What would it take you to leave 10 minutes earlier each day? Knowing you could save a life, avoid road rage, speeding tickets and get to where ever you are going safely. I've recently noticed far too many of us driving at speeds far beyond the posted limits, and I'm not talking 5 or 10 km/h, more like 15 to 20 km/h!
Eva Lake Road, for instance, should be renamed Evil Lake Dragway. The number of drivers I encounter passing me while out walking my dogs, racing down the road is incredible. You must remember that we don't have sidewalks in many Whistler areas, not just Nordic, but Alpine, Alta Vista, Brio... and in order to get to the Valley Trail, we must use the streets.
Recently my family had a devastating tragedy: someone ran a red light on Dec. 30 in Bayshores, killing our 11-year-old Border Collie, Oakley. Yes I'm the crazy lady running at 6 a.m., dogs wearing headlamps, me too. If you haven't seen me, you probably know someone who does. The gentleman (and I use that term exceptionally loosely) told me he couldn't call 911, nor assist as he was late for work. Humm... question... if you're late for work, then why not leave 10 minutes earlier? Had I been two seconds slower, it would have been me!
I do not claim to be the perfect dog owner, only that I give my dogs the best life possible. And I do regret that this had to happen, I do hope that karma... No! No! Dog karma, bites you in the ass and hard! This letter is not about the death of our dog though, it's about using your common sense.
Since this accident, I have seen several things I didn't really notice before while driving. How about a PCL bus turning left out of Nordic, overtaking three vehicles in the left hand turn lane to do so? There was the small blue truck that followed suit behind you, from 10 cars back. Neither one of you even stopped at the stop sign or used a signal. How about the guy who drove in the left hand lane, nearly hitting me and my other two dogs, pulling out of P2 in Creekside? Not to mention the three people I've witnessed running the red light in Bayshores since Dec. 30.
Maybe I've seen this before and just ignored it, and now I'm a little more aware, a little more sensitive and a lot more cautious. Getting up 10 minutes earlier, leaving 10 minutes sooner, driving 10 km/h slower, taking 10 deep breaths... would any of this make your life that much more difficult? Just think if you were the one to receive the call that your spouse, child, mother, daughter, father, son, beloved pet or friend had been killed by a driver who couldn't spare 10 minutes because they were late for work.
As for the dumb %#$!*er who killed our dog, I hope that you find yourself reading this letter, wondering if you could have prevented this accident, knowing you made a poor innocent animal suffer, taking her from our lives far before hers was over, knowing that could have been me.
Ondrea Ross,
In Loving Memory of Oakley
A positive face
I would like to lodge a "letter of compliment" against our local RCMP constabulary.
We held a controlled, parent-supervised New Year's Eve party for more than 70 local teens with admission by guest list only and no tolerance for bad behaviour. The inevitable noise complaint from our neighbours brought two young constables to our door about 30 minutes after midnight. They were incredibly polite and thanked us for providing a venue for the celebrating teenagers. I wish I had taken note of their names but the young male's name, as I recall, was Kevin and I cannot remember the name of the female. They presented a very positive public face for the RCMP.
Peter, Mairi and Catriona Blair
Whistler
Recognition recognized
Thank you Whistler Blackcomb for recognizing the accomplishments of our local athletes this winter with full page advertisements in the local papers. I think I speak for many who believe that your celebration of their success inspires us all to pay closer attention to the accomplishments of all our Canadian athletes and especially those that have lived, trained and dreamed of this 2010 Olympics here in Whistler. Go Canada!
Andrée Vajda Janyk
Whistler
A boost remembered
I would just like to thank the driver of a certain yellow taxi cab for assisting me in boosting my vehicle in the parking lot of the Telus Conference Centre.
On a very quiet, rainy Sunday night a number of drivers from his rival taxi companies either flatly refused or tried to charge a fee of $25 for helping a local couple get home.
So thank you once again to the one taxi driver that would spend two minutes of their valuable time to help and we will be sure to remember that when we book our next taxi.
John Harris
Whistler
Bigger fish to fry
After 14 years of living in this great little community, it is time to go. I have to tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed serving fine oysters to a lot of very fine folks here over those years. I want to thank all of my friends for every little thing they have done for me while I lived here. You have all been very good to me even when I didn't deserve such treatment.
I especially want to thank the Bearfoot Bistro, the staff there and most of all, Andre St. Jacques. The people there really got behind the oyster and promoted it and most of all believe in it. Thank you Andre for your support, your patience and all the bubbles.
And to Melissa, a better chef, I haven't met.
And finally to you, Whistler. Thanks for 14 years of memories I will cherish for a lifetime. I know that you will shine this winter and I wish everyone here the very best.
So long and thanks for all the shellfish.
Chris 'Oyster Guy' Field
Formerly of Whistler
The view from behind the bar
I've spent all of my 11 years in Whistler slinging drinks at Dusty's Bar BBQ. For the past three weeks Dusty's has been attacked by a small group of ski race enthusiasts who continue to lash out at our staff about our supposed ridiculous sound policy. We have accommodated these guests for years by playing many races on our TV screens (three screens in the back of house and one in the front) and allowing sound from the individual televisions.
As we are one of the largest bars in all of Whistler it's difficult to please all of our guests and we have to balance all media and sound according to a larger audience than three tables of ski race enthusiasts.
My name is Bob Crook. A lot of you know me and have been served by me for 11 years. I'm not an overly aggressive guy but when someone points a finger at my bar and starts barking out adolescent complaints there's only so much I can take. I take pride in my job and I take pride in working with everyone involved in making Dusty's the bar it is today. I'm not trying to start a fight with the ski racers I'm just telling you like it is. If you're going to make a stink about watching a replay of a race you already know the result to, after we've already played the audio for the entirety of that race, you've obviously got way too much time on your hands.
