Guess who's the Olympic minister again?
Yes, Colin Hansen. The finance minister. He gave the reins to the Olympic Games Secretariat to rookie MLA Mary McNeil on June 9, 2009 -- less than a month after the Liberals' election win and six weeks before announcing the Harmonized Sales Tax would be forced on British Columbians on July 1, 2010.
On June 30 -- the eve of the HST -- Premier Gordon Campbell returned the OGS to Hansen's hands by way of an order-in-council that was not publicized. I found out when a Freedom of Information clerk told me that the Ministry of Healthy Living's Olympic records were transferred to Finance.
So the high huckster of the hated HST is now in charge of overseeing the wind-down of the government agency responsible for the Games and VANOC.
VANOC hasn't published financial information since December, in violation of a clause in the Multi-Party Agreement of 2002. See sections 4.4 and 26.1 It's supposed to issue a final report this fall.
After VANOC dealt with a recession for which it was not prepared, it held its hand out to governments because sponsors were cutting budgets and tightening belts. Ultimately any red ink is the responsibility of provincial taxpayers.
Now, is it starting to become clear why the HST happened in the former host province?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Olympic cauldron now relic of 2010's "Surveillance Games"
They say Jack Poole was watching over the 2010 Winter Olympics.
He's the chairman of VANOC who died after a battle with pancreatic cancer on Oct. 23, 2009 just hours after the Olympic flame was lit in Ancient Olympia, Greece. I was having lunch in Varda, Greece -- across from the Vancouver Cafe (I kid you not) -- when I got the call with the sad news.
Premier Gordon Campbell named the plaza west of the Vancouver Convention Centre Jack Poole Plaza earlier that month. VANOC erected a mysterious white box there and built the Games' outdoor cauldron, which Wayne Gretzky lit on Feb. 12, 2010.
The fences and barricades were unpopular, to say the least. The last of the chain link was dismantled in time for Canada Day when the cauldron was relit. No ceremony on the day the Harmonized Sales Tax was introduced. An anonymous person behind the scenes in a control room turned it on and off.
On July 7, anti-poverty activists from Vancouver handed off their makeshift, toilet plunger torch to a like-minded activist from England who will give it to an anti-poverty group in London, host of the 2012 Summer Games.
While their ceremony was happening, I noticed two fellas preparing to install a surveillance camera under the central burner of the sculpture. The sun was shining and the story gods were smiling on me. See my exclusive video here.
Not only has the permanent monument to Vancouver 2010 been altered, but it now has attached to it the very item that caused civil libertarians and anti-Olympic protesters to cry foul before the Games and criticize the $900 million, taxpayer-funded security apparatus. Queen's University Prof. David Lyon called Vancouver 2010 the "Surveillance Games."
So Jack Poole may still be watching over Vancouver, but now Big Brother is watching everyone who goes to admire the cauldron. Granted, it is inside a wading pool and some drunk and/or daredevil might want to climb the cauldron. But does a surveillance camera have to be embedded in the sculpture? Could spy cameras have been erected on adjacent buildings and warning signs placed strategically to achieve the same safety objective?
Now the cauldron is like a four-legged spider.
After the Olympic glow is gone, will it become the 21st century cousin to the Terry Fox Memorial outside B.C. Place Stadium? Another ugly, poorly maintained monument to a man who dreamed big and courageously battled cancer?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
VANOC exec to post-G20 Toronto
Slowly but surely, Vancouver 2010 alumni are finding new gigs.
Dan Doyle, the VANOC construction executive vice-president, became the BC Hydro chairman last year. Deputy CEO Dave Cobb followed in May and became the provincial power utility's CEO.
On June 29, vice-president of workforce operations and integration Allen Vansen was named senior-vice president of operations for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games organizing committee.
Vansen was among five senior executives introduced at BMO Field by CEO Ian Troop.
Vansen was not available for a phone interview, but I’m betting the Newfoundlander’s red hair will turn grey rather quickly over the next five years. His responsibilities include security, transportation and the athletes’ village.
After the G20 summit mayhem, anybody planning anything in Toronto with security or transportation implications will naturally have a bigger challenge and more headaches than ever before. Troop is putting the best face on what lies ahead.
“We don’t have any political meaning,” he said. “We’re a great athletic event that we’ll make into a great community event.”
VANOC CEO John Furlong wished that was true. From Feb. 12, 2007 onward, VANOC looked over its shoulder as it was constantly dogged by protests. Some opponents had a direct beef with the Games, how much they were costing and how they were impacting the city and environment. Others hoped to use the Games to lever their political cause (or increase donations to their charity). It meant VANOC held few public events until the torch relay.
Furlong admitted in May that transportation was the biggest IOC worry from the bid days to the day after the Olympic flame was was extinguished.
The Olympic village in Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek became a casualty of the Great Recession. Vancouver city hall became the lender and battled to get it back on schedule.
Vancouver had effective watchdogs, like No Games 2010's Chris Shaw, Impact on Community Coalition's Am Johal and B.C. Civil Liberties Association's David Eby. They continuously reminded VANOC, governments and security authorities to be responsible and avoid a repeat of the 1997 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Their wasn't an organized opposition to G20 in Toronto, because it was organized so quickly by politicians and bureaucrats who maybe never heard of APEC.
That’s just a long way of saying that Troop (centre) and Vansen (second from left) are in for some long days and long nights to organize what will be the biggest summer sports event in Canadian history.
* * * * *
Who else is on the Toronto 2015 executive team?
Chief financial officer Barbara Anderson has a bachelor of science degree from the University of B.C. and is the former CFO of MaRS Discovery District and MaRS Innovation.
Senior vice-president of marketing and revenue Kathy Henderson is a former Whirlpool Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive Canada marketing executive. Senior vice-president of human resources Elaine Roper is formerly of Think Company, Promis Systems Corporation and Royal Trust Corp.
Senior vice-president of infrastructure Bill Senn helped build Air Canada Centre in Toronto and American Airlines Arena in Miami and was senior vice-president of design and construction for the New York Jets, who are moving into the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Dan Doyle, the VANOC construction executive vice-president, became the BC Hydro chairman last year. Deputy CEO Dave Cobb followed in May and became the provincial power utility's CEO.
On June 29, vice-president of workforce operations and integration Allen Vansen was named senior-vice president of operations for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games organizing committee.
Vansen was among five senior executives introduced at BMO Field by CEO Ian Troop.
Vansen was not available for a phone interview, but I’m betting the Newfoundlander’s red hair will turn grey rather quickly over the next five years. His responsibilities include security, transportation and the athletes’ village.
After the G20 summit mayhem, anybody planning anything in Toronto with security or transportation implications will naturally have a bigger challenge and more headaches than ever before. Troop is putting the best face on what lies ahead.
“We don’t have any political meaning,” he said. “We’re a great athletic event that we’ll make into a great community event.”
VANOC CEO John Furlong wished that was true. From Feb. 12, 2007 onward, VANOC looked over its shoulder as it was constantly dogged by protests. Some opponents had a direct beef with the Games, how much they were costing and how they were impacting the city and environment. Others hoped to use the Games to lever their political cause (or increase donations to their charity). It meant VANOC held few public events until the torch relay.
Furlong admitted in May that transportation was the biggest IOC worry from the bid days to the day after the Olympic flame was was extinguished.
The Olympic village in Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek became a casualty of the Great Recession. Vancouver city hall became the lender and battled to get it back on schedule.
Vancouver had effective watchdogs, like No Games 2010's Chris Shaw, Impact on Community Coalition's Am Johal and B.C. Civil Liberties Association's David Eby. They continuously reminded VANOC, governments and security authorities to be responsible and avoid a repeat of the 1997 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Their wasn't an organized opposition to G20 in Toronto, because it was organized so quickly by politicians and bureaucrats who maybe never heard of APEC.
That’s just a long way of saying that Troop (centre) and Vansen (second from left) are in for some long days and long nights to organize what will be the biggest summer sports event in Canadian history.
* * * * *
Who else is on the Toronto 2015 executive team?
Chief financial officer Barbara Anderson has a bachelor of science degree from the University of B.C. and is the former CFO of MaRS Discovery District and MaRS Innovation.
Senior vice-president of marketing and revenue Kathy Henderson is a former Whirlpool Corporation and Colgate-Palmolive Canada marketing executive. Senior vice-president of human resources Elaine Roper is formerly of Think Company, Promis Systems Corporation and Royal Trust Corp.
Senior vice-president of infrastructure Bill Senn helped build Air Canada Centre in Toronto and American Airlines Arena in Miami and was senior vice-president of design and construction for the New York Jets, who are moving into the New Meadowlands Stadium.
How to spell HST: Host without the Olympic "o."
In the weeks before the 2010 Winter Olympics opened Feb. 12, a big, white box to the west of the Vancouver Convention Centre, hid something special.
I cornered Premier Gordon Campbell Feb. 8 when he unveiled a tribute to late VANOC chairman Jack Poole at the Four Host First Nations pavilion and revealed the next day that the big, white box on Jack Poole Plaza was concealing the outdoor cauldron.
Wayne Gretzky was taken, by pick-up truck, to the foot of Thurlow Street after the opening ceremony, and marked the official end of the Olympic torch relay by lighting the outdoor cauldron. About an hour later, the one inside B.C. Place Stadium was extinguished for fear that it would burn the air-supported fabric roof.
VANOC, in its haste to organize the Games, didn’t realize the plaza would become a hot spot for shutterbugs. I witnessed one fella climb the chain link barrier to get a better photo.
The excuse was that it was inside the security perimeter for the international broadcast centre. VANOC finally buckled to public pressure. The fencing was altered and a viewing deck opened, but it was still far from perfect, even during the March 12-21 Paralympics when crowds were smaller.
