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Students at W. Earle Miller Public School

In an editorial comment from Wednesday’s Metro Vancouver, Paul Sullivan outlined his five reasons to not ‘Believe’ in the Olympic Games. While I can appreciate the jab at CTV, the Canadian broadcaster for the games, I find little else to agree with in his reasons. Lets take his points one by one.

Number 5: Sullivan says “The Olympic mascots are endangered or non-existent species [...] Somehow this says it all.” I have no idea what this says. Yes, the Olympic mascots are hybrids of endangered and mythical creatures. The animals that are threatened or endangered have not reached that point because of the Olympics. To my mind, all this says is that VANOC is conscientious of the amazing wildlife that BC is privy too. What does highlighting that fact say? If anything it brings further needed attention to animal populations under threat.

Number 4: “The Games will cost at least $6 billion [...] what are we going to do with a $104.9 million toboggan slide?” The first point to note with this claim is the standard tactic of anti-Olympic voices citing the figure of $6 billion as the cost of the games. As I’ve pointed out before, that number includes the construction costs of the Canada Line, the Sea-to-Sky Highway improvements, construction of the Vancouver Convention Centre, improvements to the Port Mann bridge and the construction of the Pitt River bridge. I strongly suspect that most, if not all of these infrastructure projects would have been undertaken were Vancouver not playing host to the games. They certainly are not ‘but for’ the Olympics. I should hope that any Vancouver resident is at a bare minimum proud of the fabulous new Canada Line. At a cost of $1.7 billion the rail line represents almost 30% of the oft quoted $6 billion figure; it is worth every penny and happy to have that argument with Sullivan. It baffles me how people seem to treat the $6 billion as money that is just lost. Do I really need to point out that these are investments? There is a reason that the latest quarterly growth figures from the Conference Board of Canada have BC atop the pack in terms of economic performance. I presume I don’t need to explicitly state why this is. I imagine that with the bobsled track we will see stronger luge, bobsled and skeleton teams in the future, as well as a new yearly World Cup event in Whistler. Wait for it; I expect that will bring a positive economic impact to the community.

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John Robertson of PIVOT Legal Society (photo from The Tyee)

While it will be easy enough to find red (and white) in Vancouver this February, PIVOT Legal Society is hoping that you notice the colour for a different reason, as they kick off a new campaign aimed at highlighting homelessness in the city. I have frequently said that there is much more value in co-opting the Olympic platform to attempt to shine a spotlight on any given issue than directly protesting against the Games. PIVOT’s latest strategy seems be following in that line of thought exactly.

In 2008, a BC Court ruling struck down a Victoria city bylaw that prevented the homeless from erecting tents in city parks for shelter. The court ruling found that if adequate shelter from the elements could not be found (ie. in shelter spaces) then homeless citizens have the right to provide themselves some shelter with tents. In December of 2009 the BC Court of Appeals upheld this ruling. With that right affirmed, PIVOT will be distributing up to 500 red tents amongst members of Vancouver’s homeless population. Not only will they afford some basic protection, erecting the tents will be a very visible case of exercising the rights affirmed by last December’s appeal court ruling. It is no mistake that PIVOT’s latest endeavour coincides with the Olympic games. The city will be flooded with media from around the world. As Canadians we should be ashamed at the idea of removing these people from sight during a big international celebration. Vancouver is an amazing place that I feel is most deserving of all the attention it garners as a livable city. That should not obscure the fact that the city has a significant homeless population. In fact, it calls for a reaction that is completely opposite; one that says not only do we recognize there is a problem, but we are going to work to improve the situation. At the very least, this latest campaign forces the city (and world) to be cognizant of the problem.

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Australian banner hangs outside the athletes village in Vancouver (Image by the CBC)

Towards the end of last week, in an incredibly tone deaf move, the International Olympic Committee sent word to the Australian Olympic team that the large banner the team had suspended outside their rooms at the athletes village needed to be removed, citing their rules against allowing non-sponsored trademark images to profit from the games. The banner, a cartoon boxing kangaroo on a green background that also features the Southern Cross that is present on the national flag has served as a longtime mascot for the Australian team at both summer and winter games. How the IOC was not able to see that their request was the only possible action they could take that would cause an increase of profits from the sale of the non sanctioned flag is beyond me, but that has nonetheless happened. As of this Sunday the banner was still hanging outside the village and a local flag shop has been fielding numerous calls from city residents looking to purchase the flag in solidarity with the Australian team. Australian team officials have indicated that should they receive an official request in writing from the IOC the banner will be removed. Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts has indicated the city of Surrey would find a prominent place to display the banner should it’s removal from the village come to pass.

