Pique Newsmagazine 3327

Under water

Orphan dike breach could ‘take out entire’ B.C. community

Under water

Orphan dike breach could ‘take out entire’ B.C. community. - By Stefan Labbé

06 OPENING REMARKS When looking for Whistler comparables, nothing really comes close, writes editor Braden Dupuis—but we’d be wise not to let it go to our heads.

08 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This week’s letter-writers share thanks for another successful Hike for Health, and for B.C.’s firefighters.

26 THE OUTSIDER If you paid good money for good suspension, it’s worth taking the time (and the extra runs) to get it dialed, writes Vince Shuley.

46 PIQUE’N YER INTEREST In addressing long-term forest service road campers, it makes more sense to act now rather than later, writes Andrew Mitchell.

COVER It’s nice to live above the floodplain. - By Jon Parris // @jon.parris.art

Publisher SARAH STROTHER - sstrother@piquenewsmagazine.com

Editor BRADEN DUPUIS - bdupuis@piquenewsmagazine.com

Sales Manager KAIJA KNOX - kknox@lodestarmedia.ca

Production Manager AMIR SHAHRESTANI - ashahrestani@piquenewsmagazine.com

Art Director JON PARRIS - jparris@piquenewsmagazine.com

Advertising Representatives

TESSA SWEENEY - tsweeney@wplpmedia.com

ANDREW BUDRESKI - abudreski@piquenewsmagazine.com

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Reporters

12 FINER WINE Rec Sites and Trails BC is seeking public feedback on a potential prohibition of camping and motorized use in the Brandywine area from June 1 to Nov. 1 each year.

18 FARE COMMENT

Whistler Taxi responds to recent allegations involving taxi drivers in Whistler, and shares how it plans to address community concerns.

30 WOLVES AT THE DOOR Whistler Wolves rugby players Blake Mahovic and Jack Shortis discuss being named to Team Canada for July action in Europe.

34 GET LOST Art on the Lake returns to Lost Lake for its seventh instalment on July 9 and 10 with live music, visual artists, vendors and more.

LUKE FAULKS - lfaulks@piquenewsmagazine.com

DAVID SONG - sports@piquenewsmagazine.com

Classifieds and Reception - mail@piquenewsmagazine.com

Contributors G.D. MAXWELL, VINCE SHULEY, LESLIE ANTHONY, GLENDA BARTOSH, ANDREW MITCHELL, LISA RICHARDSON, LIZI MCLOUGHLIN, TOBIAS C. VAN VEEN

Founding Publishers KATHY & BOB BARNETT www.piquenewsmagazine.com

What compares to Whistler?

THE RESORT Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) released its annual Statement of Financial Information on June 23, which reveals the municipality’s top earners and suppliers.

Total payroll costs for 2025, which include salary, wages, taxable benefits, overtime, statutory holiday pay, accrued vacation, sick and banked overtime payouts and retroactive pay rate changes,

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

It’s a hefty sum to be sure, and yet another year-over-year increase from the 2024 SOFI, which listed a total payroll of

Since 2020, RMOW payroll has increased by about $4 million every year— so this year’s $2-million increase could be a sign the RMOW is beginning to rein itself in after several years of substantial payroll growth. The next two SOFIs—the 2027 edition being the first under Whistler’s next council, following this October’s election—will be especially revealing.

The RMOW listed 242 employees earning more than $75,000 in 2025, down from 246 the year prior. In a staff report, the RMOW said the decrease is largely because retroactive pay processed in 2024 for the 2022-to-2023 period temporarily increased reported remuneration for some employees that year.

In a report on council remuneration received at the same June 23 meeting, the RMOW listed, as it so often does, some of its so-called “comparable” municipalities, based on daily population, annual budget and employee count: the City of North Vancouver, City of Port Moody, City of White Rock, District of Maple Ridge, City of Langley and City of Port Coquitlam.

They make sense on paper, with

similar payrolls, employee counts and budgets. But anyone who has lived in both Port Moody and Whistler knows those similarities only go so far.

And comparing Whistler to other places—normal cities, and not worldclass tourist resorts—based on numbers on a spreadsheet has always felt a bit opaque. But then, when you really stop to think about it, what actually compares to Whistler?

Even the biggest resort communities in B.C. aren’t particularly close.

Whistler’s approximately 3.4 million annual visitors (remember when it was 2 million?) put it far and away at the top of B.C.’s ski-resort destinations. Big White Ski Resort welcomes more than one million visitors annually, while Revelstoke has also emerged as one of the province’s busiest mountain tourism hubs. Every other notable ski resort (think Sun Peaks, SilverStar, Fernie and Panorama) attracts significantly fewer visitors.

If you expand the comparisons

different laws, taxes and a different currency. So that’s tricky.

Same problem when you look at our official sister city of Karuizawa, Japan, which is actually strikingly similar in terms of things like its year-round tourism offerings, distance from major city centres, and its Olympic pedigree (though it typically welcomes more than 8 million visitors annually—so maybe that’s less of a comparison, and more a glimpse into Whistler’s future?).

Though we haven’t heard about it in some time, Whistler also signed a “friendship pact” with the French mountain resort area Les Deux Alpes in 2018 (about 1.5 million skier visits annually—not a great comparable for a host of reasons).

But the closest one-to-one comparables are likely found overseas: think places like Chamonix in France (a population of about 9,000, annual visitation of more than 5 million, and the host of the firstever Winter Olympics in 1924) or Zermatt,

of true peers contributes to a culture where continually expanding municipal ambitions feels normal.

It’s an idea we’ve touched on before. Whistler Exceptionalism: the concept that we are a unique and special gem of the B.C. and Canadian tourism industries, and therefore everything must be perfectly immaculate, done to the highest possible standard, and nobody should ever be able to question whether we’re the best. It’s nice in theory, but in practice leads to bloated bureaucratic outcomes that gum up the works of development and progress, and insert municipal fingers into every local pie as a means of control.

And some are perfectly fine with that. Some demand it—spend any time on Facebook and you’ll see some of the absurd complaints locals and visitors have about this place when they encounter even the slightest inconvenience or unsightliness.

But if we want leaner government, the trade-off is likely accepting that not

[I]f we want leaner government, the trade-off is likely accepting that not every flowerbed, trail, permit process or public space will be maintained to the same exacting standard.

eastward, you might look at Banff, with its 4 to 5 million annual visitors— though that’s not a ski resort, has a lower permanent population, and is situated in a National Park in a different province.

Or perhaps U.S. resort towns like Breckenridge (about 3 million annual visitors, making it one of the busiest ski towns in the U.S.), Aspen (1.5 to 2 million), or Vail (2 to 3 million).

Vail may well be the closest North American comparable, but then, it operates in a different country with

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Switzerland (population 6,000, and annual visitation over 2.5 million).

And yet, like the American and Japanese options, they’re not comparable at all, with their foreign governments, taxation laws, currencies, infrastructure needs, and histories stretching decades longer than Whistler’s short existence.

All of this to say, there is no real easy way to point at another place and say it’s a good comparison for Whistler. Because nothing truly compares to Whistler.

And one could argue the absence

every flowerbed, trail, permit process or public space will be maintained to the same exacting standard.

Again, some of us are totally fine with that. Many are not, because they, too, have bought into the Whistler Exceptionalism. In fact, that’s why many people move here, or invest here in the first place. They want the best of the best.

So no, there’s not really anything that compares to Whistler.

But we’d be wise not to let it go to our heads. n

Hike for Health tops $150K

On behalf of the Whistler Health Care Foundation, I would like to thank our incredible community for coming out on Sunday, June 21 for the Hike for Health. Because of you, we raised over $150,000 for the new CT scanner for our Whistler Health Care Centre. The day was filled with sunshine, smiles, and healthy, happy hikers! We had more than 200 people taking on the challenge of the Ascent Trail on Blackcomb.

Huge thanks to Whistler Blackcomb for providing us access to the trail, sightseeing passes and food vouchers for all of our participants, and to the Touchet family for being our event sponsor for the last five years. We also want to thank the many volunteers who came together to make this event possible.

Mark your calendars for next year‘s event: Sunday, June 20.

Jennifer Black // vice chair of the Whistler Health Care Foundation

Shout-out to firefighters

This letter is a shout-out to the BC Wildfire Service and all firefighters.

On Wednesday, June 24, there was a

“After about an hour and 15 minutes, a helicopter was dumping water...”

- YVONNE CARGILL

small thunderstorm just north of Whistler. There were several lightning strikes, fortunately most were on the mountain

tops without vegetation. At about 5:30 I opened a blind to find trees ablaze on Cougar Mountain. The flames quickly

spread, and within 15 minutes the fire was the length of a football field.

We called the BC Wildfire Service. In less than an hour there were helicopters, planes and sirens (that I presume were the local fire service). After about an hour and 15 minutes, a helicopter was dumping water on the fire. This was quickly followed by two others. They worked until dusk. The following day they continued to pour water on it. By Saturday, June 27, they had eliminated all signs of smoke.

I live in WedgeWoods across the highway and had a front-row balcony seat to all the action. The BC Wildfire Service was fast and efficient in dealing with a scary situation. They are truly heroes. Thank you all involved.

Yvonne

Cargill // WedgeWoods

Whistler versus Squamish, SOFI style

The recently released 2025 Statements of Financial Information (SOFI) for Whistler and Squamish provide an opportunity to compare payroll and elected official compensation between the two municipalities.

According to the reports, Squamish recorded total payroll costs of $34.9 million in 2025, while Whistler recorded total payroll costs of $50.9 million.

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Based on 2021 census populations, Squamish has approximately 24,327 residents and Whistler has approximately 13,982 residents. Whistler reported 3 million annual visitors. Squamish reported roughly 2 million annual visitors. All figures are from publicly available databases online.

The reports also show differences in compensation for elected officials and senior staff. In Squamish, the mayor received remuneration of $103,946, while councillors received approximately $46,926 each. In Whistler, the mayor received remuneration of $150,296, while councillors received approximately $56,896 each.

Among senior staff, the chief administrative officer received $279,271 in Squamish and $307,456 in Whistler. Squamish’s senior finance executive received $195,756, compared with Whistler’s chief financial officer at $184,919. Whistler’s general manager of infrastructure services received $217,521, while Squamish’s director of engineering received $159,746.

The SOFI reports also show that Whistler reported approximately $8 million in employer contributions for items such as pensions, health insurance, WorkSafe, and employer health tax. Squamish reported

approximately $1.7 million in employer CPP and EI contributions, along with other non-taxable benefits and accruals.

The SOFI reports are public documents and provide a detailed breakdown of remuneration, expenses, benefits, and payroll costs for both municipalities.

Patrick Smyth // Whistler

Recently, as we floated down the River of Golden Dreams, the public use and smells of marijuana were obvious and obnoxious. The same thing happens frequently while skiing in the winter.

I am not against the personal choice that people make re: alcohol, cigars, cigarettes, vaping, and marijuana use,

“Recently, as we floated down the River of Golden Dreams, the public use and smells of marijuana were obvious and obnoxious.”

- DOUG WILSON

Public marijuana use ruins Whistler enjoyment

As a “now older” person who has enjoyed Whistler since 1965, my wife and I live in Whistler four to five days a week throughout the year. Our enjoyment of Whistler is unfortunately frequently impacted by the public use of marijuana.

but there needs to be some consideration re: the impact it has on others.

If one needs to have a THC hit in our beautiful natural environment, why does the person not consider using the non-smoke/non-odorous versions such as gummies or edibles?

Public smoking should be more

Write to us! Letters to the editor must contain the writer’s name, address and a daytime telephone number. Maximum length is 450 words. Pique Newsmagazine reserves the right to edit, condense or refrain from publishing any contribution. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer and not that of Pique Newsmagazine. Send them to edit@ piquenewsmagazine.com before 11 a.m. on Tuesday for consideration in that week’s paper.

considerate of others and the extended environment that is impacted by the odour and exhaled waste products.

Dr. Doug Wilson // Whistler

More Whistler parking proposals

Recently, Pique published several letters calling for lower parking fees for Whistler residents, seniors and even workers from the Sea to Sky.

I agree with these opinions and propose that permanent Whistler residents receive a 50-per-cent discount on monthly day-lot passes—75 per cent for persons over 65—plus one household permit allowing two hours of free parking at all municipal lots. Permanent residents of Pemberton and Squamish who prove their Whistler employment may be entitled to a 30-percent discount on one monthly day-lot pass per address.

Driver’s licences can easily verify residency. This initiative should be funded by increasing parking fares for out-oftown visitors and for tour buses, not from property tax hikes.