The Terasen Gas-sponsored cauldron burns again during the Canada Day at Canada Place festivities on July 1. The fences that remain are supposed to disappear as the edifice on Jack Poole Plaza becomes a monument to the 2010 Winter Games and their torch relays.
The official schedule shows various indoor and outdoor activities from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a mass-singing of O Canada when the O Canada horns sound at noon, 7 p.m. Georgia Street parade, 8:30 p.m. light show on Canada Place’s soon-to-be-replaced Five Sails and the 10:30 p.m. Burrard Inlet fireworks.
No ceremony is planned to re-light the cauldron, which is supposed to burn from 10 a.m. until the conclusion of the fireworks.
The Olympic flame was lit Oct. 22 in Ancient Olympia, Greece, flown to Victoria, B.C. Oct. 30 (where it was also protested) and carried coast-to-coast-to-coast around Canada for 106 days by 12,000 people (including your humble servant). But on Canada Day, an anonymous control room operator inside the convention centre will activate the cauldron with no pomp, circumstance or fanfare.
So much for the spectacle and the so-called sacred sculpture.
But why should we be surprised? Such a ceremony would have to involve Campbell. The Premier's worst nightmare is for the anti-HST Red Bloc to show up en masse in red mittens and simultaneously rip them off to reveal one-fingered salutes on day one of the unpopular sales tax shift.
Before it was the site of the cauldron, before it was called Jack Poole Plaza, it was the scene of the Sept. 19, 2009 anti-HST rally that kicked the sales tax revolt into high gear.
Host province British Columbia is now an HST province to clean up the Olympic debt.
Hope you enjoyed the party!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hey, where's the thank-you note?
The British Columbia government finally told taxpayers who used the tickets they bought for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The 216-page Report on Integrated Hosting and Ticketing, published May 6, said more than $942,000 was spent on 3,750 tickets to the Games. Of those, 164 were for the Feb. 12 opening ceremony at B.C. Place Stadium where the top ticket price was $1,100 but some VIPs received $2,640 deluxe luxury suite tickets, courtesy of B.C. taxpayers.
Here is the list of those who enjoyed the biggest show in Canadian history -- for free.
The 216-page Report on Integrated Hosting and Ticketing, published May 6, said more than $942,000 was spent on 3,750 tickets to the Games. Of those, 164 were for the Feb. 12 opening ceremony at B.C. Place Stadium where the top ticket price was $1,100 but some VIPs received $2,640 deluxe luxury suite tickets, courtesy of B.C. taxpayers.
Here is the list of those who enjoyed the biggest show in Canadian history -- for free.
Businesspeople:
CAI Private Equity managing partner Peter Restler and guest; Ex-Yahoo! chief operating officer Jeff Mallett and two guests; Mitsubishi Canada president Shinji Kowase and guest; Jim Pattison Group president Jimmy Pattison and two guests; BHP Billiton president Graham Kerr and guest; Cummins vice-president Dave Crompton and guest; Listel Group president Hiro Suzuki and vice-president Kaz Kadano; Mitsui and Co. manager Shogo Yoshida and senior-vice president Takuji Senda; Mitsubishi Motors CEO Koji Soga and president Osamu Masuko; Okabe Group (Coast Hotels) past chairman Kaname Ohno and guest and Noriyuki Matsumoto and guest; Marubeni general manager Tomomi Yamamoto; VanEdge Capital partner Glenn Entis and guest, John Lasseter and guest, Paul Lee and guest, advisor Robin Louis and guest.
Politicians, new and old:
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland; Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and two guests; Ex-B.C. Premiers Dan Miller and guest, Glen Clark and guest, Ujjal Dosanjh and guest; Ex-B.C. MLA Ian Waddell; Gov. Dan Little and guest (note: Idaho has a Lt. Gov. Brad Little); B.C. Speaker of the House Bill Barisoff and guest, Alberta speaker Ken Kowalski, Yukon speaker Ted Staffen and guest, Ex-Vancouver mayors Larry Campbell and guest, Sam Sullivan and guest; Ex-Whistler Mayor Hugh O'Reilly and Patricia O'Reilly.
Canadian Forces personnel:
Capt. Holland, Capt. Soley, Cpl. Boyes, Cpl. Fleury, Cpl. Frouws, Cpl. Gagne, Cpl. Trouchon, Gen. Walt Natynczyk and guest, L.S. Castromayer, L.S. LePage, L.S. Sully, M. Cpl. Hanson, M. Cpl. Jorgenson, M. Cpl. Pennel, M. Cpl. Royes, M. Cpl. Yeo, M.W.O. Quesnel, Pte. Labbe, S/Lt. McNeill, Sgt. Desmarais, Sgt. Letkeman, Maj. Susan Van Duinen and guest.
RCMP personnel:
Dep. Comm. Gary Bass and guest.
First Nations:
Chief Sophie Pierre, Chief Edward John and guest, Chief Jody Wilson, National Chief Shawn Atleo and guest, Chief William Charlie and guest, Dan Smith, Doug Kelly and guest, Greg Horn, Cindy Sutherland, Tim Raybould.
Holders of $2,640 VIP luxury suite tickets:
Oregon secretary of state Kate Brown, B.C. Transportation Minister Shirley Bond, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and guest, Quebec Premier Jean Charest and guest, Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz and guest, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four guests (note: 2 were in $1,100 seats), Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and guest.
Olympians and Paralympians:
Daniel Wesley, Greg Westlake, Gordon Robertson, Kathy Kreiner-Phillips, Sen. Nancy Greene and guest, Dominic Barton, Christoper Daw, Gary Cormack.
Special Olympics:
Andrea Zonneveld, Patty Wheeldon, Rene Girard, Rick Lucy.
Celebrities and entertainers:
Allison Lawton (wife of tycoon Frank Giustra), Eric McCormack and two guests, Janet Holden, Michael J. Fox and two guests, Joan Woffenden-Lawton, Jonathan Abrams, Kate Alexander Daniels, Kerry Fitzpatrick, Robin Balick, Steve Nash and guest, Tamara Lee Reynolds, Athena Bax, Brett Wilson, Fraser Walter and guest, Katrina Kum, Clifton Murray and guest, Remigio Pereira, Kathleen Micallef, Victor Micallef, Dal Richards and guest.
Act Now contest winner: Garth Buhr and guest; 2003 contest winner: Maria Uhrynchuk and guest.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
They should've said "merci" to you for the tickets
It was the last event of the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 129 tickets bought by the British Columbia government weren't cheap. The province spent $775 for each taxpayer-funded ticket to the closing, except for those lucky to be inside the host province's luxury suite at B.C. Place Stadium. Their tickets, also taxpayer-bought, were $1,560 each.
So who used those free tickets? See the list below, from the Integrated Hosting and Ticketing report, published May 6.
So who used those free tickets? See the list below, from the Integrated Hosting and Ticketing report, published May 6.
Olympians:
Darcy Marquardt, Mike Lewis, Richard Hortness, Bruce Deacon, Jay Morrison, Scott Patterson, Veronica Brenner, Brian Price, Pamela Rai.
Relatives of 2010 athletes:
Carol Morrison, Char Agosta, Charlie Loo, Dennis Morrison, Jerry Rush and guest, Joel Parrott, Julie Morrison, Nino Agosta, Toni Loo, Clifton Brown and guest, Brent McIvor and guest, Oakley Semple and guest, Rod White and guest, Glenn Parrott, Roc Spence and guest.
Potential Olympians and Paralympians:
Aleisha Cline, Bob Ursel, Dan Raymond, Diane Gushulak, Grace Machines, Jacalyn Brown, Jessica Hewitt, Jim Cotter, Katie Tsuyuki, Marla Mallett, Rick Sawatsky, Sylvia Kerfoot, Tom Velisek, Tyler Mosher, Warren Tanner, Christa Guloien, Kevin Folk, Nick Brush, Andrea Dziewior, Brent Pierce, Chris Wong, Dominique Vallee, Ellie Terwiel, Jacquie Armstrong, Karolina Wisniewska, Kelly VanderBeek and guest, Kevin Recksiedler, Mark Olson, Matthew Hallat, Mira Leung, Morgan Perrin, Sean Geall, Annamay Pierse, Danielle Wotherspoon, Darryl Neighbour, Gina Grain, Jacqueline Roy, Josh Dueck, Kat Gillis, Katie Baker, Thea Culley, Tyla Flexman, Alex Orlando.
Contest winners:
ActNow BC: Lee Shanks and guest; Right To Play winner (name not given) and guest.
B.C. Sports Hall of Fame inductees Gerry Sorensen Lenihan, Silken Laumann and two family members.
B.C. Olympic curling medalists:
Diane Dezura, Georgina Wheatcroft, Julie Skinner, Sandra Jenkins.
Businesspeople:
China Eastern Airlines vice-president Jiang Bo Liu and guest; VanEdge Capital partner Glenn Entis and guest, Paul Lee and guest, Robin Louis and guest; Vancouver Art Gallery director Kathleen Bartels and guest, assistant director Paul Larocque and guest.
Consul Generals:
Italy, Francesco De Conno and guest; France, Marie De Lattre and guest; China, Ma Shu Liang and Shugen Liang; India, S.K. Makhijani and guest; South Korea, Tong Mo Suh and guest; Germany, Klaus Achenbach and guest; United States Phillip Chicola and Victoria Chicola; Britain, Alex Budden and Dianne Budden.
