Jim Byers of the Toronto Star writes that Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s refusal to give up-front cash to Vancouver-Whistler’s Olympic bid could prove a big problem for Canada’s hopes of staging the 2010 Winter Games.
During Toronto’s failed 2008 bid, Chretien promised $500 million for waterfront redevelopment as part of a $1.5-billion effort by all three levels of government.
Byers writes that Vancouver-Whistler faces potentially tough competition from a couple of European cities, and “it might have to join the battle without anything more than a vague promise of support from Ottawa”.
Chretien said that money for the B.C. bid won’t be announced until the bid is awarded in July 2003.
But it could pose problems because the International Olympic Committee insists on ironclad guarantees for Olympic Games, which can cost billions of dollars.
If Vancouver-Whistler hosts the Games, there will be massive improvements needed to the area.
The “dangerous” two-lane highway between Vancouver and Whistler will have to be improved and widened and Vancouver’s convention centre has to be renovated. There will also be a potentially huge security budget.
Salt Lake City has had to put aside $300 million (U.S.) for security.
Byers writes that, “times are tough right now. It’s understandable that Chretien would be reluctant to announce money for an Olympic bid at a time when there’s not enough money for basic improvements”.
But he added that things could change by 2003 or by next August when the IOC is due to announce its short list of candidates for 2010. And it’s possible that Vancouver-Whistler’s competitors for the Games might have similar problems, or issues that don’t affect Vancouver-Whistler.
For now, Byers writes, Ottawa’s failure to put dollars on the table looms as a potential disaster for Canada’s 2010 Olympic bid hopes.
