Janyk, Andree Suzanne

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Janyk, Andree Suzanne

Parallel form(s) of name

  • Vajda, Andree

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

March 9, 1949 - June 16, 2017

History

Andrée Vajda Janyk was a Whistler councillor, school trustee, skier, ski coach, and volunteer who won numerous awards for her dedicated service to the Whistler community. Born March 9, 1949 in North Vancouver to parents Francis and Peter Vajda, Andrée was their first born, followed by two brothers, Chris and Stephen. Growing up in Delbrook, she enjoyed running track and field and ski racing with the Tyee Ski Club on Grouse Mountain. She eventually skied with the Canadian National Alpine Ski Team and went on to serve as a ski coach, a founding member of the Blackcomb Ski Club and a volunteer for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. She pursued a degree in kinesiology from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and a Master's in kinesiology from the University of Brussels (she lived in Belgium for six years). She married Bill Janyk in 1979, and they had three children: Britt, Michael, and Stephanie. Two of her children, Britt and Mike, became Olympic skiers. The family lived in West Vancouver, where she went to work in the community: starting an organic food co-op out of her home, coaching the local soccer teams, and actively engaging with the school board. She was a strong advocate for health and fitness, leading the first Fitness Leadership Certificate Program at Capilano University, serving on the national First Summit on Fitness Committee, and running a food co-op to promote eating organically. In 1995, Andrée and the family moved to Whistler. Within a year she was elected as a school trustee, where she served twelve years in the late 1990s and 2000s, pushing for a more student-centered learning model during the reorganization of School District 48. She was also instrumental in the growth of youth soccer in Whistler, founding the Whistler Youth Soccer Club with her friend, Bob Calladine. As a member of the Whistler Weasel Workers she became Chief of Slippers for the Women’s Alpine events during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2011, she was elected to the Resort Municipality of Whistler's town council for a three-year term, then re-elected in 2014. One of her most important achievements during this time was the creation of the Recreation and Leisure Advisory Committee, for which she served as the Council's first ever appointee. In 2015, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was still serving on Council at the time of her death from cancer on June 16, 2017 at the age of 68. Janyk received many honours, including being named the Whistler Cup Volunteer of the Year, BC Alpine Volunteer of the Year, and Sport BC Community Hero. In 2010, she was crowned Whistler's Citizen of the Year. The Andrée Vajda Janyk Sports Field at Cheakamus Crossing was named in her memory in 2018.

Places

North Vancouver
Vancouver
Brussels, Belgium
West Vancouver
Whistler

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Alderwoman
Alpine ski racer
Ski coach
Volunteer
School trustee
Soccer coach
Soccer referee

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

Janyk, Britt (May 21, 1980 -)

Identifier of related entity

CA-BC-JB004

Category of relationship

family

Type of relationship

Janyk, Britt

is the child of

Janyk, Andree Suzanne

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Janyk, Michael (March 22, 1982 -)

Identifier of related entity

CA-BC-JM003

Category of relationship

family

Type of relationship

Janyk, Michael

is the child of

Janyk, Andree Suzanne

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Janyk, Bill (fl. 1960s-)

Identifier of related entity

CA-BC-JB003

Category of relationship

family

Type of relationship

Janyk, Bill

is the spouse of

Janyk, Andree Suzanne

Dates of relationship

1979 - ?

Description of relationship

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

CA-BC-JA001

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Catalogued March 2019.
Revised December 2022.

Language(s)

Script(s)

Maintenance notes

  • Clipboard

  • Export

  • EAC

Related subjects

Related places