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Give a Home to Us Not the Olympics, say Protesters
VANCOUVER - Robert Bonner is not impressed that Vancouver is hosting the Winter Olympics and thinks the millions of dollars spent on the event would have better gone on alleviating problems like poverty and homelessness.
Anti-poverty protestors march their version of the Olympic Torch through the streets of Vancouver, British Columbia February 7, 2010. (Credit: REUTERS/Andy Clark) "Spending C$178 million ($166 million) for a skating oval isn't really impressive when you're sleeping in a doorway," Bonner told the "Poverty Olympics," a colorful protest on Sunday to highlight Vancouver's social problems.
Vancouver, on Canada's Pacific coast, has been ranked in surveys as one of the world's most "livable" cities but it is also home to one of Canada's poorest and most drug-infested neighborhoods -- the Downtown Eastside.
Sign-holding marchers chanted "Homes not Games" and other slogans as they made their way through the neighborhood to the rhythm of a small ragtag marching band and costumed mascots such as "Itchy the Bedbug" and "Chewy the Rat."
More than 200 attended the protest.
"Canada is a rich nation ... but you wouldn't know it in the Downtown Eastside," said Bonner, a well known activist in the community.
The Games (February 12-28) have a mostly privately funded budget of C$1.7 billion but the government has spent C$580 million on venue construction costs and budgeted C$900 million for security.
A provincial auditor's report in 2006 put the real cost to tax payers at C$2.5 billion but Olympic critics claim it is actually closer to C$6 billion -- figures that Games organizers and government officials dismiss as too high.
INCREASED HOMELESSNESS
Olympic critics say the Games have increased homelessness by fuelling gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, leaving the poor with few options in a city that already has some of Canada's least-affordable housing.
Poverty activists say homelessness in Vancouver has increased 373 percent since 2002 when the city bid for the Games but researchers say it is impossible to know if the event was actually responsible for displacing people.
Olympic supporters say hosting the Games has actually benefited the Downtown Eastside by promoting economic development and spurring job training programs to get residents involved in Olympic-related construction.
"We've been there and tried to help in every way we can. The Olympics are not designed to solve all of the problems of the world," Rusty Goepel, chairman of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), told Reuters on Sunday.
Poverty activists acknowledge too that the Olympics has also given them a stage to publicize their complaints of government inaction to the international media that has descended on Vancouver for the Games.
Some residents of the Downtown Eastside said they had no problem with the Olympics. "All it is is a bunch of countries getting together trying to be the best they can be," said one man, shaking his head as the marchers passed him.
(Editing by Jon Bramley)
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30 Comments so far
Show AllOne of the 'Cultural Olympic' projects is a 'museum' of the DTES and it's inhabitants.
For a small honorarium, tourists will be able to hear a resident of the DTES relate what it's like to live on handouts and spare change, beset by police for no reason other than being poor, to live on the street, in a squat, or shabby SRO hotel.
Many of the residents of the DTES are former mental patients who were forced out of treatment by the Campbell government in a cost cutting move.
While they can afford to airlift in snow to some of the venues they can't or won't find the funds to stave off the city of Vancouver's plan to lay off hundreds of teachers.
I hear they are planning to airlift in tones of free government dope to appease the protesters next
Canada has rapidly gone the way of the pUtresecent States of America.
First of all, "millions of dollars spent on the event" is totally wrong - the total bill is into several billions, despite clever book-keeping by not counting certain projects under the Olympics budget, while conveniently listing them as "legacy" benefits. The Vancouver Convention Center alone is taking up over $850 million - I read somewhere - it's probably going to be the media center for the Olympics?
"Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games" by Christopher Shaw is a great book to understand the "Olympic Movement" and what goes into the hosting of these games. Shaw, despite being a UBC professor, apparently has faced continued harassment for speaking out against the Olympics. Two elderly women, Betty Krawczyk and Harriet Nahanee, who protested against the damage to the Eagleridge Bluffs were actually jailed - Krawczyk for 10 months, when she was 79 years old. Harriet Nahanee, a First Nations activist, was in jail for two weeks, and she was hospitalized one week after being released - due to pneumonia, and she died soon after. She was 72. So Amy Goodman shouldn't protest too much, I guess.
