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B.C. grads celebrated with virtual graduation

Tune in to WE Celebrate: Class of 2020 on May 26 at 10 a.m.

Some B.C. singers, athletes, and performers have come together to celebrate the province’s 61,000 Grade 12 students. WE Celebrate: Class of 2020 is set to take place on Tuesday, May 26 at 10 a.m.…

More than 313,000 have completed B.C.’s COVID-19 survey

One week left to take part in survey

There’s a week left to tell the province your experiences and needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, more than 313,000 people have taken part, said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.…

Salmon expected to begin arriving soon at Fraser River landslide: DFO

Landslide sent 75,000 cubic metres of boulders and debris into the Fraser River north of Lillooet, creating a major obstacle for salmon returning to their spawning grounds

Parts of a pneumatic fish pump dubbed the “salmon cannon” have arrived at the site of a massive landslide along British Columbia’s Fraser River, where Fisheries and Oceans Canada expects some salmon to begin arriving soon. Six 160-metre tubes of different sizes are being suspended along the canyon wall above the river, said Gwil Roberts, director of the department’s landslide response team.…

Horgan welcomes news Ottawa will be pursuing paid sick leave

Concerns about program’s implementation raised by independent business owners

B.C. Premier John Horganis applauding news that the federal government is looking at ensuring 10 days of paid sick leave for workers. The premier has been advocating for a national sick-leave program and had said the province would implement its own program if Ottawa did not take the lead on the issue.…

Some Whistler homeowners denied BC Hydro COVID-19 relief

Owners ‘strongly encouraged’ to reach out to customer service

While more than 1,100 Whistlerites have applied for BC Hydro’s COVID-19 relief program (with about 50 per cent approved so far), some locals feel they have been unfairly denied access. Emerald resident Mark Steffens said he was denied relief because his home uses more than the program’s 2,500-kilowatt cutoff.…

Watch this wild video of a black bear catching a rabbit at a Whistler bus stop

The “rather rare” footage was shot near Highway 99 this morning

It’s not uncommon to spot a black bear chowing down on some dandelions around Whistler, but rarely are they seen hunting for their meal. But that’s exactly what Daniel Michael Bunter witnessed while driving through Whistler on his way to work this morning.…

Happiest in the mountains: Stefan Ples Part II

There is an often-told story of the first meeting of Stefan Ples and Franz Wilhelmsen of Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. on Whistler Mountain. Apparently Franz arrived at the top of the mountain by helicopter to find Stefan there on skis.…

B.C. government says sorry as camping reservation system overwhelmed

The ministry thanks all those who tried to book a site for their patience and apologizes to those who were unable to access the system.

VICTORIA — The government website for British Columbia residents booking provincial campsites was overwhelmed on Monday, prompting an apology from the Ministry of Environment. The ministry says in a statement that the last time the site was busy there were 1,100 reservations in one day, but in the first half hour of opening Monday about 800 reservations were booked.…

Village of Pemberton council preview for May 26

First look: Sunstone public hearing; Fernwood Drive application; Mayor’s Task Force

Here’s a quick look at what you can expect at the Village of Pemberton (VOP) council meeting on May 5. Beginning at 9 a.m. via Zoom webinar, instructions with how to join and view the meeting via Zoom can be found here.…

VIDEO: PNE prize home coming to Pemberton

3,188-square-foot home to be located in Sunstone development

Pemberton is in demand. The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) prize home team knows it, too, and that’s why the 2020 grand prize will be coming to town.…

Whistler’s outdoor adventure companies looking to regional market for when business resumes

Operators awaiting word from province to reopen safely

Whistler’s natural surroundings have always been the key attraction for visitors from around the world, but with international travel ground to a halt for the foreseeable future, local adventure tour operators are hopeful the regional market will help shore up some of the losses caused by COVID-19. “We’re an add-on so we find that our customers are completely in sync with whoever is coming to the resort, so if Whistler invites regional people back and they’re happy to come, then [we will welcome them].…

Upper Squamish Valley fire approaches 1.5-month mark

Authorities still won’t call the blaze out

The Upper Squamish Valley wildfire is on the verge of passing the one-and-a-half mark. While the flames subsided some time ago, the BC Wildfire Service is still refusing to call the Magee Road fire out as of May 25.…

BC Hydro orders producers to curtail production

Innergex says BC Hydro obliged to pay for power it has been ordered to stop generating

At least one independent power producer in B.C. has been told by BC Hydro to stop producing power, as a result of plummeting demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Innergex Renewable Energy Inc.…

China’s post-COVID consumer trends may offer preview of B.C.’s own future

The COVID-19 outbreak changed what kind of items people were buying, according to one executive.

With the Chinese economy now reopened – in some places almost fully – for more than a month, western companies are noticing changes in consumer behaviour that may apply to markets like B.C. and Western Canada. That is the finding of a roundtable discussion hosted by consultancy McKinsey in the Chinese market, where a number of executives of western companies in China said they’ve noticed significant changes in consumer behaviour that may be universal and long-term in nature – if not permanent.…

Let’s consider a balanced approach

LETTER: For the week of May 25

I would like to respond to the “Letters to the Editor” written by Dr. Denton Hirsh and Dr. Tom DeMarco in the May 7 and 14 issues of Pique, respectively. I appreciate the “bigger picture” perspectives that they brought to the table in analyzing some of the costs and consequences of the pandemic measures that have been implemented.…