons, people are determined to have a piece of Whistler to call there own. Some people feel they deserve it and that this is how it should be. Maybe there should be enough housing to support the work forces who on a daily basis grease the machine called Whistler. I may rattle some cages here but... you’re dreaming! With the exception of a portion of the wait list, you will be waiting a long time – maybe years – for your opportunity to own in Whistler. You are going to have to come to terms with this.

I would like to point out a fantastic alternative. It’s nothing new, it’s not very innovative, nor is it Whistler. There is currently an abundance of affordable housing in Pemberton starting from well under $200,000. I am talking about condos and townhomes. These units are not restricted in any way as far as who can live in them or by how much they can appreciate in value. Furthermore, many of these units if not brand new, are at the most 8-10 years old.

What I am telling you is nothing new. So why then do you choose to ignore it and continue an unyielding and most likely fruitless pursuit for a piece of Whistler? Pemberton and Whistler both offer endless outdoor recreation, a second-to-none mountain-living environment, and a wealth of fantastic people. Contrary to popular belief, things are happening in Pemberton. There is a community centre, children’s water park and skate park coming soon, two brand-new schools, public transportation, great restaurants, outstanding scenery and, again, good quality and affordable housing.

I was born and raised in Whistler. If anyone feels deserving of a piece of Whistler it’s me. However, it’s just not a reality. Because it’s an affordable alternative and a personal choice, I choose Pemberton. Pemberton is not a compromise; it’s a fantastic alternative which allows you to continue living the mountain lifestyle you’ve become accustomed to.

I encourage you to take the blinders off and explore options other than the status quo – paying someone else’s mortgage while waiting for your name to be called.

Beau Jarvis

Whistler/Pemberton

 

Re: Weyehaeuser backs down on logging Pemberton slope, (Pique, Sept. 10)

Here is a city slicker's take on preserving the Pemberton slope. I am not cheering for several reasons:

In my opinion, Pemberton's win is everybody else's loss. While Pemberton gazes on the unlogged hillside, the rest of the province picks up the tab (timber volume lost, land lost to timber production, private and government income lost, third party compensation, etc.)

We in this province make a substantial part of our living by supplying the rest of the world with wood products that satisfy basic human needs (housing, education, information, energy, entertainment, etc.). Forestry has been providing us with employment, private income and government revenue. Under our sustained yield policy, however, the more forested land we take out of timber production, the less timber we can cut annually and the poorer we get as a province.

B.C. has already amply discharged its moral obligation to preserve forests. The total area of the province is about 95 million hectares. We have about 13 million hectares of that (about 13 per cent) preserved in parks, ecological reserves and wilderness areas. Garibaldi Park, for example, is a bike ride from Pemberton.

B.C.'s forests are a publicly administered provincial resource. The Ministry of Forest has the mandate to make the final decision on where, how and how much to log. Affected municipalities should, of course, have input. However, the ministry should base its decision on what's best for the province. The Pemberton slope has been part of the commercial forest land base and logging it had undoubtedly been planned for years. Preserving it is not in the provincial interest.

Logging, even clearcutting, is not the end of the forest. Hardcore environmentalists like to present a logged area (particularly clearcut) as an irredeemable ecological and visual calamity. I know better because I wasn't always a city slicker. Having worked in the coast forest industry, I have seen many clearcuts. They have all greened up, with or without my help. But don't take my word for it. The success in reforestation and second-growth management after clearcutting has been well documented in The Working Forests of British Columbia . The book presents text and before-and-after pictorial evidence that clearcuts reforest readily, and the second-growth is healthy, vigorous and beautiful. A tour of heavily logged southern Vancouver Island would make one reach the same conclusion.

Logging close to a town also offers opportunities. The Pemberton slope, for example, could've been turned into an education tool, demonstration forest and tourist attraction after logging. The municipality could've pushed for restoration of the trails in the area, immediate reforestation, and posting information on the history, status and future of the area. School kids, residents and tourists could've walked to trails, and observed and experienced a new forest emerging. Some tourist would probably be coming back periodically just to keep track of the new stand's development.

Joe Bako

Vancouver

 

Even in Pemberton

When I moved to my little home in Pemberton my dear friend said, "you must have a flag pole." Of course! The thought evoked a wonderful feeling associated to my childhood when most homes had a flag flying because of the war.

My friend didn't buy a flag pole though, he made one. A beautiful mahogany-coloured round pole about seven feet long with a tapered end to slide through the brace and sit in the socket he made and attached to the front of the carport. The pole, which was very resilient in the wind, soared up at an angle towards the sky.

