CELEBRATING WHISTLER BLACKCOMB’S 60TH SEASON KICK-OFF WITH SCENES FROM THE PAST
Celebrating Whistler Blackcomb’s 60th season kick-off with scenes from the past. - By Braden Dupuis
06 OPENING REMARKS Whistler Blackcomb’s lean opening is a reminder that even ski icons are not immune to broader trends, writes editor Braden Dupuis.
08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In this week’s letters, a reader calls for enhanced safety measures on Highway 99.
22 THE OUTSIDER You never quite know how far away that season-changing storm is, so get your groomer mileage in now, writes Vince Shuley.
50 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST The presence of 7IDANsuu master carver James Hart’s works in Whistler puts the resort in rarified company, writes Leslie Anthony.
COVER I fear I will forever miss opening day. - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art
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Reporters
10 BUDGET SEASON Local leaders weigh in on the federal government’s new budget, passed Nov. 17.
14 CLIMATE COSTS The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment is urging local leaders to make climate change “non-negotiable” in the 2026 municipal budget.
34 WAY OF WATER Whistler rowers Cassidy Deane and Maureen Harriman have each realized international success this fall.
38 BEST OF BAROQUE The Pacific Baroque Orchestra Chamber Players will perform Nov. 23 at the Maury Young Arts Centre in Whistler.
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DAVID SONG - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com
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Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, VINCE SHULEY, LESLIE ANTHONY, GLENDA BARTOSH, ANDREW MITCHELL, LISA RICHARDSON, LIZI MCLOUGHLIN, TOBIAS C. VAN VEEN
Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT www.piquenewsmagazine.com
A lean opening
READY OR NOT, Whistler Blackcomb is open for the season as of Nov. 21— even if it’s just a single run on Blackcomb Mountain to start.
As far as lean openings go, this may well be the leanest in modern memory. Snow has fallen in the valley on just two days so far this fall, only to be immediately washed away by the neverending rain (seriously—it hasn’t been a good few weeks for the Seasonal Affective Disorder folks).
Opening day may technically signal the start of winter in Whistler, but with terrain extremely limited, this year’s
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
early-season launch feels more symbolic than substantive—a reminder that even ski icons are not immune to broader economic and environmental headwinds.
And while skiing remains a massive, global industry, it is one built on fragile economics.
According to the Canada West Ski Areas Association’s latest “Data & Metrics for Ski Areas” report published in July, the 2024-25 skier-visitation total in Western Canada reached 9.8 million, the second-highest on record. But despite the strong demand, the economic picture is more complicated. The 2023-24 economic impact study shows that while skier visits dipped by 15 per cent from 2022-23, total economic activity declined by only two per cent—landing at $2.67 billion across Western Canada. Ski areas supported more than 21,600 jobs, though employment remains down compared to pre-COVID levels.
That gap—between strong visitation and modest economic contraction— signals resilience. It suggests that while snow may fluctuate, the appetite for mountain recreation remains deeply rooted in local and visitor economies. But it also underscores that the ski industry’s financial health is not solely about lift-
ticket sales; it depends heavily on visitor spending and broader tourism linkages.
But skiing may well be considered essential recreation in British Columbia.
From the provincial perspective, outdoor recreation is not a fringe activity—it’s woven into the social and economic fabric of British Columbia. The B.C. government’s own recreation data highlights that outdoor recreation is a “vital part of the economy,” contributing significantly to community well-being, health, and employment.
According to a recent report from the provincial government, outdoor and adventure tourism contributed $4.8 billion to B.C.’s economy in 2023.
The data—which includes everything from direct spending to the cost of transportation, food and lodging— shows outdoor and adventure tourism represents 1.5 per cent of the province’s gross domestic product.
“We’ve heard this sector is growing— both in participation and economic
demographics are shifting: participation is climbing, but the average age is also rising. That raises real questions about sustainability—not just of snowpacks, but of the customer base itself.
And so in some ways Whistler’s 202526 opening day feels more like a symbol than a celebration.
Locals are bracing for what many predict: “just one run” on opening day, perched high above treeline, with lower terrain still brown, wet and snowstarved. It’s not a complaint so much as an acceptance of facts. This isn’t the time for long summit-to-base laps, but for alpine patience, and waiting for cold temps to build coverage.
Looking beyond the season at hand, there are both warning signs and reasons for cautious optimism.
As far as climate variability and snow reliability, limited-terrain openings are symptomatic of larger issues: fluctuating precipitation patterns, warming winters, and unreliable natural snow. With
And as skiing remains a luxury for many, affordability and access will become increasingly central. The B.C. government’s recreation strategy emphasizes balancing growth with inclusivity. If the cost of skiing and riding—either through passes or gear— continues to climb, or terrain access shrinks, the sport risks becoming even more exclusive.
And through it all, environmental stewardship must remain at the heart of it.
With glaciers receding and alpine landscapes changing, ski areas will likely face increased environmental scrutiny. Strategic planning must account for not just the economic, but the ecological legacy of mountain recreation. Whistler’s ever-receding glaciers paint a stark picture for the future of the sport locally.
What does it all mean for this year?
A lean opening, sure, but far from a lost season.
Whistler Blackcomb’s low-terrain Nov. 21 opening is not a guarantee of a
The season ahead will require patience from skiers, foresight from operators, and pragmatism from policymakers. But even in a lean opening, there is opportunity...
value,” Tamara Davidson, environment and parks minister, said in a statement to Lodestar Media last week.
“The new data confirms outdoor recreation is more than just leisure; it’s an opportunity to diversify our economy in a way that is both sustainable and inclusive.”
But in the face of climate change and increasingly wet winters, barriers of course remain, with cost, accessibility, and run infrastructure posing ongoing challenges. Even as more British Columbians engage in snow sports, the
sluggish snow starts becoming the norm, resorts are facing pressure to invest more in snowmaking—a costly endeavour that raises environmental and economic trade-offs.
The strong visitation numbers are an encouraging sign that demand is still there. But to remain competitive and sustainable, ski areas may need to double down on investments: improving lift infrastructure, enhancing guest experience during lean periods, and diversifying into year-round operations.
full, powder-loaded winter, and far from it. But it’s a reminder of the ski industry’s deep roots in B.C.’s economy and culture, and of the precarious balance it must strike between growth, sustainability, and risk.
The season ahead will require patience from skiers, foresight from operators, and pragmatism from policymakers. But even in a lean opening, there is opportunity: to rethink how we ski, why we ski, and what we invest in—not just for the next powder day, but for decades of mountain winters to come (wet though they may be). n
On highway safety
Entsa Ntsetswek. My English name is Kalana and I’m from Lil’wat Nation.
I think Highway 99 should have more speed limit signs to encourage cars to go slower. This highway is very busy with drivers, cyclists, cows, horses, deer, bears, tourists, logging trucks, and the road is very winding. My school bus route takes me on Highway 99 twice a day, and I often see cars driving through the school bus stop sign which is incredibly dangerous.
On Thursday, Nov. 6, a car missed a corner and hit a power pole, causing a terrible accident and cutting off power to a lot of people. People need to be more careful, and lower speed limits could encourage this.
In several other accidents, people hit horses. This is tragic for the horses and could kill a person one day. There needs to be more signs about the horses because people in Lil’wat Nation really care about them. Horses are a big part of our culture and community, and they need to be able to travel safely on our land. I’ve been on multi-day horse-packing trips with horses from our herd, and they are incredibly strong, amazing mountain horses.
We also need more streetlights on Highway 99 between the New Site in Mount Currie and Pemberton. Many people bike and walk along this route for essential groceries or to get home, and the current conditions
Tracking the federal budget’s impact in Whistler, Pemberton
and the Lil’wat Nation
LOCAL LEADERS SIZE UP BUDGET’S IMPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKFORCE NEEDS IN THE CORRIDOR
BY LUKE FAULKS
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
AS OF NOV. 17, the federal government has a new spending plan.
The newly passed Budget 2025 outlines $280 billion in capital investments over five years—including $25 billion for housing, $115 billion for infrastructure, $30 billion for security and $110 billion for productivity, innovation and domestic economic strength—all while slowing growth in operational spending to under one per cent by 2029.
The government has also committed to balancing day-to-day operating spending with revenues by 2028-29, shifting the structure of federal spending toward longterm nation-building projects.
“The budget acknowledges that investing in local infrastructure is essential for achieving Canada’s objectives in housing, trade diversification and economic growth,” Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton explained, when asked how it relates to the resort municipality.
“There’s lots to like in terms of housing and infrastructure to support housing
growth. My hope is that we’ll see these investments turn into sustained, largescale, long-term programs.”
Here’s what he and other local leaders had to say about the impact of the 2025 budget.
OTTAWA: MP STRESSES PROTECTION, PRODUCTIVITY AND GENERATIONAL INVESTMENT
Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler said the budget was designed around shielding
accelerating homebuilding nationwide.
Weiler said housing is central to that goal.
“We have about $13 billion set aside for Build Canada Homes to really drive that investment and [to] partner with industry, other orders of government and Indigenous communities,” he said. That includes working closely with the Whistler Housing Authority to ensure results are felt locally.
Weiler said the $51-billion Build Communities Strong Fund and the broader $115-billion nation-building
“There’s lots to like in terms of housing and infrastructure to support housing growth.”
- JACK CROMPTON
Canadians from the fallout of U.S. tariffs while driving long-term investment into housing and major infrastructure.
He explained the impact of the trade war on Canada’s GDP will “cost the average Canadian about $1,300 a year.”
The federal government’s response is to drive “about a trillion dollars of investment into Canada” by incentivizing business capital spending, speeding up major projects, and
infrastructure package will be especially important for municipalities facing significant housing-enabling infrastructure demands.
“It’s going to support roads, water, wastewater and even health-care infrastructure,” he said. Ottawa will require provinces to cost-match and municipalities to maintain “reasonable” development charges to ensure feasibility.
The Sea to Sky may also see
opportunities through the $5-billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund. Weiler singled out the deep-water port in Squamish as being an option to better access new markets.
The newly established Major Projects Office, meanwhile, is intended to fasttrack both shovel-ready and early-stage developments.
The budget also directs tens of billions toward clean-economy tax credits, grid modernization and low-carbon industrial development. Weiler also expressed enthusiasm for its creation of a youth climate corps—part of the 175,000 positions offered through the expanded Canada Summer Jobs program.
WHISTLER: READY TO SCALE HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mayor Crompton said Whistler is well positioned to take advantage of the budget’s $13-billion Build Canada Homes initiative and its broader push toward modular and advanced construction techniques.
“The fact that we have our own wholly owned development corporation, the Whistler Development Corporation, [and we] have our own wholly owned housing operator in the Whistler Housing Authority; [they] put us in a very good position,” he said.
Crompton said staff will spend the coming months refining a list of
BILLIONS FOR BUILDING Investments in housing play a big part in Canada’s latest federal budget. Pictured is a Whistler Housing Authority build underway in Cheakamus in September.
