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Outside the Downtown Eastside Residents Association office on Hastings Street East in Vancouver, Canada.

Come to Grandview Park on Commercial Drive on Saturday, May 24th from Noon to 1pm to support a social legacy for the 2010 Olympics:

1) Support the development of 3,200 social housing units rather than a new roof for BC Place
2) Support legislative changes that would protect renters
3) Support the UN Human Rights Complaints Against Canada related to SRO Housing Conversions www.noplacelikehomevancouver.org
4) Support a $1 Homelessness Levy on Olympic Tickets and Merchandising to be matched by the Provincial and Federal Governments.

From http://flickr.com/photos/blackbird_hollow/2503580669/

Games enlists shoppers to help trace fake 2010 Olympic tickets. Secret shoppers on the prowl for illicit tickets will be part of a consumer protection campaign being launched next week by Vancouver Olympic organizers.

The Real 2010 campaign, aimed at building consumer awareness about the importance of authentic Games merchandise and tickets, kicks off with advertisements and coincides with an anti-counterfeiting conference in Vancouver.

Trade in counterfeit merchandise is illegal and puts consumers at risk, as fakes are not made according to the same safety, quality and sustainability standards as official goods, the Vancouver Organizing Committee said yesterday. The campaign will urge consumers to check for holograms attached to official merchandise.

Backed by the International Olympic Committee, VANOC will deploy secret shoppers to purchase tickets from unauthorized dealers, trace the origin of the tickets and disable tickets from unauthorized sources.

Scalped tickets have long been an issue at Olympic Games. About 30 per cent of all available tickets are allocated to members of the so-called Olympic family, including official corporate sponsors, national Olympic committees and other sporting organizations with Olympic ties. Large numbers of those tickets tend to wind up with brokers. VANOC has vowed to crack down on the practice.

From http://www.theglobeandmail.com

You can get rich — thanks to the Olympics.

Here’s the deal, now being circulated via e-mail to folks with the right sort of address. If you live in the desirable part of Metro Vancouver (more on that later) you can rent out your place for a small fortune.

As much as $14,000 per bedroom, promises the e-mail that is being circulated by some real estate agents and homeowners. So a three-bedroom home can net as much as $42,000 for the month of February 2010. Some visitors may even rent for two months or more.

Or at least that’s what the eye-popping e-mail, delivered from an “accommodations broker” south of the border, promises. It’s hard not to get cash-in-fever with that sort of loot in the offing.

So, with my scam radar turned on high, I investigated further. I mean, why not get some Olympic gold for myself?

The deal is that an unnamed contractor is compiling a database of properties that will be available. There are no guarantees. But if you;re in a “Tier One” location –Vancouver, West Vancouver, Whistler or Richmond — you can get up to $14,000 per bedroom. The payout is a little less in so-called “Tier Two” cities –Burnaby, New Westminster and Delta. If you’re living anywhere else, what they call “Tier Three” locales, well, they’ll take your name, file away a picture of your place and get back to you. Maybe.

What this is all about, of course, is that the Olympics is the biggest tourist event ever staged on Canada’s West Coast. Just about every single hotel room in the city is already booked by the “Olympic family.” If you are one of the 200,000 to 300,000 tourists expected to come to town, this means you’re likely going to have to deal with local homeowners, or these accommodation brokers, for a place to stay.

Sounds like easy money if you own, right? Well, I found turning your humble home into an Olympic-level auberge isn’t quite as simple as you might think.

If you want to turn your money pit into a nice little personal profit centre, you’ll need to squeeze two single beds into every bedroom. Then you have to have one full bathroom for every two guests. This means if you want to rent out a three-bedroom bungalow at that heady $42,000, you must have three full bathrooms. And who has six single beds?

Then there are the other demands. You’ve got to have a maid service or be willing to clean all those bathrooms yourself, or pay your kids to pick up a sponge. And does anyone really have enough crisp, clean sheets and fluffy towels for all those demanding strangers signing the big cheques?

Don’t forget to subtract that “accommodation brokers’” fee, as well, from your profits. I couldn’t find out what it is, but count on somewhere from 15 per cent to to 25 per cent off the top. Then there’s Revenue Canada: Expect to pay taxes; it’s income.

