Whistler
1. Whistler’s Canada Day parade returns this year—when was the last time it was held?
A. 2023
B. 2020
C. 2019
D. 2018
2. Legendary Whistler local, the late Seppo Makkinen is said to have cut the first ski runs on Whistler Mountain. In which year did he start?
A. 1966
B. 1958
C. 1970
D. 1964
3. What was Whistler Mountain originally named by British naval surveyors in the 1860s?
A. Alta Mountain
B. London Mountain
C. Whiskey Mountain
D. Marmot Mountain
4. Whistler finally welcomed its first cannabis retail shops in October 2023, but the resort’s relationship with weed goes way back. Which local amenity is named for a Whistler snowboarder infamously stripped of gold in 1998 after testing positive for cannabis?
A. Lake
B. Trail
C. Park
D. Ski run
5. Which Whistler bridge is frequently lit up with coloured lights to honour various causes, such as cystic fibrosis awareness, mental health, and many others?
A. Cheakamus River suspension bridge
B. Cloudraker Skybridge
C. Fitzsimmons Creek bridge
D. Village Gate bridge
6. The success of the Whistler360 Health Collaborative was voted one of Whistlerites’ favourite news stories in Pique’s annual Best of Whistler poll. In what year did the resort get its first full-time doctor?
A. 1964
B. 2001
C. 1978
D. 1980
7. The B.C. government enacted wide-ranging legislation this year enabling higher density in all local neighbourhoods. According to the RMOW, how many properties are impacted in Whistler?
A. 3,470
B. 2,650
C. 850
D. 1,725
8. Trapper John Millar, the namesake of Millar Creek, arrived in Whistler (then Alta Lake) in the early 1900s. As rumour has it, he may have fled the U.S. because he was wanted by Texas Marshals. What crime was he reportedly wanted for?
A. Fraud
B. Armed Robbery
C. Murder
D. Arson
9. Whistler’s first mayor and council was sworn into office Sept. 6, 1975. What was Whistler’s population at that time?
A. 1,200
B. 980
C. 325
D. 530
10. The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s 2023 statement of financial information showed $44 million in total payroll costs. By how much did municipal payroll costs increase over 2022?
A. 12%
B. 8%
C. 26%
D. 10%
ANSWERS
1) C. Whistler’s last Canada Day parade was held in 2019, the year before COVID-19.
2) D. Makkinen cut the first runs on Whistler in April 1964. He stayed in a tent near the timing hut at the original gondola while he worked.
3) B.
4) C & D. Trick question! Both Rebagliati Park and the Whistler Blackcomb ski run Ross’ Gold are named for snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, who famously earned the first-ever snowboarding gold medal in the discipline before it was temporarily stripped away after he tested positive for trace amounts of cannabis.
5) C.
6) D. According to the Whistler Museum, Whistler didn’t have full-time medical care until 1980, when Drs Christine Rodgers and Rob Burgess set up in the resort.
7) A. In Whistler, about 3,470 properties are affected by the new legislation, spread across 40 “zones.” Of those, 281 have a minimum requirement under the new legislation to allow for an auxiliary dwelling unit, 211 will permit triplexes, and a whopping 2,978 will be eligible for the full fourplex upgrade.
8) C. According to Florence Petersen’s book, First Tracks, Millar, a Polish immigrant, had travelled to Alta Lake after acquiring “two notches in his gun,” meaning he was reputed to have shot two men during his days in Texas.
9) D. According to one of the RMOW’s first employees, Geoff Pearce, Whistler had a population of about 530 people at the outset of 1976.
10) D. Payroll costs rose 10.4 per cent year over year at municipal hall.
