I don’t know about you, but I’m amazed at how many people are still protesting against the Olympics. Aside from the fact that it’s far too late now, they don’t see what an amazing event this will be for the city. (They also don’t seem to realize that they are half the reason the security costs will be $1 billion…but I won't get into that).
Ask anyone that lived in or visited Calgary during the 1988 Olympics and they will tell you what an amazing experience it was and the incredible legacy it left after the games. The same is sure to happen here. Our downtown is going to be alive with people and excitement. Businesses should see big increases in sales, (if not, they are doing something wrong). The eyes of the world will be on our city drawing more tourists in the years that follow. World class facilities will be left to serve for decades and continue to bring events to the city. To those that want to include the Convention Centre, Canada Line and Highway 99 in the Olympic cost, fine. But realize that all of those projects had to be done eventually – the Olympics was the catalyst that got them done now. Anyone who has done any travelling realizes what an amazing project the Canada Line is – Vancouver now becomes one of the few cities in the world with a direct link from the airport to downtown.
The biggest complaint from the protestors seems to relate to housing of the homeless and the Downtown East Side in general. Every city has such a neighbourhood (or several) – don’t think Vancouver is alone. The reason it is so visible here is because the poorest live right next to some of the wealthiest. Also, it seems pretty clear to me that the reason there are so many homeless here is the climate. I mean let’s face it – where would you rather spend the night on a sidewalk; Vancouver or Winnipeg? These protestors don’t seem to realize that the approximately $2 billion that will be spent on the Olympics would never have been spent on helping the poor anyways. You can’t say the Olympic money could have been better spent, because fact is it's being spent on a great cause. Has the government said even once that they can’t afford to build more homeless shelters because of the cost of the Olympics? If they have, I missed it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely against helping the less fortunate. There are people out there that do need help and I think we can do a lot more with less money than we already are. We can make a difference in helping people get back on their feet. There are also those out there that have had their chance (maybe even numerous times) and we can’t just keep giving handouts. In the end, protestors cannot expect the public to feel guilty for hosting an event that will benefit the entire city, region and even country. The Olympics are one of the few events that brings the entire world together, and we should feel honored to have been chosen to be their host in 2010 and make it the best celebration ever!
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