607 replies to this topic

[HB]

There is a 20 year reunion in August.

http://piseworld.com...onwealth-games/

 

[Nparker]

See if anyone can still fit into those ugly uniforms.

 

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[Mike K.]

I remember waiting obnoxiously long for BC Transit buses during the games. Whoever decided to use public transit vehicles for ushering around event goers instead of keeping the transit system running as per the schedule dropped the ball big time and screwed a great deal of people over.

[http]

See if anyone can still fit into those ugly uniforms.

 

Pain.  Behind left eye.

Those two weeks were exceptionally messed up.

[Mike K.]

Catch the spirit, oh oh oh, catch the spirit, the spirit of '94...

[HB]

Its amazing that I still see people wearing those jackets around Victoria occasionally and the yellow T shirts

[Mike K.]

The City of Victoria wants to be the backup host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

 

I'm not so sure the tax payers of Victoria will want to be in a position to spend untold millions on a sporting event, then keep spending untold millions in additional taxes.

[Jason-L]

If we're lucky, our unique centerpiece bridge might even be working by that time!

[Mr Cook Street]

The City of Victoria wants to be the backup host for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

 

I'm not so sure the tax payers of Victoria will want to be in a position to spend untold millions on a sporting event, then keep spending untold millions in additional taxes.

The cost and expectations might be much lower if we are the backup? There is also the provincial/federal funding to upgrade our sport facilities.

[VicHockeyFan]

The cost and expectations might be much lower if we are the backup? There is also the provincial/federal funding to upgrade our sport facilities.

 

The idea is we have lots of the facilities already.

 

I think it'd be great.  There was not even the internet yet when we did the last one.

[Mike K.]

I'm just not convinced that this is in the best interests of the tax payer. We are moving towards major tax increases to pay for heaps of infrastructure upgrades and the last thing we need hanging over us are millions upon millions in new projects, regardless of whether or not a portion of the expense is shared by the feds and the province.

 

I just don't think we should be planning parties when we can't figure out our finances. 

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm just not convinced that this is in the best interests of the tax payer. We are moving towards major tax increases to pay for heaps of infrastructure upgrades and the last thing we need hanging over us are millions upon millions in new projects, regardless of whether or not a portion of the expense is shared by the feds and the province.

 

I just don't think we should be planning parties when we can't figure out our finances. 

 

Nope, this kind of stuff is good.  Vancouver did well by both Expo and the Olympics.  We can't cut everything out and go into super-austerity mode.

 

Now, the CoV right now in budget talks says "what do you want to do with this extra $4.5M we have?".  Now, to that I'd say, stick it on the bridge, we really don't have that extra money.

 

2022 is a long way away. 

[Mike K.]

Vancouver is paying for the Olympics through the nose indirectly. Taxes on taxes, and increasing taxes, are what the lower mainland is facing.

 

2022 is just enough time for us to realize how much money we're going to be expending to fix the problems in our region. We don't need the Commonwealth Games here any more then we need an island wide rail system.

 

We need to reign in taxes, we need to balance our books. How long can we just keep raising taxes at twice or three times the rate of inflation?

[VicHockeyFan]

Vancouver is paying for the Olympics through the nose indirectly. Taxes on taxes, and increasing taxes, are what the lower mainland is facing.

 

As well as tremendous prosperity and skyrocketing housing values.  Not too shabby!

[Mike K.]

That has about as much to do with the Olympics as our rising gas prices have to do with falling oil prices.

[VicHockeyFan]

Olympics, Expo > puts in on worldwide map > attracts investment, immigration > drives up housing prices.

[Mike K.]

That's a convenient argument but it is in no way directly related to the Olympics. As for Expo, it allocated a large swath of land in downtown Vancouver and allowed Hong Kong-based developers to move in prior to the mass migration of Hong Kong residents wanting to leave Hong Kong prior to the handover from the British to the Chinese, and who wanted to remain as relatively close to the Asian market as possible (big breath).

 

Has Sochi become a real-estate hotbed since hosting the Olympics?

[Jason-L]

http://www.theglobea...rticle15036916/

 

That suggest that the Olympics didn't do much for the international visibility of the cities, but the massive infrastructure investment was a good.

Which, honestly, doesn't surprise me.  Investing in infrastructure usually does pay off more than rah-rah-rah boosterism.  Maybe with a 2022 Commonwealth games, we could get some interest in a skytrain of our own, or a bridge across Finlayson Arm...

[North Shore]

Olympics, Expo > puts in on worldwide map > attracts investment, immigration > drives up housing prices.

Read an article the other day that argued that rising housing prices in VR are actually hurting the city, not helping it. People who actually work there, rather than just speculating on property, are finding it increasingly difficult to afford decent housing, and are thus leaving...

[VicHockeyFan]

Read an article the other day that argued that rising housing prices in VR are actually hurting the city, not helping it. People who actually work there, rather than just speculating on property, are finding it increasingly difficult to afford decent housing, and are thus leaving...

 

There's going to be lots of arguments both sides, for sure.  If I'm the grandson and heir of my granny about to die and leave the $2M home that only cost $65,000 in 1970, I'm happy.