November 5, 2026 by Pacific Coastal Publications LP

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SECRET NO MORE

LEST WE FORGET

The history—and future—of the ‘secret’ saunas

See our special Remembrance Day feature

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

S Q U A M I S H C H I E F. C O M

A NEW ERA BEGINS TA C K E D ’ O R ‘ I C OFOR N ’ LOGO C O R P O R AT E / N O N - M A S T H E A D / S O C I A L M E D I A SQUAMISH AS NEW COUNCIL IS SWORN IN The new District of Squamish council officially took office on Nov. 3 during an inauguration ceremony at the Squamish Valley Golf Club JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

E V E R S E D + C O L O U R PA L E T T E

t is official. The new District of Squamish council was sworn in on Nov. 3, in a ceremony in front of family, friends and supporters at Squamish Valley Golf Club. Squamish’s council now consists of Mayor Sean Easton and Couns. Eric Andersen, Janice DesJardins, Sarah Ellis, Luc Perreault, Laura Prosko and Shaun Veltkamp. PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

OFFICIAL: Continued on 2

Mayor Sean Easton receives a Squamish Nation blessing from Allan Harry during the inaugural meeting of the newly elected council on Tuesday night.

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OFFICIAL: Continued from 1 Only Andersen has held a council position before. The inaugural meeting began in front of a large and appreciative audience with a procession of council-elect led by bagpiper Devin Biln and RCMP officers. As he did in previous terms, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) member Allan Harry gave the new council a blessing. Judge Tim Hinkson presided over the new members’ oaths and affirmations. In his inaugural address, Easton said he wants to bring to his role “purposeful government.” “It means I want to work to create a community that works for all of you. ...All of the residents of Squamish—elected, staff, and the people. The job of council is to ensure that our collective needs are met,” he said, adding that this can’t be done alone. “We do that with the invaluable help of District staff. And most importantly, we do that with and for all of you…. We can do this as a resident-centred government. We can only meet the needs of residents if we understand the residents. And to understand the residents, we must be in relationship. We must know you. We must interact with you,” he continued. He reiterated what he had heard on the campaign trail as his focus.

CORRECTION

he story, “Squamish Public Library celebrates 70th anniversary,” published Oct. 29, had errors regarding the size of the current library. Today’s library is 12,000 square feet, and has approximately 50,000 physical items in its collection. The Squamish Chief apologizes for the errors.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The newly elected Squamish council.

“We need housing that locals can afford. We need adequate recreational, cultural, and arts amenities. We need social and health services that are available for all ages. We need transportation options that support a variety of needs and lifestyles. That’s what I heard.” He added that the community deserves to see measurable outcomes. “And more than doing things, we need to get things done. So as a government, we must be accountable to all of you. That is our job,” he said. “We can rise to the challenges ahead of us if we work together. I believe we have everything we need in Squamish, and we’re all that we need. And after all, I deeply and truly believe that no one else is coming to save us. So I look

forward to working with you all.” In addition to giving their personal remarks, mayor and council each invited a member from the community to address council for a maximum of three minutes. Some called on family, others friends. Included in the speakers were Nation councillor and spokesperson Syex̱wáliya Ann Whonnock, hereditary Chief Dale Harry, former mayor Corinne Lonsdale, and chair of the Housing Squamish board, Kirby Brown. Over the course of the evening, council members were also appointed to various boards and the rotating acting mayor’s role. For the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District board, Easton, Ellis and Andersen will represent the District.

We can rise to the challenges ahead of us if we work together. I believe we have everything we need in Squamish, and we’re all that we need. MAYOR SEAN EASTON

Invite Connection. Inspire Curiosity. www.squamishlibrary.ca After School Kids - Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Tuesday / November 10 / 3:30-4:30pm Don't know what to do? Just ASK! An after-school library program for kids in grades 1-6. Everyone will also make their own paper fidget toy! Community Writing Group - For writers of all abilities

Thursday / November 12 / 5:30-7:00pm Drop in to the library for a monthly group for writers, whether you are just starting out or already working on a novel. 37909 Second Ave

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GOT NEWS? Email your news tip or story idea to: jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

‘THE MOST HORRIBLE NIGHT OF MY LIFE’: STANISLAV VOLO SHARES MORE OF HIS SIX DAYS ON THE MOUNTAIN Stanislav Volo and Squamish SAR’s Tyler Duncan share more about the six day search effort

Duncan explained, while stressing that technology has strict limits. “Infrared isn’t sort of the tool that Hollywood makes us think it is, it doesn’t necessarily show you heat, it shows you the contrast of heat... at the end of the day all of these things are exactly that, they’re just tools.”

STACY THOMAS For The Squamish Chief

tanislav Volo, the Squamish man who disappeared into the forest above the Sea to Sky Gondola for five nights in the first week of September, has shared more of his ordeal in a video by the BC Search and Rescue Association. In the YouTube video, “Five Nights Lost: A Hiker’s Survival Story,” published on Oct. 22, Volo recounts his story in detail, including his overconfidence as a four-hour day hike turned into six days stuck on the mountain, freezing and eating caterpillars to stay alive. “My attitude toward the experience was more like going to the park,” Volo said, describing how he walked the trail with his audiobook playing, dismissing early signs, including direct warnings from other hikers. “When I was about to climb up, there were a few hikers who told me, ‘By the way, it’s kind of foggy up there, so you can get lost,’” Volo said. “And instead of taking this information as red flags, I kind of took it as some sort of weather report and completely dismissed it.”

‘YOUR ENTIRE BODY IS SHAKING’ Looking back now, Volo can see that his mindset from the start was flawed, highlighted by his minimal provisions: a few gummy bears, a granola bar and some beef jerky. “My worst-case scenario was if I would scratch my knee, for example,” he said. “So I had Band-Aids... No headlight, nothing of that nature, ‘cause that was not the plan. I was

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A MIRACULOUS CALL

PHOTO VIA SQUAMISH SAR/VIA BC SEARCH AND RESCUE ASSOCIATION YOUTUBE VIDEO

This map shows where rescue teams were looking for Stanislav Volo.

not planning to stay overnight.” Volo spent that first night enduring nine hours of severe shivering in the freezing dark. “That was the most horrible night of my life, because even though I changed into dry clothes, I couldn’t sleep all night,” Volo said. “I was shivering... to a level where your entire body is shaking... You cannot sit, you cannot lie down, you cannot stand, you don’t have strength to stand.” While Volo faced the elements, Squamish Search and Rescue (SSAR) launched a massive operation. For Tyler Duncan, Squamish SAR’s operations director and search manager, Volo’s

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trip plan left with his wife proved to be crucial and possibly life-saving. “He did a great job leaving a trip plan with his wife, which led her to give 911 a call in the early evening when she was sort of starting to expect him back,” Duncan said. However, even with drone and infrared technology, Volo eluded rescue for five nights, as weather deteriorated and mutual aid teams were called in from around the province. “This was a really big opportunity for us to get some good learning points out of drone use... we are using those drones to search those steeper drainages and really high steep technical areas,”

By the third day, a massive storm front was rolling in, and with air support and ground teams coming up cold, Duncan faced an agonizing decision. “Going into the afternoon and early evening of Tuesday, for me as the primary search manager, it was a major low point, because we weren’t having any success, unfortunately. We had no clues as to where Stas (Volo) was,” Duncan said. “That’s always an incredibly difficult decision to make, knowing that there’s somebody out there waiting for you to find them.” Duncan was closing down the search Tuesday night when he got a call from the RCMP that Volo had called 911, reigniting an emergency response. “That kicked off what was potentially one of the largest overnight efforts before that storm came in that I have personally ever been involved in, in almost 20 years in search and rescue.”

LESSONS FROM THE RIDGE On the other end of that 911 call, Volo had kickstarted his battery back into life by banging his dead power block against a rock. With a three per cent charge, he sent out a call long enough for his wife to identify his voice. RESCUE: Continued on 5

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4 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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BIG NUMBERS, BIG QUESTIONS: A CLOSE LOOK AT WOODFIBRE LNG’S ECONOMIC IMPACT PROJECTIONS

A new Woodfibre LNG-funded economic impact report outlines $13.6 billion in output, but municipal tax disputes, legal battles, and global market risks have some weighing the cost construction program. For that reason, the operating phase is not measured via jobs or GDP. It is measured as government revenues attributable to the project and its value chain over 40 years.”

STACY THOMAS For The Squamish Chief

UNCOUNTED COASTAL COSTS

s Woodfibre LNG (WLNG) nears its target mid-2027 completion date, it has released an economic impact assessment that projects massive economic gains for B.C. and Canada. The report, compiled by strategy firm Deetken Insight and commissioned by WLNG, measures the total footprint of constructing and operating both the export plant in Squamish and FortisBC’s Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project. It calculates that construction has generated nearly $13.6 billion in national economic output, $7 billion in Canadian GDP, and $3.6 billion in labour income. It projects that over a 40-year operational lifecycle, total government revenues across all levels will reach $11.6 billion. However, these macro-level numbers arrive at a tense time and are drawing criticism from local advocates who say the projections demonstrate the widening gap between high-level economic models and local realities.

‘A FAIR AND FINAL OFFER’ Shortly before the report’s release, District of Squamish (DOS) council rejected a non-binding “agreement in principle” with WLNG that would have provided about $142 million in property taxes and community funding, while also cancelling active lawsuits. (The local government elections on Oct. 17 saw all but one incumbent on council lose their seat. The new council is sworn in Nov. 3.) By voting it down, council opted to rely on standard B.C. Class 4 major industrial tax assessment rules, leaving the District’s ongoing legal battles with the WLNG active and ongoing. The rejection brought a pointed response from WLNG. In an Oct. 9 open letter addressed to the community, CEO Luke Schauerte pushed back directly against council’s decision, calling the vote “surprising and disappointing.” Schauerte defended the collapsed tax deal as a “firm, but fair” package built over years of negotiations that in his words, “would have guaranteed Squamish at least $142 million over 10 years through municipal property taxes and Community Enhancement Payments.”

JOB-YEARS VS. JOB CREATION The Deetken Insight report states that “construction is expected to support over 52,000 jobs over the construction period (measured in job-years) and around $3.6 billion in labour income.” Local advocate Tracey Saxby, co-founder of My Sea to Sky, raises questions regarding the

FILE PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The currently under-construction Woodfibre LNG site.

study’s employment metrics, which she says, “seem to be grossly overexaggerated.” When assessments—including this one— report high job numbers, they are often calculated in “job-years,” meaning one single job maintained over three years gets counted as three separate job-years, not three people hired. Plus, standard economic modelling assumes new demand creates jobs out of thin air, without pulling workers away from existing local businesses. As Ruben Schneider, principal at Deetken Insight and author of the assessment, explains, “like all standard input-output models, our analysis assumes no capacity constraints. It assumes that higher demand for labour results in additional employment rather than in workers being redeployed from other jobs.” That means such job projections can stretch the benefits to an area, by ignoring local variables like housing shortages, out-of-town commuting, or staff leaving local shops for project sites.

BREAKING DOWN THE DEETKEN ASSESSMENT MODEL Schneider also clarified the scope and limitations of the $7 billion GDP figure, explaining in an email that the amount isn’t direct revenue, but, “the estimated contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) across Canada from building both the Woodfibre LNG facility and the FortisBC Eagle Mountain Pipeline. It includes direct, supply-chain (indirect) and household-spending (induced) effects.” While the assessment projects $485 million in

combined property taxes over 40 years, Schneider says, this baseline amount doesn’t account for political or administrative shifts: “The report is explicit that the property tax estimate for the WLNG facility is a modelling assumption only. The revenue projections are a single base case, and the study did not model alternative property tax scenarios.”

CONSTRUCTION BOOM VS. OPERATIONAL REALITY The transition from construction to long-term operations will bring a sharp shift for the community, and with a new council and mayor in place, Saxby voices concern about how future negotiations with WLNG will go. “Their job is to ensure that they get the best deal for Squamish residents,” she said, “and it is Squamish residents who have been dealing with the social and environmental and climate and health impacts of this project.” Saxby stresses that elected officials must keep their focus on community protection rather than corporate certainty; as for the rejected 10-year financial package, she added: “If Woodfibre LNG is here to stay, why wouldn’t we want to ensure that they pay their fair share in taxes?” As construction wraps up, the high job numbers will plummet as the facility switches to a low-headcount, automated 40-year operational phase. Schneider confirmed this pivot in the project’s timeline: “Once construction is complete, the facility’s ongoing direct workforce is modest compared with the scale of the

Beyond tax rates and jobs, an independent economist emphasizes that standard industrial impact studies fail to capture the true cost of operating in a sensitive, narrow fjord like Howe Sound. Ussif Rashid Sumaila, professor of ocean and fisheries economics at the University of British Columbia, points out that the Deetken report functions as a straightforward financial analysis rather than a complete economic assessment that takes into account the knock-on effects on marine biology. According to Sumaila, linear economic models ignore crucial “shadow costs” such as restricted marine access, underwater vessel noise, and the destruction of non-market natural assets like eelgrass beds which support juvenile fish habitat, carbon storage, and coastal protection. “The challenge is that fjords are unusually sensitive environments,” Sumaila said in an email. “Their restricted geography, limited navigational space, complex underwater acoustics and concentration of ecological and human activities can make the marginal cost of additional industrial traffic considerably higher than in open coastal waters.”

