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Lack of full-time jobs affecting Sea to Sky paramedic numbers

Union says staffing shortage also affecting ambulance service across the province

the union representing the province’s paramedics and dispatchers claims a lack of secure employment in the Sea to Sky corridor is leading to staff shortages. Sea to Sky ambulance services is having a “harder and harder time (recruiting) enough on-call paramedics to fill their schedules,” said Cameron Eby, president of the Ambulance and Paramedics of BC (APBC).…

Squamish ambulances understaffed: union

Sea to Sky ambulances are sometimes out of service due to staffing issues, paramedics say

An ambulance from Whistler was recently forced to come down to address a potentially serious call in Squamish, according to the Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of BC. “That was presumably a 35-to-a-40 minute response time for a life-threatening situation, which is not ideal, obviously,” said Cameron Eby, the president of the union.…

Squamish women put the power in powerlifting

‘I think the biggest thing women benefit from is learning the capacity of their body,’ says gym owner

The way powerlifting is judged makes the sport a great equalizer. It’s no longer just the burliest men winning competitions—small women are more and more often putting their strength to the test and powering through records.…

The Comic Strippers bring the laughs—and few clothes—to Maury Young

Vancouver improv troupe parodies the likes of Chippendales in its award-winning show

Former Whistlerite David Milchard wants to be clear: Despite its name, The Comic Strippers is not an actual X-rated strip show. “It’s a parody,” he says.…

Snotty Nose Rez Kids smash Indigenous stereotypes one club banger at a time

Buzzed-about Haisla rap group hits the WSSF stage on April 10

There is an inevitable point during the Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ high-octane live show when the crowd stops viewing the duo as solely an Indigenous rap group—although they are unapologetically that—but simply as a talented rap group, period. “The crowds are starting to get a lot more diverse, and the reaction is the same every time: It’s loud and it’s very, very energetic,” says Darren “Young D” Metz, one half of the group, alongside Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce.…

Melamed rolling to start EWS season

Local rider still looks to fully hit stride

Whistler’s Jesse Melamed would like to put the 2018 Enduro World Series season behind him, and he’s done a good job of it after the first two events of 2019. Melamed opened with a fourth-place showing in Rotorua, New Zealand before an up-and-down day en route to an eighth-place finish in Tasmania, Australia on March 31.…

Speak up for WSSF

The World Ski and Snowboard Festival has long been the end-of-season celebration we all look forward to. But there is little doubt that as we move further and further away from its former 10-day iteration the vibe of the festival is changing.…

Pemberton business owners prepare for summer of construction

Businesses say they are looking forward to downtown improvements, but flag dust and temporary water outages as potential issues

With work underway on the long-awaited downtown enhancement project, the Village of Pemberton (VOP) is working in coordination with business owners to minimize the impact. “Staff has been working really, really hard with the local business owners,” said VOP Mayor Mike Richman.…

Letters to the Editor for the week of April 4

Canadians should own our responsibility While enjoying the unusual amount of March sunshine and bemoaning the lack of fresh snow, I read the Pique’s feature, “Stuck in the Middle, A personal journey to find compromise on the Alberta-B.C. pipeline debate,” (March 31, 2019).…

Housing solutions need creativity

Notwithstanding the drawbacks of success, Whistler is a place that endlessly leaves me awestruck. What’s been accomplished here, in a span of less than 60 years, is without precedent in Canada and, likely, North America.…

Free will astrology for the week of April 4

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
A mushroom shaped like a horse’s hoof grows on birch trees in parts of Europe and the U.S. If you strip off its outer layer, you get amadou, spongy stuff that’s great for igniting fires. It’s not used much anymore, but it was a crucial resource for some of our ancestors.…

Celebrating Whistler’s volunteers, the heart of the resort

National Volunteer Week is April 7 to 13

When asked what has kept longtime local and volunteer Cliff Jennings coming back, week after week, to lend a hand at the Whistler Food Bank for nearly a decade, his answer was simple: “I can’t say no to my daughter.” Jennings’ answer holds some truth considering his daughter, Sara, has run the local food bank for years now, but there’s no denying the spirit of philanthropy in the Jennings’ family.…

Another record year for Whistler Museum

Fee-for-service recipients report to Whistler council

IT was yet another record-breaking year for the Whistler Museum and Archives (WMA) in 2018. “We had 12,858 people come through the exhibit,” said Bradley Nichols, the WMA’s executive director and curator, in a presentation to council on March 26.…

Wildfire comes within 100 feet of Squamish home

Rain helping beat back 50-hectare blaze in the Squamish Valley

A wildfire burning at the 17.5-mile area of Squamish Valley Road came within 100 feet of a home on Tuesday. The BC Wildfire Service firefighters and the homeowner were prepared for the approach.…

First Refresh Market of the year returns to Squamish

100 vendors bring an array of goods

Among the vintage locomotives that live on at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park, a selection of new delights are offered at Refresh Market on April 26 and 27. “Refresh offers the opportunity to discover and shop some of B.C.’s best local talent under one roof,” Refresh Market co-founder, Shannon Lorenz, said in a press release.…