Another year, another year of questions and answers!
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 1985. 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: At a January 1985 council meeting, Whistler council voted 3-1 in favour of a resolution stating “We are concerned about proliferation of nuclear weapons and we would rather that Canada is not part of it.” Though the resolution passed, it led to a debate about nuclear weapons and Whistler’s and Canada’s place in the larger, international debate. The issue came to council as a result of work on Whistler’s Emergency Plan.
Question: Do you think the nuclear proliferation issue is a municipal one?
Max Wing – Skier – Club Cabins
I think Whistler should be very concerned – this would probably be a high attack zone and we should be fully prepared. In fact we should have an emergency alert as soon as possible, and maybe another bomb shelter at Pika’s. There should be a massive bell system so everyone goes directly to the shelter – and I can go around to all the places immediately and drink up the leftover beers.
Delmar Page – Bartender – Function Junction
No, I suppose it’s good we have a shelter (underground parking) but I don’t think we should get involved otherwise. We’re out of our field – council shouldn’t get involved. I imagine there’s a lot of warheads but it’s not something I think about a lot.
Terry Rodgers – Mayor – White Gold
Inasmuch as dripping water will wear away the hardest stone, I think eventually junior levels of government can wear down the bigger one. But what we don’t want to do is have democratic governments induced to unilaterally disarm – if in Japan could drop a bomb on Los Angeles, would the US have bombed Hiroshima? There’s nothing wrong with expressing thought on this matter.
Another year, another year of questions and answers!
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 1985. 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: Though there were some major snowfalls in December 1984, by January 31, 1985 there had not been any significant snowfall in Whistler for 33 days. Thanks to cooler weather conditions and some small inversions, both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains were able to maintain the snow levels at the bottom of the mountains and continue operating, as well as making snow and grooming carefully to make as much of the mountains skiable as possible.
Question: When do you think it will snow again?
Grant Keigh – Waiter – Nesters
I would say sometime within the next 48 hours. Otherwise it won’t snow for a month.
Greg Griffith – Photographer – White Gold
I’ve been here long enough to know you can’t predict what to expect. If I could forecast when it’s going to snow I wouldn’t be a photographer – I’d be making millions as a weather forecaster.
Larry Jacques – Executive Chef – Alpine Meadows
It’s going to snow tomorrow (Wednesday). There’s a 60 per cent change – these guys say so. I’m surprised it hasn’t snowed much. It’s hurting business.
Another year, another year of questions and answers!
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 1985. 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 1985, developers proposed to build a convenience store and laundromat on the corner of Alpine Way and Highway 99. While some people were opposed to the idea, many in the community supported the idea. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site in July 1986 and by the end of the year residents could stop by McKeever’s General Store and Dirty Harry’s Laundromat. You can learn more about the businesses and Harry McKeever here.
Question: Do you think there should be a convenience store in Alpine Meadows?
Chris Sloan – Logger – Nesters
Definitely. It’s just too inconvenient to come all the way into the village for a quart of milk. Besides, it might give some of the other places more competition.
Laurel Gibbard – Front Desk Clerk – Brio
I think it’s a good idea. I think it would be helpful for those people who live there who wouldn’t have to come into town for every little thing. I would not want to see it open all night, though. 11 in the evening would be fine.
Roger Moxley – Construction Worker – Chaplainville
Yes. It would service Emerald, Alpine and probably even a token number from the West Side Road. But you have to ask: is it for the residents or for the tourists? Obviously a local convenient store would be for the local residents.
As a resort town, we’re pretty used to finding shops, restaurants, and recreation facilities open most days, including weekends and most holidays. In the 1980s, the idea of shopping on Sunday was debated in municipalities across British Columbia and, in some places, could be quite divisive. When the Grocery Store was getting ready to open in January 1981, it was even unclear whether it could technically be open seven days a week.
The first federal legislation governing Sunday operations, the Lord’s Day Act, was introduced in 1907 and prohibited “commercial activity” on Sundays with few exceptions. Because of jurisdictional debate, provinces also created their own versions of this type of legislation, often called “blue laws.” These laws were becoming less popular by the 1950s and by the 1960s some municipalities were petitioning the provincial government to amend their charters to allow certain commercial activities on Sundays. In Vancouver, for example, people voted to allow sports such as baseball games in 1958 and later entertainment such as movies in 1962.
When the Whistler Grocery Store was getting ready to open in January 1981, it was unclear whether they could be open on Sundays. By the time they opened later in the month, they had hours seven days a week. Whistler Question Collection, 1981.
In late 1980, the provincial government under premier Bill Bennet and the Social Credit Party passed the Holiday Shopping Regulations Act (HSRA), which banned shopping on Sundays and on holidays with some exceptions but allowed municipalities to hold referendums to approve a local bylaw to allow Sunday shopping.
At first, the Whistler council felt that a referendum would not be necessary due to the exclusions included in the Act, though it was unclear whether resorts were in fact excluded. Many businesses in Whistler had been operating on Sundays for years without issue, often with Sunday as their busiest day of the week, and most continued to do so. Following protests by businesses in Vancouver’s Gastown who wanted to continue opening on Sundays and with the threat of a $10,000 (adjusted for inflation, over $30,000 today), council held a special meeting on January 12, 1981 and gave the first three readings to Bylaw 197, which would allow for the operation of retail businesses on holidays and Sundays. Once approved by the provincial government, a referendum would be held to determine the fate of Sunday shopping in the resort.
Ski shops in particular had busy Sundays, but the legislation brought into question whether they could sell equipment or only rent it out. Whistler Question Collection, 1983
The Whistler Question dedicated multiple editorials to the issue of Sunday shopping and the HSRA. On January 15, they stated “Businesses continue to operate seven days a week as they always have and while we are not an historic site (yet), we are a recreational one and should therefore also be exempted from the asinine regulations.” They also pointed out that some of the exceptions from HSRA were unclear, depending on whether you defined a number of employees as those working at one given time or all who were on the payroll. In one example, the exclusion of businesses offering rentals of sports and recreation equipment and goods did not mention what would happen if the businesses also sold such items, leading the Question to ask, “Does this mean you can rent skis but you can’t buy goggles on a Sunday?”
“Open Daily” signs did not have to come down after Whistler voters decided to support Sunday and holiday shopping. Whistler Question Collection, 1981.
After the referendum was announced for February, the Question encouraged eligible voters to get out and support the proposed bylaw. According to their editorial, “it is obvious to us that the future of Whistler as a ski area, never mind a full-fledged destination resort, hinges on the continual operation fo all stores on Sundays and holidays… Just remember that when you are on vacation, you expect every day to be the same, and this is true for Sundays also.”
It turned out that Sunday shopping was not a very divisive issue in Whistler, though it would take years and hotly debated votes to approve similar bylaws in other municipalities. 404 voters (about 30% of eligible voters) voted in the referendum: 393 for; 7 spoiled (they were all in favour but marked a tick instead of an “x”); 4 against. The result was a 99% majority and by the end of February Bylaw 197 had been officially adopted, making Sunday shopping unequivocally legal in Whistler. In 1985, the Lord’s Day Act was ruled to contravene the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in the late 1980s a court made a similar decision to end BC’s provincial laws that still banned Sunday and holiday opening hours.
