Several hundred people gathered at Vancouver’s Bayshore Hotel Thursday to hear Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien pledge the country’s support for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter bid.
The Prime Minister said, “the Vancouver-Whistler Bid is Canada’s Olympic Bid. Canadians from coast to coast want to welcome the world in 2010. We embrace the goals of the Olympic movement to contribute to a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play”.
The Government of Canada joins the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Canadian Olympic Association as the newest member partner of the 2010 Bid Corporation.
Jack Poole, President and CEO of the 2010 Bid Corporation said, “with federal, provincial, municipal government and community support, we have a strong team that is going to submit a superior package to the International Olympic Committee. We will have a Bid that will reflect the hopes and dreams of the people of Vancouver-Whistler, our province and of all Canadians.
Although he declined to say exactly what financial commitment Ottawa would make to the bid process, Chretien said he was confident in the Bid’s chances for success. Chretien said that will be a matter to be decided after Vancouver-Whistler actually gets the bid.
He added, “to go abroad, to sell Whistler, to sell Vancouver, to sell British Columbia will be easy. You tell them the truth and they think you are bragging”.
He said, “if they decide to have the Games here, in Vancouver-Whistler, in 2010, it will be a fabulous success and everybody will come from all over the world to spend weeks here and they will have the best weeks of their lives”.
Sam Corea, manager of media relations for the bid corporation said, “certainly having the federal government’s support is important to any bid. It shows that we are Canada’s bid. We are going to be the international bid put forward on behalf of all of Canada”.
He said funding discussions are continuing and this announcement will only help. “This completes the picture; now we can go forward as Canada’s bid so we are in a good spot”.
The Vancouver-Whistler bid must go before the IOC before Feb. 4 and the shortlist will be announced sometime in the summer.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Federation of Taxpayers has some advice for Ottawa now that it’s behind the bid.
Director Walter Robinson says the government must ensure the bid committee has done its homework and secured as much private sector money as possible.
He says Ottawa should also target most of its contributions to the infrastructure side.