Make sure your insurance allows you to rent out to guests. If they burn the place down or slip in the hot tub after too many shots of Jagermeister, you may be facing a big loss or lawsuit.

read more - http://www.canada.com

photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouvergo/

VANCOUVER — Jody Broomfield is a First Nations artist who sees only prosperity and potential for his community coming from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Angela Sterritt is a First Nations activist who sees only destruction and despair.

The two points of view represent the schism among Canada’s First Nations about whether Vancouver’s Olympics are a force for good or for evil in their ongoing social, political and economic struggles.

“One of the big questions for (First Nations) is: Do you co-operate or do you resist?” said Bruce Miller, a professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

“Lots of money has been put in to create co-operation . . . but the other thing about it is that this is the moment when they have the chance to make their voice really heard widely.”

As thousands of aboriginal people rallied across Canada on Thursday for a national day of action, the centrepiece of their protests in Vancouver was the Olympic countdown clock.

“We look on the extravagance of what the Olympics represent to us as indigenous people and, quite frankly, we’re pissed off,” said David Dennis, vice-president of the United Native Nations.

“So today, with our unity, with our warriors, with our women, with our chiefs, with our young people, we are standing united in telling the Olympics if they want a peaceful Games they have got to come and pay attention to the poverty that is in our communities.”

But while some aboriginal leaders promised to make the day of action events the start of an ongoing campaign to draw attention to the poverty plaguing First Nations, Sterritt has already been on the campaign trail for months.

She works with the Native 2010 Resistance Campaign which has been jumping from city to city for the last year to bolster anti-Olympic sentiment.

At the crux of their opposition is the contention that the Games are taking place on stolen land because, unlike most other provinces, B.C. does not have an elaborate land treaty system in place with First Nations.

They also say that the development racing across the province to prepare for the Olympics further entrenches economic and social degradation being suffered by their communities.

Sterritt argues that the idea that the Olympics is dividing First Nations communities is another one of “colonialization’s bag of tricks.”

“In that way yes, the media has been working hard to explicate the divisions rather than explain the real issues and impacts our people are facing as a result of the 2010 Olympic Games, such as the destruction of mountain habitat and the sacred waters, the high rate of homelessness and the policing and jailing of the poor, indigenous and racialized people,” she said in an e-mail interview.

Sterritt and other activists protesting under the banner of “No Olympics on Stolen Land” have promised to ramp up actions in the lead-up to the Games, and are hoping to have people from all parts of the country and even the world join in their movement.

Their claims about land issues and environmental destruction are legitimate, argued Taiaiake Alfred, a professor of indigenous governance at the University of Victoria.

But he said making the arguments about them now is bad strategy, he said. The Olympics are coming and there’s no way to stop them.

The larger issue at play is how indigenous people choose to define themselves, Alfred said.

“Do you see yourself in traditional terms in terms of relationships you have, or do you see yourself in kind of modern contemporary terms as an aboriginal person, as a part of Canada, one of the many ethnic groups in Canada, and therefore willing to move in the direction of harmonizing your systems and your way of thinking and your identity with everyone else and making the best of it?” he said.

Making the best of it is the goal of the Four Host First Nations, an official group representing the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations upon whose traditional territories the Games will take place.

The four bands have entered into an agreement with Vancouver’s Olympic organizers to help bolster aboriginal participation while at the same time allowing their communities to reap the untold economic benefits that the Games could bring.

Where Sterritt sees the Games destroying traditional livelihoods - she calls the group “window dressing for the atrocities our indigenous people face everyday” - the four First Nations involved see a valuable opportunity to harness the Olympic dollar to create change in their communities.

Aboriginal businesses are specifically being called upon to work on Games-related projects, money is being spent on increasing sports in aboriginal communities and the host First Nations group is developing college programs to train people for skilled labour jobs that will be needed during the Games and long after.

read more - http://canadianpress.google.com

Vancouver 2010 CEO John Furlong has applauded a decision to upgrade the interior of B.C. Place prior to the the 2010 Olympics.

Pre-Games upgrades include renovations to suites, seating, washrooms and concession stands, and the enhancement of the existing roof liner.

Premier Gordon Campbell also announced a new retractable roof will be constructed after the Games in 2011.

The announcement ended months of speculation that a new roof might be put on the 60,000-seat indoor stadium — which is home to the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as nightly medal presentations — in time for the 2010 Games.

The theory was that a retractable roof — estimated to cost $200 million — would help solve the problem of how to light an impressive Olympic torch indoors.

