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This week's letters to the editor

Nesters liquor store closure

We apologize sincerely to all of you who have come to the store over the past week only to find notices on the window saying we are closed. Likewise to all of you who have called our delivery hotline only to get the same message.

To all our loyal customers, both locals and visitors, we wanted to take this opportunity to give you an update and explanation as to why the Nesters Liquor Store is temporarily closed, and share our plans to open again soon.

On Jan. 15, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) in Victoria requested that we suspend the operation of the store due to issues relating to the former Boot Pub that our liquor license is connected to.

The former Boot Pub has a Liquor Primary (LP) License and our store operates under a Beer and Wine License that is attached to that Liquor Primary. Under LCLB regulations the Liquor Primary (pub) needs to be “open and operating” in order for our store to be open as well.

Since the Boot Pub was closed and the building demolished in 2007, we have been actively working with planners at the RMOW to find an alternate location for the Pub License in Whistler. However, because there are restrictions on opening any new pubs or bars in the village this has limited our options to relocate the license. Currently, we have a deal in place with the owners/developers of Rainbow to move the LP to that site for the neighbourhood pub that is zoned there. Unfortunately, this solution did not satisfy the LCLB because the pub will not be open and operating for some time.

We would like to point out that as a small, locally-owned business we have been given great support from all the planners we have dealt with in trying to resolve this issue, and are very grateful for their time and efforts to help us reopen as quickly as possible.

As a result of this, we are working closely with another license owner who is considering taking our LP license to replace their own. This is the quickest way for us to reopen and a solution that satisfies both the RMOW and LCLB. If we can successfully complete this transfer of our LP license it will give us the ability to stay in business, reopen, retain our awesome staff (who we are continuing to pay full wages and salaries), pay our lease and continue to serve our customers at Nesters.

Thank you for all your business and support in the past. Please be patient, we will be back soon!

Colin Johnson, Andrew Elliott

And the staff at Nesters Liquor Store

Aboriginal title does exist

Joe Bako (Pique, Jan. 10) does not see a moral obligation nor practical justification in recognizing First Nation title to large tracts of Crown land. He goes on to say that reserve lands in B.C. are valuable, productive lands and that, given this asset, B.C. First Nations should be the “richest segment of B.C. society”. He concludes by using the success of the Osoyoos Indian Band as an example to prove his point.

I should start-off by saying that the size and productive quality of reserve lands is not the issue. Mr. Bako is correct in pointing out the success of the Osoyoos Indian Band. They have definitely benefited from leadership, vision, and hard work. I would, however, challenge the assertion that this model can be replicated across the province. Reserve lands across B.C. vary considerably in their size, qualities and attributes. In fact, many First Nations successfully contend that they were marginalized to the most unproductive lands. A good history of this is presented in the book The Same As Yesterday by Joanne Drake-Terry, which chronicles the creation and theft of reserve lands in the Lillooet portion of the Sea-to-Sky corridor. But this is not the issue at hand.

The issue at hand is Mr. Bako’s continuing denial of the rights of First Nations in the province. Why is he (and many others) so conditioned to accept the lie that First Nations are a lesser people that do not have the fundamental legal rights accorded to all peoples? Here are the facts Mr. Bako: the law in B.C. recognizes that Aboriginal title exists and that it is an exclusive interest in the land itself. The recent Williams case shows that Aboriginal title lands are expansive (approximately 200,000 hectares of approximately 400,000 hectares claimed) and that provincial jurisdiction (like the Forest Act) does not apply on Aboriginal title lands. This is the law in B.C. today. The real issue and task at hand is the reconciliation of Aboriginal title, Aboriginal law, and Aboriginal society with Crown title, law, and society. The necessary act of reconciliation will not be advanced by continuing to debate whether you think there is a moral and/or practical justification for what is the law.

Sheldon Tetreault

Pemberton

Time to butt out

On behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society, I would like to thank Dr. Paul Martiquet, medical health officer for Coast Garibaldi Health for his presentation to Whistler Council encouraging a ban on smoking on patios, at parks and playing fields, and within six metres of public entranceways.