PHOTO BY BRADEN DUPUIS
projects that could realistically qualify for the Build Communities Strong Fund, but it is too soon to say which projects could qualify.
“We’ve done a lot of work lately understanding the investments that we’re going to need to make in built infrastructure,” he explained. “So [we] have good information to inform those spends, and then the pursuit of grants and other funding.”
The budget also carves out an exception for immigration reductions, as MP Weiler explained.
“While immigration levels are being reduced, there’s special consideration being made for temporary [foreign] workers (TFWs) in rural and remote communities, which Whistler and Pemberton are considered, because we know without that workforce, so much of the economy won’t be running at full tilt,” Weiler said.
Crompton was cautious, stressing Whistler’s dependence on international labour.
“We have and continue to significantly rely on TFWs,” he said. “We hope these changes won’t impede the flow of muchneeded talent [and] that any restrictions are paired with greater oversight of workplace and staff living conditions.”
He added that, while the power to affect policy change for TFWs remains with Immigration Canada, protecting those Whistlerites from exploitation remains non-negotiable: “These are people who are critical to the fabric of our community,” Crompton said.
Before wrapping, Crompton flagged one area where he felt the budget was incomplete.
“The budget focuses on an industrial carbon price, which could be effective in theory, but there really isn’t any clarity on it in this budget,” he said. “I look forward to seeing more detail around how this [will] be applied, and how it can support substantive climate action.”
PEMBERTON: OPTIMISM ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS
Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman said his initial reaction to the budget was shaped by its scale and the fiscal trade-offs driving its investments.
“I would say that certainly the size of the deficit is of concern, but it does signal investment in long-term growth,” he said. “In terms of how it impacts Pemberton, there’s a few main areas that are of potential big impact.”
Among them is the redesigned Build Communities Strong Fund, which folds in and rebrands the former gas-taxfunded Canada Community-Building Fund that the village has relied on heavily. Richman said Pemberton has completed extensive asset-management and infrastructure-needs assessments, leaving the village ready to apply as soon as program details are announced.
“We’ve identified a lot of short-, midand long-term needs,” he said. “We’re doing an upgrade to our water treatment plant this year, our wastewater treatment plant will need to be expanded,
NEWS WHISTLER
[and] we look ahead to the day that we need to consider another aquifer.”
On housing, Richman said the Canada Mortgage Bond expansion and GST elimination for first-time buyers could help younger residents enter the market if interest rates fall and other program elements align.
“I’m hopeful that it will result in some new opportunities,” he said. “The younger generation does not see home ownership as a possibility for most of them.”
Richman expressed cautious optimism that new RCMP funding might eventually reduce local policing costs as Pemberton approaches the 5,000-resident threshold that would see the Village take on 70 per cent of local policing costs.
LIL’WAT BUSINESS GROUP: HOUSING DIVERSIFICATION, PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
For Lil’wat Business Group CEO Rosemary Stager, the budget hit several positive notes around financing tools and housing.
“[The government] doubled up the funding on the loan program that we accessed for our Function Junction development,” she said, noting that expanded capital access may be critical for the Nation’s much larger upcoming development at the Pemberton Highway Yards.
Stager said LBG is aiming to diversify the Nation’s housing pathways, both on-reserve and within traditional territory.
“We’re definitely looking at diversifying our housing for the Nation, not being totally reliant on [the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation],” she said. “How can we get [members] mortgages off-reserve in our traditional territory? We’re trying to think outside the box.”
The federal budget’s emphasis on First Nations infrastructure financing, Indigenous housing, clean-water systems and affordable-housing partnerships aligns with those goals, she said.
Budget 2025’s Buy Canadian procurement policy could be especially significant for LBG as it explores new ventures.
“We’re looking into possibly partnering or outright purchasing a prefab housing company,” Stager said. “It would definitely align with that and it seems to make sense with the resources that we have within the Nation.”
She also said workforce development, particularly in skilled trades, remains a challenge despite new federal training and reskilling initiatives.
“It seems to have been harder for us to access work skills and training,” she said. “A lot of the education or training money is really focused more around academics, so it’s a bit challenging to get funding for trades.”
Stager added uncertainty south of the border still shapes business confidence.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty, watching what’s happening down south,” she said. “It really does affect all of us.” n
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Cost of basic living in Whistler hits $29.60 per hour, highest in B.C. REPORT
SHOWS 5.4% JUMP AMID STEEP PRICES
BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
DESPITE ITS REPUTATION as B.C.’s priciest urban centre, Metro Vancouver trails Whistler in the province’s annual living-wage rankings.
The resort municipality has the highest living wage in British Columbia at $29.60 per hour, according to the 2025 Living Wage Report released this month by BC Policy Solutions and Living Wage BC.
The figure represents a 5.4-per-cent increase over 2024 and positions Whistler at the top of all 27 communities that released updated rates. Squamish recorded the second-highest rate at $28.00, while newly added Pemberton posted $25.90.
The living wage reflects the hourly amount a full-time, year-round worker must earn to cover basic needs like housing, food, transportation and childcare without chronic financial stress.
And while those costs are rising everywhere across the province, Whistler has taken one of the biggest leaps.
“Whistler had one of the biggest, highest jumps of any of the living wages across the province,” said Anastasia French, managing director of Living Wage BC. “Increased rental costs, increased food costs and increased childcare costs in Whistler are all leading to that big increase that we saw.”
Additional context from the Whistler Community Foundation (WCF) shows the stakes clearly. At $29.60 per hour, a Whistler resident needs $53,872 per year to meet basic needs.
“That’s a $21,385 gap every year for a single person earning minimum wage,” wrote WCF’s Lisa Severn. Severn, project lead for Whistler Vital Signs, noted the impact is even greater for workers with unstable, seasonal hours.
French said the current calculation already represents a conservative estimate: “The living wage assumes someone is working full-time year-round, so a seasonal wage may be even higher.”
High rental costs were the most consistent pressure identified through worker focus groups. French said she met residents “spending $1,200 a month on sharing a room with three other people, and everyone who I spoke to said that’s standard.”
Transportation plays a significant role in the calculation, potentially blunting an even higher living wage for Whistler.
“One of the biggest transportation decisions is, does an individual get around in a car, or can they get around on the bus?” French said. Because Whistler Transit is more robust than systems in many rural communities, Living Wage BC assumes workers rely on the bus rather than a private vehicle.
Still, reliance on transit adds strain
for low-wage workers. French said she heard stories of people struggling with “the cost of the bus fare or the time it takes to be able to get the bus to the food bank or to the grocery store, and that’s time they’re not spending working, or even just enjoying the local nature.”
Childcare costs also rose sharply across B.C., including in Whistler, where limited spaces and rising fees continue to pressure families. French said childcare is “really driving [the living wage] up,” noting improved government supports for single parents have not been matched by policies addressing single adults’ rising poverty rates.
“Single people have a higher living wage, because single people just don’t get much support in government benefits that families with kids do get.”
Severn said WCF views the living wage as a community-wide indicator rather than a labour-market metric. The living wage “is tied to what it takes for community members [to] meet basic needs,” she wrote, adding the data should provoke conversations about how affordability is shared across governments, employers, and communities.
French sees signs of potential improvement, but adds there’s still plenty of work to be done.
“Rental seems to be becoming slightly more under control, but we need more affordable housing and more rental protections for renters facing escalating costs and exploitative landlords,” she explained.
Any decline in regional rent pressures, she said, could help lower Whistler’s rate in future calculations.
Despite Whistler’s high cost of living, uptake of a living wage among local businesses remains low. French confirmed that Whistler is home to just one of the 450 certified Living Wage Employers in B.C. That business is the Creekside Health medical clinic.
Dr. Dominique Vallee, owner of Creekside Health, said the clinic had long been paying a living wage before becoming certified.
“We’ve actually always been paying a living wage because it’s really important to have a team that stays with us long term,” she said. “You’re only as good as your team, and we want our team to be awesome.”
Vallee pursued certification partly to better understand local cost-of-living trends.
“We all know how expensive Whistler is, and now we officially know how expensive Whistler is,” she said. Despite rising operating costs, particularly rent and staffing, the clinic raises salaries annually.
“Our biggest expense is rent [and] our second cost is our staff, but I think having a team that changes around a lot is more expensive,” she said. n
AWARE urges Whistler to make climate change ‘non-negotiable’ in 2026 budget
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CALLS FOR COUNCIL TO TREAT CLIMATE ACTION AS A CORE SPENDING PRIORITY
BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
THE WHISTLER-BASED environmental non-profit AWARE is calling on mayor and council to prioritize climate action in the 2026 municipal budget after a prebudget survey ranked the environment among residents’ lowest concerns.
“Whistler’s existence depends on the stability of its environment,” AWARE vice-president Heather Beresford told council on Nov. 4.
“Climate change threatens the foundation of our economy, our safety and the mountain identity that defines this place. Recent engagement surveys that rank climate action among the lowest priorities don’t reflect indifference; they highlight the need for broader engagement with the full range of people who live and work here.”
Results from the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Your Budget Insights survey presented to council on July 22 showed housing remained the top public priority, while climate action ranked among the lowest priorities for respondents 35 and older. Climate ranked slightly higher for residents under 35,
but still fell behind housing, recreation facilities, road maintenance, transit and emergency preparedness.
Demographically, the survey skewed heavily toward mid-career adults, while youth and seniors were underrepresented—something both staff and AWARE say may explain why climate slipped down the list.
Across Canada, a similar pattern has emerged.
A June 2025 Re.Climate report found 69 per cent of Canadians are worried about climate change’s near-term impacts and 70 per cent see it as a serious threat. But another survey released by Abacus in March of this year showed only about three per cent of Canadians picking the environment as their most important voting issue, and the respondents overall placing it eighth on their list of priorities behind issues like affordability, healthcare and housing.
At the Nov. 4 meeting, Mayor Jack Crompton acknowledged the contradiction between widespread concern and the low survey ranking.
“These are survey results across North America,” he said. “If you dig just a little bit below the surface, affordability is now No. 1 on everybody’s agenda, because affordability is so challenged. But if you
ask, ‘Does climate remain important to you? Is it existential?’ the response is universally a ‘yes.’”
Beresford’s presentation also included two direct questions to council. First, she asked about specific mechanisms in place to “ensure that climate action remains central to every departmental decision, rather than being treated as a standalone or secondary issue” during the 2026 budget deliberations.
Crompton pointed to what council has dubbed its “three big rocks”— policing, transit and fire. He noted that two out of three rocks are “significant expenses directly impacted by our changing climate.”
He said council has “spent a lot of our time trying to ensure that every department in the municipality understands the importance of adjusting their process to take climate action,” adding that climate remains one of four core council priorities and that staff have been asked to “bring back examples of exactly where those commitments find themselves throughout the organization.”
Beresford’s second question pressed the municipality on emissions.