Finally, to prevent future unchecked rate creep, parking-fee increases for residents should be capped at the rate of inflation. This should be an election topic in October if the current council does not act.

Robert Mongeau // Whistler n

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Province pitches expanded camping ban in Brandywine Meadows to protect grizzly cub-rearing habitat

PUBLIC FEEDBACK WILL HELP DECIDE A FORMAL RESTRICTION, AS RECREATION GROUPS WARN CLOSURES ARE ADDING PRESSURE ELSEWHERE

BY LUKE FAULKS

A PROPOSED SEASONAL ban on camping and motorized use in the Brandywine Meadows area would give stronger legal backing to existing grizzlybear protections in one of the Sea to Sky’s best-known alpine destinations.

Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RSTBC) is seeking public feedback on a potential prohibition of camping and motorized use in the area from June 1 to Nov. 1 each year. The province says the restriction is intended to protect a highvalue grizzly bear habitat area used by female grizzlies to raise cubs.

“Since 2010 road access into this area has improved significantly resulting in much higher use; restricting overnight recreational use will help ease the pressure on grizzly bear populations,” the Ministry of Environment and Parks said in an emailed statement.

“While overnight recreational use has been actively discouraged, it is not prohibited and a proportion of visitors are not responding to the voluntary direction.”

The ministry said increasing summer visitation has brought “an increase in fires, litter, vegetation damage and wildlife displacement,” along with greater potential for human-wildlife conflict.

Camping is currently prohibited along the trail and discouraged in the surrounding area.

“This prohibition would formalize and strengthen protection measures,” the ministry said. “This would make the

views of Brandywine Mountain and access to scrambling, mountaineering and glacier-travel objectives.

The Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC (FMCBC) said the meadows trail is well-suited to day use, while Brandywine Mountain is a longer mountaineering objective often helped by an overnight camp.

The proposal is tied to Wildlife Habitat Area (WHA) 2-281, also known as Brandywine No. 3.

“This prohibition would formalize and strengthen protection measures.”

- MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND PARKS

no camping and no motorized use rules cover the entire area rather than just the strip along the trail.”

Public comment has been extended to July 6. Comments can be sent to recinfo@gov.bc.ca.

FROM ALPINE ESCAPE TO GRIZZLY REFUGE

Brandywine Meadows is a popular backcountry destination south of Whistler, known for its wildflower meadows, creek,

Under provincial law, a WHA is a legally mapped area identified as important habitat for species at risk or regionally important wildlife. Brandywine No. 3 measures 142.9 hectares and came into force on Sept. 2, 2010.

The proposed closure area now under consideration is larger than the existing WHA. The ministry said the boundary was drawn using the area’s topography so it can be identified in the field, but could change based on public feedback.

The province said one option sometimes raised by recreation users— adding bear-safe camping infrastructure such as food caches, toilets or formal campsites—is not available under the existing WHA framework.

“It is important to note that since 2010 there has been a restriction on building infrastructure in the area, so the addition of bear-safe facilities is not possible under that restriction,” the ministry said. “The development of recreation facilities would be counter to the goals of the WHA in supporting the grizzly bear population recovery.”

Motorized use is also part of the proposal, though the ministry noted it is already restricted during the summer months and is “acceptable in the winter months.”

‘THEY DON’T SEE

ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY LINES’

“Brandywine [is] excellent grizzly bear habitat,” grizzly biologist Lana Ciarniello told Pique

“The high subalpine, alpine, you have the mix of the open avalanche chutes with the krummholz trees and security, so we know that those are really good areas, and because it’s a WHA, a wildlife habitat area, it shows you the importance of that area to grizzly bears that has been recognized by the province.”

Ciarniello, a biologist with the Coast to Cascades Grizzler Bear Initiative,

CUB-REARING REFUGE The existing Wildlife Habitat Area is shown in blue, while the approximate proposed prohibited camping and motorized use area is shown in red.

MAP BY LUKE FAULKS

said expanding protections beyond the existing WHA boundary makes biological sense, because bears do not respond to invisible boundaries.

“They don’t see administrative boundary lines on a map,” she said. “They don’t respect them. It’s not like, ‘Oh, here I’m in a WHA, and this is protected for me.’”

She said the current 142.9-ha WHA is much smaller than what peer-reviewed literature considers a meaningful grizzly bear “security area” for adult females. A 2001 study on grizzly bear security areas in the Central Canadian Rockies cited by Ciarniello used nine square kilometres as a minimum patch size after removing unsuitable habitat and areas near high human use.

That matters, Ciarniello said, because adult females with cubs need secure, high-quality habitat where they can forage with a low chance of encountering people.

“[The WHA’s] current size is protecting less than 16 per cent of that recommended minimum threshold,” she said.

Ciarniello said camping and motorized use do not create identical risks, but both can affect grizzly bears. Motorized use can bring more people deeper into the backcountry, at higher speeds, and increase the chance of surprise encounters, she said. Overnight camping creates a different problem: food attractants, waste and the possibility of displacing sows with cubs from productive feeding areas.

“Infrastructure [is] not solving the underlying issue of habitat security,” she said. “Adding infrastructure just encourages higher volumes of people and higher use, and that is counter. It’s turning this critical wildlife refuge into a high-traffic recreational area.”

For Ciarniello, the issue is not only about bears.

“We’re not only doing this for the bears, we’re also doing it for the people,” she said. “It’s dangerous to be in areas with female grizzly bears and cubs.”

OUTDOOR

RECREATION COUNCIL BACKS INTENT, WANTS BIGGER ACCESS PLAN

Ryan Stuart of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC said the organization supports efforts to protect grizzly bear habitat and reduce human-wildlife conflict, but is concerned about the broader pattern of closures, permits and crowding in the Sea to Sky.

“If the government biologists believe this is the right thing to do to protect a mother grizzly and her cubs, then we support that,” Stuart said. “I think our bigger concern is the cumulative effect.

“Any one wildlife closure can make sense on its own, but it’s the cumulative effect of the different closures and restrictions that are happening, particularly in the Sea to Sky, that does concern us.”

Stuart pointed to limited-entry systems in Garibaldi Park and Joffre Lakes, the summer closure at Tricouni Meadows, pressure at other popular destinations and growing difficulty

NEWS WHISTLER

finding places for overnight trips.

“Our concern is that when you add up all of these limiting efforts, these closures, these limited-entry aspects, that you’re making it harder and harder for people to go outdoors,” he said. “Not only that, but it doesn’t release the pressure. The pressure just goes somewhere else, and it goes to places where there are no facilities, where there isn’t an outhouse or bear caches.”

Stuart said the province needs to create new, sustainable recreation opportunities when it removes others from the map.

“If you’re going to close Brandywine, then you need to find another place where there’s opportunities that are safe with the wildlife, where the use of that area is sustainable, and then put in the infrastructure to make it so that it stays that way,” he said.

MOUNTAIN CLUBS SUPPORT BAN—WITH A MOUNTAINEERING CAVEAT

The Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC took a more qualified position in its June 21 submission to Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

“FMCBC supports the proposed seasonal prohibition on camping and motorized use in Brandywine Meadows, with consideration given to accommodating access to Brandywine Mountain,” the letter shared with Pique reads.

The federation said the Brandywine Meadows trail itself is short enough for day use, but Brandywine Mountain is a more meaningful mountaineering objective, with an ascent of 3.5 to six hours from the two-wheel-drive trailhead. Overnight camping can help climbers get an early start when snow conditions are safer, it said.

The FMCBC also noted one Federation student club holds an annual glacier school around mid-September on Brandywine Glacier and would need to find a new accessible location if the ban proceeds as proposed.

“To accommodate Brandywine Mountain access, we propose that the ridgetop and glacier area be exempted from the camping ban and that the ban be limited to the meadows and valley, if that would be an option,” the letter reads.

The federation also urged the province to offset the closure by creating equivalent camping opportunities elsewhere, naming Brew Lake, Cloudburst Mountain and the Beverley Creek trail corridor as areas that may warrant investigation.

DECISION EXPECTED BEFORE SUMMER 2027

The public comment period was extended to July 6 after the initial notice listed a June 21 deadline. Comments can be sent to recIinfo@gov.bc.ca.

The ministry said feedback will inform whether Recreation Sites and Trails BC issues an order under Section 58 of the Forest and Range Practices Act prohibiting overnight recreational use in the area annually between June and November.

A final decision is likely before the 2027 summer season. n

Whistler

amends

five-year plan by $1.9M for trail bridges, wildfire work, UCI and RCMP building

MOST OF THE SPENDING REFLECTS TIMING SHIFTS, BUT ONE COUNCILLOR OPPOSED THE CHANGE OVER $200K IN MRDT FUNDING FOR THE UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP

BY LUKE FAULKS

WHISTLER COUNCIL has amended its five-year financial plan by nearly $1.9 million to account for trail bridge replacements, accelerated wildfire fuel-thinning, support for the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and ongoing work on the RCMP public safety building.

Council gave first three readings to the Five-Year Financial Plan amendment June 23. The changes increase 2026 project expenditures by $1,858,000, offset by reduced contributions to reserves.

Only $320,000 of the total requires additional funding, according to the staff report. The rest reflects timing changes— either carrying forward underspent money from 2025 or pulling planned 2027 spending into 2026.

The biggest line item is the Public Safety Building project, which is receiving an additional $1.238 million from the general capital reserve. The project is intended to bring Whistler’s RCMP detachment “up to a modern standard and provide a

much better space for that team to work,” according to the staff report.

The project’s 2026 budget is increasing from $2.16 million to $3.4 million. Of that, $694,000 comes from underspent 2025 funds, while $544,000 is tied to new change orders, including “additional security technology scope, hidden conditions, and schedule changes related to specialized equipment requirements.”

Director of finance Harji Varn told council there is “a risk that this project could be requiring an increase overall,” but said staff will reassess at the end of summer and bring the issue forward during the 2027 budget process.

FUEL-THINNING MOVES FASTER THAN PLANNED

Another $120,000 is being added for recreation trail bridge replacements, funded from the Resort Municipality Initiative reserve. Whistler had already budgeted to replace the Gin & Tonic Bridge and A-Frame Bridge on the Rainbow Lake hiking trail, but inspections earlier this year found the Elephant Bridge in Lost Lake Park was also “at the end of its

wildfire protection work. That money shifts planned 2027 spending into 2026, allowing contractors to move from fuelthinning work near the Whistler Golf Club and Panorama Ridge into the Creekside and Spring Creek area.

Councillor Arthur De Jong praised that piece of the amendment.

“I’m delighted to see the acceleration on our fuel reduction,” he said. “Good work.”

The final piece is $200,000 in Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) revenues to support the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Creekside— an expense council had previously approved in April.

Coun. Ralph Forsyth opposed the amendment because of that funding.

serviceable life.”

Varn said adding the Lost Lake bridge makes sense because “you achieve safety and good value for money as contractors are already in place.”

The municipality is also pulling $300,000 from the general operating reserve to accelerate community

“I wasn’t here at [a] previous meeting where council agreed to the $200,000 funds for UCI,” he said. “I wouldn’t have supported that at the time, and I’m not going to support it now. I feel if we’re going to spend those MRDT monies, I prefer that it was spent on local event producers. That’s my rationale.”

The amendment ultimately carried, with Forsyth opposed. n

BRIDGE BUDGET Elephant Bridge in Lost Lake Park has joined Gin & Tonic Bridge and A-Frame Bridge (pictured) on the Rainbow Lake trail in getting repair funds this year.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RMOW

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Whistler Taxi responds to driver allegations

POLICE CONFIRM THREE REPORTS ALLEGING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT THIS YEAR

BY BRADEN DUPUIS

FRONT-AND REAR-FACING cameras in every cab and a planned meeting with all drivers to reinforce professional conduct are among the measures Whistler Taxi says it is taking in response to recent allegations involving taxi drivers in the Whistler area.

Informal complaints by members of the public include claims of sexual misconduct, as well as excessive speeding, aggressive driving, swearing at families and children, making sexually suggestive comments to passengers, overcharging fares and requesting multiple fares for a single trip.

The Whistler RCMP confirmed three reports alleging sexual misconduct involving three different taxi drivers have been filed in Whistler so far this year—one from Whistler Taxi and two from Whistler Resort Cabs (reported in a June 19 article in Pique). No charges have been laid to date in connection with any of the alleged incidents.

The RCMP did not provide stats for previous years.

In a call with Pique on June 30, Whistler Taxi owner Ravindra Dayal said he takes

the community’s concerns seriously.

“I’ve lived in Squamish the last 25 years and I’m the father of a daughter as well. And I totally understand. And it’s not acceptable,” Dayal said.

