Exact Cost Expected Soon
It is official. The Vancouver 2010 security bill will top $175 million.
"We've got some numbers that we're finalizing and going over with the B.C. government; it's going to be more than 175 [million dollars], clearly," Canada's Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said on July 22 in Vancouver.
"The exact numbers will be out pretty soon, we're just going over some fine details."
His provincial counterpart, John van Dongen, refused to comment on the budget during a break in the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region summit.
Meanwhile, Day pledged there would be no "long, multi-hour lineups" at the British Columbia/Washington state border during the Games, but did not explain any strategy to ensure efficient entry for low-risk visitors. Blake Delgaty, the head of Canada Border Services’ B.C. operations, said a day earlier that waits would be comparable to a summer Saturday.
Average wait times during the summer can run up to an hour, but are sometimes greater than two hours.
Van Dongen estimated 5,000 more people and 2,500 more cars would cross into the province daily in February 2010.
Labor Shortage Averted
When Canada's premiers agreed to a new labor mobility agreement on July 18, they delivered good news to 2010 Games organizers.
In 2009, the Agreement on Internal Trade will allow any worker who is certified by a provincial or territorial government to practice their occupation in another jurisdiction. The agreement's biggest impact may be in the security industry. The labor mobility pact will allow the import of out-of-province security guards to augment the Games' security force. Owners of B.C. companies said earlier this year that there were not enough private guards to handle existing clients and work with the RCMP-led security detail.
Transportation Questions Remain
Vancouver 2010's transportation plan is supposed to be finished this fall, but it may not be public until the new year. The plan was originally expected by the end of 2007.
Residents of the Sea to Sky corridor have flooded radio talk shows worried that the highway would be closed entirely during the Games.
Vancouver assistant city engineer Jerry Dobrovolny would not disclose which city streets will be restricted by the Olympic Lane network when he spoke at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region summit on July 23.
"We're looking at our entire arterial system, which is connected and works to feed the city," Dobrovolny commented.
"We're looking at removing or reducing background traffic as much as possible."
The provincial government quietly enabled street and highway closures for the Olympics when it amended the Motor Vehicle Act in April. Dobrovolny also hopes to convince downtown employers to shift office schedules and let workers telecommute.
Meanwhile, Dobrovolny said education would be used before enforcement to discourage Pacific Coliseum neighbors from selling parking on their yards to ticketholders of short-track speedskating and figure skating. Many earn extra income from parking spot rentals to attendees of concerts, junior hockey games and the annual Pacific National Exhibition summer fair.
"It's not allowed for people to operate a large-scale parking operation in a residential neighborhood," he said.
"We will expect property owners follow the rules."
Olympic Flame Plans Trickle Out
The Olympic flame will get rock star treatment for its cross-Canada tour beginning in late October 2009.
VANOC advertised July 24 for companies to produce midday and early evening Olympic torch relay community celebrations. The winning bidder will haul mobile staging, lights, sound and video equipment to each of the free events for 1,000 to 20,000 people. VANOC is also searching for a video production company to offer daily coverage and a documentary.
"An average community celebration may consist of a two-hour program with the content being a combination of VANOC Olympic Flame protocol, sponsor and entertainment and community entertainment," said the request for proposals.
The torch relay begins with the ritual lighting in Olympia, Greece. It ends at the Feb. 12, 2010 opening ceremony in B.C. Place Stadium. Some 12,000 people are expected to carry the flame over 35,000 kilometers. The federal government added $25 million to VANOC's $30.8 million torch relay budget in February.
Vancouver Briefs…
Vancouver 2010's biggest sponsor, Bell Canada Enterprises, announced July 28 that it would lay off 2,500 managers across Canada – 6 percent of its 54,000-strong workforce. The telecommunications sponsor is going private after a takeover by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund and two U.S.-based investment firms. It is the third major 2010 sponsor to cut staff in recent months. Air Canada closed Halifax and Winnipeg crew bases and cut 2,000 jobs while General Motors Canada decided in June to close an Oshawa, Ont. truck plant and lay off 2,600 people.
By Christmas, traditional and contemporary songs from First Nations, Inuit and Metis will be available as free downloadable ringtones on the Four Host First Nations website. CEO Tewanee Joseph said it is a 21st century take on the customary giveaway to guests at potlatches -- traditional celebratory feasts among Coast Salish natives. "It's an easy way for anybody in the country to get involved in the Games," said Joseph, who is seeking sponsors for the project. FHFN is planning a Games-time indigenous pavilion on the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza in downtown Vancouver to showcase native culture and arts and craft sales.
With reporting from Bob Mackin in Vancouver.For general comments or questions, click here Click here to see the latest Around the Rings Olympic Bid Power Index -- the only authoritative ranking of the 2016 bid cities.
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