A 2025 report on the previous year’s emissions showed community emissions at
140,456 tonnes—up three per cent from 2023 and more than double the 2030 target. Beresford asked how the RMOW plans to bring emissions back on track.
Crompton responded by citing expanded transit service hours and ongoing advocacy for bus electrification as “massive wins” for reducing emissions.
“We report on two things—corporate emissions and community emissions—and we are closer on our corporate emissions, unfortunately, than we are on community emissions,” he said. “We lean heavily on you and AWARE to help us advocate for the importance of taking action as a corporate entity but also as a community.”
Beresford stressed the need to reframe climate change as inseparable from daily cost-of-living pressures.
“We’ve got to get rid of this false dichotomy that it’s the environment versus everything else, but these things are inextricably woven together,” she told Pique. “Look at what’s happening with the wildfire situation in B.C. That’s not free. That’s a direct cost related to climate change. If we can do things up front, we’ll have less cost in our lives and more money for these other things that are important.”
Council will consider final 2026 budget guidelines in December. Read the full story at piquenewsmagazine.com. n
RAIL Y MUSEUM
OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Eric Martin
FEBRUARY 20, 1951-
The Resort Municipality of Whistler from time to time recognizes certain persons in the community who have contributed of themselves to help make Whistler a better place for all to enjoy.
The community recognizes these outstanding contributions by declaring them: “Freeman of the Resort Municipality of Whistler.”
BY G.D. MAXWELL
ERIC MARTIN HAS perfected the concept of hiding in plain sight. It’s a tough trick to pull off when you’ve been heading up the Whistler Development Corporation (WDC) through two different iterations for the past two decades.
Ask anyone in Whistler who casually knows or has heard of Eric and that’s the role they probably know him for. The guy who spearheaded the creation of Cheakamus Crossing, from Olympic Athletes’ Village to affordable housing community. The guy who continues to build affordable housing down there. The guy who has tirelessly prodded municipal council to keep building and not stop... again.
But like an iceberg—and I’m certainly not drawing any parallels between Eric and an iceberg... well just this one—the many, many accomplishments of Eric Martin lie below the surface, hidden by time and known by fewer and fewer in a town with a high population churn.
Eric’s fingerprints are all over this town and have been for decades. From Whistler Blackcomb’s staff housing, to Blueberry Hill, to Meadow Park Sports Centre, to Blackcomb’s benchlands developments to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, he’s had a hand in all those and more. He’s no one-trick pony; he’s the whole damn rodeo.
Eric grew up in Vancouver and earned a civil engineering degree from UBC, then studied in the MBA program at Simon Fraser. In 1973 he went to work for the city of Vancouver in the engineering department, where he stayed until the early 1980s.
Involved in utility design initially, he proved his worth on projects in the city’s west end and False Creek and soon became project engineer on larger projects around the city, including the first rendition of the convention centre— the one that didn’t get built.
“The experience with the city was important for my career,” he says. “I see a lot of people in the development industry who deal with governments but they don’t appreciate or understand how governments work and they often don’t respect people in government.”
A rugby and baseball player, Eric was never a skier. Fortunately his wife was. So in 1980, they bought a place in Mountainside Lodge. Enter Whistler in
his career. In a big way.
After leaving the employ of Vancouver, Eric was working at BC Development Corporation. He, along with Jim McLean, was asked by Premier Bill Bennett, in 1983, to have a look at the Whistler Village Land Company, which was going broke, to see if there was a way to breathe life into its operations. They were successful in putting a plan together the province approved to keep the effort going.
His involvement in that project led to a position with Intrawest in 1986, running its real estate program, shortly after its purchase of Blackcomb.
There was a plan for the Blackcomb lands at the time Eric joined Intrawest but other than the road up to Base II, there was, “about 100 acres of forest.” So they went to work, plotted out the topographical work and analysis and developed a new plan for all of Blackcomb’s bed units in 1986. “And we were under construction by 1987,” Eric recalls. “Hard to believe you could turn things around so fast in those days.”
The developments Eric had a hand in included the Daylodge, selling the site for the Chateau Whistler to CP Hotels and building staff housing.
In 1988, Eric was lured away by Nat Bosa and for most of the next quarter century worked for Bosa Brothers Construction. While Bosa was working on projects across North America, they were the developers for many seminal projects in Whistler.
One of the projects was Blueberry Hill, on the west side of the Whistler Golf Club. Former chief administrative officer, Bill Barrett, picks up the story: “I knew Eric from Intrawest, got to know him more at Bosa. They were the developers behind Blueberry Hill and our (the municipality’s)
goal was to secure land for the Valley Trail to create a circuit around the golf course. Eric recognized it would be a benefit— not just a cost—to his project and fully supported it. He was a man of his word and delivered once he agreed to the concept.”
But it was the next project that really displayed Eric’s commitment to the community. Hanging around muni hall, Eric was approached by the mayor and/ or Bill Barrett. Like so many Whistler stories, there’s more than one version. He was told they needed someone to build what would become the Meadow Park Sports Centre. Would he be interested?
“They weren’t sure whether to build it in Village North or Meadow Park. I said, let me talk to Nat. Nat, being a very community-minded person said, yeah. So I ran the project off the corner of my desk,” Eric says.
“I was seconded to figure it out, design it, build it and turn it over... within 18 months! We had no idea how bad the site was. We got test piles 150 feet deep into the ground and we were still in mud.”
Needless to say, it got built. But foreshadowing future projects, Eric took a pass on personal compensation. Bill Barrett recalls, “There was a line item in the budget, $75,000, for Eric’s involvement as project manager. As it turned out, we were on a tight budget, things were costing more and we were nearing completion so Eric told me to use that money, he wouldn’t take it.”
It wasn’t the last time he worked for no direct compensation. Approached in 2003 by Mayor Hugh O’Reilly, Eric was informed about the town’s plan to put in an Olympic bid. “He (O’Reilly) said, you know there’ll be a significant
accommodation component we’ll have to do. And we’d like to make it permanent and make it employee housing after the Games. Are you interested in helping out?”
Again, Eric and Nat were both interested, although busy with projects all over North America. But Eric offered, again, to do this one off the side of his desk.
The initial plan of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) was to build an $80-million temporary village, one leaving zero legacy. “I said I knew a guy we could talk to about our options,” Barratt said. “Eric came up, we sat in Jim’s (Godfrey) office, laid out the proposed location, levels of contribution, number of units and after about half an hour, Eric said, ‘I think this is doable. I’m in. You’ll have to pay me a dollar a year and I need someone like Jim Moodie.’”
WDC was formed. Eric, Jim Moodie, Jim Godfrey, Steve Bayly, Duane Jackson and Melissa McKay were on the initial board, with the promise of earning a dollar a year. Side note: None of them ever got their dollar a year.
The athletes village got built, mostly on budget and definitely on time. After the Games, it was finished with appliances and other things not included for the athletes and became the thriving, affordable community of Cheakamus Crossing. While Vancouver was left with high-end, high-rise condos that took years to sell, Whistler enjoyed an almost immediate move into the new neighbourhood.
Under Eric’s guidance, WDC has continued to build affordable housing on the lands constituting part of Whistler’s Olympic Legacy. In the past six years, more than 1,000 new beds have been built and added to the Whistler Housing Authority’s inventory. Hundreds more are in the pipeline.
The efforts continue. Eric Martin continues to play a leading role. And while his efforts to shape Whistler may not always have been well-rewarded, they were well-recognized.
In 2015 he was awarded Whistler’s Freedom of the Municipality. Two years later he received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada for his role overseeing construction of Meadow Park. He was part of the site selection process for the Audain Art Museum and a member of the Whistler Design Panel. And, of course, continues to guide WDC in its current iteration.
This is Part 12 in a 21-part series recognizing Whistler’s Freedom of the Municipality holders, in honour of the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s 50th anniversary. Watch for the others in the weeks ahead, and find them all at piquenewsmagazine.com. n
FILE PHOTO BY CLARE OGILVIE
Eric Martin (left), Sue Adams and Jim Moodie were honoured with the Freedom of the Municipality on Sept. 6, 2015.
Alders developer counters flood-risk concerns with new studies for project near Arn Canal
RESIDENTS SAY THE SITE ACTS AS A NATURAL OVERFLOW BASIN, WHILE IBG DEVELOPMENT ARGUES HYDROLOGICAL WORK SHOWS THE PROJECT WILL NOT WORSEN LOCAL FLOOD BEHAVIOUR
BY LUKE FAULKS
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
RESIDENTS ALONG Pemberton’s Willow and Urdal Drives continue to raise concerns about how a new development along the Arn Canal may alter local flood behaviour and conflict with Official Community Plan (OCP) objectives.
Innovation Building Group (IBG) is the developer behind the Alders, a new neighbourhood consisting of four singlefamily lots on an extension to Willow Drive, and an extension to Urdal Drive with three single-family and 17 fourplex lots.
Two circulated letters, one from a Willow Drive resident and another from former Pemberton Chamber of Commerce president Adam Adams, argue the low-lying western portion of the parcel serves as a key outflow space during high-water events.
“This parcel of land effectively creates a release valve for the canal by allowing the water to accumulate there rather than having it impact people’s homes,” Adams wrote. “As we keep building on the flood plain, the water will need to go somewhere and I am concerned where that somewhere will be.”
Both letters also point to the site’s OCP context: it lies within a lowerintensity Residential designation (rather than one of the multi-family or special planning areas), borders the Agricultural Land Reserve and includes portions mapped under Development Permit Area No. 1-Environmental Protection, which applies to riparian and environmentally sensitive areas along the Arn Canal.
The OCP does not prohibit development in these areas but sets performance expectations: environmental permit requirements for riparian areas, buffering principles along the agricultural interface, and lower-intensity forms in Residential zones compared with the higher-density multi-family areas located downtown and in special planning areas like Tiyata and Benchlands.
Adams noted that DPA No. 1
guidelines require “no net increase” in post-development surface-water flows and that DPA No. 3 – Enhancement of Agriculture encourages passive open space and reduced development intensity next to farmland.
IBG’s Rod Nadeau said those requirements have been met and that all relevant studies were completed before a public information session on Nov. 15.
“We had all the studies completed. You have a riparian area study completed and accepted by the province, and the subdivision has been approved by the approving officer under the provincial guidelines,” he said.
“We re-infiltrate it back into the ground,” he added, of concerns about raising water levels, post-development. “You’re collecting some water from the streets and roofs, and you create infiltration areas on the ground to deal with it.”
He added engineers did not find evidence that filling the site would meaningfully displace floodwater elsewhere.
“At some point, you can’t have amateurs debating flooding. We defer to the experts who do this for a living,”
he said. “It’s like throwing a pebble in a bathtub—you might raise the water level point-zero-zero-zero-one millimetre.”
Residents have suggested relocating the planned park to preserve the Willowside basin, but Nadeau said that option is not being considered.
“It’s absolutely the wrong planning. And the most interesting thing is, the flood study actually shows that we might improve the situation for the neighbours on Willow,” he said.