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Photo from Mr. Macias' Twitter Account

On Saturday, after undergoing several hours of questioning from Canadian customs officials, Martin Macias Jr., an activist with ties to the Olympic Resistance Network attempting to travel to Vancouver to cover and participate in various anti-Olympic protests and rallies, elected to return to the US instead of remaining in Canadian custody. The above linked to CTV news report does indicate that Macias was the given the choice to remain detained in Canada and await trial for withholding information. Being a working student, this was not an option for Macias and he returned to the States. The ORN reports that Macias has no criminal record that they are aware of.

While the decision to grant entry to the country ultimately lies with Canada Border Services, I am of the opinion that we should only be turning people away with just cause; as of right now there does not appear to be any in the case of Mr. Macias. Personally, I have a much different viewpoint of the Games than the members of the Olympic Resistance Network, but I completely defend their rights to participate in peaceful protest (although other tactics have been espoused by the group), as well as report on it. The city, VANOC and ISU have all been slow in the past when addressing free speech concerns. While this is a slightly different case, in that it involves a US citizen travelling across our border, it still falls into the same broad category, and Canada Border Services joins that group of organizations engaging in poor information management that only serves to make them look bad. With the ORN hosting a two day conference (or ‘convergence’ as they term it) set to begin on February 10th we can be certain that Mr. Macias will not be the only one with a negative Olympic voice attempting to enter the country. One certainly hopes that they will have better luck than Mr. Macias had should there be no overt reason to deny them entry. Border services have currently indicated that the specifics of Macias’s case cannot be discussed due to privacy concerns; with the agency indicating that “Canada’s admissibility requirements will not change for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games” a better accounting of the reasons for denying entry to Macias are certainly in order.

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As we’ve moved into the homestretch of final preparations for the Olympic Games, which kick off with the opening ceremonies here in Vancouver on February 12th, the city has been doing a fantastic of installing user friendly information displays that will aid visitors to the city for the games and beyond. At SkyTrain station’s new, detailed yet easy to read transit maps have been put in place. Additionally, a single new typeface has been used for all signs, bringing a coherence to the train system that was previously missing.

At major street corners around the downtown core new information/map displays have been erected in the past few weeks. Here’s one that is near my place:

The graphic is clean and easy to follow along with. Points of interest and venues are noted as well as transit hubs and pedestrian corridors. My personal favourite piece of information is the circle that is centred on the ‘You Are Here’ mark with the radius of the circle representing 15 minutes of walking time. It’s unfortunate that it has taken the Olympics coming to town, but residents and visitors are benefactors both of these kinds of improvements and I sincerely hope they will be maintained post games.

That being said, some of the simplest signage is the most important. Last night I took a stroll through the Granville St. Entertainment District. This a stretch downtown that has some of Vancouver’s most recognizable music venues, like the Vogue Theatre and The Commodore Ballroom, as well many clubs, bars and eateries. Were I not a resident of the city, I would have had no idea where I was when I crossed both Nelson St. and Smithe St., as there was not a street sign to be found at either of these intersections.  Granville St. has been under reconstruction for many years and is just in the final stages of completion. My hope is that the street signs are one of the last touches still to be put up. It would be a shame if all the great pains the city has gone to present useful and relevant information to those travelling through the city centre were undermined by the lack of adequate street signs on some of Vancouver’s main thoroughfares.

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I’m sure that I am not the only one, who upon hearing that Danny Williams exact location in the US was unknown, thought to themselves ‘Uh oh! Sex scandal!’ It turns out though, that the firebrand Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador has traveled to the States on the advice of his doctors to undergo a form of heart surgery that cannot be delivered on the Rock. Even though his departure from the island does not appear to be tryst related, controversy has nonetheless ensued. Predictably, in the US much hay has been made about the inadequacies of the Canadian healthcare system, but the same thing is being said about the fact that he had to travel out of province at all. It’s worth remembering that Williams comes from an island province with a total population of just over 500,000. I’ll be callous here and suggest that is a good thing that not every surgical procedure possible can be performed in St. John’s. At this time, the exact nature of the procedure the premier will undergo is not known publicly, but it is some kind of heart surgery. Heart surgery. The fact that every type of heart surgery possible cannot performed in Newfoundland should surprise no one.

A facet to this story that is rather interesting, and one that I have not found any specific details on, is what decision making process was made by Mr. Williams and his doctors to undergo treatment in the US. Did he choose to travel to the US rather than visiting another province for reasons of expediency, or is this particular surgery not available in Canada period? Has Medicare played any role in sending him south, or is it only possible due to his own financial wherewithal? With the brouhaha this surgery has generated, I imagine in the next few days we will be hearing more details about the state of, and manipulations to, Danny William’s heart. There are important issues at play here having to with our healthcare system, but the basic fact of having to leave Newfoundland for heart surgery is not one of them.

