2010 Vancouver Olympics

[JMH]

After watching as many athletic events as posible during these Olympics, I was reminded that it's all about the athletes.........the competition.........the final test for all involved after years of training.

Thankfully, it still comes through the T.V. that way. Canada did very well indeed..........BRAVO!!!.

Unfortunately the people behind the Olympics have lost the point entirely. It's all about big buisness and how to make a buck. My city will host the next winter Olympics and the "cost over-runs" have already started..........yet nothing else really has. The town of Whistler B.C. is akin to Aspen Colorado. The millionares were tossed out long ago (trailer trash) so the billionaires can leave obscenly lavish "challet's" empty for 95% of the year. Hotels are not within reach of the "upper middle class" unless (of course) the snow is shitty because thats when they have "special rates".........and the ROYALTY flee from the hordes of middle class family people(surfs) that ACTUALLY GET TO SKI THERE! (on rocks).

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

They had to re-develop the highway.......because too many rich folk kept flying off of it at mach 3 (thats the only speed that expensive cars do) and dammit! .........it's an inconvienience! How dare the weather interfere with my life-long vacation! I worked damn hard to inherit this money!

How will this benefit B.C. -Canada? It wont. "They" talk about all the construction jobs! Whoo-Hoo! I get to work for a few years before the bottom drops out of everything! YEAHHHH HAHHHH!

The rich get richer. The average family gets nothing..........you cant even afford a ticket to an event let alone the oppening ceremonies (if there were tickets available), they are reserved (all) for the afformentioned elite and their family's.

So what are WE left with? A bunch of venues that will never be used by any of us; a ski jump, a bobsled/luge tunnel, speed rings(Calgary) and sub-standard housing for those in need and of course, a lovely highway to shuttle the "worthy" to and from their abodes..........lots of smoozing and investment within their peer set, and THE BILL! ...........THAT YOU AND I PAY FOR! on behalf of these rich bastards.

THE END

[August1991]

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

Huh? $650 million?

If people in BC are stupid enough to pay for this nonsense, I guess that's their right. But I hope there's no federal money involved.

[geoffrey]

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

Huh? $650 million?

If people in BC are stupid enough to pay for this nonsense, I guess that's their right. But I hope there's no federal money involved.

Probably is some fed money. But tickets and stuff pay considerable dividends. The total cost at the end of the day after revenues will be close to nill. The intangible benifets to the city, such as international exposure, also are a huge effect of the games!

Remember, Calgary actually turned a profit on the games. Maybe thats just the Alberta way, maybe its possible elsewhere. Who knows?

Calgary wouldn't be where it is today without the games, thank goodness the olympics came here. We'd have no roads, an even worse transit system, and not an world class speed skating oval I can work out at between classes.

[Riverwind]

---

[Wilber]

Like it or not we've got them now so we better do it right.

[JMH]

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

Huh? $650 million?

If people in BC are stupid enough to pay for this nonsense, I guess that's their right. But I hope there's no federal money involved.

There is huge amounts of federal money involved. 40-50% , we'll see.

[Concerned]

After watching as many athletic events as posible during these Olympics, I was reminded that it's all about the athletes.........the competition.........the final test for all involved after years of training.

Thankfully, it still comes through the T.V. that way. Canada did very well indeed..........BRAVO!!!.

Unfortunately the people behind the Olympics have lost the point entirely. It's all about big buisness and how to make a buck. My city will host the next winter Olympics and the "cost over-runs" have already started..........yet nothing else really has. The town of Whistler B.C. is akin to Aspen Colorado. The millionares were tossed out long ago (trailer trash) so the billionaires can leave obscenly lavish "challet's" empty for 95% of the year. Hotels are not within reach of the "upper middle class" unless (of course) the snow is shitty because thats when they have "special rates".........and the ROYALTY flee from the hordes of middle class family people(surfs) that ACTUALLY GET TO SKI THERE! (on rocks).

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

They had to re-develop the highway.......because too many rich folk kept flying off of it at mach 3 (thats the only speed that expensive cars do) and dammit! .........it's an inconvienience! How dare the weather interfere with my life-long vacation! I worked damn hard to inherit this money!

How will this benefit B.C. -Canada? It wont. "They" talk about all the construction jobs! Whoo-Hoo! I get to work for a few years before the bottom drops out of everything! YEAHHHH HAHHHH!

