In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer). Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1986. Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.
Some context for this week’s question: In early April 1986, Don Hehn, the regional director of the environment ministry’s Lower Mainland region, sent a letter to the Whistler council warning of impending black bear trouble in the area. His letter encouraged actions be taken to upgrade the landfill site and mitigate bears’ access to refuse throughout the valley.
Question: Do you think there is a potential bear problem in Whistler?
John Mackenzie – Deli Manager – Alpine Meadows
I think bears would enhance Whistler’s tourism trade. The tourists are interested in both forms of wildlife, not just the night life.
The bear problem is mostly the result of people leaving their garbage out. It’s mainly a problem in Whistler Cay and Alpine where there are so many year-round residents. We don’t have much of a problem in Emerald, although just last year one of our dogs tangled with a bear.
Paul Burrows – Alderman – Alpine Meadows
Anytime people compete for space with bears it is a potential problem, but I don’t think it’s any more serious now than it’s ever been in the last several years. That isn’t saying we haven’t been lucky not to have had a serious encounter.
WAG celebrates its 40th birthday this year and the professional operation has seen dramatic changes since its humble beginnings in 1982. Known and loved throughout the community, Whistler Animals Galore Society, better know as WAG, was started in 1982 by Dorothy Sabey and Debbie Chow.
In 1986, the Whistler Question described WAG as ‘the barebones troubleshooting agency by which Sabey and her colleague, Debbie Chow, handle lost or stray pets.’ Initially WAG relied almost entirely on the hard work and generosity of these two women. They did receive a grant-in-aid each year from the municipality, however it was only $250 to cover all expenses including gas, telephones, and spaying animals. While awaiting adoption, dogs and cats were cared for in Dorothy and Debbie’s homes, and sometimes the pound held animals a week beyond the usual limits if their homes were already full.
A photo from the Whistler Question on the 7th of November 1991. ‘Lisa Smith and Kelly Baldwin visit the cats who are still awaiting homes. Last week WAG had 55 cats in the facility built for 15. This week the situation was a bit better but they still have their hands full’. Whistler Question Collection.
WAG continued to rely solely on volunteers until 1996, when a paid program coordinator was hired. Before this the future of WAG had looked uncertain as there were only four volunteers remaining and they were becoming burnt out. The new system did not fully get off the ground, however, before the coordinator quit two years later. David MacPhail spoke to the Pique about how WAG had been on the brink of closure again in 1998. “The coordinator had quit and I was the only one left on the board. I was basically left to turn off the lights and go home,” McPhail said.
At that time, WAG had no shelter, no volunteer program, little publicity and relied solely on foster homes for the animals in its care. The municipal budget used for medical assistance was also beginning to dry up. Trying to turn things around, Kristen Kadis was brought in as a new coordinator, and that year the first annual Dog Parade started as part of the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival.
Things sure did turn around. In August 2000, WAG was given the bulk of the shelter work from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) in exchange for the use of space in the building. Prior to this, the pound was largely separate from WAG and operated by municipality animal control officers, predominately Kimberly Lord. Jody Stockfish, who was brought on as another WAG coordinator in 1999, said at the time, “Having a central facility, rather than the traditional fostering system, will make a huge difference to what WAG can achieve. It also gives WAG’s core of 15 to 20 regular volunteers easy access for cleaning and walking duties.” The work of WAG was also recognised by the municipality, who increased their grant-in-aid to $10,000. Then in 2001, after years of legal to-and-fro, WAG was awarded charitable status, making fundraising much easier.
The shelter that WAG initially worked out of (above) was better than nothing, but the comfort of volunteers and animals greatly improved when WAG got its new purpose built facility in the Public Works Yard. Whistler Question Collection.
While the having control of the shelter was a huge improvement, it was still cold, cramped, near impossible to separate all the animals, and a flood risk. Paul Fournier remembers when the shelter was threatened by rising water, while he was the WAG Chairman in the 1990s. “We had over 30 cats, and we had to find cages for these cats and move them up to a farm in Pemberton. I don’t know if you have ever heard an angry cat, but when you take 30 cats and you put them in cages and then you stuff them in the back of my cargo van, you’ve never heard a sound like that.”
Another regular WAG fundraiser was photos with Santa, often held on the Citta’s patio. Here Scott Barr and his dog Angus pose for their picture with Santa. Whistler Question Collection.
The new shelter officially opened in the Public Works Yard in 2005, and today we have a shelter to be envious of. While much has changed over the 40 years, WAG’s focus on animal welfare remains the same.
