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Cbc's "have Your Say" Question


Guardian

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CBC has a web link dedicated to asking opinions about Vancouver 2010's costs. Do you think there will be worries about cost overruns? If you want to "voice" your opinion here, please come to this link: YOUR VIEW: "Vancouver 2010: Are You Worried About Olympic-Sized Cost Overruns?"

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I just had to post one too. I really think that cost-overuns of any world class event is extremly natural. Not many games gain money you know. Cost overuns cost tax-payers now, but will be paid back after a few years. Example? Expo 1986 - outcomes include stronger economy, larger and greener city, etc. What we have to pay now isn't important, what we recieve in the future is more.

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Most of the people are ignornant on the issue and misinformed as Mr.X mentioned. They automatically jump to conclusions because they hear of a cost overrun. All Olympic city preperations end up with cost overruns. That's just how it is and Vancouver isn't really going to ring up a huge debt load by hosting these games. It is no where near the scale of Montreal's Olympics and the debt that came along with it. Canadians just get worried by this because of the memories of Montreal's Olympics.

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Most of the people are ignornant on the issue and misinformed as Mr.X mentioned. They automatically jump to conclusions because they hear of a cost overrun. All Olympic city preperations end up with cost overruns. That's just how it is and Vancouver isn't really going to ring up a huge debt load by hosting these games. It is no where near the scale of Montreal's Olympics and the debt that came along with it. Canadians just get worried by this because of the memories of Montreal's Olympics.

and you also have to factor in the Auditor General's report, who is also misinformed or is doing some political backing. He's including B.C.'s share ($450 million) in the Canada Line (which was in planning long before the bid started in 1995), he's including Vancouver's share in the Canada Line's cost ($23 million) simply because False Creek South Station has been renamed to "Olympic Village Station", he's including the cost of the Sea-to-Sky Highway ($700 million) though this project was fast tracked and originally to be completed by 2012 - even the highway before improvements was designed for future expansion (all of the highway bridges were 4-laned but on either side of the bridges were just 2 lanes). And all of that comes to a total of $1.5 billion in "BC Olympic costs".

By this logic, wouldn't the Convention Centre expansion be an Olympic cost as well? Though the centre was slated for expansion, in 1992 during the Social Credit Government, long before the Olympic bid. And what about the $1 billion Evergreen LRT Line, though some sort of rapid transit connection was in planning eversince the late 1980s (after Expo). or what about Translink's $4 billion 10-year transportation improvement plan?

But I have to agree on the Auditor's findings that stuff like the $40 million BC Olympic Secretariat, Own the Podium, and Legacies Now are Olympic costs.....and i'm perplexed that the government isn't admitting these are Olympic costs but instead is saying these expenditures would've been made with or without the Games. Where's the logic in that?

I also find it quite hillarious that the day after the Auditor's report was released, BC NDP leader Carole James demanded that VANOC management including CEO John Furlong be fired because of these cost overruns found in the report. The next day, the Auditor General made a statement that Furlong and VANOC have been doing an incredible job in dealing with the situation....that they've done their best. Where's Carole now?

Anyhow, we won't go in debt. And most of these expenditures are going towards useful things anyway......a rapid transit line, and an improvement to one of Canada's most deadly highways. Though i'd think the overall security budget could double or even triple the originally pegged $170 million.

sorry about the rant....but i'm just pissed at how all these ignorant, biased, or misinformed people are making comments in the papers, on tv, on the web......like wtf, the headlines of the Vancouver Sun on the day after the report was released was "2010 games in crisis". A crisis over things we already knew about? Canwest Global and affiliates should burn in hell.

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And, if the Calgary Games was so into debt, as a couple of those posters claimed in that link, then how in the world did Canada do so well in the subsequent Olympic Winter Games since then? The venues, however old in various degrees, is still in overall good health for the time span since 1988 until now. Sure, the initial investment is not going to be so fruitful at first, but it doesn't mean that the venture dies after the event is over. I think these misinformed people think that these athletes are rich, too? RICH? Like, give me a break! :rolleyes:

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And, if the Calgary Games was so into debt, as a couple of those posters claimed in that link, then how in the world did Canada do so well in the subsequent Olympic Winter Games since then? The venues, however old in various degrees, is still in overall good health for the time span since 1988 until now. Sure, the initial investment is not going to be so fruitful at first, but it doesn't mean that the venture dies after the event is over. I think these misinformed people think that these athletes are rich, too? RICH? Like, give me a break! :rolleyes:

haha....rich athletes......i guess that's also why Daniel Igali lives in Surrey BC.

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Well, mr.x, with that article about Shaw and "co." going through with potential threats like that, don't be surprised if he or some of those guys think Igali is a multi-millionaire who took advantage of the Canadian refugee system.

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