The City of Vancouver has already passed this model bylaw (to be implemented April 2008), and it is our hope that the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), an Olympic host, will show leadership in the Sea to Sky region and enact a model bylaw; one that protects its citizens and visitors from second-hand smoke, de-normalizes tobacco use, and removes the temptation for those smokers struggling to quit.

Last year, the B.C. government introduced provincial legislation that restricts the promotion and sale of tobacco products and, as of March 2008, will ban smoking in all indoor public spaces, workplaces, and within three metres of entranceways. Although a good step, we believe the government should strengthen this tobacco control legislation. Given the favorable resolution passed last September by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, which asked the BC government to strengthen the legislation to include a prohibition of smoking on patios, and increase the distance smokers must be from entranceways to 7.5 metres, we would say that most local governments agree.

Tobacco remains the single most preventable cause of disease and death in Canada. It kills 6,000 British Columbians each year, causes 30 per cent of cancer deaths and 85 per cent of lung cancers. Further, approximately 140 British Columbians die from second-hand smoke each year, which, according to U.S. Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to.

2010 is fast approaching; if we want to welcome the world to a healthy community we must protect our citizens and visitors from exposure to second-hand smoke, and take a leadership role by implementing a model bylaw.

Ashley Duyker

Canadian Cancer Society

Ban the van

I read the article regarding 15-passenger vans (Jan. 17, Pique) and am surprised and upset that the RMOW’s solution to using unsafe vehicles is to phase out any long trips. These field trips are part of what makes the Kids On The Go program fun and interesting for our children. It seems the bigger issue is that these vehicles are unsafe for any transportation of our children, whether around Whistler or further afield.

I am especially appalled that the recreation coordinator for the RMOW questions the call by the Canada Safety Council to see this type of van banned from carrying kids. To follow are just a few reports from many authorities on the safety of the vehicles, who would beg to differ with him!

• As stated by Safetyforum.com, a Washington-based consulting group that gathers accident information for litigation, "such shortcomings make the 15-passenger van literally a death trap on wheels."

• Also, after its insurance company raised concerns, Edmonton Public Schools began restricting use of 15-passenger vans in 2005 by stipulating a maximum of 12 pupils, not using the back seat for students or gear, and disallowing roof racks and trailers. However, last month the board issued a directive barring the vans as of Sept. 1, "due to the number of accidents these vans have been involved in." Until then, the board's fleet of 15 vans can only be used within city limits.

• "Where the van gets itself in real trouble is when it's involved in an impact from the side, a glancing blow, anything that might cause an intrusion, because it's just a light shell of metal over some metal uprights and not much of a barrier in keeping another vehicle out," said David White, Director of the Motor Carrier division of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, a regulatory body.

• Four recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advisories prompted the U.S. Congress to make it illegal for American schools to buy new, 15-passenger vans for transporting their students. More than 40 U.S. states now prohibit the use of 15-passenger vans for taking students to and from public schools. The U.S. advisories also said such vans are prone to fishtailing and are difficult to bring back under control, particularly at high speeds, and especially when the vans are heavily loaded. The Bathurst, New Brunswick high school van was carrying 12 of 15 possible passengers, including the driver, when it crashed.

• "If you have any loss of control for any reason, it's very difficult to get the van back under control," said Jeff Wiggington, a Texas lawyer who has campaigned hard to have the vans removed from U.S. roads. Because of the weight on the rear axle, "the front tires are less responsive than you expect them to be to any steering inputs, so the driver is deceived into steering too much or too little into what happens on the roadway. The bottom line is that a minor error often becomes fatal in a 15-passenger van, whereas in most vehicles it is not."

The driver training that the RMOW offers is fantastic but obviously not the solution in this case. I feel very strongly that these vans should no longer be used by our municipality for transportation of our children or any other of our cherished citizens.

