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Coast Medical Whistler announces closure

Clinic will be closing on May 29

Coast Medical Whistler, one of three family practices in the resort, announced it would be closing next month. In an email to patients, the clinic said it was “with mixed emotions” that it would be shutting its doors on May 29 and urged patients to make arrangements to find a new physician.…

Feed the Need launched in support of Sea to Sky food banks

Also, Whistler Community Services Society donation campaign aims to raise $100K

[Editor’s Note: Due to a miscommunication, an earlier version of this story that appeared online on April 28 incorrectly stated that the Feed the Need campaign intended to raise $100,000 for the Whistler Food Bank. In fact, the campaign is fundraising for food banks across the Sea to Sky, to go along with a separate WCSS email campaign to raise $100,000.]…

B.C. extends state of emergency by another two weeks

B.C. Premier John Horgan said details are coming on the province’s economic re-opening

What happened: The B.C. government extended the province’s state of emergency by two weeks on Wednesday, April 29. Why it matters: Premier John Horgan also said B.C. will begin re-opening its economy starting next week.…

Driver damages Pemberton Community Centre gate

Police Briefs: Canoe damages vehicle; bikes stolen from storage

Pemberton RCMP is on the lookout for the driver of a GMC Terrain that reportedly damaged a gate to the underground parking lot of the Pemberton Community Centre last week. At approximately 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, police received a report that the driver of the vehicle had collided with a parking lot security gate and fled the scene.…

Better Business Bureau warns of rental scams during COVID-19

If the monthly rental is too good to be true, it’s probably a scam

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning renters to look out for rental scams that seem too good to be true. In other jurisdictions, scammers have posted properties for rent at a low market price and encouraged renters to visit the property for an outside inspection, while saying they cannot meet in-person because of COVID-19 restrictions.…

Two more poultry plants in B.C. report workers who have COVID-19

CHILLIWACK, B.C. — Two more poultry processing plants in British Columbia say they have workers who have tested positive for COVID-19. Sofina Foods Inc. in Port Coquitlam and Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry in Chilliwack say each of their facilities has one worker who has tested positive.…

B.C.’s road to recovery: Public confidence is key to B.C. tourism resurgence

Industry’s many sub-sectors will face different timelines for restarting their operations

The consensus in the tourism sector is that governments will gradually lift restrictions and that a return to anything resembling how the economy operated in February will not be possible until at least next year. A reopening of hotels could mark the beginning of a recovery.…

Canadian meat supply: Feds ‘very much on this issue,’ says Trudeau

Prime Minister won’t commit to mandating meat-processing plants stay open

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government in monitoring the security of Canada’s food supply chain amid concerns the country is facing a meat shortage. “Agriculture Canada is very much on this issue,” Trudeau said Wednesday (April 29) during his daily media briefing outside his home in Ottawa.…

COVID-19 outbreak at Lions Gate Hospital doubles

So far there is no information from Vancouver Coastal Health on how the outbreak started

A new outbreak of COVID-19 reported at Lions Gate Hospital last Thursday has doubled over the weekend. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s chief medical health officer, announced the outbreak at the North Shore hospital during a press conference Thursday afternoon.…

Existing workplace safety regulations remain flexible to COVID-19

Nothing in the works to cement specific COVID-19 measures into occupational health and safety policies: WorkSafeBC

B.C. Premier John Horgan acknowledged the National Day of Mourning for the 140 workers killed and many others injured in the workplace last year across the province. And in doing so on April 28 he also acknowledged a new workplace safety threat: COVID-19.…

Feed the Need campaign aims to raise $100K for Whistler Community Services Society

Also, Stay at Home Gala set for May 2 to raise funds for Whistler Community Foundation

With a tenfold increase in demand since the COVID-19 pandemic at the local food bank it operates, the Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) is looking to “Feed the Need” through a new fundraising campaign before it sets its sights on other community programs. The social-service provider is hoping to raise $100,000 by May 2, money that will go directly towards the purchase of goods for the Whistler Food Bank, which relocated from its usual Nesters Road facility to the conference centre this month to better manage the rise in demand.…

Haida Gwaii turns back tourists arriving by ferry

Haida Gwaii communities issue order banning non-residents over COVID-19 fears

Old Masset Village council on Haida Gwaii has issued an order telling anyone who doesn’t live on the Island to get right back on the ferry they came over on and go home, due to fears of travellers bringing the COVID-19 virus to the island. Haida Gwaii communities issued a press release Monday telling visitors travelling to the island by BC Ferries they are not welcome.…

Enduro World Series announces Whistler cancellation

Two other 2020 contests cancelled outright

The Enduro World Series (EWS) announced on April 28 that the CamelBak Canadian Open Enduro was one of three races that will not run in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EWS announced changes to five races, cancelling stops in: Val di Fassa/Canazei, Italy; Burke Mountain, Vt.; and Whistler.…

B.C. planning for controlled return to in-class K-12 instruction

No date has been confirmed for when students may head back to school

What happened: B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming said Tuesday the province is closely monitoring how other jurisdictions are sending students back to school. Why it matters: The province is planning for a number of scenarios that involve a controlled, science-based return to school.…

When will Whistler facilities reopen?

B.C. ‘getting close’ to easing restrictions, but no date yet

AS WHISTLERITES pass the 40-day mark in quarantine, one question is on the minds of many—when can Whistler reopen its facilities? The question was put to mayor and council by a letter writer at the April 21 council meeting (held over Zoom).…