Holders of $1,560 apiece luxury suite tickets:
Ambassador of France, Francois-Marie Delattre and guest; Consul Gen. of Mexico Angel Villalobos-Rodriguez and guest; B.C. Speaker of the House Bill Barisoff and guest; Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and guest; Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger; RCMP Dep. Comm. Gary Bass and guest, and seat reserved for security (no name).
"We paid, they scored!"
The Province of British Columbia paid VANOC $264,000 for luxury suite number 213 in General Motors Place (aka Canada Hockey Place) for the 2010 Winter Olympic hockey tournament. According to the Report on Integrated Hosing and Ticketing, the exclusive tickets were valued at $400 each.
The report said the government spent $127,684.67 on catering at sporting venues, but did not break down the cost of food and beverage at suite 213. The cost had to have been around $46,600 -- that's how much Crown corporation BC Hydro paid for burgers and beer at its GM Place Olympic suite.
So who enjoyed the Olympic hockey tournament in-style and on your dime? Here are the names of the invited guests for every game. (Note: some names were not disclosed. At some games, tickets were not fully allocated. The government said space was paid for but reserved for security and people in wheelchairs.)
Feb. 13
Canada 18 Slovakia 0 (women)
ARI Canada director of operations Karen Mongelli, Digi BC x 2, Fedex Sherry Ahorn, Focus Partners venture partner Allan Kwan, Group National Provincial executive director Marcelo Hernandez, GSR Ventures managing director Sonny Wu, International Ship Owners of Canada Stein guest x 2, Minister Iain Black, Minister Harry Bloy, Mobile Monday Foundation chairman Jari Tammisto, Near Field Communications chairman Koichi Tagawa, Nokia executive vice-presidents Anssi Vanjoki and Niklas Savander, Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs, Shanghai Investment Co. president Gao Tia Guo, Sierra Wireless vice-president of engineering Riley Hoyt, Wavefront director of engineering operations Allan Swain, Wireless West chief medical officer Dr. Eric Topol.
Feb. 16
United States 3 Switzerland 1
Breakwater Resources CEO Fred Hermann and guest, Enecsys Ltd. executive chair Mossadiq Umedaly and 4 guests, Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla and guest, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers John Dennison and guest, Clean Edge, LaFarge Ron Bruhaug and guest, MLA Randy Hawes, suite reserve, Sage Group founder Doug Allen, SNC Lavalin senior advisor Henry Wakabayashi, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee, Vantage Point Ventures managing director Stephen Dolezalek.
Canada 8 Norway 0
CN Rail Kelley Swendsen and guest, Electrabel head of portfolio management Charles Hertoghe and 2 guests, McElhanney Consulting vice-president John Blair and 2 guests, Minister Barry Penner, MLA Don McRae, Pacific Bio Energy Corp. CFO Brad Bardua, vice-president Brad Bennett, CEO Don Steele and 3 guests, Riverbank Power Corp. CEO John Douglas and guest, Vij’s Restaurant Vikram Vij.
Russia 8 Latvia 2
Air Liquide director Pierre Gauthier, Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association board member Andreas Truckenbrodt and guest, CEO John Tak and guest, CEO David McKenzie, Confederation Centre for the Arts McKenzie and guest, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce chair Carmon McNary and guest, Garage Technology Ventures managing director Guy Kawasaki and guest, MLA John van Dongen and Minister Naomi Yamamoto, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce chair Tim Redpath and guest, Rubicon Pharmacies guest of COO Robert Gore and guest, Vancouver Board of Trade Mike Cochrane and 2 guests.
Feb. 17
Finland 5 Belarus 1
Air China general manager Zhi Gang He and guest, BHP Billiton president diamond and specialty products Ben Armstrong and guest, Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer partner Jay Reid, CanEra Resources CEO J. Paul Charron, Crew Energy CEO Dale Shwed, Dundee Solar Income CEO Clarke Herring and guest, First Energy CEO Jim Davidson, Macquant Capital vice-president George Gosbee, Maersk Logistics manager Brian Hetherington and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, MLA Marc Dalton, P. Kiewit Sons vice-president Frank Margitan and guest, Sure Energy CEO Jeff Boyce, Westport Innovations CEO David Demers, Whitecap Resources CEO Grant Fagerheim.
Sweden 2 Germany 0
B.C. Cancer Agency president Douglas Nelson, vice-president Dr. Sam Abraham, B.C. leadership chair Francois Bernard, Biomark Technologies CEO Rashid Ahmed, president China Yan Li and guest, Christie Consulting president David Christie, KPCB partner Bing Gordon, Khosla Ventures Khosla guest, MDInfo co-founder Jeremy Bloom, Minister Kevin Falcon, MLA Dave Hayer, Pacific Bio Energy Corp. director Erik Dysthe and guest, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Rick Griffiths, Romich Medical principal Dr. Roy Jackson, Soprema Inc. vice-president Renauld Leclerc and two guests, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee.
Czech Republic 3 Slovakia 1
Air G senior business development manager Kyle Shackley, business development Diego Noguez, Crick director Eric Burger and guest, Italian Chamber of Commerce Adolfo Rossi, Antonio Lagamba, Celso Boscariol, Giovanni Boscariol, Giovanni Cunsolo, Liberata Soriano, Renata Soriano, Rocco Cunsolo, Minister Iain Black, MLA Pat Pimm, Northern Freegold GIS data manager Graeme Hopkins and guest, geologist Samantha Dyck and guest, Strongbow Exploration CEO Kenneth Armstrong, vice-president Dave Gale.
Feb. 18
U.S. 6 Norway 1
Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers vice-president Tracey Wood, Bridge Studios general manager Ron Hrynuik, Directors’ Guild of Canada B.C. executive director Crawford Hawkins, Dundee Solar Income CEO Clarke Herring and guest, Entertainment Partners Canada president Cheryl Nex, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, Kevin Krueger, North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios president Peter Leitch, Rainmaker Animation CEO Warren Franklin, Teamsters Local 155 secretary treasurer Ken Marsden, Union of B.C. Performers president Howard Story, Vancouver Film Studios COO Peter Mitchell, Walt Disney president of motion picture production Bruce Hendricks and guest, vice-president of Disney Interactive Howard Donaldson, Westport Innovations CEO David Demers.
Canada 3 Switzerland 2
Bishop’s Restaurant owner John Bishop and guest, Garage Technology Ventures managing director Guy Kawasaki and 3 guests, House of Q Brian Misko and guest, Minister George Abbott and MLA Gordon Hogg, Nu Restaurant and Lounge Maureen Seay and guest, Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corp. Chief Clarence Louie and guest, conversation technician Ron Hall and guest, Tojo’s owner Hidekazu Tojo and guest, Walt Disney production president Bruce Hendricks, B.C. line producer Justis Greene.
Slovakia 2 Russia 1
B.C. Trucking Association CEO Paul Landry and guest, vice-president of communications Louise Yako and guest, Dokie Wind president Greg Cook, Endurance Wind Power vice-president David Rankin, Government of Slovakia ambassador Stanislav Opiela and guest, Halifax Chamber of Commerce chair Bruce Russell and 3 guests, Lignol Innovations CEO Ross MacLaughlin, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Richard Lee, Pristine Power CEO Jeff Myers, Pulse Energy software operations lead Chuck Clark, Sempa Power director of sales and marketing Chris Whitney, Vancouver Board of Trade Derek Somerville and Mike Osborne.
Feb. 19
Sweden 4 Belarus 2
3M sales representative Mike Parsons, Avaya director Gordon Jackson, g.m. Greg Best, Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale, regional manager for western Canada public sector Steve Kinsey, major account manager Terry Pettigrew, HP Advanced Solutions James Hamilton, client sales executives Peter Baran, Trevor Murphy, IBM managing partner Allan Hart, heatlhcare industry director Barry Burk, public sector g.m. Greg Brophy, delivery executive Peter Sandall, Minister Ben Stewart, MLA Rob Howard, Star Solutions International Pais guest x2, Telus vice-president Jason Macdonnell, acting manager of business solutions Michael McCarthy, vice president of sales and marketing Tim Draper.
Czech Republic 5 Latvia 2
Aboriginal Tourism B.C. CEO Keith Henry and guest, associate vice-chair Linnea Battel, Arts Club Theatre executive director Howard Jang, Burnaby Village Museum services supervisor Deborah Tuyttens and guest, Council of Tourism Associations chair Jim Storrie and guest, Go2 director Rob Fussey, Grouse Mountain Resorts vice-president Scott Ellis, CEO Stuart McLaughlin, Link BC projects and events Terry Bubb, Minister Ida Chong, Kevin Krueger, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association CEO Glenn Mandziuk, Tourism Association Northern B.C. CEO Anthony Everett, Tourism Burnaby executive director Matthew Coyne, Vancouver Coast and Mountains CEO Kevan Ridgeway, Vancouver Community College dean school of hospitality and business Jonathan Rouse.
Finland 5 Germany 0
Automotive Fuel Cell Corporation CEO Andreas Truckenbrodt, B.C. Technology Council chair Cheryl Slusarchuk, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital CEO Wal Van Lierop, Dpoint Technologies CEO James Dean, Energy Aware Technology president Janice O’Hearn, IBM general manager Greg Brophy and 3 guests, Sabrina Gill, Zubin Nazir, Light-Based Technologies vice-president Ed Sadowski, Minister Colin Hansen and MLA Dave Hayer, Nexterra Systems CEO Jonathan Rhone, Offsetters president James Tansey, Switch Materials CEO Doug Wiggin and guest, Tantalus Systems Corp CFO John Haylock, Westport Innovations executive vice-president Elaine Wong.
