Tag: Paul Burrows

Whistler’s First ElectionWhistler’s First Election

September 16, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

On September 6, 1976, Whistler residents got to vote in their first municipal election and choose their first council representatives. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) Act, which created Whistler as a resort municipality, was passed by the provincial government in June 1975 and a cabinet order in July set September 6 as the day that the Act came into effect. However, some sections of the Act, specifically those that allowed for the preparation for an election, came into effect earlier.

Campaigning began in August with posters, buttons, and campaign platforms published in the Squamish Times. Four people offered their name for the position of mayor: Paul Burrows, Roy Calder, Pat Carleton, and Roger Lampitt. Though each of the four had their own views on the challenges and unknowns facing the new municipality, all promised that they would dedicate themselves and work hard if chosen. In his campaign, Carleton told voters, “I cannot promise miracles, I can only promise to do the best job possible.”

Whistler’s first council, 1975 – 1976. Watson Collection.

The three positions on council (at the time called aldermen) had seven prospects: Bob Bishop, Jack Bright, Frans Carpay, Julianna Heine, John Hetherington, Jan Systad, and Garry Watson. Whistler residents had three chances to cast their votes with two days of advanced polling leading up to the election. It was reported that around 80% of eligible voters took part in the election and a total of 347 votes were cast. All voting took place at the Highland Lodge and the results were quickly reported in order to be ready for the swearing in of council the following day. In what became a very close race for council seats, Pat Carleton, Bob Bishop, John Hetherington, and Garry Watson were voted into office.

Whistler’s first council was officially sworn in on Sunday, September 7 by Judge Walker of the Squamish Provincial Court. Along with those who were elected, Jim Lorimer, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, announced Al Raine as the provincial appointee to council, bringing the total number of council members to five. During the ceremony, Carleton was presented with a gavel from the Squamish Lillooet Regional District (the area had previously been under the jurisdiction of the SLRD) along with a set of Lismore crystal glasses and an inscribed silver tray from Minister Lorimer.

Minister Jim Lorimer speaks at the swearing in ceremony of Whistler’s first council on September 7, 1975. Love Morrison Collection

Unfortunately for Paul and Jane Burrows, they missed the entire ceremony. The original plan was for the ceremony to take place in the Roundhouse at the top of Whistler Mountain and the lift company was going to provide free rides for attendees on the gondola and and Red Chair. The location was switched on short notice to the base of Whistler Mountain (today’s Creekside area), after the Burrows had already started hiking up the mountain with their dog. They only learned of the change when they reached the top and, as their dog was not allowed to tide the chairlift, were unable to make it back down before the ceremony concluded.

Whistler’s second council, 1976 – 1978. Watson Collection

The first council had a lot to get started on, including hiring their first staff members, developing an official community plan, beginning work on a municipal sewer system and treatment centre, drafting bylaws and having them approved by the province, finding more sustainable long-term waste solutions, and much more. They also had only fourteen months before the next municipal election. While most municipal office terms at the time were two years, the Minister of Municipal Affairs dictated the length of Whistler’s first municipal council. Another election took place on November 20, 1976, though the second council looked very similar to the first. All of the incumbents who chose to run again were re-elected and only one new face, that of Frans Carpay, joined Whistler’s council.

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Whistler’s Answers: April 17, 1986Whistler’s Answers: April 17, 1986

April 17, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 2 Comments

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.

Dorothy Sabey – SPCA Representative – Emerald Estates

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.

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Retrospective and a New PerspectiveRetrospective and a New Perspective

April 8, 2025 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the fall of 2011, Greg Eymundson was kind enough to donate the prolific archive of Whistler-related photography from his company, Insight Visual Solutions, to the Whistler Museum & Archives Society (WMAS). Through the Young Canada Works program, I was recently given the opportunity to arrange and describe the materials in greater depth as part of a five month internship.

I had recently returned to Whistler after graduating with my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, but found myself adrift and directionless after moving home. I was in desperate need of community and a sense of purpose. I found this and more during my time working at WMAS.

Families at the Meadow Park splash pad, ca. 2004. Insight Visual Solutions, Joern Rohde.

The material donated by Insight Visual Solutions primarily consists of over 25,000 35mm photo slides created from 1996 through 2006. Content of the photo slides ranges from thrilling sports photography, to documentation of nostalgic events and locations, to stunning aerial and landscape shots capturing the natural beauty of the valley. As the Assistant Archivist, I was tasked with preserving the original order imposed by Eymundson, while also making the collection intuitive for future researches to navigate. This involved an extensive process of assigning codes, physically labelling materials, and recording transcriptions and descriptions in a digital database.

The Insight collection has now been comprehensively arranged and described, preserving the record of a time in Whistler history that was previously under-represented in our archive, and one that shall remain forever golden in my memories of an idyllic childhood in the mountains. As someone born and raised in Whistler, I’m embarrassed to admit how easy it was for me to take the life I’ve had to this point for granted.

The Burrows’ A-frame cabin in Alpine Meadows. Burrow Collection.