The rich get richer. The average family gets nothing..........you cant even afford a ticket to an event let alone the oppening ceremonies (if there were tickets available), they are reserved (all) for the afformentioned elite and their family's.

So what are WE left with? A bunch of venues that will never be used by any of us; a ski jump, a bobsled/luge tunnel, speed rings(Calgary) and sub-standard housing for those in need and of course, a lovely highway to shuttle the "worthy" to and from their abodes..........lots of smoozing and investment within their peer set, and THE BILL! ...........THAT YOU AND I PAY FOR! on behalf of these rich bastards.

THE END

Hi JMH, I respect your opinion that 650 MM is alot to spend on these Olympics..however you don't have all of the facts straight here..

I am of the middle class of this city so I think I can speak fairly here ( no inherited wealth in this household, we had to earn it ourselves). Yes the hotel rates are expensive but my family stays at whistler about 5- 10 nights per year at an average cost of less than $200 bucks per night. Of course you don't stay there for new years and christmas when it is really crazy but there are lots of good snow days to enjoy at $200 per night if you are a regular skiier.

As far as the Sea to Sky highway is concerned I would argue that many more Vancouverites travel it than out of town billionaires. For one, the out of towners tend to stay for a week or two and therefore only make the trip once and back for that stay. Many of us city dwelling skiiers commute each weekend often both ways in one day. Of the cars that I see speeding like maniacs, they are not the airport limos...they are the average 4x4 crowd that wants to maximize ski time during the day. So making the road safe is giving safer roads to British Columbians that travel it, more than any other group. Whistler has more skiier visits annually from BC'ers than it does from foreigners, incidentally.

Whistler being a major tourist destination however, needs a good road if we are to continue to attract tourism to BC and this is a good investment longterm for the tourism industry, not just for whistler regulars, and not just for the Olympics.

As far as the other costs are concerned, there is revenue associated with the games as well, including the major sponsorship that you slag, and much of it offsets the $650 MM investment. Whistler is not the only beneficiary of the construction for the games. Venues are planned on the local mountains, and throughout the lower mainland. These venues will allow for greater tourism expenditures in the future as now we will also be able to host world cup events in our province, for each of the specific sports.

As far as the venues are concerned, you are incorrect in assuming nobody will use them. Most of the athletes that won medals at the 2006 Olympics were from Calgary (28% in fact) where we last had our games, and Montreal, where the games were also previously held. Having these venues in Vancouver will mean that our athletes here will enjoy future successes in Olympic sport. We will be able to develop more Vancouver based athletes for future competition, and attract more members of Canadian society to these Olympic specific sports. Some people may not see that as a benefit, but I do.

And don't forget BC being a "have" province, its not often that we EVER get Federal dollars spent here, this is the one reason I vote "yes" for the Olympics. Having spent my life watching Federal government $$$ subsidizing the Quebec economy, I felt it was about time BC got something !!

[August1991]

Everytime I drive by the Olympic Stadium in Montreal I feel vaguely ill. The roof never worked right, it's not really used for anything anymore but it is an impressive chunk of concrete somehow comparable to the Pyramids of Cheops. I think it'll be paid off this coming summer.

[JMH]

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

Huh? $650 million?

If people in BC are stupid enough to pay for this nonsense, I guess that's their right. But I hope there's no federal money involved.

Probably is some fed money. But tickets and stuff pay considerable dividends. The total cost at the end of the day after revenues will be close to nill. The intangible benifets to the city, such as international exposure, also are a huge effect of the games!

Remember, Calgary actually turned a profit on the games. Maybe thats just the Alberta way, maybe its possible elsewhere. Who knows?

Calgary wouldn't be where it is today without the games, thank goodness the olympics came here. We'd have no roads, an even worse transit system, and not an world class speed skating oval I can work out at between classes.

Calgary isn't Vancouver, nor is it Whitsler. The infrastucture most in need in this region will not be affected by the olympics. We are already a major player in the world. This is a TAX grab to make the rich, richer. It's Bullshit! Revenues will not meet targets...........just as Turin.............but sombody always makes it "SO".

[Canuck E Stan]

Since the CBC seems to have a lot of dough to spend(Full page ads in all the major papers today tooting their horn about the Olympics in Italy) maybe if we........took their............and....... ....used it for......2010.

