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'Let’s come out of this together': A message from the Sea to Sky Gondola

Kirby Brown, the General Manager of the Sea to Sky Gondola, has a message for the region: "Let's come out of this together."

 Photo courtesy Sea to Sky Gondola/Tara O'GradyPhoto courtesy Sea to Sky Gondola/Tara O’Grady

I don’t know why they did it. I don’t know when or if they’ll be caught. I don’t know if ‘they’ is a he or she or actually a ‘they.’

I do know that speculation in a situation like this is both perfectly natural if not irresistible at times. I’ve been doing it. During these sleepless nights, I’ve come close to being preoccupied by it and that’s when I realize how unhealthy it is.

The process of undergoing an RCMP investigation means that you have to think of anyone who would have motive, the wherewithal and the means to do it. That’s a very short list at first but still you have to comb through everyone to get to that list. That’s an ugly thing. A necessary, but ugly thing.

So herein lies the present danger. That we as a community stay in that ugly place of recasting each other as suspects to see if the dirty shoe fits until we all feel a bit soiled.

We could instead set aside suspicion and let the police investigate. We can stay in a place of positivity about how soulful and strong Squamish is and not let our sense of self be tarnished by this whole mess.

We could give each other the benefit of the doubt.

[On Thursday], our team safely extracted a dozen cabins from the forest and over the next few weeks we’ll have the rest out. The forest will be absent of debris and be safe again for hikers soon. Soon enough, a new rope will arrive and then new cabins after that. Before we know it, we’ll be open.

That we can fix. But. My great hope in this whole situation is that we all emerge somehow better for it.

That and that no one gets hurt. Not our team in the rebuild doing perilous work, not errant hikers going in the woods too soon and not the pride we all felt in these two short and long weeks since the rope was cut.

Let’s come out of this together. Even better than before...and we were pretty (expletive) awesome before.

-Kirby Brown, general manager, Sea to Sky Gondola