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Nesters goes the distance, Cornucopia kudos, reinforcing public spaces, Afghanistan arguments, Callaghan squirrels, and scum landlords

Where the locals are appreciated I would like to nominate Nesters Market for “Community Business of the Year”. Time and time again Bruce, Sean and staff go out of their way to help support our community’s non-profit organizations.

Where the locals are appreciated

I would like to nominate Nesters Market for “Community Business of the Year”.

Time and time again Bruce, Sean and staff go out of their way to help support our community’s non-profit organizations. By their unstinting donations, they allow our organizations to make our kids into great young people who love and cherish Whistler.

From last spring’s B-B-Q to say good-bye to the senior players of the Whistler Youth Soccer Club, to this autumn’s donation to the 7 and  8 year olds’ soccer tournament, Nesters puts the “icing on the cake” for rewarding  their participation.

Bruce, I would like to thank you and your staff from the bottom of my heart, for continually contributing year after year in helping the community to raise our kids.

Bob Calladine

Whistler Youth Soccer Club

 

Horn of plenty thanks

I wanted to thank the entire Whistler community for helping to make the 10th anniversary of Cornucopia such a great success. This year’s festival was marked by numerous highlights including a 45 per cent increase in package sales (accommodations and tickets), more program choices for visitors, a record number of media with more than 100 travel writers and journalists, and 27 sold-out events — the most ever for Cornucopia. Thanks to:

• Participating restaurant partners — for serving up incredible culinary delights;

• After party organizers — for heightening our senses with amazing entertainment;

• Accommodation partners — for showing each guest a truly unique Whistler experience and ensuring the event’s viability by providing much needed room support;

• Sponsors — for continued generosity in supporting Cornucopia and other initiatives that animate the resort and attract visitors;

• RCMP — for making sure that all the events ran without incident.

And a special thank you goes out to the Whistler Arts Council and their many volunteers who made our guests feel so very special.

We can't wait to start programming for year 11!

Oliver Flaser

Director of Partnerships, Promotions and Events

Tourism Whistler

 

 

All the elements summed up

In "Reconfiguring the Value Equation: Giving People Reasons to Stay and Excuses to Return" (Pique cover story, Nov 16), Lisa Richardson clearly and comprehensively sums up the elements of adding real value to people's experience of Whistler. She achieves a supple balance that recognizes the perspectives of residents young and old, seasonal workers, and visitors.

It was great to get the back story on Jill Ackhurst's outstanding contribution to the ever-growing Whistler Welcome Week, and that of other volunteers like Marnie Simon and the seniors who show a proper welcome to our valuable seasonal staff. Dennis Marriott gives other concrete examples of what really works: this article isn't full of empty talk about value, but practical examples of it in diverse forms.

I also want to echo her remarks about the importance of public spaces: we need more places where people can linger in comfort without having to spend money. I hope that is borne in mind when designing our Olympic Plaza. After the Games have gone, perhaps we could consider having part of the area provided with another playground for the kids, and a covered seating area where people can sit comfortably on our drizzly days — or something like that, anyways.

Lisa's article is simply the best statement I've read on the most pressing issues that face us as we look ahead, and I hope that planners, executives and other decision makers keep a copy on hand to help remind them of the essentials when things start to get bogged down in market-speak or beaurocratese.

Claire Johnson

Whistler

 

 

Now hear this

In your editorial in the November 9th Pique Newsmagazine, titled " A Moment for Unconditional Support" (which I wholeheartedly agree with), you stated that "There are lots of opinions about Canada's new role in Afghanistan. Those opinions should be heard...that debate should continue".

Well, Mr. Barnett, I find your statement incredulous, because during the summer you refused to print my views about Afghanistan in your newsmagazine. However, the week before you published the "pro-Canadian involvement in Afghanistan" views of Jessica Kronis. I simply wrote a letter in response to her condescending and arrogant letter and you refused to publish it. Perhaps you'll "refrain from publishing" this one too. That's your prerogative. But just remember, Mr. Barnett, that you have a responsibility, as the editor of a paper in a free and democratic society and as an unbiased journalist, to cover different points of views on various issues. Voltaire once stated, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

So please publish this opinion on continuing Canadian involvement in Afghanistan that many, if not the majority, of Canadians share: Support our troops — unconditionally — and bring them home!

There is no reason why we should still be over there. Young men and women sacrifice their lives so that U.S. and Canadian corporations can build their Trans-Afghan pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan. You should check out the facts for yourself on the Canadian Peace Alliance website at www.acp-cpa.ca and click on "Troops Out of Afghanistan".

The corporate mainstream media doesn't ever mention this pipeline.   Instead, the media reports that we have to provide security for the Afghani people and rebuild the country. Don't believe it. We're only there, surely, to provide security — so the war profiteers can have their pipeline built. Michael Moore also mentions the pipeline in his documentary Farenheit 9/11.

In closing, Mr. Barnett, I truly hope you publish my letter this time for the sake of objective and unbiased journalism. As you stated in your editorial, differing opinions on Canada's role in Afghanistan should be heard.   Anything less may be construed as hypocrisy and censorship.

David Lord

Supporter of the Canadian Peace Alliance

 

 

It’s nuts out there

There are stories coming out of the Callaghan Valley of ravens performing a strange dance no one has seen before and of squirrels confronting the excavators in a rage. While the image of a squirrel railing at a working excavator appeals to our Homerian (Simpson) sense of humour, our challenge, as an educated and privileged people, is also to reason that the squirrel has a point.

Witness: The chemical spill in the river, the oil spill in the estuary, the gas spill in Horseshoe Bay, “development” in the Callaghan Valley, Garibaldi at Squamish and on the west bank of the Squamish River, IPPs to the nth degree, a baited bear trapped beside a bear trail and “missing whales”, the oil-rainbowed water that washes from road to river and the concrete barrier along the new highway that cannot be negotiated by any creature smaller than a coyote.

There is a theory that if, in a tribe of monkeys, enough monkeys learn a new trick, the whole tribe experiences a leap in consciousness and “know” the new trick. Especially now with the Olympic attention, we have an opportunity to be the critical mass that sparks a leap in consciousness in our tribe. So let’s endeavour to be conscious primates and, if you go to the Callaghan Valley this winter, bring nuts.

Julie Malcolm

Brackendale

 

 

Compromises keep world turning

The recent “scum landlord” debate in your paper begs a question in my mind: if charging profit (excessive or modest) is an action of a scum, aren’t we all scums in some respect?

We live in a capitalistic world and being a capitalist we charge profit in everything we do. Whether we work for somebody or work for ourselves, I bet profit will always be part of the equation and fairness is not always easy to define in a capitalistic world. Sometimes just being the customer of certain products, we perpetuate the unfair business transactions that are not so apparent around us.

People in Indonesia or other developing countries have been making our clothes for less than $1/hour or growing our coffee for less than 10 cents/lb. We all know how much the retailers here charge us for these products.

Don’t get me wrong; Indonesians actually expect more clothing factories or coffee plantations in their country to keep their populations working. They probably just wish that we gave them their fair share for the fruits of their labours, that is all.

As humans we tend to overplay our role when we are the victim, but downplay it when the position is reversed. Living in Whistler sometimes makes us forget that we, too are intricately connected to the rest of the world. We can’t live in a vacuum, so we have to keep our world turning by making compromises to each other, not by forcing our idealistic view in this imperfect world.

Jay Wahono

Whistler