“The water flows out of the canal and fills up every low space around it. The area we’re going to build in is a little low now, by about a metre, if we fill it up and put kind of a rip rap edge on it ... it prevents the water from getting to their property and helps send it out the canal.”
Construction is expected to begin this spring following pre-loading.
“We want to start construction on the fourplexes in late May or early June. People are moving in early September— reality is probably early October,” he said.
Nadeau reiterated that residents with concerns are more than welcome to reach out to him at rnadeau@ innovationbuilding.com. n
New report finds Place Glacier flood hazard expected to persist annually
OFFICIALS STRESSED THE NEED FOR COORDINATED PROVINCIAL ACTION AS THE GLACIER’S LAKE CONTINUES TO REFORM EACH YEAR
BY LUKE FAULKS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
THE SQUAMISH-LILLOOET Regional District (SLRD) is warning residents of Gates Lake, Poole Creek and surrounding areas to prepare for another season of potential flooding next spring, as new modelling shows Place Glacier’s outburstflood hazard is likely to recur annually for several years.
At a Nov. 5 virtual town hall, geotechnical specialists, glaciologists, SLRD staff and representatives from Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua walked residents through the latest hazard assessment and the expected timeline for mitigation decisions ahead of the spring 2026 melt.
“We know that Place Glacier is likely to pose an outburst hazard for several years to come,” said SLRD emergency program manager Mike Fusca. He said the work being done now is to determine what kinds of mitigation efforts will be undertaken before next year’s flooding.
PAST FLOODS
“The most important thing to remember right now is that whatever is decided, it will be decided with enough time to implement before the next hazard period, which would be in June or July 2026,” Fusca told town hall attendees.
Fusca recapped the two consecutive outburst floods—in July 2024 and again from June 18 to 20, 2025—that released millions of litres of stored glacial lake water down the Place Creek drainage.
In 2024, “the structure of the glacier broke and rapidly released the water down Place Creek, causing a channel diversion and debris flood, manifesting in the diverting of water from Poole Creek towards Gates Lake and causing flooding on multiple properties.”
The SLRD, using provincial funding, hired Stantec to restore the channel to its original alignment and build protective works. That work finished in September 2024.
In spring 2025, however, Natural Resources Canada glaciologists warned the SLRD that the glacier’s lake basin would likely refill each year, posing a recurring hazard.
The warning proved true between June 18 and 20, 2025, when another glacial lake outburst occurred.
This time, the lake was roughly half as deep, but it still sent a fast-moving surge down the drainage. Stantec
hydrotechnical engineer Graeme Vass said the 2025 flow again scoured the channel, mobilized debris and damaged sections of the rebuilt embankment.
The SLRD issued evacuation alerts for homes along Poole Creek Road and Pemberton Portage Road, later lifting them after Stantec confirmed no immediate risk once the floodwaters receded.
The back-to-back events prompted the province to support a new, broader public-safety study of the entire Place–Poole Creek system.
LONG-TERM DECISIONS COMING IN EARLY 2026
The SLRD has hired Stantec to conduct a larger public-safety study, exploring long-term mitigation options both at the glacier and in the valley bottom.
“When Stantec completes their current project and they present the mitigation options to us in January-February, at that point we can have productive conversations about what the most appropriate solution might be,” Fusca said.
Possible options include repairs to the channel works, upstream controls, culvert replacements, and valley-bottom interventions. All those solutions would require provincial involvement, since
Place Glacier and the Place–Poole Creek corridor sit on Crown land.
SLRD Board chair Jen Ford stressed the complexity of the governance structure.
“This requires a lot of collaboration between different orders of government… we’ve got three different ministries that need to work together to support us as a small regional government, but to support the homeowners in this area,” she said. “We have a lot of support here. We have a lot of work to do, and the [SLRD board] is here to support homeowners.”
Representatives from Lil’wat and N’Quatqua emphasized flooding risks intersect deeply with salmon survival and food security.
Lil’wat councillor Lhpatq Maxine Bruce told the meeting she is concerned about Chinook numbers in the Birkenhead system.
Residents also raised broader questions about glacier shrinkage and long-term water-supply and ecosystem implications.
The full Place Glacier Hazard Assessment Report and town-hall recording are available on the SLRD website at slrd.bc.ca.
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The opening day milestone
AFTER SO MANY opening days for Whistler Blackcomb over the years, you’d think it would lose its novelty. And in some ways, it has. I’m not waking up in the pre-dawn hours to be in the first wave of skiers stepping off the gondola anymore (a privilege I’ll happily bestow upon the local secondary school kids taking the day off with their parents’ blessing). Unless conditions are exceptional, I’m not
BY VINCE SHULEY
pushing into temporary boundary areas just to “check it out.” I’ve come far too close to season-ending injuries on Day 1 and have heard more than my share of horror stories from friends. But one thing about opening day that has never faded for me—even when we have the harshest of low-snow openings—is the season milestone.
As of today (Nov. 21), we can now access our beloved mountain. We’re ready to shake out the legs, build some endurance and get in shape for that cooler-temperature dump that’s (hopefully) just around the corner.
Unless you’re dryland training like the pros, November and early December are all about preparation. You never quite know how far away that seasonchanging storm is, so get your groomer mileage in now. But the convenience of mountain access is just one aspect of this seasonal milestone.
I treat Whistler Blackcomb’s opening day as a sort of operational deadline, and I’m not just talking about pulling skis out of storage and scraping that summer storage wax off. If you’re like me and have a home to look after, a vehicle to
as I can. That seemingly never-ending household to-do list is actually getting some checkmarks, because if I left them past opening day, I know they likely wouldn’t get done until this time next year. Skiing is just too damn important.
If you head up for chill laps in the afternoon after the crowds die down rather than lining up at 5 a.m., opening day is no less significant. It’s about being up in the winter mountain air once more. It’s feeling the Gs on a near-perfectly balanced carved turn. It’s shooting the shit with your mates
Whether you ski opening day or not, if you’re into winter mountain sports, then today is the day you need to have your shit together.
maintain and perhaps a garage, driveway or living room full of time-demanding DIY projects, you know all too well that none of these tasks should compete with skiing. Over the last few weeks, I’ve made sure my vehicle is properly winterized, not just with appropriate tires, but also making sure my brakes are free of excess corrosion and that my undercoating against the Sea to Sky salt is up to date. I’ve made upgrades and repairs to the snowmobile deck on my truck and done as many of the simple maintenance tasks on my sled
on the chair and running into those mountain acquaintances you haven’t seen since the spring.
Today may not be the deepest opening conditions, but this winter has promise. La Niña—that fickle mistress who ghosted us last year— may return to reignite an old flame. I won’t be waiting around for that call, but if anything, we’re due for a decent winter, statistically. Our last few winter seasons seem to have shifted from reliable snowfall (if sometimes a little wet) to a series of scattered
pulses from November to March. It would be great to reacquaint ourselves with a real bumper Pacific Northwest season, and show the newer arrivals in town what a winter in Whistler can really look like. If and when it does, there’ll be plenty of powder to go around.
But today isn’t about prognosticating the winter ahead. It’s about celebrating the year’s most anticipated milestone. Whether you ski opening day or not, if you’re into winter mountain sports, then today is the day you need to have your shit together. Book your sled in for its service. Get your old skis tuned and your new ones mounted for when the snow really hits. Give that aging Gore-Tex suit the waterproof treatment it deserves. There’s nothing worse than running around town in a pre-holiday panic, only to find the things you need are either sold out or booked up for weeks. But most importantly, sort the rest of your obligations out now, to the best of your ability. That’s easier said than done for most of us, I know. But missing out on skiing when you live this close to one of the best ski hills in the world isn’t anyone else’s fault. It’s up to you to make it happen.
Winter won’t wait. Happy opening day. Vince Shuley is finding his ski legs again this weekend. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider, email vince.shuley@gmail.com or Instagram @ whis_vince. n
OPENING DAY 2016 Missing out on skiing when you live this close to one of the best ski hills in the world isn’t anyone else’s fault.
Blackcomb Opening Day 1980
In some sense, opening day at Whistler Blackcomb has always started the same way: with people watching the weather, willing the rain to finally turn. It’s a ritual as old as the resort itself—standing under grey skies, refreshing forecasts, listening for that subtle shift in the air when autumn’s last downpour gives way to winter’s first promise.
Six decades on, the mountains feel both familiar and changed. The climate is shifting, the timing of snow more unpredictable, and yet the ritual—and the joy— endures. Every year, no matter what the forecasts say, opening day arrives. People still gather in the blue light of morning, stamping cold feet, swapping stories, watching the peaks catch fire with the first sun.
Ask any old-timer: over the decades, the mountains have seen every kind of start. Torrential November rain. Surprise overnight dumps. Weeks of waiting. Seasons that opened on a whisper and seasons that roared to life. And now, in a climate where the line between fall and winter grows blurrier, that moment of transition feels even more precious.
CELEBRATING WHISTLER BLACKCOMB’S 60TH SEASON KICK-OFF WITH SCENES FROM THE PAST
Through it all—the wet starts, the deep starts, the uncertain starts—opening day remains a small, stubborn celebration. A reminder that winter still arrives, the community still gathers, and the mountains still offer that same spark they always have.
To mark Whistler Blackcomb’s 60th season, Pique scoured the photo archives—and tapped our good friends at the Whistler Museum and Archives—to serve up a trip down memory lane. Here are a few of our favourites, as well as some pertinent opening day info straight from Whistler Blackcomb itself.
Celebrating 60 years at Whistler Blackcomb
Celebrating 60 years at Whistler Blackcomb
Celebrating 60 years at Whistler Blackcomb
“Whistler Mountain’s 60th anniversary marks six decades of innovation, adventure, and rich mountain culture. From Blackcomb’s 45th anniversary to 40 years of the legendary Peak to Valley Race, 45 years of Whistler Heli-Skiing, and 30 years of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, the 2025-26 season is a tribute to everything that makes these mountains extraordinary. We’re excited to showcase the bold spirit and enduring legacy that have shaped Whistler Blackcomb, and we look forward to welcoming guests from the Sea to Sky, the Lower Mainland, across Canada, and around the world for another unforgettable season.”
-BELINDA TREMBATH, VP AND COO OF WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER MUSEUM / WHISTLER MOUNTAIN COLLECTION
On-mountain safety at Whistler Blackcomb
On-mountain safety at Whistler Blackcomb
On-mountain safety at Whistler Blackcomb
“A key focus for us this winter is reducing collisions. That starts with skiing intentionally and staying fully aware of your surroundings. Uphill travel is also a priority—100-percent compliance with our uphill policy is essential. Uphill movement is only permitted on designated routes marked on the trail map.”
