Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters

Not convinced by arguments to close schools This letter was addressed to Dave Walden, Chair, School Board of Trustees SD48. A copy was forwarded to Pique.

Not convinced by arguments to close schools

This letter was addressed to Dave Walden, Chair, School Board of Trustees SD48. A copy was forwarded to Pique.

We wish to voice our grave concerns over the suggestion in the proposed school calendar for 2009-10, that Whistler Secondary School be closed for a total of three weeks, from Feb. 8 th to 26 th . We do realize this is not “written in stone” and so we ask that our concerns be tabled at the upcoming meetings on Oct. 10 th and/or Nov. 7 th .

We will have two children at WSS in 2010, a daughter in Grade 9 and a son in Grade 12.

We are not convinced by any of the arguments in favour of closing the schools at all; we feel positive that our children will have ample opportunities to enjoy the atmosphere and events surrounding the Olympics outside of normal school hours, in the evenings in and around the village, and on weekends, without the necessity of disrupting their schooling to this extent.

If we are fortunate enough to obtain tickets for any event, we will be comfortable to take them out of school for that one day. On that note, you might like to consider that the demographics of WSS strongly suggest the vast majority of its students will be mainly interested in the events that are happening in Vancouver, not in Whistler. Our son has not the remotest interest in watching any “sliding event”, or cross-country or downhill ski race event, and we believe most of his friends will be the same. We think you have vastly overestimated the interest of local high school-age students in the Whistler events.

However, if forced to we could live with closing WSS for part of the Olympics, BUT we are vehemently and adamantly opposed to closing our high school for three weeks. We are quite angry that the board feels it can compromise our son’s education in this way in the most important year of his entire school career. The Olympics will be an exciting event for sure, but not as exciting as watching our son graduate. He is not academically strong, and it will be extremely difficult for him to “make up” such a large amount of classroom time. We refuse to allow anything, even the Olympics, to force him into a situation where he is struggling to keep up during a complex and stressful year. It is unacceptable to us that there is even a suggestion that this could happen.

We must tell you that we were not impressed by the survey; it was loaded with leading and biased questions that did not allow for a clear “yes or no” reply. Such surveys can be easily skewed to produce the kind of results that the authors would like to see.

Having said that, we would draw your attention to Question 35 of the calendar survey, which says: “the most important thing is to ensure that students who face Provincial exams in grades 10, 11, 12 do not face extra burdens”. Please note that this question drew a 61.5 per cent “strongly agree” response, which we believe was the highest percentage of a “SA” response in the entire survey as answered by Whistler respondents.

We are also less than impressed by the suggestion that WSS can be used for lodging volunteers. Our schools are there to educate our children and to be a local community resource; we maintain that in proposing to use the schools for lodging purposes, SD48 exceeds its mandate.

We have also heard the arguments that security and other issues will make it hard to move around freely in the valley during the Olympics, but we feel that most parents will take this problem over the myriad problems that will be created for them if the schools are closed.

As for the argument that “kids won’t come to school anyway” we find this ludicrous; if there are parents in the community who have so little parental authority that their children will feel free to skip school for three weeks, that is their problem and not ours.

In conclusion, while we look forward to the Olympics and feel sure it will be a memorable and exciting event for our community, we insist that our children can enjoy them very well without shutting them out of the school.

Please reconsider this.

Ross and Linda McGaw

Whistler

Whistler is freeskiing

I was totally shocked at the response of Whistler's "powers that be" regarding the return of a freeskiing event to Whistler (Alta States, Pique, Oct. 4). I am really concerned about who is making these decisions either as a team or as one person outright. Whistler is the world epicentre for all things freeskiing and yet we deny the world the ultimate stage for an event.

In my travels I have had many competitors ask when Whistler will bring back the event, and I have nothing to tell them. It has some of the world’s best venues, some of the best snow (most of the time), the best vibe of any ski resort, and as it seems, the infrastructure to put this event on. We did it before, why can’t we do it again?

Our retail market oozes the freeskiing "extreme" lifestyle and its products. It floods your ski shops with fat skis and posters of freeskiers, "freeskiing". When was the last time you saw a poster of someone tearing up the groomers (1985?), or watched a movie in the village along with 3,000 of your friends of someone bashing gates? Hell, if it weren’t for the freeskiing movement and the natural force of progression we'd still be skiing on race skis, with our feet together in stretchy pants.

Our heroes — that 3,000 of you packed the village to see on the big screen — live and ride here. Their skills our honed here. Whistler is freeskiing and I think it is a crying shame that the "powers that be" deny Mr. Hale-Wood’s proposal without even hearing it.

