Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition: March 2006

Friday, March 31, 2006

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Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1596
LOWRY WINS CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AWARD POSTHUMOUSLY

The man who was in Vancouver just last summer to survey the city for use by the Canadian Olympic Committee during the 2010 Winter Games has been awarded the COC's Leadership in Sport Award posthumously at the 33rd Annual Canadian Sport Awards ceremony held in Toronto this evening.

The award, which went to the COC's former Executive Director of Sport, Mark Lowry, is a lifetime achievement honour presented annually to an individual or organization which exemplifies Spirit of Sport values as well as demonstrates groundbreaking organizational leadership, innovative practices, influential communications, cutting edge sport marketing or positioning of the sport sector.

Lowry, 51, died in his sleep at his home in Ottawa October 24. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for the previous two years. He was well known to many at the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), and was instrumental in working with VANOC senior vice-president of Sport, Cathy Priestner, to implement the "Own the Podium - 2010" program.

"On behalf of the Lowry family, I would like to thank the Canadian Olympic Committee for nominating Mark for this prestigious award -- the highest honour that a Canadian sport leader can achieve," Mark's wife, Jennifer, said in accepting the award. "I know being honoured by this community, one that he cared about so much, would have touched Mark deeply. For Mark, winning this award is a testament to his dedication and passion and I hope that his success will inspire future sport leaders."

The winner of the award was selected by a seven-member jury consisting of Canadian athletes, sport leaders and members of the media. Nominations for the Leadership in Sport Award were submitted by sports associations and individuals across Canada. The other finalist for the award was Chris Wilson, a member of he Board of Directors for Esteem Team Association and Speed Skating Canada.

"Mark Lowry passionately believed that sport in Canada is going through the most exciting period in its history," said COC Chief Executive Officer Chris Rudge. "Mark was a driving force in bringing about the changes and the focus that frame our current environment. The recent successes of Canada's athletes and National Sport Federations at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games stand as a testament to his vision."

Lowry joined the COC in June of 1997 as the Executive Director of Sport with overall responsibility for Canada's participation at the Olympic and Pan American Games, athlete and coach programming and support to national sport federations.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 31, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1595

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

FIRST PHASE OF HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS NETWORK COMPLETED FOR VANCOUVER

Inukshuk Wireless says it's completed the first phase of installing its new wireless broadband network, with service available in 20 centres across Canada, including Vancouver. But it is coy about saying when, or even whether, Whistler will be included in the list of 45 communities it intends to service by 2008. Built in conjunction with VANOC telecommunications sponsor Bell Canada and Bell's partner in this project, Rogers Communications, the Inukshuk wireless network is based on Internet protocols and allows for portable high-speed computer communication services. Subscribers can used the Internet and other applications, such as low-cost long-distance voice-over-internet calls, video streaming and a batch of data applications, without being tied to a desktop computer. The network uses existing cell-phone towers that belong to either Bell or Rogers, to connect their customers to the Internet while providing secure data transmission. Inukshuk is a joint venture of Bell and Rogers.

BC GOVERNMENT WORKSHOP MONDAY TO FOCUS ON IMPROVING HEALTH BEFORE 2010

The BC Healthy Living Alliance, a big health-promotion group in BC that's working with a C$25 million budget from the BC government, is scheduled to meet Monday in a Vancouver seminar called "Let the Games Begin: Building a Healthier BC for 2010 and Beyond". The day-long session, which is to include George Abbott, BC's minister of Health, and Ken Dobell, who is a director of VANOC's Board and "special adviser" to BC premier Gordon Campbell, as well as with experts from across the province, to discuss how health priorities, can be aided by -– or become –- public policy. The Campbell government has pledged to increase the average resident's health by the time of the 2010 Winter Games.

VANOC DANCER WEATHERS COLD, DAMP AND CONFIDENTIALITY FOR TORINO EVENT

Conditions weren't exactly healthy for some of VANOC's performers in Torino. VANOC's penchant for secrecy over preparations for its public events, among other things, has again been underscored by comments made by one of the dancers at the 2010 portion of the Torino Closing Ceremonies. The dancer, whose name we'll keep to ourselves, says today in a report that the call to audition came last fall and those who were selected had to sign one of VANOC's infamous and detailed confidentiality agreements to get the job (every supplier, contractor and consultant to the 2010 Games has to sign a similar agreement). The agreement prevented any disclosure of the segment's content, or even, for that matter even the location of the Greater Vancouver warehouse where the dancer, the rest of the nine-member Vancouver-area troupe, and star performer, Avril Lavigne, rehearsed. The dancer also noted one situation which won't be repeated in 2010, simply because VANOC's Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held under the BC Place roof. Rehearsals of VANOC's segment in Torino were carried out in surroundings so wet there were puddles through which the dancers splashed only a day or two before the event because a cold rain drenched the open-air stage at the Stadio Olimpico.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 31, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1594
DESIGNERS CALLED AS 2010 VENUE ICE RINK CONSTRUCTION PROCESS IS LAUNCHED

The process of constructing yet another 2010 venue has begun. This time, the prime actor is the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

The Parks Board, working with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), has begun the process of building the first of two new, Olympic-sized ice rink at John Hendry Park, at Trout Lake, in central east Vancouver. This one will replace an aging NHL-sized rink that the parks board has been maintaining but never had sufficient money to replace, but the cost of it was covered by the Olympic-projects portion of last fall's capital-projects City referendum. The rink will be used as a practice arena for the 2010 Games. After the Olympics, the facility will be converted to a new community ice arena. In addition, the 2001 Park Board Community Centre Renewal Plan says the existing Trout Lake Community Centre as a high priority renewal project.

The second new rink is scheduled to start the same sort of process later this year for the Killarney area, in south-east Vancouver.

The first step in the process is to see who's interested in designing the new arena. The Board is looking for professional design consultants who want to provide "full architectural and engineering services associated with the new Ice Rink and schematic designs for a future replacement Community Centre." Those who apply by April 11 will be shortlisted, and those remaining will be given a detailed Request for Proposals.

Board planners say "the design of the facility will require an integrated design team with expertise in the design of both an Olympic-calibre ice rink facility as well as a multi-purpose community recreational facility." The rink will be about 3,200 square meters (about 34,400 square feet) and will include change-room facilities, a lounge, seating, an ice-conditioner room, a skate shop, the ice plant, the mechanical and electrical rooms and public washrooms.

In order to get the Expression of Interest documents for the application, you have to contact the Purchasing manager directly.

RESOURCES

Cindy Mercer, Purchasing Manager,
Phone: 604.257.8417
E-mail: Cindy.Mercer@Vancouver.ca
Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation,
2099 Beach Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6G 1Z4

A brief overview and photo map of the park. The current rink and community centre are the buldings in the lower left corner of the park.
vancouver.ca/parks/info/planning/johnhendrymasterplan/index.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 31, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1593

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

FURLONG MEETS WITH NEWFOUNDLAND PREMIER AND RECREATION MINISTER

VANOC CEO John Furlong, who is today launching the RBC Flag Tour in Halifax, met yesterday with the premier of Newfoundland & Labrador, Danny Williams, and with his minister of Tourism and Recreation, Tom Hedderson, who had released their province's annual budget the same day. There has been no word yet on what the three officials may have discussed, and neither VANOC nor the premier's office have released any information about it; in fact, the premier's office didn't even let reporters know the meeting was to take place. It is known, however, that Furlong has intentions of having each Canadian province sign a protocol agreement similar to that signed with Quebec about supporting the 2010 Winter Games. Furlong later participated in a meeting with St. John’s Francophone community leaders and spoke about the Games to a large group of staff working for RBC, VANOC's major financial sponsor. There were also two keynote speaking engagements for him, one was to about 150 people at the St. John’s Board of Trade luncheon, the other to 50-person reception with Sport Newfoundland. Meanwhile Aliant Canada, itself a second tier telecommunications sponsor for VANOC and a division of VANOC's major telecommunications sponsor, Bell Canada, donated C$20,000 in a joint announcement with Sport Newfoundland to KidSport Newfoundland & Labrador. KidSport is a national organization whose aim is to provide sport-registration grants to the youth of poor families across the province. The actual cheque was giving to Hedderson an a dinner earlier.

OREGON MAGAZINE REPORTS VANOC'S TORINO PRESENTATION WAS "MASTERFUL"

Reviews of VANOC's eight-minute presentation during the three-hour closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics are still drifting in, due to the production time require by some media. The latest is contained as part of a Vancouver-as-tourist-destination article in the April issue of Oregon Magazine. The publication covers one of VANOC's prime geographical markets for US visitors to the Games. Author Fred Delkin writes about Conde Nast's choice of Vancouver as "The Best City in the Americas", then adds, "Further certification of Vancouver’s value has been provided by the International Olympic Committee, which named the city as the site for the 2010 Winter Games. If one watched the 2006 Winter Games closing ceremony televised from Italy, you saw a masterful welcome to the world stage by the BC Olympic officials."

VANCOUVER 2010? YES! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!

From our If All You've Got is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail department: A Vancouver-based travel agency with an excess of adjectives has decided to catch the 2010 Olympics interest, not by promoting tours to Vancouver, but away from it. "With the upcoming Olympics in North America in 2010, Activa by Adventures Abroad is excited to announce two different limited-time-only special offers from $1,095: one to trek the verdant hills of the most recent host of the winter Olympics -- Italy; and one to explore the rugged islands of the spiritual home of the Olympics -- Greece," gushes the company's Martin Charlton today in a promotional blurb. He adds, unabashedly, "These first two separate special-offer tours -- to walk the lush, rolling hills of Italy or to hop around the sun-drenched islands off Greece -- must be booked by 16th April and depart from any gateway in North America."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 31, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1592
1,600 INTERNATIONAL SPORTS LEADERS MEET AS HOST SOUTH KOREA PLOTS 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS WIN

One of the biggest events in the international high-performance sports community, the 15th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, opened today in South Korea, and will last through April 7.

About 1,600 sports leaders are attending the meetings, which is part of South Korea's carefully staged plan to ensure its entry of PyeongChang, a county 160 kilometres east of Seoul, is chosen by the International Olympic Committee next year to host the 2014 Winter Games.

However, South Korea can't be overt about its intentions during the Assembly session; under IOC rules, PyeongChang and other bidding cities are not allowed to wage a major public campaign in favour of their bid before October. But, it's only the second time that an ANOC meeting has been hosted by an Asian nation, and the first was South Korea as well.

Kim Jin-sun, governor of Kangwon Province, which includes PyeongChang, says carefully, "We will do our best to let delegates of ANOC know that PyeongChang... is a perfect venue to host the 2014 Games, while strictly abiding by IOC ethics rules." That's also important to say; PyeongChang's official in charge of the 2010 bid was later involved in a serious ethics scandal over the way the bid was handled.

It is PyeongChang's second bid to host a Winter Olympic Games after it lost in July 2003 to Vancouver in bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The South Korean city was first in the primary voting round, with more votes than either Vancouver or Austria's Salzburg, which is also bidding for the 2014 Games. However, South Korea was three votes short of winning the bid, so the voting went to a second round after the bottom bids were dropped, and Vancouver won.

Besides PyeonChang and Saltzberg, five other cities are bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympics: Almaty of Kazakhstan, Sochi of Russia, Jaca of Spain, Sofia of Bulgaria and Borjomi-Bakuriani of Georgia. The list will be narrowed to three or four candidates during June's IOC Executive Board meeting. Following an evaluation process that runs from next February to April 2007, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics will be determined in the IOC Session to be held in Guatemala in July 2007.

While it may not be able to do it publicly, PyeongChang is doing its best to impress international sports officials who could influence the IOC vote in the background, and the marketing campaign began well before the current Assembly session. Since 2004, Kangwon province has hosted five big international winter sports tournaments -- the Asia-Pacific Curling Championships, the World Short Track Team Championships, the Short Track World Cup, the ISU Four Continents Figure-Skating Championships and the Snowboard World Cup. The city is also scheduled to host nine more tournaments and international events to February 2009, and hopes to attract nine more tournaments between 2007 and 2011, including the Ski Cross-Country World Cup and the Summer Ski Jumping World Cup.

The city that wins the 2014 Games bid will be incorporated into VANOC's planning, transfer-of-knowledge programs and its Closing Ceremonies.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 31, 2006

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1591
CITY CALLING FOR DEVELOPERS FOR A CHARACTER BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC ATHLETES VILLAGE

The City of Vancouver has called for organizations interested in redeveloping and eventually either buying or leasing a peculiar old building in the southern middle of the 2010 Olympic Athletes Village to contact the City by April 25 if they want to be on the shortlist for the project.

And it's not just interested in hearing from traditional developers. Non-profits, societies -- whoever thinks they might have an interesting plan for the building, and can do the development work -- is welcome to answer the call. The structure will be used by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) between November 1, 2009 and April 7, 2010, and then returned to the developer.

The Salt Building, a large, red, wood-frame industrial building at 85 West 1st Avenue, was built in 1931, 75 years ago, by the Vancouver Salt Company, and it has acquired over the years, a sentimental kind of old industrial character that the City, interested in its heritage aspects, wants to preserve to remind people -- and athletes -- who will be living in the area about the area's heavy industrial history. As a result, it wasn't included in the general developer Request for Proposals for the construction of the Athlete Village buildings. City planners felt it should be developed with a strong eye to its heritage, and on its own.

And, since the Olympics is to be a showcase for the city's ability to offer sustainability services to the thousands who will be attending the games, and the millions who will be watching features about the city on TV, whoever takes on the development job will need to aim for at least LEED Silver sustainability, but the City is urging would-be developers to consider going for Gold or, hopefully Platinum LEED in the way it handles water and energy use, among a batch of other items of interested to the LEED program. On the other hand, say planners, these objectives "may require modification to meet the heritage objectives of restoring the Salt Building."

The building is 1,440 square metres (about 15,500 square feet) on land that's 1,734 sq.m (18,665 sq ft); it's located on the southern side of the Athlete Village's Residential Zone, which is to include a variety of services for the athletes during the 2010 Games, such as recreation, leisure, religious, medical or administrative requirements of the athletes or the organizations that support them. VANOC supply operations and services will be to the west, and a transportation mall will be set up by VANOC to east.

The Salt Building is expected to be used by VANOC during its holding period for that sort of thing, and so the potential developer has to keep that in mind. But once the Games are over and VANOC hands the building back, with a little wear and tear, the developer can finish the structure as per its plans. And the City says it will compensate the developer for "all reasonable costs" incurred as a result of it not being able to use the building while VANOC has it.

The City wants the eventual developer to adhere to a long list of cultural, environmental and design principles that basically ensure the building will be restored to its former blue-collar glory, but be wheel-chair accessible and energy-efficient -- in fact, the City wants a 30% improvement in energy use by the building that its own bylaws require.

BACKGROUND

According to various researchers, raw salt was shipped to Vancouver from the San Francisco Bay area. The salt was unloaded at Burrard Inlet and brought by scow into False Creek, where the Vancouver Salt Company partly refined it by washing, drying, grinding, and sifting it into the coarse product used industrially for human consumption. The original market was as a preservative for the then-lucrative salmon fishery, particularly the area's Asian-Canadian fish-packers. Subsequent uses included other kinds of food-packing, tanneries, cold-storage plants, and highway ice removal. The gable-roofed eastern portion held four large brine tanks, and the shed-roofed western part became a dry storage shed. An additional roof was extended over the big delivery apron to accommodate machinery. By the 1950s, rail, and then trucks, replaced boats for shipping the salt.

