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AWARE - a new beginning or the end?

This time four years ago I was researching which ski resort to choose for a six-month sabbatical from the real world of work. With so many options for amazing slopes, culture and lifestyles around the world, I really didn't know where to go.

This time four years ago I was researching which ski resort to choose for a six-month sabbatical from the real world of work. With so many options for amazing slopes, culture and lifestyles around the world, I really didn't know where to go. Then I researched Whistler.

With an academic and work background in the environmental sector, my intrigue soon meant I had spent hours immersed in the pages of Whistler 2020, learning about a community that drives this kind of process and seeks out actions to improve its future sustainability. At that point the choice was made.
As current president of the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment, I am continually amazed by the impact this volunteer-run organization has had in this community. The young and the not-so-young have ongoing opportunities to be involved in AWARE programs such as the Nature Kids Club, in-school climate and waste workshops, Green Drinks or the Sustainable Speaker Series, which included Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and David Suzuki.

Going back through AWARE's history, there are links to much of the developments we see today - the Nesters Bus Depot and the golf course where I now work were both lobbied against by AWARE to try and save these red-listed and lakeside wetlands. Even the recycling facilities we often take for granted today were started by AWARE directors over 20 years ago, spending their weekends driving trucks of recyclables to Vancouver.  
However, despite the many merits of the past we must always focus on the future. Over the past few years the number of active board members for AWARE has dwindled. We now continually struggle to make quorum at meetings and without an influx of new active board members we will no longer be able to retain our charitable status.

For me personally I want to see AWARE become more active in the community rather than survive simply to exist in the status quo. To be more active, we need people. People who want to give their time, energy and enthusiasm to speak for the environment through education, awareness and on-the-ground initiatives.

If you think this might be you, then now is the time to get involved. Come see us at Envirofest or call me at (604) 966-7806 to discuss the kind of work/projects you could get involved in. Crunch day will be our AGM, taking place at 6 p.m., June 22 at the library. If we are not able to elect a board of 10 motivated individuals then AWARE will fold.

Director applications can be made through our website www.awarewhistler.org.  
Whether you choose to apply or not, I would like to invite the entire community to join us on June 22 for a celebratory event - either we celebrate AWARE or its past or the start of a new beginning.

I look forward to seeing what the future holds.
Claire Ruddy

AWARE President

Acknowledge letter

I would like to have the council officially acknowledge the letter to the editor last week ( Pique May 19, 2011: Are we over-governed?) in which the author gave many facts that reinforce for those of us who must bear the brunt of this fiscal mismanagement the fact that we are out of control and in serious need of a major shift in the thinking as to how we should be managed in a manner we can afford.

David Oakes

Whistler

Signs of the times?

It is cheaper to make one sign that reads, "welcome" than to make hundreds of signs that read, "pay parking"; even "go away" would cost less.

What could be next in our future, a sign at Westside Road that reads "Whistler bypass?"

Laing Aiton

 

Time to rethink WRA

In 1979, when Whistler was first being established as an international resort, the Whistler Resort Association (WRA) model was useful and appropriate.

But now that Whistler is very well-established and recognized on the world stage, the WRA model developed several decades ago is dated, too expensive and no longer appropriate.

Of the WRA budget (about $19 million), approximately $8 million is derived from member assessments and the remaining $11 million comes from golf course, conference centre and sales activities (2010 Tourism Whistler Annual Report).

The WRA (the legal name of Tourism Whistler) has a staff of almost 100 full-time equivalents, plus three vice-presidents and a president-CEO. This includes: 12 senior managers, 10 managers and six superintendents or supervisors (Tourism Whistler Organization Chart, April 2011).

In comparison, Tourism Vancouver, which has a much larger business base to draw from, has 75 full-time and 19 part-time staff (Tourism Vancouver website).

The WRA is clearly an over-funded, over-staffed anachronism. It is a gold-plated organization, which can no longer be financially sustained in its current state. It is time for the organization to be scaled back to the point where it is self-funded through its regular activities, which generate $11 million in revenues.

The need for mandatory business and tourist accommodation sector assessments should be eliminated.

Whistler now has a reputation for being too expensive and we are losing tourists to more affordable resorts. Eliminating the requirement to be a member of the Whistler Resort Association will provide some much-needed relief to the struggling business and accommodation sectors.

Wally Raepple

Vancouver

 

 

Make yourself visible PLEASE!

