A column by Ian Urquhart in the Toronto Star says plans for Toronto’s Olympic Village are on hold, waiting for Toronto’s waterfront redevelopment plans to catch up. Urquhart writes “Toronto’s bid for the 2008 Olympic Games which would be centred on (Robert) Fung’s redeveloped waterfront, has deadlines that force the politicians to move ahead”. He adds that for key Olympics’ boosters, including Ontario Premier Mike Harris, Mayor Mel Lastman and David Crombie, the bid has never been an end in itself but a means to an end; develop the waterfront.
He says the problem is that, if the waterfront redevelopment plans become too closely tied to the bid, they could go down the tubes together if, as expected, the IOC opts for Beijing in 2008. Conversely, the whole Fung process could compromise the Olympic bid.
For the politicians and others involved in both Fund and the Olympic bid, it’s a delicate balancing act, writes Urquhart.
