Blog

How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect public transit long term?

A recent poll found that 69 per cent of respondents who normally took transit stopped during the outbreak, and only 19% of those respondents said they would return during a Stage 2 reopening

As B.C.’s economy slowly reopens after two months of COVID-19 lockdown, public transit will inevitably play a large role in the region’s recovery, officials say. The question is: will ridership return?…

Struck while still stuck

Tasty tidbits gleaned in these interesting times

It struck me the other day that I’ve learned some pretty far-out things while staying in. They cover the gamut, but essentially stem from two thankfully complementary factors: my nerdy curiosity combined with all this time on our hands.…

Plastics bans, environmental monitoring get short shrift during pandemic

OTTAWA — In mid-January, the British Columbia government announced it was looking at a wide ban on single-use plastic grocery bags to put an end to a piecemeal, city-by-city approach to the problem of plastic pollution. Ten weeks later, the province’s chief public health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, issued guidance saying the exact opposite.…

Whistler Writers Festival hosts first online reading and discussion webinar

RSVP to join free May 29 event

Looking for some literary inspiration? The Whistler Writers Festival is set to host its first author reading and discussion webinar on Friday, May 29 from 6 to 7 p.m.…

B.C. residents have one more week to complete COVID-19 survey

Responses will help guide province’s response to pandemic in months to come

B.C. residents who haven’t yet taken the province’s COVID-19 survey have until May 31 to do so. The survey—dubbed “BC COVID-19 SPEAK: Your story, our future”—seeks to understand citizen experiences, knowledge and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a goal of strengthening the province’s pandemic response moving forward.…

Pandemic threatens B.C. book industry: publishers

Homegrown companies say free access to books online is financially unsustainable

The COVID-19 lockdown has prompted schools and libraries to give the public free online access to many books, and Canadian publishers are warning that the model cuts sharply into their revenue and cannot be sustained. The news is especially dire for B.C.’s community of 30 publishers, the largest in Canada outside of Ontario.…

‘Canary in the coal mine:’ Meat industry says more safety coming with COVID-19

CALGARY — A group representing Canada’s meat-packers is expecting more changes in the coming months to make sure workers have protection from COVID-19. Chris White, president of the Canadian Meat Council, says $77.5 million earmarked by Ottawa for the food-processing industry will be used for future changes to plants—not to pay for measures already put in place.…

Vancouver Police report ‘staggering’ increase in Anti-Asian hate crimes

Investigators have opened 29 files since March, police say

VANCOUVER—Anti-Asian racism has spiked since COVID-19 forced B.C. into a state of emergency in March and Vancouver police say that’s driven an increase in hate crimes overall. Howard Chow, the department’s deputy chief constable for operations, said investigators have opened 29 files involving anti-Asian racism since March, a “staggering” increase from four files in the same time period last year.…

Silver lining: The Whistler déjà view

Wait—I’ve been here before… or at least something like it. Throughout March and April, I had this sensation—strong feelings of familiar having-been-heres, immediately followed by wondering what could possibly feel familiar about a global pandemic that shifted our community’s outdoorsy lifestyle indoors and into a hyper-simplified mode.…

Only a quarter of B.C. businesses feel confident of restart

Half expect resuming operations to take at least two months

Only a quarter of B.C. businesses feel confident of restarting and operating profitably as the province eases into its pandemic restart plan. And more than half (55 per cent) expect a restart will take at least two months.…

Dirt Designations

Part 1: The stories behind Whistler’s mountain bike trails

[Editor’s Note: With ski season frustratingly cut short this year, droves of antsy Whistlerites had no choice but to turn their sights from snow to dirt.…

Some students fall through the cracks as pandemic drags on

School district urges parents, students to reach out if they need support

While the provincial government announced last week that students have the option to return to class part-time starting on June 1, some parents are concerned about their children’s education as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Marnie Gibson’s son is in Grade 12 at Whistler Secondary School (WSS), taking three classes this semester ahead of graduation.…

Whistler triathlete set to climb for fundraiser

Karsten Madsen will bike the equivalent of Mount Everest’s height on Saturday

Karsten Madsen has crunched the numbers and has plans to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest’s height on his bike on Saturday. The Whistler-based triathlete will begin the effort at 6 a.m. on May 23 as part of Rebecca’s Giddy Up Challenge, a fundraiser organized by American endurance athlete Rebecca Rusch.…

COVID-19 poses big questions for Whistler retailers

Whistler Chamber hosts webinar on recovery strategies

Whistler retailers have their work cut out for them in navigating B.C.’s new COVID-19 reality, but they can take lessons from those who opted to stay open throughout the pandemic. One such local retailer—James Retty at Escape Route—joined a Whistler Chamber webinar on Thursday, May 21 to share some key takeaways.…

Tintin & Tarantino 9

There are some new flicks starting to pop up on the streaming services, notably Capone, a haphazardly constructed biopic starring Tom Hardy (Warrior, Venom) as the infamous gangster in his later years, as memories and dementia (and syphilis) wash away his existence. The flick itself is all over the place, and not in a good way, but Hardy goes all-in, aspiring to Nic Cage-like levels of scenery chewing.…