06 OPENING REMARKS Whistler’s efforts to transform the culture around the Victoria Day long weekend appear to be paying dividends, writes editor Braden Dupuis.
08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter writers share thanks for successful fundraisers, and lament the impacts of climate change in Whistler.
28 RANGE ROVER Leslie Anthony shares a spring-skiing dispatch as Whistler Blackcomb prepares to shift to summer operations.
58 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST What makes a good pep talk? The power is in the companionship, writes Lisa Richardson.
12 DUSTY TRAILS The Whistler Off Road Cycling Association says a steady rise in trail use is putting growing pressure on Whistler’s trail network.
13 LAY OF THE LAND Whistler landscape architect Tom Barratt, Valley Trail visionary, was honoured recently by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.
42 FIELD OF DREAMS The Whistler Field Hockey Club is gaining momentum, and planning a second edition of its popular Marmot Cup tournament this summer.
48 FOR THE KIDS The Whistler Children’s Festival returns May 15 to 17, with an emphasis on inclusion and imagination.
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The evolving reputation of May long in Whistler
THERE WAS A TIME, not too long ago, when May long weekend meant one thing for most Whistler locals: get out of town and don’t look back.
That’s because, for many years, Whistler had a reputation for getting, shall we say, rowdy on May long—but not by its own hand. Droves of drunk
BY BRADEN DUPUIS
high-schoolers clashing in the Village, violence and vandalism, and even the occasional gang incident were the expectation most years.
archives paints a telling picture of the anxiety the weekend caused, both in the lead-up and the aftermath.
“Gang Task Force on lookout over May long weekend,” reads one headline, while several others warn of an increased police presence ahead.
For the most part, despite the weekend’s unsavoury reputation in town, the aftermath/wrap-up articles the following week tell stories of quiet, peaceful weekends.
But May long in Whistler didn’t get that reputation for nothing, and the handful of bad headlines show why something needed to change.
Perhaps the most notorious incident occurred in 2015, when the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and its resort partners were already trying to turn the tide with the new Great Outdoors Festival (GO Fest).
On May 17, 2015, Burnaby teen Luka Gordic was killed when he was swarmed and stabbed by a group of teens from the Lower Mainland. He would have turned
30 on May 2 of this year.
The memory hangs clear as day; police tape, and a bouquet of flowers placed on a bench along Main Street, near where the murder occurred—a punch in the gut for every Whistlerite. Despite our best efforts, the violence still arrived. But one might argue persistence has paid off.
Formed in 2014, the May Long Weekend Committee consisted of representatives from the RMOW, bylaw, the RCMP, as well as the local retail, hotel, bar and restaurant sectors. Their goal? Change the culture around the weekend for good.
Twelve years later, it would seem the committee has largely accomplished its goal, or at least made significant progress, by gearing weekend programming to a more family-centric audience, first through GO Fest and then the Whistler Children’s Festival; enhancing local police presence; and some hotels placing age limits on room bookings.
These days, May long postmortems
never
discoveries, Whistler delivers an all-ages experience for every interest,” said an RMOW spokesperson in an email.
The May Long Weekend Committee has evolved into the Peak Period Public Safety Working Group, which “brings together key community partners, including the Restaurant Association of Whistler, Hotel Association of Whistler, the RCMP, Whistler Blackcomb, and representatives from the local bars, clubs and business community,” they added.
“We’re also excited to welcome back the Whistler Children’s Festival over the Victoria Day long weekend— one of Arts Whistler’s signature events and Whistler’s longest-running festival, bringing families together through creativity, play and performance.”
Naturally, the long weekend brings increased visitation to the community, which in turn brings more calls to police for service. But efforts over the years to shift the weekend to family friendly events have “changed the dynamic of
There
Boehmer noted it also sends more into the backcountry—some who might not be properly prepared.
Police are offering some safety tips for locals and guests ahead of the weekend: Don’t drive impaired (including boats, ATVs and motorbikes); follow fire regulations—as of this writing, Whistler’s fire danger rating is high. No fires!; wear a lifejacket and stay sober when on the water, and be mindful of changing weather conditions; manage animal attractants, and educate yourself on how to respond to encounters in the backcountry.
Lastly, know where you’re going and plan ahead.
“Always be prepared for longer than you expect to be away, including having adequate water, clothing, shelter and food, and always inform a family member or friend on where you’re going and when you expect to return,” Boehmer said.
“We are committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable weekend for Whistler
always be some element of rowdiness when you mix summer long weekends, developing brains, hormones and booze.
still include talk of rowdiness, but the reputation for violence appears to have softened significantly (knock on wood, of course).
“Through strong collaboration with community partners, the Victoria Day long weekend continues to offer something for everyone—from spring skiing and mountain biking to unique cultural experiences and local culinary
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the May long weekend,” said Cpl. Katrina Boehmer of the Whistler RCMP.
“We will be bringing additional resources on during the weekend with an increased presence in the Village for public safety and on the highway and municipal roads to deter impaired and aggressive driving,” she said in an email.
While the long weekend brings an influx of visitation to Whistler Village,
residents and visitors!”
It will never be perfect. There will always be some element of rowdiness when you mix summer long weekends, developing brains, hormones and booze.
But it’s far less common these days to hear of locals planning to be anywhere but Whistler on May long. Progress is progress. n
Rock for WSS rocked!
On behalf of our Whistler Secondary PAC and Grad 2026 Committee, thank you for showing up for Rock for WSS on May 1 at Merlins. Thanks to your support, we raised more than $10,000 for Whistler Secondary PAC-funded programs for our 488 students in Grades 8 to 12, and Grad 2026 Prom and Legacy.
Thanks to our amazing six bands and 23 artists, many of who have or had students at WSS and donated their talent to support the event including: Mom Jeans, ABC, El Camino Rust, Papa Josh Music and The Zummers, who debuted their album Distracted and blew the roof off. Plus thanks to DJ Foxy Moron and my son Jaxon Mishaw, who played before his tribe of grads. It truly was a fabulous evening of music and community!
Huge kudos to XLAV and Andy Bowes for an amazing production, as well as Merlins’ Shaun Kavanaugh and team. We couldn’t have pulled it off without our talented MC Chris Quinlan and amazing WSS parent volunteers. Thanks to the generous support of our donors: Nesters Market, Nesters Liquor Store, Canadian Wilderness Adventures, Blackcomb Liquor Store, Coast Mountain Brewing, Tim Hortons, the Resort Municipality of Whistler and Whistler Racket Club.
It truly takes a village like ours to raise
amazing high schoolers. You rock!
Shauna Hardy // On behalf of WSS PAC and WSS Grad Parent Committee
Waldorf Ski-A-Thon tops $31K
On behalf of the Whistler Waldorf School (WWS) community, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who supported our 5th-Annual Ski-A-Thon—WWS’ highaltitude, “pay-it-forward” fundraising event. It was an afternoon full of energy,
Legacies, and Playground Builders.
A special thank you to the Whistler Blackcomb operations team and the Vail Epic Promise grant for their generous support in making this event possible.
With sincere gratitude, Jen Dodds // Whistler Waldorf School
Whistler seeing impacts of climate change ‘in real time’
Last week, as Pemberton hit a staggering 32 C and Whistler smashed records that have stood for 70 years, I was struck by a profound and disturbing irony. Like thousands of others, I was behind the wheel of my fossil-fuelled car, driving to work through a landscape that is visibly fraying.
with 83 participants across all grades completing an incredible 617 T-bar laps and raising an impressive $31,024.
Beyond the physical challenge, this event offers students a meaningful opportunity to experience the importance of giving back to their community. Proceeds from this year’s Ski-A-Thon will support the development of indoor and outdoor play spaces at our new campus, while also paying it forward to local non-profits that promote inclusive play, including Whistler Adaptive, Whistler Sport
The forests around us are no longer just scenery; they are standing fuel. To see the valley turning red and brown from beetle kill and drought stress in early May triggers a primal alarm in the human animal.
We are watching climate feedback loops play out in real-time. The record low snowpack and the early heat aren’t just “unseasonably nice weather,” they are the physical signs of a system losing its equilibrium.
The “insanity” is that we keep going. We check our emails, we commute, and we participate in the very systems that are accelerating this change because the modern world hasn’t given us an exit ramp. We tell our children it’s an emergency, then
we idle in traffic to pay for the houses we’ve built in these drying forests.
It is a “democracy of suffering” where no amount of local privilege can opt us out of the atmosphere we all share.
I can’t be the only one who feels this “wrongness,” this deep cognitive dissonance of trying to maintain a normal 9-to-5 life while the biological baseline of our home is shifting.
We aren’t being alarmist, we are being observant. It’s time we stop pretending it’s “perfectly fine” just because the sun is out.
If we’re going to be in this together, let’s at least be honest about the absurdity of the drive.
Peter Skeels // Pemberton/Whistler
‘Disappointed’ in Whistler talk on climate
I was somewhat disappointed by a recent talk from Dr. Mark Jaccard hosted by the Whistler Institute (see Pique, April 24). When addressing effective ways to lower GHG emissions in Canada, Dr. Jaccard focused heavily on potential contributions of Canadian individuals such as driving EVs and to stop burning fossil gas in our homes. He did not address the single biggest source of GHG emissions in Canada which is the oil and gas industry at roughly 30 per cent of total emissions, according to the federal government. In terms of progress over the past decade
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
or so, GHG emissions from residential buildings have decreased by about 17 per cent, heavy industry by 13 per cent and even public and private transportation has seen a slight decrease of three per cent.
Emissions from the oil and gas industries, on the other hand, have seen little meaningful decline. This was going to be addressed by the oil and gas emissions cap proposed by the Trudeau government, which the Carney government appears poised to abandon.
Dr. Jaccard spent considerable time hailing Norway as an example for reducing domestic GHG emissions with EVs and heat pumps, while still exporting vast amounts of fossil gas. He seemed to suggest that Canada should do the same. He did NOT address the fact that Norway’s naturalgas production is generally considered significantly less emissions-intensive than Canada’s, thanks in part to stricter methane regulations and the electrification of many offshore operations. He also did not address the huge environmental damage caused by fracking in Canada, including the massive use of potable water in the arid area of B.C. where the gas reserves are located and where health authorities are raising the alarm about the contamination of drinking water and air pollution.
I would suggest to take this talk by Dr. Jaccard with a huge grain of salt.
Erich Baumann // Pemberton n
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WORCA flags rising trail strain as e-bikes, longer seasons drive surge in use
WHISTLER’S TRAIL ASSOCIATION SAYS GROWING RIDERSHIP, CLIMATE-DRIVEN SHOULDER SEASONS AND STAGNANT MUNICIPAL FUNDING ARE STRETCHING MAINTENANCE CAPACITY
BY LUKE FAULKS
THE WHISTLER Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) says a steady rise in trail use—fuelled in part by e-bikes and longer snow-free seasons—is putting growing pressure on Whistler’s trail network, even as key funding sources fail to keep pace.
“There was a large increase in trail use during the pandemic and since then we have continued to see a steady increase in trail use every year by mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers and dog walkers,” said WORCA trail director Trevor Ferrao in a recent interview.
That surge has coincided with the rapid growth of electric-assist mountain bikes. E-bike sales in Canada have risen sharply, starting in 2019, to 70,000 units sold in 2022.
According to WORCA, that shift is changing how trails are used and how quickly they wear out. As far back as 2018, 70 per cent of respondents to a WORCA survey said they would ride longer if they used an e-mountain bike. Since then, battery technology has improved, increasing the range and longevity of e-bikes.
“E-bikes are definitely contributing to increased maintenance demands due to the fact that many of those trail users are riding further or doing more laps compared with using a regular mountain bike,” Ferrao said. “More laps means an increase in wear and tear and more
maintenance required.”
At the same time, Whistler’s riding season is stretching at both ends. Warmer springs and later falls—linked to declining snowpack—are exposing trails earlier in the year and keeping them open longer into the fall.
“Longer shoulder seasons mean that our trail crew has a lot more work to do at the start and end of the seasons,” Ferrao said.
“This is noticeable right now because our trail crew has some projects left over from the end of last year that were due to be completed right now, but the warmer weather this spring means trails being clear of snow earlier and more urgent tasks that need to be completed first such as fallen trees and dealing with trail damage from winter atmospheric rivers.”
NO-GROWTH BUDGET HITS TRAIL FUNDING
Those changing conditions are adding strain to a maintenance system that relies heavily on a mix of municipal funding, memberships, and grants.
A key pillar of that funding is the Fee for Service (FFS) program administered by the Resort Municipality of Whistler, which provides baseline funding to local non-profits delivering services aligned with council priorities.
The policy leverages community expertise to deliver services that might otherwise fall to the municipality.