When we attached the very large flag to the pole we felt like children with a new kite on a perfect day, smiles of satisfaction. When asked where I lived I would say "the house with the flag. It's the only one. You can't miss it."

My friend died a couple of years ago, but every time I looked at the flag I would remember that first day.

I went on holidays recently and as I drove away from the house early in the morning I looked in my rear view mirror at my garden and above it the flag flying proudly, gracefully for Canada, for my friend, for remembrance.

While I was away, someone came. Someone took the flag and the pole my friend made. There is a big empty space where the flag used to fly.

L. MacDonald

Pemberton

 

Staff Sergeant Norm McPhail says he would like to see the research on marijuana and violence. He can find the report "Psychoactive Substances and Violence" by the US Department of Justice at http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/govpubs/psycviol.htm In summary, the report states that the only drug with any real connection to drug-induced violence is alcohol. The violence associated with illegal drugs is primarily "systemic". That is, it is a result of the system of prohibition that creates a lucrative criminal market.

Staff Sergeant McPhail says he wants to know what the studies said about marijuana. He can find the full text of most of the major commission reports over the last 100 years at http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer under Major Studies of Drugs and Drug Policy. He will find that government commissions have been studying the marijuana laws for 110 years now and, over that 110 years, they have all come to similar conclusions.

They have all agreed that marijuana is not a serious threat to society. They all said that the prohibition laws were based on ignorance and nonsense and should have been repealed long ago because they do more harm than good. They all concluded that, no matter what you thought about marijuana, prohibition was the wrong approach. The recent Canadian Senate commission was only the latest in a long line of commissions with similar conclusions.

Clifford Schaffer

Director, DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy

Agua Dulce, California

 

Depression is treatable

In response to the article on depression in Pique Newsmagazine (Aug. 27) and as part of Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 4-11) we would like to briefly present an overview of Clinical Depression: early warning symptoms, self-help, how to best support friend or family member experiencing depression, and resources available in the community.

Firstly, there are many different causes of depression: reaction to major life events; situational factors; societal factors; isolation; physical ailments; drug-related factors. A family history of depression can make an individual more susceptible to these factors, but does not mean they will necessarily develop depression.

Most depression has multiple causes but the experience of depression varies widely from person to person.

However, these are a few of the most common early warning symptoms of depression:

Feelings: sadness, hopelessness, or despair much of the day nearly every day; inability to enjoy activities that normally give pleasure; feeling unusually anxious angry, or irritable; extreme feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or shame.

Behaviour: lack of motivation, unresponsiveness, low energy levels, extreme fatigue, withdrawal from social activities, insomnia.

Thoughts: difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, a marked tendency to focus on the negative, thoughts of death or being better off dead, or about hurting oneself.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms the following may help to tip the balance back to a healthier state: regular exercise, stimulating activities (television does not count), relaxation exercises, appropriate diet, setting and working towards realistic goals, scheduling in regular activities each day, reaching out to others in your support system, talking to a therapist or to staff at a crisis line.

As a friend or family member of someone suffering with depression you can: be patient and reassuring, listen to the concerns rather than giving advice, encourage the person to be physically active (at whatever level they are capable), encourage the person to seek professional help if symptoms worsen, make sure you have your own support network.

The most effective treatment for sever depression is a combination of supportive psychotherapy and anti-depressant medication. There are many different types of anti-depressant medication on the market today that can relieve acute symptoms of depression (so that the person can focus on recovery). It is important to work with the prescribing physician or psychiatrist by asking about possible benefits and side effects, being compliant with medications (some of which take several weeks to take effect), and monitoring results closely.

Help is available for those suffering from depression. No one need suffer alone. For support or further information call Coast Garibaldi Health, Mental Health Crisis Services: 604-892-6365 or (toll free) 1-866-892-6365.

Coral Arrand

Squamish Mental Health Department

Coast Garibaldi Health

 

Every night about 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. I awaken to the blasts of horns and train whistles as the BC Rail chugs through the valley with the wheels of 100 cars screeching. It is a legal requirement under Railway Act that trains sound a warning at level crossings.

So it begins: Function Junction, then Meadow Park, followed by three more blasts at Mons. I lay there envisaging the vindictive grin of the engineer as he sounds the wake up call for what are in his mind the aristocrats of tourism.

