Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters to the editor for the week of October 18th, 2012

Invest in early childhood education
opinion_letters1

Re Cathryn Atkinson's "Early childhood education squeezed too tightly," Pique Oct.4, 2012: For all the money our municipal and provincial governments spend on community programs across the Sea to Sky corridor, why are we choosing to neglect early childhood education programs for our youngest citizens?

Why are we failing to invest in essential learning environments when the "vulnerability rate" of Sea to Sky children is higher than the provincial average? Why is the provincial government not stepping up to the plate and making our youngest generation its highest priority?

There is no question that high-quality early childhood education is instrumental in children's social and intellectual development. It can have a profound influence on resistance to health problems as an adult, and promises overall increased well being as children grow up.

Exposure to early childhood education programs not only influence cognitive development in early years, but also provide foundational skills for life-long learning. High quality early childhood education positively impacts children of all income levels, but has a greater impact on children from lower income families — precisely the ones who make use of Sea to Sky Community Services' early childhood education programs.

Full time childcare is absurdly expensive — this we all know. Atkinson's feature article from early October on diminishing budgets for SSCS' early childhood education programs emphasizes that these public programs are the only reasonably affordable ones available to Sea to Sky parents, yet funding is being cut and fewer children will be reached.

Look at the census data — more than half of the population in the Sea to Sky corridor is between the ages of 20 and 44, with a growing number of young families. By reducing funding, we are effectively punishing these young families who live and work in Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton and who support our flourishing resort economy.

Is it really fair to make those who form the foundation of our towns' success be placed on absurdly long wait lists for childcare that will only get longer as governments and charities make the incorrect judgment that our towns do not need these services?

It's time to support young working families who need affordable early childhood care not only so parents can participate in the workforce, but also so our youngest generation is nurtured. In a region where we claim to value community so much, why is there such a lack of public funding to take responsibility for our children, who will be shaping the future of Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton in the decades to come?

If we want to use government funding wisely, let's invest in our children, for with readily available, quality early childhood education, this generation will be granted the potential to grow up with better physical, social, and emotional health. I commend the Pique for running the story of SCSS budget cuts as a feature issue and not letting important social issues be brushed aside. Let's hope the decision makers are listening.

Sarah Goldstein

Whistler

Leave the helmet at home

I wonder why the many after-dark cyclists on unlit and reflector-less bikes wear their helmets? It is hardly worth protecting a brain that is too moronic to light up when cycling in the dark. Leave the helmet at home too, and allow natural selection more quickly to weed out the stupid.

Sean Burke

Whistler

Working for community engagement on fisheries

Continued focus on the fisheries, the environment, and the economy is important and relevant to a national debate (In response to John French's article "Mulroney and Weston," Pique October 4, 2012. The debate frames many of the issues of our time. The article discussed mainly the observations of former fisheries minister John Fraser and former DFO employee Otto Langer. The article did not address the historical context for the discussions, which may be useful to readers in understanding what unfolds next. The context also reveals how I approach my role as MP, dependant always on the constructive engagement of the people I represent.

Working closely with John Fraser, Dave Brown, Randall Lewis, Carl Halvorson, and other knowledgeable fisheries advocates from the corridor and throughout the riding, we created a forum known informally as the "Fisheries Advisory Group" or "Roundtable" in order to ensure continual guidance to me in my role as Federal Fisheries Committee Member and M.P. for our riding, where fisheries, the environment, and the economy are intertwined, important priorities. Group members have typically met together with me every three or four months, and been in contact on a regular basis between meetings.

The Fisheries Advisory Group claims important, concrete results. Our rising concerns over the disappearance of sockeye salmon stocks led to our crafting of a letter to the Prime Minister, which along with other factors led him to create the Cohen Judicial Inquiry into that subject. The group assembled the first of two funding applications, which led to the federal funding of the salmon spawning viewing platform, now part of Squamish's environmental infrastructure. The group assisted me in calling on the House of Commons Fisheries Committee to investigate aquaculture; the Fisheries Committee visited our riding for the first time in 12 years, initiating a study, which is almost complete. The Advisory Group worked with me to get the minister of fisheries to visit our riding three times since I was elected. Most recently, I brought Randy Kamp, parliamentary secretary to the minister of fisheries, to a June 2012 meeting with the Fisheries Advisory Group specifically to address concerns raised by group members and other constituents concerning Bill C-38.

C-38, among other things, calls upon the Fisheries Department to concentrate resources on the protection and enhancement of "commercial, aboriginal, and recreational fisheries." This is a good thing; previously, the governing law appeared to apply to protect all fish and fisheries anywhere in the country, without even making an attempt to set priority. The lack of focus diluted the effect of previous initiatives to steward the fisheries. C-38 created more clarity and certainty in process, for all stakeholders in environmental processes, in terms of identifying the governing authority; setting the timelines; formalizing rules for participation for all stakeholders. C-38 left legislative gaps, which will be filled by the regulations, presently on the drafting table.

That is why I have invited Randy Kamp back for a focused discussion on the content of those regulations. Mr. Kamp has provided us 10 key questions relevant to the regulation and has agreed to return to meet with our group soon after the group provides its responses to those questions. The group is in process of providing us answers.

This is important work that features a high level of community engagement.  My hope is that we as Canadians can increasingly leave behind the notion that government policy is a "balance" between fisheries or the environment, on one hand, against the economy, on the other hand. If we can see fisheries, the environment, and the economy, all three working together, then we will create powerful and lasting legacies for future generations because the environment IS the economy.

John Weston, Member of Parliament, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country

Double decker gondola?

Last spring a small resort in Switzerland inaugurated a double-decker cable car, with the upper level wide open (It has a railing but no roof. See photos at http://www.stanserhorn.ch/en/travel/cabrio/).

