So, apparently the Olympics have already happened, and Vancouver lost $1 billion.
Nonethess, when conservative wingnuts and left-wing Olympic opposition both start using the Vancouver Olympics as their example of why a city would be well advised NOT to hold the Olympics, the final rose petal on VANOC’s business case has officially fallen to the ground.
This summary of the Green Technology Industry Leaders Roundtable that the VEDC hosted back in June seems to be launching pad for Mayor Gregor Robertson’s address to the Board of Trade today. And in consideration of who sat around that table, I’d say that it’s a pretty solid foundation of ideas to build upon.
The roof of the new convention centre is a symbolic green landing strip for the world. Vancouver is officially open for business.
As mentioned in an earlier post, today’s speech and the ensuing economic development branding/strategy will be the first for Vancouver in over two decades, which is shocking considering the growth that the city has experienced over that time frame.
“Costs overruns and the Olympics also go hand in hand. The city of Vancouver, which will host the 2010 Winter Olympics, is $6 billion in debt, a tab that will be picked up by taxpayers. And the 2012 Summer Olympics in London are four times more expensive than the initial budgeted figure–with a total cost running currently at $20 billion, nearly three years ahead of the opening ceremonies.” – Bob Quellos, Co-founder of No Games Chicago
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Vancouver’s West End is 204 hectares and is home to 44,000 people (as at 2006) and has increased 5.8% in the previous 5 years and 66% moved since the last census. 61% speak English as their mother tongue. The majority are in the 20-39 year old age group. 59% are one person households, with 8,710 families and an average household inome of $38,000. There is a total of over 28,000 private households.
“We’re really asking people to be respectful of the diversity of our community. People live down here because of the diversity, they feel safe within diversity, and that’s a really important value for us.” – Brent Granby, West End Resident’s Association