Feb. 20
Switzerland 5 Norway 4
Francophone delegation: artist Amougou Jean Faustin, Connie Smith and guest, Place de la Francophonie executive producer Daniel Simoncic, 2 guests, musician Elgin Vine, International Francophonie Organization Gabriel Cote, marketing director Isabelle Valois, director, guest John Wiggins, ArtsGames 2009 gold medalist Julie Picard, artist Lilliana Rusu, Magali Forte, ArtsGames 2009 silver medalist Marielsa Niels, photographer Natasa Laurentiu, artist Philippe Dalois, Scott Pollard, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Norm Letnick.
Slovakia 6 Latvia 0
Latvia ambassador Margers Krams and guest, South Africa consul general Christopher Meyer and Rebecca Meyer, Consul of Chile Maria Eliena Cuevas and guest, Colombia Rosa Marshall and guest, El Salvador Rosa Elena Moreno and guest, Peru Carlos Roman, Leonardo Chavez and guest, Slovakia Ivano Chomo and 2 guests, Netherlands Jacob Koedood and guest, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA John van Dongen.
Belarus 5 Germany 3
Centre for African Integration Mohamed Salde, Karen Initiative Domenica Pistrin, Lindseigh Lochhead, Lisa Sadler, Luciano Pistrin, Shirley Gemmell, Minister Ben Stewart, MLA Jane Thornthwaite, MOSAIC executive director Eyob Naizgh and guest, Multicultural Advisory Council Andree St. Martin, Ashli Komaryk, chair Edmond Luke, Michelle Rokotonaivo, Mo Dhaliwal, Myrt Turner, Raj Pagely, Randy Sandhu, Provincial Nesika Award Elsa Folgale, Paul Mulangu.
Feb. 21
Russia 4 Czech Republic 2
Bioteq Environmental Technologies manager of engineering Michael Bratty, Britco strategic planning director Chris Gardner, Cannon Design principal Robert Johnston, Kryton International CEO Kari Yuers, Minister Moira Stilwell, MLA Douglas Horne, Russia honorary consul Alexander Bardin, minister to IMF Alexey Mojin, chief of staff to deputy PM Zhukov Alexey Morozov, Boris Nikolskiy, guest Ekaterina Zhukova, guest of Vladimir Kojin, Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachov, minister of sport Vitaly Mutko, CEO office of the President Vladimir Kojin, Sandwell Engineering president Charlie Brit, Stantec principal Michael Kennedy, Structurlam president Bill Downing, Temple Scott Associates senior vice-president David Moors, partner Jennifer Rideout.
U.S. 5 Canada 3
ARCH Venture Partners managing directors Bob Nelson, Clint Bybee, CFO Mark McDonnell, partner Paul Thurk, B.C. Advantage Funds Amos Michelson, Cooledge Lighting CEO Art Aylesworth, Dow Venture Capital Monty Bayer, Frazier Healthcare Ventures Petrick Heron, Growthworks Rolf Kekleer, Intellectual Ventures Alex Marquez, Edward Jung, Patrick Ennis, Minister Colin Hansen, Reserve suite, Ostara Myles Degenstein, Premier’s Technology Council Greg Peet, UTIMCO Mark Shoberg, Venrock parnter Matt Trevithick, Vulcan Capital managing director Stephen Hall, Yaletown Venture Fund general partner Mike Satterfield.
Sweden 3 Finland 0
Allon Therapeutics CEO Gordon McCauley, Bauerfeind AG (no name), Dynamics GmbH (no name), K’nigsee Implantate CEO Frank Orschler, Life Sciences BC senior director Barry Gee, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Ralph Sultan, Thuringia, Germany Prime Minister Christine Lieberknecht, Dr. Peter Miethe, Dr. Ing Peter Traut, interpreter Echbauer, security Jan-Peter Mock, protokoll TSK Karl-Michael Danzer, Knut Korschewsky, Manfred Grob, German Canadian Chamber of Commerce Sascha Gurka, 2 guests, Wolfgang Lemb, Zymerworks CFO Neil Klompas.
Feb. 22
women’s hockey semifinal: U.S. 9 Sweden 1
Capacent Glacier managing partner Magnus Bjarnason, Glacier Partners sustainable energy director Charles Arrigo, managing director Ignacio Kleiman, Iceland secretary general Liney Halldorsdottir, Magma Energy vice-president Alison Thompson, chef de mission Andre Stefansson, vice-president Andrea Zaradic, vice-president Cathie Hickson, CEO Ross Beaty and 4 guests, Minister Margaret McDiarmid, MLA Douglas Horne, 3x suite reserve.
women’s semifinal: Canada 5 Finland 0
Canfor general manager Bill Caverly, Emirates Airlines Andrew Parker and guest, Haida Forest Products president Jim Gillis, Hanwa Co. executive vice-president Tim Inoue, Interex general manager Bruce Pollock, Interfor g.m. Steven Hofer, LJ Resources president Jim Jia, Minister Pat Bell, MLA Randy Hawes, Mitsui Homes g.m. Jun Mori, executive vice-president Yoshi Saito, Nice International president Shojiro Kodama, Quadra Wood Products president Dave Sweeny, suite reserve, Sumitomo Forestry managing executive director Yasuyuki Abe, Tolko export manager Dennis Yano, West Fraser export manager Mike Nomura, Western Forest Products senior vice-president Don Demens, Wing Co. president Shuji Horimoto.
Feb. 23
men’s qualification: Switzerland 3 Belarus 2
Alberta Minister of Culture Lindsay Blackett, Canadian Olympic Committee board member Therese Brisson, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific treasurer Peter Jackson, CEO Wendy Pattenden, Ernst and Young senior vice president Catherine Peacock, senior vice-president Tim Philpotts, KPMG partner Archie Johnston, Gary Webster, Kwantlen Polytechnic University chancellor Arvinder Bubber and guest, Mainroad secretary treasurer Doug Bjornson, vice-president operations Noel Mankey, Minister Ida Chong, suite reserve, Singapore Airlines vice-president HaoYu Dai, Sport Langley special events director Carla Robin, Langley 2010 B.C. Summer Games vice-president Jamey Paterson, vice-chair Michael Jackstein, U.S. Olympic Committee chief of sport performance Mike English, YVR aviation marketing director John Korenic.
Men’s qualification: Canada 8 Germany 2
ARCH Venture Partners Clint Bybee, partner Kristina Burow, B.C. Cancer Agency, v-p Sam Abraham, B.C. Technology Industry Association CEO Pascal Spotherfer, Boreal Genomics principal David Broemeling, CDRD CEO Natalle Dakers, Copperleaf Technology CEO Judi Hess, Dow Venture Capital global director Monty Bayer, Minister Iain Black, suite reserve, Peter Kiewit Sons v-p Frank Margitan and guest, Premier’s Technology Council co-chair Greg Peet, suite reserve x 2, Ventures West Brent York x 2, Teraspan Networks Inc. CEO Neil McDonnell, UBC university-industry liaison Angus Livingstone, Xenon CEO Simon Pimstone.
Men’s qualification: Slovakia 4 Norway 3
Blue Energy Canada CEO Martin Burger and guest, Endurance Wind Power vice-president Kevin Heany, Fraser Basin Council executive director David Marshall, director external relations Bob Purdy, Minister Iain Black, Mitsubishi Canada CEO Shinji Kowase and guest, Norsat International CEO Aimee Chan and guest, Warner Bros. executive v-p digital production Chris Defaria, B.C. line producer Jim Rowe, Vontobel Private Banking president Thomas Amgwerd and guest (x2 both), B.C. Technology Industry Association executive director David Marshall and guest (x2 both),
Feb. 24
Men’s quarter final: U.S. 2 Switzerland 0
ARCH Venture Partners partner Paul Thurk, B.C. Innovation Council founder Greg Aasen, Centre for Digital Media executive director Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Mingleverse Labs co-founder Ron Steven, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, OpenText v-p Dennis Croft, SNC Lavalin project manager Tom Tasaka and guest, suite reserve due to capacity x3, VanEdge Capital Glenn Entis and guest, Rick Mischel and guest, Vulcan Capital managing director Stephen Hall, Warner Bros. executive v-p Chris Defaria and 3 guests.
Men’s quarter final: Canada 7 Russia 3
Aldeasa Duty Free Yada guest, Britco president Rick McClymont, Eclipse Computing executive g.m. Ben Campbell-Barry, CEO Bradley Stoop, Fast and Epp managing partner Paul Epp, Krasnodar Krai vice-governor Alexey Agafonov, first deputy head of admin Dzhambulat Khatuov, vice-governor Galina Zolina, vice-governor Nikolay Doluda, chairman of legislature Vladimir Beketov, Minister Colin Hansen, Praxair USA president Jim Fuchs and 3 guests, SNC-Lavalin project manager Tom Tasaka, suite reserve, Today Show Josh Rhodes (x2), host Natalie Morales.
Men’s quarterfinal: Slovakia 4 Sweden 3
AirG (Wavefront) Raj Bhangu, Business Development Bank of Canada Frank Pho (VanEdge Capital), Minister Steve Thomson, O2 UK business manager James Hampton Finn and guest, China Shipping 5 allocated but not used, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee, advisor Robin Louis, Vistra Capital Management advisor Jeff Dowle, Volvo Powertrain Anders Kellstrom, Warner Bros. EVP Chris Defaria and guest, Wavefront Jim Maynard, Westport Innovations Lance Follet and guest, EVP Nicholas Sonntag.
Feb. 25
Women’s bronze medal: Finland 3 Sweden 2
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs program analyst Ashley Todd, Heather Kelly, Hapag Lloyd managing director Holger Oetjen and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, MLA Gordon Hogg, Port Metro Vancouver vice-president Peter Xotta, Air China 7 allotted but not used, Time Warner Inc. senior vice-president international relations Hugh Stephens and guest, Volvo Powertrain vice-chairman Anders Kellstrom, Westport Innovations vice-president Lance Follet, EVP Nicholas Sonntag and guest.