The operation became the Arden Vancouver Salt Company in 1970, which and was later acquired by Domtar, a wood-products firm. By the late 1980s, the Salt Building was being used for paper recycling: first by Belkin Paper Stock Ltd., and then by Paperboard Industries. The building, which sits on stilts because, officially, it's on a City water lot, and technically below the traditional high-water mark of the area, is empty.

The land is pretty polluted, but the City is in the process of cleaning that up and bringing in new fill, and stabilizing the building's foundations (Stantec Engineering and Levelton Consultants were hired in January to assess the foundation work).

--

Here's the City's schedule for the Salt Building project:

Information session for those interested: April 6

Closing Time for Submissions -- April 25

Announcement of Short-Listed Respondents -- Early May

Issuance of RFP -- Early June

Deadline for RFP Proposals -- July 2006 1

Selection of Developer -- sometime between July and September

AREA DEVELOPMENT:

Road Construction and Site Services -- April 2006 to April 2007 II

Rezoning -- this Fall

Permitting -- This fall to Summer of 2007

Restoration Work -- Summer 2007 to Summer of 2009

Occupancy Permit expected to be issued by Summer of 2009

Olympic Village usage period -- Nov 1, 2009 - April 7, 2010

Salt Building Returned to the developer

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 30, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1590
BC/CANADA HOUSE CATERER SAYS STAFF WITH "GREAT ATTITUDE" AND QUICK THINKING NEEDED FOR JOB

The president of Culinary Capers Catering, which won the contract to cater BC/Canada House at the Torino Winter Games, says the experience required quick thinking, a staff with a great attitude and stamina. She is now campaigning to be involved in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and with the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Debra Lykkemark, in a question-and-answer interview in the April issue of Special Events Magazine, says she took 10 of her staff people with her to Italy from mid-January until March 1 in the log-cabin-style pavilion. The contract was offered by the BC government's 2010 Olympics secretariat.

"We did 42 events at BC/Canada Place. Many of them were showcasing the province and the different municipalities making up the lower mainland of British Columbia. We also did parties for the coaches and athletes for Speed Skating Canada and Hockey Canada, as well as for corporations that support the games, such as Bell Canada and Petro-Canada. There was also a series of business-development luncheons and receptions organized by the Canadian consulate in Italy. Most of our parties were cocktail receptions for about 150 people; there were some days where we did up to six events in the facility. Our menus were a nice balance of West Coast-style hors d'oeuvre, Italian antipasto and Asian-influenced hors d'oeuvre, as Vancouver has a very large Asian population."

And the attitude/stamina part? "The key thing was to take people with a really good attitude, lots of stamina and who could multi-task. We didn't know if we would be twiddling our thumbs or working 18-hour days. They had to be ready to step in -- washing dishes or bar-tending or making floral or helping with kitchen prep. They also had to be prepared to live in tight quarters. We had five people in one apartment and four in another. I told them, "This might be the toughest thing you ever have to do, or it might be the most fun -- I don't know which." I was very fortunate in the team that I picked, because it turned out to be a lot of business. We were really busy every day."

Lykkemark told the magazine that, as a supplier, it was important for a firm to be able to handle something as intense as the Olympics, while still being able to handle existing clientele. "I think this is key to being successful in the long term. If your company is not strong enough to take good care of your customers at home, you will end up losing some of your clientele to other caterers if you have to turn down business or if you take business at home that you cannot handle."

The quick thinking component: It turned out to be tough to import food products from Canada into Italy, so the firm sourced a lot of its supplies in Torino. It was also tough to find the quality of items it wanted for the table settings, but finally found what it wanted in Milan.

Among the BC Secretariat's offer requirements: The caterer had to arrange access to a commercial kitchen, storage facilities and local transportation in Torino, responsible for insurance, permits and any other regulatory requirements necessary to complete the project, and provide a full staff complement, including wages, accommodation, transportation and living expenses in Torino at the caterer's expense.

BACKGROUND

"The Opening Night party, with an initial guest list of 250, attracted over 400... dignitaries, local and international officials and tourism professionals over the course of the evening. Some highlights of the menu by Culinary Capers were herb prawns presented on pipettes filled with lemincello, vine-ripe cherry tomatoes stuffed with crisp bacon and romaine lettuce, with a dollop of house-made mayonnaise and cranberry tapenade on a shallot biscotti with Gorgonzola." -- Culinary Capers commentary.

RESOURCES

Culinary Capers Catering
1545 W. Third Ave.,
Vancouver, BC, V6J 1J8, Canada;
Phone: (+1) 604.875.0123
Fax: (+1) 604-875-8861
Toll Free: 1-888-396-0777
E-mail: info@culinarycapers.com
www.culinarycapers.com

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 30, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1589
THE 2010 PARALYMPICS: SOME LESSONS LEARNED, OTHERS MAY FOLLOW

The director of the Paralympic Games of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), Dena Coward, is quoted in the latest issue of Whistler's Pique Magazine, as saying that she is already dealing with one of the lessons learned by watching the Torino Winter Paralympic Games earlier this month.

The weather during the Torino Games turned warm unexpectedly, turning paths among venues muddy, and making it difficult for athletes and spectators alike to navigate wheelchairs. TOROC responded as quickly as possible to put down mats which worked, although not well. Reporter Andrew Mitchell quotes Coward as saying that, "Our best learning so far [in accessibility] was to be at the Nordic venue and see the matting and pathways they created because of the weather. We believe our weather could be similar at that time of year, so we will have to plan for mud."

Coward says that VANOC has retained consultant Brad McCannell of Vancouver to examine venue plans to ensure they’re accessible. McCannell is President of Canadian Barrier Free Design, whose work at making the Vancouver International Airport accessible to people with disabilities has won him awards.

Another lesson taught VANOC involved ensuring the 2010 Paralympics have enough sponsorship, says Coward. All of the six Tier 1 sponsors of the 2010 Olympics agreed during the negotiations that they would also sponsor the 2010 Paralympics as well, which wasn't the case in Torino or previous Games. There were a lot of similar sponsors for Olympics and Paralympics in Salt Lake City and Sydney, but the decision to sponsor both events was optional in those Games.

Tim Gayda, VANOC’s managing director for sport, is also quoted in the article as saying, "The new venue consultant will ensure accessibility when a venue is brand new, but it’s more challenging when you’re using an existing venue, so that’s where we’re going to have to apply some serious thought over the next little while." All of the Paralympics for 2010 are to be staged in Whistler.

Timing Flats on Whistler Mountain is to be used the base area for Alpine events, and accessibility is one of the challenges for VANOC, according to the report. Only a two-lane residential road goes to the area, and travelling from the base at Creekside is considerably longer and steeper than the journey to the Sestriere base area. And, unlike Sestriere, there’s no chairlift into the Timing Flats that can be used by spectators, athletes, coaches and other officials.

The article says that one of the main concerns of Brian MacPherson, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, involves ensuring that athletes can get to the venue, but he believes VANOC has figured out a way to accommodate disabled spectators, as well as those who are not.

MacPherson told the reporter it's normal that getting to alpine venues involves a lot of walking, "but (VANOC) has... years to figure out a way to get people to the events... These are details that can all be worked out, providing we get to work on them early enough. For example, there is a paved road to the timing flats which is already more than they had at Sestriere. If a path is steep, you can always put in switchbacks. The answer’s there, and it will likely be a combination of things."

MacPherson also suggests that, for athletes, accessibility in Torino was a bigger issue than expected. "Accessibility, from my point of view, was less than desired," he is quoted as saying, "which genuinely surprised us because there’s stuff you have to know, and have to plan for and implement long before the athletes start to arrive. Anything on the main track, from airport to athletes village, from athletes village to venue -– everything between those points should be 100& accessible for every disability that’s part of the Games, and that’s not what we saw there. Once you’re off the track, like the tourist stuff in town, going grocery shopping, you have to manage your expectations as a person with a disability. Every country and city is different, and not all are equally accessible, but any venue connected with the Games needs to meet a certain standard."

He told the magazine that a public campaign in Torino was underway during the Paralympics to "Drop The Gap", making the city more accessible to people with disabilities. "I talked briefly with a volunteer distributing flyers for the campaign, and she pointed out how the curbs were all raised at the city intersections, making it impossible for people in wheelchairs to move around older sections of the city without assistance."

In contrast, most of the curbed intersections in Vancouver have wheelchair ramps incorporated into their design, or retrofitted, for years.

McPherson also told the magazine that his organization is solidly behind plans to keep the Paralympics entirely in Whistler, even though Hockey Canada speculated that because of the popularity of sledge hockey during the Torino Games, perhaps the gold medal contest should be moved to a much larger venue in Vancouver to accommodate more fans. ""The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, sports and athletes," says McPherson. "I can tell you that a compact Games with all sporting events in a 20-minute shuttle ride from each other will be unprecedented, and welcomed by athletes around the world, Having it compact will benefit everybody – athletes, coaches, officials, spectators, and media alike. It will also benefit the Games. This will create exposure for the sports and the athletes like nothing else we’ve seen."

McPherson says only about 3% of the estimated 700,000 Canadians who have a disability that still allows them to participate in sports are registered with sport organizations; the equivalent figure for the able-bodied side is about 33%. He notes that national organizations that represent disabled sports are increasing their athlete-development programs for 2010 at the national, provincial and local levels. In addition, he told the magazine, efforts are being made to ensure that Canada will be able to field one or more athletes in every category. That's why the Canadian Paralympic Committee launched a national "Feel The Rush" campaign earlier this month: to encourage more participation in sport at the local level, which in turn will help to identify athletes with Paralympic potential.

MacPherson says in the article, however provincial governments in Canada are proving to be obstacles. "By and large they do not champion Paralympic sports within the provinces or give them an equitable share of funding," he is quoted as saying. "Right now, we’re working to educate provincial government officials that they need to take a leadership role in integrating able-bodied and Paralympic sports within each province, and give them an equitable share of available sport funding."

For his part, Mitchell, the Pique Magazine reporter, concludes, "Having been to the Paralympics, I now look at Whistler a little differently. For the first time ever I noticed that the Village Gateway stairs off the taxi loop, an area that was just renovated, has no obvious wheelchair ramp. There’s a ramp down in Village Square but no ramp up. Many local shops and restaurants are raised off the Village Stroll, and it’s not always immediately obvious where the ramps and elevators can be found. Some efforts are mixed. For example most of our municipal buses are designed to be wheelchair accessible, but not all of them. Most of our taxis are not specifically designed to accommodate wheelchairs. Whistler-Blackcomb and the Whistler Adaptive Sport Program have made it easier for disabled athletes to access chairlifts and the gondola, but still acknowledge that they have a long way to go to become completely accessible."

RESOURCES

Brad McCannell
President
Canadian Barrier Free Design
E-mail: <brad@barrierfreedesign.ca>
Phone: 604.838.6927
Fax: 604-883-0450

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 30, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1588

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

TABLOID DISHES ON RICHMOND/VANOC OVAL CONTRACT

The Vancouver Province newspaper reports this morning that, using a Freedom of Information request, it obtained a copy of the contract between VANOC and The City of Richmond that covers the construction of the 2010 speedskating oval, for which VANOC is paying Richmond C$60 million. The tabloid's article, by reporters Kent Spencer and some research by David Carrigg, about the terms of the agreement, and its choices of interviews with others, is written in alarmist tones. However, it also published a point list of the main terms of the deal, concluded October 24, which the paper paraphrased for its reader. The terms mentioned in the point list, written in tones a little less inflammatory than the main article, appear to be straightforward, given VANOC's time and budgetary requirements, and the fact that the oval is built into a much larger sports complex, budgeted at C$178 million, before taxes, by Richmond. In the tabloid's words, the contract says Richmond "must accelerate construction if work falls behind schedule. Richmond would be required to hire more contractors, labour and machinery at its own cost; the facility must be "substantially completed" in 27 months... VANOC will pay no rent or property taxes 'at any time,' including the 15 months it occupies the building prior to the 2010 Games; Richmond will receive no sponsorship rights, forcing the city to recast its revenue projections, because a preliminary budget had predicted revenue of C$32 million from naming the stadium, [and from] sponsorships and grants; ...the city's contribution 'will be acknowledged with permanent signage to be erected,' [for which Richmond pays]; VANOC has the right to supplement city employees with its own volunteers and non-unionized contractors. The city must use its 'best efforts' to avoid labour disputes; the city is liable [for], and must indemnify VANOC [from], any environmental claims, including third-party claims; ...Richmond is responsible for the design, exterior plaza, most operating costs, building equipment, insurance, site servicing, landscaping, storm and sanitary sewer, drainage and 'normal building security.'; the city will provide indemnity [at least] C$10 million per liable incident; VANOC has the right to terminate the agreement if its funding is not available or the International Olympic Committee decides not to hold the 2010 Games." The article claims the contract also adds that if the complex is somehow destroyed before delivery, "the Vancouver Olympic Committee will require Richmond to rebuild it in time for the 2010 Games.'

ROYAL BANK CUTS C$500,000 CHEQUE FOR "OWN THE PODIUM-2010"

RBC Financial Group today gave a C$500,000 donation to the "Own the Podium - 2010" program as part of its sponsorship arrangement with VANOC. The 2010 Organizing Committee pledged to raise C$55 million for the project through its private-sector negotiations, and the federal government promised matching funds. The donation, which was made by RBC regional vice-president, Glen Kelsey, in St. John's, Newfoundland, was timed to coincide with today's launch in Halifax of the RBC Flag Tour, a marketing program to help raise Canadian awareness about the 2010 Winter Olympics. "Together with the Vancouver 2010 team," he said, "we are excited to be going on the road to help share the spirit of the Games and inspire more athletes to go for gold." Own the Podium 2010 is a sport technical program designed largely by VANOC senior vice-president Cathy Priestner as a way of reaching the goal of Canada being the largest medal winner at the 2010, and to place in the top three at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. VANOC CEO John Furlong, who was in Halifax, said the donation was, "a fitting start to the RBC 2010 Flag Tour, which now sets off across the country to share the inspiration of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes -- raising those same flags we are now honoured to fly in Vancouver and Whistler on behalf of all Canadians." During the tour through to May 14, RBC and VANOC senior officials, as well as Canadian Olympians and Paralympians, are scheduled to schools, community groups and business organizations to mark Canadian achievement at the Torino 2006 Winter Games, and talk about the 2010 Winter Games. At each stop of the RBC 2010 Flag Tour exhibit, the exit display will feature a large banner with a regional map of Canada. Visitors will be encouraged to sign their name on the map and give a voluntary donation to the Own the Podium 2010 program. When the tour ends in Vancouver on the weekend of May 12, all of the regional banners will be assembled to create a map of the entire country, full of signatures.