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Omar Khadr being interviewd by CSIS in 2003. Photo by: The Canadian Press

Friday was an extremely busy day and things did not all go Stephen Harper’s way. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, held in part an appeal brought forth by the Prime Minister in regards to the ongoing detainment by the US of Canadian citizen Omar Khadr. Previously, a Federal Court had agreed with Mr. Khadr’s petition to the court that his rights guaranteed under Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been violated, and ordered the government to begin to seek his repatriation. This ruling was upheld at the Federal Court of Appeals, leading to the appeal by the Government which was ruled upon on Friday. The Court held that the rights accorded to Mr. Khadr under the Charter have been violated but that directly ordering the government to seek his return to Canada was not appropriate, at this time. In sum, the Court decided to “grant Mr. Khadr a declaration that his Charter rights have been infringed, while
leaving the government a measure of discretion in deciding how best to respond.”

So, while the government does not have to immediately seek the return of Mr. Khadr, they are expected to respond in some manner to the Courts ruling that his Charter rights were and indeed continue to be violated. The Globe and Mail described the Courts ruling as a challenge to the Harper government saying that “a legal fist lies beneath [the ruling's] velvet glove.” In it’s ruling, the Court cited both the consistency of “the separation of powers and the well-grounded reluctance of courts to intervene in matters of foreign relations” but also noted that “courts are empowered to make orders ensuring that the government’s foreign affairs prerogative is exercised in accordance with the constitution.” All of this is to say that the matter of the ongoing detention of Omar Khadr is not over. I previously suggested that perhaps President Obama was looking for Prime Minister Harper to help him out in one small matter by seeking the return of Mr. Khadr. And why not? All other western nations, concerned with what we now know were entirely credible allegations of abuse and torture at Guantanamo sought, and received the return of any of their citizens being held in the black site. There is no reason that Canada should not, even at this late time, follow suit.

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Following through with what his spokesperson indicated at the time of the prorogation of parliament,  Prime Minister Harper made five new appointments to the Senate this past Friday, bringing the Conservative Party to a total of 51 seats in the 105 member body. While that number does not represent an outright majority, holding a plurality in the chamber (much as the Conservatives do in the House) will manifest itself with a larger Conservative presence on reconstituted committees once parliament reconvenes, as well as greater sway of Senate’s agenda. Kady O’Malley has a nice rundown on each of the new senators here at the CBC’s Inside Politics blog.

Wasting no time in indicating how this new found power in the upper chamber will be wielded, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson held a press conference on Friday with two of the new senators. Much as they have since first forming a minority government in 2006, it appears the Conservatives will ride the perennially popular stance of being “tough on crime” as much as possible; all 5 new appointees shared the ‘tough’ credential, while Minister Nicholson made sure to colour the Opposition with dread “soft on crime” label. The minister even went so far as to imply that opposition parties, especially Liberal members of the senate, were actively preventing the administration of justice. The Globe and Mail was quick to note that:

In fact, of the 17 crime bills introduced by the federal Conservative government in the last session, only two were held up in the Senate for more than six months. Most died on the order paper when Mr. Harper prorogued Parliament in late December.

As a campaign stance, being “tough on crime” is one of the oldest plays in the book as it is a virtually an unassailable position; who could be said to be against improvements in public safety? But what does getting “tough” mean from a governing standpoint? So far, it seems to consist of widening the scope of, as well as lengthening mandatory minimum sentences. Much of the governments introduced crime legislation on this front has been amended through debate in the House (funny how a minority government will do that.) As has been noted by many others, this does not sit will with Mr. Harper. With the new arrangement of the Senate and most of the uncompleted work of Parliament ‘dying on the docket’ when it was prorogued, some bills are set to be reintroduced in the Senate in their original language when parliament reconvenes. With so much attention being heeded crime and public safety, it is worth taking a moment to take a look at crime levels as they currently stand in Canada:

From the ‘The Daily‘, a regular feature of the Stats Can webpage, here is the overall police reported crime rate, as well as the Crime Severity Index:

Declining Crime Rate: 1998-2008

And from the Juristat report ‘Homicide in Canada 2008′, the homicide rate per 100, 000 people from 1961-2008:

Canadian homicide rate: 1961-2008

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Dana and Yuji Kaneko skate with son Koji on the GE Ice Plaza at Robson Square

Just over two months ago, after a nearly 10 year absence, outdoor skating returned to Robson Square. In my own humble opinion it has been nothing but a spectacular success; on every occasion I’ve been, the rink has been full of smiling, excited people of all ages. Granted, I live within walking distance of the rink, and as I grew up being able to skate outside my back door on a rink built by my father most years of my life, I am extremely biased to having a positive view on the new skating facility and the corporatey, corporate investment by GE that it is. That being the case, I decided to seek out the opinion of some others.

