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Whistler searching for new climate coordinator

Council briefs: Lift station contract awarded; Bayshores LUC termination heads to public hearing

The search for a new climate change coordinator is on at Whistler’s municipal hall following the resignation of Max Kniewasser last month. Kniewasser—who joined the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) for the newly created role in June 2019—resigned due to family reasons, a municipal spokesperson said.…

Pemberton mayor discusses reopening

Council briefs: Sunstone seeks amendment

Village of Pemberton (VOP) Mayor Mike Richman described elements of the town’s reopening plan during a Facebook Live event hosted by Lisa Richardson on May 8. The event came a day after the province revealed its four-phase plan for reopening after COVID-19 precautions, and Richman said the VOP is in the process of determining what it means for the village.…

Letters to the Editor for the week of May 14th

Consider the unintended consequences of fighting COVID-19 As a local family physician, I feel compelled to write in support of the concerns expressed by my colleague Dr. Denton Hirsh in last week’s Pique (“Fear should not influence COVID-19 policy”).…

How do we put out our welcome mat?

This coming weekend feels rather like a test. With the beautiful weather we’ve had this spring, there have been more and more people coming to our community, and many of us here in Whistler and the Sea to Sky have “doubled our bubble,” as B.C.’s chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry gave the all-clear to do last week.…

Free will astrology for the week of May 14th

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
During a pandemic, is it possible to spread the news about your talents and offerings? Yes!…

Whistler family speaks out after being told to ‘Go back to China’

Local example amongst a troubling rise in anti-Asian incidents across the province

A local family is speaking out after finding itself on the receiving end of racist comments while out for a walk through Whistler Village. Kyoko Hamazaki’s sister-in-law, who is Japanese, was walking through the village with her newborn, along with three of Hamazaki’s nieces and nephews, aged five, seven and 11—all of whom were all wearing protective masks—when an older Caucasian man rode past the family on his bike and yelled something along the lines of, “Chinese, go back home,” Hamazaki said. …

Squamish man caught shoplifting from Whistler store

Also in police briefs: Driver caught travelling 147 km/h on Highway 99; Tractor trailerrollover on Lillooet Lake Road

Charges are pending against a 67-year-old Squamish man after he was caught shoplifting from a Whistler business earlier this month. According to a release, Whistler RCMP were first notified of a theft from a store located in the 2000 block of Lake Placid Road on Wednesday, May 6 at around 6:20 p.m.…

B.C.’s COVID-19 recovery rate hits record high 78.2%

Rate was less than 70% little more than a week ago

As the number of new cases of COVID-19 stays low, and the number of people who have recovered from the virus increases, the province’s recovery rate keeps rising. On May 13, the rate stood at more than 78.2%: 1,859 recoveries out of 2,376 people infected.…

OPINION: Have fun close to home with these COVID-free walking games

Hello, friends. How’s your pandemic going?…

Dating advice from British Columbia’s health officer: take it slowly

From picnics in the park to online hookups, the province’s medical health officer had some dating advice for singletons this week worthy of your mom: proceed with caution. “If you’re going to start a relationship with somebody, this is not the time to do rapid serial dating,” said Henry Tuesday in response to a question about advice for single people interested in dating with the easing of some restrictions.…

To clean cash, use a little soap and water; skip the bleach

If you want to launder your money, soap and water is best, the Bank of Canada says. “If you want to take additional safety precautions, you can clean your polymer bank notes with a bit of soap and water since they are resistant to moisture,” bank spokeswoman Amelie Ferron-Craig said.…

B.C.’s Road to Recovery: COVID-19 will radically overhaul the aviation industry

Safety measures and changing business strategies likely in post-pandemic era

Air travel is likely to change when governments lift travel restrictions aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, and public confidence recovers. Most major airlines already ask passengers before they board how they feel, and require all passengers and crew to wear masks during flights.…

Health officer urges residents to take B.C.’s COVID-19 survey

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

Has staying home or not seeing friends for the past two months got you down? Were you scared to go to the hospital because of fears of COVID-19?…

Free smartphones won’t be used to contract-trace the vulnerable

3,500 donated phones expected to allow disadvantaged to access services

Hundreds of smartphones handed to Downtown Eastside (DTES) residents and other vulnerable individuals across the Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C. won’t be used for pandemic contact tracing, B.C.’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction says. Rather, the ministry said, the 3,500 phones would be distributed province-wide through work with both 7-Eleven and Telus to assist vulnerable people, including the homelessness, in having access to services.…

Indigenous group files legal challenge over ‘inadequate’ COVID-19 funding

OTTAWA — A national Indigenous organization that represents First Nations, Inuit and Metis living off-reserve and in urban centres is taking the federal government to court over what it alleges is “inadequate and discriminatory funding” for the COVID-19 response. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples has filed an application in the Federal Court of Canada, challenging the funding allocation of $250,000 it received as part of a COVID-19 fund earmarked for off-reserve Indigenous Peoples.…