WORCA is one of five organizations currently under a three-year FFS agreement, which provides predictable baseline funding but requires any increases to be approved annually through the municipal budget process.
For 2026, WORCA requested a 2.3-per-
cent cost-of-living increase to its baseline funding—from $290,925 to $297,616, a $6,691 bump—citing rising wages and inflationary pressures tied to trail crew operations.
But despite those requests—part of a broader $31,400 increase sought across all five FFS organizations—no increases were included in the 2026 operating budget, as staff worked to align with no-growth budget guidelines.
That decision resulted in approximately $26,000 in savings across the program.
Ferrao said the outcome will have tangible impacts on trail maintenance capacity.
“We need to apply cost-of-living increases to pay fair wages to our employees and to retain our excellent experienced trail crew, and no increases for our Fee for Service funds will effectively mean less trail maintenance work being completed each year,” he said.
At the same time, WORCA is grappling with declining membership revenue— despite, Ferrao noted, rising trail usage.
“[That] means that our membership revenue is not enough to cover our operating expenses like staff wages and insurance,” Ferrao said.
The disconnect between rising use and declining memberships reflects a broader challenge for trail networks across North America, particularly in high-tourism regions where many users are visitors who don’t contribute financially to upkeep.
Compounding the issue, FFS funding cannot be used for new trail construction— leaving WORCA to seek alternative funding sources for expansion projects.
“We have some funds in our reserves to start the project this year but we will need
a lot more money to complete the project over the next couple of years,” Ferrao said.
Ferrao cited a planned five-kilometre blue descent from Into the Mystic to Function Junction as one such project.
BIKING DURING LONGER SEASONS
The financial and operational pressures come as Whistler increasingly leans into its summer economy.
With winter seasons becoming less predictable in recent years, the resort has expanded warm-weather offerings, including lift-accessed biking and trailbased tourism, placing even greater importance on the health of the valley’s trail network.
Case in point, during an April 28 council meeting, council voted to approve $200,000 to host a stop on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Mountain Bike World Cup.
During the meeting, in light of a warming climate and shrinking ski season, Councillor Arthur De Jong said “we cannot diversify fast enough, and mountain biking is core to our futureproofing” of the funding.
Ferrao said more predictable funding mechanisms would help organizations like WORCA keep up with growing demand.
“An automatic annual cost-of-living increase for our Fee for Service funds would be great, and we also need the provincial government to provide access to funds for trail maintenance and new trail construction,” he said.
In the meantime, he emphasized local support remains critical, encouraging locals to purchase a WORCA membership. n
DIRTY WORK WORCA’s trail crew at work on a section of A River Runs Through It in September 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF WORCA
Whistler’s Valley Trail visionary joins Canadian landscape ‘Hall of Fame’
TOM BARRATT’S FOUR-DECADE CAREER HELPED SHAPE OLYMPIC VENUES, PUBLIC PLAZAS, PARKS AND NEIGHBOURHOODS
BY LUKE FAULKS
WHISTLER LANDSCAPE architect Tom Barratt has spent more than four decades helping shape the way residents and visitors move through Whistler—from the paved ribbon of the Valley Trail to Olympic venues, public plazas, parks and neighbourhoods that have become so embedded in daily life many people scarcely think about who designed them.
Now, Barratt’s body of work has earned one of the highest honours in his profession.
The founder and principal of Tom Barratt Ltd. Landscape Architects (TBLLA) has been named a 2026 Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), an honour recognizing “outstanding professional work, individuality and mastery of the art of landscape architecture.”
Announced April 22, the induction places Barratt among a select group of landscape architects recognized nationally since the College of Fellows was established in 1964.
“For me, it’s the peer recognition that means so much,” Barratt said in an interview. “There’s a group of people in there that have been landscape architects for a long time who have taken the time and effort to recognize what I’ve done.
“When you reflect on what you’ve done, you self-reward your own accomplishments. You know you did this and that, but nobody else will ever know. Then all of a sudden they do, and it means a lot.”
A DIFFERENT WHISTLER
Barratt’s influence on Whistler stretches back to the municipality’s formative years in the early 1980s, when the resort community looked very different than it does today.
“Whistler was, for all intents and purposes, bankrupt,” he recalled. “There were empty foundations all over the village. It was a pretty sad place in some ways.”
Fresh out of the University of Oregon with a master’s degree in landscape architecture and experience with BC Parks, Barratt joined the Resort Municipality of Whistler as parks planner in 1981. At the time, the municipality had approved a $2-million parks referendum budget and was looking to build recreation infrastructure quickly.
Barratt saw opportunity: “I talked to some people, and I realized the referendum meant that things were going to get built,” he said.
‘PEOPLE
DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS’
Among the projects he helped spearhead was what would eventually become one of Whistler’s defining features: the
Valley Trail system.
Today, the 50-plus-kilometre multiuse network links neighbourhoods, beaches, parks and commercial areas across the valley, serving simultaneously as commuter route, recreation amenity, and tourism draw.
But Barratt said the idea of paving the trail system was controversial at the time.
“People didn’t know what it was. They had nothing to compare it to,” he said, noting commuter cycling infrastructure was virtually nonexistent in Metro Vancouver in the early ’80s, while mountain biking had yet to take off.
The original expectation among some parks officials was for gravel pathways. Barratt pushed for pavement anyway.
“I kind of did an end run on them and pushed it in ways that was a bit underhanded,” he admitted with a laugh. “Some people got mad.”
Complaints reached municipal administration, he said, and at one point his position appeared to be in jeopardy.
“I think it was the mothers that saved me,” Barratt recalled. The first completed paved section linked Alta Vista and the village, allowing children to ride safely without using Highway 99.
“When people suddenly recognized what they could do, then they could do no wrong,” he said.
THE SPACES BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS
That philosophy—designing infrastructure around how ordinary people actually use a place—became a defining feature of Barratt’s career.
Rather than focusing exclusively on marquee projects or monumental architecture, Barratt gravitated toward what might be called the connective tissue of a community: trails, parks, plazas, circulation routes, gathering spaces and waterfronts.
The release announcing his fellowship credits him with shaping “the landscape and lived experience of Whistler.”
Current TBLLA associate Alex van Zyl described Barratt as someone who “designs for the everyday person.”
“He understands what people need and doesn’t let ego get in the way,” van Zyl said in a release. “He embraces the woolliness of daily life, allowing those rough edges to inform work that remains relevant across generations.”
To that end, Barratt said the Valley Trail ultimately helped reshape the vision for Whistler itself; at the time, tourism marketing largely centred on the village core, while many locals viewed resort amenities as something built primarily for visitors.
“We began to realize we’re doing
SLRD advances WedgeWoods west underpass plan
THE REGIONAL DISTRICT HAS GIVEN THIRD READING TO A BYLAW ALLOWING A 12-UNIT, MARKET HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FROM WEDGEWOODS ESTATES
BY LUKE FAULKS
WEDGEWOODS Estates might be getting a new neighbour across the way.
During an April 22 board meeting, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) gave third reading to a rezoning bylaw that would allow a future 12-unit, market housing development on the western side of Highway 99, north of Whistler.
To service those units, the SLRD is considering an underpass to provide new residents with safe crossing, transit access and trail connectivity in the WedgeWoods Estates area.
Staff returned to the board with a revised underpass strategy after directors rejected a Jan. 28 proposal that would have seen the SLRD take on maintenance of the through-way.
2, alongside required infrastructure like the underpass and transit shelter, which must be in place before occupancy.
The staff report does not include a capital cost estimate for the pedestrian underpass, though staff pegged annual maintenance at roughly $5,000, used to calculate a $10,000 enforcement charge tied to upkeep obligations.
Under the revised plan, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) will retain ownership of the underpass and cover major capital replacements, while the developer—and eventually the strata—will be responsible for day-to-day upkeep like snow-clearing and cleaning.
Beyond the underpass, some directors signalled ongoing unease with the development itself, particularly its fit with regional planning goals.
“Staff have developed an alternative strategy [that] avoids putting the responsibility of maintenance on the SLRD,” planner Kristina Bell told the board. “The maintenance obligations, including the related costs, would be assigned to the landowner and [the] strata corporation.”
The development is also tied to a significant community benefit contribution, with the group behind the development required to pay $200,000 per unit—totalling $2.4 million—to support affordable and non-market housing projects in Pemberton and Mount Currie.
That cash-in-lieu model replaced earlier proposals for on-site belowmarket housing.
The project will be built in two phases, with eight units constructed in Phase 1 and the remaining four in Phase
things immersively,” he said. “It should be for commercial and community use, rather than one or the other.”
The Valley Trail gradually expanded that perception beyond the village footprint, helping establish the idea of Whistler as a four-season resort community rooted in passive recreation and outdoor access.
Barratt recalls at least one director of the Whistler Resort Association— now Tourism Whistler—telling him “the Valley Trail is the best asset we got.”
Barratt also became known as an early adopter of digital mapping and visualization technologies, transitioning his practice to fully digital workflows in 1989 and pioneering integrated CAD and GIS visualization techniques.
Over the years, he has continued working on Whistler projects ranging
“I’m struggling to see this aligning with our [Regional Growth Strategy (RGS)],” District of Squamish director Chris Pettingill said.
WedgeWoods Estates and the future development are currently marked as a “serviced residential area,” which are low-density, clustered areas intended to “maintain rural character,” per the RGS. Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman echoed that tension, despite supporting the revised approach.
“I feel similarly to director Pettingill in terms of whether [the development] belongs there or not,” he said. “But I feel like we’ve come a long way, and this is definitely the best result of what we’ve been working with.”
If the bylaw is adopted, staff will work with the developer to finalize a covenant and other pre-construction requirements, including approvals for water, wastewater and archaeological assessments before any building can begin. n
from the Cultural Connector to Skier’s Plaza and Black’s patio, while mentoring younger generations of planners and landscape architects.
Former RMOW parks planner Annie Oja, now with Urban Systems Ltd., said Barratt played a formative role in her career.
“He took me under his wing, challenged me, and invested the kind of mentorship that genuinely changes the trajectory of a young person’s life,” she said in a release. “His leadership has shaped my work ethic and my design thinking in ways I still carry with me. He’s been a mentor, a coach, and a friend.”
The formal ceremony of induction for the CSLA’s 2026 Fellows will take place at the Society’s annual conference this June in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Find the full story online. n
Stonebridge estate sells for $20.5M in Whistler’s second-largest home sale on record
THE OFF-MARKET DEAL MARKS THE RESORT’S BIGGEST RESIDENTIAL SALE SINCE A RECORD-SETTING $32M STONEBRIDGE TRANSACTION IN 2023
BY LUKE FAULKS
WHISTLER’S LUXURY real-estate market has logged another eye-popping sale, with an eight-acre (3.2-hectare) mountain estate changing hands for $20.5 million.
The off-market sale of 5454 Stonebridge Drive was announced May 6 by realtor John Ryan of Unison The Ryan Group Realty, who described the transaction as another sign of continued strength in Whistler’s luxury housing market heading into the summer season.
“It all starts with the dirt,” Ryan said in a release. “The most spectacular homes and the highest-priced sales are always grounded by incredible parcels of land.”
Stonebridge, located west of Whistler Village, has long ranked among the resort municipality’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, with comparatively large estate lots, private road access and expansive mountain views. According to the release, lots in the neighbourhood range from 1.25 to 42 acres (or 17 hectares)— substantially larger than typical residential parcels elsewhere in Whistler.
The property in question overlooks Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, Alta Lake and the valley below. Its sale trails only a 2023 Stonebridge transaction in which Ryan brokered the sale of a
$32-million home as part of a combined $40-million deal.
Ryan said privacy and access to nature continue to drive demand in the area.
“Stonebridge offers the largest acreage in the Whistler valley, incredible
privacy, and connectivity right out your back door to Mother Nature,” he said. “You can get pretty creative when you have that kind of size to build within.”
The release also points to growing demand for ultra-luxury features like helicopter access and private helipads, citing the neighbourhood’s proximity to heli-skiing terrain and quick air access to Vancouver.
The home includes a lap pool, hot tub, sauna, gym, media room, wine cellar, geothermal heating system, Crestron automation, Lutron lighting and whole-home water filtration. The residence spans three levels and includes four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a private staff area.
The property also features outdoor entertaining spaces, including covered dining areas, a fireplace terrace, pizza oven, barbecue pavilion, and landscaping designed by landscape architect Paul Sangha.