The other night I was driving through Spruce Grove on my way to White Gold. I always drive under the speed limit at night through all residential streets as it is so dark, the chance of seeing pedestrians dressed in dark clothing or a cyclist with no lights or reflective gear is just a suicide mission (on their part), in my opinion.

To get back to my drive through my neighbourhood - I came to a stop at Blackcomb Way and Fitz South. I made my turn and some girl just decided to ride off the sidewalk and bolt right in front of my car and I was inches from hitting her. I simply could not see her until she just rode up in front of me.

I am sick of this and so should the whole community be! And by the way the girl gave the appreciative "finger" and rode off to another chance of what could have been her last ride.

We need signs all over town that if you ride without being visible to all drivers and you are caught by the police then there should be a hefty fine.

This subject has been brought up before but I see zero change in the behaviour of our cyclists and do we really need to have another death to wake everyone up?

Also, just going for a walk you need to be visible. Carry a flashlight with you and when you hear a car coming, make yourself visible. We have no streetlights and, yes, we should, but please believe me when I say we can't see you until it could become too late!

Grant Johannesen

Music industry strong

Re: Music industry continuing to suffer, from Cybernaut column in Pique (May 26, 2011)

To quote the author's final paragraph, "Still something has been lost. And like the recording industry's revenues, it will never come back." You are correct, something has been lost, but being nostalgic for it, especially with the industry in mind, seems very sad and misdirected.

The music "industry" is in the best shape I think it has ever been. Instead of being forced (to listen to) The Monkees, we live in an abundance of "The Beatles." While at one point, a point the music industry wishes never passed, artists and recording and music execs decided which bands to push and market, now the people speak and are heard, not talked at.

The advent of the internet is a beautiful thing. One only has to look back as far as the latest release from Radiohead. King of Limbs, the band's eighth studio release, first released via high-quality download, at a cost of $9 USD. Released to critical acclaim, resounding fan fervour, and actually very respectable sales, the album was exactly that, an album.

Something you want to listen to through and through, like the "days of old" the author (Andrew Mitchell) spoke of in the article last week. Since Radiohead took control of their sales, they took control of how fans listened to their record (they listened to the record, not just one song).

If that is too far back, one only has to look seven pages previous in the aforementioned Pique (to find an article that) speaks on the pulse of the times. An "average Joe" (Terry Fallis) turned award-winning author who took his labour of love to the Internet and was rewarded by the lack of industry "filter."

That is the beauty of the internet. Audiophiles know that the best work a band/artist (produces) is usually before they are in a constraining record contract. While there may be more junk to sort through, the gold found is very weighty.

Music aficionados also know that what happens musically in the U.K. usually happens a few years later in North America, and let's hope the Radiohead model follows suit.

It seems that the only portion of music that is feeling the squeeze is pop music, but, really, if that's what we lost, let us hope it is for good. Do not mourn the music industry for standing on its laurels.

Andreas Be

Whistler

 

Thanks to Society

We often do not realize how much we need something until we are deprived of it for a few days, as we were a few weeks ago when a rockslide took out the power to the site from which CBC Radio 1 and Radio 2, Galaxy and several TV channels and radio programs are transmitted.

Those of us who live outside the area served by cable are dependent on those services for news, information and entertainment.

Many people do not appreciate the debt we owe to Gerry Mohs and the Pemberton Radio and TV Society he has directed ever since I can remember.  I see on my Property Tax assessment that I pay $1.46 a YEAR for the radio and TV services they provide - a stupendous bargain.

The society maintains a very low profile on a limited budget, and the recent outage may be a blessing in disguise, at least causing some people to wonder how those signals came to be there in the first place.

Bob Eldridge

Pemberton

 

Pay parking compromise

The reaction to pay parking was foreseeable; any time you take something free away, the backlash will be commensurate with the new price.

The matter is not whether pay parking is the right idea; it is the price at which it is being implemented that causes the most controversy. Rather than characterize the pay parking issue as black and white, I urge council to simply reconsider the prices.

Both the "for" and "against" camps in this debate have legitimate concerns. It is difficult to argue that employee wages are low, or that those coming from afar shouldn't be gouged.

However, it is equally difficult to argue that much of this debate comes from people who do not pay property taxes in Whistler and they expect property taxpayers here to subsidize their lifestyle choices.

Employees who choose to live out of town, perhaps to be able to afford a home, should accept the true costs associated with that decision. Recognizing that these employees are necessary for our workforce, some subsidies would be smart policy (both on the part of council and employers).

However, to date, the entire cost of their lifestyle choice has been subsidized. This is not sustainable for resident taxpayers and only the most selfish among the "against parking" campaign would think that their lifestyle should be entirely paid for by others.

