A buddy of mine proclaimed proudly that he bought his wife some "Squamish Lingerie" this past Valentine's Day.
What's that? Merino wool underwear and a sports bra, apparently.
In case anyone had any doubt about the change Squamish has seen over the past 10 or 15 years, nothing could provide better evidence. It wasn't that long ago, after all, that Squamish residents referred to those grey Stanfield long-sleeved undershirts as "Squamish Dinner Jackets." If a town judges itself by the undergarments it wears, then Squamish's transformation is complete.
Of course, there are other ways to come to the same conclusion - such as through the Community Profile published by the district last fall. According to those numbers, we in Squamish are young and well-educated.
Sixty per cent of Squamish's population is under the age of 40, compared to the provincial average of about 50 per cent. More than half of us have some type of post-secondary qualification.
That's certainly a change from the Squamish I moved to in 1990. But it also raises questions about whether this change has been good for the community as a whole or not.
Not that long ago, Squamish had a pulp mill, the B.C. Rail Yard and a wood mill. The jobs these places provided were able to support families, and although new jobs have come with the new arrivals, they are different kinds of jobs.
The community profile indicates that most of Squamish's growth was in the residential sector - effectively building homes, condominiums and townhouses for the newcomers who are coming into the community. But the largest segment of workers (about 30 per cent) are in the service industry - jobs that often don't pay enough to support a family.
Another disturbing trend that the profile highlights is the unemployment trend that saw Squamish have the greatest increase in EI claims in the province. Layoffs when the Olympics ended, completion of the highway project, the petering-out of business starts likely all contributed to that number.
When I arrived in Squamish, a teacher and long-time resident told me that when he first worked here, boys would leave school in Grade 10 to work in the woods. A year or two later, they would come back to visit him and be making much more money than he did. That phenomenon had ended by the time I showed up in the community, but forestry was still king.
And although tourism and recreation seem to define the "new" Squamish, the transition doesn't come without its challenges.
All of this is important stuff, especially during the District of Squamish budget season. Community services and amenities cost a lot of money and the district gets its money from our taxes. When the large industries are no longer around, it leaves smaller businesses and residents to pick up the slack.
Raising commercial taxes can sometimes result in businesses laying off staff, or worse, leaving town completely.
And no politician wants a residential tax increase in an election year. It would be like taking the shirt off your back or worse, stealing your underwear.