“A landmark sale such as this provides prospective buyers and sellers alike with an injection of confidence that the market is shifting in an upward direction,” Unison The Ryan Group Realty wrote in a release. n
LANDMARK SALE The 3.2-hectare property overlooks Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, Alta Lake and the valley below.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNISON THE RYAN GROUP REALTY
Province announces 2026 closure dates for Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park
THE PARK WILL BE CLOSED FROM JUNE 20 TO 27 AND SEPT. 8 TO 30 THIS YEAR TO ALLOW LOCAL FIRST NATIONS A CHANCE TO RECONNECT WITH THEIR TRADITIONAL TERRITORY
BY LUKE FAULKS
RECREATIONAL ACCESS to Pipi7íyekw/ Joffre Lakes Park is set to be restricted from June 20 to 27 for National Indigenous Peoples Day and summer solstice celebrations, and again from Sept. 8 to 30 for fall harvesting celebrations and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
These closures have been taking place annually since 2023 to give members of the Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua First Nation a chance to reconnect with the land in the heavily trafficked backcountry destination.
“As in previous years, Pipi7íyekw/ Joffre Lakes Park will temporarily close to recreational visitors this season to continue the practice of providing time and space for members of the Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua to reconnect with the land in a meaningful way,” a release from the province states.
The closure periods stem from a years-long effort by the province and local First Nations to manage the impacts of surging visitation at Joffre Lakes, which saw a dramatic increase in
popularity through the 2010s and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2018, BC Parks, the Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua have worked through a technical working group under the joint Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park Visitor Use Management Strategy. The province noted in its release that the park is collaboratively managed “with the primary goal of maintaining the natural environment for all park users, and so the Nations can continue cultural practices within their territory.”
But that relationship came under public strain last year. Tensions escalated in summer 2025 after the province announced a third and final seasonal closure period that was roughly half of what the Lil’wat Nation had announced earlier in the year.
In response, members and supporters of both Nations established a blockade on the access road to the park on Aug. 22, 2025, arguing the province had backed away from commitments around Indigenous stewardship and access to the territory for cultural use.
The peaceful demonstration lasted several hours and temporarily prevented public access to the park.
At the time, representatives involved
in the protest argued the reduced closure period undermined years of relationshipbuilding and collaborative planning between the Nations and BC Parks.
The current relationship between the Nations and Provincial government is unclear. This year’s reconnection periods have been announced by the province,
“Without proper management, increased use of these areas can result in trail damage...”
- BC GOVERNMENT
while no similar announcement has been made by Lil’wat or N’Quatqua.
The province’s latest release does not reference last year’s dispute directly, but states the closures are intended to support “First Nations cultural practices and conservation goals.”
The closures come as BC Parks also confirmed the return of its seasonal dayuse pass program at Joffre Lakes, Golden Ears Park and Garibaldi Park.
Beginning May 11, visitors to Joffre Lakes will once again require trail passes to access the park through Oct. 25. The passes can be booked starting two days prior to a planned visit at 7 a.m. on BC Parks’ website.
The pass system, first introduced in 2020, is intended to reduce congestion and environmental degradation in some of the province’s busiest parks.
“Without proper management, increased use of these areas can result in trail damage and vegetation trampling, wildlife displacement and adverse effects to Indigenous cultural values,” the province said.
BC Parks said visitors heading to Joffre Lakes early this season should also be prepared for lingering winter conditions, including snow-covered parking lots and avalanche hazards in alpine terrain.
Confirmation of the closure periods had yet to be issued by the Lil’wat or N’Quatqua Nations as of press time. Check back with Pique as this story develops. n
TheFSPwillbesubmitted for approval fromtheSeatoSkyMinistry of Forests following completionofa60-daypublicreviewandcommentperiod.TheFSPisproposed fora term of5 years, andwhen approved,will form thebasisof forestmanagementplanning withintheFNWLoperatingarea.An approvedFSPisrequiredto allow fortheissuanceof permitsauthorizingroadconstruction,har vestingandother forestdevelopmentactivities. TheFSP hasbeenpreparedtoconformandcomplywith applicableHigher-LevelPlans, the Forestand RangePracticesActandtheassociatedregulatoryframework.
AsperSection20ofthe ForestPlanningandPractices Regulation,noticeisherebygiven to allGuides,Outfitters, Trappers, PrivateLandOwners, TenureHolders, Wa terUsers andthe general publicthat the60-daypublicreviewandcommentperiodiscommencing andinputfromstakeholdersandthe general publicisrequestedsothat anyconcerns orcommentsrelatingtotheproposedFSPcanbeaddressedpriortosubmission for approval
Calls grow to preserve access on Downton Creek FSR as bridges deteriorate
SLRD
BOARD BACKS ADVOCACY TO PROVINCE AFTER
BY LUKE FAULKS
DETERIORATING CONDITIONS on the Downton Creek Forest Service Road (FSR) have sparked renewed calls for the province to preserve access to a key backcountry recreation corridor.
In a March letter to the SquamishLillooet Regional District (SLRD), recreation advocate Stuart Prosser described the road as a vital gateway into the Cayoosh Range.
“Taken together Downton Creek basin possesses all of the attributes/ assets of a great outdoor recreation destination,” Prosser wrote, describing the area’s peaks, lakes, alpine meadows and trailheads. “Downton Creek is an established destination that makes a growing contribution to the provincial GDP in the outdoor recreation sector.”
The roughly 14-kilometre route north of Lillooet has long provided vehicle access into the Downton Creek basin for hikers, ski-tourers, snowshoers, climbers, wildlife researchers and other recreational users.
But ongoing deterioration of several bridges along the road has again cut off public access.
CLOSURES CUT OFF POPULAR RECREATION CORRIDOR NORTH OF LILLOOET
According to correspondence from Cascades Natural Resource District engineering officer Brian Moore, recent bridge inspections downgraded both the first and fifth bridges on the route to “zero tonnes,” effectively closing the road to all traffic.
“The barricade installed at the [beginning] of the FSR will have to remain in place for the foreseeable
same time.”
Regional district joins advocacy push
The issue came before the SLRD board in April, where Area B director Vivian Birch-Jones argued the road holds significant recreational and economic value for the region.
“It’s a really beautiful and well-used, well-loved place, and there’s a lot of value in having visitors, as well as local people,
“I think this is a problem throughout the province...”
- VIVIAN BIRCH-JONES
future,” Moore wrote in a March 7 email included in the SLRD agenda package.
Moore also warned the province is preparing for the possibility of removing the first bridge entirely should conditions worsen.
“I have requested funds for the removal of the first structure in case the failing speeds up and there becomes an imminent threat of it catastrophically failing,” he wrote. “If I have to pull the first structure, that may force my hand to have to deal with the other five at the
enjoy and have access to the FSR,” BirchJones said during the meeting.
Birch-Jones noted the road has historically been kept open in part because of its recreational importance, with several featured hikes in the Lillooet Hiking Guide accessed from the corridor. She also pointed to broader concerns around shrinking public access to forest service roads across the province.
“I think this is a problem throughout the province with access being lost or shut down,” she said. “[The Ministry of]
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Forests just does not have a budget to maintain our roads that aren’t generating a lot of income, like this one.”
Prosser’s letter framed the issue within that wider provincial trend, arguing resource-road decommissioning threatens access to longstanding recreation areas as forestry activity declines.
“To make the transition to the postforest industrial economy it is critical that FSRs that provide backcountry recreation access are protected,” he wrote.
The SLRD ultimately voted to send a letter to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar advocating for continued engagement and solutions to maintain access.
In its April 29 letter to the ministry, signed by board chair Jen Ford, the regional district indicated it may be willing to explore partnership funding arrangements alongside the province and other stakeholders.
“We recognize the challenges associated with repair costs and competing interests, and we are interested in working collaboratively with the Province and other partners to identify viable solutions, including potential local funding contributions,” the board wrote.
“There is a strong and ongoing public interest in maintaining access,” the letter adds. n
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Lil’wat Nation launches mobile health van to enable more people to access services
THE VAN WILL MOSTLY FOCUS ON HARM REDUCTION AND OUTREACH SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY LACK ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION
BY HILARY ANGUS
A NEW MOBILE health resource aims to meet members of the Lil’wat Nation where they are.
The Nation launched a new Community Health Van this month to provide outreach services for community members who face barriers to accessing regular health-care.
The van, unveiled at a health and healing ceremony on May 5, will enable health-care workers to provide their services to community members who lack access to transportation, have scheduling conflicts, or may be unaware of what resources are available.
Jessica Frank, the health director for the Nation, said the van will offer versions of many of the same programs they offer at the Health and Healing Centre, including harm reduction, maternal and child health, immunization, mentalhealth services, and service referrals.
“Our building is at capacity with programs and services, and so we wanted to have another arm’s link to community, to meet community where they’re at,” Frank said.
Frank said the van will travel around the community, participating in popups at the school, gas station, or other community spaces and events. She said they are also hoping to meet people at their homes or outdoor spaces where they feel comfortable.
“This is kind of like an opportunity for our staff to get out on the land as well as with community, and sharing all our harm-reduction resources, our health resources, our healing resources,” Frank said.
The van is equipped with an exam table, a mini kitchen, Wi-Fi, and an awning with a table and chair.
Officials have also submitted an application to do drug testing from the van.
“That will allow us to move around the community and educate people of the importance of drug testing and harm reduction,” Frank said.
Frank noted that many of the harmreduction services they’ve been working on are in response to the 10-year toxic drug crisis facing B.C. communities,
including Lil’wat.
She hopes the outreach van will enable them to reach more people in order to save lives, and reduce stigma around drug use in the community.
The new service comes less than a year after the St’át’imc Chiefs Council (SCC) declared a state of local emergency across its 11 communities in response to the toxic drug crisis.
“We are losing a generation,” said Chief Justin Kane, chair of the SCC, last July. “Now is the time for us to try to come together and think as one to help tackle the issue at hand.”
The decision to declare the emergency came after a rise in both fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the Lillooet area—a region that now reports the second-highest toxic drug death rate in the province at 116 deaths per 100,000 residents.
“We made a recommendation to bring [a declaration] to all the chiefs, and all chiefs were automatically in support of it,” Kane explained. “There was no question.”
The SCC represents 11 St’át’imc communities—Ts’kw’áylaxw, Xa’xtsa, Xáxli’p, T’ít’q’et, N’Quatqua, Tsal’álh, Xwísten, Sekw’el’wás, Samáhquam, Skátin, and Lil’wat Nation.
“There became a time when we had
some losses, but we were also getting quite an amount of overdoses,” said Kane. “So we thought it was a time to look at how we can come together and address the issue.”
The van was acquired through a grant from Health Canada for emergency treatment, but its ongoing operation will be managed and funded by the Nation.
Frank said the van is only the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of the health-care needs the community is facing.
“Once we have this van, I would say we probably need 10 more,” Frank said.
Although the exact scheduling and programming for the van hasn’t been finalized, Frank said they’re expecting it to be booked up quickly.
In addition to providing proactive harm-reduction services, Frank said she’s also excited about the opportunity to publicize the services they offer at Lil’wat Health and Healing, and introduce more community members to the staff.
“We’ve grown pretty quickly in our health facility here, and the amount of staff that we have, and people are still wondering, you know, who are we?” Frank said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity here for our Nation.” n
MOBILE MEDICINE The Lil’wat Nation Health and Healing Centre is at capacity with programs and services.
THE ANNUAL EVENT AT THE LILLOOET LAKE RODEO GROUNDS IN MOUNT CURRIE FEATURES ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
BY HILARY ANGUS
BREAK OUT your boots, buckles, and hats, because the Lil’wat Nation rodeo is returning to the Lillooet Lake Rodeo Grounds in Mount Currie from May 16 to 18.
The annual event kicks off with a May Day Parade at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, and the rest of the day features family-friendly activities such as a pieeating contest, craft tables and local food vendors serving Indigenous foods.
May 17 and 18 are sure to be a bucking good time, with two straight days of major events, including bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, bareback, team roping, tie down roping, and ladies breakaway roping.
The much-loved Whistler Ski Bum Special will also return this year, offering anyone who’s ever wanted to try rodeo a chance to step into the arena and try their luck.
“The Líl’wat Nation Rodeo is something we look forward to all year. It’s a celebration of who we are—our history, our connection to the land, and our community,” wrote event organizers Renee Wallace and Maxine Bruce in a press release.
“We’re thrilled to welcome everyone to join us this year with more space, more facilities, and more ways to make memories together,” they said. “This event truly belongs to everyone.”
This year’s event features 700
additional seats and enhanced facilities, made possible by sponsorship from the Líl’wat Business Group, according to the release.
The rodeo gets started at 1 p.m. each day and wraps at 6 p.m. Following each day’s events, the evenings continue with live music, and dancing beginning at 10 p.m.
Competitors’ fees for the major events are $75 plus a $10 admin and $5 stock fee per event, and minor events for
“We’re thrilled to welcome everyone to join us this year with more space...”