Please choose a sensible compromise; I suggest $6 per day for the closer lots and $3 per day for the farther lots.

As a letter writer mentioned last week, paving the farthest lot is an expenditure we don't need. With sensible compromise, all citizens can come out ahead (not just those who characterize all issues as black and white by pretending to be the "silent majority" issue after issue).

Paul Sauvé

Whistler

 

Take a taxi

(Many Whistler taxi drivers) are currently working 12-hour shifts to earn only $100 to $150 on the meter which translates approximately into $40 to $60 in personal income plus our gratuities at the end of each work day or night. We have no benefits program, are not paid overtime and receive no holiday pay. I'm sure you all know just how far that all goes in Whistler!

We often wake up well before our customers, five days a week, to get them to work so that everyone else can come and enjoy this destination and all it has to offer.

We are also often up long after our customers go to sleep as we provide our services 24/7 - 365 days a year.

Unlike Whistler Transit we have not been subsidized by governments, are not paid $23.00 per hour as full time drivers, paid overtime after eight hours and double time on holidays, have an employee benefits program and get holiday pay.

No, we just work a lot for far too little! We often put up with the alcohol and drug-impaired within confined spaces in a friendly manner and keep them off the roads and out from behind a steering wheel.

We get people to and from those hard-to-get-to places and make sure there is always someone there to get you to your destination of choice, all through winter storms, heavy rain, the darkness of night and during our beautiful days of sunshine.

This being a quiet time of year (shoulder season) in Whistler it provides a great opportunity for those of you who are local who own, insure, maintain, repair, fuel and park your vehicles at a substantial cost each month, to alternatively use our services.

At the same time you will be helping to keep experienced local taxi drivers around for the next busy seasons of summer and winter once again. You then may choose to go back to driving your own vehicles once again but we hope we will have proven to be a great alternative.

Yes, we are asking you for your help and for your support! Nobody should have to work so many hours to be making so little in Whistler.

Our prospects for greater income during the two shoulder seasons will only come with greater numbers of visitors to this community, increased service demand to or from Vancouver/YVR Airport or a change in transportation methods by locals that favour the local taxi as a means of transport.

To all our regular customers and those that we have had the opportunity to serve, we thank you dearly for your ongoing patronage and look forward to your continued interest in using the taxi as an alternative or supplement in your transportation needs within Whistler, outbound and/or inbound.

Brian Wolfgang Becker

Whistler

 

Re-think decision

Apologies to Jan Jansen and the RMOW for not sharing your latest "vision" for the Great Social Experiment here in Whistler, under the guise of reducing GHG's which in turn saves the planet.

IF that were a priority then we would not have gone down the path taken on transit. What actually happened was to embrace the most costly, inefficient mode possible. Three levels of government committed $100 million to the H2 program alone. Let's not forget an exponential amount of NatGas is used in manufacturing H2. Make no mistake, there are NO savings in GHG emissions if that is any concern.

Whistler taxpayers' portion is $28.5 million of this. For that amount of money, there could be a valley-wide free transit system using NatGas, negating the need for parking revenue to pay for it.

Another obvious decision would have been to locate our newest high-density neighborhoods closer to the village core. If Cheakamus Crossing was located at a ski-out, serviced by Whistler Blackcomb's lift system then we would realize reduced need for personal vehicle use and costly transit service.

The market housing located at such a location would be very desirable and sold long ago. A conscious decision was made to not go this route and these same decision makers are now telling us we have to pay for it.
Keeping in mind the recent upgrades to Highway 99 and the provincial government commitment to the Gateway Project, Whistler as a resort has no option other than to embrace rubber tire regional tourism as its core clientele.

Analogies to what Paris or London has done regarding automobile use are moot. We are a small town connected to our market by long distances. This propensity to apply big city planning to a small town is by definition completely unaffordable.

For the sake of village businesses I hope the RMOW re-thinks this decision. Parking in lots 6, 7, 8 are not an option during the summer.
Raising the fear of commercialization for Lots 1 through 5 by private business seems odd. Is that not what Creekside currently is?
No more taxpayer money should go toward this program. Come next November I would give it a 98 per cent chance of being eliminated.
Steve Anderson

Whistler

 

Re-evaluate pay parking

At what point does the RMOW step back and re-evaluate the pay parking for what it actually is?

It's a ridiculously misguided money-grab. Since day one of the pay parking going into effect we have been fed numbers to try and prove to us that it has been a success.

