Tag Archive for: Whistler Election 2018

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Should we Scrap the District Energy System?

My favorite economist, Milton Friedman, used a handy little quadrant to explain four ways to spend money: One, your money on yourself- you spend to gain the highest value. Two, spending your money on someone else – say a gift, you still look for value but remember, it’s the thought that counts. Third, spending someone else’s money on yourself; value is going to be a lot less important. Lastly, spending someone else’s money on someone else – no concern about price or value. This fourth way, dear reader, is the way the government spends your money.

That’s why taxpayers are often left out in the cold. A perfect example of this is the District Energy System.

Let me first say mea culpa. I was on the Council that approved the District Energy System and I was on the Whistler 2020 Development Corporation Board that developed Cheakamus Crossing, which by the way was the most talented group ever put together to work on a project in Whistler. You can’t blame that group for the problems with the DES. You can blame the Council that approved it, but ultimately it’s the council of the day that is responsible for it now.

Here’s how councils make these decisions: they blow a lot of hot air and make statements like “were going to be the greenest town on earth!” This is music to the ears of a seemingly endless parade of environmental consultants that tell you about this amazing technology that is going to save you tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save millions of dollars. It’ll cost you a fortune up front but that’s okay, you’ll have huge savings later. This gives councilors a warm and fuzzy feeling and they can brag about their green credentials, so they approve it. The list is long of underperforming extremely expensive technology that’s supposed to save you money down the road… but, it’s a dead end! These schemes rarely, if ever, provide the cost savings that are promised.

The aftermath of these decisions leads to the sunk cost fallacy; the idea that people are likely to continue with a project if they have already invested a lot of money, time, or effort in it, even when continuing is not the best option. Chillingly I believe this is the case with the DES. The residents of Cheakamus Crossing never asked for the greenest, fanciest, most complex heating system in the world. I think they just want to turn the heat up or down depending on whether they’re hot or cold. It’s time to call an electrician, rip out the DES and put in baseboard heating; at least you’ll know how it works and if there’s a problem you can call the electrician back and tell him to fix it.

After reviewing the 20 page Council report on the DES, I’d say it generates a lot of heat but no light, my takeaway from the report lies in the final paragraph, “We feel the RMOW is doing a good job running and maintaining the DES system.” I’m sure they are, the problem is that the RMOW is spending your money running and maintaining something they shouldn’t be… It should make your blood boil.

Ralph Forsyth is a local entrepreneur, Ski Instructor and Bike Guide he served on Whistler Council from 2005 to 2011 He’s an eccentric who likes to wear suits, quote Machiavelli and throw down big tricks in the bike park.

This Column was originally printed in the Whistler Question’s “Off the Record” on July 12, 2016

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Social Media and how it’s ruining politics

It’s a lot harder to say nasty things to people if you have to say it to them face to face.

Originally printed in the November 28th 2017 edition of the Whistler Question

In 1841 Abraham Lincoln, a masterful orator gave an address to the Temperance Society in his hometown of Springfield Illinois, he warned the crowd that that if they continued to denounce both sellers and drinkers of alcohol in “thundering tones of anathema and denunciation their cause would accomplish nothing. He encouraged them to take the approach of an “erring man to an erring brother”, and reminded them that “a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall”. Lincoln was famous for being able to see both sides of any issue, and his leadership was masterful because of his incredible empathy towards his fellow man.

Even after the incredible cost and bloodshed of the civil war Lincoln used his second inaugural address to encourage a sympathetic understanding for the nation’s alienated southern citizens: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

 

Currently this kind of understanding is in short supply, and the culprit could be social media. Most of us have, to some degree, an instinctual empathy towards others, yet according to Molly Crockett a PHD at Yale University social media’s influence may be enhancing social divisions and indifference to our fellow man.

 

In a paper “Moral outrage in the digital age” Dr. Crockett explains that because of the homophily inherent in social networks, people are only willing to share their views with people who already agree with them, so its’ difficult to see how we can overcome divisions, or move forward when confronted with contentious issues that require collaboration. On line discourse it turns out may not be the best way to come to understanding with people you disagree with, the reason is the reduced dimensionality of social media. It’s easy to type vitriol to a two dimensional avatar. It’s a lot harder to say nasty things to people if you have to say it to them face to face.

 

As a councillor I was a heavy user of social media from its infancy, it connected me to an audience that I never would have otherwise met, but it was incredibly inefficient, and left no room for nuance. I certainly endured some nauseating moments on social media, but in retrospect it seems pretty tame to the contemptuous commentary I see today. I’m so glad I don’t have to engage with social platforms as a councillor now. For a local politician the face to face contact is what you crave, it’s certainly the part of the job that I miss -epically the ski days talking politics. Lucky for you dear taxpayer it’s easy to access your local councillors, and in fact Jack Crompton and Jen Ford regularly host coffee talks with constituents.

 

Remember dear taxpayer it’s okay to have arguments, we all understand that most public issues involve trade-offs, and in most arguments, there are two partially true points of view. But rather than taking to twitter or freaking out on facebook, talk to someone, share a beer, a coffee or a few turns on the mountain, do something that activates the empathy which is essential for bridging political divides.

 

Ralph Forsyth is an entrepreneur and Ski Instructor, he served on Whistler Council from 2005 to 2011 He’s not the best skier on the mountain, but he’s got tremendous style.

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Campaign Issue: Whistler 2020

Twelve years ago I was part of the Council that adopted Whistler 2020, Whistler’s integrated community sustainability plan. This document is the community’s shared vision and plan for continued success. According to Statistics Canada our Population in 2011 was 9,824; in 2016 it jumped 20% to 11,854, so I’d say we’re on track to hit 15K by 2020. The problem is we aren’t building to the pace of our population growth.

Our Tourism visits are also at a breaking point and many in the community are asking if we’re “killing the golden goose.”

We had a plan and we’ve failed to follow it. In fact we’ve abandoned it. Now is the time to re-visit Whistler 2020 and chart our course for the future.

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