Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Pique'n'yer interest

Looking on the bright side

I’ve been accused of going negative in my columns recently, mostly stemming from a piece I wrote questioning the state of municipal spending when I learned my property taxes and resident fees were going up in 2008. Some people took the column personally, I’ve heard, and credit me for saying things I never actually said, and for implying things I’ve never implied.

I take nothing back, but do apologize if anyone was upset. If it’s any consolation, I wrote that column when I was upset at having to pony up at least $400 more in taxes this year.

Between rising strata fees (an unhappy byproduct of all the snow we had in 2006-07), and higher taxes, my cost of living in 2008 will be higher by around $70 a month. That doesn’t include rising propane and gas prices, rising food prices because of rising gas prices, and all the other price increases we’re seeing.

While I can technically absorb these increases, they don’t leave much wiggle room in my household with a baby on the way. I recently did a post-baby budget based on our expenses the past four months and the increases on the way, and found that we’re going to be spending more than we’re taking in without cutting expenses — and we’re not exactly living the high life now.

So I was upset, and wrote a column about it. However, I’m of the belief that governments should always expect a little criticism when they raise taxes. It goes with the territory, the same way I can always expect criticism when I write a subjective column. It’s nothing personal.

But I also believe that you have to give credit where credit is due, which is one of the failings of the media. We’re not very good at positive news stories. “If it bleeds, it leads”, is one of the oldest maxims of the profession.

That said, there is a lot that the municipality and its partners are doing right these days and they deserve a lot of credit.

First of all, the Whistler Holiday Experience was pure genius. For nine hours a day during the holidays the Telus Conference Centre hosted visiting and resident families by offering free mini golf, free movies, a free bouncy castle, free video games.

I can say that parents I talked to appreciated this amenity a lot, and will be looking for it when they come back next year.

The resort has always looked for ways to add value for visitors, and family-friendly attractions that people can enjoy when the mountains are closed or the weather turns ugly. The fact that everything was free made it all the more special.

I also have to say that the village looks great with all the lights, and heard that First Night was a lot of fun this year. No doubt it was tough given all the snow and how busy the village was during the preparations, but I’ve heard nothing but good things.

For that, I also have to give an assist to Whistler-Blackcomb for hosting back-to-back Fire and Ice shows at the base of Whistler on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, adding some excitement to the village.

Even if it didn’t snow every day, families would still have gone home with positive memories of their trip to Whistler.

Another positive thing happening around Whistler and the corridor is the opening of our Olympic venues. I got a chance to watch the ski jumping on Sunday, along with hundreds of other curious locals, and was impressed with how well the organizers dealt with all the snow and stormy conditions. Some events were delayed or cancelled, but the organizers did manage to get most of the competitions underway.

I was also amazed by the support the event was given by the Callaghan Valley Local Organizing Committee (CALOC), and the Squamish community in general when it came to finding volunteers.

The lead sponsor for the event, and other events to come, was a Squamish consortium of businesses who formed a group called Squamish Life.

Rather than sit on the sidelines for the Olympics as a drive-by community, business and community leaders in the Squish have seized the opportunities presented by the Games with both hands.

There is still a lot of work to do to ensure we have enough trained officials and volunteers for the upcoming test events and the Games themselves, but without CALOC we’d be a lot further behind. And Whistler can’t possibly field enough volunteers to do even half the things that need doing.

That said, Pemberton has also been helpful, mostly when it comes to the sliding centre, creating an association and finding ways to be involved through the future.

If the Calgary Games in 1988 are any indication, then some of Canada’s future Olympians are going to come from Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor, growing up using the facilities created for 2010.

That said, it would be nice to see more recognition of Whistler’s neighbours in the run-up to the Games, especially when it comes to supporting our Olympic and Paralympic legacies for the long-term.

In a little over two years, that support is going to make all the difference.