THE RISK OF ‘STRANDING’ AND CHANGING GLOBAL MARKETS? Adding another layer of complexity to the 40-year economic projection is the risk of global energy market shifts. In an analysis published by CleanTechnica, climate strategist Michael Barnard wrote that long-term forecasts for West Coast Canadian LNG facilities are at a high risk of financial and physical stranding as global demand patterns change. Barnard said that rapid global adoption of solar and battery storage in major Asian markets is increasingly displacing natural gas, meaning smaller facilities like Woodfibre LNG may face significant demand decline by the 2030s. Saxby reiterated that concern in a press release: “It is questionable whether there will even be demand for LNG in 40 years, given the pace of the renewable-energy transition in Asia and Europe. Woodfibre LNG does not have gas purchase agreements beyond its initial 15 years, which magnifies that uncertainty, as well as the risk to government revenue.” Stacy Thomas is The Squamish Chief’s freelance civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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LOCAL EDIBLE OIL MAKER SAYS GROCERY CHAINS ARE OUT OF REACH Acres of Eden’s owner says small producers have little chance of getting into big-box distribution, while some oils already on shelves aren’t what their labels claim “When non-compliance is identified, the CFIA takes action to protect Canadians. These actions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are proportionate to the risk and the seriousness of the non-compliance. They take into consideration the harm caused, the compliance history of the regulated party and whether there is negligence or intent to violate federal requirements.” Actions include written notices, monetary penalties, recommendations for prosecution, and license suspensions. For Tavakoli, these actions do little to stop the problem. “They don’t take it seriously,” he said. The CFIA did not respond to a request for comment regarding the agency’s enforcement effectiveness.

LIZ MCDONALD

emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

amid Tavakoli owns and runs Acres of Eden, a company that produces coldpressed olive oil, avocado oil, and seed oils in Squamish. His product carries a Buy BC label and is manufactured locally, but shoppers won’t find it on any aisle in the Sea to Sky. “The biggest challenge we have is getting into the distribution channel for the chain stores, because it’s controlled by big corporations, and we, as a small business, have a very small, tiny chance to get into that channel,” he said.

SMALL BUSINESS VERSUS GROCERY GIANTS His experience is common for small producers, according to the Squamish Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, Anne Mackenzie. “This is a real challenge for small producers, and one that goes beyond any single business. I recently spoke with a local food producer, and his experience reflects the kinds of barriers small businesses can face when trying to get their products onto retail shelves,” she wrote in an emailed statement. Mackenzie added that grocery stores and retailers in Squamish are part of larger chains, but buyers and category managers elsewhere make purchasing decisions, not individual stores. “For a small food producer, navigating those systems can be a significant hurdle, regardless of the quality of their product,” Mackenzie wrote. Pattison Food Group, which owns grocery brands Save-On-Foods and Nesters Market, along with a myriad of other stores, did not reply to a request to comment on its requirements for getting onto shelves, or pathways for businesses like Tavakoli to pursue.

OLIVE OIL VERSUS SNAKE OIL Another challenge he faces is against some of the products already on shelves. Many products are labelled 100% extra virgin olive oil but sold at a price that doesn’t make business sense, he says, given the commodity price doesn’t fluctuate much. Instead, Tavakoli says they’ve sometimes been mixed with other oils. RESCUE: Continued from 2 Reflecting on his journey from the brink of death back to civilization, Volo emphasizes a complete shift in his perspective on risk, accountability, and transparency. “I was completely blown away by so much support, so much care, and I felt this sort of responsibility, that I need to share this story as much as I possibly can,” Volo said.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BIG BOX PHOTO BY LIZ MCDONALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Hamid Tavakoli owns and runs Acres of Eden.

“This trick has been a trend in the oil business for years,” he said. The CFIA’s Food Fraud Annual Report from 2020 to 2021 launched a surveillance project on various food sold on Canadian shelves, including olive oil. They focused on companies that have “a history of non-compliance,” according to the report. That year, the CFIA found 12.2% of samples tested were “unsatisfactory.” Results from 2024 to 2025 showed one-third of samples didn’t match their labels, with 7,245 L of adulterated olive oil on Canadian shelves. The CFIA reported “olive oil had the lowest compliance rate for authenticity testing” of all foods in the report. In response to the 2021 findings, the agency confiscated oil and shipped back to its country of origin, and followed up with businesses to determine where in the supply chain non-compliance arose. Similar responses were actioned by the inspecting body in response to its 2025 findings. In an emailed response, the CFIA said testing isn’t meant to determine overall compliance. “This surveillance focuses on higher-risk products and is not intended to measure overall compliance rates across the Canadian marketplace,” a spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. He hopes his story will help other amateur outdoor enthusiasts to take safety in nature more seriously. “When you’re planning your trip, make sure you picture the worst case scenario, say it out loud, say, ‘Are you OK with this, are you OK with taking on this risk,’” he said. “The worst case scenario is not just yours, it’s everyone’s responsibility, it’s a rescuer’s, it’s your family. Everyone’s going through it.”

Acres of Eden has explored business-to-business sales, producing oil and labelling it with someone else’s brand. “For the store owners, there are a few advantages. One is it’s their own brand, (customers are) loyal to that. They try to promote it. Second, the price would be cheaper for them because we go directly to them. And third, it would be quick cash for us,” Tavakoli said. Aside from business-to-business, a solution

Tavakoli proposed big-box grocery chains pursue is dedicated opportunities for small businesses to showcase their products through a six-month trial. “This kind of program they can provide to the local companies,” he said. If the product is a bust, they would discontinue it. Then, he needs affordable financing to grow his business. He said many loan programs include high interest rates that are unaffordable if a business earns 7-8 per cent margins. The Chamber suggested other avenues for small food producers, including connecting with the Squamish Farmer’s Market, local events and going direct-to-consumer. The District of Squamish’s (DOS) manager of communications, Rachel Boguski, said in an emailed response that they support food production by helping the Squamish Climate Action Network’s Harvest Hub program, the Farmer’s Market, and several local and regional government plans. But whether these avenues would be enough for boutique oil company Acres of Eden is debatable. “Production is not difficult for us. We can do it, but selling our products—the distribution channel—is very difficult for us. We have to compete with the big guys, and I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it makes it very difficult.”

Squamish Community Forest Annual Open House

All are welcome! Come and learn about Squamish Community Forest’s 2026 activities and plans for 2027 and beyond. Share your ideas and questions.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 Drop in 4:30pm-6:30pm • Presentation at 5:30pm Howe Sound Inn & Brewing - Garibaldi Room

37801 Cleveland Ave, Squamish BC More info at squamishcommunityforest.org squamishcommunityforest@gmail.com A partnership between Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw and District of Squamish

6 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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THE SECRET LIFE OF LOCAL SECRET SAUNAS

A trespass notice, a helicopter and a Facebook Marketplace listing: the strange afterlife of the Mamquam’s secret sauna LIZ MCDONALD

emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

nce upon a time, the forest held a secret. Hidden up the Mamquam Forest Service Road, perched on rocky riverbanks, lived two secret saunas. On any given day, the stoves were lit, embers burning hot, with warm steam emanating inside. One, named The Original, had a porthole on the outside and a window on the doorframe, looking glasses into a different world. New arrivals would gaze in to see if there was enough room to come and feel the heat. People with no connection to one another would sit, some nude, others clothed, immersed in quiet conversation about who they were, where they came from, and what brought them there. (This reporter visited The Original Mamquam secret sauna, too, and learned of it in 2021). A second secret sauna sat farther up the Mamquam, accessed by crossing the river. The passage was dangerous when the river was raging, but visitors say it was the most spectacular secret sauna location in Squamish.

PHOTOS BY LIZ MCDONALD/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The Original Mamquam sauna, restored.

Call it a modern-day place of worship, a communal sanctuary, or just a forest haunt where hippies and yuppies went to hang out. By 2024, pretty much everyone and their second cousin twice removed knew about the so-called secret saunas up the Mamquam. Blisteringly hot and completely free, the only

cost of admission was knowing where the saunas lived, bringing firewood, and a willingness to wait your turn. Then, one day, the saunas disappeared. This is the tale of the resurrection of The Original Mamquam secret sauna, and the community that kept it alive.

A MISTY HISTORY

Baha’i Faith HOPE

SQUAMISH BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY

In a world often grappling with conflict and despair, hope can feel like a flickering candle in a strong wind. Yet, the Baha'i Faith offers a powerful perspective on hope, one that transcends fleeting optimism and illuminates a path towards a brighter future. This hope is not a passive wish, but an active force that fuels our efforts to contribute to a more just and united world. The Baha'i teachings view humanity as on a collective journey towards spiritual maturity. History, with its periods of both progress and regression, is seen as part of this ongoing process. The challenges we face are not random occurrences, but opportunities for learning and growth, urging us to rise above our differences and build a more unified world. This divine purpose infuses our hope with a sense of inevitability. Just as a seed progresses towards a flower, humanity is destined to reach its full potential. 'Abdu'l-Baha, counsels us to "Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man." We are not alone in this endeavor; God's grace sustains us, and the collective efforts of humanity contribute to this unfolding purpose. Working towards the betterment of the world, whether through acts of service in our communities, promoting interfaith dialogue, or striving for racial justice, are all expressions of this active hope. By contributing to a more unified and peaceful world, we not only improve the present but also sow the seeds for a brighter future. "Let hope be a strong and active principle in your life, and let it not be extinguished by the gloomy clouds of despair. Hope is a breath of life to a man. Hold fast to it, for it can accomplish wonders."- Baha’u’llah https://www.upliftingwords.org/post/the-bahai-perspective-on-hope-a-beacon-in-challenging-times

squamishbahais.com

People interviewed for this story say The Original lived off the Mamquam Forest Service Road for at least 14 years. Little is publicly known about who built it or exactly when it showed up. The Squamish Chief has tried to find the original owner, but the closest the outlet came was a photo of a man, estimated to be from 14 years ago. The grainy shot shows his back as he carries wood to the site of the Original secret sauna. Exactly how he built it, and with whom, remains a secret. Sources either did not know the builder, or respected his wish for privacy. “The Original owner gave this to the community for everybody to enjoy and everybody to use, and never asked for anything back,” said Shawn Robinson, who frequently visited the Mamquam saunas and would one day pay a helicopter company to navigate technical flying through a forest and haul them. But these saunas were illegally constructed on Crown land. For much of their lives, they remained secluded, known to few. Rumours swirl about their origins: loggers built them, or perhaps kayakers familiar with the river’s twists and turns created a place to warm up after paddling the frigid waters. As Squamish’s population and tourism popularity grew, so did knowledge of their locations. Robinson has lived in Squamish since 2007, but he didn’t hear about the saunas until a tenant mentioned them in 2019.

SECRET SAUNA SOCIETY Born amid the steam was a tight-knit community, fostered by shared love of a free space nestled in the woods. Robinson would go on to bring his partner, Taeko Terauchi, and meet Sergey Pochikovskiy, Carlos Romero, Carla Sahagún and many others there. This group, made up of diverse ages, ethnicities and cultures, became a second family. Calling themselves the Secret Sauna Society, their bond would outlast the Mamquam saunas. On Saturdays before sunrise, Robinson and Terauchi would hike through a cut block, down into the moss-covered, quiet forest, and approach the path leading to the river. Once there, they would clean the sauna before anyone else arrived. “I was repairing the sauna and doing maintenance, which was every time I went down there, I’d scrub the sauna, wash it, clean it, bring a pressure washer down,” Robinson said. More use meant more need for cleaning, and the bright eyed, middle-aged Robinson, who works in construction, felt responsible for maintaining the space for himself and others. Pochikovskiy is from Belarus, and he recalls visiting his first sauna at age two. He brought his country’s sauna tradition, banya, to the Mamquam. In Banya, water is thrown onto hot rocks, sizzling as droplets strike and turn into steam. The sauna master, in this case, Pochikovskiy, manipulates the steam towards people with bundled branches of oak or cedar. For Romero and Sahagún, saunaing helped push past boundaries and led to more authentic connection. “You can sit down in this place in the winter SAUNA: Continued on 7

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SAUNA: Continued from 6 time, in the middle of the night, with these other people who are watching our life,” Romero said. “I think what drives the sauna community to become so strong is because people can be very authentic.” Stripped of clothing and sweating in the dark, people’s true selves came out. For Sahagún, heat exposure was a way to acclimate to cold dips, pushing herself to go past her tolerance threshold. “Mexico, where I’m from, the ocean and everywhere you go in is kind of warm. So for me, getting used to getting into the very cold water, it was a very big challenge,” she said.