- RENE WALLACE AND MAXINE BRUCE
competitors 16 and under are $50 plus $10 admin plus $5 stock fee per event.
Peewee Barrel Racing for riders age 10 and under has a $20 entry fee.
General admission to the rodeo is $10 per person, with an additional $10 per person for the Dance Under the Stars evening events. Elders (65-plus) and children under 10 get in free.
“The Líl’wat Nation extends a warm invitation to all to come together, share in the spirit of the rodeo, and experience the rich ranching culture that has been an important part of Líl’wat life for generations,” Wallace and Bruce said. n
SADDLE UP The Lil’wat Nation rodeo returns May 16 to 18.
FILE PHOTO BY SANDRA LAVOYVE
The end… or not?
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIASMA of social media the past few days, I saw the question posed: When and where was your best ski day?
It was a query obviously designed to generate engagement, which it had: hundreds of responses, in fact. Almost all of which were very precise, which I found peculiar. That’s because in my mind, if you’re truly a serious skier with a lifetime
BY LESLIE ANTHONY
of sliding under your belt, who could possibly know such a thing?
Skiing, like surfing, is a sport bereft of certainty. Rather, it’s heavily contextdependent, constantly vulnerable to being recalibrated by conditions, company, effort and reward. When we rank ski days, it’s almost always relative. For instance, when I declared a surprise March run in 30-plus centimetres of unseasonable fluff from Whistler peak all the way to Dusty’s to be “top-five ever,” I well knew that if pressed, I could never enumerate the other phantom four and that what I’d said was really just a nod to a very good run.
I have also experienced this same fog of uncertainty as it applies to the end of a season. Many times I skied a suspected
last day only to have another—or many— materialize later in the spring or summer. As I’ve written about several times in this space, in high school and university that often involved spur-of-the-moment road-trip dashes from Southern Ontario to ski destinations east and west— Killington, Vermont; New Hampshire’s White Mountains; the Laurentians north of Montreal; the Chic Chocs in Gaspé; Whistler, even, when there was enough gas money and will to make the haul all the way to the coast and back. Later in life, as a more professional enterprise,
languid, bluebird days with perfect freeze-thaw cycles that made choosing your arrival time in the alpine for optimal conditions the meteorological guessing game it was meant to be.
Tuesday this week was no different. Sunny, warm, a few clouds, and perfect corn. With the sun now up before 5 a.m., spring skiing seems less something you devote the day to than something you get away with. I’d already had a full day of work-related reading (6 a.m.), gardening (7), meetings (8-9:30), houseand-basement cleaning (9:30-10:30) by
It felt like the perfect way to end the season should one wish to call it.
those seasonal add-ons involved Europe, Scandinavia, Greenland, South America, New Zealand and other destinations.
Of course, during that time, I also became a Whistler resident and, spurred by Whistler Blackcomb’s extended season and then glacier camp start-up, the end-of-season at my adopted home mountain became a bit greyer. I stopped thinking about a last day altogether. Not knowing when the finale was coming made things fluid. And fun.
There have been a few great spring seasons in Whistler over the past decade, but mostly they have been fair-togood, plagued by soupy rain and fog, or poorly timed malign warmth. This year, however, the season after April’s shutdown of Whistler delivered long,
the time my partner and I left for the mountain at 11. The dog was confused at the midday marshalling of ski gear, and no amount of explaining or treats would assuage her. (Note to self: find out why shifting human schedules are so hard on our beloved critters.)
Through a corral that seemed unnecessarily twisty given the lack of humanity, we walked straight onto Blackcomb Gondola. It had been almost a week since either of us had skied and the snowline had raced up the mountain in our absence. Hikers could be seen attacking the snowless Ascent Trail—even above mid-station. Higher and higher we rose, noting that runs we’d skied but days before had literally evaporated. At the top, however, there
was still good coverage. Catskinner was pumping with park rats and Solar hosted the usual mogul madness camps. The run from Rendezvous down to Jersey Cream was delightful—in terms of both snow (thawed) and skier (none) conditions. A few ensuing runs down all the standard routes back to Jersey were equally good. Smooth, easy turns in tanning weather.
Getting across Expressway to Seventh was tough—ravaged, wax-less ski bases are highly susceptible to the slowing action of “suction” caused by the pooling of meltwater on surface snow, and the lack of angle makes it worse. But hey, this is where a winter of skate-skiing comes in handy. A couple of high-speed runs on Seventh, skiing right onto the chair again, and it felt like no matter how simple you tried to make your turns, no matter how much you conserved energy and surfed, you were still working hard. And that was OK, but maybe there were a few clouds coming in from the south so best get back to the other side.
A coffee and snack at Rendezvous and it was time to download. On the way down there was not just one bear sighted, but two; added to the one we watched take a dump below our deck that morning it made for a three-bear day. More hikers. And a mountain biker on Blackcomb’s new climbing trail. A pleasant ride back into summer.
It felt like the perfect way to end the season should one wish to call it. But of course, who knows what’s going to happen… there are six more days until closing.
Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like. n
END TIMES This year’s spring-skiing season delivered long, languid bluebird days with perfect freeze/thaw cycles.
PHOTO BY LESLIE ANTHONY
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Squamish landscaper draws inspiration from epic surroundings
JESSE LOUCKS-FORGET OF WILDSTONE HARDSCAPES HAS CARVED SEA TO SKY NICHE
Wi ll Johnson Fo r The Squamish Chief
It’s all about the surroundings for Jesse Loucks-Forget of Wildstone Hardscapes.
If everything goes according to plan on a Wildstones Hardscapes job, the work his team does should blend seamlessly into the epic Sea to Sky viewscape. Whether it’s a carefully tiered lawn, a rustic outdoor sauna or an elaborately designed driveway, passersby should experience the elements as an extension of its natural setting.
“I feel inspired by the mountains, really, so we try to make stuff that flows nicely with the landscape and the rocks and trees that are around. We don’t want our work to stick out like a sore thumb,” he told The Squamish Chief.
This is Wildstone’s second year in
business, and he’s carved out a Sea to Sky niche that has seen multi-month projects come to beautiful fruition. Sometimes that involves ambitious elements such as Japanese gardens, fire pits and pergolas, while sometimes it just means utilizing the existing foliage and massaging the property’s slope to encourage drainage.
“Lately people are asking for colours like grey and beige, clay kind of earthy tones, and they want more wood and reclaimed materials rather than, say, like a block retaining wall. We’re using a lot of natural stone.”
It’s about keeping things easy to deal with.
“It’s minimalism, where people want to fill the space with a lot of trees and as many plants as they can that are low maintenance and clean.”
Outdoor spaces are popular too.
“It can feel like a wellness retreat, where we give people a place to hang out and relax and have an escape zone
that’s easy on your brain. We’re also trying to have a four season function so you can use it year-round,” he said.
“A lot of spaces are built so you can only really use them in the summer and early spring, so you don’t actually have a place to sit outside. We want to make it comfortable no matter what time of year it is.”
Wildstones is known for its paving stones, which are durable and visually appealing options for outdoor surfaces. Made from concrete or natural stone, they provide a solution for everything from patios and driveways to walkways, retaining walls and garden features.
“Unlike poured concrete or asphalt, paving stones are individually placed and interlock to create a flexible surface that resists cracking and shifting over time. Your best low maintenance option for durability, curb appeal and versatility,” reads their website.
These are placed over a permeable base, another change from traditional landscaping techniques.
“The old base type was dense gravel, which doesn’t take water very well which causes heat and thaw and there’s nowhere for that water to go. So now we dig out 12 inches or so of the base and fill it with compacting layers that are free-draining,” he said.
“That helps with giving the storm water a place to go. I feel like clients have been liking seeing less water going into the ditches and roads and into their gardens and it makes for a cleaner space.”
He loves reaching the end of a project.
“I feel great looking at a project and seeing how happy homeowners are with their space, which they can actually enjoy, and we’ve been invited a few times to hang out afterwards and seeing how pleased they are inspires me to keep making people happy.”
Quick tips for renovating your home in the Sea to Sky
REALTOR LISA BJORNSON SHARES HER WISDOM FOR SPRUCING UP YOUR SPAC E
Will Johnson For The Squamish Chief
You have to do it for you.
If you’re planning to renovate your home in hopes of making it ready for sale, you should ensure that you have some time to enjoy the fruits of your labour first. It may give your sale a financial boost, but the real treat is getting to live in your spruced up space.
According to Squamish realtor Lisa Bjornson, simple touches can make a huge difference.
“There are definitely things that buyers will look for that are appealing. Curb appeal is huge, so when someone drives up to your property having your yard neat and clutter removed will make a big difference,” she said.
“But obviously your kitchens and bathrooms are the prime go-to for most people. You can do stuff to a bathroom that isn’t a full-blown renovation. You can do your tub surrounds, change the flooring, put in a new toilet. What you need is more of a spruce up.”
And being price-conscious means not being too ambitious, as projects that include tearing out cabinets or ripping down walls can “open a whole can of worms.”
“Right now with this economy you might go in and do a full kitchen or a full bathroom, but would it increase the value of your home? More likely you’ll get back what you put in and have ease of sale because that work’s been done.”
That’s why she recommends homeowners give themselves time to enjoy the improvements before handing off their house to somebody else. Leaning into trends makes things even more worthwhile.
“Everyone’s going with fairly neutral tones at the moment, which has been the trend. So greys, taupes, whites have been carrying the day for the last five to 10 years. But you have to pay attention because that’s about how long trend cycles last.”
She said craftsman-style homes were popular for about a decade, with pitched roofs and shake detail, maybe open railings as opposed to glass.
“Now what we’ve been seeing over the last little bit is straighter lines, flatter roofs, less peaks and slopes.”
Metal detailing has also become in vogue.
“But if you want to deck out your house with beautiful trims and baseboards and you’re not a woodworker, then you definitely hire someone.”
It’s the cost involved in this that makes it less likely to pay off with a sale.
“You’ve got to know what you’re doing. It’s always a slippery slope if you’re trying to do it yourself.”
That’s why you need to do your research before starting a project.
“Let’s say I’m a complete and total novice and I want a brand new kitchen. I would probably look up kitchen installers and suppliers in my area, and I’d be calling them and looking at Google reviews. Usually, I would go to a friend that’s had work done recently and find out what their experiences were. Word of mouth in the trades is huge.”
Good design is hard to come by, and she said there are plenty of reputable interior design firms in Squamish.
“A good design encompasses a lot of things. It involves lighting and paint colours and layouts and furniture. To do it well takes a lot of thought.”
When she recommends a course of action to her clients, simple fixes are best.
Consulting•Planning•Install•Maintenance
“We’re not going to go in and say ‘paint that wall red.’ That’s not what we do. When we look at a house, it’s the nice touches you can do to display your home at its best. Make the garage so you can get into it. Clean up your yard,” she said.
“If you’re going to do a renovation, do it for yourself. And then live in that house for a while before you sell it. I mean, why go through all that work and expense to turn around and sell it?”
Getting a second opinion is key.
“Consult somebody in the industry at whatever level, whether they’re in the trades or they’re a realtor and talk through your ideas. Get a sense of pricing so you’re not biting off more than you can chew. You want to do something on the neutral side and inviting.”
She went through this herself.
“Years ago my husband and I, we knew we were probably three or four years away from selling our home and I said to him ‘If we’re going to do that, that’s great but I’m renovating now so I get enjoyment out of all our work.’”
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT 101
A back-to-basics explainer
LET’S NOT KID OURSELVES—local government is not the sexiest of topics.
Stories about small-town bureaucracy don’t elicit wonder or excitement, and barring a dramatic scandal, rarely garner much traction online.
For many, local government is just sort of there, a faceless structure of opaque bylaws and taxes operating in the background.
But what do local governments actually do? What is the difference between a local government and a regional district? And who the heck is responsible for what?
This municipal election year, Lodestar Media is recognizing Local Government Awareness Week, from May 10 to 16, by going back to the basics.
Read on for the sexiest, most action-packed feature you’ll read all week.
- Braden Dupuis
Local government 101: Everything you need to know
With local elections approaching this year, it is indeed handy to know how local government actually works
- By Ina Pace
BE AWARE, because it’s Local Government Awareness Week this May 10 to 16. Literally, in reading this article, we hope you will come away more aware about local government.
Being British, this reporter has been there: confused about Canadian politics and government structure like the best of us. “Federal” and “general” elections, for instance, have quite different meanings in the U.K. to those in Canada.
But back to B.C., and focusing on local government elections, (this year set for Oct. 17), everyone has the opportunity to vote for their community’s new mayor, new council and new regional district directors, as well as school trustees, just like they do every four years.