Women’s gold medal: Canada 2 U.S. 0
Olympians: Kristina Groves and guest, Clara Hughes and guest, Silken Laumann and guest, Marianne St. Gelais and guest, Michele Stilwell and 2 guests, Christine Nesbitt and guest, Maelle Ricker and guest, Ashleigh McIvor, Jenn Heill and guest, Minister Naomi Yamamoto.
Feb. 26
Men’s semifinal: U.S. 6 Finland 1
Association for Mineral Exploration of B.C. chair Lena Brommeland, director Mike McPhie, Gavin Dirom, Digital Domain CEO Cliff Plumer and 3 guests, Imperial Metals chairman Pierre Liebel, Kiska Metals Corp. CEO Jason Weber, Krome Studios CEO Robert Walsh, Lignol Innovations COO Michael Rushton, Mining Association of B.C. CEO Pierre Gratton, Minister Hawes, MLA Terry Lake, Rio Tinto Alcan general manager Allan Moss, CEO Jacynthe Cote, gov’t relations director Richard Propanko, Roca Mines CEO Scott Broughton, B.C. Business Council Virginia Greene, Terrane Metals CEO Rob Pease.
Men’s semifinal: Canada 3 Slovakia 2
Amazon vice-president worldwide corporate development Peter Krawlec, Blast Radius EVP Bill Schonbrun, CEO Gurval Caer, Dorsey and Whitney partner Jeffrey Peterson, Google Canada site director Steve Woods, KPC&B partner Bing Gordon, Minister Iain Black, MLA John Yap, Speaker Bill Barisoff, OpenText vice-president Dennis Croft, Prime Focus vice-president Amit Gupta, Research in Motion strategic alliance manager Chris Wormald, Sony EVP Debbie Denise and guest, suite reserve, VanEdge Capital Owen Matthews, Tandem Exploration Fund partner David Bookbinder and guest, VanEdge Capital partner Glenn Entis, Paul Lee.
Feb. 27
Men’s bronze medal: Finland 5 Slovakia 3
Olympians Catherine O’Brien and guest, Sandy Hartley and guest, Paralympian Patrick Anderson and guest, coach Adam Frost and guest, athlete Say Luangdem and guest, achievement award Hudson Stewart and guest, Minister Iain Black, MLA Ralph Sultan, 6 unallocated to provide room for wheelchair guests.
Feb. 28
Gold medal game: Canada 3 U.S. 2
David Foster and guest, Jim Richards, Vicki Gabereau and guest; Rio Tinto Alcan CEO Jacynthe Cote and vice-president Eric Ryan; Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation chairman John deC. Evans (CEO Trilogy Properties Corp.) and guest, executive director Maxine Davis and guest; Coaches Association of B.C. 2008 coach of the year: Chantel Spicer and guest; B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and guest; Olympians Ashleigh McIvor, Chris Del Bosco, Denny Morrison, Francois-Olivier Roberge, Jay Morrison, Lucas Makowsky, Mathieu Giroux, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Adam Enright, Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Herbert and two guests of men’s gold medal curling team; VANOC directors: Ken Dobell, Peter Brown and guest, Rick Turner and guest, Rusty Goepel and guest, Darlene Poole and guest.
The report said the government spent $127,684.67 on catering at sporting venues, but did not break down the cost of food and beverage at suite 213. The cost had to have been around $46,600 -- that's how much Crown corporation BC Hydro paid for burgers and beer at its GM Place Olympic suite.
So who enjoyed the Olympic hockey tournament in-style and on your dime? Here are the names of the invited guests for every game. (Note: some names were not disclosed. At some games, tickets were not fully allocated. The government said space was paid for but reserved for security and people in wheelchairs.)
Feb. 13
Canada 18 Slovakia 0 (women)
ARI Canada director of operations Karen Mongelli, Digi BC x 2, Fedex Sherry Ahorn, Focus Partners venture partner Allan Kwan, Group National Provincial executive director Marcelo Hernandez, GSR Ventures managing director Sonny Wu, International Ship Owners of Canada Stein guest x 2, Minister Iain Black, Minister Harry Bloy, Mobile Monday Foundation chairman Jari Tammisto, Near Field Communications chairman Koichi Tagawa, Nokia executive vice-presidents Anssi Vanjoki and Niklas Savander, Qualcomm CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs, Shanghai Investment Co. president Gao Tia Guo, Sierra Wireless vice-president of engineering Riley Hoyt, Wavefront director of engineering operations Allan Swain, Wireless West chief medical officer Dr. Eric Topol.
Feb. 16
United States 3 Switzerland 1
Breakwater Resources CEO Fred Hermann and guest, Enecsys Ltd. executive chair Mossadiq Umedaly and 4 guests, Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla and guest, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers John Dennison and guest, Clean Edge, LaFarge Ron Bruhaug and guest, MLA Randy Hawes, suite reserve, Sage Group founder Doug Allen, SNC Lavalin senior advisor Henry Wakabayashi, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee, Vantage Point Ventures managing director Stephen Dolezalek.
Canada 8 Norway 0
CN Rail Kelley Swendsen and guest, Electrabel head of portfolio management Charles Hertoghe and 2 guests, McElhanney Consulting vice-president John Blair and 2 guests, Minister Barry Penner, MLA Don McRae, Pacific Bio Energy Corp. CFO Brad Bardua, vice-president Brad Bennett, CEO Don Steele and 3 guests, Riverbank Power Corp. CEO John Douglas and guest, Vij’s Restaurant Vikram Vij.
Russia 8 Latvia 2
Air Liquide director Pierre Gauthier, Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association board member Andreas Truckenbrodt and guest, CEO John Tak and guest, CEO David McKenzie, Confederation Centre for the Arts McKenzie and guest, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce chair Carmon McNary and guest, Garage Technology Ventures managing director Guy Kawasaki and guest, MLA John van Dongen and Minister Naomi Yamamoto, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce chair Tim Redpath and guest, Rubicon Pharmacies guest of COO Robert Gore and guest, Vancouver Board of Trade Mike Cochrane and 2 guests.
Feb. 17
Finland 5 Belarus 1
Air China general manager Zhi Gang He and guest, BHP Billiton president diamond and specialty products Ben Armstrong and guest, Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer partner Jay Reid, CanEra Resources CEO J. Paul Charron, Crew Energy CEO Dale Shwed, Dundee Solar Income CEO Clarke Herring and guest, First Energy CEO Jim Davidson, Macquant Capital vice-president George Gosbee, Maersk Logistics manager Brian Hetherington and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, MLA Marc Dalton, P. Kiewit Sons vice-president Frank Margitan and guest, Sure Energy CEO Jeff Boyce, Westport Innovations CEO David Demers, Whitecap Resources CEO Grant Fagerheim.
Sweden 2 Germany 0
B.C. Cancer Agency president Douglas Nelson, vice-president Dr. Sam Abraham, B.C. leadership chair Francois Bernard, Biomark Technologies CEO Rashid Ahmed, president China Yan Li and guest, Christie Consulting president David Christie, KPCB partner Bing Gordon, Khosla Ventures Khosla guest, MDInfo co-founder Jeremy Bloom, Minister Kevin Falcon, MLA Dave Hayer, Pacific Bio Energy Corp. director Erik Dysthe and guest, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Rick Griffiths, Romich Medical principal Dr. Roy Jackson, Soprema Inc. vice-president Renauld Leclerc and two guests, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee.
Czech Republic 3 Slovakia 1
Air G senior business development manager Kyle Shackley, business development Diego Noguez, Crick director Eric Burger and guest, Italian Chamber of Commerce Adolfo Rossi, Antonio Lagamba, Celso Boscariol, Giovanni Boscariol, Giovanni Cunsolo, Liberata Soriano, Renata Soriano, Rocco Cunsolo, Minister Iain Black, MLA Pat Pimm, Northern Freegold GIS data manager Graeme Hopkins and guest, geologist Samantha Dyck and guest, Strongbow Exploration CEO Kenneth Armstrong, vice-president Dave Gale.
Feb. 18
U.S. 6 Norway 1
Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers vice-president Tracey Wood, Bridge Studios general manager Ron Hrynuik, Directors’ Guild of Canada B.C. executive director Crawford Hawkins, Dundee Solar Income CEO Clarke Herring and guest, Entertainment Partners Canada president Cheryl Nex, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, Kevin Krueger, North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios president Peter Leitch, Rainmaker Animation CEO Warren Franklin, Teamsters Local 155 secretary treasurer Ken Marsden, Union of B.C. Performers president Howard Story, Vancouver Film Studios COO Peter Mitchell, Walt Disney president of motion picture production Bruce Hendricks and guest, vice-president of Disney Interactive Howard Donaldson, Westport Innovations CEO David Demers.
Canada 3 Switzerland 2
Bishop’s Restaurant owner John Bishop and guest, Garage Technology Ventures managing director Guy Kawasaki and 3 guests, House of Q Brian Misko and guest, Minister George Abbott and MLA Gordon Hogg, Nu Restaurant and Lounge Maureen Seay and guest, Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corp. Chief Clarence Louie and guest, conversation technician Ron Hall and guest, Tojo’s owner Hidekazu Tojo and guest, Walt Disney production president Bruce Hendricks, B.C. line producer Justis Greene.
