CTV news says it has learned that British Columbia’s (B.C) auditor general will issue a report on Vancouver 2010’s budget that questions costs associated with a $2 billion transit line while critics are accusing organizers of hiding the Games’ real price tag.
Harry Bains, a B.C. MLA told CTV Thursday, “I think it’s unfortunate, because that does no good to the public trust, and the confidence we dearly need to make these Games a successful story for future generations”.
Vancouver 2010’s total budget has been set at $2 billion but construction costs originally set at $470 million have increased to $580 million because of the city’s strong economy, reports CTV.
Crews are working on the new Canada line, a 19.5 km rail line with 16 stations that will link Vancouver’s airport to downtown Vancouver which is scheduled to be finished in 2009 ahead of the Games.
Other expenses the auditor general is expected to include in his report on the Olympic budget include $130 million for Legacies Now, a government program to help sport and community legacies after the Games; $26 million for the B.C. Olympic Games Secretariat, $6 million for the B.C. Canada Place – the log home at the Turin Winter Games; and costs for marketing and tourism promotions for the Games.
Bains said he hopes the report will give Canadian taxpayers a better indication of what they will be paying for the Games. He said, “I hope that the auditor general report will catch all of the Olympic related costs, and add all that up and tell the public what the total cost is”.
