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Squamish may need an extra $1.38 million in taxes for 2020

District also considers setting aside money for new staff positions

During preliminary budget talks for 2020, municipal staff said they may need to increase tax revenue by close to $800,000, or 2.7%, to pay the town’s bills. According to their initial calculations, Squamish needs an extra $1.38 million, a jump of about 4.7%.…

Six bears euthanized in the same PoCo neighbourhood last week

Conservation officers say the two families — including four first-year cubs — were destroyed because of access to human food sources

Conservations officers are again going door-to-door in a Port Coquitlam neighbourhood after six bears were destroyed in the area last week because they were habituated to human trash. Murray Smith, inspector of the south coast region for the BC Conservation Service, said officers had been watching two bear families around Fox Park, located east of Westwood Street.…

B.C. Government releases camping gift cards and improvements to reservation system

The B.C. Government has announced some changes to the reservation system for Provincial parks. In a press release, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, George Heyman, describes the changes as a “a new reservation system that meets all their needs, no matter where their journey takes them.”…

Grocery costs to rise nearly $500 for average Canadian family in 2020

The average Canadian family will pay up to an extra $487 on feeding themselves next year, according to an annual food price report that highlights climate change as a major culprit for rising food prices, especially in the produce department. Unexpected snowstorms, droughts and other weather events have impacted crops and food prices in the past, said Simon Somogyi, lead researcher from the University of Guelph.…

Whistler Mountain Ski Club alum equals career best at Lake Louise

Seger opens season in 16th in front of friends, family

If the start of the 2019-20 FIS Audi World Cup season is any indication, Whistler Mountain Ski Club alumnus Brodie Seger could be on track for a breakout. In the first weekend of the season, the 23-year-old Seger earned a 16th-place finish in the super-G at Lake Louise, Alta. on Dec. 1, equalling his career best, set in the downhill this January in Kitzbuhel, Austria.…

Whistler X Triathlon returning in 2020

Race will serve as qualifier for 2021 ITU Cross World Championships

IN JUST ITS second running, the Whistler X Triathlon will serve as a stepping stone to the international level. Triathlon BC recently announced that the race, set for June 14, 2020, would be an age-group qualifier for the 2021 ITU Cross World Championships in Townsville, Australia.…

B.C. firefighters head Down Under to help battle extreme wildfire season

British Columbian firefighters are putting their Christmas plans on hold to help Australia battle an extreme wildfire season in the eastern part of the country. Seven B.C. firefighters are among 22 Canadians headed Down Under today, Dec. 3, to assist in fighting bushfires that have already wiped out 800,000 hectares in national parks in New South Wales—up to 1.9m hectares of bush has been burnt in the state since July 1.…

Sea to Sky Christmas tree cutting permits available

Permits must be carried when tree hunting

If you have a hankering to cut down your own Christmas tree – like they always seem to do in those romantic holiday comedies, Sea to Sky tree cutting permits are available online. Permits are free, but for personal use only and must be carried at all times, while tree hunting and cutting.…

Here’s what you need to do if you want to cut down a Christmas tree in B.C.

If you’d like to go out into the forest and find your perfect Christmas tree, you’ll need to get a permit first. British Columbians who want to cut down their own tree on Crown land will need to get a Free Use Permit for a Christmas Tree online, or by contacting their local natural resource district office or FrontCounter BC office.…

You can use this interactive map to see how much snow is falling in B.C.

B.C. Government tool allows users to find out how much snow an area has received historically and in near real time

Want to know if there’s less snow falling this year compared to past years in British Columbia? Finding out is “snow” problem at all.…

Whistler Olympic Park holds soft opening

Cross-country skiers can use Callaghan Gold to start season

WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK is well aware that leftovers can really come in handy. Though there’s little fresh snow on the ground, the Callaghan Valley-based park opened to the public for classic and skate cross-country skiing on Nov. 22 with its snow saved from last year called Callaghan Gold.…

B.C. forest industry facing uncertain future as mills close across the province

‘It’s going to be a very bleak winter,’ says BC Liberal forestry critic

VICTORIA—It seems barely a day goes by without an announcement about layoffs, temporary closures or permanent mill shut downs in British Columbia’s struggling forest industry. As a result, thousands of workers, their families and many communities have been left facing uncertain futures.…

HIV rate continues decline to record low in British Columbia

>VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says the number of new annual HIV cases has reached a record low. The Health Ministry says in a news release on Sunday, World AIDS Day, that there were 208 new cases of the virus in 2018, a steady decline from 437 cases in 2004.…

Harbour Air to test-fly ‘world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft’ this month

The Beaver seaplane retrofitted with a 750 horsepower all-electric magni500 propulsion system

Harbour Air plans to test-fly what it calls the “world’s first fully electric commercial aircraft” on December 11 at Vancouver International Airport’s south terminal. The Beaver seaplane is retrofitted with a 750 horsepower all-electric magni500 propulsion system, Harbour Air said.…

Vallea Lumina: Whistler’s enchanted forest

Almost everyone dreams of magic at some point — and enchanted forests can be among the most fantastical imaginings, often inspired by movies, games, books or performances. Whistler, a jewel in the well-laden crown of B.C.’s renowned tourist destinations, has captured the spirit of magical dreams with its newest nature-adventure excursion.…