Canadiana
1. Roughly how many hours does it take to drive through Canada from Windsor, Ont., to Whiteshell, M.B.?
A. 24 hours
B. 17 hours
C. 5 hours
D. 47 hours
2. Which bay has the highest tide in Canada?
A. Hudson Bay
B. Georgian Bay
C. Shirleys Bay
D. Bay of Fundy
3. What is the longest trail in Canada?
A. The Great Divide Trail
B. Trans Canada Trail
C. Kettle Valley Rail Trail
D. Vancouver Island Trail
4. Which river was granted personhood in 2021?
A. Columbia River
B. Saskatchewan River
C. Magpie River
D. The Thames River
5. What is the smallest town in Canada?
A. Tilt Cove, Nfld
B. Ingersoll, Ont.
C. Oliver, B.C.
D. Carcross, Yukon
6. Which Canadian agriculture product saw a 40-per-cent decline in harvest between 2023 and 2022?
A. Fiddleheads
B. Canola
C. Apples
D. Maple Syrup
7. How many national parks does Canada have?
A. 52
B. 37
C. 67
D. 24
8. What is the tallest mountain in Canada?
A. Mount Logan
B. Mount Robson
C. Mont Tremblant
D. Blackcomb Mountain
9. Which non-human creature has created a structure so big you can see it from space?
A. Eagles
B. Marmots
C. Ants
D. Beavers
10. This animal was featured in commercials throughout Canada and taught critical-thinking skills to kids.
A. The North American house hippo
B. Wary the Walrus
C. The Canadian Investimoose
D. Private Eagle Eye
ANSWERS
1) A. Driving Windsor to Whiteshell takes roughly 24 hours if you stick to the Canadian side of the border; you can shave it down to about 17 if you cut through the U.S.
2) D. The Bay of Fundy’s tides can reach 16 metres and are the highest tides in the world.
3) B. The Trans Canada Trail stretches from coast to coast for 28,000 kilometres, making it the globe’s longest recreational trail.
4) C. The Magpie River in Quebec was granted legal personhood in 2021 by the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit to protect it from environmental harms.
5) A. Tilt Cove in Newfoundland and Labrador had a population of five people as of the 2021 census count.
6) D. The maple delicacy’s decline was attributed to severe storms and atypical temperature fluctuations, but that didn’t stop me from putting it on eggs, bacon, in spaghetti sauce or my tea!
7) B.
8) A. Mount Logan is 5,959 metres above sea level and the second largest mountain in North America.
9) D. Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park is home to the world’s largest beaver dam which is 800 metres long. The dam was discovered on happenstance by scientists studying satellite images for climate change effects in 2009.
10) A. The North American house hippo was featured in a public service announcement by Concerned Children’s Advertisers, and the commercial made a resurgence in 2019.
Politics
1. Who led the BC Liberals to defeat in the 2020 British Columbia provincial election?
A. Shirley Bond
B. Christy Clark
C. Kevin Falcon
D. Andrew Wilkinson
2. What provincial legislation has controversially increased density zoning across British Columbia?
A. Bill 44
B. Order 66
C. The Manhattan Project
D. The X-Files
3. How many Canadian provincial governments are currently run by the New Democratic Party?
A. All of them
B. Two
C. Four
D. The New Democrats do not run anything, the illuminati do.
4. Who is the leader of the Conservative Party of BC?
A. Trevor Bolin
B. Pierre Poilievre
C. Keith Roy
D. John Rustad
5. How many Canadian prime ministers have held a riding in British Columbia?
A. Zero
B. One
C. Two
D. Six
6. How often do elections have to be held in Canada at the federal level?
A. At most every two years
B. At least every four years
C. Whenever polling says the government is unpopular
D. Never, we only hold them because the Americans get too much attention otherwise.
7. How many federal ridings will there be in British Columbia for the next election?
A. 42
B. 43
C. 78
D. Not enough
8. How many terms has Justin Trudeau been prime minister?
A. One
B. Three
C. Four
D. Five
9. What international grouping is Canada not a part of?
A. BRICS
B. G20
C. NATO
D. USMCA
10. Which country has received billions in funding for military purposes from Canada since 2022?
A. Israel
B. Mexico
C. Ukraine
D. Quebec
Answers
1) D. After the premiership of Christy Clark and before Shirley Bond led the party for 18 months as an interim leader, Andrew Wilkinson led the BC Liberals to their worst defeat since 1991.
2) A. It’s not designed to get rid of Jedi or wipe cities from the map, but Bill 44 is a drastic and transformative change to British Columbia’s zoning legislation, the effects of which are yet to be seen.
3) B. British Columbia and Manitoba are the only two provinces in Canada governed by the NDP on the provincial level as of July 2024.
4) D. John Rustad has led the provincial conservative party since 2023, when he took over from Trevor Bolin. Pierre Poilievre leads the federal party that isn’t related to the provincial party, while Keith Roy—a name you would have seen locally—is the conservative candidate for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country for the next federal election.