Dusty's closes for the Olympics on Jan. 22nd and I'd love to welcome you all down to Creekside in celebration of our bar. We'll miss you during the Olympics and throughout March and we know you'll miss us too.
Cheers.
Bob Crook
Whistler
Sustainability the new reality
Future generations will no doubt look back on 2009 as the year in which the world changed in a profound and very fundamental way.
Throughout this past year, the global media have been filled with news stories about the accelerated shift to electric and hybrid vehicles and away from the unsustainable use of fossil fuels like coal and gas to generate the electricity modern life is built upon.
The spectre of global climate change and the global financial crisis which rang in 2009 have brought us all to a sharp realization that adopting sustainability in all facets of our lives is now essential to maintaining and expanding our economic prosperity. Sustainability is no longer a buzzword: It's a reality we must all face and embrace.
This year, 2010, and years that follow, promise to be a profoundly transformational time in human history. The alternative renewable energy sources that people have talked and dreamed about for decades will quickly become the global norm as they displace the unsustainable, polluting energy sources of the past.
Given the changes unleashed in 2009, I am optimistic that we are on the right track to create a better, cleaner world built on the solid ground of sustainability. Only time will tell if our resolve is strong enough to see it through.
Mike Taylor
Coquitlam
Provincial policy not green
This letter was addressed to Premier Gordon Campbell. A copy was forwarded to Pique for publication.
I am writing to register my opposition to your administration's energy policies as I believe them to be environmentally, socially and economically irresponsible and harmful to B.C. and Canada. For the record, I am a 51-year-old Canadian of Metis descent, a former logger, self-employed business man, professional mountain guide and avid fly fisherman and I've lived, worked, fished and climbed all over B.C. from the Peace to the Haida Gwaii and the Rockies to Nootka Sound.
B.C. doesn't need more hydroelectric development on the scale of the Bennett Dam and Kemano. We do need to be sure that our existing hydroelectric facilities are developed and maintained to their highest capacity, to the benefit of all British Columbians, before looking to other energy sources. Apparently, this is not currently the case. Additionally, before British Columbians look for ways to increase energy production, we need to demonstrate a commitment to curbing unnecessary consumption.
I'm not opposed to the concept of selective river diversions as a source of hydroelectric energy as there is probably a tolerance threshold for ecologically sustainable diversions in B.C.'s watersheds. There has, however, been insufficient sound science to identify that threshold and the scale of the existing and proposed "run of river" projects being supported by your administration demonstrates a horrifying level of unfounded assumption and a callous disregard for environmental concerns. Furthermore, there is no apparent rationale in the suggestion that these diversions are either necessary or that they must be privately developed, owned and operated, for profit, at the expense of the B.C. taxpayer.
I'll cite the Plutonic/General Electric proposal for Bute Inlet as an example as it's a watershed I know fairly well. The Bute proposal appears to affect every major tributary of the Homathko, Southgate and Orford rivers and would have a yet unknown impact on the entire Bute Inlet ecosystem, a watershed as big as some European countries. Bute appears to be only one of a series of all encompassing diversion systems proposed for the entire B.C. coast. The licensing arrangements between the province of B.C. and private, multinational interests like General Electric, when buttressed by the protection of the WTO and NAFTA, threaten to turn sovereign lands currently belonging to all British Columbians and Canadians into virtual fiefdoms controlled by foreign corporate interests. It would appear that B.C. taxpayers may eventually pay Southern California rates to foreign-owned, private power producers for energy developed on rivers we used to own. Additionally, British Columbians and Canadians may no longer be able to freely travel those river valleys (or the publicly funded forestry roads) to fish, hike or recreate.
There is a much darker implication in the Klinaklini/Bute/Toba power proposals in particular. When examined in their entirety, these privately- owned diversions would appear to control many of the major drainages of some of the largest glacial systems in North America and therefore one of the greatest future sources of North America's fresh water, a fast dwindling necessity. Once a creek is in a pipe for "green energy for B.C.," what stops General Electric or another foreign interest from saying it's their water and putting it in a tanker or pipeline to California? The following excerpt from Wikipedia's description of NAFTA echoes this sentiment.
"There is much concern in Canada over the provision that if something is sold even once as a commodity, the government cannot stop its sale in the future. This applies to the water from Canada's lakes and rivers, fueling fears over the possible destruction of Canadian ecosystems and water supply."
One of the greatest concerns I have with proposals on the scale of Plutonic/General Electric's Bute proposal is the potential effect on our endangered wild Pacific salmon, the cornerstone of the coastal ecosystem and our culture's totem animal. While we have little control over the plight of our salmon after they leave B.C.'s waters and run the devastating gauntlet of the international fisheries, we can protect and nurture the rivers they call home. We haven't been doing a good job of that to date and should diversions on the scale of Bute go ahead on B.C.'s coast, the aggregate impact on our already challenged wild salmon may diminish their populations beyond the tipping point to their virtual extinction, quite possibly in my lifetime.
Mr. Campbell, your "Green Energy" policies are neither green nor sustainable. Your policies advocate the piecemeal conversion of sovereign Canadian rivers into corporate fiefdoms and threaten the survival of B.C.'s wild salmon, at the expense of the B.C. and Canadian taxpayer. I don't believe our confederation's founding fathers would have endorsed your vision or self serving collusion with B.C.'s First Nations and suggest our current federal leadership is negligent in not taking you and your administration to task for your actions. I'm calling on you to impose an immediate moratorium on further approvals of river diversions for independent or public power in B.C. until there has been an honest public review of B.C.'s current energy policies and their potential impacts on our threatened wild salmon, the ecosystem they underpin and our social and economic future. I'm recommending to as many people as I can, to do the same.
Perry Beckham
Squamish