THE SECRET IS OUT By 2024, Robinson started wondering how long the saunas had left. A perfect storm was brewing. Sometimes, he said, groups of 30 people would show up at once to fit into a sauna designed for eight. Or, he’d meet people visiting from Seattle, Washington, or Portland, Oregon. Activity also increased on the road because FortisBC was building a natural gas pipeline. And, the land was within the District of Squamish, which has a fire ban during the summer. Not everyone adhered to the ban and would continue using the wood stove, he said. Then came a social media post. “The sad part about it is the arrogance behind the person that posted it was to say, ‘This is the Squamish secret sauna.’ That’s how they started their post. Well, it’s not a fucking secret anymore,” he said. In March, 2024, one woman died at the saunas after being swept away in the Mamquam River. May 22, 2024, the Ministry of Forests placed trespass notices at both saunas under section 59 of the Land Act directed to “unauthorized sauna, owner, occupier and users.” At the time, a ministry spokesperson told The Squamish Chief that numerous injuries at the saunas made them “public safety hazards.” “Numerous people have been hurt or needed rescue trying to access the sites, including a very recent fatality,” said the spokesperson at the time. “Squamish Search and Rescue has raised concerns about these saunas, which led to Ministry of Forests’ Natural Resource officers investigating the situation.” Around this time, Robinson met a man who said he was going to remove the saunas by himself. But Robinson knew that was impossible. The stoves alone were too heavy for one person. So, he paid a few thousand dollars to No Limits Helicopters to have the saunas flown out, and brought a crew of 10 devotees who felt responsibility to the space. He and others involved in the removal also formed an agreement with the stranger, that The Original would be refurbished and moved to a different location. On May 24, 2024, they removed saunas that the community viewed as sacred. “It was heartbreaking,” Pochikovskiy said.

Despite the proposal, Robinson and others interviewed by The Squamish Chief said the person decided to sell The Original instead of restoring it.

A RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD Like many others in Squamish, Glenn Tjampens met countless people and loved the sauna’s communal feel, going to steam after long winter days snowboarding. “I never really thought it could be taken away, I thought this was going to be there forever,” he said. His passion for steam eventually led him to plan a sauna of his own. Around that time, a friend of his, Shuwn Tetreault, found out about a sauna for sale on Facebook Marketplace. For a couple hundred bucks, Tetreault bought The Original Mamquam sauna and restored it. “There were a lot of pieces that had to be replaced,” Tetreault said, who is a carpenter by trade. “The perimeter, a lot of the pieces were burnt or had holes in them, and the front and the back had pieces missing, too.” He and Tjampens used wood from a log they had milled, spending hours making new pieces to save the piece of local history. Tjampens welded the body of an 80 year old stove and made a new chimney for the sauna, and they put it onto a trailer so the sauna can go anywhere. Eventually, Tjampens decided to strike out on his own and create a business out of the restored sauna, renting out the Mamquam Secret Sauna throughout the Sea to Sky. The Mamquam secret saunas may have also heated up the appetite for sauna businesses in Squamish. There’s Aika, the Finnish Sauna, The Secret Sauna Company, InFlow Adventure Co and Plunge Wellness, all offering sauna experiences in the Sea to Sky, with others currently in development. For many, the restorative nature of heat and steam, experienced in a dimly lit, cedar hull, was sparked on the Mamquam.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER These days, the forest where the saunas lived is quiet. The moss is slowly growing back over the trail, but the icy Mamquam River and slick grey rock hold the memory of countless visitors to the land. Connections formed at the sauna didn’t burn out when they were removed. Robinson, Pochikovskiy, and the rest of the Secret Sauna Society built a backyard sauna. Pochikovskiy’s friends credit him with keeping the project moving each day, and now the group meets at least three times a week to sauna together. They share kombucha and treats, laughing and telling stories in Robinson’s and Terauchi’s living room, before doing three cycles of hot and cold, banya style. A hot tub is now a cold dip pool. Members say they can come as they are, find support, and leave feeling better than when they arrived. And while the saunas may no longer be where they once stood, Terauchi says the relationships she formed will last a lifetime. “Our connection is stronger than before.”

Community Caring for Community by filling hampers with gifts, food and love in the Spirit of Christmas for 46 years. Hamper Delivery Day Tuesday, December 15th. Business pick-up will be Monday, December 7th.

BATTLE OF THE BUSINESSES: Squamish businesses challenging themselves to raise funds for their community! Organize a fundraiser, get your staff and clients involved, and have fun! Who will your business challenge this year! If your business would like to collect donations please register at squamishchristmas@gmail.com

Financial donations: • E-transfer to squamishccc@gmail.com • Donate through Canadahelps.org @ Squamishchristimascare.com • Drop off at Squamish Savings Credit Union or Squamish Chief Newspaper • Mail: Community Christmas Care, PO Box 516, Squamish BC V8B 0A4 We will be accepting new toys, gift cards and cash donations.

For more information: go to communitychristmascare.com or facebook at Squamish Community Christmas Care

www.communitychristmascare.com

8 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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View online:

Holiday Hours

We want to hear from you!

Wednesday, November 11 Municipal Hall

As you consider what the 2027 budget should include:

The District’s next 10-year Financial Plan review continues.

Closed

Bylaw Services Call 604-815-5067 for assistance

8 am–4:30 pm

Brennan Park Recreation Centre

12 am–6 pm

What would you invest more in? What would you invest less in to make room for this?

Public Works For emergencies: 604-815-4040

Office Closed

Squamish Fire Rescue For emergencies: 911

Office Closed

Provide your answers at LetsTalkSquamish.ca/budget-2027

Squamish Public Library

Closed

The 55 Activity Centre

Closed

Infrastructure Upgrades

Family Yoga with Hannah

STEP INTO FALL

at Brennan Park Recreation Centre Sundays, 10:30–11:30 am A child and caregiver session where yoga and breathwork are intertwined with stories, games and songs to engage families in the practice of yoga!

Holiday Wreath Workshop at The 55 Activity Centre Thursday, December 10, 6:30–8:15 pm

Step back in time with Heather

Professional florist, Bernadette will lead you in creating your own Holiday wreath to take home

Remembrance Day Activities

at Brennan Park Recreation Centre

Public & Lane Swim

12–6 pm

Tuesdays, 9:30–10:30 am

Holiday Public Skate

12–3 pm

Join Heather for a throwback step class that will be sure to challenge your mind and body. Drop-ins available, space permitting.

Parent & Child Hockey (12yrs & under) Session One 3:15–4:15 pm Session Two 4:30–5:30 pm

Visit squamish.ca/rec for details and registration.

• Work on the Paradise Valley Bailey Bridge repairs continues. Overnight closures expected during the work. • Phased construction work continues on the Squamish River Dike at Harris and Dryden pump stations, as well as the Central lift station through November.

squamish.ca/building-our-future

Business Opportunities Requests for Proposals

• Wastewater Effluent Outfall Environmental Monitoring & Reporting • Wastewater and Water Systems Energy Audit

squamish.ca/doing-business-with-the-district

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 9

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NEWS BRIEFS BEAR DESTROYED As conservationists often warn, a human-fed bear is a dead bear. A Squamish black bear was destroyed on Thursday due to its repeated access to attractants left available by humans. The BC Conservation Officers Service (BCCOS) says that at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the agency received a request for help from Squamish RCMP regarding a black bear in the Bailey Street area near downtown. Responding conservation officers saw a bear accessing garbage and other unsecure attractants. Conservation officers tranquilized and assessed the animal. “The adult bear was confirmed to have an extensive conflict history, including frequenting a residential area over several weeks; repeatedly accessing non-natural foods; entering tents at a Loggers Lane encampment; and displaying aggressive behaviour towards people,” the BCCOS said in a statement. The bear was euthanized due to public safety concerns and according to provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines. “Too often, bears become food-conditioned because garbage, pet food, birdseed and other attractants are not properly secured. We all have a role to play to prevent human-wildlife conflicts,” the BCCOS said. “Bears that learn to associate people with food are comfortable frequenting populated areas and enter tents, homes or structures, are not candidates for relocation or rehabilitation, due to the risk to public safety.” The BCCOS thanked Squamish RCMP for their assistance. For more on how to avoid attracting bears, go to WildSafeBC.com.

COMMENT ON WLNG AIR EMISSIONS APPLICATION Live within sight of the Woodfibre LNG facility and feel you may be adversely affected by its proposed air emissions? Here’s your chance to have your say. The public can now make an official comment to Woodfibre LNG regarding its application to the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) for a Waste Discharge Authorization permit for air emissions. The comments will ultimately be submitted to the BCER. Woodfibre LNG announced on Oct. 28 it had submitted the application for approval under the British Columbia Environmental Management Act. The permit is needed to get the liquefied natural gas facility ready for commissioning, startup and operations. The permit would allow the plant to release air emissions from a furnace, thermal oxidizer, high-pressure flare, low-pressure flare, diesel generators, diesel

firewater pumps and various LNG facility vents. The diesel generators are for back-up power and for diesel firewater pumps for fire protection. “There will be continuous and intermittent sources of air emissions from the Woodfibre LNG facility, with a number of emission controls in place,” reads the company’s environmental protection notice that is part of the application. How the plant will operate The Air Emissions Permit Application explains that natural gas from western Canada moved through the FortisBC pipeline will be measured at a custody transfer station, treated to remove mercury, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, water, heavy hydrocarbons and other impurities. It will then be cooled to -160 C in the liquefaction train. Heavier hydrocarbons will be stabilized and stored as condensate for export. LNG will be transferred to a floating storage and offloading unit consisting of two converted carriers with a total capacity of 250,000 cubic metres. The LNG will subsequently be loaded onto LNG carriers for export. Carriers will arrive about 40 times per year, or three to four per month. Each will have three tugboats helping it manoeuvre at the site. The tankers will be on site for about 30 hours to load. The application goes into technical detail about the type of emissions, mitigations to limit them and modelling done to measure them. “The results of this air quality assessment indicate that the predicted changes to air quality during commissioning, stabilizing operations and normal operations are small. Where elevated concentrations are predicted, they are localized near the facility, occur under conservative modelling assumptions, and are primarily attributable to marine vessel emissions and baseline concentrations,” reads the application. Comments can be submitted until Nov. 29 to Woodfibre LNG at info@wlng.ca, with a copy to the BC Energy Regulator at waste. management@bc-er.ca. Public meetings to learn more about this application and an application to allow Woodfibre LNG to emit stormwater and drainage effluent are planned for Britannia Beach and Squamish.

View online:

Land Act: Notice of Application for a Disposition of Crown Land Take notice that the District of Squamish from Squamish, BC has applied to the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS), Surrey, for a Crown Land Tenure for a permanent bridge structure situated on Provincial Crown Land located at BLOCK C, DISTRICT LOT 6305, GROUP 1, NEW WESTMINSTER DIST. and, UNSURVEYED LANDS WITHIN AND ADJACENT TO THE MAMQUAM BLIND CHANNEL. WLRS invites comments on this application. The Lands File is 2413196. Comments concerning this application should be directed to the Senior Land Officer, Surrey, WLRS at #200-10428 153 Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1. Comments will be received by WLRS up to November 28, 2026. WLRS may not be able to consider comments received after this date. Please visit the Applications, Comments and Reasons for Decisions Database website at http://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ for more information. Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. Access to these records requires the submission of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/freedomofinformation to learn more about FOI submissions.

Britannia Beach Britannia Beach Community Hall, 101 Church Street, Britannia Beach • Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026 | 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. • Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026 | 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Get local emergency notifications directly.

Squamish Executive Suites, 40900 Tantalus Road, Squamish • Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026 | 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. • Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026 | 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

squamish.ca/alert

10 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

squamishchief.com

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE DISTRICT WHEN THE SQUAMISH ARENA CLOSED? Freedom of information documents give insight into 2025 rink closure JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

Editor’s note: This story was written before the new council, which was sworn in Nov. 3, was in place.

he temporary closure of Squamish’s only arena in 2025, at the start of hockey and skating season, caused a lot of frustration and talk in town that rippled through the recent council election period. Documents obtained from the District of Squamish (DOS) by The Squamish Chief through a freedom of information (FOI) request provide more context and detail on what happened when the Brennan Park Recreation Centre closed for 2.5 weeks, from Sept. 2 to 20, 2025, due to unsafe ice conditions. The closure cost the municipality just over $232,000. The 267 pages of FOI documents, requested by The Squamish Chief on Sept. 25, 2025, were delivered from the District via email on Sept. 16, 2026.

