First off I need to state that I absolutely do not agree with the municipality's and the provincial government's plan to log old growth trees in Whistler. I agree that it does not make sense to do that in a destination like Whistler.
Now having said that I think Oly and the Fat Cats must be too fat indeed. I guess that they must be rich from some other means. It is a totally asinine idea to suggest a boycott on tourism in Whistler and I take offence to the idea of trying to damage my means of supporting myself. Every penny in the pocket of every man, woman and child living in Whistler comes from tourism in Whistler. Whistler does not even exist without tourism.
This plan hurts neither the municipality nor the provincial government but rather the hard working people of the town who rely on tourism as their way of life.
I suggest to Oly that you and your friends must be too fat to make such a suggestion and would urge you to find another means to fight this absurd idea of logging. Preferably in a way that affects the people who are responsible. It makes no sense to hurt people like Canadian ATV tours who are fighting the same fight as you. I assure you he relies on tourism to pay his bills and fight the fight.
Cory Thompson
Whistler
An idea whose time has come
I am sure I'm not the first to think of this solution to our community forests, but after staring at the cut blocks around here for the last 30+ years I have often wondered why we couldn't cut long skinny slashes down the fall line!
As Michel Beaudry said last week, we need some new ideas to bring some life back into tiny town. Imagine human-powered, green, free, ski runs all around the area. The access roads would serve for the skinning up in the winter or riding up in the summer and the old growth areas could be gladed skiing as mother nature has already spaced the trees properly.
And we could hire locals to do the work, sell the wood as official Whistler ski run wood at a premium price and create a world class amenity to attract our much needed guests to fill our overbuilt town!
And who knows, maybe some competition will get the corporation to cut some new runs and lower lift tickets?
Do I need to start a petition?
Wild Willie
Whistler
Save the trees
I was shocked to discover that a plan to log 80 per cent of the old growth forest around Whistler exists. I was even more shocked to find out that it is due to begin in September.
I was in Whistler earlier this year as a part of the Czech Olympic Team. I was struck by the beauty of the wilderness and had been planning to return next summer to explore the renowned hiking and biking.
I urge you to intervene in this matter. It is a tragedy that the good feelings the world has about Whistler in the aftermath of the Olympic Games could be stymied by an action such as this. Whistler is a brilliant tourist attraction and it is surely not good business for the nation of Canada to compromise it.
Helena Havlikova
Czech Republic
Pushing against walls
In my native Slovenian folklore there is a funny series of tales about a village called Butale (translation: "Village of the Dumb"). One of the tales goes like this:
The villagers determined that their church needed to be enlarged. They decided to make it larger by pushing the walls from the inside out. "How are we going to know how far we have to push?" they asked. The village mayor told them to lay their coats outside on the line to which they wanted to push the walls. They did, went inside and pushed hard on the inside walls for an hour.
During this time a Gypsy happened to come by and, seeing the coats on the ground, stole them. After an hour, the villagers came out, saw no coats and exclaimed: "We really made the church very large. We have pushed the walls over our coats!"
Sometimes I think I have moved to exactly such a village when I see the decisions of our mayor and council, especially their voting to enshrine the asphalt plant in Whistler. Maybe they are afraid to lay their coats 15 km out of Whistler. All their pushing will result in a meagre 300-metre move.
I can't believe that except for the four councillors voting for the zoning there isn't a single person in Whistler who thinks an asphalt plant belongs in this tourist town. But we can huff and puff all we want; council has over and over again proven that it has absolutely no regard for the opinions of the residents.
And should we believe the politicians when they say that something is safe? If we do, then we really are living in Butale.
In the anticipation of the forgone conclusion that the zoning will pass, I have a few proposals. Firstly, we should dedicate the asphalt plant to our mayor. Well-deserving mayors usually get bridges, parks, libraries, etc. dedicated to them. The asphalt plant will be enshrined in the Whistler history as the legacy of our environmentalist mayor, Ken Melamed. It is amazing what politics does to people. He must feel like those orthodox Chinese Communists who are now the worst capitalists.
Secondly, we should take the onus on us to get the plant out of Whistler. I wrote before that this is all a RMOW screw-up and I do not blame the plant. However, now the company should see that the residents are not happy with the solution that is being pushed through. In the next election, we should elect the candidates that submit a written pledge to direct RMOW not to do business with the plant. And all of us, private citizens, businesses and stratas, should do the same. It may cost a bit more but the cleaner air may be worth it. No business, no plant. One way or another, we will have to pay for this mess.
The RMOW could offer the company tax incentives to improve their business in another location. If they waived tax money for Whistler Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak they could do the same for the asphalt plant. And to pay for this we could sell the ex-hostel property on Alta Lake. We cannot have it all, clean air or more recreation space. It is a question of priorities.
When all is said and done, the final result will solely depend on us, the residents and taxpayers. We determine in what kind of a village we live.
Drago Arh
Whistler
Last chance to speak up
The long, sorry Cheakamus Crossing saga comes to a head Sept. 7 when the quarry and asphalt bylaws come to public hearing. It's when the public has their say and is, for all practical purposes, the last chance at stopping the re-zoning.
