Not having and CLRT from the airport in the first place was nuts, we should have had it years ago.

I fail to see how the province will gain overall in the long term from the Olympics. Unfortunately only a small proportion of the province will gain from the Olympics, in and around Vancouver and along the Sea to Sky, the rest of the province will pay for it though. If it as good and profitable for the province as we are told, why are Vanoc so secretive and selective in accounting for expenditure? One would expect them to be shouting from the roof tops as to how much it costs vs how much we gain. There seems to be some very selective costs analysis done on this event.

It does seem to me to be more of an ego trip for a few who wanted the Olympics in BC. When an Olympic committee gets authority to close streets, virtually shut down the airspace around Vancouver, Whistler and Pemberton, threaten legal action against anyone who even remotely associates themselves with the name Olympic and the concept without the authority of Vanoc, regardless of how long they have been in business, to me its gone too far.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...icle814075.ece

Did AB gain from the Olympics? I guess they ended up with the COP.

Plus Olympic Plaza, investment in Nakiska, an olympic village which has since been sold off to private investors for a ('loss making') condo development and I have a sneaking suspicion that the Saddledome was at least improved if not actually built for the Olympics.

All the above said, many here question if there trully was a long term benefit to the '88 Olympics

yep it was part of the bid process by the looks of things
http://www.pengrowthsaddledome.com/b_history.html

On arrival in Vancouver, every Olympian should be given a homeless person for the duration of the Games, as a sort of flunky to carry their bags, and open their steroid bottles etc. The homeless person can sleep at the foot of the athlete's bed. The Olympians can show the homeless people that there is dignity in honest labour, in striving to reach one's potential, and how to cut their toenails properly etc.

During the Games, they can get to know each other, and become friends. Then once the Games are finished, it would be the turn of the homeless people to be a support to their athlete buddies who now have to come to terms with the fact they spent 4 years training for something and they came last/fell over/crashed/broke their leg. The homeless people can show all the failed athletes where to find the soup kitchens and the best alleys to sleep in.

Shurely a win-win proposal?

Those factors existed before the economy went south though, so something is making it tick.

FYIW, Burnaby's government is also anti-Olympics, so it's not like all the cities are singing Kumbaya over it either.

You can say you very much doubt it but it's a hard case to prove unless we find a Tardis and warp into an alternative reality. What I do know is it's very unlikely now Translink is so in debt from the Canada line and all the rest of it. I also don't see what's so necessary about sea to sky except for the Olympics. Where's the population? There is much more population in the east that really needs better infrastructure and is growing fast. Why encourage pop'n growth up there when it's already happening down here without needed upgrades? I don't have a problem with spending on infrastructure, I have a problem with where the spending is going.

About the only thing I agree with is the Canada line.

Not to the extent they do today. Take away stimulus and GDP would be negative; that's not the economy keeping itself afloat.

I stand by my prediction of significant inflation in the medium term unless by some miracle the BOC grow a pair and do the right thing rather than the politically expedient thing.

Edit: Sorry, don't wish to take this thread into another one of my economy rants... I've made too many of those recently

Maybe we should move this to another thread.

Alan, I fear you're right about inflation. *swiftly changes subject* However, let's talk Olympics!

Inukshuk, anyone?

In their blind hurry, people are oblivious to the fresh flowers and crosses laid along the road where people died, and ignore statistics. Last year alone there were 400 crashes, 10 people died, 123 were injured. Crashes occur up to three times more often than the provincial average, and average annual ICBC claims for the road are over $11 million.

Vancouver Sun, March 3, 2001

I don't know how to put a value on human life, but I think the $600m it cost is very good value for our tax dollars.

10 people isn't so many and if saving lives is a measure you can get better value elsewhere.

Personally, as a reasonable well off middle class skier I'm very happy for everyone else to disproportionately subsidise my quicker journey to whistler. Thanks everyone!

....I like your thinking on this one. However, the only flaw in an otherwise brilliant scheme, is that you may have inadvertently stumbled upon a way of virtually doubling Vancouver's homeless problem - but as I say, apart from that minor technicality - brilliant!

The homeless don't even say thanks.

Well, just send them all over to the London Olympics in 2012, as trained "Athlete Liaison Co-ordinators", or ALC-ys.

Won't that lead to an exponential growth in the homeless population? It will be like the south park 'Night of the Living Homeless' episode.