Catherine Power-Chartrand

Whistler

Books on the Move

I would like to thank Lauren Stara, the Whistler Public Library’s director, her amazing staff, and Nancy Campbell, trustee par excellence, for the fabulous job they did with Books on the Move last Sunday (Jan. 13). Their commitment to library services and understanding of the need to show the community what this very special place will mean to us all cannot be understated.

From babes in arms to MAC (Mature Action Committee) members, and all ages in between, the line stretched from the old library trailers to the new building, each person with a book in hand to place on the brand new shelves. This may have been only the start of the move but its symbolism for the Whistler community was noted by all.

Nancy and Lauren, you created a fun day for us all and our community salutes your ability to bring order to what could have been chaos. Thanks also to Starbucks for the coffee and juice, and Nancy for the cookies.

The author Sidney Sheldon said, “Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore, achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better.”

On Saturday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. the new Whistler Public Library building will officially open and I encourage everyone to be on hand for this much anticipated event.

Alix Nicoll

Chair, Whistler Public Library

Children’s centre en route

On Dec. 7, the Pemberton Childcare Society was named the 2007 Pemberton Citizen of the Year, a wonderful honour for us and a welcome sign of encouragement at a time when we are preparing for the opening of the new Children’s Centre. We have come so far from the idea that conceived nearly seven years ago by volunteer parents, all knowing their children would be too old to attend the Children’s Centre.

The final stages of this project have brought challenge upon challenge, and have delayed the opening we are all eagerly awaiting. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those individuals who have been working so hard to open our centre. The Children’s Centre Building Committee, and the Pemberton Childcare Society Board of Directors (past and previous members) have been volunteering endless hours to ensure that the Centre opens as soon as possible. We would also like to thank our construction manager (and his entire family), and the many labourers who have been putting in a tremendous amount of overtime to ensure a prompt, safe opening. Thank you also to the local businesses and individuals who have donated great amounts of time and resources; we could not have done it without you!

We would also like to thank the community and the parents of the Pemberton Childcare Society for their generosity, support and patience through this long journey. We are aware that the delay in the opening of the children’s centre has inconvenienced many but we ask that you please continue to lend your support and well wishes as we all work together to open the doors of this wonderful new facility. We look forward to welcoming the children of our community to the new Pemberton Children’s Centre in February 2008.

Stephanie Coughlin

Chair, Pemberton Childcare Society

Nowhere to do laundry

We have been Whistler and Blackcomb supporters for over 30 years, and now our kids are. My son is one of the kids who loves Whistler and is willing to work there for practically minimum wage. It is not the owners of the million dollar houses that make Whistler a first class resort, it is these kids.

Last week my son became very sick and my friend and I came up to attend to him. We were in desperate need of a laundromat and to our horror and dismay we found out that the only laundromat in that vicinity was closed for good. We were lucky to have a car, but in spite of that we couldn’t get to Function Junction because of a car accident that caused hours of delay.

Again, we were very lucky because my friend was able to find another friend who could help us, but there are many kids that aren’t so lucky.

Kids who work for a minimum wage have no means of transportation to places like the campground or Function Junction to do their laundry — the same kids already have a hard time surviving with the high food and accommodation prices. These are the people we think deserve more attention from the municipality.

We find it absolutely irresponsible of the municipality to let things go as far as this, as they did nothing after the Creekside laundry closed in 2005. They might care for the visitors, but they are absolutely forgetting about conditions and services for important people like these kids, who play such an important part in contributing to the good name of Whistler.

Gisela Malleu

Vancouver

Thank for your support

A tale of two noble men working at Whistler’s animal shelter exposes one to both the very best and very worst in the Sea to Sky community. It is difficult at times not to be overwhelmed by the negative side of human nature; to not feel despair over the endless flow of abandoned and injured animals or the recent theft of several WAG coin boxes containing donations upon which we so desperately depend. However, I wish to share a little story about two men whose actions made a big difference to me.

On Boxing Day a part-time Whistler resident with an electrical problem telephoned a local electrician for advice. The electrician answered the caller’s questions gladly, paused, and then reminded the caller that they were getting free advice on a very expensive day. In exchange for the advice, the electrician asked the caller if they would make a $25 donation to WAG.