‘IT CAUGHT ME VERY OFF GUARD’

The third report involves an alleged March 21 incident involving a Whistler Taxi driver.

Nola Harvey said she was getting dropped off at her parents’ home in the early morning hours when her taxi driver climbed into the backseat with her as she was paying.

She said the driver, an adult man likely in his 30s, began “messing with his pants” and gesturing at his crotch as she tried to pay. Then he asked her to give him head.

“I thought I misheard him at the time, because it caught me very off guard,” Harvey told Pique.

Then the driver allegedly offered to pay her for the act. When she refused, she said he started to beg, offering more money, and eventually beginning to undo his pants.

Harvey’s mother, Christy Shinduke, said she called 911 when her daughter came in the house “scared and crying.”

When the family called Whistler Taxi, they said they were offered 10 to 15 free taxi rides for the inconvenience.

“I told them I didn’t think she’d ever get in a cab again,” Shinduke wrote in an email to Pique.

Harvey said the dispatcher refused to give the driver’s name, even though they could provide when the payment occurred, and noted it was very early in the morning when few taxis are operating.

Harvey added the dispatcher said the free rides would be with a “known safe driver.”

“So I was like, um, that means that you have these certain drivers you know are safe—does that mean that there are other drivers you know might not be safe? Which was very weird.”

Asked about the alleged incident, Dayal claimed without the taxi driver number or proper identification, it’s hard to take action.

“If they give me a little bit [of a] clue, we take the action right away,” he said. “The problem sometimes, it’s hard to be tracking.”

Dayal said Whistler Taxi operates 39 licence plates in the resort, 30 of which are classified as “independent contractors”—drivers who are leased the plate for their own vehicle, and are

provided dispatch services in exchange for payment. Most live in Whistler and Squamish, he said, guessing six to eight are from the Lower Mainland. He said all drivers must pass criminal record checks, with regular three-month check-ins.

Dayal said any driver engaging in misconduct will be suspended. “And the firing honestly is very hard, but if they’re repeating continuously, then we can fire,” he said.

In the case of the alleged March 21 incident, Dayal said once the driver is identified, “he’s not allowed to be part of Whistler Taxi,” adding he cooperates with requests from the RCMP, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) and Passenger Transportation Board (PTB).

In terms of regaining the community’s trust, Dayal said all cars are currently being equipped with cameras in the front and back. Allegations often come with two different stories, he said, “but we want to be clear, and we want the community [to be] safe in our hands.”

INVESTIGATION ONGOING

The RCMP and PTB are currently investigating claims of misconduct, as previously reported by Pique

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After 31 years, Capt. Dave Evans hangs up his Whistler Fire Rescue gear

EVANS JOINED THE DEPARTMENT AS A VOLUNTEER IN 1995 BEFORE BUILDING A CAREER AROUND TECHNICAL RESCUE, MENTORSHIP AND HELPING PEOPLE ON THEIR WORST DAYS

BY LUKE FAULKS

AFTER MORE THAN three decades with the Whistler Fire Rescue Service, Capt. Dave Evans is stepping away from the fire hall where he built a career around problem-

solving, technical rescue and inspiring young Whistlerites to the service.

Evans recently completed his final shift after 31 years with the department, first joining as a volunteer in 1995 before spending nearly 28 years as a full-time firefighter. He moved into a captain’s role in the final four years of his career.

WHISTLER TAXI ALLEGATIONS FROM PAGE 18

Staff Sgt. Gareth Bradley with the Whistler RCMP said all three reports received this year remain open investigations, so he couldn’t provide specifics. But all reports are taken seriously, and “just because we’re at a road block doesn’t mean the file is closed,” Bradley said, adding there is a 90-year retention period for files of that nature.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) says it will wait for the outcome of any investigations before considering any action against the operators’ business licences.

The municipality’s Business Licence and Regulation Bylaw allows the cancellation of a business licence under certain circumstances, including

when a business creates a nuisance to residents, other businesses or members of the public. The bylaw opens by emphasizing the importance of protecting Whistler’s reputation as a world-class resort destination.

“Any RMOW business licensing action would happen many steps into this story’s journey, including after the PTB has revoked the business owner’s licence. This is provincial jurisdiction, not municipal,” an RMOW communications official said in an email to Pique

“[Pique’s June 19] article presents potentially serious allegations. As such, we will wait for the RCMP to thoroughly investigate and then act accordingly.”

According to the municipality,

‘HELP PEOPLE ON THEIR WORST DAY’

For Evans, firefighting began as a family influence before it became a career of his own. His father was Whistler’s first paid fire chief, recruited from the Justice Institute of British Columbia’s Fire Academy when the municipality moved

complaints involving taxi drivers should first be reported to the PTB, the CVSE and/or the RCMP. If allegations are substantiated, a driver could lose the provincial credentials required to operate a taxi, while more serious findings could also affect an operator’s provincial licence.

“We are doing our due diligence to ensure we fully understand the nuances of each licensing system and how we would be notified of changes,” they said.

Under provincial regulations, taxi drivers are required to display a Record Check Certificate inside the vehicle containing their name, photo identification and driver number. Taxis must also display identifying vehicle information inside and outside the cab.

to establish a full-time fire service.

“I grew up around the fire service my whole life,” Evans said. “I kind of naturally gravitated towards that, and I gave it a shot ... I didn’t know if I would like it.”

The answer came quickly.

Police recommend always taking a photo of the identifying info when you get in a cab—advice repeated by Harvey.

“Just in case something happens, just so you have that extra precaution,” she said. “Have in the back of your mind that this is getting common and this is completely a real situation happening.”

Sexual assaults can be reported to police anonymously via PearlSpace’s third-party reporting option. Learn more at pearlspace.ca.

Pique continues to investigate allegations involving Whistler’s taxi industry. Anyone with information or an experience they wish to share can contact editor Braden Dupuis at bdupuis@ lodestarmedia.ca. n

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“I instantly fell in love with it,” he said. “Very hands-on, so much variety. I’m pretty techie, so I like the different tools and the different technologies that are involved with that, and then there’s kind of like no bigger adrenaline rush than going to a fire, going to a car accident, and then being able to help people on their worst day is really the core value of it all.”

Over three decades, Evans watched the department and the work change dramatically. He pointed to advances in auto extrication, firefighting techniques and breathing apparatus, from steel air bottles and belt-mounted regulators to lighter carbon-fibre bottles, headsup displays, Bluetooth technology and integrated thermal imaging.

“There’s so many advances that came along,” he said. “One of the wonderful things about the career is you’re constantly learning.”

That constant learning became a defining part of Evans’ career. His specialty became high-angle rope rescue and confined-space rescue—skills he developed in Whistler and through outside work with Dynamic Rescue, a specialized rescue crew that sent crews to industrial sites around B.C.

“I just really enjoyed the techie aspect of it,” Evans said. “It was kind of nerdy, right? And I love that kind of stuff.”

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

Evans also leaves a legacy in the department’s Junior Firefighter Program, which he founded with retired firefighter Chris Heppel back in 2022. The weekendlong program introduces high school students to the fire service, from basic fire science to auto extrication, simulated fire response, hose streams, forcible entry and other firefighting skills.

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“How far they would advance, and how inspired they were at the end of it ... honestly, it’s probably the most rewarding thing I ever did in the fire service,” he said.

By the end of the weekend, Evans said, there are usually at least a few students ready to pursue firefighting more seriously.

“To inspire people like that ... it’s pretty amazing,” he said.

‘IT’S ABOUT YOUR CREW’

As a captain, Evans led crews through emergency scenes, training and career development. The role required quick decisions in chaotic situations, he said, but also humility.

“It’s years of just absorbing the information, getting really good at your craft, and then just learning how to teach it and inspire others, and check your ego, because it’s not about you, it’s about your crew,” Evans said. “It’s about making sure that we all go home safe at the end of every day, and we go back to our families, and we look after this community the best we can.”

What he will miss most, Evans said, is not the equipment or the calls, but the people.

Firefighters can spend 24-hour shifts together, never more than a few feet apart, Evans said. Over time, that closeness turns co-workers into family.

“They all bring different skill sets and different strengths to the team,” he said. “That working with a team and high-level problem solving, it’s so much fun, and they’re great people, so I’ll miss that the most.”

Retirement will bring a different kind of adventure. Evans and his spouse plan to travel, starting with a five-and-ahalf-week journey to Tibet, Bhutan and northern India.

“We’ve got a finite amount of time in this beautiful world,” he said. “Let’s go see some of it, right?” n

CONGRATS, CAPTAIN Captain Dave Evans poses with a decked-out fire engine during one of his last shifts. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE EVANS

‘A

great incentive for young people to run’: Whistler approves next-term council pay bump

COUNCIL

ENDORSED A $1,154-INCREASE FOR COUNCILLORS, WHILE LEAVING THE MAYOR’S SALARY UNCHANGED

BY LUKE FAULKS

THINKING ABOUT running for council?

You may be excited to learn that Whistler councillors have approved a pay bump for the next term.

At its June 23 meeting, Whistler council voted to approve the results of a remuneration review that will increase councillor pay from $58,205 to $59,359 as of Jan. 1, 2027. Mayor pay will remain unchanged at $153,752.

The change works out to a $1,154 annual raise for each councillor. The cost will be folded into the municipality’s 2027-2031 five-year financial plan.

Councillor Ralph Forsyth, who was on council when the policy was first created in the 2000s, said the system was built to avoid councillors directly voting raises for themselves.

“There are a few bylaws or policies that are incredibly elegant. This is one of them,” Forsyth said. “You’re not making the decision for yourself, you’re not voting yourself a raise, you’re voting the next council raise in January.”

HOW THE POLICY WORKS

Under the 2024 council remuneration bylaw, elected officials’ pay is reviewed every four years, during the final year of each council term.

Remuneration is calculated against the average pay in six comparable B.C. municipalities: the City of North Vancouver, City of Port Moody, City of White Rock, District of Maple Ridge, City of Langley and City of Port Coquitlam.

Those communities were chosen using daily population, annual budget and employee count as comparators.

The bylaw also sets the timing. Any adjustments are brought forward at the second regular council meeting in June during the final year of the term, then take effect Jan. 1 of the new election term.

Based on the latest review, the comparator average for councillor pay is $59,359, slightly higher than Whistler’s current $58,205. The comparator average for mayoral pay is $150,953, below Whistler’s current $153,752, but the recommendation was for the mayor’s salary to stay the same rather than decrease.

Coun. Jeff Murl questioned that point, asking why councillor salaries would rise when they are below the comparator average, while the mayor’s salary would not fall when it is above the average.

“We have experienced that in the past, where the mayor’s salary has been higher, and salaries do not decrease, [they] remain

where they’re at,” explained director of human resources Denise Wood.

Murl also questioned whether the increase was necessary, given the relatively small gap between current councillor pay and the comparator average.

“I see two per cent and I just see that’s not a big disparity,” Murl said. “I’d say our alignment with the others is pretty close. Two per cent is within the margin of error, and I would say it’s unnecessary to make that adjustment at this time, because we are so close. And so I’m going to vote against this.”

COUNCIL DEBATES FAIRNESS AND ACCESS

Forsyth said the policy dates back to a time when Whistler council pay was far below comparable communities.

“The point of it at the time was the comparable salaries were way out of whack,” he said. “The Whistler council made way, way less money.”

He said the four-year timing was intentional.

“It was to remove the politicization of it, because it’s very difficult,” Forsyth said. “There’s an election year coming, all the reasons why, but that’s why the policy was created that way, so ... it wouldn’t have to be politicized, and you’re not voting it for yourself.”

Coun. Arthur De Jong said he does not believe Whistler councillors or the mayor are overpaid, especially given the demands of the role.

“If you’re looking for fortune or love, this is not a seat to be in,” De Jong said.

He said the mayor’s role, in particular, carries a high level of responsibility.

“When I look at the mayor’s compensation, the voice, the backstop of the face of the community, it’s a huge responsibility, which I believe is very much full time,” De Jong said. “When I compared it to being in my corporate life, in my entrepreneurial life, that’s a very, very low compensation level rate.”

Coun. Jessie Morden said council pay can affect who is able to run for office, particularly younger candidates and people with families.

“I came on to council when I was nine months pregnant. I didn’t get a mat leave, [and] I essentially took a $30,000 pay cut to be on this job,” Morden said.

“I don’t regret it whatsoever, but in the last four years, everything has gone up: cost of food, cost of daycare, cost of everything. So this little increase, if it can attract someone like me at the next campaign, next election, I think it’s a great incentive for young people to run, so I will be supporting this.”

