575 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

I guess the current administration just can't live with:

- Topaz Park

- Tent city

- Biketoria

- Sleeping in cars

- Increased crime

- Dumped police chief

- Increased park camping

- Continued bungling of the Johnson Street Bridge

 

...as their legacy.

[spanky123]

^ Well if they time it right they can get us selected and then get themselves a nice 6 figure salary for 4 years 'advising' the games committee just before they get turfed out of office. 

[Hotel Mike]

Add to the list Council's inept handling of the two bridges for the David Foster Walkway. Staff wanted to go ahead with different work and asked Council to hold off. But Councillors insisted, and the work was told to go ahead. So, someone makes an estimate too low for the work, only one bid comes in, and now Council has capitulated and say they will hold off after all. There were some private funds announced for that work. Let's hope their incompetence hasn't cost the city other funding.

[Bingo]

Well then the DVBA and Tourism Victoria can help fork over the $1B that Mayor Helps stated in May it would cost us to host the games.

 

And you can double that 1 Billion if you add in the sewage treatment debacle.

They better figure out a larger space for tent city as we will ALL be camped in it, if we lose our shorts paying for another project that isn't needed.

[Kungsberg]

Here's a 9-page report to Toronto's City Council, written 2 weeks ago, outlining why Toronto should NOT put a bid in for the 2022 Commonwealth Games - 

 

http://www.toronto.c...file-104498.pdf

 

 

Makes for interesting reading.  Some of their reasons for not recommending that the bid go ahead:

 

"Lack of confirmed support from other orders of government..."

 

"Lack of certainty on the availability of resources to host the Commonwealth Games..."

 

"Lack of community engagement and consultation..."

 

"Lack of resources and expedited timelines to bid...."

 

"The City would incur unbudgeted costs...."

 

and there's more detail in the report.

 

How are these issues magically not the same for Victoria?

I don't have any confidence (unfortunately) in this municipality that hosting the Commonwealth Games will not become just another money pit.  

[VicHockeyFan]

What does Saanich say?  Since they will host most stuff.  Black says he has a letter signed by "most" mayors.  That sounds a little non-specific.  Certainly no council had a debate about this.  I'd like to see that letter.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 12 June 2017 - 06:16 AM.

[Bingo]

What does Saanich say?  Since they will host most stuff.  Black says he has a letter signed by "most" mayors.  That sounds a little non-specific.  Certainly no council had a debate about this.  I'd like to see that letter.

 

Me too wants to see it.

[Bernard]

90m pounds in 2014? So maybe it'd be 250 million CAD in 2022. That's a lot but far lower than the 1 billion talked about.

The Glasgoq games cost £543m, which on Canadian terms is north of $1 billion.  Cost of security is not part of that figure.  The budget was for a cost of £575m.   £424.5m came from government

 

 Glasgow had a lot of the venues needed, we do not have them.   To have a bid from Victoria considered there needs to be commitment to building a stadium from 25,000 to 30,000 people and a new pool that can host enough spectators.   We also need housing for around 5500 to 6000 people.   We have a lot more infrastructure to build

[Mike K.]

What if the games are split between the Capital Region and other parts of the Island, a la Vancouver and Whistler?

[VicHockeyFan]

Why do we need a different pool than last time?  Or at least, why do we need more seating this time?   This time we have a thing called the internet, which we did not have in 1994.  More ways for people to watch live on a screen than ever before.  We have two local TV stations now, we have 10 Canadian cable sports channels now, instead of 1.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 12 June 2017 - 01:11 PM.

[lanforod]

Bernard, what's wrong with Saanich Commonwealth Place in terms of the pool? Sure, the events have grown, but if the competition space is sufficient, then there is just limited seating, no different than 1994?

Edited by lanforod, 12 June 2017 - 01:07 PM.

[lanforod]

VHF beat me to it ...

[Nparker]

....why do we need more seating this time?   This time we have a thing called the internet, which we did not have in 1994....

So let another city host the Games, bear all the costs and those in the CRD gung-ho on this event can pay out of their pocket for exclusive internet access to view all the competitions.

[aastra]

Commonwealth Place had seating for almost 3,000 spectators in 1994. Centennial Stadium had seating for almost 40,000 spectators in 1994. For 2022 is anyone seriously expecting more than that from last-minute potential alternative hosts? If larger facilities are required then that should make dropping out a very easy call. I shudder at the prospect of using these 2022 games to somehow justify building a facility at Central Park that has significantly more seating capacity than Commonwealth Place.

 

Seating at Commonwealth Place in 1994:

 

 

The shot at around 4:30 of this video makes me wonder if you might be able to get ~1000 more seats in the space occupied by the waterslide

 

Or 11:45 of this video...

 

 

Edited by aastra, 01 March 2018 - 10:01 AM.

[Bernard]

Bernard, what's wrong with Saanich Commonwealth Place in terms of the pool? Sure, the events have grown, but if the competition space is sufficient, then there is just limited seating, no different than 1994?

It is much smaller a venue that is normal for the commonwealth games

[lanforod]

It is much smaller a venue that is normal for the commonwealth games

 

Okay, assuming that is true, perhaps this could expedite the planned pool at CARSA at UVic. 

[Bernard]

In 1994 Victoria had no serious other bidders for the games - few people were ready to consider New Dehli at that point.   It meant that Victoria was done as a very cheap games overall.   This time around we have to offer more than Edmonton or Toronto as well as the 6 or so other cities in the hunt for the games.   The expectation will be that whoever gets the games does a fair bit

[VicHockeyFan]

Neither Edmonton or Toronto are interested Bernard. I see zero evidence online of them bidding.

[Nparker]

Neither Edmonton or Toronto are interested Bernard. I see zero evidence online of them bidding.

I wish the same could be said for Victoria.

[Mike K.]

 

The 'Spirit of '94' lives on atop a downtown Victoria rooftop

 

The spirit of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games lives on atop a downtown Victoria rooftop two-and-a-half decades following the sporting event.

 

Painted atop the Dogwood Building on Wharf Street at Fort Street, a giant games logo can still be seen by visitors arriving to downtown Victoria by float plane, and if you zero in on the 1019 Wharf Street address with Google Maps, it's visible there, too.

 

Coincidentally another throwback to Victoria's Commonwealth Games has also remained etched into the local landscape.

 

Several streets in Oak Bay, and quite possibly within the City of Victoria, still have the five-year blue bicycle race paint that racers followed during cycling events. Despite it's intended short-lived chemical make-up, Victorians may have unknowingly stumbled upon an extremely durable, weather resistant road paint that refuses to let the Spirit of '94 fade away.