Slovakia 2 Russia 1
B.C. Trucking Association CEO Paul Landry and guest, vice-president of communications Louise Yako and guest, Dokie Wind president Greg Cook, Endurance Wind Power vice-president David Rankin, Government of Slovakia ambassador Stanislav Opiela and guest, Halifax Chamber of Commerce chair Bruce Russell and 3 guests, Lignol Innovations CEO Ross MacLaughlin, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Richard Lee, Pristine Power CEO Jeff Myers, Pulse Energy software operations lead Chuck Clark, Sempa Power director of sales and marketing Chris Whitney, Vancouver Board of Trade Derek Somerville and Mike Osborne.
Feb. 19
Sweden 4 Belarus 2
3M sales representative Mike Parsons, Avaya director Gordon Jackson, g.m. Greg Best, Cisco Canada president Nitin Kawale, regional manager for western Canada public sector Steve Kinsey, major account manager Terry Pettigrew, HP Advanced Solutions James Hamilton, client sales executives Peter Baran, Trevor Murphy, IBM managing partner Allan Hart, heatlhcare industry director Barry Burk, public sector g.m. Greg Brophy, delivery executive Peter Sandall, Minister Ben Stewart, MLA Rob Howard, Star Solutions International Pais guest x2, Telus vice-president Jason Macdonnell, acting manager of business solutions Michael McCarthy, vice president of sales and marketing Tim Draper.
Czech Republic 5 Latvia 2
Aboriginal Tourism B.C. CEO Keith Henry and guest, associate vice-chair Linnea Battel, Arts Club Theatre executive director Howard Jang, Burnaby Village Museum services supervisor Deborah Tuyttens and guest, Council of Tourism Associations chair Jim Storrie and guest, Go2 director Rob Fussey, Grouse Mountain Resorts vice-president Scott Ellis, CEO Stuart McLaughlin, Link BC projects and events Terry Bubb, Minister Ida Chong, Kevin Krueger, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association CEO Glenn Mandziuk, Tourism Association Northern B.C. CEO Anthony Everett, Tourism Burnaby executive director Matthew Coyne, Vancouver Coast and Mountains CEO Kevan Ridgeway, Vancouver Community College dean school of hospitality and business Jonathan Rouse.
Finland 5 Germany 0
Automotive Fuel Cell Corporation CEO Andreas Truckenbrodt, B.C. Technology Council chair Cheryl Slusarchuk, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital CEO Wal Van Lierop, Dpoint Technologies CEO James Dean, Energy Aware Technology president Janice O’Hearn, IBM general manager Greg Brophy and 3 guests, Sabrina Gill, Zubin Nazir, Light-Based Technologies vice-president Ed Sadowski, Minister Colin Hansen and MLA Dave Hayer, Nexterra Systems CEO Jonathan Rhone, Offsetters president James Tansey, Switch Materials CEO Doug Wiggin and guest, Tantalus Systems Corp CFO John Haylock, Westport Innovations executive vice-president Elaine Wong.
Feb. 20
Switzerland 5 Norway 4
Francophone delegation: artist Amougou Jean Faustin, Connie Smith and guest, Place de la Francophonie executive producer Daniel Simoncic, 2 guests, musician Elgin Vine, International Francophonie Organization Gabriel Cote, marketing director Isabelle Valois, director, guest John Wiggins, ArtsGames 2009 gold medalist Julie Picard, artist Lilliana Rusu, Magali Forte, ArtsGames 2009 silver medalist Marielsa Niels, photographer Natasa Laurentiu, artist Philippe Dalois, Scott Pollard, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Norm Letnick.
Slovakia 6 Latvia 0
Latvia ambassador Margers Krams and guest, South Africa consul general Christopher Meyer and Rebecca Meyer, Consul of Chile Maria Eliena Cuevas and guest, Colombia Rosa Marshall and guest, El Salvador Rosa Elena Moreno and guest, Peru Carlos Roman, Leonardo Chavez and guest, Slovakia Ivano Chomo and 2 guests, Netherlands Jacob Koedood and guest, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA John van Dongen.
Belarus 5 Germany 3
Centre for African Integration Mohamed Salde, Karen Initiative Domenica Pistrin, Lindseigh Lochhead, Lisa Sadler, Luciano Pistrin, Shirley Gemmell, Minister Ben Stewart, MLA Jane Thornthwaite, MOSAIC executive director Eyob Naizgh and guest, Multicultural Advisory Council Andree St. Martin, Ashli Komaryk, chair Edmond Luke, Michelle Rokotonaivo, Mo Dhaliwal, Myrt Turner, Raj Pagely, Randy Sandhu, Provincial Nesika Award Elsa Folgale, Paul Mulangu.
Feb. 21
Russia 4 Czech Republic 2
Bioteq Environmental Technologies manager of engineering Michael Bratty, Britco strategic planning director Chris Gardner, Cannon Design principal Robert Johnston, Kryton International CEO Kari Yuers, Minister Moira Stilwell, MLA Douglas Horne, Russia honorary consul Alexander Bardin, minister to IMF Alexey Mojin, chief of staff to deputy PM Zhukov Alexey Morozov, Boris Nikolskiy, guest Ekaterina Zhukova, guest of Vladimir Kojin, Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachov, minister of sport Vitaly Mutko, CEO office of the President Vladimir Kojin, Sandwell Engineering president Charlie Brit, Stantec principal Michael Kennedy, Structurlam president Bill Downing, Temple Scott Associates senior vice-president David Moors, partner Jennifer Rideout.
U.S. 5 Canada 3
ARCH Venture Partners managing directors Bob Nelson, Clint Bybee, CFO Mark McDonnell, partner Paul Thurk, B.C. Advantage Funds Amos Michelson, Cooledge Lighting CEO Art Aylesworth, Dow Venture Capital Monty Bayer, Frazier Healthcare Ventures Petrick Heron, Growthworks Rolf Kekleer, Intellectual Ventures Alex Marquez, Edward Jung, Patrick Ennis, Minister Colin Hansen, Reserve suite, Ostara Myles Degenstein, Premier’s Technology Council Greg Peet, UTIMCO Mark Shoberg, Venrock parnter Matt Trevithick, Vulcan Capital managing director Stephen Hall, Yaletown Venture Fund general partner Mike Satterfield.
Sweden 3 Finland 0
Allon Therapeutics CEO Gordon McCauley, Bauerfeind AG (no name), Dynamics GmbH (no name), K’nigsee Implantate CEO Frank Orschler, Life Sciences BC senior director Barry Gee, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, MLA Ralph Sultan, Thuringia, Germany Prime Minister Christine Lieberknecht, Dr. Peter Miethe, Dr. Ing Peter Traut, interpreter Echbauer, security Jan-Peter Mock, protokoll TSK Karl-Michael Danzer, Knut Korschewsky, Manfred Grob, German Canadian Chamber of Commerce Sascha Gurka, 2 guests, Wolfgang Lemb, Zymerworks CFO Neil Klompas.
Feb. 22
women’s hockey semifinal: U.S. 9 Sweden 1
Capacent Glacier managing partner Magnus Bjarnason, Glacier Partners sustainable energy director Charles Arrigo, managing director Ignacio Kleiman, Iceland secretary general Liney Halldorsdottir, Magma Energy vice-president Alison Thompson, chef de mission Andre Stefansson, vice-president Andrea Zaradic, vice-president Cathie Hickson, CEO Ross Beaty and 4 guests, Minister Margaret McDiarmid, MLA Douglas Horne, 3x suite reserve.
women’s semifinal: Canada 5 Finland 0
Canfor general manager Bill Caverly, Emirates Airlines Andrew Parker and guest, Haida Forest Products president Jim Gillis, Hanwa Co. executive vice-president Tim Inoue, Interex general manager Bruce Pollock, Interfor g.m. Steven Hofer, LJ Resources president Jim Jia, Minister Pat Bell, MLA Randy Hawes, Mitsui Homes g.m. Jun Mori, executive vice-president Yoshi Saito, Nice International president Shojiro Kodama, Quadra Wood Products president Dave Sweeny, suite reserve, Sumitomo Forestry managing executive director Yasuyuki Abe, Tolko export manager Dennis Yano, West Fraser export manager Mike Nomura, Western Forest Products senior vice-president Don Demens, Wing Co. president Shuji Horimoto.
Feb. 23
men’s qualification: Switzerland 3 Belarus 2
Alberta Minister of Culture Lindsay Blackett, Canadian Olympic Committee board member Therese Brisson, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific treasurer Peter Jackson, CEO Wendy Pattenden, Ernst and Young senior vice president Catherine Peacock, senior vice-president Tim Philpotts, KPMG partner Archie Johnston, Gary Webster, Kwantlen Polytechnic University chancellor Arvinder Bubber and guest, Mainroad secretary treasurer Doug Bjornson, vice-president operations Noel Mankey, Minister Ida Chong, suite reserve, Singapore Airlines vice-president HaoYu Dai, Sport Langley special events director Carla Robin, Langley 2010 B.C. Summer Games vice-president Jamey Paterson, vice-chair Michael Jackstein, U.S. Olympic Committee chief of sport performance Mike English, YVR aviation marketing director John Korenic.
Men’s qualification: Canada 8 Germany 2
ARCH Venture Partners Clint Bybee, partner Kristina Burow, B.C. Cancer Agency, v-p Sam Abraham, B.C. Technology Industry Association CEO Pascal Spotherfer, Boreal Genomics principal David Broemeling, CDRD CEO Natalle Dakers, Copperleaf Technology CEO Judi Hess, Dow Venture Capital global director Monty Bayer, Minister Iain Black, suite reserve, Peter Kiewit Sons v-p Frank Margitan and guest, Premier’s Technology Council co-chair Greg Peet, suite reserve x 2, Ventures West Brent York x 2, Teraspan Networks Inc. CEO Neil McDonnell, UBC university-industry liaison Angus Livingstone, Xenon CEO Simon Pimstone.