The motion carried, with Murl opposed. n

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Tony hada very successfulcareerinsales,firstwithXeroxandthenwithColliers, wherehewashonouredtobe amemberoftheboardofdirectors.Hewasan amazingsalesmanandconsistentlyrecognizedas atopproducer,drivenbyhis interest,energy, focus,drive,and curiosity. Acontinuouslearner,hewasforever askingquestions;itwashow heconnectedwithpeople.Hewas ahardworker anddemonstratedanincredibleworkethic,mentoringandinspiringmany-none morethanhissonsandgrandsons.Oneofhismostsatisfyingexperienceswas his time on theboard of directorsofBlackcomb Mountain, wherehewas valued foraskingastutequestionsfromtheperspectiveoftheskier,andthroughhis steadyencouragementthroughthechallengesastheyarose.

Beyondanimpressivecareer,Tonylived afulsomeandbalancedlife.Heenjoyed skiing,biking,hiking,andadventuringaroundthe WestCoastandtoincredible locationsaroundtheworld.Whatevertheadventure, Tony wasusuallyahead ofeverybody, setting afastpace,alwayswithKimabyhissideandwhichever groupofhisfriendswas availabletojoininandkeepup!

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Inlateryears,TonyandKimalivedinNicklausNorthwheretheyplayedgolf frequently, andcrosscountr yskiedreligiously. Whilstlivingtherehediscovered apassionforkayakingtheRiverofGoldenDreams,andthetwocouldoften bespottedpullingtheirkayaksoutoftheriverandportagingthemthroughthe neighbourhood.

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Pemberton council advances rezoning to legalize RV storage biz despite fire concerns

PUBLIC HEARING DRAWS OPPOSITION OVER WILDFIRE RISK, BUT COUNCIL GRANTS THIRD READING

BY LUKE FAULKS

A PROPOSAL to legalize an RV and shipping-container storage business that has been operating outside Village of Pemberton bylaws for years cleared another hurdle June 23, after council heard concerns over wildfire risk before granting the project third reading.

The bylaw would amend the zoning for lands at 6991 Highway 99 to allow outdoor storage as a permitted use on the site, enabling Tisdale Developments Ltd. to continue operating an RV and intermodal container storage facility on the property.

The business has been operating since at least 2021, when Village staff first became aware of outdoor storage activities occurring on the property without either the appropriate zoning or a business licence.

After initially pursuing a temporary use permit, the applicant ultimately opted to seek a permanent rezoning. Council previously gave the bylaw first and second readings on June 9 after questioning why the business had never been fined and asking staff to investigate

whether retroactive penalties could still be imposed.

At the June 23 public hearing, planner Erik Morden summarized the proposal and staff’s rationale.

“To summarize, staff believes the proposal is generally consistent with the goals and objectives of the [official community plan],” Morden said. “Moreover, by allowing such use on unserviced land, serviced land within the industrial park could be preserved for more complex or service-heavy uses.”

The 7.08-hectare site currently contains 147 storage pads, with the applicant proposing another 286 for a total of 433 pads. The facility stores recreational vehicles and shipping containers, and approximately 75 per cent of current tenants have Pemberton addresses, according to staff.

FIRE RISK WORRIES

Only two members of the public spoke during the hearing, with one strongly opposing the application.

Whistler and North Vancouver resident William Caulfield, who also submitted his concerns in writing to Whistler council, argued the facility could pose a significant wildfire threat to communities throughout the Sea to Sky corridor.

“There are a number of issues that concern me. The principal one is fire,” Caulfield said. “The site is 11.62 kilometres

from WedgeWoods in Whistler, and any large fire could lead to the closure of the highway and threaten Whistler if it were to spread south.

“Recreational vehicles are highly flammable, more so than a typical house or car, because they contain many combustible materials in their construction and furnishing, together with propane systems and flammable fuel for the vehicle,” he added.

Caulfield noted the site lacks water service and sprinkler infrastructure and sits several kilometres from the nearest fire hall.

“Pemberton faces a very high wildfire risk,” he said, citing the Village’s community wildfire resiliency plan. “So to summarize quickly, I am opposed and request that you deny this application because the fire issue has not been addressed.”

Caulfield urged council to require professional assessments before considering the project further, writing that any future application should include “a professional report from a professional fire engineer” and a wildfire-risk assessment prepared by a forestry professional.

PROPONENT SAYS FACILITY FILLS COMMUNITY NEED

Speaking on behalf of the applicant, consultant Peter Gordon said Tisdale has spent years working with municipal staff to address concerns.

“We’ve had a number of meetings to go over all the issues that the village thought they were concerned about,” Gordon said. “I believe that we’ve prepared ourselves very thoroughly for this rezoning application today.”

While acknowledging wildfire concerns, Gordon said the site has already been substantially cleared and that the owners remain open to additional mitigation measures.

“[It’s possible] there are other things in consultation with staff that we could be doing to better improve the site, but I believe that we’ve prepared ourselves very thoroughly for this rezoning application today,” he said.

Gordon argued the facility serves an important local need.

“I think there’s benefit. There’s a strong demand from the people of Pemberton for this type of facility,” he said. “It not only opens up space in your industrial park areas for higher-value businesses, but it also takes some of the vehicles off of your street and yards that people have concerns about.”

Following the close of the public hearing, council reconvened its regular meeting and gave the bylaw third reading without further discussion.

Adoption of the bylaw will be withheld until it is forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit for approval, as required through the referral process. n

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Suspension of disbelief

WHEN CHOOSING to invest in outdoor equipment, I’ve historically tended to oscillate between two camps:

1. The best gear at a good deal. This is when I do the deep-dive research, weigh the pros and cons of features (or lack thereof) and try to justify whether the extra price tag will translate into real performance gains.

2. Run what you brung. This is when I look for the best value that does the job. It’s not necessarily the cheapest (it

BY VINCE SHULEY

needs to hold a certain minimum quality standard), but a stronger “bang for your buck” solution.

When I was a younger Whistler ski bum with a limited budget, run what you brung was king. I hunted deals on the second-hand market, hit up the Re-UseIt Centre for buried treasures and didn’t always have the best-fitting or bestperforming gear. And that was OK.

Suspension is one of those parts on a bike that I took for granted for the longest time, not really paying attention to what it does and how it does it. My first-ever mountain bike fork had 50mm of elastomer travel, which—like a lot of mountain bike gear in the mid-’90s— totally sucked. But it was way better than running that full rigid fork I brung to my first few mountain bike races.

Bike suspension has come a very long way, to the point where even the base models (from reputable brands) perform surprisingly well (think FOX

Performance Series or Rock Shox Select series). I rode this suspension for years, and it never really held me back from advancing in skill or having as much fun on my bike. Two things have happened since then.

1. I matured from my “it does the job” mindset to seeking more marginal performance gains. I wanted more confident cornering traction, more midstroke support when blasting out the bottom of a chute (or a scary feature), and less fatigue on Garbanzo and Creekside laps in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

2. I landed a job at a mountain bike suspension company and worked there for four years. In addition to writing

I won’t go through the method of suspension setup here (there’s a litany of YouTube videos that can guide you through it), but I will call out what most people riding high-end suspension usually miss.

Let’s start with the obvious. If you haven’t serviced your suspension in the last two years and you ride regularly, start there. You won’t get an accurate picture of your performance if the oil is dirty and struggling to flow through your damper circuits. A new bike, fork, or shock is the perfect opportunity to get it dialed from day one.

Spring rate comes next. Setting the suspension sag is an easy one. You

That’s another surprising fact I learned during my years in the bike industry— somewhere around 80 per cent of mountain bikers are riding forks and shocks that are not set up properly for them.

all sorts of marketing fluff, I learned a lot about the intricacies of suspension damping from the engineers, what the limitations were of previous damping and air spring systems, and the importance of servicing your suspension regularly (every 50 to 75 hours for fork lowers/ shock air sleeves, every 125 to 150 hours for full damper rebuilds).

I’m pretty sure I can notice the difference in ride feel between a World Cuplevel damper and the cheaper alternative these days. But here’s the rub. Those fancy dials on your suspension don’t mean jack unless you tune them correctly. That’s another surprising fact I learned during my years in the bike industry—somewhere around 80 per cent of mountain bikers are riding forks and shocks that are not set up properly for them.

add or bleed air with a shock pump to achieve your desired sag. Whether you prefer plushness or firmness depends on your weight, riding style and personal preference. What many riders miss is adding or removing tokens from the suspension. Tokens are plastic volumefillers that increase the air spring’s ramp-up as it moves through its travel. If you’re riding correct sag and blowing through all the travel easily, don’t add more air yet. Add a token, test ride and adjust from there.

Now with spring rate dialed, people usually look up their recommended compression and rebound settings from the manual, set to that, then carry on with “it feels fine” and never touch the dials again. If you’re running high-end suspension like FOX Factory Series or

Rock Shox Ultimate, you are not reaching the potential of what this suspension can do for you.

Now comes the time-consuming part. Unless you’re a bike tech or a very attuned and experienced tinkerer, the only effective way to dial-in your suspension is by bracketing. This is repeating the same short section of trail over and over at full riding speed, making notes at the bottom of each run, and only changing one setting at a time. Start on your recommended settings as the baseline. Add or remove two clicks of high-speed compression, and record if it feels better or worse. If the ride feels better, keep turning the dial a click or two in the same direction. If it feels worse, back off until it feels optimal. Then start on low-speed compression, and so on. This is where the process gets monotonous. You need a minimum of three runs to dial one setting. You have as many as four settings per suspension and you have front and rear suspension. That’s a minimum of 24 runs to get your bike feeling right.

To some folks, this sounds like a terrible way to spend an afternoon in the woods. But I guarantee putting this time in will improve the ride feel (and fun) of the hundreds of hours on your bike that will follow. Find a friend to do it with you and you’ll get less bored with the repetition.

I recently went through this laborious process on my new eMTB, and everything felt better afterwards. I used an AI app for tips on what specific ride feelings to look for when adjusting each setting, which helped take the vagueness out of the process.

If you paid good money for good suspension, don’t be part of the 80 per cent. Get it dialed and let ‘er rip.

Vince Shuley appreciates good suspension. For questions, comments or suggestions for The Outsider, email vince.shuley@gmail. com or Instagram @whis_vince. n

BOING BOING Bike suspension has advanced to an incredibly high level of performance, but only if you set it up right.

What the fungal networks can teach us

FAR TOO MANY people seem intent on destroying this precious planet. Whether it’s through ignorance or greed or both, one thing is clear: they don’t understand how it works. Even those of us who want to protect Earth and the life it supports don’t fully comprehend its marvels.

A new global mapping study illustrates just how much there is to uncover. The research, by Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, or SPUN, finds that “if every arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hypha in the world from the top 15 centimetres

to healthy forests, something not widely understood as industry started replacing diverse older forests with single-species plantations after logging.

L O N G T A B L E

S E R I E S D i n n e r T h e s

Although fungi have been around for a billion years, they weren’t classified as separate from plants and animals until the 1960s. Previously thought of as plants, they actually have more in common with animals, as they “lack chlorophyll and cannot carry out photosynthesis,” the Canadian Encyclopedia notes.

So far, we’ve only identified a small percentage of the estimated 3.8 million fungi species that exist.

S U N D A Y , J U L Y 1 9 o n W h i s t l e r M o u n t a i n

S o l d o u t

BY DAVID SUZUKI

of soil were laid end-to-end … they would stretch from Earth to the sun— about a billion times. That’s roughly 110 quadrillion kilometres of hyphae.”

“There could be up to 10 metres (32ft) of mycorrhizal network in just a teaspoon of soil,” study lead author

Why is this important? SPUN explains: “Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi shuttle water, phosphorous and nitrogen to 70 per cent of land plant species. In exchange, these fungi receive carbon from plants, drawing down the equivalent of roughly 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide, or 11 per cent of the CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. Through this relationship, mycorrhizal fungi helped shape life on land for 450 million years.”

This and other recent research into the role of fungi and mycorrhizal networks have implications for everything from forestry to agriculture to human survival.

Many of our activities are harming these life-supporting networks. Stewart notes that agricultural practices such as tilling and fertilizer and fungicide use destroy or disrupt the essential symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi.

The researchers found that network densities in cropland were 47.3 per cent lower than in wild ecosystems. Grasslands have the densest systems, but these “are often poorly protected and are becoming increasingly degraded,” the Guardian reports.

Protecting the networks could prevent chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus from entering waterways and could reduce agricultural fertilizer use, as the fungi help plants obtain nutrients naturally, and improve carbon storage in soils.