VANCOUVER COUNCIL PONDERS ANNUAL BUDGET

Vancouver City council, during April, has to finalize a balanced budget for its 2006/7 fiscal year, but there appears to be little potential that its decision-making would adversely impact Olympic-related expenditures. Staff has circulated a draft of dozens of potential changes and approaches council might consider on Tuesday if it wants to hold the budget to about the rate of inflation -- or not -- and virtually all of it has to do with aspects of City operations that have nothing to do with preparations for the 2010 Games. In part, that's because most of those preparations have already been decided in how it will be funded over the next year, in particular, and through longer-term capital programs approved by voters last fall. City staff have also offered possible places to cut, if the councillors are of the mood and there are some peripheral Olympic-related items at risk if that were the case. The City Manager's department, for instance, has suggested that Council, if it needed to reduce expenditures somewhere, might consider reducing her consulting budget by C$14,000 for various 2010-related activities. However, the manager, Judi Rogers, who is also a VANOC Board member, has told council in the report, "Reducing the Olympic consulting budget may impact planning efforts in 2006. Funding requirements may need to be adjusted in 2007 and beyond as planning efforts ramp up." The Civic Grants department says Council would save C$348,650 from the C$1 million allocated earlier if it reduced cultural grants, but notes, "The City’s intent is to become a cultural centre of excellence leading up to the Cultural Olympiad and Olympic Arts Festival." Officially the 2010 cultural Olympiad has already begun. And the Parks Board says Council could reduce its budget by C$302,150 by cutting back on operating hours at some of the recreational operations, such as community centres, which are already heavily used. However, it adds, that would reduce access to those buildings, and noted, "With significant construction scheduled on a tight timeline for the Olympics, some facilities will already be closed."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 30, 2006

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1587

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

VANOC SPONSORSHIP APPROACH DIFFERS BETWEEN CASH AND VIK

Dave Doroghy, the director of Sponsorship Sales for VANOC, says his organization's approach to sponsorship differs whether VANOC primarily wants cash or value-in-kind -- such as "human-resources services, wine or construction products" -- from a sponsorship in exchange for granting marketing rights and other considerations. "VIK becomes a bit more complicated than when you go to the marketplace and ask for cash. Our sponsorship department is very much in tune with all of our departments to determine what we need to stage the Games, and how to go and get it. It's a complex process that's collaborative, and we won't approach companies until we've given a lot of thought as to what we need." Doroghy describes VIK as a "big word around the 2010 offices." VANOC has not yet signed any third-tier sponsors -- those will be basically suppliers, but is expected to do so over the next few years. Doroghy says if companies feel they could supply VANOC with what they think it needs, they should contact him, the senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, Dave Cob, or Cobb's Sponsorship Department vice-president, Andrea Shaw. And, Doroghy adds in passing, that he feels VANOC CEO John Furlong has been the organization's "most successful sponsorship salesperson."

400,000 TOURED SAMSUNG PAVILLION IN TORINO

The BC/Canada pavilion in downtown Torino estimates about 100,000 people toured it while it was open during the 2006 Winter Olympics. But it turns out the most popular pavilion on the Olympic grounds belonged to Samsung, an international sponsor of the International Olympic Committee. About 400,000 people circulated through its building, which held 578 events and allowed 2,400 athletes and their family members to make free calls. Of those who were there, 11,092 used their feet on what Samsung called The Giant Phone Game -- they competed by stepping on oversized mobile-phone keys. Samsung has been involved since 1997 in the Olympics, although it has not yet signed on to support 2010. Companies such as Cheil Communications of Seoul, South Korea, Edelman of Milan, Italy and New York, and Javelin of Surrey, in the United Kingdom, helped create and market the pavilion. The concept first appeared during 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. Samsung was a also a presenting sponsor of the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay. It has been involved with the Games since 1997.

2010 GAMES PART OF OFFICE TOWER INVESTMENT DECISION

An American investment firm has bought a high-quality office tower in Vancouver, and it says it did so in part due to the increased profile the city has because of the impending 2010 Winter Olympics. Chicago-based LaSalle Investment Management said today it purchased 777 West Broadway, a 7,000 square metre (75,000-square-foot), 12-story office building with retail on the ground for about C$26.6 million. The building not in the central business district, but on the secondary Broadway business corridor. LaSalle's senior vice-president, Peter Martin, says that there is strong demand for triple-A properties but limited supply, and, he adds, with Vancouver as host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, “We are seeing increasing demand for all property types. [The Games] provide a lot of international exposure to our market."

RESOURCES

Some details and a photo of 777 West Broadway:
tinyurl.com/zadgr

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 29, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1586
RETAIL CLERKS' TRAINING OFFERED TO IMPROVE SERVICE IN BC BEFORE 2010

Retail BC, a Vancouver-based organization, has launched "Canada's first comprehensive retail skills development program" to help train store clerks provide better service in British Columbia during the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Games.

Retail BC's PEAK program was developed in partnership with the federal government's Western Economic Diversification Canada, the BC provincial government and "with the support of MasterCard International." A total of about C$94,000 of government funding is involved. The program's name is an acronym, which stands for 'performance, empowerment, attitude and knowledge.'

Mark Startup, president and CEO of Retail BC says the program is aimed at helping "position retail as a first choice career option." The cost of taking part in one three-hour module is $69 per person, or a store can bring in a PEAK trainer for $800 per module to train company staff; the program's goal is to train about 25,000 people over the next few years.

Carol Skelton, minister of Western Economic Diversification -- and also Canada's National Revenue minister -- adds, "Our investment will contribute to the growth of BC's thriving retail sector... It will also better prepare the BC tourism industry ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games."

Rick Thorpe, BC's minister of Small Business and Revenue says the program "will raise the bar for retail service delivery in British Columbia."

The program offers nine skills-training courses: three in customer service, three in sales and three that deal with development of management and staff.

The programs will be delivered by training organizations throughout BC, including Advanced Corporate Training, JobWave, WCG International, BC Community Futures Development Corporations, Business Improvement Associations, Chambers of Commerce and other groups interested in the delivery of retail training. Retailers need only register on the retail PEAK website to find courses available in their community or to invite a trainer in-house.

So far, says Startup, the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, Lansdowne Centre Mall in Richmond, near where the 2010 speedskating oval complex is to be built, the Lougheed Town Centre in the Greater Vancouver municipality of Burnaby, have signed on to deliver the program throughout the year.

One of the directors of Retail BC's Board, Paul Dragan, owner and manager of Reckless Bike Stores in Vancouver, says, "There was a gap in retail training that the PEAK program can now fill."

Retail BC suggests it represents 3,000 retail companies within BC. It says BC's retail industry generates more than C$50 billion in sales per year, and employs more than 255,000.

RESOURCES

This is the website where retailers are to sign up for the program:
www.retailpeak.com

This is Retail BC's website:
http://www.retailbc.org

Tel: 604-736-0368 or toll free 1-800-663-5135
Fax: 604 736-3154 or toll free 1-877-222-9966
E-mail: inquiry@retailbc.org
1758 West 8th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J 1V6

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 29, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1585

DASH AWAY WITH 2010 PACKAGE TOUR

Dash Tours of Regina, Saskatchewan, a 25-year-old company, has begun offering packaged tours for the 2010 Winter Olympics that range from C$5,999 plus tax per adult -- based on four-person occupancy at a Delta hotel -- to C$25,999 per person before tax including airfare within North America, and it appears to be quite profitable. None of the packages, which are based on varying lengths of stays up to 18 days, include Olympic tickets. There are about 24,600 hotel and motel rooms in Greater Vancouver, and the industry estimates about 800 more will open by 2010, but at last word, more than 20,000 of them had been pre-booked by VANOC over the last 18 months for various Games requirements. Ticket packages are not expected to be offered by VANOC until the fall of 2008, to catch that year's holiday-season buying period. Hotel prices in Torino, Italy, on average, doubled during the 2006 Games, with occupancy averaging about 90%. Jet Set Tours and other companies are expected to eventually offering packages as well.

RBC TO GIVE CHEQUE TO CANADA MUSIC ACADEMY AT 2010 FLAG TOUR LAUNCH

RBC, the financial sponsor of VANOC, says it will "celebrate Olympic spirit and bring culture and sport together through its support of Canada's best musicians and athletes." VANOC and RBC start the cross-Canada RBC 2010 Flag Tour in Halifax this weekend, the same weekend as the Canadian Juno music awards are held, to give "Canadians a taste of the excitement and spirit of Vancouver 2010." And, an RBC spokesman adds, "In recognition of the need for ongoing training and education for all Canadian athletes and artists alike, RBC will make a donation to MusiCan, the music education program of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. VANOC CEO John Furlong will be there for the speeches and cheque presentation on Friday. He'll be sharing the podium with the recipient of the cheque, Academy chairman Ross Reynolds.

VANOC EVENTS TO BE PROTESTED OVER HIGHWAY ROUTE

From our Quote without Comment Department: "Time is quickly winding down to the start of logging at Eagleridge Bluffs. We expect it to begin in earnest in April, with the government's completion date for logging the entire overland route-right-of-way to be just a few short days after the start. This memo is being sent to assure all Coalition supporters and all concerned Canadians, that the Coalition is as committed to this fight as ever, to do what is right for British Columbia. The betrayal by our government and the madness of the overland route have galvanized us as never before. We have a responsibility to Canada and to the rest of the world to prevent this pending tragedy. We will be advertising in the media to get our message out. Our focus continues to be on holding our government and VANOC accountable for their promises to the world of a sustainable Olympics, the greenest Olympics yet. In order to keep this promise, our government must choose a route which will protect all of the values that the overland route will destroy. The obvious two optional routes are the four-lane divided tunnel and the addition of a third lane to the existing highway. The latter could save the taxpayer in excess of C$100 million over the cost of the overland route. We are at all times making it clear that we support the Olympics, and we state this often. We expect to attend the most prominent government and Olympic events over the next two months. Our banners and signs will make great press and our show of solidarity in the face of imminent chain saws and logging trucks, if it comes to that, should gain us great support across Canada and internationally. Please keep in mind that we will not be asking anyone to break the law. Safety is a primary concern and we do not want anyone to go to jail. At the same time, with democracy having failed us, we have to stand up and make it clear to our government that we will defend this land we love and that we so believe in. We will be making as loud a statement for the restoration of the democratic process as we can." -- a note distributed March 20 by the Coalition to Save Eagleridge Bluffs. The bluffs are part of the southern section of the Sea-to-Sky Highway upgrade between West Vancouver and Whistler.

RESOURCES

Dash Tour's website, set up last February, to market its 2010 Olympic offers:
www.2010tourpackages.com/

Dash Tour's website:
www.dashtours.com

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 29, 2006

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1584

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT NORDIC VENUE

VANOC has scheduled an open-house style meeting in Whistler at the Spruce Grove Field House on Thursday evening so the public can have a look at and comment on the building plans for the Whistler Nordic Centre venue. VANOC staff will be on hand to talk about the details of the proposed venue buildings and facilities, and answer questions from those who attend. The meeting is part of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District's development-permit process. VANOC gave a formal briefing for the Board about the status of the project on February 27. The buildings, which have been designed and are scheduled to begin construction shortly, have already been tendered in a process that's just coming to an end now. The Development Permit is scheduled to be brought to the Regional Board's April 24 meeting for a decision on whether to proceed.

VANCOUVER PARK BOARD EXPECTED TO OK 2010 ATHLETE VILLAGE PARK

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is expected to approve on Monday the design of a small park as its current part of the construction of the 2010 Olympic Athletes Village. The 0.8 hectare (two acre) area, nicknamed Hinge Park, is directly west of the Village's core, and north of a small inter-tidal island that is to be built out into the creek to offset the loss of fish habitat caused by the Village's development. Parks Board general manager Tilo Driessen says rainwater will be collected, at first from throughout the Village and later from other areas of the southeast False Creek development, and taken to a wetland-type stream, where it will be cleaned through natural processes and discharged into False Creek. "Managing rainwater as a resource rather than a waste product is a key feature of the sustainability strategy," Driessen says. And he adds, "Key to the successful integration of sustainability concepts into parks is to design them as park features that serve multiple purposes, also including traditional park uses. The rainwater wetland, for example, will not only convey and cleanse rainwater runoff, but also provide habitat for a variety of native plants and animals, and attract park visitors with its scenic properties." Driessen expects the park to be completed and open to the public in the first half of next year. By the way, Vancouver City's planning director will be showing Chicago mayor Richard Daley and 11 Chicago City Commissioners and business executives on a trade mission around the site of the new Olympic Village as part of a larger tour of specific areas of the city over the next couple of days.

HBC SKETCHES BANNER PLANS

Jerry Zucker, the new CEO and Governor of HBC, VANOC's major retail sponsor, has moved to squelch rumours about mass closures of stores under his holding company. Significant numbers of closures could have had an effect on VANOC's fledgling royalty revenue stream. Zucker, which bought controlling interest in the Canadian firm as of March 1 says, "We intend to grow HBC's five formats by improving our portfolio, not through mass closures. That's just not in the cards, and anyone speculating that it is, is not informed on my vision for HBC. In fact, a number of previously targeted closings will not proceed as these locations are being revitalized and rebranded." He then went on to talk about how various stores under the Zellars, Home Outfitters, Designer Depot and Fields banners would be spruced up or revamped, but the key banner, The Bay, was not among that list. Zucker added, somewhat cryptically, that, "HBC continues to pursue a strategy of closing or renovating stores that are less than an identified square footage, or otherwise under-performing locations. In the last five years, this has resulted in an average of 10 closures per year and a total of 45 renovations. HBC anticipates closures and renovations in 2006 to be consistent with these figures." All told, HBC has about 550 stores across Canada under a variety of banners. HBC has Olympic boutiques set up to sell clothing connected with the Team Canada 2006 and other 2010-branded material, in Hudson Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields stores in Canada. VANOC gets a royalty on every item sold.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 28, 2006

Monday, March 27, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1583

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

VANOC TO SOON HIRE VOLUNTEERS CHIEF

VANOC has begun looking for the person to run its volunteer workforce. The organization estimates it will need between 25,000 and 28,000 volunteers to help host the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics, which involves recruiting, training and organizing them. The Program Director of Workforce (Volunteers) Planning and Operations is the official title of the new position and its part of the Human Resources division of the organization. VANOC hopes to start interviewing applicants for the job in early April. The job, according to VANOC, requires the person to be the "key lead motivator" for the volunteer force, as well as be its advocate during VANOC preparation meetings, and during meetings with "community organizations, corporations, sponsors and partners." It will also require the person to figure out a "workforce strategic plan and directing all department operations, budget preparation, and Games-time operations" and well as prepare "functional plans, operational plans and associated annual fiscal budgets." And, the job will also require them to establish "the standards of quality, efficiency and cost-effective use of volunteers." One of the key requirements for the job is to develop, implement and manage how the volunteers will be accredited, since everybody who works for VANOC has to be granted individual access to specific areas of the venues, part of the Games Management System. HBC, VANOC's retailing sponsor, had said earlier that it would outfit the volunteers as VANOC requires.