So what do these terms mean, and what do these people do? How do they affect you, and what can you do about it?
Let’s dig in.
Municipal councils
First, let’s clarify “municipality.” This means any defined administrative area of local government, and that could be a city, a town or a small village. There are 161 municipalities across B.C.
Running each municipality is an elected council consisting of five to 11 councillors depending on the municipality’s population size.
A community with a population of more than 50,000 must have a mayor and eight councillors;
A city or district with a population of 50,000 or less must have a mayor and six councillors;
A town or village must have a mayor and four councillors.
Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford explained the council primarily provides the framework and operation of public services; think things like fire safety, road maintenance, land use, business licensing and even clean drinking water. In other words, services many people use day-to-day.
Regional districts
As well as a municipal council, there are also regional districts, 27 of which operate across B.C. The regional district in the Sea to Sky, for example, is the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (the SLRD).
Regional districts are federations composed of municipalities, electoral areas (areas which don’t have their own municipalities), and sometimes Treaty First Nation communities. The SLRD governs Furry Creek, Britannia Beach, the District of Squamish, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Village of Pemberton and the District of Lillooet.
Regional districts oversee and provide services for each area within their region, bringing representatives from each community together on a board.
Regional districts are entirely separate entities from municipalities with some different rules.
Municipalities versus regional districts
According to the province, regional districts were created as a result of development into urban areas in the 1950s, with residents commuting to urban centres for work.
“Development in the rural areas increased demand for services such as water, sewage and zoning,” reads a provincial webpage.
“By 1965, the B.C. government amended the Municipal Act to enable the creation of regional districts.”
Hurford, who also serves on the SLRD, helped to explain their differences as well as their overlap.
“In the context of the SLRD, there are three seats from Squamish council on the regional district board. It really is about providing a lot of municipal services in those areas that are not inside a municipality, or don’t have a lot of population,” he said. Hurford said decisions are made in both governing bodies through “an open and transparent process:” council and regional board meetings are available to watch online via their respective websites, for example.
Municipal councils and regional districts, however, operate differently, especially when it comes to budgeting.
“Each service provided to the residents is its own cost centre,” Hurford said of the SLRD.
“As an example, if you live in an unincorporated area [not within a municipality], you could advocate to have a cost centre started just to provide street lights. Each service is a budget unto itself.
“[Whereas in] a municipality, we make decisions more broadly by moving funds around. It’s a bit more nimble.”
School districts
B.C. is also divided into school districts, each headed by local school boards, who work with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support and improve all student learning.
These boards are separate governing bodies from municipal councils and regional districts, though senior school district staff engage with local government processes.
The boards are composed of locally elected trustees who engage with their respective communities, and oversee the work of their school district. Their work includes the establishment of policies, and setting their annual budgets.
Who has the last word?
All municipal councils and regional districts operate under provincial legislation. This legislation affects only the respective province, covering matters related to education, health-care, social welfare and highways.
“The province created local government, so therefore they have ultimate ability to impose themselves onto local government,” Hurford said.
The province usually steps in depending on the project, such as health-care investment, which according to Hurford can cause issues with accountability within local government branches, though the Community Charter does make provisions for accountability of ethical conduct.
“The answers often feel like a hot potato. ‘Oh, that’s not my responsibility, that’s someone else’s responsibility.’ We do have a shared responsibility to have the needs of our community met,” Hurford said.
“It is important to distinguish between what is a direct decision for the [municipal or provincial] table, and what is an advocacy role for a decision that happens somewhere else.
“Our role is to make sure that when those decisions are being made [by the province], they understand where we are currently, and where we’re going for the community.”
BY LODESTAR MEDIA
Federal overlap
Generally speaking, the federal government oversees nationwide policies, i.e. the whole of Canada, such as banking, criminal law, national defence and citizenship.
There is some overlap with the province, however, known as concurrent jurisdiction (legal powers). Taxation, agriculture, pensions and natural resource extraction are under the jurisdiction of both levels of government.
The federal government, Hurford said, “is quite a bit more removed” from local government.
Local governments often collaborate with the federal government over grant programs, paid directly to municipalities or through joint agreements. The federal government may get involved in matters about transport and infrastructure, such as the building of bridges and operating on navigable waters.
Potential public misunderstandings
Misunderstandings can be common when representation appears imbalanced to the public, or when legal processes get delayed.
Neither the regional district’s nor the municipality’s jurisdiction is a matter of opinion, Hurford said.
Sometimes, folks get confused and come to council members about things that are provincial or federal.
“For land-use decisions, we often have a high degree of control over what happens,” he said.
“Sometimes the council receives correspondence around all sorts of ‘asks’ that are just not quite [within municipal jurisdiction].”
Hurford also said that, in his experience, local governments collect significantly less tax revenue than other levels of government, which is primarily used to provide day-to-day services, so it can be “incredibly challenging to meet the expectations of the community.”
Rather fittingly, this year’s Local Government Awareness Week theme is financial resiliency (the ability to anticipate, adapt to and recover from financial volatility whilst delivering essential community services).
Furthermore, Hurford said that, again from his experience, if “constrained” areas governed by regional districts (such as those with low populations which are vastly spread out) have similar expectations for their services as a less “constrained” area, it can be complicated to deliver on.
General local elections
Each local government is responsible for running its own general local election, meaning it is responsible for the voting, counting, reporting results and accepting candidate nominations.
Elections BC is responsible for administering the campaign financing and election advertising rules.
More information about how to vote can be found on the Elections BC website at elections.bc.ca.
PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER
Your Town, Your Future
Local Government Awareness Week highlightsthe roleof Local Government inour communityandhow youcangetinvolved.
Communityinvolvementinlocalgovernment decision-makingisessential to shaping Whistler ’s future. Ways that youcanget involvedinclude:
Noticeisherebygiventhat Lil’watForestryVentures,holder of First Nations WoodlandLicense#N2V, isseekingpublic review and comment on Forest OperationsMap(FOM)ID#3149,whichis covered by Forest StewardshipPlan#891.The review andcomment periodrelated to FOMID#3149is availablefor a30-dayperiodfrom May15th,2026, to June15th,2026.This FOMconsistsofproposed cutblocks,andaccompanying road reconstructionandproposed newroadconstructionlocatedintheOwlCreek,MillerBenchand BirkenheadareasintheSea to SkyNatural ResourceDistrict.
The FOMcanbeviewed athttps://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects, and by searchingLicenseeusingthe‘find’function.Alternatively, theinformation containedinthe FOMcanbemade availablefor in-personviewingduringnormalbusinesshours at ChartwellResource Group Ltd.’s office at #201 –1121CommercialPlace,SquamishBC. Commentscanbesubmittedanytimeduringthe30-dayperiod throughhttps://fom.nrs.gov.bc.ca/public/projects,e-mailedto Lilwat.FOM@crgl.ca,ormailedtotheaddressnotedabove.Please referencethe FOMIDwhensubmitting comments.
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Q&A: Richmond mayor reflects on 25 years of navigating local government
As for what’s next, Malcolm Brodie says he’s looking forward to getting back into his hobbies
- By Maria Rantanen
As part of Local Government Awareness Week (May 10 to 16), the Richmond News interviewed outgoing mayor Malcolm Brodie. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
LOOKING BACK OVER 25 YEARS in the mayor’s chair, what has been the biggest highlight for you?
That’s really a difficult question because every day, week and month, there are highlights. And if they’re not huge in themselves, they fit into a pattern and jigsaw puzzle. But if I had to say to the person looking at the city, I think you would look at our facilities, and a couple that stick out, of course, the Oval, the Canada Line and district energy. Each one of those is a very significant situation.
What would you say would be the most challenging aspect of being a mayor?
Communications with the general public is a major challenge. And one of the most critical situations in regards to communications is the demise of the community print newspapers. I realize the Richmond News has an online presence but I don’t think that it competes with what you had, a two or three times weekly written paper. And of course, the Chinese newspapers are mostly gone as well.
You have to make some tough decisions, but you also have to communicate how you got there, and what the reasons are. It is the nuance. Everything is not as obvious as it would first appear.
Looking back, do you have any regrets, or conversely, some surprise wins along the way?
The beauty of being a mayor with a council is that you can be wrong, and the rest of council disagrees with you, and a year or two later you think, ‘well I really should have voted the other way on that.’ And so I don’t characterize it so much as a regret as to acknowledge, sometimes you get it wrong.
An example of that is I fought very hard against the River Rock Casino.
I didn’t realize exactly what their vision was for the largest casino in the province, and the hotel, and all that.
The reason I fought it was because people would say only four or five per cent of gamblers are problem gamblers.
I say, well, that’s a lot of people. And I believed the revenue that the city would generate from a casino would lose its benefits when you look to the public downside of problem gamblers.
But I remember there was some event 10 or 15 years later, and I said, you know, the River Rock had been a really good corporate citizen, they had really been supportive, and they’d done all the right things, I mean for a casino and hotel, in that context. Had I known this, I would have supported it.
Now, I say, parenthetically, after that came all the problems with money laundering, etc., which wasn’t, of course, the city’s jurisdiction, but it was in the city.
But I still think that it has been a positive overall.
I can also just add that I was on the TransLink board, when they were building the Canada Line, and they were going to build a parkade.
River Rock came, bought the parcel and said, we’ll build you a parkade. And to this day, it’s still regulated by TransLink.
What is something about the process of local government that the public maybe doesn’t understand?
I think our electorate here in Richmond are fairly conversant with local government and what it does in general terms. I think one of the things the public has found the hardest to understand is the lack of a public hearing that when the province brought in bills 44 and 47 and the subsequent bills, mandating that there’s no single-family neighbourhoods anymore and we’re not going to have public hearings. I think the elimination of the public hearing and the public’s right to express an opinion on what should go on in your own neighbourhood is hard to comprehend.
There are a lot of competing interests in the city. I’m just wondering how you balance that and navigate that.
You can have a very controversial issue with 100 people saying “yes,” 100 people saying “no.” All of them are smart people, people you respect. What it comes down to, you’ve got to sit back and just make that decision, which you see in the best interests of the community.
And you can’t govern by referendum. It can’t be a surprise that when you start talking about a certain thing that people on council and other people are going to have various opinions about it. And so you try and listen with an open mind and make a good decision in the interest of the community.
And very often I’ve seen where someone is not getting their way, you know, there’s not agreement as to their position. But something they say makes for a modification to what’s on the table, and it may just assist in getting them one step closer to what they want, even if they don’t fully get their way.
Whether you’re taking into account the viewpoints of councillors or the general public, it’s still the same process.
Can you explain why downloading is such a common criticism levelled at senior levels of government?
Because it’s pervasive. You know, it does sound like they’re going ahead with the (Richmond) hospital project, within the city, they raised pledges of over $50 million towards it. I mean, that’s just straight downloading.
You probably saw the report a few weeks ago on homelessness, which showed that one way or the other we’re paying somewhere between $3 and $4 million a year to support the homeless.
Now, we want to support the homeless, but if you look at it specifically, it is the purview of the provincial government. And they’ll download things with fees and, you know, there’s any number of ways to download.
And it all comes down to the local level when the local government only, out of every tax dollar that’s raised, only eight per cent of that goes to the cities.
What is something about being mayor that most people don’t know about?
Probably the fact that it’s a seven-day-a-week job. And I’m not pointing fingers at councillors because I was in the same situation before I was mayor. From the outside, it doesn’t look like it’s much more than being a councillor.
But, in fact, it is. You get invited to everything. You need to show up at a lot of things every day of the week. Mostly, there’s at least something on each day on the weekend. Rare that I get a weekend off.
I’m not complaining about this, by the way. It is what it is, and you get out of it what you put into it. And that’s how you, first of all, develop the relationships which make the community strong. You support the organizations that are of value to your community. And you also find out what people are thinking and talking about.
When you go to these events after hours and on the weekends, people don’t usually give you a bad time, even if they’re quite strongly in disagreement with what you’re saying.
But it does give you an opportunity to have a word with the people. So it brings you close to the community.
And you find out what’s important to the community. How would you know that the Japanese connection and the Kaiwo Maru are important to Richmond if you’re not going to be a part of them? n
PHOTO BY MARIA RANTANEN
Whistler Field Hockey Club reports positive growth
THE ORGANIZATION IS PLANNING A FOLLOW-UP TO ITS SUCCESSFUL 2025 MARMOT CUP TOURNAMENT
BY DAVID SONG
SINCE ITS BEGINNINGS in 2021, the Whistler Field Hockey Club (WFHC) has slowly and steadily been gathering momentum.
Florencia Tomaghelli has taken over as president for Amy McCarthy, with fellow co-founder Joelle Tiessen remaining on the board. Drey Voros is the current vice-president and Robbie Brew fulfils treasurer duties.