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

The arena was closed for almost three weeks in September of 2025.

A SKATE DOWN MEMORY LANE It has been a while, so as a reminder, the rink’s sheet of ice was removed in the spring of 2025 for the annual summer shutdown period.

Britannia Mine Museum gratefully acknowledges their community sponsors:

R T H E TU IS RN W IN IN G TE R!

Brennan Park Recreation Centre was undergoing extensive renovations at the time. The rink reopened Aug. 18. Unsafe ice conditions due to extreme humidity forced the District to close the rink on Sept. 2. The arena stayed closed for 18 days. An Ice Rink Closure Root Cause Analysis report presented to council in spring of 2026 showed that the issues with the humidity were caused by a perfect storm of issues: • Renovation work removed the south wall of the rink, allowing humid air from adjacent spaces, especially the indoor pool area, which was experiencing a mechanical failure and near-100% humidity, to migrate into the ice arena. • Warm and humid outdoor conditions, frequent door openings, and normal resurfacing activities further increased moisture levels. • The arena’s dehumidification system was undersized for the facility, limiting its ability to control humidity under these conditions.

KEY FOI TAKEAWAYS BRITANNIA MINE MUSEUM

ORE AND ORCAS N O V E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 6  F E B R U A R Y 2 8 , 2 0 27 This dynamic and u nique display explores the recovery of the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound ecosystem, including a range of diverse specimens and a real orca skeleton.

BritanniaMineMuseum.ca

There are several key takeaways from the FOI documents, which cover District records from Aug. 5 through Sept. 2, 2025. Fundamentally, what the public was being told by the District at the time about the rink was transparent. The documents show no smoking gun pointing to the DOS hiding information or any conspiracy at play. The documents confirm the rink closure resulted from multiple factors, not a single cause, and that staff and council members learned about the causes as they happened in the weeks leading up to the closure. The behind-the-scenes emails also show that complaints matter and are taken seriously. When a resident makes a complaint, through

the District or other agencies—like Vancouver Coastal Health and Technical Safety BC, in this case—that concern makes its way through the chain of command. The FOI documents also show that staff at the District were very concerned about what was happening at the rink and what it would mean for the community and the reputation of the renovation work. The documents also show a respectful back and forth among District staff, even under stressful circumstances.

INTERNAL CORRESPONDENCE TIMELINE Annual ice installation began on July 29. On Aug. 5, an email shows staff struggling to get the ice ready due to increasing humidity. A facilities maintenance supervisor asked for overtime to be approved to ensure crews could get the ice ready as planned to reopen on Aug. 18. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to need to offer staff overtime to get the ice in on time,” wrote Ed Dockter. “We’re losing roughly one week, possibly more if we can’t get the humidity under control.” Warren Jaggers, manager of facilities operations and maintenance, let Harmony Cornwell, District director of facilities, know via email that there had been humidity challenges due to the renovation project and the wall being removed, compressor issues and staffing challenges. He said they had added 15 dehumidifiers to address the humidity. By Aug. 18, the ice reopened, and Jaggers seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief that ice issues were resolved. “I want to extend my sincere thanks and RINK: Continued on 11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 11

squamishchief.com

RINK: Continued from 10 appreciation to everyone who contributed to installing the ice at Brennan Park over the past couple of weeks, under less than ideal conditions,” he said in an email addressed to the facilities team. “Despite the high humidity, compressor issues and other challenges brought on by the ongoing renovation work, you stayed focused, adaptable, and committed to doing the job right. Your professionalism and teamwork ensured that we stayed on schedule and maintained the high standards our community expects from us.” The relief, if he felt any, was short-lived.

ISSUES MOUNT AFTER REOPENING On Aug. 20, Mandy Foster, municipal manager of recreation services, let District staff know that staff were letting user groups know about ice issues. “We are aware of the holes in the ice at the south end of the arena and our facilities team is doing everything in their power to keep the ice frozen and in good condition, however, they are fighting an uphill battle with the humidity,” Foster wrote, conveying what user groups had been told. “Due to the poorer quality at the south end of the arena, we ask that you do the repetitive skating drills to the north end, where the ice is a bit more solid and stable at this time.” On Aug. 21, Coun. John French alerted chief administrative officer, Linda Glenday, via email, copying the acting CAO, and Mayor Armand Hurford that he had two people expressing concerns about the condition of the ice. “I’m being told the ice conditions at Brennan Park are causing safety concerns. Apparently, there are holes in the ice, brown streaks in the ice and the air is really moist so condensation is building on some surfaces,” he wrote. “One person said they’ve never seen ice conditions this poor at Brennan Park,” he continued. “When I asked about solutions, they indicated too much warm air is getting into the rink portion of the building, possibly due to the renovation work.” An email on Aug. 28 from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) environmental health officer Angela Whalen was widely circulated. VCH had received a complaint and while the regional health authority doesn’t have jurisdiction at the rink, Whalen outlined the complainant’s concerns in point form as the following: • Construction work at the south end of the rink is causing the ice to become very soft and humidity is high. • There is a concern over risk of injury from the unsafe ice conditions. • A wall previously fell in the construction area near the main pool lobby, raising safety concerns for children. • Staff at the rink seem to be following instructions but are limited in what they can do. • There is concern about the safety of children and spectators entering and exiting through one door that passes a slippery floor, various floor materials, and

an open Zamboni bay. • The Zamboni area is hazardous, with limited visibility for the driver and potential access by unsupervised children to dangerous equipment. • The complainant feels there should be an updated emergency plan given that the fire department has only approved occupancy for one side of the arena. • Washroom facilities have been temporarily relocated outside to a trailer bathroom, raising supervision concerns for children. • Minor hockey parents are being asked to manage gate control due to the situation. • Other exits are only accessible if the fire alarm is activated, forcing all traffic through one door. Also on Aug. 28, Technical Safety BC sent an email to the District of an anonymous complaint they received about the placement of the Zamboni, and other safety concerns. The email stated this wasn’t something the organization oversees but they were sending it to the District to follow up. On the afternoon of Aug. 28, chat messages show staff, such as Jaggers, were starting to be even more confident that the issues around the arena and humidity were related to the renovations underway. “We never had these issues last year so the main issues appear to be from the demo of adjacent walls and the resulting air pressure changes,” said Jaggers in answer to Cornwell’s question about if the issues were temporary. The Squamish Minor Hockey Association logged several complaints throughout the ice saga and, later, on Sept. 2, offered the assistance of people with dehumidification experience.

CLOSURE On Sept. 2, the notice went out internally and publicly that the rink was being closed because the ice was unsafe. Emails show staff assumed the facility would be closed for a day or two. It didn’t reopen for 18 days. At the end of Sept. 2, Maryse Campeau, District project manager of facilities construction, was concerned about the issues and the impact they would have on public trust. “We’re facing an unexpected issue at the ice rink that appears to be directly linked to the renovation. This situation will likely be very upsetting to the community and could significantly impact public trust in the project,” she wrote in an email to the companies working on the renovation that was copied to some District staff. “The temporary conditions resulting from the phasing and the building’s limited usability should have been more carefully considered,” she continued. “We need to understand how we, as the (Integrated Project Delivery) team, can resolve this issue as quickly as possible.” The rink reopened on Sept. 20.

THE RINK TODAY A spokesperson for the District told The Squamish Chief on Oct. 29 that current rink and ice are in good condition “with no visible condensation on overhead beams or piping in the arena.

To help prevent similar issues in the future, the District notes it hired a third-party consultant to review the root cause of the 2025 incident and provide recommendations. “Staff are continuing to work through those recommendations. So far, the District has formalized a preventative maintenance program with external technical specialists to ensure the arena’s dehumidification systems are operating at optimal levels. The temporary wall separation between the arena and the corridor was also removed and restored as a permanent wall separation with vestibule. This was done via the Brennan Park renovation project and includes upgraded HVAC systems and controls within adjacent spaces. In addition, repairs were completed to the (swimming pool) air handling unit, and a failed roll-up door in the arena was replaced to reduce the amount of outside air entering the facility. The District has also submitted a capital funding request for 2027/2028 to review and implement additional HVAC improvements within the arena to further improve operational resiliency during extreme weather events,” the statement continues. “These measures have strengthened the facility’s ability to manage humidity and indoor

air conditions while supporting safe and reliable rink operations.”

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO GET THESE FOI DOCUMENTS? When The Squamish Chief submitted the original request in September of 2025, the District of Squamish responded that the documents would cost more than $2,000 to process, as media are considered a commercial client. Through a District and then provincial appeal process, the amount was reduced to $532. Ultimately, The Squamish Chief paid $266, as the number of documents wasn’t as many as first predicted. This process accounts for the majority of the time lag from request to receipt. The documents were delivered mid-September 2026, just as the municipal elections were ramping up, followed closely by the provincial election, thus publication of the story took another six weeks. Several pages are repeated in the disclosure documents; for example, some emails were copied to several people. Further, some text in the FOI documents was redacted as is permitted under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Notice of Public Hearing Electoral Area D

Monday, November 16, 2026 at 7pm PCT via Zoom Public Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 466 of the Local Government Act that a public hearing will be held electronically regarding the following bylaws: • SLRD Electoral Area D Zoning Bylaw No. 1350-2016, Amendment Bylaw No. 1830-2023 • SLRD Electoral Area D Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1135-2013, Amendment Bylaw No. 1828-2023 PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT BYLAW No. 1830-2023 & No. 1828-2023 The amendment bylaws would facilitate the development of a commercial campground on lands legally described as PID 027-966-950 by redesignating the property from Resource Management to Commercial - Porteau Cove Campground in the Official Community Plan and rezoning the property from Rural Resource 3 (RR3) to Campground Commercial 1 (CC1). PUBLIC PARTICIPATION A copy of the amendment bylaws and relevant background documents may be inspected at the Regional District office, 1350 Aster Street, Pemberton, BC, during office hours 8:00 am to 4:00 pm not including weekends and statutory holidays, by visiting the SLRD website, or by requesting an electronic copy from Kristina Bell at planning@SLRD.bc.ca. All persons who believe that their interest in the property is affected by the proposed bylaws shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present written submissions respecting matters contained in the bylaws. Submit Written Comments to the Board: Written submissions must be addressed to “SLRD Board of Directors,” and include your name and community of residence. Written submissions (mail or email) will be accepted until the close of the public hearing, at the following: Email:

planning@SLRD.bc.ca

Hard Copy: (during oﬃce hours)

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Planning and Department Services Department PO Box 219, Pemberton, BC V0N 2L0

Public Hearing - Participate Via Zoom The public hearing will be conducted electronically via Zoom on November 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM. A link will be posted on the SLRD website three (3) days prior to the Public Hearing. You may also email the Planning Department three (3) days prior at planning@slrd.bc.ca to request the meeting details.

SLRD.bc.ca

12 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

squamishchief.com THE SQUAMISH CHIEF NEWSPAPER, PRINTED EVERY THURSDAY BY LODESTAR MEDIA 38113 Second Avenue Box 3500, Squamish BC, V8B 0B6

CONTACT US PRINTED EVERY THURSDAY BY LODESTAR MEDIA T: 604-892-9161 news@squamishchief.com ads@ squamishchief.com classifieds@squamishchief.com subs@squamishchief.com production@squamishchief.com obituaries: ads@squamishchief.com EDITOR JENNIFER THUNCHER jthuncher@ lodestarmedia.ca follow @thuncher REPORTER LIZ MCDONALD emcdonald@ lodestarmedia.ca SALES MANAGER CATHIE GREENLEES cgreenlees@ squamishchief.com MULTI- MEDIA SALES REPRESENTATIVE KIM BOATMAN kboatman@ squamishchief.com CIRCULATION MANAGER DENISE CONWAY dconway@ squamishchief.com

PUBLISHER SARAH STROTHER sstrother@lodestarmedia.ca

The Squamish Chief is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Editor Jennifer Thuncher at jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information. Reproduction of any material contained in this publication is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the publisher.

