The Bookless Club: Whistler mom moves mountains for her daughter and others

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Realizing this issue was in their future, Sue, along with other parents of developmentally challenged kids, set to work back in 2019 to create the Whistler Independent Supported Housing (WISH) society. Despite being a recreational hub, Whistler is like any other community, with a small cohort requiring special assistance. But it’s different in that it has scant appropriate services available.

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In 2023, WISH achieved charitable status, which allowed them to move closer to their objective of creating an assisted-living facility centrally located in the Whistler area. In 2025, WISH achieved something quite astonishing. Whistler Legacy Sports, a byproduct of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, committed 10 self-contained, private housing units for individuals with developmental disabilities at The Traverse, a new Whistler housing facility completing in the summer of 2028. Not having to relocate means the world to people for whom familiarity means so very much.

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Currently, Eliza is in her final year at Whistler Secondary. Next year, she ages out of the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s care and into Community Living B.C., the provincial Crown corporation that funds support for people 19 years or older with developmental disabilities.

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Starting next year, Eliza will be with Sue, “all day, every day”.

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This is hardly ideal on either side of the equation, but Sue can accommodate it — her husband is retired and Sue’s work as a ski instructor with the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program is flexible. Other parents, however, aren’t so lucky. But they’re making progress. The hurdles are still there, but now a path forward has appeared.

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So, Eliza is excited. And so is Sue. They can look forward to what comes next.

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After all, Eliza is 19, and now there’s a future that truly beckons.

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Jane Macdougall is a freelance writer and former National Post columnist who lives in Vancouver. She writes The Bookless Club every Saturday online and in The Vancouver Sun. For more of what Jane’s up to, check out her website, janemacdougall.com

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This week’s question for readers:

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Question: Is there a charity you’re passionate about?

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Send your answers by email text, not an attachment, in 100 words or less, along with your full name to Jane at [email protected]. We will print some next week in this space.

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Last week’s question for readers:

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Question: Please send along your secret-weapon cleaning tips

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• Line dry your laundry and small stains will simply vanish. I don’t know why more people don’t understand the power of sunlight.

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B. Wong

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• If you should happen to get black grease on clothing, massage butter into it until the grease breaks down or disappears. Then wash in warm water and it will be like new. This tip is thanks to my mother who raised four boys who liked to work on cars.

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Vince Manuck

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• Cleaning windows is a chore, and then when the sun shines and all you see is streaks. It can be very frustrating. We recently discovered this window cleaner recipe:

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1 cup hot water

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1/4 cup vinegar

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1 tablespoon cornstarch

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Shake solution up in a spray bottle. Your windows will shine.

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Harold and Hilda Buvyer

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• A spot cleaning tip: Use hair shampoo. Rub it in, rinse it off, then dab with a cloth to dry.

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Doreen Tadey

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I like noodle soups, but I find it nearly impossible to eat a good noodle soup without splashing broth onto my shirt, which I only notice after it’s been through the wash. A couple of drops of Dawn dishwashing soap rubbed directly on the stain, then tossed in the washing machine. Problem solved.

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Glen Taylor

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