With Global Positioning System, radar technology and other modern devices, why are we awakened in the middle of the night with blasts that echo off the rocks and slopes of Whistler?

The government has replaced and banned lighthouse foghorns, which were more important to navigation than railway whistles.

"What are you going to do about it?" you ask. For those who agree, we are going to request the municipality seek relief from Rule 14(L)(ii) of the Canadian Rail Operating Rules. The rules require the muni contact BC Rail, CN Rail, CP Rail and Burlington Northern to discuss the matter. In fairness, they must also notify the general public and all relevant organizations of its intention to pass a resolution forbidding the use of whistles (pardon the pun) in the Whistler area.

Normally, the elimination of whistling is on a 7/24 basis (i.e. 24 hours per day). However, there is provision under Section 11 of the Railway Safety Act to obtain relief from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Railway buffs could get their "fix" during daylight hours.

We have not experienced any accidents at the crossing during the history of BC Rail and its predecessor, the Pacific Great Eastern Railway. So…"All aboard!"

Al Eaton

Whistler

 

As the recent stats prove, tourism is playing a big part in B.C.’s economic recovery. It’s going to play an even larger part, thanks to the recent announcement by Premier Gordon Campbell to double B.C.’s tourism marketing effort to $50 million annually and put $25 million in tourism funds in the hands of local governments.

At last week’s UBCM convention, the premier unveiled a sweeping new tourism strategy to double the size of the industry by 2015. Tourism B.C. and local communities now have a powerful platform to take our message to the world about what a great place British Columbia is to visit. This builds on the many initiatives the government has taken over the past three years to boost this important contributor to the economy.

Studies show that tourism marketing is an investment that pays for itself many times over. Visitors spend money on food, transportation, lodging, entertainment, retail and a range of local services. That means new jobs in small and medium-sized businesses in literally every community of the province.

Thanks to the premier, his minister responsible for tourism John Les, and government MLAs, tourism is in the strongest position ever to make the most of our opportunities here in Super,Natural BC.

Michael Campbell

President

Council of Tourism Associations of B.C.

 

The tenth anniversary of World Teacher’s Day is being celebrated this Tuesday, Oct. 5 th . In 1994, UNESCO inaugurated this day to commemorate the signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers on Oct. 5, 1966.

On that day governments of countries world-wide recognized the importance of every society having competent, qualified, and motivated teachers. Over 100 countries presently observe World Teacher’s Day – a day to celebrate "the vital contribution teachers make to education and development." A strong, vibrant public education system, supported by a dedicated, professional teaching force, is one of the strongest guarantees of a civil, democratic society.

Despite the many pressures that threaten our public education system in B.C. and negative media messages, teachers are still viewed in a very positive light by most British Columbians. In fact, 85 per cent of respondents in a Mustel Poll believe that teachers provide the most credible source of information about public schools, and 88 per cent agree that teachers should speak out on education issues. This is strong encouragement for teachers in their continuous efforts to improve education services for all of our students.

Please take this opportunity on World Teacher’s Day to express support for your child’s teacher. I know that your positive messages will be greatly appreciated!

Carl Walker

President

Howe Sound Teachers’ Association

 

The third annual Whistler Way Commuter Challenge would like to send a huge thank you to the over 120 participants who braved the inclement weather and came out for the kick-off pancake breakfast on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

Special thanks to Joanne Amos and Jason Clarke of the Rotary Club of Whistler for organizing the volunteers, you guys really know how to get things done!

Thank you to Bruce Stewart from Nesters Market & Pharmacy, for generously providing all the supplies and gift certificates, Chris Cheney and the staff at Hot Box Coffee & Internet for the hot coffee, Ursula Twist from Happy Planet for the very popular juice, and Tony Horn at Slopeside Supply for his advice and support.

Last but certainly not least, thanks to John Grills for opening the Zeuski’s Patio for all the participants to use and personally washing all the dish and cutlery loaned to us by WORCA.

It was simply incredible to see so many happy smiling faces, on such a dark, drizzly and cold morning. Once again an example of the spirit of Whistler’s residents that makes this place so special.

If you want to participate, it’s not too late! Sign up by calling 604-935-8456. Or by e-mailing: thewhistlerway@whistler.ca

Keep walking, biking, bussing and carpooling, and we’ll see you at the Spoken Word event at Millennium Place on Wednesday, Oct. 6 th .

Good luck!

Ralph Forsyth & Emma DalSanto

Commuter Challenge Co-ordinators

Resort Municipality of Whistler