5) C. While Kim Campbell, who represented Vancouver Centre, is famously known as the only prime minister born in British Columbia, Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, held the riding of Victoria for the 4th Parliament between 1878 and 1882 during his second stint in the top job, making the number of ridings held by a Canadian prime minister in B.C. two.
6) B. Under fixed-date provisions, federal elections in Canada must be held on the third Monday in October four years after the previous election, though sitting prime ministers can still call an election at any time.
7) B. With the most recent redistribution, British Columbia will send 43 MPs to Ottawa following the next federal election, up one from now.
8) B. Trudeau has been prime minister for three Parliaments: 2015-2019, 2019-2021, and 2021-now. He has been in Parliament for five terms, however.
9) A. While Canada loves to be part of the party, it has not signed on, nor would it likely be invited to join the BRICS grouping of nations which positions itself as the foremost rival and alternative to the Group of 7 (G7), of which Canada is a part.
10) C. Canada has been funnelling funds and arms to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion commenced in 2022.
Food for thought
1. Where did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go for an extravagant meal out while visiting Whistler this year?
A. Splitz Grill
B. El Furniture Warehouse
C. Il Caminetto
D. Dubh Linn
2. Which city in Canada has the most Tim Hortons?
A. Calgary
B. Toronto
C. Moncton
D. Vancouver
3. Where was the first McDonalds in Canada?
A. Abbotsford
B. Ottawa
C. Toronto
D. Richmond
4. What day is Pemberton’s Farmers Market held?
A. Friday
B. Saturday
C. Sunday
D. Everyday
5. Which locally brewed beer scooped gold in the World Beer Cup this year?
A. Black Tusk Ale
B. Whistler Forager
C. Molson Canadian
D. Winter Dunkel
6. Where in the village can you buy a ‘Canuck Classic’?
A. Mount Currie Coffee Company
B. Fat Tony’s Pizza
C. Portobello
D. Subway
7. Which Whistler restaurant landed on Air Canada’s list of ‘Canada’s Best New Restaurants’ in 2023?
A. Wild Blue
B. Joe Fortes
C. Araxi
D. Merlin’s Bar & Grill
8. Approximately how many cups of coffee does the average Canadian drink every day?
A. 4 .5
B. 1.5
C. 3
D. 2.7
9. What dish did The Old Spaghetti Factory chain serve in the ‘70s?
A. Spaghetti with Poutine
B. Spaghetti with Maple Syrup
C. Spaghetti with Pop
D. Spaghetti with Liver Sauce
10. Where is the oldest restaurant in Canada
A. Lillooet
B. Montreal
C. Halifax
D. Winnipeg
ANSWERS
1) C. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Il Caminetto to celebrate a romantic meal on Valentine’s Day 2024.
2) C. Moncton, New Brunswick is the Tim Hortons capital of Canada. It has more Tim Hortons stores per capita than anywhere else in the country.
3) D. The first McDonalds outside of the United States was built in Richmond, B.C. in 1967.
4) A. Pemberton’s Farmers’ Market is held every Friday.
5) D. Whistler Brewing scooped a gold medal in the World Beer Cup this year for its Winter Dunkel.
6) D. Canuck Classic sandwiches are available at Subway. Go Canucks Go.
7) A. Wild Blue came in second on Air Canada’s list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants for 2023. It was labelled a “lavish steakhouse.”
8) D. The average Canadians drink 2.7 cups of coffee per day, on average.
9) D. Spaghetti with Chicken Liver Sauce was on The Old Spaghetti Factory’s menu when it first opened. Most pasta dishes at the time cost just over $2.
10) B. L’Auberge Saint-Gabriel in Montreal is Canada’s oldest restaurant. It was built in 1754 as an inn.
Arts
1. Which film festival features mountain culture?
A. Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
B. Toronto International Film Festival
C. Fringe Fest
D. Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
2. Which Indigenous artist won Songwriter of the Year and Alternative Artist of the year at the 2024 Junos?
A. Shawnee Kish
B. William Prince
C. Aysanabee
D. Snotty Nose Rez Kids
3. This software has taken Canada and the world by storm, leading to concerns around paying artists for their work among other issues.