Knowing the events he has put on in the past, I would rather he put on the Olympics. He'd probably save us a few billion too.

R. McKeeman

Pemberton

Frustrated by council

Re: Luane Lowdons' letter “Fair game?”

I think there is some very sneaky, behind closed doors dealings going on with council. The fact that the WHA housing at Lakecrest was made available to the fire chief, who I understand wasn't on the wait list and already owns a home and has a much higher salary than almost everyone in Whistler, is total B.S. Maybe council should buy him a Ferrari so he can get to fires faster. Hell, while you’re at it, Ferrari's for all council members.

I have been patiently waiting on the housing list and was very interested in the Lakecrest homes. I have been looking at the website over the last couple of weeks and couldn't find out how to get on the waitlist for the Lakecrest project. I then contacted WHA and they told me that the homes have been sold to people higher on the list and that a waitlist for that project will be started soon. Maybe this agent was misinformed but it sure sounds to me like it's trying to be kept hush, hush.

After reading Luane Lowdon’s letter I was appalled to learn the truth (good job on the homework). I will absolutely never vote for anyone on our council ever again and I will be checking with government agencies to see if anything illegal was done here. I'd like to make it clear that my frustration here is with council and not the WHA.

Allan Warner

Whistler

Solution already exists

In response to Luane Lowdon’s letter, ‘Fair Game?’

I agree with questioning what’s “fair” about the WHA and the well intentioned yet over complex system that has been developed. When my frustrations reached a peak after continuous waiting, open houses and a change in rules I eventually turned to the open market just to have a look.

What astounds me is that the best solution already exists in Whistler: developments such as Suncrest, Eagle Crest and Eva Lake Village. The system is simple — the property is only available to be bought by employees in the Whistler valley, regular real estate rules apply and as a result a natural cap develops on the price acting as a true market would. No waiting list, no points, no formulas. Why this premise is not applied across all WHA properties I have no idea.

Tory Kargl

Whistler

Know your rights

I was scanning the classifieds like a crazy person last Thursday morning as I can imagine another hundred people were also doing, joining the ongoing competition to find affordable and livable accommodation in Whistler. I have been here a year and so know that the stories are true, finding a place can be a battle where your weapons are a good reference letter and a blank cheque.

I was surprised, however, that there is not more readily available information on a renters’ rights. I know that it probably is on the net etc. but this didn't help when I was up against a rather rude woman telling me that if I couldn't afford the $1,300 a month rent and produce the first six months up front than not to bother calling. I took a wild stab in the dark and told her that I didn't think she could demand that amount of money straight up in one lump sum; to that I got a dial tone.

Frustrated and annoyed I scanned the Pique for a number I could call to report this or at least get some more information. I didn't find anything. It was only after asking a work colleague who had been chasing up an unpaid damage deposit that I got any information.

In a place where renting is the norm, renters should know their rights and shouldn't feel that they have to give them up in a hunt for accommodation. I know that there will be other people out there being taken for a ride, so we need help and guidance in an area where we feel we don’t have much of a say or we’ll loose out.

Dee Raffo

Whistler

Carbon tax the best way

British Columbia's government now considers the prevention of climate change to be one of its top priorities. While this is commendable, the tools being proposed to meet our challenging targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are not sufficient.

The new B.C. Climate Action Secretariat is examining carbon sequestration and emissions trading, but a carbon tax would be the most efficient way of using market pressures to ensure that corporations willingly curb their use of energy and other carbon-based resources.

Financial incentives are ultimately what corporations are most responsive to. If we illustrate that it will become an international competitive advantage for B.C.'s companies to reduce their carbon usage, they will be driven to implement innovative strategies to maintain production while also minimizing their carbon footprint. Such innovations in production efficiency can then be patented and sold in foreign markets.

A carbon tax has been successfully working for more than a decade in oil-rich Norway, whose population is similar to that of British Columbia. Closer to home, last week Quebec introduced Canada's first carbon tax upon its energy firms.

My question to Premier Campbell is whether his government is truly as progressive as its recent “green” rhetoric has been. It's time for British Columbia to become a genuine leader in the fight against climate change, and there's never been a more opportune time to take action than now.

Damian Kettlewell

Candidate for leader of the Green Party of B.C.

Dressed for the occasion

We would like to thank the Whistler Skating Club for their generosity in lending us costumes for our Grad Mini Golf event. The suits were a big hit at the event and everyone loved them!

Thanks again.

Lonnie Wake, Nadine Crowe, and Chantelle Grills

Whistler