It’s an unusual time of year to see job fairs advertised in Whistler.

The big push of ski-season hiring usually takes place in the fall, but there are at least three job fairs advertised in Whistler in the coming days. And they’re all offering positions related to the 2010 Games.

Cleanevent is looking for part-time cleaners and team leaders in “various” Whistler venues, while Sodexo is hiring catering staff and housekeepers for 2010. Local catering company Whistler Cooks needs people for all positions, from food and beverage directors and chefs to dishwashers and servers.

While the news of available jobs may be welcome to those in Whistler who’ve become casualties of a weak economy, it’s unclear whether these Games-related positions will start in time to keep such potential workers in town.

Many who are currently living and working in Whistler are expected to be all-hands-on-deck at their existing jobs when the Games roll around in February. Some who will have free time have already signed up to volunteer.

So, where are all these workers going to come from? Better yet, where are they all going to stay?

And if there are so many paid, Games-related positions available, why would anybody put their name forward to VANOC to volunteer?

We set out to answer some of these questions in an article this week, but after several days of inquiries, we came up almost empty handed. First stop, VANOC, where three business days of lead-time resulted in an emailed quote that was to be attributed to Maureen Douglas, director of operations communications.

“There has been great uptake in the volunteer program by Sea to Sky residents. The percentage of volunteer applications is high in S2S compared to other regions, and we encourage those who haven’t registered yet to join the volunteer team,” the quote begins.

It goes on to say, “We continue to look for creative ways to increase our volunteer numbers in S2S and are confident that the camaraderie and culture of the 2010 Winter Games volunteer experience will generate enthusiasm and excitement, inspiring people from the region to apply.”
Nice sentiments to be sure, but the questions about where all the workers and volunteers are expected to come from, and why people should consider volunteering rather than pursuing a paid position were not answered.

Next, we contacted the various companies hosting the job fairs. One company said they couldn’t talk to the media without clearance from VANOC. Another went through the steps of getting the go-ahead from VANOC, but admitted the only answers they could provide were “vague” because of VANOC’s rules. For example, when asked how many positions need to be filled, the only answer they could provide was “many.”

We did learn, however, that the company feels a mix of local and outside workers will fill their needs, and there is little concern the positions will go unfilled.

So what’s the connection between these companies and VANOC? All one employer could say is that VANOC is a client. They would not disclose the venues they’ve been hired to provide services at.

We’re not sure why there’s a need for such secrecy, but the fact that these companies have effectively been gagged by VANOC raises even more questions. From a media perspective, it seems more challenging with each passing day to get answers from VANOC.

We think that leads to perhaps the most important question of them all: What do they have to hide?