- ADAM MERCER, SENIOR PATROL MANAGER AT WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
Wonder Routes
Wonder Routes Wonder Routes
“Whistler Blackcomb’s legacy continues to inspire both local pride and global admiration, inviting guests to become part of its story and create new memories on legendary terrain. As part of Whistler Mountain’s 60th anniversary celebrations, we encourage guests to explore the mountains through Wonder Routes—a curated network of trails, waypoints, and stops that reveal hidden gems and iconic landmarks, offering a meaningful and personalized journey.”
“From weaving through glades and cruising mellow blues to retracing Whistler
Opening day 1995
FEATURE STORY
Blackcomb’s Olympic legacy and exploring family-friendly terrain, the seven Wonder Routes offer something for everyone. Each route is colour-coded and includes turnby-turn directions, guiding skiers and riders through breathtaking viewpoints and cultural landmarks for a seamless, personalized mountain experience.”
- DANE GERGOVICH, SENIOR MANAGER
OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
Parking Parking
Parking
Whistler Blackcomb’s parking booking platform launched Nov. 12 via whistlerblackcombparking.com. Guests can hold up to two reservations at any given time and easily make changes to their bookings. Here are a few more parking FAQs:
A: We’re expanding carpool parking for vehicles with four or more occupants in the following ways: // Free First Come, First Served (FCFS) Carpool Parking in Upper Lot 7 and Creekside P1 // // Free Reserved Carpool Parking in Upper Lot 7 and Creekside P1 //
Q: What are the new reservations-based parking options?
A: Free reservations-based parking will be available to vehicles, regardless of the number of occupants, in Upper Lot 6, Creekside Surface Overheight and Creekside P2.
Q: What are my options for parking without reservations or carpooling?
A: We have preserved free general occupancy, First Come, First Served (FCFS) options for guests who prefer flexible, no-reservation parking. These options will always be available, including before 11am on weekends, holiday Mondays, and the peak holiday period of Dec. 27 to 31, 2025, in the following areas: Upper Lot 8; Creekside Surface Overheight; Creekside P3; Creekside P4.
Limited terrain for opening day
Limited terrain for opening day
Limited terrain for opening day
While it’s been far more rain than snow so far in the valley this year, Whistler Blackcomb (WB) will open as scheduled for the 2025-26 season on Friday, Nov. 21, with Blackcomb Mountain kicking things off followed by Whistler next week.
“Opening day on Blackcomb will see Jersey Cream Express spinning, with access to Wishbone. Early-season conditions are present; therefore, no beginner terrain will be available at this time,” a WB spokesperson said in an email to Pique on Nov. 17.
“Whistler Mountain will open for its 60th anniversary season next week, featuring opening day festivities and a few special guests. More information to come.”
Those who come out for opening day “can expect plenty of energy and excitement, with music, surprise giveaways, and prizes for the earliest arrivals,” they added.
“As you might already know, early season brings variable conditions, which is nothing new to our snowmaking and grooming teams,” they said. “They have been working hard and taking advantage of every cold weather window to prepare a safe and fun opening day terrain package.”
Beyond opening day, the mountain operator has plenty in store for its 60th anniversary, including “community celebrations, live music, fire-lit shows and can’t-miss mountain moments,” according to its website. n
ONSELECT APPAREL, FOOTWEAR& ACCESSORIES
SHOPIN-STORE
WBOUTLET STOREWHISTLER 4204VILLAGESQUARE,UNIT#203 WHISTLER BC V8E1H5
WBOUTLET STORESQUAMISH 40147GLENALDERPLACE,UNIT#101 SQUAMISH, BC V8B0G2
Whistler rowers Cassidy Deane, Maureen Harriman realize international success in fall 2025
DEANE NETS DOUBLES SILVER AT HEAD OF THE CHARLES AFTER TWO TOP-SEVENS AT WORLDS, HARRIMAN GOLDEN AFTER VETERAN SINGLES AND QUADS RACES
BY DAVID SONG
AS FALL TAKES HOLD and winter looms, a pair of local rowers have been busy representing the Sea to Sky abroad whilst earning hardware for their performances.
Cassidy Deane helped Team Canada to sixth place in quadruple sculls and seventh in eights at the World Rowing Championships from Sept. 21 and 28 in Shanghai, China. She then flew to Boston, Mass. and united with Kristen Siermachesky for silver on Oct. 18 in championship doubles at the Head of the Charles (HOTC) regatta.
Maureen Harriman focused on HOTC and was rewarded with gold in both the veteran I singles and Director’s Challenge women’s quads disciplines. For the latter, she raced with Fran Tuite, Linda Muri and Ingeborg Stekl.
“It’s very exciting,” Deane said about her experience in Boston. “The championship women’s double is an event that I’ve raced before at Head of the Charles, so it was exciting to get on the podium this year in a field that was relatively competitive—especially coming off of Worlds.”
Harriman remarked: “This year of the Charles was incredibly special, winning both singles and a quad event with my crew, the Sirens. This boat is truly international. The women hail from Austria, the U.S. and Canada. I love racing
with them. We became good friends and they are all so inspirational.”
SEE WHERE YOU STAND
On the cusp of her 29th birthday, Deane has already accomplished a fair bit in her athletic career. The Queen’s University alum competed at Worlds in 2023, helping Canada lock up a Paris Olympic berth in eights, and herself harbours dreams of wearing the Maple Leaf once the Games return in 2028 to Los Angeles, Calif.
their respective divisions.
“It is a pretty windy course, but it was a lot of fun,” Deane remembered. “It’s just so exciting that there’s athletes of all different calibres at Head of the Charles: you’ve got some young high school kids looking up to people that represent their national teams all on the water alongside each other. And you’ve got 80-plus masters that have been rowing for 60 years … rowing really is a sport for all ages.
“I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to talk with [Maureen] at Head of the Charles, but Whistler does have some
“This year of the Charles was incredibly special, winning both singles and a quad event with my crew...”
- MAUREEN HARRIMAN
Her outings in Shanghai were a step in the right direction.
“I believe it was the first time in nine years that Canada had made an A final in a women’s quadruple sculls event,” noted Deane. “We were pretty excited to be working on this project and see that we are competitive within the field, and then the women’s eights … we had a bunch of athletes retire after the Paris Olympics so we had a fairly young crew. It was the first Worlds experience [for many of them], so it was exciting to kind of see where we stood.”
Meanwhile, HOTC is a prestigious regatta that is essentially the Boston Marathon of rowing. More than 300,000 fans showed up to cheer on 12,000 athletes slashing through the water in
great representation in the rowing community. She went out there and absolutely crushed it. To cheer her on and see her race was wonderful.”
‘MY SECOND ACT’
A national team standout from a bygone era, Harriman is a Worlds silver medallist from 1993 in the women’s lightweight fours category. For 15 years afterward, her life pivoted towards mothering three kids and working as an ENT specialist: a physician who treats conditions affecting the ear, nose, and throat. Harriman truly believed her rowing days were over—until fellow Whistlerite Diane Ziff crossed her bow.
“She was really involved in the masters scene and thought I’d enjoy it. It took a lot of convincing, but she was persistent,” Harriman said. “She called me, emailed me, even showed up at my office. Diane moved to Whistler and wanted some company on the water. Every excuse I had, she had an answer for, and before long I was back.”
The two began launching their boat on Alta Lake in every kind of weather, from beautiful serenity to chilly mornings and rain. Harriman’s body acclimated, but further convincing from Ziff was required for her to believe she might do well at HOTC.
Harriman finished in the top 10 at her maiden HOTC appearance before winning in 2015—and once more this fall. Now in her sixth decade of life, she thrives even though Ziff has moved down to Vancouver.
“The start of my second act as a rower … it’s opened a whole new world to me, introducing me to many incredible people,” commented Harriman. “I’ve been invited into this community of masters athletes, reconnecting with athletes that I knew in my past and meeting a whole group of new ones—all linked through their love of rowing.
“Training has been a lot of hard work, especially after having back surgery just a year and a half ago. I’ve never had to come back from a really debilitating health issue before, so it’s giving me a new appreciation for health and sport. Diane really changed the way I think about sport. She showed me that an athletic career doesn’t have to end in your 20s. Sport can be enjoyed lifelong.” Visit regattacentral.com/regatta/ results2?job_id=9637&org_id=0 for more results from HOTC. n
ROW BY ROW Maureen Harriman (front) rows with Fran Tuite, Linda Muri and Ingeborg Stekl at Head of the Charles 2025 in Boston, Mass.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAUREEN HARRIMAN
Natural Selection Tour bringing new Super Session to Journeyman Lodge
THE CALLAGHAN VALLEY EVENT WILL PREMIERE FEB. 24
BY DAVID SONG
THIS FEBRUARY, evo’s Journeyman Lodge will host the Natural Selection Tour (NST) women’s Super Sessions with a greater focus on collaborative snowboarding compared to Duels from years past. Three ladies will be invited to the Callaghan Valley to partake in this new stage, with a fourth selected by fans via an NST and Red Bull-sponsored contest.
A total of eight men will face their own Super Sessions across two venues: Myōkō, Japan and Powder Mountain, Utah. The lineup for both genders will be unveiled in mid-December.
“Super Sessions is an evolution of what we’ve been building with the Natural Selection Tour,” said Liam Griffin, NST chief operating officer, in a press release. “By creating a session-based format, we’re encouraging riders to collaborate and push their boundaries while maintaining that competitive spirit. It’s a more natural and dynamic way to showcase the incredible talent and creativity that defines backcountry freestyle snowboarding—and it’s going to be even more exciting to watch from home.”
Journeyman Lodge, having hosted a Duel between Brin Alexander and Bjorn Leines in February 2025, was selected again as a venue for its natural features and consistently deep snowpack. One woman will advance out of the Callaghan Valley to join four pre-qualified riders at the NST finale in Revelstoke, B.C.
Incumbent ladies’ champ Spencer O’Brien has pre-qualified for Revelstoke, but believes the new format will alleviate logistical issues that plagued previous Duel matchups. To coordinate six or seven Duels at differing locations requires a number of factors to line up each year: athlete schedules, media availability, weather windows, etc.
“Some of them turned out great, others not so much,” O’Brien remarked. “To have a Super Session, I think, is a much better call. For the women’s side,
it’s really great because we’re going to see more faces—last year we only had one women’s Duel.
“When you take away the head-tohead format, it becomes a little bit more like a crew filming in the backcountry. You want everyone to get shots, but you also still want to get shots yourself and it’s kind of a team sport. You can save the head-to-heads for finals, because they are fun to watch.”
‘BACK TO OUR ROOTS’
O’Brien retired from slopestyle snowboarding after the 2019 X Games and was not sure if she would keep competing in any manner. Her first brush with NST came unexpectedly in 2022 and she admits to struggling in those early outings, yet a wildcard berth for Revelstoke last year felt like “fate.”
“I was really glad I took the chance,” said O’Brien. “Winning it was pretty surreal. Having that title on the mantle next to X Games, U.S. Open and World Championships is just really special. What Travis Rice created [in Natural Selection] is really respected within the core of snowboarding … it does bridge that gap between [freestyle contests and backcountry-focused riding]. Anytime we get an event like NST or The Uninvited or RnD, we’re back to our roots.”
