The year that was 2012 in Whistler

Sometimes a year can be defined by a single event and other times by a series of them. There was plenty to celebrate in Whistler during 2012, however, it was also a year that saw the community remember the lives and contributions of a number of locals that were lost. Honouring their legacies together made their absence easier to bear.

The death of Sarah Burke on Jan. 19 was a loss that reverberated in the community. A pioneer in her sport who helped get freestlye skiing accepted into the Olympics, Burke died nine days after crashing on a half-pipe training run at Park City, Utah.

Local historian Florence Petersen, not long after receiving the Freedom of the Town distinction, Whistler Search and Rescue founder Dave Cathers, Sabre Rentals Art Den Duyf and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Doug Deeks were also remembered by the community for their contributions after passing away in 2012.

A new year was rang-in with dire consequences after a deadly week of avalanches in the backcountry. Search and rescue officials sounded the alarm urging skiers to steer clear of the backcountry and avalanche terrain with persistent weak layers. Whistler Blackcomb ski patroller Duncan MacKenzie died on Dec. 29, 2011 while backcountry skiing with three friends in the Caspar Creek area off the Duffy Lake Road. The 30-year-old was remembered by the community for his infectious smile and enthusiasm for life.

Whistler Community Services Society started the year by moving into a new home in the former Spring Creek daycare facility. The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Social Services Centre officially opened a short time later.

The building had been sitting empty for two years before it was rezoned by WCSS and the Howe Sound Women’s Centre, which also found its first home for a women’s drop in centre.

The location provides operational space for services like the food bank and later on in the year a senior’s drop in centre was also established with the partnership of the Mature Action Committee.

For the second year in a row, property values in Whistler dropped, a 10 per cent plunge since 2010. On the flipside, the year also saw a continued hunger by those wishing to purchase in Whistler. Continued low interest rates, lower prices and easier access along the Sea to Sky Highway saw 2012 real estate purchase trends continue from 2011.

Key community stakeholders put forward a bid at the beginning of the year to bring ESPN’s X Games to the resort for a three year run. By the beginning of February council was officially asked to support the proposed event with $250,000 after it made the short list of nine finalists being considered. Council passed the motion unanimously. The funding matched commitments already made by Whistler Blackcomb and Tourism Whistler. The bid called for the new event to be combined with the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in April 2013. Local organizers also needed to raise $2 million from additional stakeholders.

ESPN decided in May not to include the resort in its xxpanded global series, instead choosing to add Barcelona, Munich and Foz do Iguacu, Brazil to their lineup.

Whistler Blackcomb came out on the record against mandatory helmet use after the Canadian Pediatric Society publicly asked all levels of government to get behind its proposal to see helmets made obligatory for skiers and snowboarders across Canada. Prior to the call by the CPS, Nova Scotia legislated helmet use in that province. Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre noted the issue is not on the government’s agenda.

Council returned from a two-day retreat with senior administration to determine the direction they will take over the year. Five priorities were identified as needing attention: fiscal responsibility, accountability and engagement, client-focused service delivery, open for business and progressive resort community planning, made official with the Council Action Plan released in February, with council identifying the manner in which they would meet their goals.

Local DJ Mike Grefner went missing during a winter storm in the early morning hours of Jan. 17. The 24-year-old’s body was found in March in the woods between Whistler Secondary School and 19-Mile Creek in Alpine Meadows. At the time RCMP said there were no signs of foul play. A coroner’s report released later in the year showed the DJ had significant concentrations of cocaine in his system and the cold weather was a contributing factor to his death.

Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden called for changes to the province’s “archaic” liquor laws, an issue she would continue to lobby for throughout the year. While not a new call to action for local politicians, it was for the newly elected council. A letter was directed to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch and a resolution drafted to be presented at the Union of British Columbian Municipalities conference, which was passed in September. By May the province announced new legislation allowing caterers to obtain and carry their own liquor licences. It was welcomed locally as good news for the tourism and hospitality sector. However, council continued to lobby for further changes to the provincial liquor regulations.

A head-on crash involving a limousine resulted in the death of 54-year-old driver Shafiqur Rahman of Vancouver. The Jan. 29 crash eventually led to criminal charges being laid against the 19-year-old pickup truck driver, Jacob Mitzimberg. In October, Mitzimberg was charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.

The cost to taxpayers for the court action was revealed to be $591,050, including $13,552 in legal fees for Silveri, which Kloegman granted. The cost of a cease and desist petition filed against the plant was later shown to make up $267,174 of the total. Council decided not to appeal the decision. In April, Silveri dismantled his asphalt plant and installed a new more emission-friendly facility. Later in the summer, Silveri objected to a RMOW tender for asphalt services that required the material to be sourced from a plant that is a minimum of three kilometers from a residential neighbourhood.

Efforts to bring the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum to Whistler began, but failed to result in any decisions by the end of the year. The museum closed its doors in Ottawa in June 2011 due to low visitation and revenue numbers. It was inviting proposals to house the collection of $1.5 million in artefacts.

Two senior managers left their jobs with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, with Mike Vance leaving his position as general manager of the policy and program development division after that position was eliminated as part of an ongoing organizational review. Meanwhile, manager of community planning Bill Brown resigned from his post. The entire department Vance managed was also eliminated with the remaining staff and workloads being spread to other divisions. The responsibility for the Official Community Plan then landed on the desk of general manager of resort experience Jan Jansen. Meanwhile, CAO Mike Furey said Brown’s departure was unrelated to the organizational review as he was leaving for a new job. By the end of the month, the general manager of economic viability position had also been axed, while Ken Roggeman remained with the municipality as the director of finance.

The Whistler Health Care Centre’s upgraded helipad failed its second inspection mid-February, causing even further delays to see it reopened. The previous cause of the helipad’s failure was the lack of snow-melting equipment, the second time around it was the fact that drivers were not stopping at the flashing lights signals set up on the roads adjacent to it. It was shut down in August 2011 to bring it up to Transport Canada standards for twin-engine helicopters. In May, a new problem of particles flaking of the concrete landing surface arose, with further delays as a result. By the beginning of July it was operational, but within a few months members of the local search and rescue community began to express concerns that the landing pad did not allow single-engine choppers to land, which are the kind used at high altitude in rescue situations. While it was the previous council that decided not to undertake the added tree clearing necessary for single-engine helicopters to land, by the end of the year VCH was assessing the site for more possible upgrades.