I mention the book "Five Ring Circus" because it would be impossible for me to list all the reasons why such mega events are not all that they are cracked up to be. While the author spends some time talking about this particular Olympics, he goes into the Olympic Movement in general, how the IOC doesn't pay taxes anywhere, how jealously they guard their Olympic logo, how it's the host city's responsibility to crack down on what they call 'ambush marketing' (or is it 'guerrila marketing'? I forget), etc. Like the stupid attempt by NFL to restrict the use of "Whodat", it's all about money.
It's nice to have a party where the whole city or the whole country comes together. But it would be even nicer if the party is NOT driven by commercial interests where the bill is picked up by the taxpayers, while the "benefits" go to just a few developers and businesspeople.
gnken
The problem was letting professional athletes participate in the Olympics. Letting big corporations dump millions into the Olympics. I visit Lake Placid during the winter for a week to vacation and Nordic Ski. The Winter Olympics in 1980 were in Lake Placid. Today you could not hold an Olympics in a place the size of Lake Placid. Like everything else it's become so much of "All about Money".
The decision to allow the professional athletes to participate was taken when Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain) was the IOC President. This man removed all pretensions that the Oympics were about sports and money was incidental - it became the other way around. On the face of it, letting pro-athletes participate makes sense - because, if a country is to be represented by its best, then why put restrictions there? In tennis, there's the Davis Cup - played between nations. Some pro players make it a point to represent their country, while most will play only if there is no other tournament with a bigger prize money is scheduled during that time. BTW, the Wikipedia page on Juan Antonio Samaranch says that he made the IOC financially healthy. The IOC itself if pretty darned "healthy", all right, but the host cities still have to pony up a large part of the budget, although the organizers would like to claim that the city actually makes a profit. Even NBC is expected to take a loss this time - of up to 200 million. Read "Five Ring Circus" by Christopher Shaw.
Vancouver is an ideal location for a protest, an international stage awaits. There is no evidence that the Olympics have hired Blackwater for security and no ultrasonic weapons either, at least not yet. "Defy your Empire!" - Hedges
The VPD *does* have an LRAD sound cannon, like the ones used on protesters in Pittsburgh.
They bought it special for the Olympics.
The police used it in 'P.A.' mode during the fireworks show last summer. Sounds clear as a bell 100 meters out. Can even hear the officer breathing.
"All it is is a bunch of countries getting together trying to be the best they can be," said one man, shaking his head as the marchers passed him.
No, that is not what it is about....corporate dollars and corporate sponsorship to make money (in both the short term- Cocoa Cola, AT & T and other branding opportunities and long term-new condos, resorts, restaurants, highways), more entertaining distractions to keep people from getting interested in politics and making money is what the Olympics are about.
Clearly this guy who responded has no idea what it is like to be homeless and/or dirt poor and trying to get by on nothing!! Callous remarks go on all the time....both in Canada and the USA....
Why can't people focus of more than physical greatness like compassionate greatness, justice-greatness? After watching the New Orleans Saints football players win the sueprbowl I wonder....how is that win going to bring back those in New Orleans to homes that were destroyed from Katrina? Is this win only going to serve the new white residents who are filling up the once colorful community? The new WHITE mayor just took office today....I am sure he will benefit from the Saints corporate football team and he will know how to spend the football capital-windfall.
This article isn't news. Olympic supporters always talk about the benefits of hosting the games, and the communities never see any benefit.
no benefit..except the billions spent in their city, and the jobs created.....
The jobs were purely temporary, and the 'billions spent' have been wasted. And we are wasting millions more trucking snow to one of the major venues because temperatures are above seasonal averages.