EDITORIAL

411 ON FOIS

n journalism school, reporters learn that they should always have a freedom of information (FOI) request in the hopper at all times. The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) gives everyone the right to access records held by public bodies. Journalists, at least in theory, have the time, resources and expertise to go over FOI responses and share what they learn with the public, who are often too busy with real life to go through the process. Locals will sometimes contact us and suggest we FOI request this or that. The process of filing an FOI isn’t hard, usually. You can fill in a form or email your request for documents. It can be tricky to narrow down what you exactly want without limiting what you will get back. If your topic is too broad, it is like using a hammock to catch a goldfish—you get way more than you need and that is expensive. Readers might assume that journalists get FOI information for free or for a nominal fee. Sometimes, but not as often as you would think. When we filed a FOI request for District of Squamish records from Aug. 5 to Sept. 2, 2025, relating to the closure of the Brennan Park ice arena due to humidity, we were quoted $2,127 for the documents. That relates to the staff time the District thought it would take to compile them from various departments, go over them, redact parts for privacy and the like. We requested the fee be waived as the topic was in the public interest. The District waived half of the fee on those grounds, but that was still more than we thought fair—or that we could sustain for single FOIs. We then appealed to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C. (OIPC). That was a quite long and arduous process, not just for us, but for the District staff, as we had to submit our reasoning and evidence, then analyze and potentially respond to each other’s submissions. In May of 2026, the OIPC ruled that The Squamish Chief’s fee should be further reduced to $532. We respected that ruling. We paid the District a deposit of $266. Then, the District got back to us and said that when the work began to gather the documents, it was realized the fee we’d paid had covered it, which was great. FOI: Continued on 13

FIND THE WASHROOMS, ALL WILL BE GOOD THE VIEW FROM HERE JOHN FRENCH

he District of Squamish council was sworn in Nov. 3 and on Feb. 11 the group will hit the 100-day mark. That’s enough time to figure out where all the Municipal Hall washrooms are located. Also in that time frame, this new group might finalize the budget, the 10-year financial plan. While the provincial government deadline for the budget to be set is mid-May, Squamish usually completes the budget process earlier in the year. Coun. Eric Andersen and the legislative services team have their work cut out for them as they bring five new councillors and a new mayor up to speed. The first 100 days will include seven regular meetings, a bunch of committees of the whole meetings and a few special meetings. When I think back to the first 100 days of the 2018 to 2022 term, I see similarities. The newly elected group of seven back then was made up of an incumbent councillor, a mayor with a term of experience as a councillor and five rookies.

On Nov. 13 of 2018 it started. One week after being sworn in, a committee of the whole meeting was held. We were given an affordable housing update. Following that, the first real decision was needed as the new council voted on three readings of an update to the Subdivision and Development Control bylaw. I was freaking out inside because despite reading the report to council in advance of the meeting, I didn’t really know anything about any of the stuff in the report. Who was I kidding? How was I ever going to get through the meeting, let alone the next four years? According to the minutes, then-councillor Pettingill moved three readings of the bylaw and it was me who seconded the motion. I supported the motion because I wanted people to think I was off to a confident start. Subsequent meetings in the 100-day window got us up to speed on Woodfibre LNG, the Garibaldi at Squamish project, short-term rentals, the budget, the RCMP, economic development initiatives and many more significant issues. Also, I shook the hands of many staff members. Relationships are important. I knew that then and I know it deeper now. COUNCIL: Continued on 13

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Ha7lh skwálwen cht kwis emút cht iy sts’its’áp’ cht iy kw’shétsut cht na7 tkwa temíxw tl’a Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw

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(We have good feelings that we live, we work and we play on the lands of the Squamish Nation) COUNCIL: Continued from 12 Then-mayor Karen Elliott and former councillor Doug Race worked well over the first 100 days to guide me and the four other green (note that’s a lowercase G) newcomers through the first few meetings.

The current council will hit the ground running with financial plan discussions, they’ll be updated on the WLNG situation, they’ll get a briefing on the situation with homelessness downtown while also getting a start on the strategic plan that will guide the newly elected officials until the end of the term.

Finding the washrooms at muni hall might seem inconsequential. I found them all in the first 100 days and it was a small accomplishment that quickly helped me feel at home in the job. John French served as a District of Squamish councillor from 2018 to 2026.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK Did you have more or fewer kids trick-or-treating this Halloween than in previous years? Have your say at squamishchief.com

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION

FOI: Continued from 12 We received the documents on Sept. 16, 2026. But—and it is a big but—in journalism today, unless you are the CBC or something, most media outlets can’t afford the time or money of this process for every FOI request. Not only that, in 2024, the outgoing provincial government made getting information in FOIs harder. As professor of criminal justice Kevin Walby and Doctor of Law

candidate Raina DeGroot note in The Conversation, Bill 9 allows a public body to “reject or delay a request, including if a request is deemed ‘excessively broad’ or would ‘unreasonably interfere’ with government operations,” they said. “It also allows a public body to disregard a request it considers abusive or malicious, and it replaces the law’s longstanding duty to respond ‘without delay’ with a duty to respond ‘without reasonable delay.’” The result is, without a doubt, fewer

stories are told that show the behind the scenes of public bodies. We have another FOI in with the District, and we just filed an FOI request with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. There’s a non-refundable $10 SLRD application fee to have the request processed, which we paid. We are awaiting what, if anything, we will have to pay for the records themselves. Wish us—and by extension yourselves—luck.

Were you surprised by the provincial election results? (Top 3 answers) CONSERVATIVES WON BY MORE THAN I THOUGHT 38% NO 24% SURPRISED ABOUT CONSERVATIVE WIN, NOT THE GREEN WIN 19%

MOST READ STORY

The secret life of Squamish secret saunas

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DON’T LOVE IT TO DEATH DOING THE WORK We are writing in response to the recent editorial, “More provincial funding to educate backcountry recreationists needed,” published Oct. 22. We couldn’t agree more with the importance of educating people about responsible backcountry recreation. We’re fortunate to live in one of the most spectacular places in the world, and it’s no surprise that more and more people want to get outside and experience it. This is why, since 2022, tourism organizations throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor have been working together on Don’t Love It to Death, a regional responsible recreation campaign encouraging visitors and residents alike to respect our natural environment, plan ahead and recreate responsibly. Supported by Tourism Squamish,

Tourism Whistler, Vancouver’s North Shore Tourism Association, Sunshine Coast Tourism, Tourism Pemberton, and other regional partners, the campaign has received provincial recognition, including the Sustainability Excellence Award at the 2025 BC Tourism Industry Awards. You may have seen some of the nearly 200 Don’t Love It to Death signs posted on trails and at popular recreation sites throughout the region. The campaign also shares practical resources and safety messaging, drawing on the expertise of partners including BC AdventureSmart and the BC Search and Rescue Association. Of course, there’s always more work to do. We agree that greater provincial investment in BC Parks, recreation infrastructure and on-the-ground education is needed. The recent research highlights important gaps in backcountry preparedness that require continued attention and collaboration.

But it is also worth recognizing that tourism organizations are not just investing in attracting people to this incredible region. They are also investing in helping people enjoy it safely and responsibly. These efforts need to go hand in hand. Backcountry education is a shared responsibility, and it needs to reach everyone who recreates here, whether they’ve lived in the region for decades or are visiting for the first time. We welcome the editorial’s call for greater investment and hope it encourages more collaboration and support for the education initiatives already underway. To learn more about Don’t Love It to Death and how you can help spread the message, visit dontloveittodeath.com. Lesley Weeks, Tourism Squamish Nikki Johnston, Tourism Squamish Lauren Everest, Tourism Whistler LETTERS: Continued on 14

LETTERS POLICY The Squamish Chief welcomes letters to the editor of up to 400 words. Letters should be exclusive to this publication and are meant to respond to a local story in The Squamish Chief or raise an issue happening in town. Please include your name, neighbourhood and daytime phone number. The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday to be considered for Thursday’s edition. Full names and neighbourhood will be published with the letter. The publisher reserves the right to refuse and edit letters for length and clarity or to address legal concerns. Email letters to: editor@squamishchief.com.

TOP TIKTOK OF THE WEEK This week, reporter Liz McDonald looked into the secret (or former secret) history of off-grid saunas in town. See this video and many more on our TikTok channel @squamishchief.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTERS: Continued from 13

MISSING CONTEXT IN ARTICLE The recent article,”What was happening at the District when the Squamish arena closed?” (Published online Oct. 29.) provides a valuable review of the technical and operational issues that contributed to the Brennan Park arena closure in September 2025. However, the story leaves out two important aspects of what occurred. First, while the article examines the construction, humidity, and equipment challenges that affected the facility, it does not meaningfully address the role that labour relations and organizational decision-making played during that period. The disclosure documents demonstrate that front-line employees were identifying concerns and communicating operational challenges well before the closure occurred. Employees were raising issues related to humidity, staffing pressures, and the resources required to maintain operations. Internal correspondence shows that employees understood the seriousness of the situation as it was developing. The question the community should be asking is not simply what caused the closure, but whether the concerns being raised by experienced front-line workers were acted upon

effectively and early enough. When employees closest to the work identify emerging risks, those warnings represent an opportunity to prevent problems or reduce their impact. Organizational success often depends on leadership’s willingness to listen to the people performing the work every day. Second, any discussion about the disruption of recreation services in late 2025 is incomplete without acknowledging that District employees were subsequently locked out beginning October 16, 2025. The community experienced not only the consequences of the arena closure itself, but also the consequences of a labour dispute that impacted municipal operations and resulted in a second closure of the arena. Viewed together, these events raise broader questions about management, communication, and organizational culture. The arena closure should not be understood solely as a mechanical or construction failure. It was also a test of how an organization responds to employee concerns, manages risk, and works collaboratively with its workforce when problems emerge. The freedom-of-information records show dedicated employees working hard under difficult circumstances to keep the facility operating despite significant challenges. What remains less clear is whether the information those employees provided was fully utilized by

PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS

SITTING PRETTY: Rocky Raccoon is enjoying our fairer temperatures of late. Rain is expected through the weekend, though, according to Environment Canada. Sorry, Rocky.

decision-makers before the situation reached a crisis point. That is a question worth exploring if the community hopes to prevent similar disruptions in the future. Celeste Bickford, President, CUPE Local 2269

‘ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’ All I can say is this: it is an absolute disgrace to allow the mess at Loggers Lane to persist, and the bears are paying for it with their lives. To those in charge of the municipality—wake up already and do something. For example, posters, fines for those who litter, and fences around campsites—all to keep both humans and bears safe. There are so many possibilities, one just has to go ahead and do it. So, let‘s see what the new mayor can achieve! Rita Schlapbach Squamish

HYPOCRISY ON WLNG Well, I certainly see that some residents of Squamish and the surrounding area have a great deal of comfort with hypocrisy. A bit surprised, but I know it is not all of us. When we first moved to this area, many years ago, there was a vocal and anonymous, animated group opposed to the LNG plant. I recall the very responsible action of bombing the storefront that had been set up by the company as an information source for the community. I will not even attempt to reiterate the environmental, monetary, fossil fuel, labour issues that were used as weapons against the project, over the years. “Oh so you answered that one, then try this one on for size.” Some were based on fact, some not so much. More recently, the community demanded that construction workers not be allowed to enter the town of Squamish. When the company respected this discriminatory and cruel objection, the attempt to block the ship’s accommodation was constructed from six different perspectives. Even ignoring provincial decisions that provided approval. It also became time to create complaints about the Fortis natural gas line to supply the plant. I could go on about runoff from the creek in the area ignoring the company’s recognition of the need to protect all wildlife in the area and addressing lighting concerns. On and on and on. From my direct experience in these types of projects, this company has gone way beyond expectations to try and placate zealous objections. I even have had people say, “Well, yah build it, but just not near me.” Familiar? Guess what Squamish, it really isn’t “near” you. And now as the plant moves toward completion, both Squamish and Area D have decided it is time to feast. Ignoring the immediate tax and revenue generation, they want more. Ignoring construction and operational jobs created, the “at the trough” behaviour is evident to all. The

argument being that there will be an unidentified serious negative impact on the area, and the company will simply have to agree to as much money as can be extracted. So disappointing. So insular and so reactionary. I will even call this shameful. Murray Barton Furry Creek

A MODERN DEBT JUBILEE When Canada shifted from treating housing as basic human “shelter” to viewing it as a speculative investment asset, housing availability deteriorated significantly. Following the 1993 federal budget, the government ceased funding new social housing units, devolving responsibility and relying on private market incentives. Consequently, non-market community housing stagnated at a mere 3.5 per cent of Canada’s total housing stock—far below G7 peers—while naturally occurring affordable rental units were financialized and lost. Because private market developments primarily pencil out at the luxury end, low-rent housing availability has virtually vanished. From the perspective of the social determinants of health, this crisis profoundly impacts Canadians’ physical and mental well-being. Over 2.6 million Canadians now live in core housing need, including 41 per cent of lowest-income households. High shelter costs force families into a trade-off between paying rent or purchasing food and prescription medications, driving up food bank reliance and health precarity. Unaffordable and unstable housing directly causes elevated psychological distress, anxiety, and depression, while increasing emergency department visits and straining healthcare resources. In terms of economic stability, treating housing as an investment commodity has created severe systemic risk. Unregulated commercial bank credit creation flooded the housing market, driving up private debt burdens and inflating home prices far beyond fundamental earning power. This massive private debt overhang acts as a drag on national productivity by restricting labour mobility, reducing consumer spending, and crowding out productive business investment. A modern debt jubilee offers a structural remedy. It would involve the Bank of Canada creating debt-free fiat money distributed on an equal per-capita basis directly to citizens, requiring them to pay off their commercial bank mortgages and private debts. Paired with credit controls—such as capping mortgage leverage to 10 times a property’s rental yield—it would eliminate speculative credit creation. For Canada, a debt jubilee would systematically deleverage households, shrink the bloated financial sector, restore economic productivity, and allow public capital to rebuild non-market social housing—finally restoring housing as essential human shelter. Rob Smith, Bahman Sanii, Squamish

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A tribute to our

COUNTRY'S HEROES

On November 11, we will remember them

CALL 604-898-227

www.greggardnergm.com

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Lest we forget

EDWARD (TED) J. GREGOIRE the Royal Winnipeg

LEWIS MACGREGO R Served 1 year with the RAF (1942) Royal Aircraft Force & Royal Canadian Navy 1942 - 1946

SAMUEL (BUD) HEMPHILL Bud served 5 years (1941-46) with Royal the Canadian Artillery, 15th (Vancouver) Coast Brigade

MARY BELLE GREGOIRE (NEE GRAY) MARY MACGREGOR (NEE ROBERTS) Served for 3 years (1942-45) with Served 2 years (1944-46) in the WRCNS the WRCNS - Women’s Royal - Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Canadian Naval Service WWII Service WWII

BILL GREEN (left) and BOB TURNER (right) served with the Canadian Armored Corps.