TORINO OLYMPICS BECAME A HOTEL BOOM

The numbers are in, and the Torino Winter Olympics meant it was just about standing room only at the city's hotels during the Games, even though the average room rate was twice as expensive as normal. That's according to the figures gathered for Hotelcompset by MKG Group, a European hotel-chain consulting firm, and published today. The Games, which took place February 10-26 pushed the Torino hotel industry to post record monthly performances. They had an occupancy rate that jumped by 35.7 points to 91.6%, and an average room rate that nearly doubled, from an average of e105.20 (C$147.56) during the previous 12 months to e189.50 (C$265.75) during the Games, all taxes included for both figures. The monthly growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR) was exceptional: up 222% during the month. Those results pushed the annual RevPAR up by a record 16.5% over the previous 12 consecutive months. Here's how the Torino hotel results compare to other major European sporting events. Greece, which hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, recorded a monthly RevPAR jump of 137% in August 2004. Also in 2004, the European Football (soccer) Championship in Portugal showed a 70% increase last June.

"OUR COUNTRY'S SUCCESS GOES BEYOND SPEEDSKATING OVALS..."

Quote without comment: "The countdown is on: it is just 1,418 days to go before the Winter Olympics, an event that will greatly benefit Surrey and the Vancouver region overall. The Lower Mainland will soon become an international centre of athletic excellence, in a setting that offers natural beauty, a rich cultural life and all the ingredients needed for economic success in the 21st century. The Greater Vancouver Area is, indeed, Canada’s Pacific gateway to long-term prosperity. And yet, as the marvellous performances by our Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes demonstrated so clearly in Torino, the ultimate measure of success will not just be in welcoming the world, but in taking on the world’s best—and winning. The Canadian results at this year’s Winter Games were truly inspiring, creating a sense of pride from coast to coast to coast. I’m sure we all look to the 2010 Games with a growing sense of anticipation and optimism. But our country’s success goes beyond speedskating ovals and ski slopes. The Canadian economy continues to deliver a gold medal performance each and every day." -- James Flaherty, Federal Canadian Minister of Finance to the Surrey Chamber of Commerce on March 27.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 27, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1582

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

2010 OLYMPIC VILLAGE DEVELOPER TO BE KNOWN BY APRIL 4

The City of Vancouver is expected to reveal by April 4 the name of the developer consortium that it has chosen to construct the buildings that will become the 2010 Olympic Athletes Village. Three consortia have been bidding for the project, which is to first construct dorm-like interiors for the buildings for the 2010 athletes and then turn the rooms into regular apartment complexes after the Games are finished. We've also learned that the kitchen areas of each unit are to be delivered without appliances -- and the Olympic overlay done by VANOC to ready the rooms for the Games is unlikely to be providing them, so that the space can be used for a small recreational area, probably separated from the rest of the unit by a demising wall, to achieve greater liveability. Athletes, for the most part, will be eating at a common mess hall. The units are expected to be as large or larger than any previously built by an Olympics. And, it's expected that one feature of the Village project will be that the new building that is destined to become a community centre after the Olympics is over is to be built to at least a Gold LEED environmentally sustainable level. The entire complex has been promised by VANOC to be built to at least a LEED Silver status, although the fact that it's built on an industrial wasteland that is being cleaned up, and there are a number of civic features, such as environmentally sensitive heating and water treatment, that all support the point structure that counts toward Silver. That land clean-up work is underway now, under several City contracts and once the land has been compacted, roadwork excavation is to begin. The developers have told the city that in order to deliver the buildings to VANOC by November, 2009, they will have to begin foundation work by next spring at the latest, which means the developers will be working with the City on the roadwork and utilities as the chosen developer and the City complete the legally necessary rezoning steps.

FURLONG, GUSHUE TO LAUNCH RBC-SPONSORED "FLAG TOUR" APRIL 1

VANOC CEO John Furlong will launch the big travelling flag exhibit mounted by VANOC financial sponsor RBC in Halifax on Saturday, April 1, a day later than first planned. Also featured at that stop is expected to be Winter Olympian Brad Gushue, whose Newfoundland team won a gold medal in curling during the 2006 Games in Torino. The RBC 2010 Flag Tour will be stopping at major cities across Canada in a public-relations tour designed to raise awareness for VANOC's concept that the 2010 Games, though held in Greater Vancouver and Whistler, should be considered "Canada's games" by the public. The tour, which is primarily oriented to the public, will also carry a component geared to small and medium-sized businesses, in keeping with one of RBC's main sponsorship-activation concepts. RBC will host what it calls "Olympic Business Development Seminars" wherever the exhibit sets up, to talk about how firms can do business connected with VANOC and its operations; business that RBC hopes to underwrite. The tour -- which doesn't yet have plans to stop in Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, nor Saskatchewan, but will hit Ontario twice with stops in Toronto and Ottawa -- is expected to finish with an exhibit from May 12 to 14 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

BOUNDARY BAY AIRPORT 2010 PARKING PLANS TO PROCEED

Alpha Aviation, a company which has plans to upgrade the Boundary Bay airport in the municipality of Delta so that it can, in part, be used to help with the expected crush of private aircraft traffic when the 2010 Winter Olympics are held, has won a requested extension of its lease until 2050. Delta is south of Richmond, where the 2010 Olympic Oval and the International Airport are located. The lease extension, from 2032, was a key part of its business plan for upgrading the disused airport. The extra time will allow it to seek long-term investment funds. Alpha plans to spend at least C$10 million on the airport grounds between now and 2010, including at least C$1 million of its own money per year, or face fines from the leaseholder, the municipality. Federal and provincial grants are also expected, and Delta will contribute C$410,000 that it has been holding since the funds were provided for airport upgrades by governments in the mid-90s. The useable portion of the main runway, first built during the early part of World War II, is 3,540 feet (1,079 metres); Alpha says it wants to restore the original length of 5,700 feet (1,743 metres) so corporate jets can land. Other plans include a new terminal building with 3,700 square metres (40,000 square feet) of commercial space, customs services, hangar space for fixed-wing maintenance and offices for flying schools.

RESOURCES

The story we first wrote about the Flag Tour:

'RBC, VANOC to start cross-Canada tour March 31 to promote 2010 Games '
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1550; Published on Monday, March 13, 2006]

--

The dates and places the tour is scheduled to stop:
www.rbc.com/sponsorship/rbcflagtour.html

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 27, 2006

Friday, March 24, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1581
AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE CONCEPT OF SPONSORSHIPS THROUGH THE EYES OF EXECUTIVES FOR VANOC AND 2010LEGACIESNOW

[Editor's note: In this feature, we closely report on how three senior industry executives, two of them closely connected with the 2010 Winter Olympics on the seller's side and the third who is closely connected with the buyer's side, perceive the value of sponsorships -- and how companies can create that value. We'll also learn how some VANOC sponsors are activating their sponsorships now, nearly four years away from the Games. /Peter Morgan]

===

Two of the key negotiators in British Columbia connected with sponsorship packages related to the 2010 Winter Olympics have consider able advice to offer businesses about what to look for and how to create value from them. And their advice comes at a time when the 2010 Games organizers are considering how to fill 35 or 40 sponsorship and supplier categories for materials needed by the Games. There may even be one more Tier-1 sponsor.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is looking for between 12 to 15 sponsors at the Tier 2 level at a range of between C$15 million and C$50 million, and about 25 to 30 official suppliers. Airlines, hotels, couriers, perhaps Canada Post, food, office furniture, hospitality have all been mentioned as possibilities. The company's awarded exclusive marketing rights to the categories will also have the right to associate themselves with the 2010 Olympics and its logo in Canada.

Dave Doroghy, Director of Sponsorships for VANOC, and Susan Archibald, Director of Marketing and Revenue Generation for 2010 Legacies Now, a Vancouver-based BC society set up to spread the benefits of the 2010 Winter Games throughout British Columbia, have considerable experience on how sponsorships work. Doroghy, who came to VANOC from the Orca Bay organization, owner of the NHL Vancouver Canucks that supplied VANOC's Dave Cobb, senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, has worked in the sponsorship industry for about 20 years, starting with Rick Hansen's Man in Motion Tour in 1986. Archibald has 25 years experience in marketing, she also worked with the Man in Motion tour and came to 2010 Legacies Now from the Mark Anthony Group wine distribution firm.

A third expert is Ian Howard, president of Leverage, a Vancouver-based sponsorship consultancy, that he founded 30 years ago, and during that time he has advised organizing committees that stage Olympic Games about the inner workings of sponsorships.

Archibald says industry statistics show that sponsorship deals, and in particular, sports sponsorship, is growing much more quickly since the mid-1990s than other types of marketing, at an average of 8.7% per year to the most recent data, acquired in 2004. It is annually surpassing traditional advertising spending (6.9%) and sales promotion purchasing (5%), and is approaching the C$10 billion-per-year benchmark for North American spending by the latest data, in 2003. Extrapolating from the trend, it should be about C$12.5 billion about now. About 70% of sports marketing spending is through sponsorships. Many of the major companies in Canada, and in British Columbia, regularly use sponsorship as part of their marketing.

She says that there are three main things companies should consider when they are thinking about sponsoring, or are being approached by an event for sponsorship: understanding the value of the sponsorship packages, carefully thinking about the kind of resources and work that needs to be put into a sponsorship package to make it work for a company, and the kinds of "activation" creativity that will be necessary; how the sponsorship should be used in various ways, at various events.

"Let's start with a couple of fundamentals, with sports sponsorships," she suggests. "Obviously you're buying something, so there's a sponsorship fee, so you need cash, and there's usually a VIK (value in kind) component. But what are also critical are activation dollars, and many companies don't think about what it's going to cost to make a sponsorship work for the firm. Those are complementary activities: sales promotions, advertising, hosting opportunities, and on and on. Those costs could be up to three times the overall sponsorship fee being paid. And, to be frank about it, if you don't put these activation dollars against the sponsorship, you don't know the cost of it... You need an activation strategy and the resources for it." Howard adds that ignoring the execution costs, or not having enough money to execute the sponsorship, doesn't make business sense, "It's like buying time for a television advertising campaign, and not budgeting money to make the ads. It's just crazy."

From Doroghy's perspective as one of the main people at VANOC who sells sponsorships, it's equally important to understand the drivers of the companies VANOC is targeting, by researching them ahead of time. "With the Internet, the National List of Advertisers and annual reports, to help you develop the information, there's really no excuse for you to call on a company without understanding what they're market is, and understanding about what they sell or do. Before we even get into packaging the sponsorship, we have to understand what companies are after. There's nothing worse than somebody calling to sell you and they don't understand your business. Research, research, research. Make store visits. Use the company's product ahead of time. I can't put a package together until I understand what their business objectives are."

Doroghy says VANOC uses a collaborative approach. "We try to determine the answer to the question of how we can help them. And I listen, listen, listen. When I get to a meeting, I like to talk, but I always try to tone myself down and do more listening, so I can come out of that meeting knowing what the next step is going to be, and what are the key points they were trying to tell me that I can zero in on, and use as a hook to get this company involved. The days of having a prepared presentation and flipping through to your last page, and saying 'This is what the deal looks like', the halcyon days of the early 80s, are long over. The market has become so much more sophisticated now."

He also says its important from his point of view to understand the decision-making process, to know how much authority the person you're meeting with has, and when they have to take it to the next level. "Is it a city decision, a regional decision, a Canadian decision, an international decision? Landing a company for a sponsorship is a complicated process with big companies. Maybe you have to do research on that person you're meeting. If the companies want signage, make sure you put that in the deal. Eventually you can pull the deal together, but you can't do that until you've been to a lot of meetings where you're just listening."

Doroghy says making a sponsorship deal is akin to a dating relationship. "It might be five, six or seven meetings before a deal starts to get crafted. The first meeting you have is really to determine whether a second meeting is necessary. The second meeting might take place at a more senior level. Eventually you might end up in a marriage... And just like any relationship, you have to figure out how to satisfy each others' needs."

He says that in VANOC's world, it can often take the better part of a year to conclude a sponsorship. "There are lots of moving parts -- of VANOC's parts and of the target company's parts -- the deals are fairly complex. At Orca Bay, we were mostly in the renewal-of-sponsorships business. Initial sales are time-consuming; it's a lengthy and important process. It's important that both parties understand what they're getting into."

Archibald says its critical that a company's values match the values of a sponsorship. "There really isn't much value in buying the property unless that's the case." She says it's also imperative to figure out some way of measuring performance of the sponsorship. "The ROI is difficult to do, but there are all sorts of ways to do it."

Companies must also count on the management of a sponsorship property. "If you buy a sponsorship for a year," she says, "you're only going to get a year's worth of value. What you really need is a three- or four-year deal. By year two, you're starting to tweak things. By year three, you've really got it starting to sing. It's really important to understand the long-term investment you need to make, and that's why we think about what we call the value match. It's a commitment that you're making, and a partnership that you're forming."

Ian Howard, of Leverage, agrees, and connects the concepts to the six- and seven-year sponsorships offered by VANOC to its Tier-1 firms. "One of the oldest adages in this business is that you either buy a sponsorship early and maximize the value of the sponsorship, or you buy late, and minimize the cost. The theory of this is that the earlier you're in, the more benefits you can acquire, and the later you're in, you're at the point where the event organizers are trying to bring in the last dollars and maximize their yield. It's at that time that the pricing of the sponsorship usually becomes more flexible. You can save up to a third by doing that. In the one sense you're getting a discount, but on the other hand, you're getting what you're paying for, which isn't much activation time. The corollary of that is that you never buy in the middle."

Howard, though, doubts that VANOC will need to discount much by the time it's near the end of its sponsorship sales period. "It's the so-called creme de la creme. But I don't doubt that other pressures will come into play -- budgets will rise, for instance -- and 2010 will not stop looking for additional revenue."

Howard says that during the next three years, to about early 2009, companies will buy a sponsorship from VANOC, and pay about the same price. "It's not a huge thing to understand that those who bought in 2006 have until [December 31, 2010], to realize the benefits from that price." He also recommends companies, during the negotiation phase, trying to expand the scope of exclusivity of the sponsorship, and to carefully define what rights sponsoring firm gets from the sponsorship. "Even in super-sophisticated events like the 2010 Games, there is an area of flexibility where one can negotiate the benefits and rights." That's done, he says, in part to further eliminate competitors, noting that IOC sponsor for 2010, Coca-Cola, considers instant coffee to be a competitor. He also points out that the benefits lists offered by Archibald or Doroghy isn't necessarily definitive, and suggests firms think about what he calls "off-list benefits" that might reasonably be included in the deal, to see if the organization will include them, preferably without additional cost. "In many cases, they're willing to do that, and I've seen sponsorship contracts where as much as 25% of the package has been structured after it's signed."

Howard also urges sponsoring companies to consider their post-event strategy. All of the VANOC Tier-1 sponsors, for instance, have marketing rights to December 31, 2012; while the rights of those in Tier-2, at least so far, expire at the end of 2010. "What are you going to do after the Closing Ceremonies," Howard asks, rhetorically.

Archibald says companies do sponsorships for components from a long list of reasons: to drive sales, building a brand, product sampling, to rise above the clutter of other advertising and marketing, community involvement, customer relations and defining and activating within a target market. "We [in the sponsorship industry] saw a lot of that going on in the lead-up to the bid, there was a lot of Telus/Bell Canada, RBC, HBC stuff going on."

To put it another way, companies should be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to deciding on sponsorships, and chose a marketing strategy that's best for them before looking for a sponsorship, so that executives know what they want to do and why they want to do it. And those concepts should be evaluated against what a particular sponsorship is offering.