The numbers tell us that pay parking as a whole has been a positive thing for the village (really?). However, common sense, open eyes and a little logic are all it takes to realize that it very much has not been. To those of us who were here prior to last winter it's not hard to remember a time when, on any given day, the day lots were FULL.

I'm not talking about just Lots 4 and 5, either. I mean all of them!

As a result of people actually using these lots it was not hard to notice a rather drastic difference in the number of people throughout the Village Stroll as well compared to what we see now.

As mentioned by many people in last weeks "letters to the editor", it is quite obvious to anyone living here that the pay parking income is mainly coming from the meters, NOT the parking lots themselves as we are being led to believe.

How the incredibly negative effects of pay parking were overlooked and continue to be overlooked is beyond me.

As a person employed within the hotel industry, it has become an embarrassment to try to explain and somehow justify to visitors the fee on its own, let alone the actual dollar figure attached to it.

To think that $13 a day does not serve as a deterrent to those thinking about coming for only a day or two is to be very closed minded. On its own, $13 isn't that significant. Yet if you begin to factor in the cost of lift tickets, food, gas to get here, lodging while here, rentals for many and then top all that off with a pay parking charge for every day of the visit, then it starts to become a real issue.

It has been hailed time and time again as an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of our town. Yet monthly passes are non-transferrable, meaning no sharing car-pools, proving once again that reducing our carbon footprint has NOTHING to do with it.

As someone who has lived in the Creekside area for a number of years it is also very easy to see how pay parking in the village has changed the lives of many living in that area.

Prior to pay parking Creekside Gondola, in a sense, was the "locals' gondola."

Sure, there were plenty of tourists there on any given day, however given the location and where it dropped you at the top it was rather empty compared to the Whistler Gondola in the village. Now it has become common to find the lift line at Creekside Gondola, on any weekend, backed up to (if not over) the bridge over the road.

It's not an amazing new zone opening on that side of the mountain that has brought this change. Not at all. Rather, it's people doing everything they can to avoid pay parking.

As mentioned by so many already, it's time our council starts to think of the people they represent rather than just how they can tax/charge residents/visitors in order to cover their own outlandish spending habits.

People are being forced out of this town as a result of the lack of jobs at the moment. That has become very obvious over the last six to eight months.

Why then is the RMOW council doing everything it can to make sure that the numbers of people visiting the village only continues to drop? Which will surely transfer into lost jobs. How many more times will long term owners of stores/shops throughout the village need to stand up to show their opposition of pay parking before somebody at the RMOW starts to care? With the way things are going now, and the number of storeowners who have spoken up, it's only a matter of time before we start to lose stores/shops that have been here for quite some time.

Colin Kennedy

Whistler


The arrogance of employers

Why is it that although almost every job I apply for requires that I have great communication skills, my prospective employers do not even have skills enough to thank me for my application? Now self-employed.

Sarah Bourne

Whistler

 

Whistler Love

After 13 years as a renter in Whistler I have made the move to Squamish and become a dreaded Whistler commuter.

While I do appreciate the many conveniences that Squamish affords, my move south has more to do with proximity to wild Steelhead rivers than affordable housing.

I still feel that Whistler is home and I think this has to do with the amazing and eclectic group of individuals that have managed to carve out a life and create a community here. It really is true: life is good in the mountains. Given the natural ebb and flow of resort economics I suspect the big challenge for Whistler will always be to keep long term residents comfortably housed and gainfully employed.

While the volatile nature of the market enables some to fleece and leech desperate locals, a precious few community builders facilitate the creation of sustainable jobs and affordable quality housing.

This point was highlighted during the Olympic period when many long-term residents were displaced in favour of short-term financial gain. My roommate and I were lucky, rather than pimp out our rental suite and parking spots our landlords Broph and Jackie kept it real by keeping things... well... normal.

So thank you for thinking local and thanks for collecting the mail, tolerating loud music, late night hot tub parties, fire spinners in the front lawn, late rent payments, wolf dogs, early morning fishing trips, loud friends, subsistence gardening, the overflowing storage room and lost house keys.

Thanks for including us in the good times and treating us like family and basically setting the gold standard for Whistler landlords.

Broph and Jackie represent the Whistler dream, a balanced life with the right mix of outdoor recreation, good times and hard work. If you don't know this pair you've definitely seen them, living the good life and passing along the Whistler culture of doing things the right way. Next time you run into these true Whistlerites on the ski hill, golf course, sunny patio or job site, thank them for keeping Whistler classy.

Brian Nisk

Squamish