LT. JAMES LEHMAN WWII.

PTE. RAY MOYLE Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, 1962-’65.

HERBERT RICHARD SMITH the Royal Canadian Navy from (1941-48) and 2 years with the Royal Navy, UK.

PILOT OFFICER ANTHONY A. MARTIN Member of the famed B-25 bomber known as Desert Warrior in World War II.

SGT. C. VAN S. MORRISON (1910-1991) Sgt. Morrison served with Canadian Army Artillery.

PILOT OFFICER ORVAL R. SHARMAN (1924-2005) served on a Lancaster bombers for a full tour of duty

OWEN J. PHILLIPS WWI, 1915 Canadian Army Vimy Ridge

GWLADY’S E.G. PHILLIPS (Dunstan) WWII Air Force Cook 1941-1945, England

LT. BARBARA TAYLOR GIBSON (Miller), LT.

THEODORE JOSEPH ARSENAULT Served for four years with the Canadian Army (1942-46).

JAMES CROMBIE Royal Navy 1941-’46.

JOSEPH C. DOWNING North Nova Scotia Regiment in the 11 WW, the Corporal spent 3 years as a POW in Germany

PPCLI, Republic of Yugoslavia/Kosovo/ Bosnia/Afghanistan.

SARGEANT ADAM BELL

MARY CROMBIE Served with the Auxiliary Territorial Service from 1947-’49.

WILLIAM (BILL) DUBLACK Royal Canadian Naval Reserve

CPL. GERRY COTTER, RCAF STN.. Served 25 years, retired in

ANDY “RED” ROBERTSON WWII RCASC

OSCAR JOHN RUNZER Served in the Royal Canadian Navy (1942-45)

BERNARD MICHAEL STILWELL Served with the Royal Navy during WWII.

WILLIAM COLE Served with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, from 1950-1972

JIM DUNKLEY CHARLES ASHTON HARVEY Served with an anti-tank WW2. Landed on the beach on battalion from 1939 and then with D-day Served in France, Italy, the Carleton and York Regiment Holland and Germany.

RUSSELL EDWARD ROBERTSON Royal Canadia Dragoons / Int Op Bosnia /Afganistan

STEWART ROBERTSON Bosnia/Kosovo LdSH (RC)

LEONARD MILLER Royal Canadian Air Force Died 2nd World War

VINCENT J. DIOTTE Canadian Army.

OWEN ERNEST REEVE Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, 1st Canadian Infantry 1941 - 46

LT. ROBERT DEAN MILLER

DOUG FENTON WWII Royal Canadian Army, 21 Battery/ Canadian Scottish Regiment

THE STOUT BROTHERS Camp Sussex N.B. 1940-45

JOHN WADWORTH . SNR WW1. Served in France 4 yrs in Army. Royal Warwick’s Infantry France

JOHN WADWORTH . JNR WW11, Served in Ireland CMF. Italy and 13 Corps. RAOC, AKS

BASIL HENRY HARTNELL Artillery Department WW11

CYRIL WADSWORTH Regular Army 1935-1945. Palestine, Egypt. Eight Army to VE Day.

VIMYE - RIDGE Private - John Owen Phillips Calgary. Army - October 2, 1902

JEREMIAH WHITE Bosnia/Afghanistan Royal Canadian Regiment

JOSEPH SIMPSON World War II Vet, RCAF.

CHRIS BROOK Iraq/Afghanistan Raf Regt/SFSG

JAMIE PATRICK FLYNN Afghanistan/Iraq Para Regt/SFSG

JOHN LEROUX RCN

GEORGE McKEEMAN WWII North Nova Scotia Highlanders

HECTOR GIROUX WWII Canadian Army

DANIEL CHEER WWII Seaforth Highlanders Of Canada

JASON BUDD Afghanistan/Iraq/Bosnia 4scots/Royal Regiment Of Scotland/SHOC

GEORGE FRIESEN

JOHN ASKEY QUICK WWII RCAF

ROBERT A. WILSON Royal Canadian Navy

MALCOLM M. MACDONALD WWII 7th/11th Hussars

BOB MCEWEN CYPRUS PPCLI

NELSON WINTERBURN COLD WAR RCN

MITCH MCKENZIE

NADIA GUERIN RCN PERSIAN GULF (OP APOLLO)

BERT GOSS WWII

40194 Glenalder Place. GH

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OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

On November 11, we will remember them

HERE’S WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE LOCAL REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY Hundreds of locals attend the downtown ceremony each year

JENNIFER THUNCHER

jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca

undreds of locals turn out each year for the Diamond Head Branch 277 Squamish Legion Remembrance Day ceremony downtown. The ceremony, held at the Squamish Cenotaph in Stan Clarke Park at 1361 Main St., gets underway just before 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. Residents are encouraged to arrive about 15 minutes early. Cleveland Avenue between Victoria and Main Streets is closed for a few hours for the ceremony. Organizers ask that, unless an authorized service canine, dogs not be brought to the ceremony. Legion president Russ Robertson has worked to make the ceremony impactful and efficient for all involved, with it wrapping up in about 15 to 20 minutes. For Robertson, the event must not be political, but a pure honouring of veterans. “It’s Remembrance Day. We get one day. It’s a nationally recognized holiday to show our respect for those who serve this country. And … some made the ultimate sacrifice. … A lot of people come back, and they’re still living with it. So if it’s just one day where we can be respectful and say thank you. … That’s what it should be about,” he said. “I’m not really encouraging anybody to give speeches… because as a veteran, there’s nothing worse than hearing a politician get up and say something that’s totally inaccurate,” he added. He noted that politicians are welcome to come, shake hands, and place a wreath if they

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Head to Stan Clarke Park for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11. No dogs please, say organizers.

want, but not to give political speeches. Wreaths can be purchased through the Legion website.

TRAGIC YEAR IN CANADA At this year’s ceremony, many thoughts will likely be with those killed and many more who were injured in the fire during training at

Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright, Alta. on Oct. 17. Prime Minister Mark Carney described the incident as “one of the worst tragedies for the Forces on Canadian soil in peace time.” “It’s really sad that people get killed in a training accident, much less even if you’re deployed,” Robertson said.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Lest we forget

POPPIES To honour veterans, people wear poppies in November until after the Remembrance Day ceremony, and they are currently available around town. CEREMONY: Continued on 20

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squamishchief.com

R E M E M BR A NC E DAY The Squamish Nation Honours and Remembers Our Distinguished War Veterans

WORLD WAR 2 WORLD WAR 2

WORLD WAR 2

Buzz Downer

Domingo Gonzales

WORLD WAR 2

Sgt. Harvey Gonzales

Beverly Guerin

Paddy Kelly

WORLD WAR 2

Willy Kelly

Oliver Ange

Sgt. Reginald Dominic

WORLD WAR 2

Jack Kelly

WORLD WAR 2

Jimmy E. Johnston

WORLD WAR 2

WORLD WAR 1

Nadine Joseph

Edward Ange

Pascal Cortez

Isabelle Garcia

WORLD WAR 2

Ed “Jock” James

Peter Garcia

WORLD WAR 2

Larry Jack

John Downer

John Antone Sr.

Thomas W. Cole

WORLD WAR 2

Henry Downer

Daniel “Teddy” Cheer

WORLD WAR 2

Fred Downer

Arnold Bro

George Newman

WORLD WAR 2

Chuck Billy

Charles Newman

WORLD WAR 2

Rudy Baker

Albert Newman

WORLD WAR 1

Andy Natrall

WORLD WAR 1

Jim Daniels

Norman Lewis

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VIETNAM-KOREA-CYRESS-UN

Kwétsi-wit na nam Xeyx

US MARINES-CENTRAL AMERICA

(…Lest we Forget)

Sgt. Guulaans Flewin

US ARMED FORCES

Haw ḵ’et máynexw

ROYAL CANADIAN ARMED FORCES

US ARMED FORCES

Art Eggros

DESSERT STORM-GULF WAR

Pat Willard

WORLD WAR 2

Col. Thomas Almojuela

ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE

DESSERT STORM-GULF WAR

Robert Paull

James P. Nahanee

Steven Antone Wright

WORLD WAR 2

US ARMED FORCES

Thomas R.G. Cole III

(Those Who Went to War)

WORLD WAR 2

Matthew G. Valencia

Robert Nahanee

Eddy J. Nahanee

Walter Williams

Darick Cailing

VIETNAM-KOREA-CYRESS-UN

David Wight Nahanee

WORLD WAR 2

Felix Almazan Jr.

ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE

Taylor McCarthy

US NAVY

US ARMED FORCES

David F. Valencia

US NAVY

VIETNAM-KOREA-CYRESS-UN

Henry Ferguson Lopez

Juanita Almazan

Joseph Moody

Thomas Williams

ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE

John Anthony Antone Jr.

Thomas ‘Sam’ Williams

US ARMED FORCES

US MARINE CORPS

US ARMED FORCES

Joseph Antone

Lorne Thomas

Donald Moody

WORLD WAR 2

Peter Rivers

Milton Miranda

WORLD WAR 2

Carole Newman

Jim Miranda

WORLD WAR 2

Anchil “Ducky” Mack

WORLD WAR 2

Sammy Lewis

Roman Joseph

Jamie Thomas

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OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES

squamishchief.com

On November 11, we will remember them

CEREMONY: Continued from 17

Robertson said. The 835 Griffin Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron also participate. Erik Yaremkewich organizes the flyover during the ceremony, he said. And back at the Legion, Angela Woods has been volunteering a lot of her time to improve the food service and organization, he said.

Robertson said they are available at various supportive retailers, such as Walmart, Save On Foods, and Sunflower Bakery & Cafe. According to the Legion, poppies should be worn on the left side, over the heart, to be respectful. “The Legion’s lapel poppy is a sacred symbol of Remembrance and should not be affixed with any pin that obstructs the poppy,” reads the Royal Canadian Legion site. Robertson’s father, Ed Robertson, organizes the poppy campaign, while Kella Tourand legion treasurer, handles the payment system. Immediately after the ceremony, people can remove poppies and place them on the cenotaph.

FACTS OF NOTE According to the federal government the Squamish Cenotaph was constructed in memory of those who died from 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. Later, a second plaque was added to the cenotaph in memory of the Korean War. Squamish’s veteran banners have been installed downtown again this year (by Alta Lake Electric Ltd.), and the District of Squamish will fly the Lest We Forget poppy flag on Municipal Hall the week of Remembrance Day. After the Remembrance Day ceremony, everyone is invited to the Legion, located at 40194 Glenalder Place, to visit and commiserate. Robertson stressed that he still hears people who think the Legion is only for veterans, but anyone is welcome. Over the last year, the Legion’s membership has grown from about 190 to 500 members. Find out more at www.squamishlegion.ca.