Archibald says customer retention is also one of underlying reasons companies use sponsorships, and she gives RBC's decision to become a Tier-1 sponsor of the 2010 Olympics as an example of this. "RBC's objective is to become the source of information for small-business. That's a British Columbian objective; it's not yet a national objective. What they're trying to do is underwrite all the small-business activity around this major event, and for other sponsorships that it does. Their solution to all this is to link small-business clients to all the key events that are taking place in the community, around business-building opportunities. That's why the sponsor business and economic-summits that are taking place, along with sponsorship of Small Business Week, sponsorship of the Small Business Guide, which outlines how small-business opportunities can be garnered from the Olympic Games, and sponsorship of the [2010 Legacies Now] Olympic Speaker series." The Olympic Speaker series is part of a transfer-of-knowledge program connected with the Games, where experts from around the world come to speak on what they've learned about business opportunities in their country leading up to and after the Games. "RBC's name is on that," Archibald says. "And in private-client functions, it's a key transfer of knowledge and relationships. Ultimately, that allows a clients to build a business strategy, which RBC underwrites. It's a creative way of looking at sponsorship."

She says the Vancouver law firm of Bull, Housser and Tupper, is another example that's connected indirectly to the 2010 Games. "They knew they couldn't afford a sponsorship with VANOC. But the partners wanted to be part of the excitement, so they talked with us and we created an opportunity for them. They felt an obligation to give back to the community that won the Bid for the Games. They wanted to be involved, but they couldn't be a direct sponsor, so what could they do? They started by looking at some developing athletes and following their journey through to the Olympic Games. Creative. Lots of leveraging. Then they wanted to find a way to engage their clients and prospects. They're solution was to sponsor the BC Figure Skating Association. This wasn't a donation. They created a relationship, a partnership with the Association. The clients, prospects and staff are meeting athletes, they're hearing athlete diaries as they're travelling around the world for competitions leading up to 2010. They're going to the rink and watching them train. They were getting clinics on the judging system before the Torino Games, One of the people who created the new judging system sat in the same room as Bull Housser's staff and clients and talked to them about how to understand the system, so when they watched it on TV, the knew what the commentators were talking about. They were able to share all that with friends and family, and with prospects, and there was this huge relationship established. In late March, they're all going to be jumping on the ice with the athletes, who will do a mini-clinic. Their family, their friends, their children are going to be out there and skate with the Canadian Team members they saw compete in Torino, along with all the other people who are aspiring to be on the podium in 2010. That's a creative sponsorship. It cost $25,000, which is huge money for the Association, but not a big investment for Bull Housser and Tupper."

On the other hand, says Archibald, part of Bell Canada's rationale for sponsoring the 2010 Winter Games is cause-related, and it dovetails with a promise that VANOC needed to make to the IOC for political reasons that evolved out of the makeup of the council of the host city, Vancouver, which was strongly aligned with left of centre and socialist causes. "Bell is up against a big challenge, with Telus, and they want to make sales in the west. They want to sell their devices for communicating to all of us, but they also want big sales: to governments, big business, universities, municipalities. They have lots of solutions, but this is one I'm particularly proud of: support the Downtown East Side of Vancouver. That's a philanthropic kind of sponsorship. They've 'partnered' with a number of other companies, including 2010 Legacies Now, but also Burton Snowboards, which supplies all the equipment for Downtown East Side youth, the drug-addicted on the streets. They've never had anybody offer them pride. They're provided an opportunity to go to the VANOC snowboarding venue, Cypress Mountain, and learn how to snowboard. For Bell, the sponsorship is a calling card to those officials in the city who have struggled with an issue in the downtown east side for years, and have never found a good solution. This one is working. And so Bell has created a relationship with people in the City, and introducing their sales people to the people in the City, who know the people who award the contracts for the business stuff that Bell wants to do, to drive up sales. They're following this same strategy in cities around the province. They're in Prince George now."

Howard, the consultant, also notes that being involved in a sponsorship, such as those connected with the Olympics, allows sponsors to do activation deals with each other. "There's a collegial atmosphere among the people involved with various sponsors," he says. "They go to meetings together, they get to know each other, each will have its own team. If you get to know these people, there are frequently opportunities for one to work with another in parallel to the sponsorship. For example, suppose you are working for Boston Pizza, and you buy a sponsorship. At 2010, there will be hundreds of thousands of pizzas. A method of working with the other sponsors is to go to them and say, 'Here are some coupons for you to distribute to your people for Boston Pizza'.

2010 Legacies Now's Archibald notes that Bell became the title sponsor of 2010 Legacies' mall displays that discussed the benefits of the games on a grassroots level, that went on a tour of BC communities last year. "Bell came to us and said they loved the project, but asked if they could do something additional. So we set up meetings with the business associations, where the BC government ministers or local government officials and small-business leaders in the communities where the tour went, and they talked during the luncheon about Bell was spending C$200 million on the Games. Why? Because Bell wants their business; they want to establish a relationship. And Bell is extremely happy about that project."

VANOC's Doroghy says a successful sponsorship works both VANOC and the sponsor. "It's a two-way street. You always want deals that make people feel good. I was glued to the TV set during the Torino Games, and I thought all of the 2010 sponsors activated well with their creative. You saw commercials on TV that were innovative and compelling, especially for the Olympics. Those two beavers of Bell's ads. I was watching the TV at my friend's house, and he calls his friends and says, 'Quick, Gordon and Frank are on. We haven't seen this one!' When a sponsor takes a property like the Olympics, and gets creative, running a fantastic campaign around it proceeding our Games, I think that's great activation. Bell did a great job of that."

Doroghy also says that when VANOC launched its logo about a year ago, VANOC wanted to get the word out. Bell ran a campaign in the newspapers starting the next day, which included a coupon that could be redeemed at one of their stores for a VANOC emblem pin. "That doesn't sound like the biggest promotion going, but it was important to us. And in the next 10-day period, 125,000 Bell pins were distributed through Bell stores across Canada. Store visits went up significantly, and that translated into sales for them. We got the word out, Bell got people visiting their stores, and this is four-and-a-half years in front of the 2010 Olympic Games. It was a smart activation."

He says VANOC also loved the fact that HBC made available the Team Canada uniforms in its stores during the run-up to the Torino Olympics. "We felt proud when the athletes marched across that field in Turin wearing that merchandise, and people could buy it in stores across Canada, that's a fantastic partnership." And, the RBC's Olympian program, in which Canadian high-performance athletes are invited to work in Royal Bank branches and are given flexible hours so they can train, is also held up by VANOC as a good example of activation. "When they get back from the Olympics, they come back to work at the Bank as ambassadors and speakers, and are given jobs when they retire from their athletic career."

Doroghy says General Motors, another VANOC major sponsor, "will be running a sustainability campaign highlighting their hybrid cars for 2010, and that they'll save us fuel as we stage the Olympics." And Rona, VANOC's renovations sponsor, "will be running programs that will demonstrate how they are building the venues in part with their products."

These are all business solutions, he notes, and a far cry from erecting some signage and putting a name on the back of a brochure. As he puts it, "All of our sponsors are doing great jobs. Some of them already have, and some will be coming out in the future."

RESOURCES

A list of BC consultants that deal in sponsorships, along with their contact info:
www.sponsorship.ca/list/table.html#bc

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 24, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1580

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC FLAGS RAISED IN WHISTLER

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed, City of Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan, sit-skier Brad Lennea and volunteer coach, Phil Chew, raised the Olympic and Paralympic flags in the Resort Municipality of Whistler today. VANOC's Chief Financial Officer, Rex McLennan, chief Leonard Andrew of the Lil'Wat aboriginal group and the Conservative government member of Parliament, James Moore also took part in the event.

MT. WASHINGTON FUNDING COMPLETED FOR PHASE 1

Funding for Phase One of the Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Centre on Mount Washington on central Vancouver Island has been completed, now that the federal government, through its Western Economic Diversification Fund, has sent $100,000 in previously-promised funds. Vivian Dean, chair of the Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society says that the $674,000 funding for the first phase, about C$330,000 each from the provincial and federal governments, means that the project manager has begun work. The society's Nordic centre is developing the facilities to improve its chances at getting national Olympic ski teams to consider the area for practice during the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

WIRELESS CAMERAS USED FOR HD BROADCASTS AT TORINO

One of the advanced-technology systems used for the first time at the Torino Winter Olympics involved wireless transmission links for high-density television broadcasts. The company involved, Link Research of England, completed development of the first units to use the system in late 2005 and began delivering them to customers, and among the first to roll -- literally, in one case, since it was a new semi-trailer packed with the latest equipment for HD news-gathering -- went straight to the Italian Olympics. Intel SRO, which is Link Research's distributor in Italy, provided and support. It was also involved in the project management of some ambitious productions that used multiple feeds from wireless cameras and cameras mounted on board vehicles, such as live streaming transmissions from helicopters used by TV crews at the Torino Olympics. The systems are designed for live sports coverage, but will also be used to cover concerts.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 24, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1579
IPC REPORTS TORINO GAMES HAD NO VIOLATIONS OF ANTI-DOPING RULES

The International Paralympic Committee reported officially today what was widely suspected: there were no violations of its strict anti-doping rules during the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games.

A total of 242 doping tests were conducted during the testing period, which begin on the day of the opening of the Paralympic Villages and end on the day that the Villages close. In Torino's case, that was from March 4 to March 22.

Andy Parkinson, the IPCs Director of Medicine and Science, says the clean Games also had a clean run-up, “Not only were there no anti-doping rule violations in Torino, but we also experienced no anti-doping rule violations in the pre-Games out-of-competition testing program.”

The testing conducted at the Games was wider, deeper and significantly greater than what was conducted at the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games, which measured 97 samples.

BACKGROUND

The breakdown for anti-doping rule tests during the Torino 2006 Winter Paralympics:

Out-of-Competition Urine Controls: 59
Out-of-Competition Urine + EPO Controls: 28
Out-of-Competition Blood Controls for Human Growth Hormone: 16

In-Competition Urine Controls: 71
In-Competition Urine + EPO Controls: 32
In-Competition Blood Controls for Synthetic Haemoglobin and Blood Transfusions: 36

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 24, 2006

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1578
TORINO TECHNOLOGY SECURITY SYSTEM PUMMELLED, BUT HELD, SAYS ATOS ORIGIN

Paris-based Atos Origin, the networking provider charged with running and guarding the Olympics' computer connection infrastructure in Torino, today reported there were no significant malicious attacks or disruptions during the Olympic Games' 16-day stretch.

More than three million "events", as AO calls them, took place during the Winter Games, and 158 of them were deemed major, 10 critical. Some intrusion attempts included authorized users unplugging host computers to connect their own laptops and users trying to log in as administrators, which would give them access to the operation of the underlying system software.

To reach its end-of-Games without the system breaking, Atos used access control, network segmentation and segregation, identity management and real-time security monitoring to prevent hacking attempts. The company said it also used a risk assessment leading up the Games that involved 52 attack scenarios.

Securing the network is crucial, especially considering that hundreds of media needed to connect with it to get information about the Games and to transmit news.

"In an environment providing real-time information to media, any security incident, triggered with malicious intent or not, can have disastrous consequences," said Patrick Adiba, executive vice president of Major Events for Atos. "For a highly visible event like the Olympic Games, the challenge of IT security is not only to prevent unauthorized people from accessing the systems, but to control the activity of authorized people inside the games' network."

Atos will be responsible for information-technology security at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1577

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC-STYLE ATHLETE FUNDING PROGRAM CONSIDERED BY LOCOG

VANOC has set a precedent and the London Summer Olympic Games has noticed. VANOC and the Canadian Olympic Committee figured out a way -- it's called the "Own the Podium - 2010" program -- to funnel private corporate sponsor money raised as part of Olympic sponsorships to elite Canadian athletes. VANOC and the federal government each agreed to pledge C$110 million over five years for the project, and VANOC's portion of the funding is coming from side deals it worked out as it rounded up major corporate sponsors for the 2010 Games, in exchange for marketing rights. In England's case, about 200 million public pounds has been pledged for such athlete support, but officials didn't think that would be enough. LOCOG, the London organizing committee, is said to be considering doing the same thing for the remaining amount from its sponsors. Rona is a national sponsor of VANOC, and has pledged a five-year, C$4 million fund for 100 prospective Olympians. UK Sport, the British government agency that funds elite athletes, and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are reported to be thinking the concept is attractive. Accenture, a British bid sponsor, said yesterday it would back the Britain sailing team that's aiming to compete at the Beijing 2008 Summer Games.

GANNETT HAPPY WITH TORINO OLYMPICS BOOST TO BUSINESS

Gannett president and CEO Craig A. Dubow and other Gannett executives said the 2006 Torino Olympics gave his company a boost on the company's performance to date in 200 at a presentation today to the Media and Entertainment Analysts of New York. The company (NYSE:GCI) publishes 91 daily newspapers in the US, including USA Today, which it says is the largest-selling daily newspaper in the country. Gannett also operates 21 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including the popular USAToday.com. The company also owns nearly 1,000 community newspapers in the US, as well as USA Weekend, a weekly newspaper magazine. Its subsidiary Newsquest is the UK's second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes more than 300 titles, including 17 daily newspapers, and a network of web sites. Dubow said the company's broadcasting segment had a solid start to the year, driven by the Winter Olympic Games on its NBC stations and the Super Bowl on its ABC stations. "New business development continues to be one of our most important revenue-generating priorities, especially as the competitive landscape continues to change," Dubow said. Revenues from these broadcast efforts "are expected to exceed last year's first quarter by approximately 40%." Craig Moon, president and publisher of USA Today, said online advertising revenue for the first quarter is expected to increase in the mid-teens over the first quarter a year ago, and the Torino Games helped there as well, as it used new technology to transmit the information. As he puts it, "Our round-the-clock coverage of the Winter Olympics showcased our newest initiatives to increase user interaction, involvement and time with our products." The coverage included blogs, podcasts, interactive graphics, video and photo galleries.

WATER, WATER ON (NEARLY) EVERY VANOC FLOOR

From our Dihydrous Oxide Department: The new VANOC headquarters, which is still being fitted up for The Move next month by the 180 staffers who are now crammed into its current downtown location, will have taps on at least four floors of the new HQ that will produce cold, filtered water on demand. We're fairly sure it has nothing to do with keeping staffers from collecting around the water cooler and chatting when they should have their noses buried in things to get the Games back on schedule or on budget. Instead, the idea is to do away with the need for all those 18.5-litre water-cooler bottles or flats of individually sized water bottles. After all the staffing levels will grow each year until there's about 1,600 people in the new HQ by 2009. (Although staffing levels will peak in 2009, the requirement for the pure-water services at the building will end following the staging of the Paralympic Winter Olympic games in March 2010, because virtually all of those 1,600 people will be given layoff notices about then.) On the other hand, there was word last fall that Vancouver City staff were checking to see if the building, which was originally zoned for industrial use and was quietly upgraded to office use, had piping that provided enough water. We never did hear the result of whether the City had to upgrade the water service to the building, or not.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1576
PLANNING FOR OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TORCH RELAYS TO BEGIN NEXT MONTH

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has begun the process of planning for its two Olympic Torch relays, and it's doing so by first looking for a consultant who's done this sort of thing before.