Some skaters were there for the first time, while others had previously been multiple times. Everyone had nothing but positive comments about the facility itself , as well as the staff. One trio of skaters that I met bookended the evolution of skating at Robson Square very nicely. Dana and Yuji Kaneko both remember skating at Robson Square as kids, in addition to participating in other activities like public music recitals. The closing of the rink was just one more element contributing to an underused downtown core. When they learned about the reopened rink from friends, they bundled up, boarded public transit, and along with their son Koji made their way into the city. Like everyone else they had a great time. The image they formed of Mom, Dad and Child going for a recreational skate is one that is quintessentially Canadian. Many thanks are due to the City, Province as well as GE for bringing outdoor skating back to the heart of downtown Vancouver. The province maintains a webpage where you can view information about hours of operation of the rink, rental prices and more here.

If you are making a trip into the downtown core to go skating, it may be IS prudent to call ahead first to ensure that there are no planned events altering skating hours, or that warm weather has not overwhelmed the machinery that maintains the ice surface is Vancouver’s ‘winter’ temperatures. Call 604-646-3559 for the latest conditions.

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The CBC has a story up indicating that later today, Clara Hughes will be named as Canada’s flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies of the upcoming Winter Games. There could not be a more appropriate representative for Canada. Many congratulations to Clara as well as her friends and family. Clara is an outstanding athlete and person. More to follow.

Update: True to the earlier reports, Clara Hughes was introduced this afternoon at Richmond City Hall as the Team Canada flag bearer for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which are set to happen two weeks from today. Regardless of ones feelings of the games themselves, I think it’s fair to say that they try and bend towards an ideal. Reasonable people can disagree about how successful the games are at fulfilling that ideal, but Clara Hughes is an embodiment of it. Not all athletes should be thought of as role models, but Clara Hughes can’t help but be one, and Canada could not hope for a better sports ambassador on the world stage. Hughes accomplishments in sport are many, and at 37 years of age, she is still a medal threat; at a race in Norway last November she just missed the podium, finishing 4th. Clara is the only Canadian, and one of only four athletes in the world, to have won a medal in both the summer and the winter Olympics. Across four previous Olympics, she has won 5 medals, including a gold in the 5000m at the Torino Games in 2006. After winning that medal, inspired by American speed skater Joey Cheek, Hughes donated $10,000 of her own money to the organization Right to Play and has been an advocate for that group ever since. As a member of Canada’s cycling team in 1996, Clara won the first Canadian medal of those games with a third place finish in the road race. I remember having a crush on her then, and it’s safe to say that I still do. I am very much looking forward to Clara and the entire speed skating team putting on an amazing display in a few short weeks.

PHOTO BY: JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press

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This afternoon will see announcements on two big news stories that are only mildly related. On the political front, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to appoint five new Conservative senators later today. In sporting news (and since it’s the Olympics there is some political aspect built in) Canada’s flag bearer for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

While the reasons for the PM’s prorogation of parliament are myriad, and to a certain extent only known to himself and his inner circle of tactical geniuses, one reason that is clearly evident is the fact that parliament not being in session gives him the perfect opportunity to make some appointments to the senate. While not gaining an outright majority in the upper chamber, the conservatives will have a plurality of members, shifting the balance on key committees as well as their ability to affect the agenda.

The naming of the flag bearer is one that always tends to receive a lot of press. The fact that much attention is heeded the flag bearer itself becomes a story, as in the past many athletes have declined the honour as they thought it would serve as a distraction. As the media loves ‘curses’ there is even a supposed one that descends upon the chosen flag bearer. Of course reality shows that flag bearers have gone on to career performances in the games, suffered great disappointment and everything in between. All the athletes deserve plaudits for their life of dedication to sport, and I’m sure whoever is named as our representative to march in the opening ceremonies they will do an excellent job.

Tune to your regular news sources for updates on both these stories.

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The Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament protest wends it's way to Victory Square (photo by Jess Sloss

January 23rd, 2010 saw thousands of people of all political stripes (as well as those lacking any stripes) from across the country come together in peaceful protest to demonstrate their displeasure with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s newest habit of proroguing parliament when it is convenient for him and his government to do so. With excellent traffic co-ordination from the VPD some 2000+ (my estimate, may not reflect reality, awaiting more official crowd estimates) Vancouverites convened at the steps of Art Gallery and marched to Victory Square. There, demonstrators heard speeches delivered from representatives of Fair Vote Canada, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Council, the Sierra Club and a Conservative angered with his party leader’s crass tactical maneuvering. All of the speakers came at the issue from a slightly different angle, yet all made substantive and important points. As audio and video of the demonstration become available online I will highlight what was said in more detail here. The CAPP Facebook page is a good place to join in the discussion, view photos and some video clips of Saturday’s action.

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