Know what I mean?

[JMH]

After watching as many athletic events as posible during these Olympics, I was reminded that it's all about the athletes.........the competition.........the final test for all involved after years of training.

Thankfully, it still comes through the T.V. that way. Canada did very well indeed..........BRAVO!!!.

Unfortunately the people behind the Olympics have lost the point entirely. It's all about big buisness and how to make a buck. My city will host the next winter Olympics and the "cost over-runs" have already started..........yet nothing else really has. The town of Whistler B.C. is akin to Aspen Colorado. The millionares were tossed out long ago (trailer trash) so the billionaires can leave obscenly lavish "challet's" empty for 95% of the year. Hotels are not within reach of the "upper middle class" unless (of course) the snow is shitty because thats when they have "special rates".........and the ROYALTY flee from the hordes of middle class family people(surfs) that ACTUALLY GET TO SKI THERE! (on rocks).

I'm not a big fan on spending $650 million TAX dollars (thats a $billion when its done) to further enhance an over-developed "Disney Land with snow" (sometimes)- that bennefits the sickeningly wealthy......ONLY.

They had to re-develop the highway.......because too many rich folk kept flying off of it at mach 3 (thats the only speed that expensive cars do) and dammit! .........it's an inconvienience! How dare the weather interfere with my life-long vacation! I worked damn hard to inherit this money!

How will this benefit B.C. -Canada? It wont. "They" talk about all the construction jobs! Whoo-Hoo! I get to work for a few years before the bottom drops out of everything! YEAHHHH HAHHHH!

The rich get richer. The average family gets nothing..........you cant even afford a ticket to an event let alone the oppening ceremonies (if there were tickets available), they are reserved (all) for the afformentioned elite and their family's.

So what are WE left with? A bunch of venues that will never be used by any of us; a ski jump, a bobsled/luge tunnel, speed rings(Calgary) and sub-standard housing for those in need and of course, a lovely highway to shuttle the "worthy" to and from their abodes..........lots of smoozing and investment within their peer set, and THE BILL! ...........THAT YOU AND I PAY FOR! on behalf of these rich bastards.

THE END

Hi JMH, I respect your opinion that 650 MM is alot to spend on these Olympics..however you don't have all of the facts straight here..

I am of the middle class of this city so I think I can speak fairly here ( no inherited wealth in this household, we had to earn it ourselves). Yes the hotel rates are expensive but my family stays at whistler about 5- 10 nights per year at an average cost of less than $200 bucks per night. Of course you don't stay there for new years and christmas when it is really crazy but there are lots of good snow days to enjoy at $200 per night if you are a regular skiier.

As far as the Sea to Sky highway is concerned I would argue that many more Vancouverites travel it than out of town billionaires. For one, the out of towners tend to stay for a week or two and therefore only make the trip once and back for that stay. Many of us city dwelling skiiers commute each weekend often both ways in one day. Of the cars that I see speeding like maniacs, they are not the airport limos...they are the average 4x4 crowd that wants to maximize ski time during the day. So making the road safe is giving safer roads to British Columbians that travel it, more than any other group. Whistler has more skiier visits annually from BC'ers than it does from foreigners, incidentally.

Whistler being a major tourist destination however, needs a good road if we are to continue to attract tourism to BC and this is a good investment longterm for the tourism industry, not just for whistler regulars, and not just for the Olympics.

As far as the other costs are concerned, there is revenue associated with the games as well, including the major sponsorship that you slag, and much of it offsets the $650 MM investment. Whistler is not the only beneficiary of the construction for the games. Venues are planned on the local mountains, and throughout the lower mainland. These venues will allow for greater tourism expenditures in the future as now we will also be able to host world cup events in our province, for each of the specific sports.

As far as the venues are concerned, you are incorrect in assuming nobody will use them. Most of the athletes that won medals at the 2006 Olympics were from Calgary (28% in fact) where we last had our games, and Montreal, where the games were also previously held. Having these venues in Vancouver will mean that our athletes here will enjoy future successes in Olympic sport. We will be able to develop more Vancouver based athletes for future competition, and attract more members of Canadian society to these Olympic specific sports. Some people may not see that as a benefit, but I do.

