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 1983. 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: On January 5, 1983, the provincial government proposed to establish a new Crown corporation (WLC Development Ltd.) to take over the operation, assets, and liabilities of the Whistler Village Land Co., which was in severe financial difficulties. Before this could happen, however, the Whistler Resort Association (WRA) had to accept the terms of the corporation, including that WLC would have a majority vote on the WRA board. On January 11, 1983, the WRA board of directors agreed to the deal in principle, but it still had to be voted on by the WRA membership.
Question: Under what conditions do you think the WRA should accept the crown corp. proposal?
Chuck Cook – Dentist – Squamish
I think if the WRA makes any objection to this proposal it is looking a gift horse in the mouth. As for the set up of the WRA itself, I have no quarrel with that group and while I don’t particularly want to pay them more dues, I recognize that it’s the only way we’re going to make Whistler work.
Jan Holmberg – Businessman – Alta Vista
If we seriously want Whistler to become a four-season resort providing year-round employment, facilities like the resort centre and golf club have to be completed. WRA has no option but to accept the crown corp. proposal exactly as it stands.
Pat Kelly – Real Estate Sales – Whistler Cay
I think those who question the government’s conditions don’t realize that the negative consequences of turning down this offer far outweigh the extra assessment they would be paying in the short term. The ability of Whistler to grow will be seriously affected if we turn down the offer. The government is not going to force it on Whistler.
A few weeks ago during our Speaker Series on journalism in Whistler, technical difficulties unfortunately prevented a question being asked about a fire that destroyed the production office of The Whistler Question in Function Junction in 1991. As we weren’t able to learn more about the fire from the knowledgeable people at the speaker event, both presenting and in the audience, we thought we’d start by taking a quick look at what the Question had to say about it.
The fire was actually only one of two large fires in Whistler on Friday, January 18, 1991. At Rainbow the building housing Rainbow Rentals, Rainbow Paint and Supply, Whistler Woodheat, Whistler Welding, Allan May Project Management and the truck division of Budget Rent-A-Car also had a fire. As there were no hydrants in the area and the building contained tanks of propane, oxygen and acetylene as well as cans of oil-based paints and industrial solvents, the decision was made that it was too dangerous for firefighters to go into the building. Instead, the highway was closed and the building was allowed to burn.
The rubble left after the Rainbow fire burned out, including a woodstove. Whistler Question Collection, 1991.
In Function Junction, around 2:30 am, Kevin Swanlund was the only employee in the building that housed Yurrop Trading, Mountain Crests, the kitchen of The Gourmet, Little Mountain Bakery, and the Question production office when he noticed a fire. Swanlund attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher but it kept coming back stronger. His actions alerted Carrie Waller and her daughter Amanda, who lived in the apartment upstairs, to the fire. The pair found the stairwell blocked but were able to use a ladder to climb down from the balcony.
Fire Chief Tony Evans described the fire as “a tough one to fight,” though the fire department responded promptly and were able to control the fire. A fire hydrant on the property was not connected to the municipal water system and had reportedly frozen, though luckily there were municipal hydrants nearby. The fire department did not confirm a cause of the fire, but were able to say that it appeared to have started near the building’s electrical panel.
The Whistler Question production office after the fire. Whistler Question Collection, 1991.
By the time the Question came out the next Thursday, most of the businesses affected already had plans to reopen. Jan Holmberg, who owned the building and co-owned Yurrop Trading and Mountain Crests, told the Question that Mountain Crests had already located an embroidery machine in Seattle and rented space in another building and would soon be at half their usual production. Rick and Doris Matthews, the co-owners of The Gourmet, had begun cooking at home and in another kitchen while setting up in another Function Junction building, though they expected that for the next month they would be able to produce only about half of their “signature products.” Luckily for The Gourmet, most of their kitchen equipment was saved.
The co-owners of Little Mountain Bakery, Pierre LePage and Andy Schoni, both decided to use the fire as an opportunity for short vacations before beginning operations at 1212 Alpha Lake Road in February. Like The Gourmet, most of Little Mountain Bakery’s equipment was saved but the bakery lost all of their supplies.
Patrick Sarrazin helps baker Andy Schoni clean up trays after the fire at Little Mountain Bakery. Whistler Question Collection, 1991.
The Question production office was not burned but was heavily damaged by smoke and water. The Question lost computers, a laser printer, a photocopier, darkroom equipment, and five years worth of irreplaceable photographs. The paper was able to set up a temporary office in the Blackcomb Ski Club cabin and, thanks to the help of Rick Clare, Whistler Printing and Blackcomb Lodge, were able to stick to their normal publishing schedule.
The fires of January 18, 1991, affected eleven businesses in Whistler in Rainbow and Function Junction, though most were able to reopen. Firefighters were able to save a collection of negatives from 1978 to 1985 from the fire. Thanks to Question photographer Brian Smith, these negatives were restored and are now housed in the archives where the Whistler Question Collection is an invaluable resource that is used almost daily at the Whistler Museum. The Whistler Question Collection now includes photographs of different facets of life in the Whistler area from 1978 to 1986 and from 1991 to 1996. Unfortunately, due to the photographs lost in the fire the years between 1986 and 1991 are not as well represented.
The Whistler Museum operates within the shared unceded territory of the Líl̓wat Nation and the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation. We respectfully honour their cultural practices and traditions.
WHISTORICAL 