Research by Canadian forestry scientist and author Suzanne Simard and others has shown that mycorrhizal networks also contribute

What the fungal networks illustrate is something that many Indigenous Peoples have long known—that everything is interconnected. It also illustrates the hubris of colonizers and capitalists who have long seen the planet as little more than a source of “resources” for the taking. Even Western science, with its propensity toward reductionism, has often missed the bigger picture. It’s a shortsighted view of the world—unlike the world view of many Indigenous Peoples, who look back and forward many generations.

When we log old-growth forests, blast mountains away for minerals or clear land for large industrial agriculture operations or residential developments, we’re not just taking resources or replacing barren areas with more useful (to us) infrastructure; we’re destroying natural systems and creating cascading effects throughout the very systems on which our health and lives depend.

Those who seek only short-term profit and power—through extracting minerals and gas, coal and oil or clearing rainforests to raise cattle or damming valleys for power—fail to consider the impacts they’re having. Not only do they lack understanding of the complex processes beneath their feet, they don’t seem to know or care about the intricate connections above.

As we learn more about this fragile but resilient planet, our only home, we see how everything is interconnected and how critical it is to tread lightly, to protect and restore natural systems and to find harmonious ways of living with nature, of which we are a part.

We still have much to learn, but we now know enough to realize that we must quickly find better ways of living. We can’t go on wrecking the complex, interconnected systems on which our health and survival depend.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.

Learn more at davidsuzuki.org. n

PEMBERTON VALLEYDYKINGDISTRICT ANNUALGENERALMEETING

THURSDAY, July09,2026@7:00pm 7390CottonwoodStreet,Pemberton,BC

ThePemberton ValleyDykingDistrict(PVDD)willbeholdingits79thAnnualGeneral Meeting,andyouareinvitedtoattendthisevent. Youwillgainagreatoverviewof whatthePVDDdoes,seewhatprojectshavebeencompletedandwhatprojectsare inprogressfor2026/2027.

AttheThursday,July09,2026AGM,thePVDDwillbeelectingone Trusteetothe Boardforatermofapproximately3years–termsendonthedateoftheelection heldinthe3rdyear.Landownerstoalsoapprove Trusteehonorariumatthismeeting.

VoterEligibility:(IDmustbepresented)

Onlypersonsattendingtheelectionandmeetingthefollowingeligibility requirementsareentitledtovote:

•ACanadianCitizen.

•Eighteenyearsofage,orolder.

•AnowneroflandwithinthePemberton ValleyDykingDistrictboundaries.

•AresidentoftheprovinceofBritishColumbiaforthepriorsixmonths.

•AlegalrepresentativeofanowneroflandwithinthePemberton ValleyDyking Districtboundaries.

•AnauthorizedagentofacorporationorboardthatownslandwithinthePemberton ValleyDykingDistrictboundaries.Aletterwrittenoncompanyletterheadmust bedeliveredtotheReturningOfficer, bytheauthorizedagent,beforetheelection begins.ThatauthorizedagentmustalsosignaStatutoryDeclarationFormprior tovoting.

TrusteeEligibility:

•Everypersonwhoisqualifiedtobeanelectorisalsoqualifiedtobea Trustee.

•Thespouseofaqualifiedelectormayalsoholdtheofficeof Trustee. Forfurtherdetails,pleasegoontothePemberton ValleyDykingDistrict’s website:www.pvdd.ca

Pemberton ValleyDykingDistrict

POBox235Pemberton,B.C.V0N2L0

Phone:(604)894-6632Fax:(604)894-5271 Email:trustees@pvdd.ca

Under water

Orphan dike breach could ‘take out entire’ B.C. community

By Stefan Labbé

British Columbia’s rivers were already full when, in only 48 hours, a tropical band of moisture dropped a month’s worth of water on the province.

South of the Coquihalla Highway, the Tulameen River swelled, and by the time it reached the community of the same name, it was carrying almost double the water that carved the Colorado River’s Grand Canyon.

The results were catastrophic: as the river burst its banks, it washed away flood defences, sinking 400 homes under metres of water.

In the nearly five years since the November 2021 floods, emergency officials like Tulameen fire chief Jody Woodford have spent countless hours managing smaller disasters, all while planning for the next big event.

“It’s just a totally different climate now. It’s scraping mountains and hillsides away,” she said. “We’re just at the whim of Mother Nature.”

The prospects of preventing another disaster are daunting. Today, a single stretch of dike a few hundred metres long is the community’s primary surviving flood defence.

Substandard and completely unmaintained, the barrier is what is known as an “orphan dike”—a piece of critical flood infrastructure trapped in a total governance vacuum. No local, regional, or provincial government authority claims ownership over it. And like another 105 unmanaged dikes across B.C., nobody is funding its repair.

The situation prompted the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen to commission flood modelling in 2025. Carried out by TRUE Consulting, the results suggest there is a high chance rains driven by climate change will eventually slam into a bend in the Tulameen River and overtop the town’s remaining dike.

By 2041, a one-in-200-year flood event is projected to fill the Tulameen River with more water than it saw in 2021. And by 2071, worst-case scenario storms could more than double that flow.

Once breached, floodwaters are forecast to cut a path from the dike directly through the townsite, putting nearly everything underwater—the fire hall, hockey rink, local gas station and store, community centre and the hundreds of homes that would no longer be protected.

Just as the peak floodwaters recede, a delayed second wave of flooding is expected to come from Otter Lake to the north. At first, the waterbody is expected to act like a buffer, absorbing runoff from the Coquihalla and other watersheds. But eventually, modelling shows

the lake is overwhelmed.

That’s when a second flood wave pushes south, flanking the town under more water.

“It’s very sobering,” said the town’s fire chief. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Last month, the regional district’s manager of emergency services, Sean Vaisler, flew over the Tulameen Valley by helicopter. From the air, he noted the scars of recent flooding were still clearly visible.

The old Kettle Valley Rail Trail remains knocked out by landslides. Streams once a foot wide are now four- to six-metre channels, he said. One of the only things still hanging on is the unmanaged dike protecting Tulameen.

“Every event has compounded,” said Vaisler, pointing to the dike. “If that breaches, it would completely take out the entire community.”

A 23-year governance vacuum

B.C.’s orphan dike problem dates back to 2003, when the provincial government downloaded flood management responsibilities to local governments.

Many of the dikes—often built decades ago under emergency conditions with little planning by private landowners, historical industries or defunct entities— were left in poor condition and without oversight.

Regional districts and small municipalities have repeatedly claimed they lack the immense capital and specialized engineering resources needed to maintain or upgrade the orphaned flood structures to modern standards.

The situation puts thousands of people and billions of dollars worth of property and infrastructure at risk, concluded a 2020 report commissioned by the Fraser Basin Council.

Downstream of Tulameen, major orphaned dikes continue to threaten the towns of Princeton and Keremeos, where experts warn breached defences could trap floodwaters inside the community. Others are concentrated next to rivers around Kamloops, in the Kootenays, and the Okanagan Valley. As of 2020, the assessment found more than 1,500 structures and $1.1 billion of property were threatened near Kelowna’s Mission Creek.

On B.C.’s central coast, a potential breach of the Thorsen Creek orphan dike near Bella Coola was found to put the Nuxalk Nation at the highest risk of mortality in the province.

Provincial reports from 2002 list at least 11 flood defences in a governance vacuum across the Lower Mainland. They range from a 440-metre structure on the Cheakamus river north of Squamish, to several kilometres of dikes protecting land around Coquitlam, Chilliwack and Cultus Lake.

Two orphan dikes provide B.C. communities direct protection from the sea—one defending up to 50 Port Renfrew-area buildings from storm surge on Vancouver Island and another protecting a more than threekilometre stretch of the City of Vancouver.

It’s not clear who built the South Vancouver Sea Dike. City staff said it was likely raised by landowners. Records from the province suggest it was constructed in 1948 in anticipation of a major Fraser River flood.

By 2020, the structure protected over 1,400 residents and $1.7 billion in property—more than any other orphan dike in the province.

An assessment carried out by the city in 2025 revealed multiple sections of the dike are in poor condition and overgrown with vegetation, said Amy Sidwell, the city’s director of sewers and drainage.

“That dike is definitely not to our current standard,” said Sidwell.

Unlike several orphan dikes in B.C., Vancouver has a memorandum of understanding with the province to manage portions of the dike on city property or in areas accessible to staff.

The agreement comes with no funding to maintain the dike, said Sidwell. A city spokesperson added that

Flooding in 2021 wiped out much of the community’s existing flood defense, sinking roughly 400 Tulameen, B.C., homes underwater.

the municipality spends up to $30,000 a year to inspect dikes. It also spent another $300,000 on planning and assessments for the sea dike—work that was partially funded by the province.

But those inspections completely miss sections built on private property—which make up more than 40 per cent of the entire sea dike.

Sidwell said Vancouver is prioritizing flood defences along the Fraser River. But it’s also limiting its own liability. In April 2026, the city passed a new flood management policy that only requires it to protect cityowned assets.

“We just don’t have enough funding to be able to protect all private property,” Sidwell said.

A multi-million-dollar liability trap

Liability is at the heart of B.C.’s orphan dike problem, said several experts interviewed for this story.

More than five years ago, the Fraser Basincommissioned study estimated it would cost more than $865 million to buy out land and upgrade all of B.C.’s orphaned dikes.

Today, Vaisler said that number could easily climb four-fold once inflation and detailed project costs are added up. Then there’s the ongoing upkeep of the dikes—for municipalities and regional

districts, it’s a cost that would “completely break us,” said Vaisler.

The regional district has turned to local MLAs and MPs, as well as groups like the Union of BC Municipalities to advocate on their behalf. Most recently, Metro Vancouver agreed to petition the province to take action.

Currently, local and regional governments are forced to compete for a limited pot of government grant money when they should be working together, said Marcin Pachcinski, a division manager in regional planning for Metro Vancouver.

“That’s not the best approach,” Pachcinski said. “Most local governments can barely take care of their own infrastructure.”

‘On pins and needles’

In 2024, the province launched a B.C. Flood Strategy, an ambitious plan that, among other things, seeks to find and fund a solution to its orphan dike problem.

Last year, Vancouver Councillor Lisa Dominato, who also chairs Metro Vancouver’s Governance Committee, met with Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, and Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.

The ministers had a “sobering” message: there is no new funding for flood infrastructure, said Dominato.

“They pointed to existing grant programs that are already oversubscribed,” she recently told Business in Vancouver. “Having a flood strategy is great, but you really need to have funding behind it.”

Lee Toop, spokesperson for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, confirmed the B.C. government has not carried out any assessment of the province’s orphan dikes since the 2020 report.

“There is no estimate on the number of orphan dikes that have been upgraded currently available,” he said in an email.

Back in Tulameen, few are sure who built the community’s orphan dike. The town’s fire chief said local landowners likely piled the rocks up a century ago. Others suggested its origins date back to the mid-1800s when the Hudson’s Bay Company ran a horse brigade to shuttle animal pelts out of the valley.

Whatever the case, today the abandoned structure is a focal point of anxiety, said Bob Coyne, a director for the regional district.

“Every time it rains people are stressed out,” Coyne said. “Every time one of these atmospheric rivers comes, people are on pins and needles.”

Those feelings have been made worse by a cumulative sense that higher levels of government don’t consider small towns a priority, added Vaisler.

The emergency official said the region was given no warning before the floods hit in 2021, and when governments did respond, Vaisler remembers watching a 60-vehicle convoy from the Canadian Armed Forces drive by without stopping on its way to the Lower Mainland.

In the years since, Vaisler said B.C. and Ottawa have improved communication, but that without a solution to the province’s orphan dike problem, there’s still a lack of trust among local authorities.

“There’s a lot of things that are going against us here,” said Vaisler.

In Tulameen, that includes no cell phone service. The local fire department has responded by installing Starlink satellite internet connections in their vehicles. The regional district has set up a mass notification system that broadcasts messages across text messages, email and social media.

Now, Vaisler said emergency officials are working on a plan to evacuate Tulameen as fast as possible.

“We can’t go on under the assumption that the abandoned dike system will hold,” said the town’s fire chief. “Everybody would be under water.” n

‘It’s such a massive honour’

WHISTLER

WOLVES PLAYERS BLAKE MAHOVIC, JACK SHORTIS DISCUSS BEING NAMED TO TEAM CANADA FOR JULY ACTION IN EUROPE

BY DAVID SONG

BLAKE MAHOVIC is ready for his eighth tour of duty with Canada’s international rugby program, and for him it never gets old.