Men’s qualification: Slovakia 4 Norway 3
Blue Energy Canada CEO Martin Burger and guest, Endurance Wind Power vice-president Kevin Heany, Fraser Basin Council executive director David Marshall, director external relations Bob Purdy, Minister Iain Black, Mitsubishi Canada CEO Shinji Kowase and guest, Norsat International CEO Aimee Chan and guest, Warner Bros. executive v-p digital production Chris Defaria, B.C. line producer Jim Rowe, Vontobel Private Banking president Thomas Amgwerd and guest (x2 both), B.C. Technology Industry Association executive director David Marshall and guest (x2 both),
Feb. 24
Men’s quarter final: U.S. 2 Switzerland 0
ARCH Venture Partners partner Paul Thurk, B.C. Innovation Council founder Greg Aasen, Centre for Digital Media executive director Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Mingleverse Labs co-founder Ron Steven, Minister Naomi Yamamoto, OpenText v-p Dennis Croft, SNC Lavalin project manager Tom Tasaka and guest, suite reserve due to capacity x3, VanEdge Capital Glenn Entis and guest, Rick Mischel and guest, Vulcan Capital managing director Stephen Hall, Warner Bros. executive v-p Chris Defaria and 3 guests.
Men’s quarter final: Canada 7 Russia 3
Aldeasa Duty Free Yada guest, Britco president Rick McClymont, Eclipse Computing executive g.m. Ben Campbell-Barry, CEO Bradley Stoop, Fast and Epp managing partner Paul Epp, Krasnodar Krai vice-governor Alexey Agafonov, first deputy head of admin Dzhambulat Khatuov, vice-governor Galina Zolina, vice-governor Nikolay Doluda, chairman of legislature Vladimir Beketov, Minister Colin Hansen, Praxair USA president Jim Fuchs and 3 guests, SNC-Lavalin project manager Tom Tasaka, suite reserve, Today Show Josh Rhodes (x2), host Natalie Morales.
Men’s quarterfinal: Slovakia 4 Sweden 3
AirG (Wavefront) Raj Bhangu, Business Development Bank of Canada Frank Pho (VanEdge Capital), Minister Steve Thomson, O2 UK business manager James Hampton Finn and guest, China Shipping 5 allocated but not used, VanEdge Capital partner Paul Lee, advisor Robin Louis, Vistra Capital Management advisor Jeff Dowle, Volvo Powertrain Anders Kellstrom, Warner Bros. EVP Chris Defaria and guest, Wavefront Jim Maynard, Westport Innovations Lance Follet and guest, EVP Nicholas Sonntag.
Feb. 25
Women’s bronze medal: Finland 3 Sweden 2
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs program analyst Ashley Todd, Heather Kelly, Hapag Lloyd managing director Holger Oetjen and guest, Minister Colin Hansen, MLA Gordon Hogg, Port Metro Vancouver vice-president Peter Xotta, Air China 7 allotted but not used, Time Warner Inc. senior vice-president international relations Hugh Stephens and guest, Volvo Powertrain vice-chairman Anders Kellstrom, Westport Innovations vice-president Lance Follet, EVP Nicholas Sonntag and guest.
Women’s gold medal: Canada 2 U.S. 0
Olympians: Kristina Groves and guest, Clara Hughes and guest, Silken Laumann and guest, Marianne St. Gelais and guest, Michele Stilwell and 2 guests, Christine Nesbitt and guest, Maelle Ricker and guest, Ashleigh McIvor, Jenn Heill and guest, Minister Naomi Yamamoto.
Feb. 26
Men’s semifinal: U.S. 6 Finland 1
Association for Mineral Exploration of B.C. chair Lena Brommeland, director Mike McPhie, Gavin Dirom, Digital Domain CEO Cliff Plumer and 3 guests, Imperial Metals chairman Pierre Liebel, Kiska Metals Corp. CEO Jason Weber, Krome Studios CEO Robert Walsh, Lignol Innovations COO Michael Rushton, Mining Association of B.C. CEO Pierre Gratton, Minister Hawes, MLA Terry Lake, Rio Tinto Alcan general manager Allan Moss, CEO Jacynthe Cote, gov’t relations director Richard Propanko, Roca Mines CEO Scott Broughton, B.C. Business Council Virginia Greene, Terrane Metals CEO Rob Pease.
Men’s semifinal: Canada 3 Slovakia 2
Amazon vice-president worldwide corporate development Peter Krawlec, Blast Radius EVP Bill Schonbrun, CEO Gurval Caer, Dorsey and Whitney partner Jeffrey Peterson, Google Canada site director Steve Woods, KPC&B partner Bing Gordon, Minister Iain Black, MLA John Yap, Speaker Bill Barisoff, OpenText vice-president Dennis Croft, Prime Focus vice-president Amit Gupta, Research in Motion strategic alliance manager Chris Wormald, Sony EVP Debbie Denise and guest, suite reserve, VanEdge Capital Owen Matthews, Tandem Exploration Fund partner David Bookbinder and guest, VanEdge Capital partner Glenn Entis, Paul Lee.
Feb. 27
Men’s bronze medal: Finland 5 Slovakia 3
Olympians Catherine O’Brien and guest, Sandy Hartley and guest, Paralympian Patrick Anderson and guest, coach Adam Frost and guest, athlete Say Luangdem and guest, achievement award Hudson Stewart and guest, Minister Iain Black, MLA Ralph Sultan, 6 unallocated to provide room for wheelchair guests.
Feb. 28
Gold medal game: Canada 3 U.S. 2
David Foster and guest, Jim Richards, Vicki Gabereau and guest; Rio Tinto Alcan CEO Jacynthe Cote and vice-president Eric Ryan; Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation chairman John deC. Evans (CEO Trilogy Properties Corp.) and guest, executive director Maxine Davis and guest; Coaches Association of B.C. 2008 coach of the year: Chantel Spicer and guest; B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and guest; Olympians Ashleigh McIvor, Chris Del Bosco, Denny Morrison, Francois-Olivier Roberge, Jay Morrison, Lucas Makowsky, Mathieu Giroux, Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir, Adam Enright, Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Herbert and two guests of men’s gold medal curling team; VANOC directors: Ken Dobell, Peter Brown and guest, Rick Turner and guest, Rusty Goepel and guest, Darlene Poole and guest.
BC Hide-ro won't say who used its Olympic luxury box
What do...
...have in common?
They’re all BC Hydro employees. They’re also the only people that BC Hydro is willing to admit went to its $264,000 luxury suite in GM Place for Olympic hockey in February. That's where BC Hydro spent $46,600 of your money on burgers and booze... hey, just mere blocks from soup kitchens on the Downtown Eastside! Read the story here. See the documents here.
The public power company that is raising your electricity rates by about $100 a year (to pay for the VANOC power bill, perhaps?) says it cannot release the names of the invitees and their guests. They claim doing so would harm the personal privacy of those who got tickets for the luxury suite! That includes corporate clients from near and far and residential customers who won contests.
You mean, contest winners’ names must be kept secret? How can those who didn’t win tickets be satisfied that the contest was held fairly? Was the contest rigged?
Though, the documents are woefully lacking key information, BC Hydro is the first Crown corporation to provide me documents. I’m still waiting for B.C. Lottery Corporation and Insurance Corporation of B.C. to tell me what they spent during the Games.
Finally, it should be noted that the chairman of BC Hydro is VANOC executive vice-president of construction Dan Doyle. Neither VANOC nor Doyle are shining examples of public disclosure. VANOC is not subject to Freedom of Information and its board meetings are held behind closed doors. They had fun playing with your money at the Olympics, but they’re also arrogant enough to think that you don’t deserve to know!
Pia Nagpal, Brook Thalgot, Elin Aasen, Geoff Henshaw, Paul Seto, Paul Kennedy, Jennifer Thompson, John Thomas, Arien Korteland, Jeff Chiu, Simon Vickers, Michael Newland, Rob Klovance, Debra LeRose, Brianne Rusk, Greg Stanway, Harper Hadden, Michael Wenzlaff, Simi Heer, Sylvia Von Minden, Gareth Clarke, Margo Longland, Oscar Ceron, Kyle Horwood, Mike Brandson, Steve Hobson, Darren Richter, Scott Janzen, Carmelina Sorace, Ron Matromonaco, Brent Billey, Sunny Sharma, Christopher Roberts, Kevin Wallace, Melodie Bell, Wayne Cousins, Jeff Whitson, John Hougan, Cam Matheson, Ken Bell, Tiffany Kask, Pat Mathot and Walter Greeley.
...have in common?
They’re all BC Hydro employees. They’re also the only people that BC Hydro is willing to admit went to its $264,000 luxury suite in GM Place for Olympic hockey in February. That's where BC Hydro spent $46,600 of your money on burgers and booze... hey, just mere blocks from soup kitchens on the Downtown Eastside! Read the story here. See the documents here.
The public power company that is raising your electricity rates by about $100 a year (to pay for the VANOC power bill, perhaps?) says it cannot release the names of the invitees and their guests. They claim doing so would harm the personal privacy of those who got tickets for the luxury suite! That includes corporate clients from near and far and residential customers who won contests.
You mean, contest winners’ names must be kept secret? How can those who didn’t win tickets be satisfied that the contest was held fairly? Was the contest rigged?
Though, the documents are woefully lacking key information, BC Hydro is the first Crown corporation to provide me documents. I’m still waiting for B.C. Lottery Corporation and Insurance Corporation of B.C. to tell me what they spent during the Games.