The caller, who had forgotten that it was Boxing Day, was struck by the noble nature in which this situation was handled. He subsequently wrote a letter to WAG telling of his experience and enclosed a cheque with his letter. Thank you to Richard from Sea to Sky Electric and to Tom for showing us the very best side of this community.

Carol Coffey

Executive Director WAG

Re: New and much more sophisticated credit card fraud.

Most of us in the nightly accommodation market have been exposed to requests from a supposed travel agent representing a group that wants to rent one's property. These emails seem to always originate in the U.K. and are sent by someone who didn’t excel in grammar. This is often transparently a fraud, when the group is supposedly coming for a religious conference and has hired a third party to supply "cars and drivers including security personnel" (Gee, I didn't know the pope skied!)

The guests will supply a credit card number and ask that you charge an amount much greater than the cost of the accommodation.

After the charge has been accepted by the credit card provider and an authorization number issued, they request you wire a specified amount to the "third party" as this company does not have a merchant credit card account. Some time after, the amount of the credit card that you deposited in your account is reversed.

And now, the new one:

We received an enquiry from a travel agency in Bali, Indonesia representing a client in Singapore. The email was very well written and included a request for information on rental accommodation, on hiring a tour guide, and asking if we were in a position to pay a commission to the travel agency. (This a normal request, and if the stay exceeds our minimum nights we offer 10 per cent).

The email includes the mailing address of the agency and their website. The site was very legitimate and professional looking.

Negotiations continued over a few days and were concluded for a 10-night stay in early April.

The agent passed on the information to the client in Singapore and asked that we arrange payment through the credit card that he would provide. The client e-mailed a signed credit card form authorization that included his mailing address and a request to split the charge between two credit cards.

He included all the pertinent information needed for an authorization — Visa card number, expiry date and his name as it would appear on the card. He also included the three digit security code that only appears on the back of the card (this is the first time anyone has voluntarily provided this).

In addition to the amount for the accommodation, he also requested I include $500 for a personal gratuity for the travel agent and $ 300 for "our personal gratuity for you".

The charges were accepted by Visa on both credit cards and I was issued the authorization numbers.

I was puzzled why the renter would give me a $300 tip and was concerned about my obligation to wire an additional $500 to the travel agency.

I again contacted Visa to enquire as to what bank issued the cards. On checking, the cards originated from the Chase Manhattan bank in New Jersey and Vermont. I was given the bank's number and on checking with them found out the cards were not stolen but that the name on the cards did not correspond to the name given to me.

I plan to reverse the two charges during the bank's business hours, if this has not already been done by the card issuer.

What can you do to protect yourself:

• Check the origin of the card by giving the first four digits to the credit card rep, as these numbers designate the issuing bank and their location. If you have been given the information on a card from a party in Mexico that was issued by a bank in Toronto, then red flags should go up!

• When requesting a telephone authorization, talk to an agent and request the toll free telephone number of the issuing bank. One call will ensure that the name on the card corresponds with the party you are dealing with.

• Keep in mind, that the only time a bank will back the merchant is if a) the hard copy has been signed by the card holder and the expiry date verified and b) the merchant asks to see a photo ID and confirm that the picture is of the party presenting the credit card and that the names match.

John Richmond

Whistler

Mixing cats and weasels

I've been out of town for over a year, and what a difference a year makes in Whistler, with the Olympic building frenzy in high gear. Of particular interest to me is the on-mountain improvements as I have, like many locals, an intimate relationship with the ski hill.

What’s even more noticeable is the huge fleet of brand new Piston Bully 600 snowcats, half of which are winch cats. I love snowcats, especially new winchcats!

Why in the world though, does VANOC need so many? It’s two years before the hoopla and there's already 16 parked at the Orange Chair and Timing Flats. Apparently there's another dozen showing up in the coming years. That's a fleet equivalent to that of both Whistler and Blackcomb combined for two race courses and one training run!