“BC Place Stadium has always been the perfect stage for spectacular ceremonies in 2010, offering the opportunity to stage special effects and spectator comfort unique to the Winter Games. The upgrades announced today will help ensure a great spectator experience,” said Furlong,

“We support the decision to complete the new roof after the Games, and are very familiar with the savings that can be found when construction is undertaken under the right timing, he added. “Outside of the sport venues, BC Place Stadium is where many of the most spectacular and inspiring moments of the 2010 Winter Games will happen. Memories will be made there and BC Place Stadium will permanently gain a special stature as a premiere Games venue. With the global exposure afforded by the 2010 Winter Games, a new retractable roof, post-2010, and as home to the Vancouver Whitecaps and the BC Lions, BC Place Stadium will clearly attract world-class professional sport and celebration events for years to come.”

The 2010 opening ceremony will take place in BC Place Stadium on February 12, 2010 and the closing ceremony, on February 28, 2010.

During the Games, nightly “Victory Ceremonies” will also be held there. This will be the first time in Olympic Games history that the Olympic Ceremonies will be staged in an indoor venue. The Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony will be held at BC Place Stadium, on March 12, 2010.

From http://communities.canada.com

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/roz2007/1973308837/

The 100,000th British Columbia 2010 Winter Games license plate has been sold, just over a year since the introduction and sale of the first one. The milestone plate was purchased by Kelly Milroy of Westbank.

Westbank received his plate in a special ceremony from Olympic medalist Georgina Wheatcroft and Chris Gibson, Regional Manager, Sales and Marketing of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC).

Approximately 64,000 plates have been sold in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, 13,000 on Vancouver Island, 16,000 in the Southern Interior, and 7,000 sold in Northern B.C.

“It’s a personal commitment of support for the 2010 Games when a British Columbian buys and proudly drives with a 2010 plate, so selling 100,000 plates is a real milestone,” said Dave Cobb, Executive Vice-President of Revenue, Marketing and Communications at VANOC, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Games. “It’s also a very tangible sign that excitement is continuing to build throughout the province. Congratulations to ICBC and we hope British Columbians will continue to support this program, which will help us stage games the whole province and all of Canada will be proud of.”

The plates can be purchased at local Autoplan broker offices for an initial fee of $35 and an annual renewal fee of $25. Net proceeds support the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the Canadian Olympic Team. For more information, visit www.icbc.com.

From http://www.canadiandriver.com

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbarefoot/2068746851/

Vancouver Olympic organizers say they’ve wiped out plans by local ticket brokers to resell prized tickets to the 2010 men’s gold-medal hockey game at inflated prices.

“We’ve tracked down somebody’s source of tickets and eliminated that source,” Vancouver Organizing Committee ticketing head Caley Denton disclosed yesterday.

The tickets, with a face value ranging from $350 to $775, were being promised in advance by the brokers, even though VANOC has yet to print a single ticket for the Olympics, said Mr. Denton, vice-president of sales and marketing.

“We thought something was going to happen and we acted pro-actively to prevent it. They were trying to sell Olympic tickets to different corporations in Canada, and someone alerted us.”

VANOC has vowed to crack down vigorously on ticket scalpers, who are anticipating huge dividends from the 2010 Games.

The problem is a perennial one at the Olympics, because about 30 per cent of all available tickets are allocated to members of the so-called “Olympic family,” including official corporate sponsors, national Olympic committees and other sporting organizations with Olympic ties.

Traditionally, large numbers of these specialty client tickets have found their way into the hands of brokers, particularly for premiere events.

Long-established Vancouver ticket broker Mario Livich said VANOC’s tough talk doesn’t bother him a bit.

“There’s nothing they can do,” said Mr. Livich, CEO of the city’s leading ticket operator, Show Time Tickets, which has its offices across the street from B.C. Place, site of the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.

“Reselling tickets is not illegal. It’s wrong for anyone to interfere with that, and if anyone tries, we’ll fight it.”

Despite VANOC’s early success against one scalping operation, he said that Show Time expects to do a landslide business buying and selling Olympic tickets.

“Every major broker around is going to be involved in an event of that magnitude. My gut tells me that 30 per cent of Olympic tickets are going to be available for resale for the big individual events,” said Mr. Livich, who added that he is not the ticket agent that VANOC is targeting.