Under their combined leadership, the club hosted its maiden tournament on home soil last August: the Whistler Marmot Cup, a 7-on-7 mixed-gender event that drew teams from Squamish and Vancouver. A second edition is being planned for this summer due to popular demand.
“It was a really amazing way to connect all of our players,” said Voros. “Flora and I were the main organizers, but everyone in the club really came forward and helped us with setup and tear-down. The whole event ran so well because everyone just wanted to be a part of it, and we had such good feedback from the other teams.
“Everyone was so stoked on how organized it was and how much fun it was, so I think the whole team felt really proud of how it turned out because everyone was involved. People are really excited to do it again this year.”
Outdoor sessions are usually held at the Andrée Vajda Janyk Sports Field
skills indoors because it’s so quick.” WFHC players are also known to travel to the Lower Mainland for contests like the Vancouver Invitational which have access to dedicated field hockey pitches rather than multipurpose venues like Janyk Field. Other casual friendlies take place against the nearby Squamish
“We have a lot of internationals in Whistler and I think it’s fun to spread the word that field hockey is actually in town.”
- DREY VOROS
in Cheakamus, while indoor games are played at Spring Creek Community School. Participation is growing, as evidenced by the fact that this year’s indoor membership sold out. Both variations provide a distinct gameplay experience.
“The indoor version is way faster,” Voros explained. “You’re not allowed to do certain skills like you can’t lift the ball. Strategy in the game is very different because the pitch is so much smaller and the goals are smaller, so it’s a really good transition for people … you can kind of hone in on your
Hockey Club (SFHC).
HOCKEY IN TOWN
Organizations like the WFHC are proving there is room in Whistler for niche sports. By Voros’ reckoning, a core group of 10 to 12 athletes consistently populate both the outdoor and indoor campaigns year-round. Most have been together since the club’s inception, and they are joined by a rotating roster of seasonal players. Voros feels word-of-mouth and field hockey’s global appeal have been
key in helping attract new blood.
“We’ve definitely tried to create a very social atmosphere in our club. We have fun, we scrimmage, we do skills, but we also do social gatherings outside of our normal playing day,” Voros said. “We’ll get together and do barbecues, potlucks and have a social event once a month. Skiing and biking, they’re fun to do with friends but they’re also solo sports, and I think the team aspect you get from team sports is pretty special. You can really create cool bonds with people.”
She added: “Everywhere around the world—except for North America—when you say the word ‘hockey,’ people think field hockey. We have a lot of internationals in Whistler and I think it’s fun to spread the word that field hockey is actually in town. We try to do a lot of social media and advertising, but obviously there’s a lot of turnaround in this town so we’re always keen on drop-ins coming by … even if you don’t know how to play, come and check it out. We’re really, really open to beginners.” Voros is hesitant to list all the Sea to Sky businesses who have contributed to the WFHC for fear of missing someone, but expresses her heartfelt thanks to the community at large for various equipment and financial donations.
Visit whistlerfieldhockey.com to learn more about club activities now that the outdoor season is underway. n
Field
FIELD RESEARCH Whistler Field Hockey Club members practice at the Andrée Vajda Janyk Sports Field in Cheakamus.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DREY VOROS
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Whistler Wolves launch 2026 season with charity golf fundraiser alongside Axemen Rugby Club
THE EVENT TAKES PLACE MAY 15 IN SUPPORT OF THE WHISTLER COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY
BY DAVID SONG
‘ALL THE HARD WORK’
THE WHISTLER WOLVES’ upcoming campaign is about to get rolling—not on the field, but on the fairway.
Whistler’s official rugby league club is teaming up with its rugby union counterpart, the Axemen, for a charity event on May 15 at Pemberton’s Sunstone Golf Club. Forty players braved a cold and rainy day last year to support the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) outreach program, which will again be the beneficiary of all proceeds.
“Mental health is such a big part of society and also in young males. Me coming from Australia, that is one of the biggest killers in young males: suicide,” remarked Wolves head coach Blake Stewart. “I wanted to help show that there are people around you can speak to, and if you don’t have the funds for stuff like that, Whistler Community Services does offer these programs for discounts or in some cases free.”
Last May’s charity golf day raised approximately $1,600, which enabled WCSS to offer half a dozen outreach sessions without charge. Stewart added: “I know it’s not a huge amount, but it was huge for us. Any money is good money towards a charity.”
The event will again serve as an unofficial spring kick-off for the Wolves and a finale for the Axemen. Members of the public of all skill levels—from complete beginners to veteran golfers— are welcome. A target goal of 70 participants and $3,000 raised has been set. Head to whistlerwolves.square.site for more information or to purchase tickets.
Whistler’s Wolves are hardly a charity case on the pitch. Rather, they’ve emerged as the dominant force in Rugby League British Columbia (RLBC) with not just back-to-back Grand Final titles, but backto-back undefeated seasons across both nines and 13s play.
The club’s U19s are also powerful, securing their first championship last summer. More and more Sea to Sky youth are being exposed to rugby via not just the Wolves, but other age-appropriate programs offered by the Axemen and Whistler Secondary School.
“It’s huge,” Stewart said about the aforementioned results. “It means a lot to myself and everyone that’s been involved, especially the boys who have been involved from the start. Our first two seasons were a struggle, we were 12 men coming to training most weeks. Fast forward to 2024, we had 30 people coming [and could only dress 20 per game]. We want to keep building it. The club is winning these championships, not individual players or individual teams.
“There are good young Canadian rugby league players in this town, they just weren’t exposed to it [in years past]. All the hard work that goes in, regardless if it’s rugby league or rugby union … that’s how the overage men are going to be successful long after I leave. It’s the U19s [becoming senior men and stepping up].”
Stewart also hopes to get a ladies’ program off the ground, mirroring what the Axemen have done. So far approximately 10 women have expressed interest, three short of a full rugby league starting lineup.
With two home games scheduled for June 6 and July 4, follow the Wolves on social media to keep up with club activities and developments. n
SEASON KICK-OFF Members of the Whistler Wolves rugby league club.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BLAKE STEWART
Temperature ControlledGearStorageRoom |Hot Tubwith OutdoorShower
NOTHING LIKE A BIG INTERNATIONAL SHOW TO WIND THINGS UP
THE HEADLINES and memories keep pouring in: Expo 86 opened 40 years ago to mark Vancouver’s 100th birthday, and the nostalgia flows on. As the theme song says, something was happening here.
The food—from every global corner, plus a floating McDonald’s barge, to boot! The live music! Expo Ernie and the robots,
BY GLENDA BARTOSH
so ahead of their time. The Expo crowds and superstars, including a lovely Princess Di (more on that later). Plus the brilliant Expo legacies millions still enjoy long after the gates to the legendary World’s Fair closed five months later.
Like getting around the Lower Mainland fast, easily and sustainably, thanks to the gloriously electric SkyTrain built for Expo. Fingers crossed—if Whistler’s Brittia Thompson’s efforts to get train service resumed from the North Shore to Whistler, that one day it’ll be electric, too. (Check out her petition at change.org.)
We’ve also got the huge sails of harbourside’s Canada Place convention centre. (Sydney, eat your hearts out.) And Bruno Freshci’s giant glassy “golf ball,” as it was fondly known—the 17-storey geodesic dome built as the Expo Centre, and now the subject of the most night shots of North American architecture, except for New York’s Empire State Building.
BALLS OF ALL SORTS
Think of it! The “golf ball” was slated to be torn down after the big celebration went dark. But thankfully some smart people lobbied hard until it was saved and turned into the beloved Science World. Soon it will morph again, at least temporarily, into another giant ball. This time the addition of more than a hundred custom panels will turn it into a humongous soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup—ironically, or maybe that should be “iconically” at BC Place Stadium, another Expo legacy.
It was finished in 1983, a year or so after I bought The Whistler Question from Paul and Jane Burrows. (More on that too, in a bit.) But even if you were just a toddler 40-some years ago, or not yet even a gleam in somebody’s eyes, I bet you’ve caught more than one rockin’ concert or sporting event there over the years—our BC Lions; the amazing Whitecaps; or maybe the fabulous opening or closing ceremonies for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics.
Mike Harcourt—who panned Expo 86 before it even started, and before he was Vancouver’s mayor leading up to The Really Big Show—later became one of its biggest supporters. I love what he told Vancouver Sun reporter Dan Fumano: “Vancouver went from being the ‘last stop’ on the CP rail line to being the ‘front door of Canada to the Asian Pacific.’”
FAMILY AFFAIRS & OTHER PRESSING MATTERS
I get what such gateways and terminuses can mean. There’s a long-standing joke in our family about my dear grandad Bartosh. He was just 11 years old, clutching his Grade 5 Polish report card and fresh off the boat from Europe, when he landed at New York’s Ellis
Island soon after it opened in 1892. Thing was, grandad was all by himself, and would never say why.
But we do know he was a determined kid, making his way to Toronto where he hopped a freight train to the end of the line. In this case, our hometown of Edmonton. Too bad he didn’t hop a CP train with its terminus in Vancouver, instead of a CN one, we’d joke. But grandad had the last laugh. He eventually got a job with CP, which meant free train tickets to Vancouver—a miraculous holiday spot for us all, way before Expo 86 was even a glimmer.
Apparently, Mike Harcourt and his family visited the fair 80-plus times. But I can top that. Sure, there were season’s passes for a measly 99 bucks, purchased in advance. You can still find the original Expo 86 brochure online that hyped the hype, and prices. But talk about good timing. After years at the helm of the Question, about the same length of time as Paul, I’d sold the paper but still qualified for an Expo 86 press pass. Wow!
Even though home base was still Alpine Meadows, it felt like I was at Expo every day, all day. Fireworks! Laser light shows! International pavilions galore, including the Russian and U.S. ones featuring outer space. Tuk-tuks from Asia. The gondola from France. The monorail. And the food— from everywhere! Costa Rica. Thailand. Ukraine. (How many perogies and tacos did I eat?). Plus free live music for all. K.D. Lang on her first “big” stage. Even Miles Davis, with his trademark back to the audience, blaring cool jazz into the summer air until a sassy Wynton Marsalis barged in. A true showstopper.
I even had media access to Prince Charles and Princess Diana, grabbing one of the best shots of my blossoming journo career. Natch, I had the film
processed at Rick Clare’s Whistler OneHour Photo, the only photo act in town. Smart Rick made an extra print and stuck it in the shop window. So many people wanted a copy, he said, he could sell them and we’d split the proceeds. But me, I wasn’t so smart and turned him down. I was having too much fun to even think about money.
Maybe Jimmy Pattison was, too. I always admired the guy for taking the Expo reins as CEO at the outrageous salary of a dollar a year.
With 22 million visitors, almost the same number as Canada’s population then, Expo 86 boosted the economy in so many ways—including way more tourist traffic for Whistler, and longer hours for B.C. bars. But it also failed a lot of people.
A story that struck me, and many others, was that of Olaf Solheim, an 88-year-old retired Norwegian logger, and one of many Vancouver Downtown Eastside residents evicted to free up rooms for tourists. Unfortunately, he died shortly after being forced out of his SRO home of 60 years at the Patricia Hotel.
In many ways, Olaf’s tale reminded me of my grandad’s. It’s a cautionary one as well, befitting the Olympics, and now the FIFA World Cup. Sure these international events are super exciting and fun, but they have downsides, too. So if you’re one of the lucky ones who gets to enjoy the next round, maybe think about ways to share the good times with those who aren’t so lucky.
Because that’s the true global spirit.
Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning journalist who tips her hat to Dan Fumano, VIA’s Brendan Kirgen, and all the other great journos rounding up Expo stories. n
WELCOMING THE WORLD Tillicum, the sea-otter mascot of Expo 86, stands in front of the Expo Centre, today known as the Vancouver Science Centre.
PHOTO BY GLEN E. ERICKSON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
MEADOWPARKSPORTSCENTRE
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The Whistler Sea Wolves are hosting aswimmeet
Saturday, May23and Sunday, May 24
To support this event the Meadow Park SportsCentrePoolarea is closed from 12 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The kid's leisure pool will remainclosed for the evening. Thankyou for your patienceand understanding, andbest ofluck to all the swimmersattending the meet!
Whistler Children’s Festival emphasizes inclusion and imagination
THE EVENT RUNS FROM MAY 15 TO 17 ACROSS MULTIPLE VENUES
BY DAVID SONG
LOCAL FAMILIES may want to mark their calendars for May 15 to 17 as the Whistler Children’s Festival (WCF) returns once again.