And don't forget BC being a "have" province, its not often that we EVER get Federal dollars spent here, this is the one reason I vote "yes" for the Olympics. Having spent my life watching Federal government $$$ subsidizing the Quebec economy, I felt it was about time BC got something !!

I'm delighted that you are able to find "family accomidation" for less than $200 a night @ 5-10 nights a year.

Not "cheap" by any stretch, but acceptable. I ski 50-60 days a year.

Concerning the highway, by your own desciption, there was no need to fix it. Tax dollers should never be spent to allow reckless idiots.........to continue to be reckless idiots..........where ever there from. I've driven that HWY litterally HUNDREDS of trips and never had a problem.

Whistler is a world renound ski resort ............it hardly needs any more press.

Vancouver is a world renound destination.................it hardly needs any more press.

Yes, we already have all the nessesary training facilities that Canada could possibly need. Calgary/Canmore.

As for B.C. subsidizing Quebecs economy? I guess B.C. trippled it's GPP overnight and nobody told me.

Lets sepperate!

[Shady]

I'm not sure why the topic of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games has developed into a thread of Marxist rich vs poor nonsense. I'm so sick and tired of people like you, who like to decree that every percieved societal ill be eliminated before participating in such events. If you're not happy with your elected offical's decisions, use your vote and correct the problem. But this is a great opportunity for Canada to showcase itself on the world stage, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Your entitlement attitude is very unbecoming.

Your life, good or bad, has nothing to do with Vancouver hosting the Winter Games. Give us a break.

[cybercoma]

I'm not sure why the topic of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games has developed into a thread of Marxist rich vs poor nonsense. I'm so sick and tired of people like you, who like to decree that every percieved societal ill be eliminated before participating in such events. If you're not happy with your elected offical's decisions, use your vote and correct the problem. But this is a great opportunity for Canada to showcase itself on the world stage, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Your entitlement attitude is very unbecoming.

Your life, good or bad, has nothing to do with Vancouver hosting the Winter Games. Give us a break.

*points to nose*

*points to shady*

[geoffrey]

I'm not sure why the topic of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games has developed into a thread of Marxist rich vs poor nonsense. I'm so sick and tired of people like you, who like to decree that every percieved societal ill be eliminated before participating in such events. If you're not happy with your elected offical's decisions, use your vote and correct the problem. But this is a great opportunity for Canada to showcase itself on the world stage, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Your entitlement attitude is very unbecoming.

Your life, good or bad, has nothing to do with Vancouver hosting the Winter Games. Give us a break.

Yup I'm kind of lost on the rich get richer idea in this one myself...

[Cameron]

Oh the Olympics again...my least favourite topic. You know, I don't really care what happens in BC. They will probably screw it up, they always find a way to screw things up. It probably won't make any money, and will probably go over budget, there is a Liberal government running the joint after all. I didn't watch any of the games this time, I did when I was younger but I must say I have lost interest over the years to the point where I would rather watch Martha Steward bake tarts and muffins.

I hope the athletes do well, just like I support our troops over seas. BC, good luck with it all, you won't be getting any of my money and I probably won't watch them.

[Black Dog]

I'm not sure why the topic of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games has developed into a thread of Marxist rich vs poor nonsense. I'm so sick and tired of people like you, who like to decree that every percieved societal ill be eliminated before participating in such events. If you're not happy with your elected offical's decisions, use your vote and correct the problem. But this is a great opportunity for Canada to showcase itself on the world stage, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Your entitlement attitude is very unbecoming.

Your life, good or bad, has nothing to do with Vancouver hosting the Winter Games. Give us a break.

Funny that people who balk at public funds being spent on improving healthcare, the environment, infrastructure etc etc, who rail against high taxes, government interference and beauracracy suddenly become the ardent defenders of massive public spending on spectacles like the Olympics. The question I have is this: if the Olympics are such a profitable venture, why isn't the vaunted private sector footing the bill?

[Riverwind]

It probably won't make any money, and will probably go over budget, there is a Liberal government running the joint after all.

The BC Liberals are really the Conservatives. If the BC Liberals screw up then they discredit the right wing option in BC and allow the NDP to get elected.

In short, it is pretty dumb to presume that you must despise any party that does not have 'Conservative' in its name.