Every NST campaign is more or less a fresh slate. Rice and his fellow organizers keep looking for desirable ways to innovate, keeping athletes on their toes. As a result, O’Brien tries not to put much pressure on herself to defend her crown—instead, her goal is to approach Revelstoke with an open mind and ride more technical terrain than before.
The two-time Olympian has lived part-time in Whistler for almost 20 years and loves to tackle powder with her many friends in the local snowboard community. She hopes to continue representing them well.
NST Super Sessions will be broadcast Feb. 24 on Red Bull TV. Visit naturalselectiontour.com for details. n
Land Act: NoticeofIntention to Apply fora DispositionofCrown Land
Take notice that AlpX ExpeditionsLP of Vancouver, BC has applied to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship(WLRS), Thompson-Okanagan, fora License of Occupation for Commercial Recreation use forthe purpose of Heli-bikingactivities situated on Provincial Crown land locatedin the vicinity of Bralorne, BC.
WLRSinvitescomments on this application. The LandsFile number for this application is 3413695 Comments on this application may be submittedin twoways:
1)Online via the Applications, Comments and Reasons for Decision Database website at: http://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/
2) By mail to Senior Land Officer, Thompson-Okanagan WLRS, at 441 Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC V2C2T3. Comments will be received by WLRSuntil December 24th, 2025. WLRS may not be able to receive comments received after this date
Be advised that any response to this advertisement will be consideredpart of the public record. Access to these records requires the submissionof a Freedom of Information(FOI) request. Visit http://www.gov.bc.ca/freedomofinformation to learn more aboutFOI submissions.”
ALL NATURAL The Journeyman Lodge in Callaghan Valley will host a Natural Selection Tour Super Session in February.
PHOTO BY BEN GIRARDI
Whistler ROCKS searching for new permanent venue, adds three board members
FOUNDER NATALIE KINGI HOPES TO MAKE INROADS WITH THE FORMER LES GROS RESTAURANT SITE NEAR TAMARISK
BY DAVID SONG
WHISTLER RECREATE Our Community Kitchen Society (ROCKS) is on the lookout for its forever home.
ROCKS’ present arrangement with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) grants it a central, bus-reachable location that accommodates up to 70 people with free parking close at hand. WMSC can host a free community dinner once every two to three weeks and ROCKS founder Natalie Kingi describes its people as “amazing,” but she has loftier goals in mind: a long-term, sustainable space where her organization could host two to three meals per week.
This type of development won’t materialize overnight—Kingi and her team needed almost two years to secure a commitment from the WMSC—but they do have an option in mind: the former Les Gros Restaurant.
Positioned at the Twin Lakes complex near Tamarisk, this site has been empty for five years but is zoned appropriately for food service with a large kitchen and dining area, ample storage space and onsite parking. Much like the WMSC, it is located conveniently for residents who live in Creekside and other neighbourhoods further south, which Kingi feels are underserved by most community functions.
The main obstacle is Le Gros’ $2.5-million price tag.
“Obviously, we’re not the only ones in Whistler that would like this … but if you don’t ask, you don’t get and we just want to keep putting it out there,” Kingi said. “[At WMSC] we’re very restricted on the types of menu items we can do because we get the venue two hours beforehand and then have to pack up everything. You start small and build upon it.
“[Le Gros] could be such a cool community project—getting community members in with their skill sets to help paint it, to help start up a garden, get
continue the conversation in hopes of eventually making progress.
‘AMAZING CONNECTIONS’
In other news, ROCKS has welcomed three new board members: Bevin Heath Ansley, Rhawnie Vallins and Naomi Pitt.
Ansley has worked on the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) Learning and Education Task Force, Councillor Jen Ford’s recent provincial campaign and chaired the Whistler Public Library Board while co-owning the family business Local Canning Ltd.
“Could we pay rent? No, not necessarily, but there’s going to be someone in Whistler one day that wants to host an amazing nonprofit to serve community meals.”
- NATALIE KINGI
chairs and tables all donated. A new restaurant would need to spend $100,000 on getting it up to a restaurant standard, but that is different, in my mind, to a community multi-use standard. Could we pay rent? No, not necessarily, but there’s going to be someone in Whistler one day that wants to host an amazing non-profit to serve community meals.”
Kingi admitted ROCKS is nowhere close to acquiring or partnering with Le Gros at the moment, but she plans to
Owner of a master’s degree in linguistics and a background in fundraising/sponsorship contact, Vallins has taught English in Brazilian favelas and served on the board of Vancouver Pride Society.
Pitt, an HR professional and former Audain Gala Committee member, aims to work with ROCKS volunteers.
Each has stepped up to help fill a void created by the departure of founding members Kera Heringa and
Jack Coombes.
“All of them have got amazing connections in the community of Whistler,” said Kingi about her new board members. “They’ve worked at various places, and they bring new energy and new life. I’ve been running this obviously from the start and had some great people support me along the way, but … all the stars aligned for them to join at this time.”
ROCKS’ primary goal is to deliver 1,000 meals to locals in need, and they’ve managed 160 as of this writing. Sponsorship is vital—for example, the non-profit’s Oct. 29 dinner cost $485 instead of $1,508 due to contributions from its own volunteers, WMSC, Slope Side Supply, Your Independent Grocers, Whistler Personnel Services, Purebread, Rootdown and Helmers Organic Farms, and Whistler Cooks. Guests donated an additional $420.
“I always knew the community here is very generous, amazing and supportive so that’s invaluable,” Kingi remarked. “By managing those relationships … we can ultimately become a bit more selfsustaining. We’re making sure that every volunteer is well-fed and watered so they keep wanting to come back.”
ROCKS now has about 86 volunteers, Kingi added. “People really love to help because they get such a fulfilled purpose from it. Two-and-a-half hour shifts, it’s very easy to volunteer,” she said. “They help shape the vision and give so much energy to every night you can see. It can’t happen on my will alone.”
Visit whistler-rocks.ca to learn more about ROCKS meals and programming. n
STILL ROCKING Whistler ROCKS now has about 86 volunteers.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER ROCKS
MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE
These classes are included with your price of admission for no extra charge.
Pacific Baroque Orchestra Chamber Players to play Whistler
ALEX WEIMANN AND THE MEYERS SISTERS WILL PERFORM NOV. 23 AT THE MAURY YOUNG ARTS CENTRE
BY DAVID SONG
VIRTUALLY EVERYONE who has received formal teaching on instruments like the violin or piano has heard the term “Baroque.” It is an era of art and culture that defined most of Western society from the early 17th to mid 18th centuries. Music of this period is oftentimes dramatic and interesting to listen to, while its composers achieved what we might call “rockstar status” in their respective nations.
Chloe Meyers of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra Chamber Players (PBO) and her fellow violinist Christi Meyers are soon uniting with decorated harpsichord maestro Alexander Weimann to bring the best of Baroque up Highway 99 in partnership with the Whistler Chamber Music Society on Nov. 23. They’ll be playing various trio sonatas, a genre that typically includes four musical movements of different tempos: slow, fast, slow, fast.
“[People] will hear a bit of French music, some Italian, some English,
some German music,” Chloe says. “One of the joys of playing early music on Baroque violins is that we really like to historically study how the different styles were played. Each country had its own flavour. This concert really covers a taste of everything. There’s lots of slow but beautiful movements, and also many super exciting and splashy moments.”
as opposed to hammered. Keyboarders proficient in this field improvise on a regular basis, making up harmonies from any given bass line.
“A harpsichordist can determine how well the violins sound just based on how he is going to support us in his continual line,” explains Chloe. “Alex Weimann is one of the greats. He’s
“[W]e really like to historically study how the different styles were played.”
- CHLOE MEYERS
Baroque violins are built to resemble their predecessors from the 1600s as closely as possible. They produce lowerpitched, more relaxed sounds than other violins by way of less tension on the strings. Animal gut is used to make these strings as opposed to steel, while the bows are slightly longer and much lighter than bows used to play more modern instruments.
Meanwhile, the kind of harpsichord to be used by Weimann is an ancestor to the more ubiquitous piano. Chloe describes harpsichords as a blend between harps and pianos, with strings that are plucked
always creating … there’s no autopilot allowed. He has been around for many years, playing music so beautifully on all types of keyboards. He’s so experienced and has worked with many people from all over the world.”
‘A SECRET LANGUAGE’
The Meyers sisters are skilful musicians in their own right. They and their brother were raised by a professional pianist in Alberta, beginning to play at three or four years of age. Christi, the older sister, was educated at the University of Victoria and
McGill University, with Chloe following her to both institutions.
Chloe also had a turn as trend-setter, picking up Baroque violin and inspiring Christi to follow suit. They’re both now a part of the PBO, which was founded in 1990 and has since established itself as a key actor on Vancouver’s classical music scene. Since 2009, Weimann has directed the PBO.
“[Christi and I] actually have a lot of joy playing together,” Chloe says. “My sister is really good. She plays with the Victoria Symphony [as well] and we actually get along great. A lot of siblings fight, but it’s very rare that my sister and I fight because we grew up so young, making music together all the time. It’s almost like a secret language that we share, so we understand each other instantly. We often play together and then travel together. It’s a great way to be with family.”
Chloe and Weimann have previously performed in the Audain Art Museum: a day she remembers fondly for the eager audience that showed up. She hopes Whistler will again turn out to support chamber music and enjoy what the Baroque era has to offer.
The concert is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. Visit whistlerchambermusic. ca/concert/pacific-baroque-orchestrachamber-players for tickets. n
IN CONCERT Pacific Baroque Orchestra violinist Chloe Meyers.
PHOTO BY MARK MUSHET
2025 Arts Whistler Holiday Market
scheduled for Nov. 29 and 30
APPROXIMATELY 70 VENDORS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND
BY DAVID SONG
IT IS FAST APPROACHING a favoured time of year for many local shoppers: the Arts Whistler Holiday Market.
Once again, the Westin Resort and Spa is on deck to host more than 70 artisans during a two-day span. Many vendors hail from the Sea to Sky area, but some will be visiting from other towns like Kamloops and Osoyoos. Together they’ll offer a generous variety of goods, from apparel and handcrafted jewellery to ceramics, food and drink.
“Primarily we are an organization focused on local artists, providing those opportunities and bringing things to our local community,” says Dave Francis, Arts Whistler’s programs and events manager. “The Holiday Market is one of the very few events where we have artisans travelling to us from a little further afield. It’s a slight increase in our reach, in our scope as an organization.”
Now entering its 34th year, the Holiday Market runs using a tried-andtrue formula (“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” remarks Arts Whistler executive director Maureen Douglas). No major changes are planned, though Whistler Gymnastics has reached out for the first time about running a gift-wrapping station by donation.
