Firstly, thank you to Pacific Wild, the Whistler Library and all who attended our screening of the SPOIL documentary. Here are some concrete actions you can take to make a difference.
1. Sign the petition here: No Tankers Petition
2. Write a letter of comment
3. Share the SPOIL documentary and spread the word to your friends and family
4. Stay informed and join AWARE or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Thank you for making a difference!
AWARE Presents SPOIL the “must see” documentary showcasing the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia presently at risk from a proposed Enbridge pipeline project.
The International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) has teamed up with Pacific WILD, the Gitga’at First Nation of British Columbia, LightHawk, TidesCanada, Save our Seas Foundation, Sierra Club BC, and the Dogwood initiative to carry out a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE) in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. We are focusing our energy and cameras on this pristine region in response to plans by Enbridge Inc. to build a pipeline for heavy crude oil from the Alberta tar sands across British Columbia to the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest.
The tar sands in northern Alberta are arguably one of the world’s most environmentally-devastatin
The 14-day expedition to the Great Bear Rainforest called upon 7 world-renowned photographers and 3 videographers to thoroughly document the region’s landscapes, wildlife, and culture. The RAVE provided media support to the First Nations and environmental groups seeking to stop the proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline project (and thus expansion of the tar sands) and to expose the plan to lift the oil tanker ship moratorium.
You can Join the event on our Facebook page and invite your friends too!
Dear Editor,
In the Nov. 9 issue of Pique Newsmagazine a letter from Doug Player suggested that the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) had, as part of its pre-election candidate survey, asked electoral candidates whether they supported the development of a university on the Zen wetlands. Mr Player’s letter continued with scathing remarks questioning the validity of AWARE’s research and ability to develop questions that provide “valid and reliable” data as well as accusing the group of providing misinformation.
Upon returning from holiday I called Doug to discuss his letter, and the AWARE board felt it was necessary to also respond publicly. During our discussions we touched on the following points:
The question actually put to candidates was, “as Whistler’s wetlands have been reduced by almost three quarters, our remaining wetlands should not be developed.” There was no mention of any proposed university or the Zen wetlands.
The question was posed as one of eight in a series of statements with which candidates could agree, disagree or highlight no specific opinion and could provide additional comments to qualify responses.
The responses to the candidate survey were made public on the day of the AWARE all-candidates meeting and not before this (the deadline for responses was 5 p.m. the day before the meeting). This was the first time the questions were available to the public online.
If Mr. Player had attended the meeting or looked at the AWARE website to view the survey and results, he would have seen that the question that was the focus of his letter was not the question that was presented to candidates.
As one of the longest running charitable and volunteer run organisations in Whistler, AWARE has long been the voice for the local environment, and the current board is committed to focusing on facts and science as a basis for this voice. With regards to the development in which Mr. Player is interested, both myself and our vice president, Sara Jennings, have been to meetings regarding the potential Whistler U development and the four homes for which the site is currently zoned. Additionally, I read the environmental reports that were provided to us — in short, we have done our research.
As a board we feel that the decision about whether Whistler’s future includes a university needs to be made by the community. However, we strongly believe that developments on, or that have an impact on, Whistler’s few remaining wetland areas (through run-off, increased human access, etc.) should be avoided.
Wetlands are one of the greatest environmental examples of how an area is impacted by what is put into it, and taken out of it, and the significant impacts that human activity has on these delicately balanced ecosystems. The AWARE website (www.awarewhistler.org) is currently being updated, but by Christmas we hope to have all our position statements (including those pertaining to wetlands) publicly listed there.
But to summarize for now: AWARE would be against developments impacting any Whistler wetlands (no matter what names those lands are given) and, according to our survey, 96 per cent of recent electoral candidates agreed (one candidate stated no opinion).
Thanks for letting us set the record straight.
Claire Ruddy - AWARE President
Original Letter:
AWARE questionnaire misleading
(The questionnaire) asked the candidates: “Do you support the proposal to build a university on the Zen wetlands”? I would expect every candidate to answer “no” for two reasons. First, there is no such entity as the Zen wetlands – like Brigadoon, it is a mythical place created in the lore of this community. Second, there is no proposal to build a university on any wetland!
There are two wetlands below Creekside. One is the Alpha Creek wetland, which is owned by the municipality and the other is the Millar Creek wetland, which is privately-owned. Obviously and rightfully, the municipality is not going to allow any development on its wetland; and also rightly, the owner of the Millar Creek wetlands intends to see their wetland preserved for all time.
The only full university proposal I am aware of is for the WhistlerU Learning Campus. This campus would be built on benchlands and, as confirmed by three environmental studies, would bring no danger or harm to any wetland.
However, this proposal would bring a huge and long-term economic boost to the community.
So what was AWARE’s intent in asking such a biased question? It was to bring fear to the community and to support the current mayor’s “spin,” which is clearly misleading and untrue.
As any good researcher will point out, this one question makes the full AWARE questionnaire suspect for both the reliability and validity of its data. Since the organization does not appear to have the expertise to draft a truly unbiased questionnaire, I have an offer of assistance. I will provide free of charge two seats in WhistlerU’s course on research methodology so that future questionnaires they create will provide useful data, which is both valid and reliable. I urge the public to truly understand the WhistlerU proposal before accepting the misinformation coming from both AWARE and the current mayor.
Doug Player - Whistler
Green Drinks wil be taking place on Wednesday December 7th from 8pm – 10pm at Blacks Pub (normally upstairs on tables directly in front of the bar).
This month we will be all fired up to talk about how we can try to reduce our impacts during the festive season, as well as Whistler’s new Mayor and Council and other topics green and wonderful!
Green Drinks takes place on the first Wednesday of every month and is an opportunity for like-minded people to talk about all thing eco in an informal atmosphere. FREE beer and appies are provided thanks to our sponsors – Ziptrek Ecotours, Blacks Pub and Granville Island. Green Drinks is hosted by Hilltrip and AWARE and donations are encouraged, with these going to AWARE.
We hope to see you there!
The AWARE All Candidates Meeting was two hours of jam-packed information. With 31 candidates for this election and in an effort to ensure there was time for questions from the audience, AWARE limited time for candidate presentations to 3 minutes for mayoral and 1.5 minutes for council candidates. However, in recognition that there is a limit to how much candidates can cover in these time limits we created a ‘pre-survey’ for candidates.
The pre-survey responses were briefly touched upon during the meeting but the full responses are included on this site. By creating the survey we were still able to gain insight into some of the candidates who were unable to make the meeting. Additionally, we hope community members that may or may not have been able to make the meeting, will also take the time to read through our candidates interesting responses.
The meeting was followed by Green Drinks which saw many of the candidates join us for this informal monthly session. One-on-one discussions and small group debates provided another opportunity to get to know the candidates. Green Drinks hosts beer and appies and would not be possible without it’s sponsors (Ziptrek, Blacks Pub and Granville Island).
To read the Election Candidate Survey responses simply click here.
For full minutes of the meeting courtesy of Pina Belperio, click here.
The Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting an All Candidates Meeting on November 2nd between the hours of 6 and 8pm at Millenium Place. The meeting will centre on issues relating to the Environment and Sustainability in Whistler.
Members of the public are invited to come and pose their questions to the candidates on the environmental issues they feel strongly about. It is anticipated that discussions will touch upon current issues such as:
The meeting will be followed by Green Drinks, which will provide an opportunity for further discussions between candidates and voters in an informal atmosphere. Green Drinks is held on the first Wednesday of every month in Blacks pub at 8pm. These sessions are hosted by AWARE and Hilltrip and kindly sponsored by Ziptrek, Blacks Pub and Granville Island.