I have been involved in course prep for many World Cup races in the last 20 years from being a Weasel Worker, snowmaker and groomer. It's an enormous task, but we always managed to construct a beautiful FIS standard course with the resources we had.

Now I wonder if "too many cooks can spoil this broth". I'm a little disappointed that the usual crew is being replaced by an army of imported operators. Realistically, once the course is built, an experienced winch operator and one free cat can groom the entire run, under good conditions. Usually if it snows, it’s best to keep machines off and have Weasel Workers side slip any fresh snow.

Now I know what's at stake here and we can't afford to cancel this race because of too much snow like so many previous World Cups, but Mother nature calls the shots and she doesn't care if there's $10 million worth of iron out there.

I hope I'm not going to be chastised for barking up the wrong tree. We appreciate the help in the grooming department. When I ask why they need so many cats I'm told VANOC requires a winch cat for every 1,000 metres of course and an extra cat for every cat just in case. The free cats are for the detail work.

Like I said, I love snowcats but I'm well aware of the massive amounts of fuel, maintenace and skilled operators required. If VANOC claims to be prudent with their budget and wants us to believe these are going to be the greenest games yet I need a better rationale than that.

Mike Roger

Whistler/Birken

Re: Boys will be boys

I was not shocked at all to read Kate Laird’s letter about the appalling behaviour of on-duty RCMP officers in Whistler on New Year’s Eve. Her eyewitness account is another example of how instead of creating solutions the RCMP creates and instigates problems, and why we as a society have lost so much faith in that organization.

Thankfully the RCMP status quo of exploiting situations then practicing damage control will soon be ending. With the rapidly growing trend of “sousveillance” — a practice in which ordinary citizens record the actions of authority figures with cellular phones and video cameras — the tables are turning and power is coming back to the people. I can only suggest the RCMP start doing their job in keeping the peace instead of causing disturbances and save us the embarrassment and further detriment to our international reputation as we move towards the Olympics in 2010. For the good of all of us, keep those cameras recording, people!

Wes McIntyre

Whistler

Olympic trifecta

This past weekend my girlfriend Angela and I decided to check out the new Olympic venues. We started out on Saturday afternoon with the Whistler Sliding Centre walk. What a piece of engineering — the fastest track in the world! We then headed into the Callaghan on Sunday to see the Whistler Olympic Park, an awesome facility. If you haven’t been up there you have to go check it out. The ski jumps are there in all their glory and the setting is classic Canadiana. We spent some time skate skiing on the perfectly groomed trails, then came across some of our young biathlon athletes practicing rifle shooting at the range. After a few laps around the penalty area we carried on and came across the spot where the Olympic stadium will be. They were busy giving out medals for the B.C. Cup race that was held that morning.

We couldn’t resist racing around the oval given you can clearly see where the Olympic start and finish lines will be. (Ang beat me fair and square — damn!).

We then drove back to Whistler and loaded the gondy at Creekside to complete our triathlon of Olympic venues with a race down the Dave Murray, where four World Cup races will be held in three weeks. (I lost again, but I think I won the aprés session at Dusty’s).

The Olympics are not just coming, they are here already. Let’s get into it! Check out www.bcsliding.com and www.whistlerolympicpark.ca to get involved.

Ben Thomas

Whistler

What’s for dinner?

So, I packed all my stuff this fall and made the move to Pemby. I guess it’s inevitable if I plan to settle down in this corridor and actually own a home. After the first few snow storms I had defiantly decided I was moving back to Whistler but now, in the crisp January sun, I think I’m falling in love.

I am writing to find out why the Pemberton Valley Market does not sell Pemberton Valley meat. Don’t get me wrong here, the meat is packed very well and it looks clean and fresh but why no Pemberton Valley meat? Minimal organic meat selection? Tuna? Game? This upscale market should be all for this type of food. I know the people who live in this town are!. Is there a reason they don’t sell it? Is there something I don’t know? I see all the little strollers riding by and it makes me wonder… Is everyone feeding their kids these mass produced meat products with God knows what inside?

Joanne Van Engelsdorp

Pemberton