VANOC expects to need technical and logistical help in organizing the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, both of which are usually sponsored by fairly large firms, and that it will need the consultant to give it a hand between April and December this year. VANOC staff were in Torino last month to learn about the behind-the-scenes work of the organizing committee, and the Torch Relays were one of the areas on which they were focusing. Earlier this month, it formally registered the phrase "Olympic Torch Relay" as its own in Canada.

The kind of work it expects to get done involves preparation of what it calls the "concept of operations documents" for both Relays, a technical review of the routes such as the logistical requirements, alternative methods of transportation, and development of early budgets for the run. It is also expecting to have a strategy document developed that outlines the core torch relay planning and logistical criteria, according to VANOC's objectives.

The Olympic torch is always lit by the sun in Greece during a ceremony, and VANOC says it expects to fly the Torch to Canada, possibly over the North Pole, and, from there, traverse all of the country's regions, going through the major cities, and then working its way to a lot of communities in British Columbia. But, beyond that, the route and all the logistics of the run have yet to be decided. The Paralympic Torch ceremony is less elaborate, and much smaller, traditionally, but VANOC has not yet indicated it's general thinking on that. In addition, VANOC also has to specifically seek permission from the International Olympic Committee to approach governments and national Olympic Committees of other countries besides Canada if the route takes it through other nations. The Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Organizing Committee only just recently received permission, about 900 days out from its Games, to start that process.

The IOC's executive Board, about a year or so ago, was quite pleased with the fact that the Athens Summer Games torch run touched down on all five continents, and felt that it should be more closely consulted on the path of the Run.

Interestingly, as it was discussing the need for the consultant, VANOC ensured the firm it chooses focuses on three things. VANOC wants to ensure aboriginal participation it its work, it wants to incorporate "sustainable economic, social, environmental and inclusive practices in planning and operating" for everything to do with the Games, and it wants to ensure there is "inner-city inclusivity". That's a VANOC code phrase that is expected to mean, in this context, to ensure that income, cultural background or physical ability is not a factor, and that VANOC would like to incorporate people or elements from Vancouver’s Inner-City neighbourhoods, particularly the Downtown Eastside, Downtown South and Mount Pleasant areas.

VANOC's vice-president of Sustainability, Linda Coady, has said that, "We want that torch to land in aboriginal communities, and that aboriginal youth in those communities have a chance to participate in the torch run."

There are four aboriginal groups with which VANOC has a series of agreements: the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. They have unresolved land claims in the areas on which VANOC is building or modifying its venues.

The Torino Torch Relay was sponsored by several companies, including Coca-Cola, which is an international sponsor of the 2010 Games through the IOC. VANOC's senior vice-president of Planning and Services, Terry Wright, Senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, Dave Cobb, and his Sponsorship Department vice-president, Andrea Shaw, carried a torch as three of the 10,000 runners that took part in the 2006 Olympic relay.

There are expected to be a number of contracts involved in the Relays, besides sponsorships. For instance, VANOC is planning to award apparel licenses to cover the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. Other businesses have been involved in other Torch-related business. For example, in Torino, one publisher provided regular updates on the progress of the Torch Relay, and sponsored the reports. The Italian Mint, which was issuing collector coins throughout the lead-up to the Italian Games saved the gold ones with the Torch image for the last, when interest would have been highest.

Sponsors of the Olympic Games also traditionally get special treatment when it comes to the Torch Relays. For instance, Samsung, which is another IOC sponsor, held a contest in one part of the world to promote cell phones in which the prize was a chance to be a part of the Torch relay, while in Canada it sponsored teams of people to race through Canadian cities, with prizes of being part of the Torch relay.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1575
CONTRACTORS CALLED TO UPGRADE COLISEUM, AGRODOME VENUES IN TWO PHASE PROCESS

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) has begun the process of pre-qualifying contractors so it can begin to upgrade the Pacific Coliseum and Agrodome ice arenas at Hastings Park in east Vancouver.

The two major arenas, besides being heavily used for a lot of commercial purposes -- such as ice shows, boxing, basketball, hockey, concerts, large assemblies as well as trade and consumer shows -- are scheduled to be VANOC's venues for short-track speedskating, as well as for figure skating training and competition for the 2010 Olympic Games. Their use is much heavier during the fall, winter and spring than during the summer.

However, each venue has only a standard North American-sized ice rink -- about 61 metres by 26m (200 feet by 85 feet) -- which is smaller than a standard Olympic rink. In order to be able to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the structure of each venue is scheduled to be modified, and the ice rinks of each enlarged to meet Olympic dimensions of 61m by 30m wide (about 200 by 100 feet).

That change in rink size is going to require renovations to both structures and changes to both refrigerated ice slabs during this year's work, the first of two phases. The work needs to be completed in two sections, to minimize the business interruption to each of the venues. VANOC hopes to start this year's construction phase in May, and completed it by August, finishing the expansion of the ice sheets.

Replacement or upgrade of both ammonia refrigeration plants, possibly by constructing an amalgamated central plant in the Coliseum is scheduled to occur in a second phase of the work in the summer of 2007. Also scheduled for work: upgrades to the washroom s, concession spaces and the Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Contractors interested in the first-phase work -- and that includes general contractors as well as those specializing in refrigeration have until April 7 to use VANOC's process to notify it that their interested. VANOC will then create a shortlist of those firms and provide them with a formal Request for Proposals detailing the work so they can quote on it. VANOC hopes to issue the RFP late next month.

VANOC is working with the City of Vancouver, as the owner of the buildings and it, in turn is using the Hasting Park Capital Works Committee (HPCWC) as the structure for dealing with the upgrades. The HPCWC has representatives of VANOC, the City and the Pacific National Exhibition on it. In short, it will be the HPCWC that does the administration of the project for VANOC.

VANOC first began work on the Coliseum last year when it replaced 16,000 seats, most of the work done in time for the World Junior Hockey Championships last December.

BACKGROUND

Here are the events scheduled by VANOC for the buildings:

FIGURE SKATING
Individual Women
Individual Men
Ice Dancing Mixed
Pairs Mixed

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING
1,000 m Men
1,000 m Women
1,500 m Men
1,500 m Women
3,000 m Relay Women
5,000 m Relay Men
500 m Men
500 m Women

RESOURCES

Here's a satellite view of the Agrodome, the large round gray structure towards the top of the image, and the white-roofed Coliseum just below it:
shorl.com/haperekihafra

The Coliseum's commercial background information, including photos and current layout:
http://www.pne.ca/venuerental/pacific_coliseum.htm

The Agrodome's commercial background information, including photos and current layout:
http://www.pne.ca/venuerental/agrodome.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1574
2010 CURLING RINK CONSULTANTS CONSIDER GEOTHERMAL HEATING FOR COMPLEX

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) and the Vancouver Parks Board have released the names of the major contractors and consultants so far on the 2010 Curling Rink the two organizations are jointly building in Vancouver. And, they say, the schedule, which originally projected the rink to be completed in 2009, has been reorganized so that it should be completed in the fall of 2008.

The Hillcrest Park Curling Venue will be constructed along with the Percy Norman Aquatic Centre, which are to share a number of facilities, including a heating system. After the 2010 Games, the whole complex will also be used for a range of community services, as well as continuing to operate for curling and swimming. Now, they're about to start investigating whether it will be feasible to heat the rink and the aquatic building with geothermal heat from under the site at Riley Park near Little Mountain. The proposed size of the facility is approximately 16,000 square meters (about 172,200 square feet).

Hughes Condon Marler Architects of Vancouver, a 30-year-old practice, has been hired to design the new facility. Reads Jones Christoffersen, a 55-year-old national firm with offices in Vancouver, is the structural consultant; Stantec Consulting, a 52-year-old, publicly traded (TSE: STN; NYSE: SXC), Canadian-based international firm with offices in Vancouver, is the mechanical and electrical consultant; Hunter Laird, a New Westminster-based engineering firm is doing the civil work; the western Canadian firm of Bunt Associates, with offices in Vancouver, is the traffic consultant; and the Canadian national firm of BTY Group is the cost consultant.

Initial site planning studies, functional programming and a re-zoning process have begun, and the schematic design began in January. The start of construction is scheduled for a year from now, in March 2007, with substantial completion in October 2008.

The site master plan puts the buildings centred on the area to the north and west of existing Nat Bailey baseball stadium.

VANOC and VPB say they intend, as VANOC has been with other venue projects, to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design New Construction registration for the project through the Canadian Green Building Council, with a minimum LEED Silver level, hence the decision to see if geo-thermal can be used to heat, or help heat, the complex.

They're going to take the geological study in two steps. The first is to hire a consultant, which will figure out whether the conditions are right for either a shallow or a deep-field geothermal heat exchanger, the economics of it, and how far down the bore hole has to go. If that seems feasible, they'll do a test drill of the hole and install the necessary testing equipment for at least a week, and see if the desktop examination works in practice. All of that will be factored in to the ideas of the design and engineering consultant about how much heat the complex needs, and whether enough heat can be produced.

They're in the process of looking for the geophysical firm now; prospective companies can pick up the necessary documents from VANOC. They have until April 11 to return the documents to be considered for the job.

Hughes Condon Marler Architects:
www.hcma.ca

Reads Jones Christoffersen:
www.rjc.ca

Stantec:
www.stantec.com

Hunter Laird
www.hunterlaird.com/

Bunt Associates
www.bunteng.com

BTY Group
www.bty.com

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |General| #1573
WEB-DESIGN COMPETITION FOR 2010 LEGACIESNOW DETAILS ONEROUS OWNERSHIP CONDITIONS

2010 LegaciesNow, the BC society with a mandate to distribute benefits of the 2010 Winter Olympics throughout BC, has issued an "Invitation to Quote" to companies that do website design. They have until March 27 to respond.

The organization's website co-ordinator, Blair Hirtle, says in the document the idea is to "completely redesign, redevelop, and redeploy the website www.2010LegaciesNow, and its sub-site, www.SpiritofBC.com, in order to showcase improved design, architecture, navigation, and features that will take us up to and beyond 2010." The current website was launched in 2004, "and developed to enhance the mandate as a communications and marketing tool." Now, however, the organization wants the website to act "as the primary communications tool for all 2010 Legacies Now information." The idea, he says, is to "Take the 2010 Legacies Now website and turn it inside out, showcasing the strongest features to the user."

From all the firms that respond to the ITQ, 2010 LegaciesNow will make up a short list of companies, and contact them by phone by no later than March 31. Web designers on that short list will then receive a detailed project description, with the idea that they are to provide "up to" three different designs each for an hour-long presentation on April 25 to a selection committee to discuss the designs' "architecture, back-end functionality, navigation and content management."

But here's the iron-clad kicker: to be on that short list, those companies will have to sign over all intellectual rights -- including moral rights -- associated with all of those designs, and agree to a confidentially agreement as well. They'll be "required to keep strictly confidential the submitted concepts and all information and images regarding the submitted design both throughout the creative development process and indefinitely after the designs are submitted." All of the designs will become the property of 2010 Legacies Now.

That would mean, in essence, that if 2010 LegaciesNow ended up with five companies on the short list, it could acquire up to 14 website designs and all the intellectual property associated with them, all done on speculation, and which it could use as it wishes, as well as the we'll-pay-for ideas of the winning designer. And the companies that weren't successful could never recycle those designs.

Ian Buckley, Communications manager for 2010 LegaciesNow, says that, although the EOI doesn't mention if there will be compensation for all the rejected designs, "The scope of concept development will be discussed with the shortlisted candidates prior to proceeding with that stage of the competition. Once the scope is defined, appropriate compensation will also be identified."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1572

VANOC ANSWERS FIRST BATCH OF APPAREL EOI QUESTIONS

VANOC has finally, or sort of, answered privately four questions put to its Procurement department in an effort to clarify the organizations' branded-apparel Expression of Interest document. Here are the original questions, along with the answers from VANOC's director of Media Relations, Chris Brumwell. You'll have to make of them what you will. In the first two questions, the EOI is silent on whether the brands mentioned are available to the manufacturer/distributor that eventually gets the contract to produce and sell the apparel. Q1. Does the list of brands that will be available through this program include those connected with the International Olympic Committee; i.e, the Rings emblem? Answer: "We do not own the Olympic rings without our Vancouver 2010 emblem." Q2. Does the list of brands that will be available through this program include those connected with the four Host First Nations? Answer: "The FHFNs are not a brand. They are our partners so we work closely with them everyday, and we would look at what opportunities are available to them, either through licensing First Nations manufacturers or integrating authentic First Nations designs and art into licensed products." The next two questions are self-explanatory, though the answers aren't: Q3. The brands available, according to the EOI, include those of VANOC's "government partners". Does this phrase include the brands associated now, or eventually associated with, 2010 projects in Vancouver, Richmond, Whistler and West Vancouver (such as Richmond's Oval, Vancouver's Curling Rink, or the Olympic Villages in both Vancouver and Whistler) that are being built by those governments, as well as the emblems of each of those governments? Or does the phrase only relate to the brands associated with the BC and federal governments, and excludes the municipal government brands and/or project brands? Answer: "Government partners are not brands, therefore we will not be licensing the city of Richmond or any others." Q4. VANOC is closely associated with the "Own the Podium - 2010" program. VANOC owns that program's brand, but it is also a COC project, and the EOI says COC brands are not available. For clarity, is the "Own the Podium" emblem and marks included or excluded in the list of brands available under the EOI? Answer: "OTP will be responsible for their own marks."

COC TO PROMOTE 2010 OLYMPICS IN QUEBEC IN LATE APRIL

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is to hold its 2006 Congress session in Quebec City from April 27 to 30. As you read this, keep in mind that VANOC recently signed a protocol to work with it on promoting the Olympics during the build-up to 2010, and that the COC is one of VANOC's related organizations. Additional activities during the annual Congress weekend include the COC Board of Directors meetings along with motivational workshops featuring guest speakers as well as athletes and coaches from the 2006 Canadian Olympic Team. The theme of COC's annual event is "Celebrating Excellence," COC President Michael Chambers says that, "Over the past year, the COC has made it a priority to strengthen our presence in Quebec by working together with Quebec-based sport organizations and the provincial government to promote the Olympic movement." The session starts on Thursday, April 27th with COC Executive Committee meetings. That evening, Quebec premier Jacques Charest will present the Olympic athletes who competed in Turin to the National Assembly, followed by a formal tribute in their honour in the Salon Rouge of the Quebec Parliament Building. The following evening, the COC will host a cocktail reception at the Chapelle du Musée de l'Amérique française under the theme, "400 Years of History." On Saturday, April 29th, the COC's annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Capitole Theatre. The weekend concludes the following day with a "Rally for Excellence - En Route to Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010". Beginning at 7:00 a.m., the morning event will include a free Sunday family brunch served to the first 5,000 people, an autograph session with Olympic athletes, some Olympic sport demonstrations, a parade to Parc de l'Esplanade and what's described as "a spectacular closing ceremony" in front of the Quebec Parliament Buildings. An estimated total of 200 Canadian people connected with high-performance sport will be in Quebec City during the four-day event including COC Executive Committee members, Olympic athletes, municipal and provincial politicians as well as international sport officials. "These are people of enormous reputation and commitment to the Canadian Olympic Movement who will be with us," says the chairman of the Congress organizing committee, Marcel Aubut. "They are coming here not only to work, but to celebrate excellence within a highly varied program of activities. It is a unique opportunity for the people of Quebec City to show them our hospitality. Many volunteers have been working for months to make this event a success." He adds that the COC has been given "generous support" from sponsors. They include VANOC Tier 1 sponsors - Bell Canada, Rona, RBC Financial Group, Coca-Cola, General Motors and Mcdonald's Restaurants. The local sponsors include Loto-Quebec, Hydro-Quebec, Quebec City's Office Of Tourism & Conferences, and The Provincial Government Of Quebec. The lower level sponsors include TVA, le Journal de Québec, le Journal de Montréal and Astral (Radio Energie and Rock Détente).

