I don't know if you have gotten the impression yet, but I am not enthusiastic about Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.
I used to enjoy the Olympics but have become jaded and fed up with the constant stories of political bribery, doping, and the loss of the 'heart' of the whole concept of the Olympics.
The costs alone of putting on such a spectacle puts me right off. Especially when our city has so many LONG term issues to deal with. Better things to spend the money on.
So I didn't bother watching the unveiling of the new Olympic Clock yesterday. It is now three years to the opening. My mom told me that she was disgusted by the releasing of helium balloons into the sky to mark the occasion. More pollution.
I was glad to hear about the protesters 'spoiling' all the fun.
While I don't necessarily approve of the Anti Poverty Group's tactics.....their message is important. And should not be trivialized like it was by the biased reporting in the Vancouver Sun. A paper obviously anxious to be a part of the whole hoopla.
Their main message is about the lack of housing for those unfortunate enough to fall on or below the poverty line. God help you if you have any mental illness or drug addiction. Vancouver does not want you nor does it want you to be seen during the Olympics.
They have been doggedly fighting with City Hall. Begging them to address this situation. Mayor Sullivan avoids them and answering their questions as much as possible. City Hall is too busy enjoying the condoization of Vancouver. Condo's that are replacing any room houses and cheap rental places. Condo's that developers charge lots for and help ramp up assessments and property taxes that tumble into City Hall coffers.
Homeless are bad for property values.
We saw this twenty years ago. When Vancouver started prepping for Expo 86, rooming houses suddenly started chucking out their tenants and 'renovating,' hoping to cash in on the influx of tourists during the event. I could even forgive this, Expo was a 6 month event, that is a lot of new people for a long period of time. Worth the money. There was also a flurry of activity to effectively move the 'riffraff' out of sight of the visitors.
The homeless situation is a lot worse now than it was then.
What will Vancouver do when all eyes are upon it this time?
When I heard that the soon to be developed false creek lands were going to be used to house the Olympic Village, I knew there would be trouble.
I had been reading the City Hall reports and news reports about this development. The development was supposed to include a fair chunk of "affordable" housing - some sort of undefined social housing or rental property.
Each report I read saw this portion shrink.
When a deal was struck with a developer, the affordable bit all but vanished. All because of the Olympics. All because of the developer wanting to make as much money as possible and the city to spend as little as possible.
You can see that by the end of the Olympics the village property will be sold at market value.
Market value is insanely high in Vancouver.
So much for social housing.
While the legacy of having much improved sporting facilities built is a nice thing and a good thing for those involved in those sports. I would like to think that many of these renovations would have happened down the road anyway.
And again, is it worth the costs? Costs that are coming in FAR higher than ever projected. The overruns are going to be astronomical. I am not sure if an Olympic event has made a profit in the past. This one will not.
And after the two weeks of fun and excitement, it will be back to the same old same old. Three more years gone by and money spent and nothing solved.
Still no social housing programs. No help for those who need it. The fat cats fatter.
More smiling politicians soooo happy for all the marvelous photo ops. And not a scruffy homeless person in sight.
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9 comments:
It never changes does it? The rich get richer and the poor get swept under the rug.
I am with you on this one. I was never for the Olympics coming here, for all the reasons you mentioned. I am dreading it actually. And yes what about our homeless. My brother is directly effected by this whole housing situation, he is on a pension limited income and has lived downtown eastside for years. Now he may have to move...and guess why? They want to upgrade the place into more condos....surprise surprise...and like you said when Expo was here at least it was a 6 month event. This is just a matter of weeks...ok maybe a month, with all the athletes coming early for practise etc. but really the millions close to billions being spent boogles my mind!!!
Our government is spending an obscene amount of money on this event, to show the world how wonderful Vancouver really is. Great. But how about all the hospitals that had their pediatric units closed in the last 2 years, I know of at least 2 hospitals that had to shut theirs down due to lack of funding. For example both Mission and Chilliwack pediatric patients now have to go to Abbotsford. And I bet those are not the only ones that closed around the province. And let's not even get into all of the daycares that have to close now because of the government taking away the millions of dollars in funding that was given to the province by the previous leaders? Please...the Olympics are just a big "keeping up with the Jones's" type of event. Let's fix our internal problems first, before we start boasting to the world how great we are.
Jeez...can you tell that this topic has hit a nerve with me? Teeheee..sorry.
Michelle
what a waste of money. these games are going to be a total disaster-don't get me started lol
You know, for an event that has always maintained a lack of politic involvement, the Olympics sure have a history of politics.
I am not a fan of the Olympics. I really despise the winter Olympics. I mean, curling? Luge? Figure Skating? Wait...okay I'm back, that last one actually made me retch.
I remember when I was married to my first wife, she was an enormous fan of figure skating, she made me sit down and try to appreciate it. I actually heard the judges talk about how one of the skaters would be deducted due to her costume. COSTUME????
Hmmm..whom have I offended so far? I've insulted curling, figure skating, the olympics..I was going to bash hockey, but that goes without saying.
Anyway, Crunch, I agree with you one hundred percent.
I used to love the Olympics as a kid, but the doping has ruined it for me. Granted, back in the day there were Russian and German women who only vaguely looked female due to all the steroids, but it was obvious.
It's disillusioning to see an athlete that appears to be in peak condition win, only to find out they were doping. At this point I'm pretty much convinced they're all using something. But I suppose at this point you can't compete if you don't.
Oh my Goodness! Speaking of homelessness, come on over to Victoria and check out our downtown core! Yikes!
I work for the Muni Police and it is so out of control here... Vancouver is pushing them all onto the boat and shipping them over to the Island!
Tis really sad. I have never seen it so bad, and it is only getting worse by the day...
Olympics? Bittersweet...
I hear ya honey, the only reason we celebrate in MLK Jr. Day here in Arizona is so that we can have the Superbowl. Isn't that just SAD??? Prior to us getting the Superbowl it was not a state recognized holiday.
Ugh.
I think the Olympic clock looks funny - like a giant toe or a pickle or something. And the need for 24-hour security? That's just sad.
As for the Olympics themselves, well call me naive, but I thought a major event like this was meant to pull people together, but it seems to be having a polarizing effect instead.
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