Blog

B.C. residents have one more week to complete COVID-19 survey

By Pique Staff Responses will help guide province’s response to pandemic in months to come B.C. residents who haven’t yet taken the province’s COVID-19 survey have until May 31 to do so. The survey—dubbed “BC COVID-19 SPEAK: Your story, our future”—seeks to understand citizen experiences, knowledge and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a goal […]

Plastics bans, environmental monitoring get short shrift during pandemic

By Mia Rabson / The Canadian Press OTTAWA — In mid-January, the British Columbia government announced it was looking at a wide ban on single-use plastic grocery bags to put an end to a piecemeal, city-by-city approach to the problem of plastic pollution. Ten weeks later, the province’s chief public health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, […]

Whistler Writers Festival hosts first online reading and discussion webinar

By Alyssa Noel RSVP to join free May 29 event Looking for some literary inspiration? The Whistler Writers Festival is set to host its first author reading and discussion webinar on Friday, May 29 from 6 to 7 p.m.…

Struck while still stuck

By Glenda Bartosh Tasty tidbits gleaned in these interesting times It struck me the other day that I’ve learned some pretty far-out things while staying in. They cover the gamut, but essentially stem from two thankfully complementary factors: my nerdy curiosity combined with all this time on our hands.…

How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect public transit long term?

By Chuck Chiang / Business in Vancouver A recent poll found that 69 per cent of respondents who normally took transit stopped during the outbreak, and only 19% of those respondents said they would return during a Stage 2 reopening As B.C.’s economy slowly reopens after two months of COVID-19 lockdown, public transit will inevitably […]

Vancouver man arrested for firing pellet gun in Meadow Park

By Brandon Barrett Police Briefs: RCMP nabs half dozen impaired drivers A Vancouver man was arrested last week after he was caught firing a pellet gun in Meadow Park, police said in a release. Whistler RCMP attended the scene at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, and spoke with several witnesses, who said they […]

COVID-19 pandemic adds risk to wildfire season: B.C. forests minister

By Brenna Owen/The Canadian Press B.C. forest firefighting budget hits $136 million The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the danger of British Columbia’s wildfire season, and the province’s forests’ minister said public help is crucial to reducing fires. Wildfires caused by humans are preventable and divert valuable resources away from naturally occurring fires while exposing firefighters […]

Boys to damaged men

By Andrew Mitchell Gentlemen, we have a problem. As the recent mass shooting in Nova Scotia once again demonstrates all too painfully, there’s an inherent flaw in the male psyche that goes beyond nurture into our very nature.…

Feds will fund COVID-19 testing, tracing and data-sharing, Trudeau promises

By The Canadian Press The federal government will fund provinces’ efforts to test people for COVID-19, track the contacts of those who test positive, and help different jurisdictions share data, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday. The measures are essential because COVID-19 remains a serious health threat and the economy can’t fully recover until Canadians […]

Air travel might not return to normal until 2023: Report

By Stefan Labbé / Tri-City News A recent study looking at the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global air travel projects the industry will not recover until 2023 A recent study looking at the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global air travel projects the industry will not recover until 2023. The […]

Province to conduct random inspections as businesses re-open

By Hayley Woodin/ Business in Vancouver Inspections will take place across sectors, and penalties could be issued if re-opening rules are not followed Businesses across sectors should expect random inspections as they prepare to re-open under the province’s restart plan. “The inspections are for all businesses that are re-opening,” said B.C. Minister of Labour Harry […]

B.C.'s minimum wage increase of 75 cents will go ahead as planned

By Canadian Press ‘The lowest paid workers in B.C. need help as well,’ says minister Harry Bains There are no plans to defer a June 1 increase in British Columbia’s minimum wage because of COVID-19, said Harry Bains, the province’s labour minister Bains said Thursday, May 21, he understands the economic threat the novel coronavirus […]

Tintin & Tarantino 9

By Feet Banks There are some new flicks starting to pop up on the streaming services, notably Capone, a haphazardly constructed biopic starring Tom Hardy (Warrior, Venom) as the infamous gangster in his later years, as memories and dementia (and syphilis) wash away his existence. The flick itself is all over the place, and not […]

COVID-19 poses big questions for Whistler retailers

By Braden Dupuis Whistler Chamber hosts webinar on recovery strategies Whistler retailers have their work cut out for them in navigating B.C.’s new COVID-19 reality, but they can take lessons from those who opted to stay open throughout the pandemic. One such local retailer—James Retty at Escape Route—joined a Whistler Chamber webinar on Thursday, May […]

Whistler triathlete set to climb for fundraiser

By Dan Falloon Karsten Madsen will bike the equivalent of Mount Everest’s height on Saturday Karsten Madsen has crunched the numbers and has plans to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest’s height on his bike on Saturday. The Whistler-based triathlete will begin the effort at 6 a.m. on May 23 as part of Rebecca’s Giddy […]