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B.C. enables restaurants to serve at more than 50% capacity

The change was made partly because cities and the province are making it easier for restaurants to have outdoor patios

Restaurants have more clarity about the rules they have to follow when providing dine-in service during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to a modified order from B.C.’s provincial health officer, Bonnie Henry. Municipalities have started in the past several weeks to be quicker in approving patios on public property, while the province has been quicker to approve alcohol licences for those patios.…

Canada to begin mandatory temperature checks for air passengers

Canada to begin mandatory temperature checks for air passengers

Canada will require air passengers to undergo mandatory temperature checks in order to get on their flights, Ottawa announced on Friday, June 12. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the move this morning, noting that passengers are already required to wear masks – and temperature checks are the next step for preventing the emergence of a second COVID-19 wave in Canada.…

The long trail

Women’s-only enduros rose up in the Sea to Sky and are now gaining a foothold across B.C.

Though pop culture and sports alike continue to be a man’s world of archetypal women, mountain bikers in the Sea to Sky are writing their own narratives. Even as women continue to make up a larger portion of sport’s population, making up a majority of riders in some communities, men continue to be disproportionately represented in co-ed contests.…

Be kind, be calm and listen to B.C.’s top doc

For many British Columbians, 3 p.m. (almost) every weekday over the last few months has offered a moment of calm amidst tumult.…

Statistics Canada asks parents to share their COVID-19 experiences

OTTAWA — If you are a parent whose friends and family are tired of hearing you vent about the challenges of juggling work and child-rearing during COVID-19, the federal statistics agency wants to be your new sounding board. Statistics Canada is conducting an online survey for parents with children younger than 15 to share their experiences of the pandemic, including how the crisis has affected children and families and how they have been coping.…

Resort Municipality of Whistler preps ‘Big Moves Strategy’ for climate

Council briefs: Rebates for electric vehicle stations; OCP gets housekeeping update

With an eye to tackling Whistler’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters—transportation and buildings—the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is launching a new strategy to focus its efforts. The Climate Action Big Moves Strategy, as it’s being called, aims to single out six specific areas where Whistler can have the biggest impact—though the RMOW isn’t saying what those are just yet.…

Work to begin on new Carbon Engineering facility in Squamish

World-renowned carbon capture company holds ground-breaking ceremony on June 11

Squamish’s world-renowned carbon-capture company has broken ground on the site of what will be a new facility. Carbon Engineering has made headlines for technology that removes carbon dioxide from the air and recycles it as fuel.…

Tourism vs. virus anxiety: Nuu-Chah-Nulth council resists opening to visitors

B.C. Premiere concerned tourism will stall if First Nations close communities

B.C. Premier John Horgan said there will be an impasse if B.C.’s plan to reopen domestic tourism province-wide is met with plans to close communities. On Tuesday, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council, representing 14 First Nations along 300 kilometres of west Vancouver Island coast, voted unanimously to restrict non-essential entry to its lands-including provincial and federal parks-unless several assurances around testing are put in place.…

B.C. endorses plan to encourage NHL to make Vancouver a hub city

Plan would involve NHL teams being considered family units for quarantine purposes

B.C. Premier John Horgan and Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry have endorsed a plan to encourage the National Hockey League (NHL) to consider making Vancouver one of two hub cities that would host 12 hockey teams to play games when the season resumes later this summer. The plan, supplied by the Vancouver Canucks, would enable hockey teams to stay at local hotels, travel on buses and practice with each team being considered a family unit, or a “bubble,” according to Horgan.…

Whistler golfer commits to UBC

Kaitlyn Hill snags scholarship

The bulk of Kaitlyn Hill’s competition is generally able to have significantly longer golfing seasons, if not year-round opportunities. Still, even with the disadvantage compared to her Lower Mainland peers, the Whistler golfer always aimed for the top.…

Whistler festivals and events move online for 2020

Children’s festival, Whistler Writers Festival, and Holiday Market announce changes

Rather than tossing in the towel in the face of COVID-19 restrictions, several local festivals and events have decided to shift online this year. The Whistler Children’s Festival, the Whistler Writers Festival, and the Holiday Market have all announced they will be moving to a computer near you.…

Travels over water—Part II

“In a canoe a man changes, and the life he has lived seems strangely remote. Time is no longer of the moment, for he has become part of space and freedom.…

Whistler council passes temporary patio bylaws

RMOW plans both short- and long-term support for village vibrancy

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is moving quickly on bylaws to assist local businesses during their careful reopening in the wake of the first wave of COVID-19—while also looking at moves to protect the long-term vibrancy of Whistler Village. As of May 19, restaurants and patios across B.C. are now permitted to resume in-person dining under strict requirements of the Provincial Health Officer, including operating at a maximum 50-per-cent capacity and groups of up to six people per table, with each group seated at least two metres apart.…

Whistler Council votes 4-2 to change asphalt procurement policy

Extended discussion leads to split vote, and amendment to revisit in a year

After a lengthy discussion at the June 9 council meeting, Whistler council decided in a split vote to change its asphalt procurement policy to allow sourcing from Cheakamus Crossing, with a pledge to revisit the issue in a year. Since 2011, council has directed staff to include a restriction on sourcing asphalt from facilities located within three kilometres of Whistler neighbourhoods.…

The ‘she-cession’ reality

It feels like the coronavirus has created fault lines through our society, which we are experiencing on so many levels. Surely it is no coincidence that many of those being most deeply affected by the fallout of the virus are also those who are most at risk in general.…