When this lifestyle is all you’ve ever known, you don’t understand how exceptional it truly is; for example: “What do you mean other kids don’t go to ski school on Mondays?” It was only upon leaving the bubble that I could truly appreciate the gift I had been given by my parents, and by notable Whistler citizens Jane and Paul Burrows.

When the Burrows listed their classic A-frame in Alpine Meadows for sale over twenty years ago, they met a young couple expecting their first child. The Burrows told my family they wanted this baby to be brought up in their home and, rather than accepting a higher offer upfront, Jane and Paul waited for my parents to scrape together a down payment. If it weren’t for their selflessness, my family would likely have had no choice but to move elsewhere to raise me. It seems only fitting that I now find myself devoted to the preservation of local history that Jane and Paul Burrows influenced so heavily, considering I would not be here without them.

School photographs from Jane Burrows and posters of Paul, including his performances at Mt. Whistler Lodge and his election campaign featuring his distinctive silhouette.

Since completing the Insight Fonds, I have been cataloguing recent accruals from the estate of Jane and Paul Burrows. These include family scrapbooks, Myrtle Philip School photographs from Jane’s time as a teacher, and promotional posters from Paul’s election campaign.

My time at the Whistler Museum has given me a previously unprecedented level of gratitude for my home, my family, and those who have come before me.

Indigo Dipple was the Assistant Archivist at the Whistler Museum this winter through the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations (YCWHO) program.

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Creating Whistler’s ParksCreating Whistler’s Parks

May 2, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Much of Whistler’s magic comes from the swathe of recreational green space that we enjoy within the municipal boundaries. For this we can thank the visionary thinking that started a Recreation Plan for Whistler, before Whistler Village even existed.

The value of recreational green space was not underestimated in Whistler even before the municipality was created. A community study by W.J. Blakely in 1973 stated, “The acquisition, either through direct purchase or as a condition of approval of development, of public open space and lake front land for community recreation should be undertaken as soon as possible on behalf of any new municipality incorporated.”

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) was incorporated in September 1975, and despite the many tasks facing them, a provisional Recreation Plan was written by 1976. ‘Recreation and Open Space Considerations for Community Planning’ was prepared for the RMOW by Norm Paterson representing the Whistler Developers Association, Paul Burrows representing Alta Lake Rate Payers Association, Paul Mathews from the Advisory Planning Commission and councillor Al Raine.

This report recognised that, “Recreation is the primary resource of the Whistler Community and this important asset must be protected and optimized for the benefit of the Whistler Community.” The report recognised that while the ski season was the prime driver of the economy in Whistler, the summer economy should not be overlooked.

Analysing recreational potential in Whistler, the report recommended investment into most recreational opportunities except for hunting, target shooting and ski jumping. Hunting and target shooting were recognised as too noisy and in conflict with Whistler’s other recreational opportunities, while ski jumping was not an economically viable investment for the RMOW, although private investment would be supported.

In the 1970s, Wayside Park on Alta Lake was one of the few designated parks in Whistler as it had previously been a provincial park. Apart from this, public access to Whistler’s lakes was limited. The report noted as priority, “The areas of active water related recreation should be developed as quickly as possible. The present priority would appear to be public beach access to Alta Lake and boat launching areas. The development of Lost Lake is also important.” In his copy of the planning document, Trevor Roote, who became the chair of the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission (APRC), circled this paragraph and wrote ‘agreed’.

Wayside Park in July 1979. The park was the only public access to Alta Lake at this time. Whistler Question Collection.

Trev Roote, and the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission (APRC) expanded on this preliminary planning document to create the original Recreation Master Plan. The plan was constructed largely by volunteers before there was a parks or recreation department in the municipality. It proposed locations for parks with a linear spine of trails to connect them. Doug Wylie, municipal engineer in the days when the parks person came under engineering, remembered volunteer Trev Roote standing by his desk for hours going over their proposal.

The plan was detailed and thorough. It is quite incredible comparing the highlighted and hand-drawn maps from over 40 years ago to the system of parks and trails we enjoy today. There are a few linkages still to be connected in valley trail system, notably between Alpha Lake Park and Function Junction, and from Mons to Whistler Cay. Other proposals that were not realised include the trail following the railway tracks on the west side of Alta Lake, south of Rainbow Park. On this section today pedestrians and cyclists are required to ride with vehicles often flying along Alta Lake Road. Apart from that, development has gone surprisingly close to plan.

Following the creation of the Master Plan, the land still needed to be acquired and the parks and trails developed. Whistler saw a period of rapid recreational development in the early 1980s. Lost Lake came first, followed by Meadow Park, Lakeside and Alpha Lake. This is not to mention many smaller local parks and facilities.

To turn the recreation plan into reality there are many interesting stories that the Whistler Museum will be exploring throughout spring, in the series Creating Whistler’s Parks. Keep an eye out for these to hear about the municipality’s longest lawsuit, and how the Emerald Forest is related to hotels in the Blackcomb Benchlands.

In 1984, Trev Roote, chairman of the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission, became Whistler’s fifth Freeman in recognition of his five years as a volunteer at the helm of municipal parks development. Trev was a West Vancouver businessman, but spent considerable time in Whistler identifying recreational needs and gaining referendum approval of $2 million parks spending. Whistler Question Collection.

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