A. TikTok
B. Metaverse
C. Microsoft Excel
D. ChatGPT
4. This world-famous artist’s ticket sale process left some Canadian fans devastated.
A. Justin Bieber
B. Taylor Swift
C. Drake
D. Olivia Rodrigo
5. What year was the Vancouver Art Gallery built?
A. 1931
B. 1922
C. 1999
D. 200
6. This Canadian actor was cast as Ken in 2023’s Barbie movie.
A. William Shatner
B. Jay Baruchel
C. Ryan Renolds
D. Ryan Gosling
7. Netflix’s show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was filmed in which Canadian city?
A. Vancouver
B. Halifax
C. Toronto
D. Montreal
8. This Canadian author’s well-read fictional novel was turned into a Netflix series.
A. Joseph Boyden
B. Alice Munro
C. Rupi Kaur
D. Margaret Atwood
9. Who wrote Canada’s official English lyrics for our national anthem?
A. Joni MItchell
B. Celine Dion
C. Robert Stanley Weir
D. Avril Lavigne
10. What year did This Hour has 22 Minutes premiere?
A. 1995
B. 1993
C. 1999
D. 1992
ANSWERS
1) A.
2) C.
3) D.
4) B.
5) A.
6) D.
7) A.
8) D.
9) C.
10) B.
Sports
1. A local woman set a new 50-kilometre course record at the 2024 Run Comfy Numb event while outrunning all but one man in the same distance. Who was she?
A. Kelly Young
B. Claire Dewar
C. Megan Komori Kennedy
D. Angela Shoniker
2. Marielle Thompson won her fourth ski-cross Crystal Globe this season and also helped Canada to another overall Nations Cup. How many Nations Cups has Canada won in total?
A. 3
B. 7
C. 16
D. 11
3. Which of the following is the only athlete not to win a title in the inaugural World Ski and Snowboard Festival Cut Rail Jam?
A. Jasmine Baird
B. Luke Smart
C. Darcy Sharpe
D. Etienne Geoffroy-Gagnon
4. On June 2, 2024, the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 in game 6 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Who scored the series-winning goal?
A. Zach Hyman
B. Connor McDavid
C. Evan Bouchard
D. Leon Draisaitl
5. Who was the first Canadian woman to win gold at the U23 Nordic World Ski Championships?
A. Maria Lundgren
B. Alexandria Loutitt
C. Sonjaa Schmidt
D. Beckie Scott
6. Last November, quarterback Cody Fajardo led the Montreal Alouettes to victory in the 110th Grey Cup. Which CFL team did Fajardo last play for before Montreal?
A. Toronto Argonauts
B. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
C. B.C. Lions
D. Saskatchewan Roughriders
7. Which of the following soccer players represented Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
A. Jonathan David
B. Atiba Hutchinson
C. Ike Ugbo
D. All of the above
8. Whistler’s Francois Hebert is the first Canadian to win the Laser Master Sailboat Championship in over 20 years. Where did this event take place?
A. California
B. New Brunswick
C. Florid
D. British Columbia
9. In what year did Squamish’s Miranda Miller earn downhill gold at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships?
A. 2015
B. 2017
C. 2018
D. 2009
10. What sport did incumbent Pemberton Arts Council executive director Brayden Pawlik grow up competing in?
A. Hockey
B. Alpine skiing
C. Moguls skiing
D. Basketball
Answers
1) B. Pemberton mom Claire Dewar is the new Comfy Numb 50k ladies’ record holder, with only men’s champ Matt Luongo able to best her time.
2) D. The Canadian ski-cross team has won 11 out of 17 total FIS Nations Cups.
3) B. Luke Smart placed third among male skiers in the 2024 Cut Rail Jam.
4) A. Zach Hyman’s first-period power play goal proved enough to secure Edmonton an NHL Western Conference Championship.
5) C. Sonjaa Schmidt prevailed in the 1.2-kilometre sprint at this year’s U23 Nordic Ski World Championship.
6) D. Cody Fajardo played three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before being acquired by Montreal.
7) D. Jonathan David, Ike Ugbo and all-time Canadian caps leader Atiba Hutchinson all joined Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies in repping Canada at the 2022 World Cup.
8) A. The most recent ILCA7 Laser Master Sailboat Championship took place in Alameda, California.
9) B. Miranda Miller emerged on top at the 2017 Mountain Bike World Championship.
10) C. Brayden Pawlik continues to coach moguls skiing for Freestyle Whistler.
