Vancouver might be regretting this hosting the Olympics thing
Between the congested roads, lack of snow, and hay bales that line each and every street, Vancouver seems like it might not have been the best choice to host the Olympics. Guess who agrees? Vancouverites.
Sports Illustrated's Dave Zirin brings the ruckus:
"The original cost estimate was $660 million in public money. It's now at an admitted $6 billion and steadily climbing. An early economic impact statement was that the games could bring in $10 billion. Price Waterhouse Coopers just released their own study showing that the total economic impact will be more like $1 billion."
Whoops, your estimate was off by a combined 15.5 billion dollars. But that's not all, folks!
The Olympic Village is $100 million over budget (cha-ching). The necessary security is over budget by $825 million (CHA-CHING). And the coup de grace — 800 teachers are being laid off alongside the possible closure of 13 elementary, middle, and secondary schools, all because of inadequate funding.
Zirin's article, a must-read, details even more problems. Thousands of displaced homeless, anti-Olympics posters, and for the first time ever, a "full-scale protest is being planned to welcome the athletes, tourists, and foreign dignitaries." History in the making.
All that, plus the Games take place during the Memorial Women's March, a demonstration to remember the scores of missing and murdered women in the city. It's the longest running march in Vancouver, and when asked to re-route because of the Olympics, one organizer told Zirin, "We aren't going to bow down to the Olympics."
On the plus side, Olympic officials are giving out luge tickets to upset residents. Brilliant.