Mahovic was selected alongside fellow Whistler Wolves Toby Horn and Michael Snook for this year’s edition of the Canada Wolverines rugby league unit. They’re on deck to play three games in Europe: Lillestrom, Norway on July 2 followed by Hawick, Scotland on July 5 and Rotterdam, the Netherlands on July 11.

“It’s such a massive honour to represent my country,” said Mahovic. “For me, it holds an extra special place because rugby league in particular is a sport that means so much to me. I was kind of raised in a rugby league club, so I was adopted by the sport. Now I’m playing for my adopted country, representing them in that sport, so it kind of has a double meaning for me.”

The Wolverines’ U19 branch has also recruited local talent. Young Wolves Jack Shortis, Brady Nooski and William August are going to the French Pyrenees, where they’ll face Norway (July 12), Greece (July 15) and Ireland (July 18) for an opportunity

to win the European Shield.

“Rugby league is obviously a different sport than what we usually play most of the year, but I feel super honoured to be able to represent Canada at the national level,” Shortis remarked. “I feel proud just to represent Whistler Wolves and my coaches who’ve helped me get there. It’s probably one of my top accomplishments.”

semifinal in Bermuda. Even though the Classic is a rugby union event, it still proved that Mahovic can deliver when stakes are high.

“There’s moments where you’re like, ‘I think I’ve still got it, I can still contribute,’” he said. “As long as I’m able to contribute, I’m going to put my hand up and I’ll always make room for other people. It’s an ever-evolving process of

“I feel proud just to represent Whistler Wolves and my coaches who’ve helped me get there.”

- JACK SHORTIS

‘I CAN STILL CONTRIBUTE’

Age can be a double-edged sword in any sport, and rugby is no exception. Mahovic understands the game at a high level, being 34 years old, but his body is neither as athletic nor as explosive as it once was. As captain, his responsibility and privilege is to mentor a diverse squad and pass on his wealth of knowledge so they might reach their potential.

The Wolverines are fortunate to have a clutch athlete like Mahovic suiting up. In 2024, he scored a pair of tries to help author a titanic Canadian upset of Argentina at the World Rugby Classic

what you can contribute to the team.”

Speaking of contributions, Mahovic has played rugby in the Sea to Sky area for 11 years. He was the first man to join head coach Blake Stewart’s Wolves program and does not want his legacy to focus on his personal performance. Instead, the veteran commits all of his energy towards uplifting others within sport.

UNDERDOG MENTALITY

Shortis is one of several younger players who have flourished athletically in Whistler. He hails from Hong Kong and lived in Asia for eight years before splitting

the next decade between Vancouver Island and the Sea to Sky. As one of the first U19 Wolves to sign up three years ago, Shortis describes his team as a supportive bunch full of dedicated individuals.

Nooski, for example, commutes from Sechelt to attend practices and games each week during the season. On the field he’s “a monster,” the last person Shortis would want to be rushing at him with a full head of steam. Meanwhile, August is a smart and dynamic prop as well as a friendly face off the pitch.

Mahovic would agree with that assessment.

“I actually used to teach Will many years ago,” he revealed. “I was the one who introduced him to the sport. Will is all energy. Brady Nooski has an edge to him that I don’t think many other players his age do … I haven’t seen a fearless player like Brady in a long time. Jack’s a natural leader, a real artisan of his craft. He cares deeply about how he wants to play.”

The U19 Wolverines will not be favourites heading into European Shield contention. In fact, they only qualified because the United States roster pulled out of the tournament. Shortis prefers to use this fact as motivation.

“I’m expecting some big physical good rugby teams … it’s going to be the best of the best from each country,” he said. “I think we’ve got to come in with the underdog mentality and show everyone how to play Canadian rugby league.” n

BEST OF THE BEST Blake Mahovic passes the ball during a rugby league game for the Whistler Wolves.

PHOTO BY ALFRED RUGBY

Elly Hoskin drops to fourth in stormy Val di Fassa World Cup

THE SQUAMISH ENDURO RIDER WAS IN SECOND PLACE AFTER THE FIRST OF TWO DAYS OF RACING

BY DAVID SONG

A WEATHER system rolled through the Dolomites on June 28, raining on Elly Hoskin’s parade.

Hoskin was just three seconds back of Enduro World Cup (EDR) overall leader Ella Conolly after June 27’s opening three stages. However, an ill-timed Sunday storm plagued many riders including the Squamolian, who lost a whopping 52 seconds on Stage No. 4. Deteriorating weather then convinced organizers to cancel Stages 5 and 6, causing the podium to be decided by lucky No. 7.

Mélanie Pugin was technically brilliant throughout, erasing a 16-second deficit to clinch gold in an aggregate time of 27 minutes and 45.099 seconds. Britain’s Conolly dropped into silver medal position (28:02.344) and Winnifred Goldsbury followed up her inaugural victory in Leogang, Austria with bronze (28:05.159).

That left incumbent world champ Hoskin in fourth place (28:25.172) as she continues to look for her first podium of 2026.

“Have always struggled to find the good going pace here. To be fighting for the win after Day 1 was such a great achievement after a tougher start to the World Cup season,” Hoskin remarked on social media. “Took the same approach on Day 2 and it just didn’t come together for one reason or another....as frustrating as it was to drop from second to fifth going into the final stage, I’m so proud of that last performance.

“P2 on the stage brought me into … my new second-best result! Resetting is a skill I’d like to have to practice less, but ultimately unavoidable and one of my favourite tools in the racing tool box.”

French veteran Pugin said in a press release: “I’m so proud of myself and my team. It’s been five years since my last win, so it feels incredible to be back on top. I had a difficult start to the weekend after a crash before training, so I took it easy at first, and [on Saturday] I struggled to find my rhythm on the physical stages.

With the weather…we didn’t know how many stages we would even get. I gave everything on that first stage and it paid off. I love this place. I think it’s the most beautiful place in Europe to ride a bike.”

Conolly did enough to remain atop the overall, though her lead over Pugin is just 30 points as Goldsbury finds herself third behind them. Hoskin is fifth in that regard.

DELIVERING UNDER PRESSURE

Male EDR athletes were even less lucky than their female peers, as the aforementioned storm system led to three entire stages being called off.

Dutch rider Tristan Botteram conquered the chaos to win (16:20.199), edging out Tommaso Calonaci (16:20.822) by less than a second in an exciting Stage 7 finish. Runner-up Calonaci achieved a marvelous home-soil performance after unexpectedly leading the field on Saturday, and his fellow Italian Tommaso Francardo rounded out the top three (16:25.724).

Not many fans expected that particular group of names to fill the podium, but usual contenders like top Canadian Lief Rodgers (fourth in 16:26.611) and men’s overall frontrunner Alex Rudeau (fifth in 16:27.233) weren’t quite able to keep pace.

“It was a special day for sure,” Botteram told the media about his inaugural World Cup victory. “With a lot of stages being cancelled and having to re-group and then put everything into one run, it was very difficult to regain all the time to win. To deliver under the pressure when I knew that I could win the race was really good.

“It was a big build-up to this race for me since November. I worked really hard and it’s been a long journey to get here. This is my first World Cup win and podium at the first time.”

Francardo, meanwhile, rose into third overall. He’s 58 points behind Rodgers and 123 points back of Rudeau.

Visit ucimtbworldseries.com/ results/2026/val-di-fassa-2026 for more results from Val di Fassa, Italy. n

UNDER PRESSURE Elly Hoskin in Whistler.

PHOTO BY JAKE PADDON

New cookbook captures Sea to Sky food stories from farm to plate

SEA TO SKY COOKS BRINGS TOGETHER FARMERS, FORAGERS, COOKS AND ARTISANS FROM LIONS BAY TO LILLOOET

BY BRANDON BARRETT

MUCH OF THE food writing in the Sea to Sky can strike a certain promotional tone, understandable in a region where tourism reigns supreme.

You’ll find plenty of restaurant reviews, dining guides and top-10 lists aimed at enticing the hungry visitor, but those only scratch the surface of the rich diversity of culinary stories on offer in the corridor.

Sharing those stories is the driving motivation behind Sea to Sky Cooks, a community-inspired cookbook celebrating the local farmers, foragers, cooks and artisans behind the food on our plates.

“I just really appreciate educating people on where their food comes from, connecting them to it, and understanding that really it is the thread that gets people together,” said Edible Sea to Sky publisher Terra Gaddes, who is co-leading the cookbook project

alongside Squamish’s Kate Mulligan. “People love food, and it’s where our community connects, and that’s why I decided to start Edible in the first place. And this seemed like a very natural complement to the magazine.”

While Gaddes and Mulligan of course want visitors to enjoy the book, they

recipes,” said Mulligan, who led a similar cookbook project focused on Vancouver’s Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood.

“You’re seeing fusion take hold in many ways, and I think as we continue to grow as a community—we are expanding fast—we’re going to see more and more of that, and I think that’s exciting. And

“I just really appreciate educating people on where their food comes from, connecting them to it, and understanding that really it is the thread that gets people together.”

- TERRA GADDES

said they are more eager to share the kinds of “hidden gem” food stories that often go untold: the home chef simmering batches of hot sauce for the farmers’ market, the Latina mom selling enchiladas online, the Indigenous foragers who have been practising the same techniques for generations.

“That’s the cool thing about the corridor, because so many people come from so many places, we’re borrowing from other cultures, and then yet at the same time, pulling in our local ingredients and coming up with new

it’s not only the big restaurants doing it, or the hotels in Whistler, it’s the little places. That’s exciting.”

More than a mere recipe book, your grandma’s Joy of Cooking this is not. As a genre, cookbooks have grown more creatively ambitious in the internet age, when even the most obscure recipe is only a click away. There are cookbooks that double as memoir, graphic-novel cookbooks, artsy cookbooks that wouldn’t be out of place on your coffee table. Sea to Sky Cooks is similarly ambitious in scope. Some of the stories

planned include a piece on sustainable foraging practices, a deep dive into food sovereignty and the issues impacting our food system, another on cooking outdoors. There are destination profiles breaking down the food scenes of Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet from unexpected angles. One piece asks local athletes what they eat to stay fuelled, another positions the farmers’ market as an essential “community anchor” that helps build social and cultural ties. There are also plans for what Mulligan called “The Shared Table,” a community feast that will be documented for the book.

Gaddes and Mulligan gave their contributing writers and photographers—a veritable who’s who of Sea to Sky media—a long editorial leash.

“The whole idea is that this is a collaborative project. It’s not just us sitting there behind our computers, writing some stories and recipes,” Mulligan said.

Still under development, Sea to Sky Cooks is being crowdfunded through Kickstarter, with an all-or-nothing goal of raising $21,500 by the morning of July 11. The cookbook is targeted for a November release. Learn more at seatoskycooks.ca. Brandon Barrett is a performer, producer and former Pique reporter. n

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS A greenhouse dinner hosted at Plenty Wild Farms in Pemberton. PHOTO BY VAIRDY FRAIL

MEADOW PARK SPORTS CENTRE

SWIM • SKATE • SWEAT • SQUASH

OPEN DAILY: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

*some exceptions apply

I INCLUDED FITNESS These classes are included with your price of admission for no extra charge.

Seventh annual Art on the Lake festival unites beloved local musicians and emerging artists

THE EVENT WILL BE HELD JULY 9 AND 10 ON LOST LAKE

BY DAVID SONG

WHEN ART ON THE LAKE (AOTL) relocated from its former venue on Alta Lake to Lost Lake in 2025, some people were critical of the decision. Yet Arts Whistler director Maureen Douglas and her team ended up receiving a good deal of positive feedback, which is why the event remains at Lost Lake this summer.

According to Douglas, younger families enjoyed the accessibility of last year’s AOTL and its balance of water and land-based offerings. Transportationrelated questions were answered by way of a drop-off zone that allowed visitors to place their gear in a secure area at Lost Lake, park elsewhere, return via shuttle bus and retrieve their belongings.

“I had a number of neighbours who live along Spearhead Drive who were very concerned that their parking was going to be overrun,” Douglas remembers. “We made sure, working with the municipality, that that didn’t happen with very clear signage. The drop-off system worked [so well] that we had a lot of neighbours say, ‘could you just operate the road like that all the time? This is the best we’ve seen Lost Lake operate.’”

These logistical features will return to complement an expanded slate of programming: 14 live musical

performances, 13 visual artists, eight Sea to Sky market vendors, an open-air gallery featuring curated reproductions of local artwork and various other familyfriendly experiences.

LET IT ROCK

Live music will feature prominently throughout AOTL as usual, with performances spanning two stages. The main stage at Lost Lake Park will host four acts each day between noon and 6 p.m.

