Whistler is an amazing place. It was, in fact, my litany of amazements with aspects of our happy little valley that ultimately saw me move here. And now, as a 22-year resident, I’ve only lengthened the list that first drew me.
In addition to the mountains, the skiing, the wildness that surrounds, and the energy and creativity of its citizens, I’ve now added the community I’ve come to know, the access to locally raised food, knowledge of the area’s remarkable biodiversity, the ability to easily reach the unique environs of the Interior and the Coast, and an appreciation for the way the town is run—the way it looks (visitors constantly remark on how well kept it is), the amenities we have (the Valley Trail and our parks are unmatched), and the numerous proactive efforts by government and Non Governmental Organizations to craft a better future.
But still, there are shortcomings. Whistler talks a good sustainability game but, for whatever reason, refuses to do what’s really necessary to achieve this and paint itself as the environmentally minded community it portrays. Even good policies (like waste reduction) come with little or no enforcement, half-measures or no measures at all. Whistler needs to stop being afraid to put the hammer down when it comes to the environment. Visitors are ready for it. Carpet-bombing with carbon levies and plastic bans by the federal government has softened up the proletariat target. Let’s get it done. Here’s my wish list for 2022:
Outdoor gas heaters and firepits:Ban them. During his recent talk here, SFU energy professor Mark Jaccard noted that the absolute minimum we need to pursue as a society is no more open burning of fossil fuels. While we’re at it, businesses along the Village Stroll should be forced to keep their doors closed whenever they have the heat running. As Kramer’s lawyer Jackie Chiles says of such behaviour in the long-running Seinfeld series, “It’s outrageous, egregious—preposterous!”
Two-stroke Leaf Blowers: See above. Is there a reason these things even exist? I saw a guy at Myrtle Philip School this fall blowing the leaves off of a tree. Absurd.
Mass Transit: We need some. Too many cars coming from the city. I doubt we’re going to see a high-speed monorail link to Vancouver’s SkyTrain, so maybe Whistler Blackcomb could give lift-ticket discounts to day skiers arriving on buses or shuttles?
Logging Old Growth: Just. Stop. It. The Cheakamus Community Forest should cease any harvest of old growth and shift to being a conservation-oriented caretaker of our forests. FireSmart activities to thin second-growth can continue (where warranted), but Whistler should forcefully fight the province over its archaic Allowable Annual Cut mandate on the basis that Resort Municipalities should be exempt from anything that impacts touristic potential by degrading the environment physically, aesthetically and ecologically.
Fireworks: Ban them. They’ve become popular with yahoo tourists who set them off during birthdays and stags. In addition to the fire hazard and considerable chemical and material pollution they cause, the sounds are extremely annoying to humans who have to put up with cacophonic reverberations in their home, and more so, incredibly disturbing to pets and wildlife. Allowing this to continue is an act of true environmental unconsciousness.
Material Litter: We can’t stop people dropping paper and food wrappers either by accident or on purpose (but really, who does that?), but we could raise fines and pursue them more often. And if we can’t do that, at least we could ban unnecessary forever items that invite abuse by their very nature. Like mylar balloons—those silly shiny things filled with helium for kids’ parties that are released into the air to come down god knows where and never decompose. Ditto confetti, which in case you haven’t noticed, is no longer biodegradable paper but shiny plastic-metallic garbage that Cidiots sprinkle all over the dock at Nita Lake and into the water without even thinking during wedding photos. Wedding planners could put a halt to this, or the municipality could make them.
Speed Limits: Working along Whistler’s roadways it’s clear to me that people drive too fast everywhere. The Resort Municipality of Whistler has lowered the speed limit to 30 km/h on most roads and this is fantastic. The relationship between speed and injury severity is critical for pedestrians, cyclists and, let’s face it, bears. For example, there’s a 90-per-cent chance of survival when struck by a car travelling at 30 km/h or below, but less than 50 per cent in an impact at 45 km/h, and almost zero per cent at 80 km/hr. And yet the speed limit on the constantly crossed Highway 99 through Whistler is 60 to 80 km/h. The RMOW should immediately petition the province to lower the speed limit between Function and Emerald to 50 km/h. It would send the kind of signal to drivers to take care that 60 and 80 km/h do not. Furthermore, it’s doubtful any more bears would be killed or trapped in intersections with no one slowing down as I witnessed twice this summer.
Idling: Whatever happened to cracking down on vehicle idling? Where have the signs gone? Where are the bylaw officers patrolling busy supermarket lots? All it would take is one solid ticketing session and word would get out.
Off-leash Dogs: You knew I’d get to this. I’ve lost track of the number of dog fights and human entanglements seen on the Valley Trail because of off-leash dogs. Last year I got bit by one while out running and the owner yelled at me for distracting the dog by running past them. Oh, the entitlement. Again, a solid ticketing effort would end this foolishness in a hurry.
Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based author, editor, biologist and bon vivant who has never met a mountain he didn’t like.