IT TAKES A COMMUNITY Robertson noted that the Squamish Nov. 11 Remembrance Day event would not be possible without the many dedicated volunteers, including, but not limited to, Jeremy Purdy, who has played the bugle at multiple ceremonies. As emcee, Rick Smith makes sure everyone knows what is going on and why. The colour party, which is the Legion’s official flag group, is made up of many dedicated seniors, Robertson noted. Angus Hilsley is the parade sergeant-at-arms. “He’s been doing this now for the last three years, and he’s been knocking it out of the park,”

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF

Veteran banners have gone up downtown.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS BY JOHN MCCRAE

WE WILL REMEMBER 1301 Pemberton Ave, Squamish

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

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CAPRA’S 30X30 CHALLENGE MARKS 11 YEARS OF GETTING SQUAMISH OUTSIDE IN NOVEMBER

What began in 2016 with about 57 hardcore runners now draws thousands of walkers and runners worldwide, all committing to 30 minutes outside every day of November LIZ MCDONALD

emcdonald@lodestarmedia.ca

hirty days of repetition can create a new habit. But 30 days of 30 minutes of walking or running outside in November builds resilience for winter, according to Solana Green, owner of Squamish-based Capra Running. “I want everyone to find the time to make the time for 30 minutes at minimum outside movement every day of November, because you’re going to feel better at the end of the month,” Green said. Capra has a 30x30 challenge throughout November, where people compete to complete thirty straight days of outdoor movement for at least 30 continuous minutes. The decision to run the event in November is intentional. Green said that as running season ends and ski season hasn’t begun, poor weather makes it easy to justify staying in. “When we opened the store, we quite quickly realized that we needed something to keep people moving as we got into the winter months, so officially it’s been going since 2016,” she said. For 11 years, the running business has operated the event. What began as a hardcore challenge which saw around 57 competitors has grown into a movement with thousands of participants around the world, Green said. “When we introduced walking, the challenge blew up.” The shift to a more inclusive model was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We realized that we needed something that was more inclusive to the entire running and walking community, rather than just people that were able to run … And especially that year when we kind of needed something to kind of keep us together and keep us connected,” she said. Eleven years on, two to three thousand people take part worldwide each year, according to the competition’s tracking stats. Through an online community hub, participants can log activity, view the leaderboard and connect their Strava app to sync exercises automatically. Without Strava, members can enter the distance and time manually, Green said. A retired software engineer built the site to solve Capra’s former challenge of enormous spreadsheets, Green said.

HOW THE 30X30 WORKS “Run, walk, hike, treadmill, or race day, anywhere in the world,” according to the website details. “Run/walk intervals count. Nordic ski, ski tour and bike sub in when you genuinely need them. It must be 30 continuous minutes. Two 15 minute walks don’t make a day, and there

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOLANA GREEN

Looking for a challenge this November? Try Capra’s 30x30.

When we introduced walking, the challenge blew up. SOLANA GREEN

are no make-up days.” Registration runs $30, and people who finish the 30x30 challenge get a $50 discount code to the store when they finish. And as many runners will attest, having a bit of motivation to sweeten the deal always helps. There is over $25,000 in prizes, with draws every day of the 30x30. Late registration is accepted for an increased cost between Nov. 1 and 4, but late registrants must also complete every day of November’s 30 minutes. Throughout the competition, Capra plans group activities, and details are available on the 30x30 platform. The first officially counted event was Nov. 1, hosted by Fall Line & Tentacle, beginning at Pat Goode Park. After stretching and warming up, runners in various pace groups hit the trails. Later that day, Capra gathered used shoes and warm clothes for Under One Roof . “It is really a community builder,” Green said.

Mountain Psychology and Neurofeedback Centre

Stephen L. Milstein, Ph.D., R. Psych. BC # 765 - 604.938.3511 Dawna Dixx Milstein, OT. COTBC # AA0201 - 604.938.3523 Whistler: #107 - 4368 Main St, Whistler, B.C. V0N 1B4 Squamish: 604.848.9273

Serving sea to sky for 18 years

22 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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YO U R TOW N , YO U R N E WS :

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Big Changes Ahead: Sky League Rebrands to Hustle Basketball League! Squamish and Whistler, get ready to hit the court! For years, our local in-house league running from January through March has given players of all skill levels a fantastic, local opportunity to experience basketball. Now, we are taking an exciting step forward. To better align our youth programs across both Squamish and Whistler, Sky League is officially rebranding to the Hustle Basketball League.

By unifying under one banner, we are strengthening our local basketball community while keeping the core mission the same: providing inclusive, high-energy play where every athlete can develop their skills and love for the game right here at home. Official program details, age divisions, and registration information for the upcoming Winter season will be released in early November. Come join the Hustle Family and be part of an incredible season on the hardwood! (www.hustlebasketball.ca/hustlebasketball)

The Squamish Chief welcomes community submissions for local sports achievements and arts events. Submissions must be 300 words or less. Please note that all submissions are final and will be published on a firstcome, first-served basis, as space allows. Submit at squamishchief.com by going to the “Connect” tab and clicking Community Submissions.

Meet Peter Peter is a loving, affectionate cat, who like many cats with sad stories we have seen lately, lived with to many cats in an environment not able to properly maintain, feed or provide proper care.

PHOTO BY BRIAN AIKENS

SPECTACULAR SEA TO SKY: Alexander Falls in the Callaghan Valley region. Have a photo to share? Send it to news@squamishchief.com.

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Peter is such an amazing example of what a healthy environment and proper care can do. Head butts are a favorite of Peters, and he loves a good back scratch. Although he lived with many cats, Peter may be fine being the one and only.

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Application No. 455731 Page 1 of 2

Environmental Protection Notice Application for a Permit under the provisions of the Environmental Management Act We, Woodfibre LNG General Partner Inc, as a General Partner on behalf of the Woodfibre LNG Limited Partnership, 900-1185 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 4E6, intend to submit this application to the Director to authorize the discharge of effluent (stormwater / drainage) from the Woodfibre liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. The Woodfibre LNG facility is located approximately seven kilometres from Squamish, British Columbia within the traditional territory of Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). The site is situated at National Topographic System (NTS) A-001-K/092-G-11 on the following fee-simple lots: District Lot 6237 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., District Lot 5899 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., District Lot 2351 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., District Lot 2802 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., District Lot 8294 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., District Lot 8295 Group 1 New Westminster Dist., and District Lot 8296 Group 1 New Westminster Dist.

Separate contact water systems for contaminated, potentially contaminated, and non-contaminated water are used to manage stormwater runoff from the site according to contaminant risk. The source of effluent is stormwater runoff and drainage water that may have come into contact with industrial infrastructure, equipment, or operational areas during LNG facility commissioning and operations. Contaminated contact water that drains from equipment areas will be collected and conveyed to an Oily Water Treatment System (OWTS) for the treatment of extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (EPH) and total suspended solids (TSS) or transported off-site for appropriate disposal. The treated effluent from the OWTS will be discharged to Howe Sound at existing Outfall 10 (OUT-10) via the non-contaminated contact water drainage system. Treated effluent from the OWTS is expected to be discharged via OUT-10 during storm events, and occasionally during dry conditions (approximately once or twice per month). During these dry periods, the discharge rate will be limited by the OWTS treated water forwarding pump capacity of 30 m3/hr (8.3 L/s). The characteristics of the effluent are provided in the table below.

Source

Parameter

Proposed Discharge Limit

Contact Water to OUT-10

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

25 mg/L

Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons (EPH) (C10-C32)

15 mg/L

24 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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Application No. 455731 Page 2 of 2

Environmental Protection Notice Any person may review a printed copy of the application at the Squamish Public Library or download an electronic copy of the application material from theWoodfibre LNG website at https:// woodfibrelng.ca/about-woodfibre-lng/regulatory-overview/ regulatory-filings/.

Dated this 28 day of October, 2026.

Any person who may be adversely affected by the proposed Contact person: Janine Forrest discharge of effluent (stormwater drainage) and wishes to Email address: info@wlng.ca provide relevant information may, within 30 days after the last Phone: 1-888-801-7929 date of posting, publishing, service or display, send written comments to the applicant, with a copy to Environmental Stewardship, BC Energy Regulator at 6534 100th Ave, Fort St John, BC,V1J 8C5. Comments may also be submitted to by email to the applicant (info@wlng.ca), with a copy to the BC Energy Regulator (waste.management@bc-er.ca).The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 25

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Waste Discharge Authorization Open House Join us at an open house to learn about our two Waste Discharge Authorization permit applications for the discharge of air emissions and effluent (stormwater/drainage). Light refreshments will be available.

Britannia Beach, BC Tuesday, November 17 at 4:30pm – 7:30pm Wednesday, December 2 at 4:30pm – 7:30pm

Britannia Beach Community Hall, 101 Church St

Squamish, BC Thursday, November 19 at 4:30pm – 7:30pm Thursday, December 3 at 4:30pm – 7:30pm

woodfibrelng.ca

Executive Suites, 40900 Tantalus Rd

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classiﬁed@squamishchief.com Mum had little patience for limits simply because Deadline: MondayWhen 3pm her somebody else considered them normal. articling firm failed to provide the breadth of experience required for her bar examinations, she had the B.C. Bar Association intervene. She passed the bar in 1962. An accomplished swimmer, she also served as president of UBC’s Women’s Athletic Directorate.

My mother always fed “her critters” who visited her Squamish bungalow’s deck with enthusiastic abandon, raining down showers of seeds for all to enjoy. Her granddaughter Ella named her “Snow White of the Backyard.” It was sweet, and so apt. Mum felt the deepest connection to wildlife and the natural world. She saw intelligence, beauty and worth there that she grumbled humans too often failed to notice. That instinct ran throughout her life: pay attention to voices otherwise easily dismissed, and be suspicious of systems in which the powerful assume they know best. Born in Shanghai in 1937, Mum was evacuated as an infant with her mother, Phyllis, to Hong Kong. During the Second World War they fled again, this time for Canada. After the war, the family returned to Asia and settled in Bangkok for ten years. Those Bangkok days were halcyon in Mum’s retelling. Her peripatetic childhood meant tutors and correspondence rather than regular school. Photographs show her with serious dark eyes and long pigtails, swimming

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competitively, riding horses and playing tennis. At 12, she Obituaries – In Print and won a women’s race at in our Local Bangkok’s Royal Turf ClubOnline on a horse called Sri Lana.

Mother, grandmother, lawyer, author, international-development and environmental specialist, and devoted animal lover.

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At 25, a Commonwealth Scholarship took her to Delhi University to study international law. She never completed the degree, but travelled around India alone by train and returned with stories she would tell for decades. Back in Canada, she had little interest in conventional law. Work with the World Law Foundation and Oxfam-Quebec took her into international development. She and my father met and married in Montreal, and his work later took them to Washington, D.C. Following my birth, Mum began writing Women, Religion, and Development in the Third World. I remember the manuscript spread across our ping-pong table: papers everywhere, laundry occupying one half. Published in 1983, the book examined how religion affected women’s education, social position and reproductive lives. It never found the readership she hoped for, to her chagrin, but she was early to questions that later became a much more established field of study. Eventually we moved to Ottawa. I remember countless airport goodbyes as Mum left for Ghana, Bangladesh and elsewhere, followed by long, colourful letters and small gifts pulled from her suitcase when she came home. Her work reinforced something she believed strongly: the women these programs were intended to help understood their own communities. Their knowledge, priorities and concerns needed to shape the solutions.

Sometimes she took me with her. At 12, I spent three weeks with Mum in Bangladesh. She wanted me to encounter a world larger than my own, believing the earlier I did, the more it would shape me. By the 1990s, environmental concerns were also central to her professional work. At Canada’s International Development Research Centre, she worked as a development and environment specialist and helped coordinate its work around the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. When I moved west Mum followed, first to Whistler and eventually to the little Squamish bungalow that became home for the last three decades of her life. She loved “her mountains”: the clouds moving across the peaks, winter waterfalls, the aspens changing colour in autumn. She never climbed them. She simply loved looking at them. Her garden became an unruly abundance of flowers, shrubs and trees. She loved colour, cool shade and the creatures who visited. Birds, squirrels and other wildlife were neighbours whose survival mattered to her. She was fiercely committed to wilderness and wildlife protection, and active in local environmental causes. Mum was funny, stubborn, intellectually independent and highly opinionated. Well into her eighties, she was sending emails about the environment, peace, politics and whatever else had caught her attention. She voted in the municipal and provincial elections from her hospice bed. I am her only child, and we were exceptionally close. She loved my husband Dan deeply and adored her granddaughter Ella. She painstakingly typed her memoirs, with me on speed-dial as IT support, so I could pass her stories on. She taught me to see the world rather than assume I understood it from a distance, to listen to people who knew their own lives best, and to treat animals and the natural world as lives worth caring about. We are so grateful to the Squamish Hospice team for their extraordinary care of Mum and their kindness to our family. I will always see her at the back door, scattering another entirely excessive shower of seeds for the squirrels and birds. Snow White of the Backyard.