Now entering its 43rd year, Whistler’s longest-running festival is set to bring eight theatrical performances and 13 hands-on workshops to town. Take for instance Yuki the Juggler, an acclaimed Japanese Canadian circus artist well-versed in Edo Daikagura: a fourcentury-old art that blends ball, torch and knife juggling with umbrella ball spinning, mouth stick balancing and other skills. Yuki performs on Sunday at the Maury Young Arts Centre.
Another notable act is “Orbax and Pepper Do Science” on both Saturday and Sunday: a zany gig featuring two avantgarde experts who specialize in taking a rock ‘n’ roll comedy vibe to education. Known separately as Professor Orbax and his assistant Sweet Pepper Klopek, these colourful individuals present outrageous experiments and bizarre scientific facts in a way that keeps both children and their parents hooked.
The whole thing launches on Friday at the WCF Street Party, a hub of crafts
and music at the Maury Young followed by an all-ages screening of the animated blockbuster Zootopia 2. This and other Arts Whistler movie initiatives like the People’s Film have introduced kids to a theatre experience that’s been otherwise nonexistent after January 2023 when Village 8 closed.
Yet organizers aim to do more than just provide razzle-dazzle. They hope to create a space where all participants
dance and dress-up extravaganza facilitated by local drag queens. It is part performance, part lip-sync open mic, and an energetic way for young people to express themselves.
“What we’re seeing in the world and what we’re responding to is a much higher level of awareness, a greater understanding of the fact that there are these kids with different needs who can and should be included,”
“One of the things I love about it is I do not see kids on screens virtually at all.”
- MAUREEN DOUGLAS
feel welcome, hence the addition of offerings like “Your Own Sound World” and “Glamily.”
ALL ALONG THE SPECTRUM
Led by accredited music therapist and registered clinical counsellor Luke Burton, “Your Own Sound World” is billed as a musical therapy experience for neurodiverse children. Instead of rigid structure, Burton offers kids a gentlyguided, hour-long workshop on May 16 and 17 so they might discover instruments at their own pace and exercise agency over their sensory environment.
“Glamily,” meanwhile, is a Sunday
says Arts Whistler executive director Maureen Douglas. “They just have to be approached a little bit differently. There’s a pretty wide spectrum of needs [like autism and ADHD] that can exist, so we’re doing our best to meet some of the needs along that spectrum.
“It can’t be one-size-fits-all, nor can we meet the needs of every single individual person who might cross the threshold, but what we’re trying to do is to continue to give room for more and more people.”
As for Glamily, she adds: “You have families that are really open to all kinds of different expression and it’s a chance
for both parents and kids to have fun. It’s a way to include families that may be along the queer spectrum or have family members who are, and really want to see that level of inclusion—or really see the creative aspects of gender expression. The best dress-up trunk you’re ever going to find is going to be at this dance party.”
The WCF always strives to offer a broad variety of experiences, including ticketed shows and free on-the-street pop-ups. Apart from Zootopia 2, it’s technology-free fun in an era where many kids are glued to their screens for a variety of reasons. It is common for bored children to ask for electronic devices (or be given them by long-suffering parents) out in public, but that almost never happens at any given WCF.
Instead, even when transitioning from one program to another, Douglas sees youngsters fully present in the moment: whether that’s picking up chalk art, dancing to music, chasing bubbles, or engaging with performers.
“One of the things I love about it is I do not see kids on screens virtually at all. I do see parents on screens from time to time because they’re using it to take photos of their kids,” she says. “When it comes to going tech-free, much of it is either live performance or interactive participation to get kids off screens and help them start to discover what their imaginations can do.”
Visit whistlerchildrensfestival.com for more details and tickets. n
CHILD’S PLAY Kids gathered at the 2025 Whistler Children’s Festival.
PHOTO BY OISIN MCHUGH
Whistler’s Paul Wright earns Yousuf Karsh Lifetime Achievement Award
THE ACCOLADE IS ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS GIVEN BY THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA
BY DAVID SONG
WHEN PAUL WRIGHT attended this year’s Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Awards Gala on April 18 in Saskatoon, Sask., he didn’t expect to be recognized in any specific manner.
He received the Yousuf Karsh Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the most impressive honours any Canadian photographer can take home. It is open to PPOC members who accumulate more than 4,000 print merits by way of national accreditation and success in image contests, and can only be earned once by an individual.
Wright felt “totally blindsided” by the news. He doesn’t keep track of his own merits, and takes photos simply because he enjoys doing so. After taking a moment to compose himself, the 75-yearold delivered a spontaneous acceptance speech, walked off stage—and realized to much consternation that he’d somehow forgotten to thank his wife Nicki Valentine.
“I’m due for some considerable chiding on that one,” says Wright.
The Whistlerite became a professional photographer in 2009, two years after retiring from his first career as an orthopaedic surgeon. Initially he focused on commercial work and documenting major sports events like the 2010 Winter Paralympics and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. These days he’s shifted towards capturing animals and natural landscapes.
“As a commercial photographer, I am told [Paul’s] work took him wherever the world was most alive and beautiful: up mountains, into wild places, through city streets at midnight, and across landscapes that most of us only dream of visiting,” said PPOC chairperson Cheri Kellington moments before presenting Wright with the Karsh Award.
“He built his reputation chasing light and action in equal measure, with a body of work that reflects both the raw energy of the natural world and the quiet drama that exists at its edges. Now retired from commercial work, this member has accumulated an incredible 4,420 lifetime image merits, a testament not just to his talent but to his enduring passion for the craft.”
HUMILITY AND PASSION
Both of Wright’s careers have been defined by endurance.
After being educated at Western University, the Toronto native was employed as a surgeon in New Zealand, Burnaby Hospital and Vancouver’s Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Clinic at various points. He also worked for Alpine Canada, served as a physician for all of Team Canada during the 1998 Winter Olympics and taught at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Despite many
long nights in various operating rooms, he flourished for 30 years.
Personal considerations drove Wright to retire, and in 2011 his medical exploits were deemed worthy of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (a group he remains closely connected to). Yet by that point, he’d already dived headfirst into the world of photography.
“People don’t believe it, but it’s kind of like the same thing [as surgery],” Wright remarks. “You’re using technology, you’re working with people and the third thing is: you have to read the manuals. Photographers are notorious for thinking they can just pick up a camera and make it work, but it’s all about reading the manuals.”
It has also been all about humility. Wright went from being an adulated UBC surgeon professor to just one of the rank and file.
“I’m at [the London 2012 Paralympics] trying to shoot an image of Oscar Pistorius at the starting blocks or over the finish line, I’m dealing with an environment that I’m totally not in control of and it was really hard to work your way,” he recalls. “I was somewhere below the chewing gum on the bottom of the shoe in this new profession.”
Now Wright boasts a pair of Lifetime Achievement Awards from two disparate fields. He and Valentine have resided full-time in Whistler since 2015, with no houses anywhere else. The Sea to Sky offers immediate access to nature, and that’s what he loves most. n
CCFINFOSESSION
Date:Thursday,May 28 Time:5-7p.m.
WRIGHT STUFF Cheri Kellington (right), chairperson of the Professional Photographers of Canada, presenting the Yousuf Karsh Lifetime Achievement Award to Paul Wright in Saskatoon, Sask., on April 18.
PHOTO BY THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA
KimDorland, Nemophilia#1 (detail), 2017. AudainArtMuseum Collection. Purchasedwithfundsfrom the Audain Foundation.
Presenting Sponsor Hotel Partner 4350Blackcomb
The four-wheel force
BY BRONWYN PREECE
FRIDAY, MAY 15 marks opening day of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. For Stacy Kohut, the day marks the start of his 26th season riding the park.
“In ’92, I originally saw a picture of someone riding a four-wheel bike,” he recalled. Kohut wanted one. Badly.
“I had to wait until 1999 to get my first four-wheel bike. Seven years it took,” he said. “Seven years of winning gold medals. Seven years of being in the paper. Seven years of being on the TV. Seven years of pouring my heart into just being a real, true, integrated individual.”
Those seven years followed a lifechanging accident. At age 21, Kohut broke his back attempting a “super-loop” on a swing set. Within a year, he was back skiing. By 23, he had become “Canada’s first-ever gold medallist in sit-skiing.” In 1996, he won the World Championship of Disabled Skiing in Austria, followed by three silver medals at the 1998 Paralympic Winter Games in Nagano.
“It’s all about being quick. And looking good. Being good,” he said. Following that, Kohut came to Whistler and spent almost a month just shredding the snowboard park and halfpipe. “You gotta pay your dues with pain, blood, tears, and a tremendous amount of determination to attempt the trick, fall, get up. Attempt the trick, fall, to get up,” he said. “That method is exactly why I’m successful.”
In 1999, Kohut also quit the National Ski Team. He did return for one last Paralympics in 2002 in Salt Lake, but has not been on snow since 2003. His focus since then has been solely on biking. In 2017, Red Bull called him “the world’s fastest mountain biker on four wheels.”
In 2000, he was competing in Whistler, when it was announced that starting the following year, the bike park would be open for five and a half months.
“Well, all the dudes that were sitting
with me were like, holy @#$%. We can do it. We can become the world’s first bike bums,” he recalled. And that’s exactly what Kohut proceeded to become when he moved full-time to Whistler.
“That’s what I am. I’m a bonafide park rat. I was a skate park rat. I was a BMX track park rat. I’m a downhill park rat,” he said. “We don’t adaptive bike. We don’t handicap bike. We have bikes that are four wheels. You can call it a four-wheel bike or a four-cross and that’s that.”
Kohut is a pioneer. Not by choice, but by default, he is also an advocate. “I’m anti adaptive,” he said. “I can’t do any of it … I’m a big proponent of having no more Paralympics. I just think the Paralympics should be blended into the Olympics … Same day. Same discussion.”
The 55-year-old Kohut was born and raised in Calgary, Alta. “My heroes are like dirtbags,” he said. “They’re rock ‘n’ roll musicians. They’re punk rockers.
“Daddy was a Top Fuel drag racer, mama was bleach blonde. My whole life has never been normal, everything was cool, I didn’t miss out on anything.”
With 25 previous seasons in the bike park, Kohut knows a thing or two about preparation and approach. “I do 100 B-Lines every year before I go on any other trail,” he said.
He rides a minimum of three-and-ahalf days a week—sometimes seven—and aims for 10 runs a day.
“It’s so fun to race yourself,” he said. “I don’t work on my weak skills. I cash in on my strengths.”
Kohut is both motivated and a motivator. “I’m pulling the rope that everyone else should be pulling and that’s to make this town as best as it can, as inclusive as it can, as friendly as you can, and let’s just get people from all over the world to come here to shred and be stoked,” he said.
Forty years from now, “I’m going to be the 95-year-old guy that’s doing one run a day,” Kohut added. He will likely also be the first in line. n
DIRT DEVIL Stacy Kohut in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in 2000.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WHISTLER MUSEUM / INSIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
THE ART OF THE COCKTAIL: INSPIRED BY VISTAS - FROM TAKAO TANABE’S TRAVELS
A special edition of Art of the Cocktail, this exhibition celebrates the luminous restraint and meditative landscapes of Takao Tanabe. The feature cocktail, created by the expert bartenders from The Raven Room, echoes Tanabe’s aesthetic sensibility - layered, nuanced and quietly bold. Expect refined flavours, restrained colour palettes and thoughtful presentation that mirrors the artist’s contemplative approach to landscape.
> May 15, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
> Audain Art Museum
GREEN LAKE BIRD WALK
Join the Whistler Naturalists on the third Saturday of the month for a walk to Green Lake and the Fitzsimmons Creek Delta. Open to anyone interested in learning about birds and contributing as a citizen scientist. Connect with experienced birders who are happy to share their knowledge. More information at whistlernaturalists.ca/birding.
> May 16, 7 a.m.
> Meet just across the highway from Meadow Park at the small parking lot beside the River of Golden Dreams
VISTAS: FROM TAKAO TANABE’S TRAVELS
Vistas: From Takao Tanabe’s Travels showcases how Takao Tanabe transformed memories of landscapes across British Columbia, the Arctic and beyond into contemplative paintings that balance precise observation with poetic reflection. This Special Exhibition was curated to accompany Takao Tanabe: Inside Passage.
> May 16 to September 21
> Audain Art Museum
PIQUE’S GUIDE TO LOCAL EVENTS & NIGHTLIFE
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!) at piquenewsmagazine.com/local-events
WHISTLER FARMERS’ MARKET
WHISTLER FARMERS’ MARKET
A feast for your senses, the Whistler Farmers’ Market features local produce, tasty food, local artisans, live entertainment and family activities. Markets happen every Sunday until Thanksgiving on October 11, with the addition of select Saturday markets.