This entire boondoggle has been nothing but a massive hand-job for Gordon Campbell's ego.
mujeriego, do you seriously believe that? Billions spent, yes; much of it to be borne by the taxpayers, I presume; but do the benefits flow directly to the taxpayers? Did they even ask for it? That their money be spent on this kind of an extravaganza? Did they have a choice? I don't think so. Seriously, this is not about ideology. It is about understanding reality. That is why I mentioned the book "Five Ring Circus" by Christopher Shaw.
This is not about the Vancouver Olympics *alone*. This is about Olympics in general, and much of commercialized sporting events. The *apparent* benefits are touted by the organizers - who are mostly real estate developers, resort owners and other businessmen. They have to sell the games as being beneficial to the host city, even as profitable. But *no* city that hosted the Olympics has turned a profit in recent years. Even Calgary's numbers are suspect in this regard. Montreal finished paying its debt from the 1976 Olympics about a couple of years back.
Billions are spent, yes. But there is not much by way of return. Why would a city or a province spend billions on something where the benefits will go only to a few people? It's because the Olympics has been sold to them as a good thing - from the bidding stage. Some of the big ticket items will only benefit big business, real estate developers and some lucky home owners - but the costs will be for the taxpayers.
Yes, there will be some jobs created. But I can bet that most of these will be temporary. If it's going to take billions to create a few jobs, that's not good economics. That's a scam.
Some of the money - a big chunk, actually - will be for security. That is true for *all* the Olympics. There is no economic benefit from those hundreds of millions, possibly even a billion-plus, dollars.
If the expense numbers are clearly presented to the public and if they are asked to vote on it, I don't think any city will want to host the Olympics. The IOC has a few suckers lined up. It's London for 2012 Summer. Sochi, Russia for 2014 Winter. It's Brazil for 2016. I know the Indians are itching to host in 2020. So, good luck to them, I suppose.
"Did they have a choice?"
Yes, the city held a referendum. and the majority voted for it.
We can fight costly and unjust wars, build and maintain the best in sports facilities and all that important stuff. We cannot afford medical care for those without it nor can we provide housing and food. After all, its their own fault, isn't it?
Umm..this is Canada..all those protesters get free government provided health care, free social housing, and a monthly welfare check for food and crack
The 'free' healthcare is paid for by taxes, social housing is minimalist and the waiting lists are four years long, and thousands have been thrown off welfare just to make the provincial budget look good to the business crowd. Crack is not the drug of choice on the DTES, heroin is (both of which are handled in quantity by YOUR CIA).
So until you do some basic research, or live here, shut the hell up.
Here in the Lower Mainland, we are living in an increasing militarized police state controlled by big business.
Umm..I do live here. Maybe these protesters should sell their gold nose rings to pay for better accommodations.
Vancouver as beautiful as it is, and it is truly beautiful, is a city of wealth and privilege. The downtown eastside is considered a hazard to most citizens and is actively avoided at all costs. I have driven through that part of town on occasion and admit that I drive with the top up, the windows and doors sealed and as quickly as I can. Not because it is really dangerous but because I personally don't want to see the human misery portrayed there. What a selfish attitude but I know I'm no different than the majority of "fat cats". Somehow I missed being interested in illicit drugs, they were of absolutely no consequence in my life. I knew intellectually that others were not so lucky, but I arranged my life not to associate with such poor people, also very selfish I know. Many community and humanitarian oriented people spend their lives caring for and helping such unfortunates. These Olympic Games are not for such people, they will be shuffled off out of sight and out of mind as they usually are. But the big question will always remain, could this amazing amount of money spent on the games have had a better purpose and had a better result for the spending? I think the answer is yes!
for all its flaws, the Vancouver Olymipcs has created thousands of jobs...perhaps these losers whould have applied for some of them, then they could have afforded a better place to live than the free one Welfare gives them...but I guess that would have cut into their crack smoking and protest time.
oh please. thousands of trees have been cut down to make way for the Olympics. People have been moved. There is more graft involved in the Olympics than in war profiteering almost. It is a great scam that costs the host country tons of money that could be spent on their people. Not to mention all the graft that takes place to get contracts. Democracy Now had a great episode on it. I would think if you did a search on their website you would see what I am talking about
Yeah...we are really short of trees here in BC...we are almost as short of trees as we are of dirt and saltwater....