Mr. Livich added that he intends to post prices for the tickets “relatively soon,” although he would not say exactly when.

“We know we’re going to have tickets, and we are going to have very active buying and selling. I guarantee it.”

read more - http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouvergo/2275023166/

Tourism Vancouver has opened the first of 12 temporary “satellite visitor centres” expected to help hundreds of thousands of tourists in the 12 months surrounding the 2010 Olympic Games.

The 2.4-metre-by-3.7-metre structure in the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza on Robson Street provides travel information and is equipped to sell tourism products currently available at Tourism Vancouver’s permanent visitor centre at 200 Burrard Street.

The permanent centre normally serves about 300,000 tourists a year but the addition of the satellite centres is expected to boost that total to about one million visitors.

ourism BC is funding the $500,000 capital cost of the project - with each structure worth about $40,000 - while Tourism Vancouver will cover the operating costs.

Tourism Vancouver vice-president Janet Carson said the second satellite centre will open at the Pacific Coliseum for the ISU Four Continents figure skating championships in February 2009.

The others will open near Games venues like Hillcrest Arena, GM Place and the UBC sports centre between late 2009 and early 2010. Carson said tourism officials will also work with the City of Vancouver to identify any high-traffic pedestrian corridors that could benefit from a visitor centre during the Games.

The centres will be staffed by about 300 volunteers and 50 employees during the Games. About 30 staff members will be co-op students on paid internships from Capilano College’s tourism management program.

After the Games are over, the visitor centres will be redeployed to communities throughout B.C. for use as seasonal visitor centres.

The first satellite centre at the Vancouver Art Gallery will be open seven days a week - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for most of the year and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in winter months. It is expected to remain at its current location at least until the end of October 2010.

from http://www.canada.com

Photo from http://flickr.com/photos/antipretty/111723844/

The latest sponsors of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games are Molson and Canwest Publishing Inc.

Molson has signed an agreement with the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee to become exclusive Official Supplier with sponsorship rights in the beer product/service category. The deal covers the 2010 Games, as well as the Canadian Olympic team for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

As Official Beer Supplier, Molson has the pouring rights at all competition and non-competition venues and associated events and is allowed to use 2010 Winter Games marks for promotional purposes.

John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer, said “Molson will be an ideal partner for an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that will give all Canadians a chance to celebrate”.

Molson was the original brewery sponsor for Vancouver 2010’s bid. Furlong said, “Molson helped us win the bid and we will be pleased to welcome them back to the family beginning in 2009. We look forward to their contributions in sharing the spirit of the 2010 Winter Games with all Canadians”.

Canwest Publishing Inc. announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Vancouver 2010 to help inform and engage communities across the country as the Official Regional Newspaper Publisher for the 2010 Games.

Canwest will receive exclusive rights in the regional newspaper publisher product/service category for the 2010 Games, the Canadian Olympic team for Beijing 2008, and the London 2012 Games.

Canwest will also produce a series of information guides designed to inform and educate the community about the 2010 Winter Games on programs such as transportation, ticketing, sports, and arts and culture.

Furlong said at the announcement, “this partnership provides VANOC with top-notch communications vehicles that will enable us to share and celebrate the spirit of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Canwest will continue with its excellence in objective editorial coverage of the Games. We are also very pleased to have their team on board to play a separate role in delivering important information about the Games to communities throughout our country”.

From http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1209052124

Squamish band members will likely protest at the 2010 Olympic Games despite the chief signing an agreement with the Vancouver Organizing Committee to support the event.

“There will be some level of protest, and I hope so, too,” Squamish First Nation Chief Bill Williams said Thursday.

“We are going to be working with VANOC, but we have 3,500 members and not all want to be part of the Olympics. They want to talk about the children and the hardships in the community and they have the full right to do that.”

Williams said natives across Canada have the highest ratings in all the worst quality-of-life scenarios.

“We have the highest rate of people incarcerated, the highest rate of children dropping out of schools, the highest rate of children in the child-care system and I could go on and on,” Williams said.

“I myself as an aboriginal male have the shortest lifespan.”

The Downtown Eastside’s Anti-Poverty Committee has also staged several anti-Olympic protests, including an attack on a podium outside the Vancouver Art Gallery during the launch of the Olympic clock. The clock has been defaced twice.

Read more http://www.canada.com