Francis oversaw his inaugural Holiday Market in 2024 and enjoyed the experience, for it gave him a chance to be in regular contact with dozens of local artists. He remembers many vendors telling him how grateful they were to be selling in Whistler and how much the event benefited them as small business owners or independent makers.
‘A BIG OLD CIRCLE’
The Holiday Market continues to play a key role in the local arts ecosystem. It
grants a platform for not only vendors, but also performers like the Whistler Singers and Whistler Children’s Chorus as well as Bratz Biz—the latter of which is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Despite being a separately managed endeavour with a focus on adolescent entrepreneurship, Bratz Biz has long coexisted in symbiosis with the Holiday Market.
“We’re able to build an ongoing relationship, bringing Bratz Biz with us and helping them elevate what they’ve done,” Douglas says. “It expands the experience for the community and all attendees: they come downstairs into that main ballroom and it’s 70 vendors doing fantastic stuff. Then they take a walk up the staircase to the retail level and there’s 40 youth. Some of what the kids put together is incredibly clever— I’ve watched some of them grow up to the point where they’re coming into the Holiday Market space.”
Douglas also notes a $5 admission fee makes the Holiday Market substantially more affordable than any similar event in the Sea to Sky.
“All the money that we raise coming out of the event helps cover the core costs, but also it goes right back into supporting our other programs,” she emphasizes. “Some of the earnings we would get from the Holiday Market are going to directly inform how much funding we have going into something like Art on the Lake [or the] Whistler Children’s Festival.
“Everything’s kind of a big old circle here, really, but I think it helps people to know that you’re not just hopefully getting some really fabulous gifts for the holidays, things that you might enjoy, but you’re actually helping to support year-round arts programming.”
The Holiday Market will take place Nov. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit artswhistler. com/holiday-market for tickets and more information. n
MARKET FORCES Two costumed vendors interact at the 2024 Arts Whistler Holiday Market.
PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH
Here’s a quick look at some events happening in Whistler this week and beyond. FIND MORE LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS (and submit your own for free!)
SANTA PAWS
NORTH AMERICAN CUP BOBSLED AND SKELETON
The Whistler Sliding Centre hosts sliding athletes from around the world as they compete in various disciplines for medals, glory and possibly an eventual berth to the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy.
> Nov. 21 to 24
> Whistler Sliding Centre
CANDLELIGHT CONCERTS FEATURING VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS, COLDPLAY
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multisensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before. Discover the music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Coldplay under the gentle glow of candlelight in Whistler.
> Nov. 22, 6:30 p.m. (Vivaldi) and 8:30 p.m. (Coldplay)
> Maury Young Arts Centre
SANTA PAWS FUNDRAISER
The annual Santa Paws fundraiser returns. All proceeds raised at this event go directly to PAWS PembertonPemberton Animal Well-Being Society. Minimum $15 donation for photos; pets or no pets, everyone welcome!
> Nov. 23
> North Arm Farm
THE NORTH FACE PRESENTS NOTES IN MOTION
New for 2025, the first snow sports film from The North Face athlete Ian McIntosh, captures skiing as a dialogue with weather, terrain, and self. Through storm and stillness, it reveals how struggle becomes expression and play becomes purpose. Don’t miss this event screening, a collective experience and a portrait of euphoria, not the reward but the signal of becoming.
> Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
> Longhorn Saloon and Grill
SCREEN PRINTING WITH MÉLISSE CARRON
Spend a fun evening learning the art of screen printing from experienced print artist Mélisse Carron. Discover
Screen Printing and Linoprint. Bring T-shirts, hoodies, shirts, wood boards and print from one of Melisse’s designs. $50 includes supplies.
> Nov. 23, 7 p.m.
> The Point Artist-Run Centre
TEEN ART COLLECTIVE
A safe, supportive space for teens to explore their thoughts and emotions through creative expression. Guided by a trained art therapist, classes encourage self-awareness, emotional growth and personal insight using a variety of art materials and techniques. Whether coping with anxiety, stress, self-esteem issues, or simply seeking a creative outlet, this class empowers teens to use art as a tool for healing, growth, and self-discovery.
> Nov. 24, 4 p.m.
> Audain Art Museum
CALL & RESPONSE: A CONVERSATION WITH LOCAL POETS
Is poetry still relevant in 2025? Does it evoke a sense of place, or does a place inspire poetry? These questions and more will be explored. An eclectic mix of Sea to Sky poets and poetry lovers will gather for a lively evening celebrating the power of poetry to connect and awaken us. Registration required.
> Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
> Whistler Public Library
THE PEOPLE’S FILM PRESENTS LA LA LAND
The People’s Film returns, this time dancing through the technicolour streets of Los Angeles with La La Land. Follow Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) as they chase love, jazz, and their dreams under the glow of old Hollywood. Experience the awardwinning musical on the big screen and raise a glass to magic and nostalgia with the signature Starlight Spritz consisting of bubbles, lemon, gin, and a touch of sparkle!
> Nov. 26, 7 p.m.
> Maury Young Arts Centre
What’s the first step in protecting nature?
BY : KRISTINA SWERHUN
“I think sometimes we need to take a step back and just remember that we’ve no greater right to be on the planet than any other animal.”
-David Attenborough
FROM WHISTLER’S FIRST Official Community Plan in 1976 to the most recent, “protecting nature” has consistently been listed as a high priority. I’d like to think the ongoing commitment stems from two reasons. First, protecting nature means protecting biodiversity, which is the foundation of healthy, functioning ecosystems of which we are a component. So, we’re protecting biodiversity because we can’t survive without it. Second, and this requires a slight shift in perspective, I share David Attenborough’s belief that every species has an equal right to exist. So, hopefully, we’re protecting species regardless of their usefulness to humans.
The first step in protecting biodiversity is to know what species and ecosystems are present and their current health. If we don’t know this information, we have no baseline for understanding what needs to be done to protect and restore ecosystems.
The first report on Whistler’s biodiversity, Mammals of the Alta Lake Region, was published in 1935 by Ken Racey and Ian McTaggart Cowan and lists 42 mammal species.
Birds were inventoried next, with Racey listing 137 species in 1948. The tradition of “citizen science” in bird studies continued, as Max Götz, Nancy Ricker, and Vicky Troup updated the list to include 175 bird species in 1996, following 10 years of monitoring. (Note that today’s birding efforts, under the umbrella of the Whistler Naturalists and led largely by Karl Ricker, Heather Baines and Chris Dale, bring our list up to 274 bird species.)
By 2005, the total number of species documented in Whistler, including mammals, birds, and other species,
was approximately 335. What happened next demonstrates to me how much one person can enrich our community.
Bob Brett is a longtime resident, a Registered Professional Biologist, founding president of the Whistler Naturalists (1999), and founder of the Whistler Biodiversity Project (WBP). Operating since 2004, the WBP is Whistler’s primary source of biodiversity data, gathering information through surveys, engaging specialists, and compiling data.
One of the primary goals of the WBP is to document species, enabling more informed management decisions that support biodiversity. However, Bob points out that although this is fundamentally true, information alone is not enough. Without political will, biodiversity conservation can get ignored.
It’s worth noting volunteers at the Whistler Naturalists have contributed almost half of all WBP records through long-running annual events that Bob founded and continues to lead: Fungus Among Us (since 2004) and BioBlitz (since 2007).
In the 20 years since the WBP was initiated, an average of 235 species per year have been added to the list, so today we know at least 5,000 species call Whistler home. Amazing! This number continues to increase annually, thanks to Bob’s commitment to understanding nature. However, the numbers alone aren’t even the most intriguing part.
Bob’s long involvement with the WBP has contributed significantly to our understanding of Whistler’s natural environment. His name appears on the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health web page across a range of projects, including Ecosystem Monitoring Reports, Species at Risk Reports, and the Priority Habitat Framework. He has also worked on managing invasive species, studying forest age, and monitoring active beaver lodges. His efforts have helped build a clearer picture of local biodiversity and encouraged others to take an interest
DIVERSE INTERESTS Bob Brett, Whistler’s biodiversity champion, at an active beaver lodge at Lost Lake. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB BRETT
ASTROLOGY
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the coming weeks, I invite you to commune intimately with your holy anger. Not petulant tantrums, not the ego’s defensive rage, but the fierce love that refuses to tolerate injustice. You will be wise to draw on the righteous “No!” that draws boundaries and defends the vulnerable. I hope you will call on protective fury on behalf of those who need help. Here’s a reminder of what I’m sure you know: Calmness in the face of cruelty isn’t enlightenment but complicity. Your anger, when it safeguards and serves love rather than destroys, is a spiritual practice.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Korean concept of jeong is the emotional bond that forms between people, places, or things through shared experiences over time. It’s deeper than love and more complex than attachment: the accumulated weight of history together. You can have jeong for a person you don’t even like anymore, for a city that broke your heart, for a coffee mug you’ve used every morning for years. As the scar tissue of togetherness, it can be beautiful and poignant. Now is an especially good time for you to appreciate and honour your jeong. Celebrate and learn from the soulful mysteries your history has bequeathed you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): More than 100 trillion bacteria live in your intestines. They have a powerful impact. They produce neurotransmitters, influence your mood, train your immune system, and communicate with your brain via the vagus nerve. Other life forms are part of the team within you, too, including fungi, viruses, and archaea. So in a real sense, you are not merely a human who contains small organisms. You are an ecosystem of species making collective decisions. Your “gut feelings” are collaborations. I bring this all to your attention because the coming weeks will be a highly favourable time to enhance the health of your gut biome. For more info: tinyurl.com/ EnhanceGutBiome.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Why, yes, I myself am born under the sign of Cancer the Crab, just as you are. So as I offer you my ongoing observations and counsel, I am also giving myself blessings. In the coming weeks, we will benefit from going through a phase of consolidation and integration. The creative flourishes we have unveiled recently need to be refined and activated on deeper levels. This necessary deepening may initially feel more like work than play, and not as much fun as the rapid progress we have been enjoying. But with a slight tweak of our attitude, we can thoroughly thrive during this upcoming phase.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I suggest that in the coming weeks you care more about getting things done than pursuing impossible magnificence. The simple labour of love you actually finish is worth more than the masterpiece you never start. The healthy but makeshift meal you throw together feeds you well, whereas the theoretical but abandoned feast does not. Even more than usual, Leo, the perfect will be the enemy of the good. Here are quotes to inspire you. 1. “Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.” —Anne Wilson Schaef. 2. “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” —Harriet Braiker. 3. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” —Vince Lombardi.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Now is an excellent time to practice the art of forgetting. I hope you formulate an intention to release the grievances and grudges that are overdue for dissolution. They not only don’t serve you but actually diminish you. Here’s a fact about your brain: It remembers everything unless you actively practice forgetting. So here’s my plan: Meditate on the truth that forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a decision to stop rehearsing the resentment, to quit telling yourself the story that keeps the wound fresh. The lesson you’re ready to learn: Some memories are worth evicting. Not all the past is worth preserving. Selective amnesia can be a survival skill.