..and no one has been "moved"..besides emotionally....BC passed a law (that I dont agree with BTW) that allows the police to take homeless people to shelters in case it drops below freezing here (and it seldom, if ever, does here ), but they cannot hold tham at the facilities...they are free to immediately wander back to whatever panhandling, crack smoking area they came from.
..and I think you are talking through your ASS about graft..I have been involved in the contract bidding process for the games, on both sides, and if someone is handing out bribes, they somehow forgot to give me mine. If you have specific allegations of corruption, I would LOVE to see the details and I would make it my personal mission to have those involved arrested.
This protest is just another PR stunt from BC's All Volunterer "Army of the Perpetually Useless." They attract recruits from across the continent, hell, from across the planet ( and nothing I love better than to see my hard earned tax dollars go to a foreign junkie), drawn to Vancouvers easy life of free dope, housing, food, and a montly $500 cheque, year round warm weather and nice beaches. You can easily identify them by their long blonde dreadlocks, their $100 all hemp shirts, and the smell of skunk weed and unwashed ass.
They are often spotted protesting that their free government supplied weed has too many seeds, or that their free goverment housing is too far from the beach, or doesn't have an ocean view, or their free government food only included generic coffee, and not unlimited Starbucks grande mocha frappuchinos. When it gets too cold they move home to Daddy's house in West Vancouver's Marine Drive neighbourhood and watch the 60" plasma until it warms up outside.
These are the most spoiled "homeless" people outside of Sweden...now they can even go to a special facility to have a public health nurse light their bong for them so they dont risk burning theirt precious little fingers.
I know..I used to be one of them...then I grew up, took responsibility for my own life, and got a freakin job.
You are full of shit.
The Olympics is for the aggrandizement and ego of Campbell and other senior politicians. It is for big business.
I have always worked, paid my taxes and obeyed the laws of the land. But I can't afford the price of the tickets to the events. If I had to stay overnight at Whistler, I'd have to go into debt with visa cards. I'm afraid a lot of this is for the wealthy. Most average people in BC won't be able to afford to go, yet we are paying the taxes to pay for this exclusive party.
It is not just the homeless who protest this extravaganza. I find it disgustingly commercial and serves the interest of politics and big business .
I'm not against Olympics per se. But the true meaning of sport competition is gone. It's all about money and ego.
Also, you are very ignorant about our trees. Big corporations are cutting our forests down as fast as they can and shipping the raw logs to other countries.
You are also ignorant about the homeless. Many are not addicts. Many have mental disabilities. Many have lost their jobs and can't afford the ridiculously high rents.
You are an arrogant S.O.B.
From the insulting and derogatory way you are responding to the posters here, you are either: a) a spoiled rich kid who chose to be on the street and went home to mommy and daddy who bailed you out when you got scared or b) working for the Campbell Government as a troll.
You have not responded to the FACTS that myself and others have posted here, except with venom and the Campbell line of crap.
Perhaps there is a tiny silver lining. Could the Olympic village housing be turned over to the homeless or those seeking to help them? What happens to the housing after the games?
Sadly, a lot of the homeless, lose not just their dignity, but also their teeth! No front teeth puts a real crimp into the hiring process. A local panhandler at my grocery does work for change. He'll help people put their groceries in the cars, and the kind management lets him. He's had a couple of job interviews, and he speaks well and looks good , until he opens his mouth. All those interviews end the same way....no teeth= no job.
On the other hand, perhaps the homeless could have an athletes tour, you know, a just say NO to drugs plan. A kind of Heractlites tour..." The way up and the way down are all one and the same."
A bare handful of the suites from the Olympic Village have been earmarked for social housing.
The rest are going to the upscale condo market.
social housing on false creek...sweet. Wish I could afford to live there.
I repeat, you are an S.O.B. (not intended to insult bitches)
Boycott the Olympics.
Chelsea