> May 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
> Upper Village Stroll
MAKING CONNECTIONS DEMENTIA FRIENDLY SOCIAL CLUB
Supported by a federal grant and organized by the
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When naturalist John Muir wanted to experience a storm, he climbed to the top of a 100-foot Douglas fir and rode it for hours through gale-force winds. He later reflected that the danger, in his judgment, was “hardly greater” than staying under a roof, and that the exhilaration and sensory richness justified his experiment. I’m not counselling you to be exactly like Muir in the coming weeks, Aries. Please don’t take foolish risks. However, I would love you to explore what truths are available when you put yourself in the path of intensity.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Soil biologists say a teaspoon of productive soil may contain billions of living organisms. These bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes work in cooperative networks, generating a hidden abundance that ensures everything above ground thrives. Your immediate future has this quality, Taurus. Beneath the visible surface of your life, beneficial processes are generating fertility and possibility. You don’t need to see the miracle to trust it’s happening. Your role is simply to have faith as you maintain the conditions that allow this mysterious abundance to do its work.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I suspect you would benefit from engaging with a friendly devil’s advocate or two in the coming weeks. Your clarity and understanding will deepen in just the right ways if you converse with affectionate skeptics who like and respect you but also want to help you grow. I realize that such people may be hard to find. If you can’t locate any, you could hire one. Or do the next best thing: Argue with yourself. Entertain lines of thought that are contrary to your usual ideas. Don’t let your habitual self get away with its usual rationalizations. The benefits of this exercise will be unpredictably huge.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star holds a fixed place in the sky. Also known as Polaris, or the Pole Star, it hangs in almost the same spot
WEEK OF MAY 15 BY ROB
throughout the night while other stars rise and set. Because of this steadfast presence, it has long served as a trusted marker for navigation, especially for sailors at sea. Over time, it naturally came to represent an inner compass or a guiding ideal. In your own experience, Cancerian, what serves as your symbolic North Star? What’s the steady, orienting force that helps you decide where and how to move next? Now is an auspicious moment to tend to and revitalize your bond with this central source of direction.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the mid 1950s, researchers developed reliable methods for creating synthetic diamonds in the laboratory. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to grow large, high-quality diamonds from small seed crystals in a relatively short time. I invite you to make this one of your operative metaphors, Leo. In the coming weeks, the forces of destiny will align with your efforts if you experiment with nurturing and expanding the parts of your life that are most like a diamond. Facilitate the development of your valuable beauty.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Scientist Stuart Kauffman theorizes that living systems are healthiest when they operate near the “edge of chaos.” There’s a critical zone between rigid order and unstructured randomness where complexity and adaptability can flourish. Too much organization creates brittle stiffness, while excessive chaos prevents coherence. Life thrives when it has some of both. I invite you to ruminate on these themes in the coming weeks, Virgo. According to my edgy analysis of the astrological omens, you’re being invited to cultivate and foster your own personal “edge of chaos” territory. Your interesting task is to create sweet spots where structure and spontaneity synergize. Locate these happy places and abide there for a while.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Choose two small and specific ways you’re going to stop pretending. One example might be how you respond when someone asks how you’re doing.
Whistler Mature Action Community, a weekly program of 45 minutes of gentle fitness followed by stimulating activities such as card games and music therapy, and socializing over a light lunch. The program was designed to improve physical fitness, delay cognitive decline and build friendships and support networks. We provide a welcoming stress-free environment for those whose lives have become isolated by dementia. There is no fee. Please contact mcp@whistlermac.org if interested in attending Donations are welcome. Find more info at whistlermac.org/making-connections.
> May 20, 10:30 a.m.
> Catholic church of Whistler
BREZSNY
Another may be an opinion you’ve been softening to keep the peace. Or maybe there’s a desire you’ve been downplaying because it feels impractical or too revealing. Here’s the name of this experiment: Incremental Precision Liberation. The key is to do it casually, with no melodrama or self-consciousness. If it’s successful, you could try another round in two weeks.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio primatologist Frans de Waal devoted years to watching chimpanzees reconcile with each other after enduring discord. He was fascinated by how they rebuilt trust through elaborate rituals of appeasement, grooming, and kind gestures. Once the chimps stopped fighting, he marvelled, they actively repaired their connection, which often emerged stronger than it was before the dispute. I hope you will borrow their primate wisdom in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Do your best to navigate through conflict or alienation, and then instigate generous acts of rebonding. Don’t sulk, be evasive, or go silent. Be creative as you work to replenish what was damaged. The renewed relationship could be closer for having weathered the difficulties.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The wandering albatross harnesses the wind, enabling it to travel vast distances with minimal effort. There’s an initial effort that leads to big energy savings. The bird climbs into strong winds and then relaxes as it gets transported, surfing the air currents. I mention this, Sagittarius, because I suspect you’ve been trying too hard and working too much—unnecessarily so. Less strenuous exertion, more gliding, please! Ask yourself what flows are already streaming in your favour. Could you catch a ride on existing momentum? Here’s my advice: figure out where life’s tides are already moving, then position yourself to get carried along.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ethnomusicologists studying throat singing know that Tuvan singers can produce two or more tones simultaneously. The human voice, it turns out, has the ability to harmonize with itself. Most of
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
Every Thursday, Whistler’s 55-plus community is invited to a welcoming weekly gathering designed for connection, conversation, and fun. The program offers a relaxed space to share stories, play games, and build new friendships. This collaboration by MAC and WCSS creates a warm, inclusive environment where seniors can come together each week, strengthen connections, and enjoy meaningful social time in a supportive setting.
> May 21, 3 to 5 p.m.
> Whistler Racket Club
OIL AND ACRYLIC PAINTING WITH LACEY JANE WILBURN
Local artist Lacey Jane is offering a four week in depth painting course covering everything from sketching and grisaille to colour theory, depth, texture, expressive movement, and finishing techniques, with all materials provided. Express your creativity in a group setting and advance your skills in the art of painting.
> May 21, 6 to 9 p.m.
> The Point Artist-Run Centre
YOGA AT THE AUDAIN
Revel in the stunning architecture as you work through a calming one-hour practice with rotating instructors. Classes emphasize breathing, alignment and ease as you stretch and strengthen your body and mind. Registration includes access to the galleries on the day of the yoga session from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bring your mat (or borrow one from the AAM) and enjoy some mind and body wellness!
> May 21, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
> Audain Art Museum
us never discover this because we never try. What other multidimensional capacities are you not using because you’ve never investigated them or tested their limits, Capricorn? The coming weeks are ideal for experimentation. What unexpected capacities might you get access to if you explored possibilities you’ve assumed were beyond you? You may be able to develop aptitudes and acquire gifts you haven’t discovered yet.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Cartographer Gerardus Mercator created his famous world map in 1569, enabling sailors to plot straight-line courses across oceans. But his technique dramatically distorts the size of landmasses. Greenland appears larger than Africa, when in reality Africa is 14 times bigger. And the truth is that every map privileges certain truths while distorting others. This is a key teaching for you right now, Aquarius. Examine the mental maps you’re using to navigate your life. Might they be hiding or warping reality in any way? Consider whether you would benefit from redrawing your inner visualizations of the wide, wild world out there.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Perfectionism has increased dramatically in recent decades. Young people are especially affected. But here’s the twist: The compulsion for perfection rarely improves performance. It’s more likely to undermine achievement by triggering paralysis and excessive selfcriticism. Now is a favourable time for you Pisceans to rebel against the trend. I encourage you to cultivate a relaxed devotion to being “good enough” as you enjoy yourself thoroughly. Do you know the difference between cheerfully seeking excellence and grimly striving for perfection? Move away from what demands your obsessive rigour and focus on what requires soulful completion.
Homework: Imagine you’ve time-travelled to a favourite place in the year 2035. What do you see? (Read my newsletter: https://is.gd/PlsE70). n
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Community Programs
• Elementary School Teacher - Grade 3 ($60,015 to $109,520 per year)
• Aboriginal Supported Child Development Worker ($25.89 - $33.98 per hour + eligible for wage enhancement top up)
• Camp Counsellor ($20.90 to $29.45 per hour)
• Aboriginal Support Child Development Assistant ($22.86 to $30.00 per hour)
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Ts’zil, Language & Culture
Teacher ($60,015 to $109,520 per year)
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Community Development
Xet’òlacw Community School
• Bus Driver ($20.90 to $29.45 per hour)
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Photo:KatMoffat.
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On the power of pep talks
I GAVE A FEW pep talks this week. I have no way of knowing if my lightly solicited effusive texts of encouragement actually landed in the zone. The recipients said thanks, but I say “thank you” even when someone gives me a speeding ticket, so that’s no proof of value.
I was on the receiving end of a few motivational boosters, too. And they were bulls-eye perfect.
I got to wondering: what puts the pep in the talk?
BY LISA RICHARDSON
Last year, a friend messaged me out of the blue from the thick of her worklife: “You have to try this. Ask ChatGPT to give you a ‘drunk bestie pep talk.’”
It was suitably hilarious. ChatGPT did not sound like the demon that heralds the end of the world that I had cast it as. It sounded like a drunk best friend. Which was fun. Next time, though, I thought, I’ll text the friends I used to get drunk with and say, “hey girls, I don’t hear from you enough, and I love you forever. Remember when we’d drape ourselves over each other’s shoulders and slur, ‘I love youse guys, SSSSO much.’ I’m procrastinating/struggling/worrying, can you give me a pep talk in drunk-ese?”
Because the question I keep returning to, thanks to a casual conversation
many years ago with counsellor Tanya Richman, is “what do I want to strengthen?” She was sharing in the context of parenting teens through a pandemic and I doubt she had any idea that it would become one of my favourite lifelines, something I turn to all the time, forget about, then find again, like pocket change in last winter’s jacket, and feel even more delighted to rediscover.
If I’m facing something tough and feeling low on motivation or self confidence, it’s a vulnerability to acknowledge that out loud. In that moment of vulnerability, do I want to strengthen my secret dependence on a large language model owned by a billionaire of dubious ethics that is aggregating all of my questions and vulnerabilities and working out what makes me tick? (I mean, you know I did, guiltily, ask ChatGPT to give me a pep
on Diary of a CEO, in November, “Vulnerability is the emotion we experience when we’re up against uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. Without vulnerability you can’t access the experiences that are the most meaningful in life, like love. People always ask me which comes first, trust or vulnerability. Do I trust you first, and then [let myself be] vulnerable? Or am I vulnerable first and then I trust you? I think it’s a very slow stacking. I get to know you a little, then I share. Start small. Vulnerability, trust, vulnerability, trust…” She layers her hands like she’s making an elaborate sandwich. What makes vulnerability work as a life-enriching trait is that it’s not anonymous. The risk of exposure is real, so the reward is real. Asking for a lifeline means the bid might fall short, and most of us would prefer to avoid
Without vulnerability you can’t access the experiences that are the most meaningful in life, like love.
talk as my research for this piece. And it was quick, clever, impressive and a little bit hollow-feeling.) Or, do I risk exposing my belly to humans I know and feel affection for and have been affectioned by… creating some mutual exposure and tenderness and trust between us. That is, in the moment, harder. But so much more rewarding.
Brene Brown, the patron saint of Vulnerability, said, in an appearance
that sad, hollow heartbreak. But it also could result in a veritable hammock of support strings shot out like spider silk from a thousand directions, from people who were happy to send a little boost your way.
A longtime friend of mine became a midwife in her 30s and 40s, studying part-time while working and raising kids. When we ran into each other, she was about to graduate. I was in awe of her
commitment to this path. “What made you think about midwifery?” I asked her. We had been 19-year-old ski buddies, housemates, kids “doing a season” together. I had not known her in a context that would have suggested this path.
“I discovered that I can sit with people while they’re doing hard things,” she explained, which might be the most beautiful distillation of a life path I have ever heard.
I think she points right there to the making of a good pep talk. Most of its power isn’t in the words. It’s in the companioning through something hard. It’s the unspoken acknowledgement that the person in need of the boost is the only person who can do this hard thing. That yes, it is hard. But here is someone on the sidelines flapping a hand-made sign at you, feeling proud of your courage, showing you that they’re invested in it.
That’s what I see nestled in the heart of the word encouragement: courage—to help put someone’s courage back in their body, when it slipped out and they are sure it has gone permanently AWOL. Sure, ChatGPT insta-delivered me a rousing and articulate motivational speech. But I’d rather have the inarticulate “keep going” from someone who will greet me with bright eyes and a beating heart next time I see them, because what I get, from the pep talk from a human, is a reassurance that someone can see me when I’m vulnerable, and stand by. And that is a true fuel for my courage to keep doing hard things.
Lisa Richardson is a longtime contributor to Pique whose writing, speaking and creative workshops are propelled by the idea that attention, imagination and community are where resilience and future flourishing is at. n