New for 2026, each day concludes with a 90-minute headline set. July

was so funny because there were people up dancing, having a great time with [their] kids. We’ve had the same feedback from the bands: it’s so nice for them to be outside, in a glorious setting and having fun with lots of people they know come out to support them.”

Whistler Music Search winners are typically awarded an Arts Whistler gig, and last year’s victors the Good and Bad Brothers are performing on July 9 alongside Rachel Lewis, Monty and Bradford plus the aforementioned Big Love Band.

Ruckus Deluxe will make its AOTL

“[I]t’s so nice for [the bands] to be outside, in a glorious setting and having fun with lots of people...”

- MO DOUGLAS

9’s main event is the Big Love Band, a longtime local favourite that can be counted on to seamlessly blend folk, country, hip hop and other genres.

A day later, the headliner is Red Chair, Whistler’s premier four-piece rock outfit expected to close things up the only way they know how: a dynamic concert loaded with crowd pleasers and legendary rock anthems.

“As much as it’s so great that they’re playing gigs in bars … this is a chance to see them in daylight,” says Douglas. “We had Red Chair be the last act of the day at Lost Lake three or four years ago and it

debut on July 10 with Railtown Prophets and all-female rock act Mom Jeans before Red Chair takes over.

Lost Lake’s infamous “Nudie Dock” will again be transformed into a hub of DJ activity, with various talents including Whistlerite group Electro Sax (who blend saxophones with house music) on deck to keep the turntables and good times spinning.

ARTIST INTERACTION

AOTL’s visual arts roster is headlined on July 9 by Squamish creative Nat Tuke, who means to work on the largest painting of her career as inspired by Whistler Village.

She’ll be joined by Lizzie McCarthy, Anna Lynch, Kate Zessel, Sergio (the saxophone half of Electro Sax) and Redmond Q ’ áwam ’ Andrews.

July 10’s schedule features Clea Thomas, Michaela Ivancova, Dave Petko, Steffi Lai, Rob Leblanc and Ciarra.

On both days, Cassidy Luteijn is offering paddle-up Polaroid portraits. She’s not using a camera, but rather using a Polaroid-type card as a template on which to hand-sketch anybody who comes up to her on their floatation device of choice.

“A lot of people know Nat Tuke’s art and it is really fun that she’s chosen to bring [her Whistler Village piece] to Art on the Lake,” Douglas remarks. “It’s a big undertaking. She is a strong, excellent, beautiful artist who’s established, and it’s [great] that she is going to bring the biggest piece she’s ever worked on and be that vulnerable. And … we often have artists working on the docks but we’d love to see it be more interactive, so enter Cassidy with this idea of paddle-up portraits.”

The Arts Whistler team wishes to emphasize above all else that guests practice water safety. Their guidelines, adapted from the Canadian Safe Boating Council, are as follows: wear a lifejacket, don’t boat while impaired, use leashes on paddleboards, beware of cold water and above all, stay prepared for changing weather and aquatic conditions.

Programs in Lost Lake Park will run on both days from noon until 6 p.m. while the Nudie Dock operates from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit artswhistler.com/artonthelake for more details. n

LAKE LIVIN Paddleboarders on Lost Lake during the 2025 Art on the Lake event.

PHOTO BY PALA KOVACS

Genre-defying U.S. band Dirtwire performs July 9 in Whistler

BAND

MEMBER EVAN FRASER SAYS HE AND HIS PEERS ARE ‘ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR NEW SOUNDS’

BY DAVID SONG

WHAT STANDS out the most about threepiece American band Dirtwire at a glance are the instruments they play.

If you’re looking for a classic guitar, bass and drums operation, look elsewhere. Band members David Sartori, Evan Fraser and Mark Reveley’s tastes are far, far more exotic than that.

Jaw and mouth harps, space fiddles, West African kamale ngonis, bowed banjos, Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitars and whamola basses are more their speed.

Attempting to pigeonhole Dirtwire’s music into any particular genre, or even range of genres, is naturally a difficult endeavour. The list of labels that people have come up with is just as eclectic as the group’s arsenal of instruments: swamptronica, electro twang, blues and bass, spaghetti step, folktronica and psychedelic hoedown.

Most of you reading this have probably never heard of any of those musical implements or those Frankenstein-esque hybrid genre names. If you’re curious to learn more, you’ll have to drop by Whistler Olympic Plaza when Dirtwire joins the 2026 Summer Concert Series on July 9.

“We’re always searching for new sounds, collecting instruments from around the globe and experimenting with putting them together in different ways,” Fraser says. “I think our ears are just attracted to uniqueness and any music that moves us.”

Sartori has been a member of Dirtwire for approximately two decades. He met Fraser in the early 2000s when both studied at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) near Los Angeles, and the duo played in a few other bands before Dirtwire.

“We were lucky enough to study with amazing master teachers from Bali to West Africa and India,” Sartori remarks. “We were also influenced by the underground West Coast electronic music scene.”

MUSICAL BROTHERHOOD

Dirtwire released its first album in 2012 and began touring more extensively four years later. Its members view one another as “a musical brotherhood” whose friendship is fuelled by mutual respect and creative dauntlessness as they forge on through a wild career ride with lots of peaks and valleys.

“We’ve travelled around to a few corners of the globe and soaked up sounds in a lot of places: Brazil, India, Mali, Mexico, Eastern Europe, Ghana, Bali, Japan, Kazakhstan,” says Fraser. “Each of us are into different vibes

and we’re each inspired by different time periods, genres, and styles within different music cultures. How each of our tastes in instrumentation and musicality come together is how we explore and complement each other.”

By this point, Dirtwire has established a unique flavour of audio that draws from global musical influences and a spirit of asking: ‘would this work?’ The trio fuses elements of ethnomusicology, psychedelic trance, Delta blues and electronica to bridge cultures and genres, melding sounds together from across continents. Their live shows proceed fluidly from foot-stomping Americanainspired grooves and bass-driven electronic-blues sets to atmospheric and cinematic soundscapes.

At the heart of every performance is a mission to explore the overlap between traditional instruments and contemporary technology, where diverse musical heritages collide with bold innovation and a globetrotting, adventurous spirit.

“We’re proud and grateful that we have gotten to travel this rich planet, play shows, make people happy, collaborate with so many amazing artists and press vinyl for a handful of our albums,” Fraser summarized succinctly.

Sartori performed in Whistler many years ago with an electronic music group named Beats Antique that he co-founded. He remembers loving the mountain town vibe and the energetic, down-to-party nature of the audience.

“We love playing in Canada,” he affirms. “The people, the air, the energy … see you soon.”

Mark Woodyard opens the show on July 9 at 6:30 p.m. before Dirtwire takes over at 7:30 p.m. Visit whistler.com/ events/concerts for more information. n

DOWN AND DIRTY Members of the exotic American band Dirtwire.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIRTWIRE

DeckDocWhistler

Fishing (with) questions—Part 2

BY BRONWYN PREECE

LAST WEEK’S article focused on how spotting a school of rainbow trout in Garibaldi Lake lured me into a local fishfact-finding mission around the stocking history of the local Whistler lakes.

Alta Lake’s fishing history was shared, and now we pick back up with Garibaldi’s.

In 1928—a year following the formal establishment of Garibaldi Provincial Park (a 195,000-hectare protected area)—5,000 “eyed egg” rainbows were released into the lake. The following year, 12,500 eggs were released. The eggs were transported by horseback up to the lake, which encompasses an area of almost 10 square kilometres at 1,467 metres of elevation.

Mountaineering and pack-hauled camping holidays were becoming popular in the area.

These were the only two times, 1928 and 1929, that Garibaldi Lake was ever stocked. Differing from other, lower lakes in the area, Garibaldi Lake never had any fish living in its waters to begin with. As the Whistler Museum reported in a 2011 column titled “Frontier Fish,” “Garibaldi Lake was formed relatively recently (geologically speaking) when a massive lava flow from Mount Garibaldi slammed into a glacier and was frozen in its tracks, leaving behind what is now known simply as The Barrier.

“This vertical wall blocked off an ancient valley that subsequently filled with water to form Garibaldi Lake. Since the lake’s outlet flows underground through The Barrier to become Rubble Creek (named after the frequent landslides falling from the Barrier’s unstable volcanic rock), no fish population was ever able to colonize Garibaldi’s glacial-fed waters.”

Further, according to a report in the Vancouver Province newspaper, after the catch of three mature trout from Garibaldi Lake in 1933, the paper then declared the lake the “second” successful stocking of a barren lake in British Columbia. The Museum has not been successful in sourcing information as to which may have been the first.

The introduced fish survived and have uniquely adapted to the freezing mountain waters.

The cast of vibrant colour caused by suspended glacial silt in the lake has dazzled people for ages. There had been talk and plans to build a chalet on the edges of Garibaldi Lake following the 1945 opening of the Diamond Head Chalet at Elfin Lakes (also in Garibaldi Park). The Brandvolds, operators of the lodge, envisioned a connective series of huts and lodgings connecting the gems of Garibaldi. Though no other lodges were built by them, for two years during the 1960s, Queen Charlotte Airline operated a hostel on the edges of Garibaldi Lake.

According to an article first published in regional travel and lifestyle magazine Westworld in 1976, and subsequently reprinted by the Hollyburn Heritage Society, “a helicopter company trained its pilots for high-altitude flying in that area and then provided an air-drop service for food and luggage, so that sides of beef came falling out of the sky with red streamers flying.”

At this time, the fish population would have been well-established in the once-devoid-of-fins lake.

OTHER WHISTLER FISHFINDING FACTS, ACCORDING TO GOFISHBC.COM:

• Alpha and Nita Lakes (both first stocked in 1927, with 15,250 rainbow)

• Lost Lake (1937 with 3,000 rainbow)

• Loggers Lake (1984, with 500 rainbow)

• Callaghan Lake (1975 with 10,000 rainbow)

• Madeley Lake (1984 with 340 rainbow)

• Jane Lakes (1987 with 2,000 rainbow)

• Showh North and Showh South (4x4 access only via Cougar Mountain—first stocked in 1986 with 800 rainbow in total).

Today, all anglers 16-plus in British Columbia must hold a valid BC Freshwater Fishing Licence, though some exemptions apply.

Regulations vary by waterbody. Know before you go and cast your line.

Read more at gofishbc.com.

Editor’s note: last week’s article stated rainbow trout were only stocked in local waters until 2000 (they continue to be stocked), and that Alta Lake was strictly catch-and-release (that changed in 2025, though with strict quotas in place). Pique regrets the errors. n

TAKING STOCK A view of Garibaldi Lake from Mount Price in 1960. FENNER COLLECTION / WHISTLER MUSEUM & ARCHIVES SOCIETY

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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

MOUNTAIN TOP SUMMER FEAST

Head up to the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain for an incredible, mountain top dining experience with live music. Enjoy mouthwatering mains, fresh salads and delicious desserts at 1,800 metres (6,000 ft) high in the mountaintops with the whole family.

» July 3 to 5, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

» Roundhouse Lodge

FAIRMONT FRIDAYS AT MALLARD LOUNGE

feedback, and plenty of trail time while connecting with a supportive community of intermediate to advanced riders.

» July 4 to 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

» evo Rentals

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 Oct. 11, with the addition of select Saturday markets.

» July 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

» Upper Village Stroll

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Start your weekend on a high note with Whistler’s favourite Friday tradition. Set against the backdrop of the mountains, Fairmont Fridays bring together handcrafted cocktails, live music and a feature food menu designed for sharing and celebrating the start of the weekend. Each week discover a new signature cocktail alongside specially curated culinary offerings, creating an elevated après experience filled with flavour, atmosphere and a little extra magic.

» July 3, 5 to 7 p.m.

» Mallard Lounge

PATIO PILATES WITH BABE RAVE

Start your morning with movement, music and connection alongside Sophie from Moving with Soph and DJ KLN from Babe Rave. Enjoy a 50-minute dynamic Pilates class, live music, a one-hour mimosa social and goodies. Suitable for all levels; wear comfortable clothing, bring water and arrive 10 minutes early.

» July 3, 9 to 11 a.m.

» Merlins Bar & Grill

ALTA LAKE BIRD WALK

Join the Whistler Naturalists on the first Saturday of the month for a walk to Rainbow Park. 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.

» July 4, 7 a.m.

» Meet at the bottom of Lorimer Rd. by the Catholic church.

EVOTRIP WOMEN’S MTB CLINIC

Build confidence and refine your mountain biking skills at these two-day women’s clinics on Whistler’s Valley trails. Enjoy certified coaching, personalized

SPO7EZ ARTIST MARKET

The Spo7ez Artist Market celebrates the incredible talents of artisans from the Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation. It takes place on the Mezzanine Patio on the first Sunday of each month during summer.