Finally, it should be noted that the chairman of BC Hydro is VANOC executive vice-president of construction Dan Doyle. Neither VANOC nor Doyle are shining examples of public disclosure. VANOC is not subject to Freedom of Information and its board meetings are held behind closed doors. They had fun playing with your money at the Olympics, but they’re also arrogant enough to think that you don’t deserve to know!
Fan-to-Fan Furor
So you were a good, obedient Canadian and bought tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics directly from VANOC. You heeded VANOC warnings that tickets could be cancelled without notice if bought or sold through unauthorized sources, such as sidewalk scalpers or Craigslist brokers.
After months of dillying and dallying, VANOC came up with its own in-house solution, the Fan-to-Fan Marketplace. Essentially, the organizing committee that sought to outlaw scalping became a scalper. It allowed tickets to be sold for whatever price but took a 20% cut of all transactions (10% from the buyer and 10% from the seller) in exchange for listing on Vancouver2010.com and processing the transaction.
Fans were told they'd have to wait until after the Games and wouldn't get their payment before April. Now it's May and VANOC says it put cheques in the mail last week. It said it had to doublecheck addresses.
Of course, wouldn't it be more sustainable to zap payment electronically? Those services are offered in the 21st century.
This time last year, VANOC had well-documented cashflow problems. Those were supposedly solved when the International Olympic Committee agreed to a $22 million bailout last summer. The British Columbia government is the ultimate guarantor.
Anyway, please respond in the forum below or directly to 2010goldrush (at) gmail (dot) com and tell me your Fan-to-Fan Marketplace experience. What was VANOC customer service like? Have you received your cheque? Did it clear the bank?
UPDATE: If you have not been satisfied by VANOC, you have a right to complain. In British Columbia, Consumer Protection BC handles consumer complaints on behalf of the government. The Consumers' Association of Canada is a non-governmental organization that can provide you with information on how to make similar complaints to the authorities if you are outside B.C.
After months of dillying and dallying, VANOC came up with its own in-house solution, the Fan-to-Fan Marketplace. Essentially, the organizing committee that sought to outlaw scalping became a scalper. It allowed tickets to be sold for whatever price but took a 20% cut of all transactions (10% from the buyer and 10% from the seller) in exchange for listing on Vancouver2010.com and processing the transaction.
Fans were told they'd have to wait until after the Games and wouldn't get their payment before April. Now it's May and VANOC says it put cheques in the mail last week. It said it had to doublecheck addresses.
Of course, wouldn't it be more sustainable to zap payment electronically? Those services are offered in the 21st century.
This time last year, VANOC had well-documented cashflow problems. Those were supposedly solved when the International Olympic Committee agreed to a $22 million bailout last summer. The British Columbia government is the ultimate guarantor.
Anyway, please respond in the forum below or directly to 2010goldrush (at) gmail (dot) com and tell me your Fan-to-Fan Marketplace experience. What was VANOC customer service like? Have you received your cheque? Did it clear the bank?
UPDATE: If you have not been satisfied by VANOC, you have a right to complain. In British Columbia, Consumer Protection BC handles consumer complaints on behalf of the government. The Consumers' Association of Canada is a non-governmental organization that can provide you with information on how to make similar complaints to the authorities if you are outside B.C.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Penny counts the costs
Penny Ballem can’t please all the politicians, all the time.
Vancouver’s city manager, who is also a VANOC director, made a valiant effort to report to council April 20 on civic taxpayers’ bill for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The tally was a gross $729.2 million, which was whittled to $554.3 million with help from the federal and British Columbia governments. Her agenda, obtained under Freedom of Information, shows she met Feb. 24 with senior city hall staff including report author Annette Klein to discuss “Olympic costing.”
Coun. Suzanne Anton, the lone NPA holdover from the 2005-2008 council, criticized Ballem for including the $299.8 million of city facilities at the Olympic Village.
COPE Coun. Ellen Woodsworth read a list of items that didn’t make it into the report -- such as the sweetheart rent deal for VANOC, cost of closing Coal Harbour and Roundhouse Community Centres (to be the protocol centre and House of Italy, respectively), reduced hours at city hall and loss of revenue at local businesses because of transportation and security restrictions. If your business wasn't a downtown hotel or restaurant, chances are you suffered in February.
Ballem revealed that when she became city manager in December 2008, there was no accounting for civic Olympic costs, beyond the $20 million legacy reserve fund. “When I first started, I had been taken aback,” Ballem said. “I don’t think I was ever able to find a budget.”
Ballem said items were included because they were capital projects exclusively for the Games or on an accelerated Olympic schedule or operational expenses and reallocations. The broad definition corresponds with former B.C. Auditor General Arn van Iersel’s interpretation. He estimated in 2006 that the Games would cost B.C. taxpayers $2.5 billion, based on items planned or built on an Olympic-dictated schedule for use in supporting or staging the Games. His successor John Doyle said the provincial government was downplaying costs.
Wherever you are on the spectrum, you can’t fault Ballem for her effort. What other bureaucrat in this province is trying to deliver the truth to the people who paid for the party?
Certainly not Philip Steenkamp, the president of the B.C. 2010 Winter Games Secretariat.
His boss, Olympics minister Mary McNeil and her boss Premier Gordon Campbell keep telling us Vancouver 2010 was the “most successful in Olympic Winter Games history.” That communications strategy is based on the old maxim that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.
It’s only a matter of time before their house of cards crashes. VANOC may very well balance its books, but only with the International Olympic Committee’s bailout and a substantial, unannounced infusion from taxpayers.
The B.C. Fiberals and VANOC are just making us wait until they hope we won’t notice or care. They think October is safe.
One thing is certain, there won’t be a provincial “Ballemization” of Olympic costs, according to McNeil. Citizens and the media will have to search through the entire annual public spending report for the government to find out.
“There will not be a separate report (by the Olympic Games Secretariat), but as I’ve said, all expenses will be published in the Public Accounts, and they will be reviewed by the Auditor General,” McNeil said in a budget hearing on April 20.
That may be news to the Office of the Auditor General. Executive director Michael Macdonell didn’t offer any certainty in an April 9 email response to me.
“We are not the auditor of VANOC, and so will evaluate our position once we have received and assessed (its final) report,” Macdonell said.
VANOC, by the way, stopped publishing quarterly financial reports last year. McNeil misspoke when she said its most recent was in January.
VANOC is actually violating section 4.4 of the Multiparty Agreement that said the organizing committee will publish financial statements 60 days after the end of each quarter, in each fiscal year.
Vancouver’s city manager, who is also a VANOC director, made a valiant effort to report to council April 20 on civic taxpayers’ bill for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The tally was a gross $729.2 million, which was whittled to $554.3 million with help from the federal and British Columbia governments. Her agenda, obtained under Freedom of Information, shows she met Feb. 24 with senior city hall staff including report author Annette Klein to discuss “Olympic costing.”
Coun. Suzanne Anton, the lone NPA holdover from the 2005-2008 council, criticized Ballem for including the $299.8 million of city facilities at the Olympic Village.
COPE Coun. Ellen Woodsworth read a list of items that didn’t make it into the report -- such as the sweetheart rent deal for VANOC, cost of closing Coal Harbour and Roundhouse Community Centres (to be the protocol centre and House of Italy, respectively), reduced hours at city hall and loss of revenue at local businesses because of transportation and security restrictions. If your business wasn't a downtown hotel or restaurant, chances are you suffered in February.
Ballem revealed that when she became city manager in December 2008, there was no accounting for civic Olympic costs, beyond the $20 million legacy reserve fund. “When I first started, I had been taken aback,” Ballem said. “I don’t think I was ever able to find a budget.”
Ballem said items were included because they were capital projects exclusively for the Games or on an accelerated Olympic schedule or operational expenses and reallocations. The broad definition corresponds with former B.C. Auditor General Arn van Iersel’s interpretation. He estimated in 2006 that the Games would cost B.C. taxpayers $2.5 billion, based on items planned or built on an Olympic-dictated schedule for use in supporting or staging the Games. His successor John Doyle said the provincial government was downplaying costs.
Wherever you are on the spectrum, you can’t fault Ballem for her effort. What other bureaucrat in this province is trying to deliver the truth to the people who paid for the party?
Certainly not Philip Steenkamp, the president of the B.C. 2010 Winter Games Secretariat.
His boss, Olympics minister Mary McNeil and her boss Premier Gordon Campbell keep telling us Vancouver 2010 was the “most successful in Olympic Winter Games history.” That communications strategy is based on the old maxim that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.
It’s only a matter of time before their house of cards crashes. VANOC may very well balance its books, but only with the International Olympic Committee’s bailout and a substantial, unannounced infusion from taxpayers.
The B.C. Fiberals and VANOC are just making us wait until they hope we won’t notice or care. They think October is safe.
One thing is certain, there won’t be a provincial “Ballemization” of Olympic costs, according to McNeil. Citizens and the media will have to search through the entire annual public spending report for the government to find out.
“There will not be a separate report (by the Olympic Games Secretariat), but as I’ve said, all expenses will be published in the Public Accounts, and they will be reviewed by the Auditor General,” McNeil said in a budget hearing on April 20.
That may be news to the Office of the Auditor General. Executive director Michael Macdonell didn’t offer any certainty in an April 9 email response to me.
“We are not the auditor of VANOC, and so will evaluate our position once we have received and assessed (its final) report,” Macdonell said.
VANOC, by the way, stopped publishing quarterly financial reports last year. McNeil misspoke when she said its most recent was in January.
VANOC is actually violating section 4.4 of the Multiparty Agreement that said the organizing committee will publish financial statements 60 days after the end of each quarter, in each fiscal year.
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