This has become a much larger issue than whether a neighbourhood has an industrial plant in it or not. Societies run on laws, from global United Nations initiatives right down to rinky-dink municipal bylaws. When a local government decides, for whatever reason, that they are going to ignore their own bylaw, then what does any of it mean? What's to stop them from doing the same thing in Emerald, Alpine, Nordic or Creekside? I strongly urge everyone - not just Cheakamus Crossing residents - to write a letter to council (do it quickly), sign the petition, or speak at the public hearing.
I'd like to address some comments from Councillor Quinlan at the last council meeting. He mentioned that there was a large, silent majority of Whistlerites who were in favour of the asphalt plant re-zoning and that they were intimidated by the vocal protests of the Cheakamus Crossing residents. I'd like to extend my personal invitation to anybody who would like to speak in favour of the asphalt plant at the public hearing. The Cheakamus Crossing residents are understandably upset, but I don't believe they are the kind of people to hold grudges or bring undo pressure on anyone who favours the rezoning. A community where people are afraid to express their views isn't worth living in, no matter how beautiful the surroundings.
David Buzzard
Whistler
Thank you bread people
It feels like yesterday when I arrived in Whistler. I knew only a few people from Vancouver and the place was a mystery to me. Soon after my arrival I started exploring Whistler. The winter season had not started yet so I had plenty of time to roam the village and tried not to feel like a complete stranger.
On one "day-off" morning I and my Czech friends found out there was a farmers market in the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. There were some 10 farmers with lots of goods. One stand was occupied by a couple and their bread production. It attracted my attention immediately - kind smile, warm words and free samples. We tried some bread, some sweet stuff and had a very pleasant conversation. It's obvious that we ended up buying a bit of everything.
We came back in 14 days to do the shopping again. Since then, we have stayed in touch, exchanged some e-mails and for summer became "the Bread people."
This is to say "thank you" to Paula and Mark for having the chance to work for you and with you. Not only did you provide me with a job, you let me have a great time with everybody who works in the bakery (to mention just a few - Jack, Laura, Katelyn, Debbie, Chelsea and others), have a lot of fun and experience Purebread. Thank you for making my Whistler summer experience awesome!
Ivo Barca
Whistler
The value of GEMS
Recent editorials in Pique and intelligent comment from William Roberts have addressed the future economy of the Sea to Sky corridor, one that relies on too few industries, most of which are vulnerable to an impending climate change. It is time to address this problem seriously - where do we go from here?
Attracting knowledge-based industries would be the creme de la creme of maintaining our corridor's future. However, we are neither served by an airport and we offer too many distractions for, say, a Microsoft think tank to settle here.
But there is a proposal on the table of a private school in Pemberton by a world class organization known as GEMS. Surprisingly, their application does not even seem to be welcomed, especially by our learned Mayor Ken Melamed. His rationale in opposing the school is that Pemberton might experience the "down valley syndrome," a trend observed in Colorado where rising real estate prices have a domino effect on neighbouring communities. "Oh my gosh, we wouldn't want Pemberton to grow on its own, it must continue to be subservient to Whistler's interests whatever the cost."
We also must perpetuate the SUV and pickup truck traffic back and forth this seems to spawn.
If our learned mayor had bothered to actually examine the prices of Colorado communities close to their big ski hills he would find that the average price in communities such as Leadville, Craig and Oak Creek, Colorado for single-family homes are actually 44 per cent cheaper than in Pemberton ($135 vs. $250 /sq. ft.). So the whole basis for his argument against the GEMS school holds no water, it's based on hearsay evidence.
On top of this the private school will contribute 160 permanent jobs and $60 million in construction. Vancouver is declaring a victory as the Olympics apparently have attracted 160 jobs - wow, the same number Melamed seeks to stifle in Pembie.
There would be jobs for Canadian teachers who are in substantial surplus and likely $20 million in construction wages for our valley, which is about to feel the cold winds of an obviously slowing and potentially stumbling North American economy.
Other benefits of such a school would be that by offering an alternative to the public school system more professional families would be attracted to Whistler - in fact, I know of Canadian families in Hong Kong ready to move if the GEMS school is approved. Currently at least two-dozen Whistler children are boarded at private schools on Vancouver Island and these kids are likely to return home. The parents of International students would follow their children on visits filling Whistler beds.
Okay, a private school is somewhat elitist but there are already over 60,000 students in private schools in our province. Also, one private school tends to attract others to the neighbourhood, as has occurred on Vancouver Island, and this industry in the least cyclical one could imagine.
Therefore, it is beyond my comprehension why our major opposes this development. Maybe he is completely devoid of economic reality. Am I too cruel as to characterize him as ultracrepidarian? - a critic giving opinions on something beyond his knowledge. Or as they say "a shoemaker should not judge beyond his own soles."
Lennox McNeely
Whistler
Merlin Air clears the air
As co-founder and Vice-President of Merlin Air, I welcome the opportunity to speak directly to the residents, visitors and business people of Whistler, Pemberton and area. Last week, Pique printed a notice correcting some errors in a previous article about our company (thank you) and now I would like to add a few facts and comments of my own.