» July 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

» Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

COMMUNITY FOOTBALL WATCH PARTY

Watch global football outdoors in Whistler with community viewing parties featuring Whistler youth soccer activities, food trucks, face painting, bike valet, and family-friendly fun. Bring a blanket and enjoy the atmosphere.

» July 7

» Whistler Olympic Plaza

PHAT WEDNESDAY

Test your skills every Wednesday in this popular downhill race series. Race for great prizes from Bike Park sponsors, then celebrate with après at the Garibaldi Lift Company. Registration is online only, with limited entries available. Racing begins at 5:15 p.m. on a first-come, first-race basis.

» July 8, registration begins at 4:15 p.m.

» Whistler Mountain Bike Park

CRAFTS IN THE PARK

Each week, discover Whistler’s wildlife through a fun story time and craft activity presented in partnership with the Whistler Museum and Whistler Public Library. No pre-registration is required. Designed for children aged 6 and under accompanied by an adult, this engaging program offers a creative way to learn about the animals that call Whistler home.

» July 8 to Aug. 19, 11 a.m.

» Florence Petersen Park

ASTROLOGY

Free Will Astrology

WEEK

OF JULY

3 BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Archaeologists studying ancient wells have discovered that some weren’t finished in a single effort. Communities might dig to the current water table, use the well for years, then probe further down when water levels dropped or needs increased. This is a useful metaphor for you, Aries. As of yet, you don’t have the ability or tools to reach the deepest layers you aspire to reach. My counsel is to go as far as you can now and gather what you find there. Later, when you’re readier, you will build on what has come before.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The doom‑and‑gloom wing of astrology is exhausting. The superstition that Mercury retrograde causes scrambled messages and dire mix‑ups is dull and misguided. The planet’s apparent backward motion, which is happening right now, shows up about three times every year like clockwork. It’s perfectly normal! In my view, Mercury retrograde isn’t threatening unless you obsess on the idea that it is, in which case, yes, your payment might go astray, and a friend may misunderstand you. But if cultivating relaxed clarity is more fun and productive for you than coping with fearful tension, treat the time between now and July 23 as a rich opportunity to refine, deepen, and upgrade how you communicate.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You Gemini readers have decreed that I must halt all musings about maddening, riddle‑drenched ambiguity. You’ve delivered the message to me that you’re tired of wrestling with enigmas wrapped in paradoxes. Straightforward, plainspoken factualness is what you want. Well, OK. (Please remember that I don’t make this stuff up; I simply channel cosmic omens.) Maybe I’ll start obeying your orders next time. But first, I will advise you: 1. Unexpected gifts are coming from people and situations in transition. 2. Tough but friendly interventions will nudge you toward healthy course corrections. 3. Mysterious assistance is on its way.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are phases when the cosmic energies and I urge you to put others first— even tend to their pain before you tend to your own. But this isn’t one of those times. Right now, sacrificing yourself for the sake of others would obstruct the flow of righteous grace into your life. So then what is the most soul‑honouring path available? Here’s what I think: Summon your inventive brilliance and use it to imagine generous ways to care for yourself. Shower yourself with gifts, treats, and blessings that delight you. Take the loving care you so deftly pour into other people and lavish it wholeheartedly on yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Most fields of human endeavour work like this: A few people are truly brilliant, a handful are actively harmful, and the majority fall somewhere between “not great” and “pretty good.” That’s true whether you’re talking about engineers, doctors, poets, or astrologers. So it’s inadvisable to assume a physician is wise about your well‑being just because they’ve logged 15 years on the job, or to trust your life direction to the first astrologer whose promotion catches your eye. In the coming weeks, dear Leo, discernment like this matters even more than usual. Let your natural hopefulness be balanced by sharp, thoughtful judgment. Don’t just challenge obvious authority. Put every so called fact, spin, assumption, and official line under your own clear eyed review.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Architects designing spaces for collective use try to balance two human needs: to see expansively and also have safe places to retreat. Too much exposure creates anxiety; too much enclosure brings claustrophobia. The ideal is to provide both shelter and spaciousness. Let’s use this theme as a metaphor for your life during the coming months. You’ll be wise to create an equilibrium between engagement and privacy, between vastness and protection. Make it easy for yourself to observe the larger scene and also withdraw when needed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Self‑proclaimed “skeptics” love to sneer at astrologers, as if pondering what lies

ahead were a violation of scientific purity. And yet economists, sports analysts, trend watchers, and political commentators churn out shaky predictions every day. Honestly, those professionals of probability often create more confusion than those of us who read the heavens. Take weather forecasters, for instance: From Europe to Japan, their models routinely miss sudden floods and twisters and trigger more than a few false alarms. But do the debunkers brand them as charlatans? Of course not. Forgive the outburst, but I’m building to a key foresight: Every forecast, projection, or vision that crosses your path over the next month will miss the mark—except for this one. So free yourself of their meddling.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Ethnobotanists describe how certain Indigenous traditions work with “teacher plants.” These are flora that offer not only physical benefits but spiritual instruction. They include psychoactive substances, but also ordinary plants approached with extraordinary attention. In the spirit of reinventing your education, Scorpio, I invite you to expand your understanding of who and what your teachers are. What ordinary elements of your daily life might offer wisdom if you engage them with deep respect? What situations at the edges of your awareness could bring lessons that enrich your perspectives? Now is an excellent time to seek new apprenticeships.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Western science and Western religions may disagree about how the universe began, but both place its birth in the distant past. Tantra and other spiritual paths, by contrast, propose that the universe is born afresh in every instant through the sacred, erotic interplay of God and Goddess. When humans approach love making as an experimental sacrament, these traditions suggest, we can tune in to the union of those primordial forces and, in a sense, take part in the continual creation of existence. So, are you ready for a bit of world making erotic play? The current astrological indicators say yes, you are.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A common obstacle to healthy intimacy is the belief that a beloved ally should automatically know what you need, without you saying a word. I used to suffer from this delusion myself and worked hard to dissolve it. I no longer unconsciously assume that my companions are so attuned to me that they can always intuit my desires. But I know this bad idea feels romantic to many people, even though it can sabotage even the most promising bond. In the weeks ahead, Capricorn, I invite you to starve this fantasy. Your intimate world is ripe for a fresh infusion of lucid, straightforward honesty.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your next few weeks will be sponsored by CoffeeBeer, the paradoxical elixir that both pumps up your energy and decompresses your defenses. You will be an exemplary role model for this innovative product because you will epitomize what occurs when a sensitive soul gets excited and mellows out at the same time. I also expect you will soon be exploring intriguing opportunities that become available to you because of your supercharged calm. Fortunately, you don’t need to drink actual coffee and beer together to make this happen. The cosmic forces will be conspiring to help you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Finish this sentence, Pisces: “The one thing that really keeps me from being myself is _______.” Is it someone’s opinion, an old story about who you are, a fear of loss, a habit of over‑pleasing, a secret shame, or a belief that you’re “too much” or “not enough”? Whatever first pops into your mind is probably closest to the truth. Here’s your next step: Loosen the grip of this stressor by even just 20 per cent. I bet your real self will feel relaxed enough to bloom more fully.

Homework: We’re halfway through 2026. How are your big projects progressing? https://tinyurl.com/zzz333xxx333

In addition to this column, Rob Brezsny creates

In-depth weekly forecasts designed to inspire and uplift you. To buy access, phone 1-888-499-4425. Once you’ve chosen the Block of Time you like, call 1-888-682-8777 to hear Rob’s forecasts. www.freewillastrology.com

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Thebestbuilds, thebestbackyard.

The NIMBY

I MUST BE getting to the age where you no longer care what people think about you because this could be the column I get the most hate mail for in my 27 years contributing to Pique I deserve it.

Let me preface by saying I’m well aware there’s a housing availability and affordability crisis. Rent is more expensive than ever.

BY ANDREW MITCHELL

I’m also aware that there’s a worker shortage—there always has been and always will be. It’s a transient, seasonal town with a lot of entry-level jobs.

I also know Whistler’s history enough to know squatting has always been a thing. I spent my first three months here sleeping on a floor before moving into a shared room with two others, then into what can only be described as a 60-square-foot boot room where I slept on a folded futon for the next two years.

So when I see people asking our governments to address the problem of campers on our backroads, I’m conflicted by how much to agree.

It’s a moot point right now. Nobody seems to want to enforce the laws and come out as the villain of the story, but something will need to be done eventually.

I personally don’t love the situation, and I’m not even sure why. They’re not hurting anybody, as far as I can tell.

The campers are a bit of a blight that takes away from the natural experience. They are a slight inconvenience when it comes to parking. They are somewhat of a concern when it comes to fires, wildlife, and public safety.

I’m also not convinced everyone is there out of need, and that some are

taking advantage. And if people are living in their vehicle out of need then I’m not sure society is doing them a favour by leaving them alone.

On one hand, I think people should be given some grace to do whatever they need to do to stay here while they wait for their own magical boot room and futon. On the other hand, there needs to be a limit as to where people can squat and for how long. At some point it stops being a necessity and starts being a choice.

The issue is very visible and growing. Two years ago on the Riverside Trails, I counted eight vehicles camping full-time on the little pullouts to the sides of the Cheakamus Lake road. A few weeks ago I counted 16.

Some vehicles have been there for at least three years, and one camper seems to be someone’s weekend cottage rather than their home—I only see people around it occasionally. Some campers— including a collection of modified vans, cube vans and buses—may not even be operable anymore, making them semipermanent, possibly uninsured, fixtures on the landscape.

What happens when—not if— numbers double again? As we’ve seen around B.C., from Kelowna to Abbotsford to Squamish, vehicle encampments

that the government has a responsibility to enforce existing laws and get people to move along after two weeks. Others would say the government first needs to provide a viable social housing or camping alternative. I also agree with that, to a point.

But it’s hard to know the best way forward because every story is different. There are so many questions.

Who are they? Are they transient or permanent? Do they work or are they just doing the #vanlife thing for a season or two? What other circumstances put them there? Are they addicts? Alcoholics? Do they have mental-health issues? Are they known to police? Are any of them a threat to themselves or others?

Are they on the Whistler Housing Authority rental or purchase lists? What are their plans for the future? What happens when winter arrives? What efforts are they making to find housing? What reasonable help could the community provide, besides turning a blind eye?

How low would rent need to be— given that anything would be an increase of the zero dollars they’re currently paying?

Where do they poop? How do they keep their garbage? Where do they cook?

Two years ago on the Riverside Trails, I counted eight vehicles camping full-time on the little pullouts to the sides of the Cheakamus Lake road. A few weeks ago I counted 16.

always grow over time when left alone. At some point it’s inevitable that we will need to take action before we end up with a public safety situation like Abbotsford where almost 60 campers were crammed into a small truck stop in the middle of a growing garbage dump. I expect even the campers themselves are waiting to be told to leave.

Some believe—myself included—

Do they have fire extinguishers handy? Do they pose a wildfire risk? Are there wildlife issues?

Are they actually in need or are they taking advantage of the housing crisis and lax enforcement to live rent-free?

If you’re living on public lands and roads then the public has a right to know the answers to these questions.

A good place to start would be

updating the law. As per the B.C. Forest Recreation Regulation, Section 13(1), “A person must not camp at a recreation site for a period exceeding 14 consecutive days unless authorized by a recreation officer.”

That’s hugely inadequate, although “unless authorized by a recreation officer” provides some opportunity. If I were to change the law, I’d specifically include roads and parking areas. I would have restrictions when the fire risk is extreme. And I would require people to register online so we know who is where in an emergency. I would also specify that people would be required to leave the area for at least 45 days, or whatever, before returning and clearly define an area as something like public lands and roads in a radius of two kilometres.

If people stay longer than 14 days, they should be given a choice—they can start to pay something with rates increasing over time (say $20/night for the next 30 days, $30/night for the next 30 days, etc.)—or they can request assistance for reasons of hardship.

Charging a fee would incentivize people to move on or at least consider moving to an RV park with water and electricity. And if they request assistance, that provides an opportunity to learn their specific situation and provide the right kind of help. If they are homeless due to circumstances then we can help with temporary housing or some financial assistance to move into an RV park. If they have an addiction or mental illness, then we can start with that.

And if they’re living for free just because they can, more power to them— they can obey the law and move every 14 days until they eventually decide the hassle isn’t worth it. At the very least we would know their vehicles are insured and operational.

I hate being a NIMBY. I also don’t want to punch down or minimize the very real struggles that exist when it comes to housing. But I also know that, if left unchecked, the situation will grow until action becomes necessary—and that it’s easier to act now than later when the numbers double again. n

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