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CELEBRATIONS | SERVICES | COMMUNITY AND MORE...

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 27

ANNOUNCEMENT OBITUARIES

Cameron Alexander Cairns November 28, 1957 to October 23, 2026

Cam Cairns, age 68, went home to be with his Saviour, on Friday, Oct. 23rd., after battling prostate cancer for almost 9 years. He will be truly missed by his wife, Joanne, Sons Philip (Alissa), Alex, daughter Kristina, and grand daughter Marley (Mars Bar), as well as by his brother Rob (Laurie) and sister Jenny, along with his nieces and nephews and in-laws

Pennies

From

Heaven

by Charles L. Mashburn

I found a penny today, Just laying on the ground But it’s not just a penny, This little coin I’ve found. “Found” pennies come from heaven, That’s what my Grandpa told me

We envision Cam fly fishing in heaven, climbing the highest peak, and doing a head stand to have his feet taller than anyone else’s. Cam spent his early years as a certified mountain guide and helicopter ski guide before settling down with his family and starting Garibaldi Woodworks, which he ran with honesty and integrity, as he did all things in his life. Cam always put everyone ahead of himself. Cam sailed in the Victoria-Maui Yacht race 4 times, winning in 1988, he built trails in Squamish (Phil & Cam’s) and volunteered at many mountain biking events, Eco Challenge Whistler and 2010 Olympics. Cam was the biggest cheer leader for his kids in mountain biking, para-alpine skiing, hiking the great divide trail and so much more.

SPLINTER, ROBERT April 13, 1944 – September 7, 2026

It is with sadness that we announce the passing o f Robert Splinter on September 7, 2026, in Trail, BC, at the age of 82. Robert is lovingly remembered by his sons, James and Daniel, and his grandsons, Charles, Wesley, and Marshall. A devoted Boston Bruins fan, Robert enjoyed following the news and was well known for his unwavering support of the Bruins and his enduring dislike of the Vancouver Canucks. A Funeral Mass will be held on November 7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Parish, Squamish, BC. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

He was so very proud of his kids and their accomplishments. He lived with a Just Go and Do It attitude, live life, love Jesus and adventure, it’s a great big world out there. A memorial service will be held at 11 am. on November 21st, 2026 at Squamish Baptist Church. When signing the guest book, we would really appreciate some of your fun stories that you had with Cam. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Prostate cancer research thru the Canadian Cancer society in honour of Cam https://fundraisemyway.cancer.ca/campaigns/Cam-Cairns

COMMUNITY NOTICES CRAFT FAIRS/BAZAARS GENERAL NOTICES OBITUARIES

He said angels toss them down; Oh, how I loved that story. He said when an angel misses you, They toss a penny down Sometimes just to cheer you up, Make a smile out of your frown So don’t pass by that penny, When you’re feeling blue It may be a penny from heaven That an angel tossed to you.

Celebrate the lives of loved ones with your stories, photographs and tributes

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Take notice that Alpine Paving (1978) Ltd., from Burnaby, BC, has applied to the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (WLRS), South Coast Region, for a Licence of Occupation for Quarrying (Sand & Gravel) situated on Provincial Crown land located at 2023 Forestry Rd, Garibaldi Highlands, BC V0N 1T0. WLRS invites comments on this application. The Lands File is 2413175. Written comments concerning this application should be directed to the Senior Land Authorization Specialist, South Coast Region, WLRS,at Suite 200 - 10428 153rd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 1E1. Comments will be received by WLRS up to Dec 5th, 2026. WLRS may not be able to consider comments received after this date. Please visit the Applications, Comments and Reasons for Decision Database website at http://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ for more information.

Previously Century 21, our ofﬁce has been providing exceptional real estate sales and rental accommodation services in the Sea to Sky Corridor & throughout BC.

Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be considered part of the public record. Access to these records requires the submission of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/freedomoﬁnformation to learn more about FOI submissions.

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We are committed to helping local businesses scale. All of our specialized growth services are delivered through our expert digital team, in partnership with our sister company, Lodestar Digital. If you’re ready to move beyond basic advertising and build a structured, revenue-focused marketing strategy, let’s talk.

www.prmbc.ca 604.892.5954 Unit 101-38142 Cleveland Ave, Squamish

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AGING ANDROGENS ARTHRITIS CANCER

FITNESS HAIR LOSS HEALTH INFERTILITY

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LIVER MOVEMBER MUSCLE MUSTACHE

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 29

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFIEDS.SQUAMISHCHIEF.COM

Whistler Excavations Ltd. Civil Construction Career Opportunities

SENIOR MEDIA ACCOUNT MANAGER The Squamish Chief—your trusted community news hub and part of Glacier Media Group/Lodestar Digital—is looking for a driven Senior Media Account Manager to join our high-performing team. You already know why Squamish is the best place to live, work, and play. From the trails to the ocean, our community thrives on a passionate West Coast lifestyle blended with a rapidly growing, innovative local economy. In this role, you won’t just be selling ads; you will be connecting directly with the heartbeat of our town. You’ll work face-to-face with the local and regional businesses you know and love, helping them thrive right here in the Sea-to-Sky corridor. If you love this community and want a career that allows you to make a tangible local impact without the Vancouver commute, we want to hear from you.

We are currently recruiting professionally minded people to join our team: Pipe Layers $35-$45 per hour Construction Labourers $30-$40 per hour Heavy Equipment Operators $35-$45 per hour Class 1 Truck Driver $35-$45 per hour Extended health benefits available after 3 months Phone: David 604-966-7814 Email Resume: david@whistlerexcavations.com

THE OPPORTUNITY

PLAY HERE

As part of Canada’s largest local digital network, you will move beyond traditional space selling to act as a strategic marketing consultant. You will leverage a sophisticated suite of data-driven solutions—including programmatic advertising, paid social, SEO, sponsored content, hyper-local digital display, and trusted print media—to build high-ROI campaigns for your clients.

WHAT YOU BRING PLAY HERE

• Proven Sales Expertise: Track record in B2B sales, account management and consultative selling. • Business Development Savvy: Comfort with cold calls, prospecting, and leading high-level strategy pitches with decision-makers. • Digital Fluency: Experience or strong aptitude in designing multi-channel digital and print advertising campaigns. • Relationship-First Mindset: Exceptional communication skills with a natural ability to build long-term client trust and relationships. • Execution & Drive: A goal-oriented, self-starting attitude with the organizational skills to thrive in a fast-paced media environment. • Assets: A post-secondary degree in Business, Marketing, or Communications, and/or prior media/agency experience are highly valued.

WHAT WE OFFER • Uncapped Earning Potential: Base salary paired with a lucrative, uncapped commission structure. • Total Rewards: Comprehensive health, dental and extended medical beneﬁts package. • Growth & Support: Robust onboarding, continuous professional development, and the backing of Canada’s leading local media network.

READY TO SHAPE THE LOCAL NARRATIVE? If you are a motivated sales professional ready to make a tangible impact in an inspired community, we want to hear from you. » squamishchief.jobﬁnd.ﬁndem.ca

» squamishchief.jobﬁnd.ﬁndem.ca

Apply now; please submit your resume in conﬁdence to Cathie Greenlees • cgreenlees@lodestarmedia.ca

Check us out online: squamishchief.com

We’re Hiring!

Join Our Team at WorldMark by Wyndham – Cascade Lodge & Sundance We’re looking for motivated and reliable team members to join our Housekeeping team at our vacation ownership properties in Creekside and Whistler Village. Housekeeping Wage: $26.75 to $28.00 Based on Experience Hours: 37.5 hours per week Seasonal Employment: • Hiring Bonus: + 6 month bonus for successful full-time hires Full time Permanent Employment: • 12 vacation days after 12 months of employment • 6 paid sick days per year • Extended medical/dental beneﬁts. • WB Season Pass every November Apply by Email Housekeeping: David david.thomson@travelandleisure.com

TAKE A BREAK

30 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

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HOROSCOPE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5, 2026 - NOVEMBER 11, 2026

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. Lightning ____ 4. Spring flower 8. Subsides 12. Picnic drink 13. Biting 14. Highway fee 15. Fellows 16. Always 17. Detective’s quest 18. Clock (a race) 20. Repeated 22. Amaze 24. Plural 26. Hooded winter coat 28. Use snow runners 29. Biblical ship 32. Hatchet 33. Refracting crystal 35. Bolted 36. Bro’s sib

37. Summer hue 38. Cleanse with water 40.Irritable 42. Get up 43. African trip 47. Lambs’ moms 49. Piercing instruments 50. Up to it 52. Duet number 55. Eccentric person 56. First-rate 57. Electrified atom 58. Includes 59. Middle or Far 60. Average grade

5. Ranted 6. Fury 7. Spells 8. Write with acid 9. ____ tie 10. Azure or aqua 11. Snow slider 19. Pen liquid 21. Scale 22. Health centers 23. Cab 25. Consuming 27. More prone 29. Creative 30. Cheerleaders’ words 31. On bended ____ 34. Glow 39. “Just the Way You ____” 41. Barks 43. Hero’s tale 44.Startled 45. Scurried 46. Questions 48. “The ____ Wing” 51. Feather stole 53. Suffering 54. United

ARIES March 21-April 19

LEO July 23-Aug. 22

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21

A return to your studies brings a stimulating challenge that will align with your deepest aspirations. Keep pushing forward. Family support will boost your motivation and help you absorb valuable knowledge for a truly enriching future.

Treat yourself to a luxury shopping session to elevate your appearance. A polished image will open the door to higher positions. Invest in your presentation; charisma and success will naturally follow this transformation.

A series of problems will finally resolve at work. Your inspiration will guide you toward goals that you’ll achieve brilliantly. With clear direction, success is within reach. Move forward confidently, as everything is aligning for your most ambitious projects.

TAURUS April 20-May 20

VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Choose the comfort of home and remote work to increase Evaluate each option carefully before making a decision. Joining your efficiency. By doing a major cleanup, you’ll create a clear, a spiritual or wellness-oriented group will broaden your horizons uncluttered space that improves and improve your daily wellbeing. your productivity and enhances your serenity. Domestic harmony Analyze every angle for a calm, becomes your strongest ally. fulfilling commitment.

GEMINI May 21-June 20 When you’re facing a major decision subject to outside pressure, trust your intuition. Your patience will sharpen your ideas and reveal meaningful solutions. If you take the time to assess things, your inner clarity will help you make the right choice.

CANCER June 21-July 22 Thorough preparation before your next negotiation will help you achieve optimal results. You’ll unlock both finances and career prospects by securing the ideal position. Strategy and confidence lead to a longawaited professional victory.

Crossword puzzle answers use American spelling

LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Defuse family confusion without delay. Clearly define your roles and choices through honest conversations. Direct communication dispels misunderstandings and restores a smooth, peaceful dynamic among your loved ones.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Renewal is essential, and it will arrive through multiple transformations. Your wellbeing is improving, thanks to inspiring changes. A form of spirituality is opening up, and this beautiful evolution will revitalize your body, mind and daily life.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18

SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 A surprise promotion or interim role may place you in a management position after someone’s departure. You’ll receive a raise in recognition of your hard work. Take the reins and get ready for your leadership to propel your career to new heights.

Take the lead in organizing an unforgettable activity with your friends. With persistence, you’ll overcome shyness, and your level of commitment will determine the extent of your success. Your leadership will strengthen your confidence and help forge warmer bonds.

PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 Your many responsibilities require you to reorganize your priorities. Cooperation with loved ones becomes the key to harmonious planning and success. Work together for greater efficiency.

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 x 3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3 x 3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3 x 3 box.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

DOWN 1. Lamb’s father 2. Lyric poem 3. False teeth 4. It’s on the agenda

The Parish of

YOUR PLACE OF

St. John the Divine, Squamish

Join Us Every Sunday Worship, Word, KidsRock & Youth 38055 Cleveland Ave. therocksquamish.com

Holy Communion and Morning Worship Sundays at 10:00 AM Rev.Cameron Gutjahr 1930 Diamond Road 604-898-5100

www.squamishanglicanchurch.ca info@squamishanglicanchurch.ca

Exalting Jesus, Equipping His Followers, Engaging the World

Worship Service Sundays 10am on our website and Facebook Live

2262ReadCres. 604-898-3737 www.squamishbaptistchurch.org

See Website for Service times and location coastalchurch.org/squamish

Share your PLACE OF WORSHIP with Squamish for $14/week - Call today to book your spot 604.892.9161

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 | 31

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32 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2026

squamishchief.com

8th annual edition

Taste your way through Squamish with specially curated, set-price menus from participating restaurants, bistros and breweries. Discover creative dishes, local flavours and a delicious reason to gather and try somewhere new.

November 5-26, 2026

Explore participating restaurants and menus: exploresquamish.com/campaigns/sip-savour/