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Gracie Barra Whistler expanding quickly

Local martial arts club recently moved to Function Junction

It’s been a busy few months for the Gracie Barra Whistler Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club. The local group, which boasts roughly 100 members, moved into a new Function Junction location in July and is performing well at recent events.…

Newcomer or not, consider yourself a local

Connect Whistler teaches the ins and outs of surviving Whistler

One of the most common questions asked of people who live in Whistler—”how long have you lived here?”—has always been a bit off-putting to Mayor Jack Crompton. “It can become a bit of a measuring stick,” the mayor said.…

Angels, ninjas and a local mob hit

Friends, I have failed you. The Irishman, the new Martin Scorsese flick that I’ve been talking about for the past few weeks, is streaming on Netflix USA but is not yet available for those of us here in the Great White North unless you have one of those fancy, hacker, VPN changers in play to trick the machines into thinking you are enjoying their “content” from somewhere other than where you are.…

Vancouver cop charged with sexual assault that allegedly took place in Whistler last summer

Charged is Jagraj ‘Roger’ Berar, 51, of Surrey

A 51-year-old Vancouver police officer has been charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident in Whistler last summer. The B.C. RCMP posted a news release on its website Friday that said the Squamish RCMP received a complaint July 19, 2019 and launched an investigation.…

Modo needs more users in Squamish

If car-sharing service can’t hit revenue targets by Dec. 20, it may leave the municipality

After Modo car-share said it isn’t making enough money to sustain both its cars in Squamish, the District agreed to pay the service a $500 monthly fee. “Between usage from the District and other members throughout the community, there’s enough demand to sustain one vehicle, but car-sharing with just one vehicle—it doesn’t fly,” said Sylvain Celaire, a Modo representative.…

Twenty of the best international shuckers descend on Whistler for the World Oyster Invitational

Shucking competition and ‘Bloody Caesar Battle’ closes out Cornucopia this weekend

A few years ago, the organizers of the World Oyster Invitational & Bloody Caesar Battle ran into a problem: Shuckers from around the world weren’t as keen to compete in the competition as they had once been. You can blame Eamon Clark for that.…

Winterhawks dominant in Island tourney

Whistler sweeps to perfect 4-0 record in Lake Cowichan

The Whistler Winterhawks bantam C team came home from Vancouver Island with gold medals around their necks, and a little extra knowledge of Remembrance Day’s significance as well. In the Bantam House Invitational Tournament in Lake Cowichan, the Winterhawks stormed to a perfect 4-0 record, regularly posting 50 or more shots and toppling Ridge Meadows 4-1 in the final to win gold on Nov. 10.…

Lil’wat albums win two awards

The Spiritual Warriors and Stla’atl’imx Friends took home Native American Music Awards earlier this month

Lil’wat Nation talent earned two awards at the Native American Music Awards in Niagara Falls, NY on Nov. 2.The Kindness Project by Stl’atl’imx Friends won for Best Historical and Linguistic Recording and The Spiritual Warriors’ album Ancestors won in the Best World Music Recording category. “It was such an amazing event to represent not just Stl’atl’imx or Lil’wat, but Indigenous people,” says Leroy Joe, frontman of The Spiritual Warriors and writer and producer of The Kindness Project.…

A long road to Promiseland for Vancouver actress

Andrea Stefancikova stars in production premiering at the Whistler Film Festival on Dec. 5, named Star to Watch

When Vancouver actress Andrea Stefancikova found out last week that the Whistler Film Festival had named her one of its Stars to Watch this year, she burst into tears. It’s been a long road to get to this point.…

Could Whistler’s backroom deal come back to haunt it?

If there was one issue that seemed to unify most voters in the lead up to last year’s municipal elections, it was a desire to see more transparency and fiscal responsibility from local government. Frustration came to a head during the third and final all-candidates meeting, when a local developer called out the previous council and staff for its handling of the redevelopment of the village bus loop.…

Whistler Film Festival releases diverse lineup packed with premieres

The festival will mark its 19th edition from Dec. 4 to 8

With 86 films screening as part of the Whistler Film Festival’s 19th edition, it can be hard to choose which to highlight. Instead, Paul Gratton, the festival’s director of programming, points out a number he’s particularly proud of.…

Corridor riders podium in Mexico

Pemberton’s Slaco, Whistler’s Wilson among the medallists at TranSierra Norte

Enduro riders from the Sea to Sky corridor performed well at the TranSierra Norte race near Oaxaca, Mexico earlier this month. In the four-day stage race, held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, Pemberton’s Emily Slaco took second to former Whistlerite and current Squamish resident Andreane Lanthier Nadeau in the women’s division, completing the four-day race in 153 minutes and 6.79 seconds (153:06.79), 5:19.7 back.…

Borealis Strings make Whistler debut with pianist in tow

Members of Vancouver’s Borealis String Quartet play chamber music series on Sunday, Nov. 17

After nearly two decades, the Borealis String Quartet is trying out a long-distance relationship. The group first formed in Vancouver back in 2000, but recently violinist Patricia Shih and violist Nikita Pogrebnoy made the move to Texas where Shih accepted a teaching position.…

The honour is mine…

The day Bob Barnett asked me if I wanted to write a column for his year-old Pique was one of the worst days of my life. Wait a minute … that didn’t come out right.…

Whistler budget proposes 2.8% property tax increase

Water, sewer and other infrastructure take strong focus

Another tax increase is in store for Whistlerites with next year’s municipal budget. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is proposing a 2.8-per-cent property tax increase in 2020, along with two-per-cent increases to sewer, water parcel and solid waste fees.…