2010 ATHLETES AND OTHERS TO BE FOCUS OF HBC JULY 1 RUN IN CANADA

July 1 is Canada's national holiday, and VANOC's retailing sponsor HBC will use its third annual Run For Canada, which it has been sponsoring in all 10 regions of the country on that day, to promote the 2010 Olympics. Over the past two years the HBC Run for Canada, whose length varies according to age categories but is between one and 10 kilometres, raised about C$600,000 for charitable organizations across the country. This year's goal is much more ambitious. The company says it hopes to raise funds "for our Canadian athletes striving for success in the Olympic, Commonwealth, Paralympics and Pan Am Games between now and the 2012 Olympic Games." The HBC Foundation is pledging to raise a C$5,000 bursary for each of 200 Canadian athletes identified by the Canadian Olympic Committee The spokesman says the event is also educational: "Children also learn great lessons in fundraising and what it means to be Canadian."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 23, 2006

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1571
WHISTLER BEGINS TO REZONE LAND FOR ITS OLYMPIC VILLAGE

Whistler municipal council today began the process of rezoning the 42 hectares of land on the south side of the municipality that is destined to become the 2010 Olympic Athletes Village.

Council has given first and second of the necessary three readings of the bylaw that would rezone the land in the municipality's Lower Cheakamus area from Rural Resource One to the Lower Cheakamus Comprehensive Development area.

The two readings bring the concept to the approval-in-principal stage. The next step in the process is to hold a public hearing into the matter, and then vote on the third and final reading at the next Council meeting.

Once the rezoning has been approved, site servicing can begin later this year. Bill Brown, Whistler's manager of Current Planning, says that once the area's master plan has been "further refined", a series of detailed amendments to the area will be brought to Council for approval.

The proposed rezoning would allow for a variety of residential, institutional and commercial uses, and the planning is quite specific now for the Village, which is to revert to the core of a residential neighbourhood after the Games are finished in 2010.

The proposed development will create a neighbourhood that could potentially accommodate between 1,500 and 2,000 permanent residents. In addition, the hotel accommodation associated with the Athletes’ Centre could accommodate between 200 and 300 athletes on a short term basis, adds Brown. "The residents will be supported by up to 2,300 square metres of retail and office space." The proposed zone would allow for “personal services”, “professional offices”, “public institutions”, “restaurants”, “retail” and “sports equipment rentals”.

Staff are also bringing forward an environmental review of the area done about a year ago, which recommended, among other things, that “Development setbacks for riparian areas should be established to address soil erosion, existing and future sedimentation concerns, as well as protect the aquatic and riparian habitat and fisheries values of the riparian areas. No development or clearing of native vegetation should be allowed within the buffer areas, with the exception of approved trail-access routes. The report also recommends development of a snow removal strategy so that snow doesn't end up in the nearby river. As well, says the report, "A tree preservation plan should be developed that incorporates the specific habitat value of large veteran trees."

There are discussions underway this week about how a road into the area will join Highway 99.

BACKGROUND

There are four precincts within the Village lands area. Here's how the housing shapes up (use a monospace font, such as Courier, to bring the columns into line. The area measurement is in square feet, and the total number of athletes that are to be housed is 3,152:

RESIDENTIAL PRECINCT

| # | Unit Size | Total Area | Athletes/Unit | Total Athletes
Duplex - 4 bedroom | 60 | 200 | 12,000 | 12 | 720
Townhouse - 2 bd | 72 | 102 | 7,344 | 8 | 576
Townhouse - 3 bd | 56 | 130 | 7,280 | 10 | 56
Townhouse - 4 bd | 52 | 158 | 8,216 | 12 | 624
Single family lots | 20 | 325 | 6,500
Duplex - knoll |128 | 200 | 25,600

TOTALS |388 | 1,115 | 66,940 |2,480

VILLAGE CORE
Apartment - 1 bd (bldg A & B)| 72 | 60 | 4,320 | 4 | 288
Apartment - 2 bd (bldg B) | 4 | 79 | 316 | 6 | 24
Apartment - 1 bd (bldg C & D)| 32 | 60 | 1,920

Hotel |100 | 20 | 2,000 | 2 | | 200

Townhouses - 2 bd | 20 |102 | 2,040 | 8 | | 160

TOTALS |228 |321 |10,596 | 672

ATHLETE CENTRE

Athlete Centre | 1,130
Gymnasium/community ctr. | 1,220

TOTAL: | 2,350

RETAIL/OFFICE

Building B | 900
Building C | 700
Building D | 700

TOTAL | 2,300

Live work | 12 | 145 | 1,740

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 21, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1570

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC GROWTH EXPECTED TO BE GEOMETRIC

Donna Wilson, senior vice president, Human Resources & Sustainability for VANOC, says the organization's staffing has now reached 180, "and will steadily grow by doubling itself every year until 2010. In the final year you will see us grow to the tune of thousands, and eventually tens of thousands. In total we will probably be close to 30,000 strong [including about 28,000 volunteers], and that's not including the sponsors, the athletes or the coaches." Wilson made her comment to the third annual Countdown to 2010 business luncheon in downtown Vancouver. Wilson said that VANOC is committed to bringing British Columbia an Olympic and Paralympic experience that is extraordinary. "The road to 2010 is both long and wide, and there's room for everyone," she said. Marion Lay, president and CEO of 2010 Legacies Now, called all B.C. athletes "inspirations and leaders... It's all dreams and it's all about potential and it's all about role models," she said. "And to each and every one of our athletes, I'd like to thank you for your tremendous contribution to this province." The fourth annual Countdown to 2010 luncheon is planned for Monday, February 12, 2007.

WHISTLER OLYMPIC FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY SET FOR FRIDAY

Whistler has scheduled a ceremonial raising of the Olympic and Paralympic flags on Friday. The noontime ceremony will take place in front of the 2010 Winter Games Information Centre, where the municipality is installing new poles to fly the replica flags. Whistler mayor Ken Melamed and Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan will be there, as well as chief Leonard Andrew of the Lil'Wat aboriginal group will also be there, along with a representative of the federal government, James Moore, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and member of Parliament for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam riding. Also scheduled to be on hand, Dave Cobb, senior vice president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications for VANOC.

WAY TOO MANY YOLKS FROM VANCOUVER FOLKS

From our Egging Us All On Department: A large hollow chocolate egg -- it weighs about 13 kilograms (about 28 pounds) -- was given to Vancouver mayor Sullivan by the Italian Paralympic Committee. It was presented at a dinner in honour of the mayor, hosted by the Italian Paralympic Committee and the Canadian Consulate on March 18 in Torino. The egg was made by a fine-chocolate maker in Torino, and is adorned with the logo of the International Paralympic Committee and an image of the Torino Paralympic mascot. That, of course, is not the end of the story. Anna Lilly, director of Community Relations to the Mayor takes up the story from there. And remember, we're quoting her. "Mayor Sullivan thought it would be a sweet idea to bring the chocolate egg back to Vancouver and donate it to a local children's charity in time for Easter. The mayor joked that the egg was so large he may need to get it a seat on the plane ride home. Although some local media outlets reported that the Mayor shelled out money to purchase a ticket for the egg, in fact he did not. Unfortunately, en route through Frankfurt, a flight attendant lost her grip on the egg when taking it out of a storage compartment and the egg cracked. Then the egg was further damaged, and nearly fried, when airport security personnel insisted on putting it through the x-ray screening machine. Upon returning to Vancouver, the mayor contacted Purdy's, one of Vancouver's fine-chocolate makers, to find out if the egg could be repaired. The company has graciously agreed to eat the cost of the repair. Over the next few days, the Mayor will speak with local children's charities to determine which organization will receive the egg as a gift." Now the mayor's turn: "It won't be over easy to decide which organization will get the egg, but I am confident that we will find a charity that will put it to good use. I think the City of Torino and Italian Paralympic Committee would be pleased to see their gift bring joy to children in Vancouver." Yes, we're sure he's eventually going to shell out.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 21, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1569

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC SAYS ANSWERS TO PROCUREMENT QUESTIONS FOR APPLICANTS ONLY

VANOC has clarified an aspect of its Procurement procedures -- about why it sent a request for clarification of its Expressions of Interest document in connection with licensing for 2010-branded apparel to its Communications wing for a response. VANOC Media Relations Department manager Chris Brumwell says Procurement sent four key questions about what brands were available, and what brands weren't, to his department for response, because it was a request from a media organization. "It is VANOC policy," he says, "to centralize responses to requests for information received from the media through the VANOC Media Relations department. Official requests for information or clarification from potential licensees requiring information for the purposes of their EOI submission are dealt with fairly and through the process described in the EOI document." The EOI says that VANOC's Procurement Department only responds to requests for clarification "to those who have completed and returned the 'Schedule 4 -- Receipt Confirmation Form' that is attached to EOI No. L2010-03." VANOC didn't receive one of those for the company that asked the questions, "nor would we expect to," he says, unless the company "plans to submit an application to become a licensee." The concept of restricting responses only to those who have already applied is not covered in VANOC's published Procurement Policy, whose over-riding theme, governed by a Multiparty Agreement of various government levels that VANOC signed several years ago, is that it be "fair, open and transparent." VANOC has so far chosen not to release several sets of procedures related to that policy, and has not yet answered the questions posed six days ago about the range of brands available in the EOI.

DISABLED'S ALPINE SKI CHAMPIONSHIP READY TO RETURN TO MT. WASHINGTON

The Mount Washington Alpine Resort, near Comox, on Vancouver Island, one of the BC areas strongly campaigning internationally for a chance to host national Olympic committee teams planning to train for the 2010 Olympics, will host disabled ski racers from across Canada, as well as some international racers, as the 2006 Telus Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Championships, which start March 28. The four day annual event that began in 1974 will involve all four disciplines; downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom, as well as festival activities for the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing. For coaches of the Canadian national team, the project gives coaches the chance to scout new talent from across the country, as well as figure out which athletes are ready to progress to the development team, and which development athletes are ready for the World Cup team, pathways that lead to participation in the Paralympics.

LODGING THE LODGE ONE MORE TIME

Vancouver Sun newspaper reporter Jeff Lee, who is in Torino, says that BC/Canada Place, the BC government's log building that was such a hit with Olympic tourists and Italian residents, is to be turned over to Torino government officials, but its fate is still somewhat unsettled. The building cost BC about C$4 million in contracts to build, transport to Italy, and to manage the process. Lee says officials report it was toured by more than 100,000 people during the three months, between January 21 and Monday, that it showcased the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics during the 2006 Games. (By the way, exactly one year ago, BC intended the building to be open from December 15 to March 31.) Lee says he was told it will probably be relocated -- at a cost of about C$566,000 -- to the Rocca Sbaura, but if a cost-sharing arrangement can't be reached, it might end up in one of three Torino parks. Officials of Rocca Sbaura, a mountain wildlife area, confirm they hope to get the building, describing it for their supporters as "a luxurious Canadian cottage in wood that measures more than 400 square metres and is equipped with every comfort." Intriguingly, they also pose a rhetorical question to those supporters about what might happen once it replaces an old park refuge building. They ask, "Will we have on the door a red giubba, and eat mush and cariboo?" A giubba, usually connected with the name of an Italian aria, roughly translates to a clown's costume. The sense, as we understand it, is that it is a symbol of putting on a costume and make up, and going on to perform even if you don't feel like doing it.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 21, 2006

Monday, March 20, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1568

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

BC GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYEES ACHIVE CONTRACT TO 2010

The BC Government and the BC Government Employees union have agreed on a tentative contract settlement that is designed to ensure the government's functioning is not disrupted by labour action before the 2010 Winter Olympics are held. The deal is expected to be ratified in votes by the union next month; the contract expires in March, 2010, the month the Paralympics are completed. The BC government, besides setting up a section of one of its ministries to look after its end of the 2010 Winter Games, also has a number of economic-development programs underway, and is expected to expand its protection of the Games through legislation and regulation as 2010 nears. The government, however, has yet to settle with the province's 29,000 health workers, and there is a significant component to the Games which involves assurances that there is stability in that industry during the same period.

CPC TO CAMPAIGN FOR MORE PARALYMPIC ATHLETES

Brian MacPherson, the chief operating officer for the Canadian Paralympic Committee, has told reporters in a debriefing following the Torino winter Games that a key challenge he faces is to encourage more disabled people to consider training for the 2010 Winter Paralympics, and that recruitment may come from those already involved in the Summer Paralympics. MacPherson says the additional recruits -- and in particular need are the sports of cross-country and alpine skiing -- are needed to help give Canada more depth. "We are going to rehab clinics looking for the newly acquired disabled and testing and seeing if they can fit in one of these two disciplines," he is quoted as saying. The country fielded a team of 33 at Torino, on a budget of C$12 million per year, but it aims to be in the top three medal winners in 2010 under the "Own the Podium-2010" program. VANOC and the federal government have agreed to provide a total of C$110 million in funds to the program up to 2010, and C$10 million is devoted to the Paralympics. MacPherson expects the Canadian Paralympic program expects to spend about C$16 million between now and 2010 on athletes and their support programs.

GE EQUIPMENT HELPED SECURE ATHLETES VILLAGES IN TORINO

General Electric, which is supporter of the 2010 Winter Games primarily through its American TV network subsidiary NBC, has also been involved in various other ways with the Torino Winter Olympics and Paralympics -- on the personal-security front. GE Security equipment was used for fire and life safety, explosives detection, intrusion and security video at Torino. “...Many Italian value-added resellers, representatives, integrators, contractors and installers chose to work with us to help protect the athletes and visitors that came to the Torino area," says Louis Parker, GE Security president and CEO. For instance, GE supplied a couple of different types of optical smoke sensors and fire-control panels in the Athletes’ Villages in Italy, and it also networked fire-control panels to management software using visual-oriented software.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 20, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1567
PROCUREMENT HANDS OFF QUESTIONS ABOUT APPAREL LICENSING EOI TO MARKETING SECTION FOR ANSWER

The Procurement Department of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has decided to refer some questions requesting clarification of an important public call for companies interested in doing business with VANOC to a section of VANOC's marketing department for answer privately.

The decision was made today in connection with VANOC's EOI Number L2010-03. EOI stands for Expression of Interest, and this particular one, issued by VANOC last Wednesday, is an important one for Canadian business. It is the first part of a step-by-step process designed to eventually lead to VANOC issuing potentially lucrative licenses to companies across Canada for production, distribution and sale of apparel over the next four years that carries VANOC brands and slogans. VANOC currently owns 97 brands, marks and slogans, including a number of them normally associated with the Canadian Olympic Committee.

