When B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell visits Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien this week he will be looking for federal help for B.C.’s economy. But world events have soured the timing of his visit. It makes it more difficult for Campbell to attract attention for projects such as the proposed $495-million Vancouver convention centre expansion.
The federal government regards B.C.’s bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics as a crucial lever that could ensure the currently warm Victoria-Ottawa relationship pays dividends.
Environment Minister David Anderson said the Vancouver-Whistler bid will be the catalyst to wrest federal money for the West Coast. It gives both governments “some excellent opportunities to proceed on a number of infrastructure issues”, said Anderson. “It’s a question of determining priorities because neither government has gobs of money to throw around. Both governments have made major tax costs which have limited our revenues. That being said, the Olympics provides us with a great opportunity to proceeds”.
An expanded convention centre isn’t crucial to the bid, but would be useful to house the international media, said Sam Corea, spokesperson for Olympics 2010 Bid Corp.
But Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said there was no money budgeted for convention centres, and if Vancouver received federal aid, it would open the floodgates everywhere. “In Montreal, my city, we have said no. If we say yes to one place, we’ll need to say yes to the others”.
But he acknowledged that the “Olympic bid could be an innovative route to supporting this development”.