First, I was born and raised an Alberta farm girl and am acutely aware of the need to balance agriculture with industry and community values with economic growth and stability. I applaud Pemberton's progress - the new trail and boardwalk around One Mile Lake, a Nature Centre, a skateboard park, the incredible success of the Slow Food Cycle and the entrepreneurial triumph of Schramm Vodka.
For the record, while we have been compelled to make numerous adjustments to our business plan, we are not about to abandon over five years of work in our quest to bring commercial air service to Pemberton-Whistler Regional Airport (CYPS).
In 2006, my partner Fred and I met with Village of Pemberton (VOP) staff, subsequently provided a detailed Expression of Interest with building plans as requested, and began to invest the majority of our time and funds to plan and develop Merlin Air: a sustainable, community-compatible, fixed-wing aviation business based at CYPS that can and will provide significant economic value and enhanced exposure to this beautiful and unique part of the world.
For several years (until 2009), we kept our extensive concerns about the business practices of VOP to ourselves and submerged the fact that our meetings (regardless of their nature or purpose) with staff and council were never public and not reported in any minutes. We were repeatedly advised that we had to wait for the results of another of the $350,000 in airport studies before we could move forward.
Mayor Sturdy has made numerous public statements over the years about the Village of Pemberton's plans for the regional airport. His comments ranged from the need to preserve the agricultural and pastoral nature of Pemberton and that minimal operations were better for the community to his support for the mega-plan by InterVista Consulting to expand the airport to accommodate large jet traffic. He judged Merlin Air as not big enough to produce sufficient economic activity, but efforts to attract other commercial carriers have not been successful. In fact, long after WestJet and Horizon declined to provide service to CYPS, it was listed as an option in the airport planning boards posted at the community centre.
Still, we upheld a tireless quest to a) keep our positive outlook and b) cultivate a productive relationship with the village. Alas, our working relationship with Mayor Sturdy (in particular) and with council (to some extent), deteriorated from neutral to frustrating to unacceptable - frankly on both sides of the fence.
One of our paramount concerns was a clause inserted into the VOP lease that Merlin Air must have continuous (i.e. year-round) operations, yet VOP lawyers wrote a letter stating that the village has absolutely "no obligation to clear the airport runway and taxiways as to ensure that aviation operations are uninterrupted." We can produce hundreds of communiqués and legal documents between Merlin Air and VOP to substantiate our statements that our efforts were repeatedly and directly hindered by VOP staff and political representatives. Why?
In December 2008, Merlin Air cleared the snow and ice from CYPS runway and taxiways. We were congratulated by the aviation community for our initiative and reprimanded by VOP and VOP lawyers for improper notice. In January 2009, our written request to clear the airport runway - again at our cost and using professional services - and open the regional airport for winter and 2010 Olympic business was refused by the VOP who "forbid" us to do any snow clearing. Despite the efforts of Transport Canada, the Integrated Security Unit, NavCanada, aviators and Merlin Air, the opportunity to showcase Pemberton and Whistler as a year-round air accessible destination to billions of people was sadly not to be.
My mind still boggles at the time, effort and money invested into creating a base camp for Olympic security workers only to have it moved to the Rainbow site because town hall could not seem to move quickly on a huge economic initiative available only in 2010.
VOP's opposition towards Merlin Air publicly surfaced when Mayor Study decided (at public expense) to swear not one but two affidavits against Merlin Air in an attempt to block our bid to acquire the former Pemberton Helicopters Building and land lease at the airport. However, the Supreme Court awarded Merlin Air the right to bid on the property and have the lease transferred to the company without consent of the Village of Pemberton. In the final round, Blackcomb Helicopters Limited Partnership paid $601,000 for the building and lease, outbidding Southwind Helicopters Inc. and Merlin Air Holdings Inc. This is business; we hold no grudge and wish them success.
Direct costs (only) to Merlin Air to develop and build a new airline based at Pemberton-Whistler Regional Airport are well over $150,000, including $22,435 for a land lease which was never registered or received (enough, by the way to cover VOP's annual airport deficit), $77,031 for surveys, engineering, drawings, finance and accounting fees; $45,000 in legal costs; as well as rent, utilities and renovation costs for the former Pemberton Helicopter Building. This does not include any overhead, administrative or other numerous expenses. It is unfortunate that Pemberton taxpayers have paid for a prolonged and unwarranted legal fracas.
Why throw obstacles in the path of a couple of entrepreneurs wanting to create jobs, contribute to the local economy and enhance the prestige of Whistler as a first-class international resort with year-round fixed-wing air access?
Municipal governments are required by law and ethics to be forthright and transparent. In-camera, behind-doors discussions and decision-making are (according to legislation) acceptable only in limited and well-defined circumstances. Taxpayers and citizens are entitled to have detailed knowledge of opportunities being presented, and the potential impacts on the community. You are entitled to have a voice - an informed voice.
Thank you to all those who have and who continue to support our efforts!
Lori Xavier
Founder/Vice-President, Merlin Air