BREZSNY
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A Navajo blessing says, “May you walk in beauty.” Not just see beauty or create it, but walk in it, inhabit it, and move through the world as if beauty is your gravity. When you’re at the height of your lyrical powers, Libra, you do this naturally. You are especially receptive to the aesthetic soul of things. You can draw out the harmony beneath surface friction and improvise grace in the midst of chaos. I’m happy to tell you that you are currently at the height of these lyrical powers. I hope you’ll be bold in expressing them. Even if others aren’t consciously aware and appreciative of what you’re doing, beautify every situation you’re in.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your theme for the coming weeks is the fertile power of small things: the transformations that happen in the margins and subtle gestures. A kind word that shifts someone’s day, for instance. Or a refusal to participate in casual cruelty. Or a choice to see value in what you’re supposed to ignore. So I hope you will meditate on this healing theme: Change doesn’t always announce itself with drama and manifestos. The most heroic act might be to pay tender attention and refuse to be numbed. Find power in understated insurrections.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A day on Venus (one rotation on its axis) lasts about 243 Earth days. However, a year on Venus (one orbit around the sun) takes only about 225 Earth days. So a Venusian day is longer than its year. If you lived on Venus, the sun wouldn’t even set before your next Venusian birthday arrived. Here’s another weird fact: Contrary to what happens on every other planet in the solar system, on Venus the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Moral of the story: Even planets refuse to conform and make their own rules. If celestial bodies can be so gloriously contrary to convention, so can you. In accordance with current astrological omens, I encourage you to exuberantly explore this creative freedom in the coming weeks.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s revisit the ancient Greeks’ understanding that we are all born with a daimon: a guiding spirit who whispers help and counsel, especially if we stay alert for its assistance. Typically, the messages are subtle, even half-disguised. Our daimons don’t usually shout. But I predict that will change for you in the coming weeks, especially if you cultivate listening as a superpower. Your personal daimon will be extra talkative and forthcoming. So be vigilant for unexpected support, Capricorn. Expect epiphanies and breakthrough revelations. Pay attention to the book that falls open to a page that has an oracular hint just for you. Take notice of a song that repeats or a sudden urge to change direction on your walk.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Awe should be one of your featured emotions in the coming weeks. I hope you will also seek out and cultivate reverence, deep respect, excited wonder, and an attraction to sublime surprises. Why do I recommend such seemingly impractical measures? Because you’re close to breaking through into a heightened capacity for generosity of spirit and a sweet lust for life. Being alert for amazement and attuned to transcendent experiences could change your life for the better forever. I love your ego—it’s a crucial aspect of your make-up—but now is a time to exalt and uplift your soul.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What if your anxiety is actually misinterpreted excitement? What if the difference between worry and exhilaration is the story you tell yourself about the electricity streaming through you? Maybe your body is revving up for something interesting and important, but your mind mislabels the sensation. Try this experiment: Next time your heart races and your mind spins, tell yourself “I’m excited” instead of “I’m anxious.” See if your mood shape-shifts.
Homework: What innovations are you finally done rehearsing and ready to unveil? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.
In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
In-depth weekly forecasts designed to inspire and uplift you. To buy access, phone 1-888-499-4425. Once you’ve chosen the Block of Time you like, call 1-888-682-8777 to hear Rob’s forecasts. www.freewillastrology.com
Winter Service Change
Effective Nov21,2025toApr2026
Regularseasonal changes including:
• Increasedservice on Routes4,5, 7, 20X,25,31,32,and 33
• Freewintershuttles on Route 4 Marketplace and Route 5UpperVillage/Benchland
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Lost and Found?
If you spot a stray animal or have lost an animal, call WAG at 604-935-8364. WAG operates a lost and found service to help reunite lost pets with their families.
Headquartered inPemberton,the Squamish-LillooetRegionalDistrict(SLRD)deliversa wide rangeof regional, sub-regionaland local services toits residents.The SLRDis a BCRegional District consisting offour membermunicipalities(Squamish,Whistler,Pemberton,Lillooet)andfourelectoralareas.Servicesinclude landuseplanning,solidwastemanagement,buildinginspection,fireprotection,emergencypreparedness, 911 services, recreation,water andsewer utilities,regionaltransit,trailsand openspaces aswell as financial support for variouscommunityservices The regioncontainssomeofthe mostspectacular forests,waterways, andmountainsintheprovinceandaffordsanendlessrangeofopportunitiesfor outdooradventure,making itanexceptionalplacetolive,workandplay.
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Th e salaryrangefo r thispositio n is$104,978 - $118,154annually.A comprehensiv e extended b enefit s package,participatio n inth e MunicipalPensio n Plan,compresse d workweek (9-dayfortnight),andprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesarealsoavailable.
UnderthedirectionoftheChiefAdministrativeOfficer, the DirectorofTitle &RightsoverseesalloperationsoftheLil’wat NationTitle &R ightsDepartment,ensuringth ee ff ective assertionandprotectionofLil’watNationrights,title,and intereststhroughouttheNation’s traditionalterritory. This leadership roleincludesmanagingdepartmental staff and budgets,guidingthe implemen tationan dd evelop ment ofland-us ep olicies,an de ngaginginconsultatio n sa nd negotiatio n sw it hp ri vate-sector p artner sa nd Prov incial , Federal,andlocalgovernments. T heDi re ctorwillalso overseefisheries,environmental, andarchaeologicalfield work,manageculturaldataandGISsystems,andsupport theprofessionalgrowthofthe team.Workingcollaboratively withtheChief AdministrativeOfficerandChiefsandCouncil, theDirectorplays akey role inadvancingLil’wat Nation landsstrategiesandensuringinformeddecision-makingon territorialland-use.
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A monumental gift
WHEN I TOOK the stage with 7IDANsuu master carver James Hart, his son Gwaliga, and Audain Art Museum director Curtis Collins on Oct. 30 to moderate a discussion for the launch of the book 7IDANsuu James Hart: A Monumental
BY LESLIE ANTHONY
I began by noting how it was a pleasure and an honour—on behalf of both the museum and the Whistler Writers Festival—to do so.
In hindsight, my official housekeeping should also have referenced a town’s gratitude for having some of Hart’s greatest works sited here, both within and outside the Audain. For anyone who has stood mesmerized before Hart’s masterpiece, The Dance Screen (The Scream Too), or marvelled at the stoic power of his ambassadorial icon, The Three Watchmen, it should be clear that the presence of these works not only puts Whistler in rarified company, but has brought appreciation for the rejuvenation of Haida cultural and art traditions to both a generation of our citizens and visitors from around the world.
Befitting its title and subject matter, the book—Hart’s first and the only place to find a collected representation of his globally-scattered works—is itself a monumental celebration and genuine
team effort. Published by the Audain and co-authored by Hart and Collins, it contains essays not only by this pair (Collins also does the heavier academic lifting for the 19 monuments assembled here), but friend and patron Michael Audain, the indefatigable Wade Davis, and Gwaliga—who has borne witness to his father’s journey, served as performer in activating some works, and facilitated aspects of the book. Combined, these perspectives establish a deep sense of the cultural, personal and professional contexts in which Hart’s practice began, blossomed and flourished. As such, my first question to him was perhaps an obvious one: as the artist and focus of all this, what was it like sitting down to recall his own story—which he’d ultimately written out by hand?
“Terrifying,” he’d responded—only half-joking—before going on to detail how difficult it can be to see your life laid out before you. But those waypoints, as recounted in the book, provided for great discussion. For instance, though Hart writes that dreaming in Haida had left him around five years old and only recently returned, I offer that his art suggests these dreams may have merely shifted deeper into his subconscious to serve another purpose. This merits a thoughtful nod that seems to go back in time.
Though firmly enmeshed in the fishing community he lived in on Haida Gwaii, Hart became interested in art at the end of high school, when he began carving and digging into the Haida art form. He came quickly to an understanding that he had it in him to pursue this further, a sense he describes as “a force of some sort.” Though it overwhelmed him at first, the eventual way through, he discovered, was acceptance. Going with it, so to speak.
At the beginning of Hart’s autobiographical section, “Early Days,”
there’s a black and white photo of him as a young man, shirtless, tool in hand, scrambling around Bill Reid’s epic Raven and the First Men in a studio space at the University of British Columbia where he and other mentees had been invited to participate under tutelage of the iconic carver. The photo brims with intensity and animation—as if everything is at some kind of crossroads. Questioned about what the photo brings to mind— what he was thinking then or hoping might come next—Hart recalls more than just carving opportunity. He sees a young man from a small, quiet town out of his element trying to drink in the world. “Everything was new to me—the city, the traffic, an institution like the university, the expectation; but I had a lot of energy and I was up for it.”
In the book, Hart’s monuments, both statuary and poles, are depicted as expansive visuals that capture the way they’d impress a viewer on the ground, and dissected in the kind of detail we humans like to obsess over. Aiding that mission are shots Collins acquired by working with a drone operator, bringing scale, scope and minutiae to the eye that would otherwise remain elusive; the typically limiting two-dimensional nature of a book thus does a yeoman’s job of helping readers understand the threedimensional nature and impact of what they’re seeing on the page—something Hart does instinctually as he’s planning and creating.
Haida art traditions had ebbed to a low when Hart and others took on the job of piecing them back together in the 1970s. He tackled this through intense study of anything and everything he could get his hands on, becoming a voracious consumer of images. In his own contribution, Wade Davis points to Hart’s statement: “All of the answers are in the old pieces.”
The book isn’t a catalogue but a very specific couching, recounting and description of Hart’s monumental works in the cultural and professional context of the times they were produced in. Almost like curating an exhibition that can be walked through front-to-back or in parts. “The intent was to identify and put together a book exhibition of Jim’s most important monuments,” said Collins. “An exhibition that could physically never happen.”
And the book goes further, using the focus on monuments—both cedar and bronze—to give fuller understanding to other elements of Hart’s practice that have played into these. Elements that see Haida art traditions moving in tandem with a modern world. A key reason for this is Collins’ desire to have the book help break monumental works of the coast free from the anthropological treatment they’ve traditionally been hobbled by. “This is art,” he says, emphatically separating it from the received view of some cherished Pacific Northwest leitmotif. “And like all art, it’s evolving.”
Though the questions put to him could keen to the serious, Hart’s sense of humour always seems to lead his answers. Indeed, Collins writes that during their many interview sessions in Haida Gwaii, whenever he’d asked how long it took Hart to complete a particular piece, or surmount a specific technical challenge, the master carver would answer “About 10,000 years.”
Having 7IDANsuu James Hart on stage in Whistler to discuss his new book—like having some of his greatest works here to enjoy on the daily—was not only a pleasure and an honour, but a true gift.
Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. n
7IDANsuu master carver
James Hart, his son Gwaliga, and Audain Art Museum
director Curtis Collins join Leslie Anthony for a discussion at the Whistler Writers Festival.
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