The Weekender Effect: Hyperdevelopment Mountain Towns

: —Thomas Wharton, author of , and —Pamela Banting, President, Association for Literature, the Environment and Culture in Canada As cities continue to grow at unprecedented rates, more and more people are looking for peaceful, weekend retreats in mountain or rural communities. More often than not, these retreats are found in and around resorts or places of natural beauty. As a result, what once were small towns are fast becoming mini cities, complete with expensive housing, fast food, traffic snarls and environmental damage, all with little or no thought for the importance of local history, local people and local culture. is a passionate plea for considered development in these bedroom communities and for the necessary preservation of local values, cultures and landscapes.