[quinton]

I guess all we can do is not watch the Olympics to protest what they stand for (commercial money grab, ignorance of environmental sustainability, nationalistic pride and superiority complexes, waste of resources and non-renewable energy, etc)

We can also criticize our friends, and family who watch the Olympics, and hopefully enlighten them on why we should not support the Olympics.

[Wilber]

The Vancouver Olympics was the first ever to be voted on by its citizens in a referendum. It passed. The Province and the Federal Government gave it their support. It's happening, so let's quit bitching, get on with it and make sure it is done right.

Part of the Olympic plan is a new rapid transit system from downtown to Richmond and the airport as well as replacing the most dangerous section highway in the province. It's not all just the games.

JMH

The reckess idiots have a habit of taking out the not so reckless with them. The fact is that highway kills far more than its share and it hasn't changed much since the sixties.

[Riverwind]

The Vancouver Olympics was the first ever to be voted on by its citizens in a referendum. It passed.

Only the residents of the municipality of Vancouver (~500,000 people out of 4 million in BC) had a chance to vote.

[Cameron]

It probably won't make any money, and will probably go over budget, there is a Liberal government running the joint after all.

The BC Liberals are really the Conservatives. If the BC Liberals screw up then they discredit the right wing option in BC and allow the NDP to get elected.

In short, it is pretty dumb to presume that you must despise any party that does not have 'Conservative' in its name.

I was kidding. I'm poking the fire that's all. I just don't want to see another Montreal that all.

[Hicksey]

The Vancouver Olympics was the first ever to be voted on by its citizens in a referendum. It passed. The Province and the Federal Government gave it their support. It's happening, so let's quit bitching, get on with it and make sure it is done right.

Part of the Olympic plan is a new rapid transit system from downtown to Richmond and the airport as well as replacing the most dangerous section highway in the province. It's not all just the games.

JMH

The reckess idiots have a habit of taking out the not so reckless with them. The fact is that highway kills far more than its share and it hasn't changed much since the sixties.

I beg to differ. I've seen hundreds of thousands of miles of highways. I've never seen a mile, or ten, that have jumped out to me as a killer highway.

Driver error/apathy is the real problem. People do really stupid things in their cars every day and don't realize it. I can't count the number of times per day cars cut in front of me, stomp on their brakes in front of my truck and then turn right a fraction of a second before I would have hit them. What these people don't see is that that manoever put them within an inch of their losing their life. When a truck hits a car we don't count injuries, we count fatalities. Those who have tangled with a truck and lived to tell about it were the lucky recipient of a miracle. And what's really scary is that there are a lot of drivers that are even more careless around smaller vehicles.

People aren't aware of the limitations of their vehicle - 4x4 drivers are the worst. They have no clue that though they can maintain a higher speed that they can't stop any faster. Still more people aren't aware of the limitations of the vehicles around them - specifically drivers of cars have no clue what larger vehicles can and cannot do and put their lives and the lives of others in danger because of it. People tailgate more today than I have ever seen. And if these factors were not enough, people are increasingly allowing themselves to be distracted by cell phones and other such devices.

I'm not trying to say all of us truck drivers are innocent, because we're not. But we do have one thing on our side. We're not the ones causing most of the accidents. We cause only 30% of accidents compared to nearly 70% for drivers of cars. We drive over 1000 safe miles for every safe mile a car drives. Having said that, I think we all have much room for improvement.

[Wilber]

The Vancouver Olympics was the first ever to be voted on by its citizens in a referendum. It passed.

Only the residents of the municipality of Vancouver (~500,000 people out of 4 million in BC) had a chance to vote.

True, but it was still a first and more than just Vancouver will benifit from it. I think we need to be vigilant when it comes to overseeing how VANOC and our governments go about their Olympic business but the Olympics are a fact and all the wingeing and whining in the world won't change that, so let's move on.

[Drea]

Just like the naysayers before Expo 86.

Without Expo we wouldn't have Science World or the waterfront or Canada Place...

We need (and will get) new highways, new venues -- plus we get to show off how great we are in front of the entire world.

BTW, the CITY of Vancouver is hosting; Not Surrey, not Maple Ridge, NOT the province of BC, not the country of Canada, not the little town in the Peace River.

Go Vancouver!

Go Mayor Sullivan!

[Riverwind]

BTW, the CITY of Vancouver is hosting

The most expensive venue is being paid for by the tax payers of Richmond.