Wouldn't that be real neat for Squamish?

Talking about cable cars, there is one near Mt. Blanc that has a nearly five-kilometre span between towers (the Peak 2 Peak one has a span of just over five kilometres). But because that French cable car runs several hundred metres above a glacier that moves, the second tower is actually a cable strung between two peaks that support the cable car cables!

To access that cable car one must first use two cable cars from downtown Chamonix (about 1,000 metres above sea level) to the station on "Aguille du Midi" (at around 3,800 metres). Multiply figures in metres by three to have the altitude in feet — not too accurate but good enough. The terminus of that horizontal cable car is on the Helbronner peak in Italy. Another cable car links it to Courmayeur in the Val d'Aosta.

Regarding the concerns about cell phone towers. The solution is blindingly simple! Stop using cell phones people! About 99.999 per cent of the conversations I hear in public places are a total waste of time and each one lowers the finite level of mankind's intelligence by a notch or two. We managed very well without them! I know I do!

J-L Brussac

Coquitlam

Driving scare less traumatic with helping hands

Early last Wednesday morning, while driving to Prince George, I encountered a patch of black ice and slid into the ditch, just before the Joffre Lakes turnoff.

I escaped unscathed and so did my car, save for a flat tire.

I'm grateful for the two men that towed me out of the ditch, especially since moments after my car was safe on the other side of the road, a truck careened off the pavement at the same spot and would have obliterated my vehicle.

I'm also thankful to the gentleman in the Whistler Excavations truck who helped me with the spare tire and filled it with air so I could make it to Lillooet. These three individuals went out of their way to de-escalate my unfortunate situation and I'm happy to pay it forward!

Sarah Makowsky

Whistler

The little festival that did!

The Whistler Readers and Writers Festival has wrapped up for another year. And what an incredible year it was. Sold out performances for the opening night gala, most Saturday workshops and our newly introduced event, Wine, Books and Jazz on Saturday night. A near sell out audience for Pecha Kucha/spoken word night again this year and incredible accolades from visiting authors like Canadian icon Alistair Macleod, author Lawrence Hill and Scottish poet John Burnside who all commented on the wonderful sense of community they felt in Whistler. They could feel the "deep love and admiration" Whistler had for this literary festival in the mountains.

We are so grateful for the support of: The Writers Union of Canada, The Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Whistler Public Library, The Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler (our hotel partner), The Whistler Arts Council, The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, Armchair Books (the best bookstore in the world), Whistler Is Awesome, The Whistler Museum, Goodwin Studios, Access Copyright, PEN Canada, the Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Center, Maxx Fish, the Alta Bistro, Tourism Whistler, The Pique Newsmagazine and the Question for their incredible coverage of the festival.

Thank you so much for helping us put our best foot forward for our visiting guest authors and festival participants.

Our organizing team is made up of a small group of volunteers who are passionate about the literary arts. They give their time and energy to this festival every year because they know how important it is to have these homegrown events available right here in our community. I'd like to thank: Katherine Fawcett, Sara Leach, Mary MacDonald, Libby McKeever, Claire Piech, Sue Oakey, Dee Raffo, Nancy Routley, Stephen Vogler, Wendy Whelan, and Rebecca Wood Barrett. They keep me grounded and focused on what is important.

Finally, I would like to thank you for participating in our festival. We had just fewer than 600 attendees (a 39 per cent increase in attendance over last year), an incredible breakthrough for the little festival that could. We are here because of you and we will continue to strive to do our very best. Thank you again for your support.

See you all next year.

Stella L. Harvey, founder and director, Whistler Readers and Writers Festival

Soup's on

It seems no matter what the weather, whether rain or sleet, frost or, in the case of last weekend, a final blast of summer heat, it is always great weather for soup! Thank you to everyone who came out and sipped and sampled the delicious creations at our 11th annual Harvest Soup Contest fundraiser at the final farmers' market of the season over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Ten community-minded restaurants joined together this year to serve over 650 bowls of soup in four hours, amazing! The competition was friendly, but tough, with the likes of veterans Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub (who each have entered 11 times and won many times each!); newcomers Delish Café and the Grocery Store, The Grille at the Cinnamon Bear in the Hilton, Mongolie Grill and Green Earth Organics; our favourite in-house competitors (and past champions) Ric's Grill and The Mix by Ric's, and soup experts Gone Village Eatery.

After all was said and done, the people voted the Four Seasons Resort Whistler as this year's soup king with their mouthwatering Thai Rock Shrimp Butternut Squash Soup — so delicious!

Thank you to Bruce and Ian at Nesters for donating the fresh rolls, David and Tony at Slope Side Supply for donating the compostable spoons, bowls and tasters and Chris Quinlan at the farmers' market for always finding us a home!

Hope to see everyone next year; bring on the winter!

Peggy VoglerWhistler Waldorf School

Fabulous fungus festival

Despite rumours that this year was not a good mushroom year, the 10th annual Fungus Among Us Mushroom Festival's gurus still found over 100 different types of mushrooms and attracted a great crowd of keen mushroomers over last weekend.

The Whistler Naturalists would like to thank all those who made the annual event possible: the Community Foundation of Whistler as a main sponsor, the 19 fabulous mushroom gurus for their talks Friday night and for leading the walks on Saturday; Silvia Bergensen for a new dyeing with mushrooms workshop; Ophra "Queen of the fungal skillet" Buckman for presenting the cooking with mushrooms show and tasting; Nesters Market for donating wild mushrooms for the tasting; all the volunteers who helped out; the RMOW for providing financial support; and all the folks that came out to share their enthusiasm and wonder for all things fungal.

Bob Brett, Mel Tardif , Julie Burrows and Kristina Swerhun on behalf of the Whistler Naturalists