The Procurement Division said it would prefer that a section of VANOC's Communicatons Department answer the questions, sent to Procurement administration officials the same day the EOI was issued, even though the questions directly relate to how companies should respond to the EOI. The Procurement function is under the control of VANOC's Finance department; Communications and its divisions are a part of VANOC's marketing arm.

Normally, questions about any of the three basic public-procurement processes used by VANOC, businesses, government or quasi-government agencies -- an EOI, a Request for Proposals or a Request for Quotes -- are answered publicly by the associated procurement agency, in a forum connected with the process. That's done so that all firms interested in the process have equal access to the information at the same time, and before the process's deadline occurs. The BC government has set up systems through the 2010 Commerce Centre that will even notify those interested that there are additional comments available about the EOI. The answers can often be quite helpful in helping companies decide how, or even whether, to respond.

However, VANOC's Procurement Department decision to refer the questions potentially undermines two of the fundamental concepts -- transparency and fair dealing -- that are inherent in the EOI process, which usually leads directly to formal Requests for Proposals for doing business with VANOC. That's because some companies could end up with information that gives them a competitive advantage over others when responding to the process. VANOC's marketing arm, for instance, is not necessarily obliged to share any answers it provides with other firms, even if the firms knew to request them, nor need necessarily they do so in a manner that's timely for the EOI.

VANOC could decide to eventually incorporate the answers in the formal Request for Proposals that are expected to be issued to the shortlist of about 25 companies it hopes to cull from those companies responding to the EOI, however, it would be too late, by that time, for companies in Canada considering the economics of whether to become involved with VANOC in the first place.

BACKGROUND

Here are the questions that the VANOC Procurement Department decided would best be answered privately to companies via a division of its Communications Department, instead of publicly through the EOI process. So far, the questions have not yet been answered:

1. Does the list of brands that will be available through this program include those connected with the International Olympic Committee; i.e, the Rings emblem?

2. Does the list of brands that will be available through this program include those connected with the four Host First Nations?

[Editor's note: The EOI lists a range of brands that are expected to be made available to the eventual licensee for use on the apparel, and there is smaller list in the EOI of those brands and slogans that are specifically excluded. However, the EOI document is silent on the range of brands that involve the IOC as well as those of the four aboriginal bands on whose lands VANOC is building venues. VANOC has made much of its "partnership" arrangements with the IOC and the host bands since the beginning of its existence. The answer to either question would be important to companies calculating the economics of becoming involved in the process, as would the answers to the following two additional questions.]

3. The brands available, according to the EOI, include those of VANOC's "government partners". Does this phrase include the brands associated now, or eventually associated with, 2010 projects in Vancouver, Richmond, Whistler and West Vancouver (such as Richmond's Oval, Vancouver's Curling Rink, or the Olympic Villages in both Vancouver and Whistler) that are being built by those governments, as well as the emblems of each of those governments? Or does the phrase only relate to the brands associated with the BC and federal governments, and excludes the municipal government brands and/or project brands?

4. VANOC is closely associated with the "Own the Podium - 2010" program. VANOC owns that program's brand, but it is also a COC project, and the EOI says COC brands are not available. For clarity, is the "Own the Podium" emblem and marks included or excluded in the list of brands available under the EOI?

RESOURCES

Here is the reference to the story we wrote last week about the EOI:

'First of 2010-brand manufacturing and distribution licenses offered, but only for Canada and only to Canadian firms'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1556; Published on Wednesday, March 15, 2006]

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 20, 2006

Friday, March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1566

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

SULLIVAN PREPARES FOR PARALYMPIC FLAG HAND-OFF

Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan says he had a successful first day in Torino, Italy, where he took part in a rehearsal for Sunday's Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. The session involved International Paralympic Committee CEO, Xavier Gonzalez, IPC president Phillip Craven, who is paraplegic; and the mayor of Whistler, Ken Melamed. Afterward, Sullivan co-hosted a reception at BC Canada Place with a crowd that included a sprinkling of international media, but was primarily Canadian and Italian government officials, City of Torino officials, and staff from VANOC and the City of Vancouver. Earlier this week Sullivan visited Rome and Florence, where he met with government officials to discuss a guide for accessible and inclusive cities, launched by 2010 Legacies Now. Entitled "Measuring Up," the objective of the guide is to help foster greater opportunities for those with disabilities within individual communities. He also invited them to visit Vancouver during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. VANOC board director and manager of the City of Vancouver, Judi Rogers said earlier this week that, "This new guide is part of an exciting initiative that will help cities across the province evaluate their progress in making their communities more accessible and inclusive... While communities have made extensive progress in the area of removing physical barriers, this guide asks them to go further and address the issue of whether the presence and participation of disabled people are properly welcomed and acknowledged in their community."

CURLING REVAMPS CANADIAN QUALIFICATIONS FOR 2010 GAMES

The Canadian Curling Association changed the Olympic trials process to deal with a flaw in the run-up to Torino Olympics where teams could get into the trials without winning an event. Under the new system, there will be only eight men's teams and eight women's in the 2009 trials, instead of 10 each, to play for the right to represent Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Four men's and four women's teams will qualify directly for the Olympics trials in December 2009 based on performance, the other half will have to take part in a qualifying event, to be held in either late October or early November, roughly a month before that.

MP FOR SQUAMISH, WHISTLER TO USE TORINO EXPERIENCE

Quote without comment: "I went [to Torino] on my own ticket and sort of combined a bit of a holiday too. I watched the closing ceremonies and met with the 2010 officials. I've never been to the Olympics before and it was much bigger than I expected. It was a tremendous experience. I can't wait to continue to work hard in this riding and ensure we have the best possible games that will not only showcase this riding and BC, but also Canada. That's why I felt it was important for me to be there and meet with the 2010 officials; see what they've done right. See what they would do differently and at the same time use that as a stepping-stone to economic development and economic growth. We need jobs in this riding. We need jobs up the coast and we need jobs in Squamish with the mill closing down. We need to diversify our economy and I think the 2010 Olympics can provide us an opportunity to not only showcase what we have here in BC, but use it as an opportunity to leverage additional opportunities with international development in our riding here and in BC." -- West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country Liberal Member of Parliament Blair Wilson.

RESOURCES

"Measuring Up" is also available for download in PDF format:
www.2010legaciesnow.com/Images/About/MeasuringUp.pdf

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Sports| #1565
ALPINE CANADA ADJUSTS MANAGEMENT OF CANADIAN ALPINE SKI TEAM FOR LEAD-UP TO 2010 GAMES

Alpine Canada president Ken Read says his organization is rearranging the management of its Canadian Alpine Ski Team and will create a new management position, Alpine Director, to help the team get ready for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Alpine Canada is the governing body for ski racing in Canada, and represents about 200,000 skiers across Canada. Read says the new role, which he expects to be filled in the next few weeks, will be become part of the existing structure of the organization's athletic department before the spring training session. The new Alpine Director will be involved in overseeing the team's program, managing its budget and managing the team's day-to-day program.

Read says, “Ski racing is an extremely competitive sport... This new role will be particularly important in managing the constantly growing daily operations and activities of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team which is intently focused on being the best in the world by 2010.”

The daily and long-term athletic programs for the team have been managed since 2003 by Max Gartner, the organizations' chief athletic officer. Gartner has worked in various positions at all levels of ski racing in Canada since 1982. His close working relationship with the team, says Read, "has been influential in improving the Canadian Alpine Ski Team’s world ranking from 12th in 2002 to 6th in 2006. Gartner will remain highly involved within the organization in a more strategic capacity."

“Alpine Canada Alpin’s planning process for 2010 began three years ago, when we mapped out our first strategic plan,” said Gartner. "The 2006 Olympics in Torino provided valuable insight of our status and progress in reaching our goal to be the world leader in ski racing in 2010. By creating this position of Alpine Director, we will be able to keep working towards the attainment of our short and long-term goals in anticipation of these next Olympics.”

Gartner says that in order improve the team's performance heading for 2010, "We need strong leadership both in the day-to-day operations and in the long-term strategic planning. The next Olympic cycle has already begun, and it’s important to build on the current momentum to keep furthering our programs for 2010.”

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1564
VANCOUVER BOARD OF TRADE TO HOST VANOC, LEGACIESNOW EXECUTIVES AT OLYMPIC FUNDRAISING EVENT MONDAY

Donna Wilson, the senior vice president of Human Resources & Sustainability for the 2010 Olympic organizing committee, BC premier Gordon Campbell and Marion Lay, president and CEO of 2010 Legacies Now will be attending the Vancouver Board of Trade's third annual fund-raising Spirit of Vancouver Countdown to 2010 on Monday afternoon.

The luncheon ceremony will also include a video message from Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan, who will have helped close the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino on Sunday. And it will include a number of Olympians and Paralympians. There is also to be a presentation of equipment or sports training services to five of the BC Olympic and Paralympic athletes. A portion of the proceeds from the luncheon will go to the athletes.

Daniel Muzyka, the chairman of the Vancouver Board of Trade, says, "Funds raised at Countdown to 2010 will help our athletes realize their potential by providing them with tools they need as they need as they train for 2010, like training equipment, laptop computers and funding for sports and medical services."

The event itself is underwritten by 2010 telecommunications sponsor Bell Canada, the Vancouver Board of Trade's Spirit of Vancouver committee, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games and 2010 Legacies Now.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1563
BLUES SINGER JIM BYRNES OF VANCOUVER TO BE HIGHLIGHT OF VANOC PARALYMPIC SEGMENT

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) says blues singer Jim Byrnes of Vancouver will headline its segment during the official Closing Ceremony of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed and Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan will both take part in the Paralympic Flag handover.

Vancouver 2010's vice-president of Culture and Ceremonies, Burke Taylor, says Byrnes, 57, will sing "Of Whom Will I be Afraid", his own song from a new album on Sunday, March 19. He will appear on stage with the band he formed in 1981, with Jesse Zubot playing violin and mandolin, and Paul Pigat on acoustic guitar. The ceremony will be broadcast by the new International Paralympic TV channel, and begins Sunday morning at 11 am, Vancouver time. It will be 8 pm in Italy.

A resident of Vancouver since the mid-70s -- he grew up in St. Louis, Missouri -- Byrnes is a staple of Vancouver's music industry. He began playing guitar when he was 13; on February 26, 1972, when he was 24, he was hit by a passing car while helping a friend move a stalled truck. Doctors had to amputate both of his legs. He studied for the Catholic priesthood in a seminary, and was even a professional shepherd; he and once played 300 nights during a calendar year. The Canadian music industry gave him a Juno Award in 1995 for best blues or gospel recording.

The Vancouver 2010 segment of the Closing Ceremony will also mark the first time that two mayors from the next host Olympic region take part in a Paralympic flag hand-over. The Paralympic Flag is the IPC's logo, three elements in red, blue and green. As he did during the Closing Ceremony of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Mayor Sullivan, a quadriplegic, will accept the flag on behalf of Canada. Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed will bring the flag back to Canada. The mountain municipality will host a flag-raising ceremony in Whistler on Friday, March 24; Melamed took part in Vancouver's ceremony, and Sullivan will take part in this one.

The Torino 2006 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony will be held at the Medals Plaza in downtown Torino. VANOC's participation will begin with the Canadian anthem and the raising of the Canadian flag, followed by the Paralympic Flag handover and what Taylor calls "entertainment segments which will be supported by dynamic videos showcasing Canada, Vancouver, Whistler and the Paralympic Games."

RESOURCES

Jim Byrnes website:
www.jimbyrnes.org

The IPC's Internet TV channel (the ceremony will be live and on demand):
www.paralympicsport.tv

The IPC logo:
www.paralympics.org.uk/core_files/menuWebpagePic_60.jpg

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC, Paralympic| #1562
LESSONS SHOW TRANSITION BETWEEN OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS KEY TO SUCCESSFUL PARALYMPICS

The executive staff of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today offered its key observations and lessons that it has been learned while watching from the inside how the Torino Olympic Organizing Committee (TOROC) ran the Paralympic Games.

Here are a few of the major lessons and observations VANOC says it took away:

There are only 12 days to make the transition from running the Olympic Games to running the Paralympic Games -- and that involved a lot of significant operational changes -- so planning and precision is critical. TOROC successfully converted venues, refreshed and readied athlete villages, changed the Look of The Games Program from that of the Olympics to that of the Paralympics and adjusted its workforce and volunteer levels. Reports earlier indicated that the computer networking and timing systems were also realigned, and rechecked. As far as the Look of the Games program is concerned, the core design concept of Torino's, for both the Olympic and Paralympic events, involved banners, fence fabric and massive graphics that enveloped some of the buildings. However, there are some unique Paralympic design elements that reflect the distinct spirit of the Paralympic Games. These use the IPC's logo and a Paralympic Games emblem, so the Olympic Rings logos are all replaced during the transition phase.

Operating two sets of competitions can take a toll on staff and volunteers if its not properly organized. Specific strategies are required to ensure that staff and volunteers have enough energy to stage both sets of Games. TOROC assigned two sets leaders for its functions -- one for the Olympic Games and one for the Paralympic Games. Both teams worked on both sets of Games, but this system helped ensure that each team of lead staff and volunteers are fresh and energized for their turn in the spotlight.

It's helpful to focus on Paralympics during parts of the run-up to the Games. "Every Organizing Committee has an opportunity to leave a legacy of greater awareness of, as well as education and participation in disabled sport," says VANOC spokesman Ailie Somerville. TOROC began the process four years out -- that's about where VANOC is now -- with the introduction of an annual Paralympic Day in Torino. Sport demonstrations, athlete guests and a festival atmosphere contributed to increased participation and community support each year. In addition, TOROC, aided by its sponsors, undertook "an ambitious advertising campaign" to raise awareness about Italian Paralympians and the sports of the Paralympic Winter Games.

TOROC management wanted to draw young people to the Paralympic movement, so it used a school-ticket program that was quite successful in doing that. In addition, ticket marketing and economical pricing, along with general-admission seating, allowed each venue to be filled much better than was the situation with the Olympics. TOROC also realized that it needed to identify ticket holders with a disability at the time of the tickets were purchased to better meet their needs upon arrival at the venue.

During the Paralympic Games, the transportation system had to be adjusted to meet the needs of various types of disability groups. TOROC did that by ensuring that accessible routes were readily available and increased the amount of accessible motor-pool transport for athletes and team transport.

Besides increased accessibility, the Paralympic Games are also smaller, and have a much smaller following than the Olympic Games. For instance, all of the 2010 Paralympics will be held in Whistler, while the VANOC Olympic Games are to be held in Vancouver, Richmond and West Vancouver as well as Whistler. TOROC used a method of integrated planning for accessibility by building ramps and accessible routes into the venues during the Olympic Games. These were enhanced during the transition from the Olympics to the Paralympics. TOROC also used the transition to reduce the operations of the major Olympic facilities, including the Main Press Centre, notes VANOC. The Centre shrunk from serving 6,000 users to 1,000 users daily, while maintaining service levels.

The Observer Program, first developed during the Sydney, Australia Games in 2000, is now a systematic process run on behalf of the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to help existing Games organizing committees document best practices and helpful advice for future Games organizers. VANOC is, in addition, the first organizing committee to fully integrate the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games into all of its planning.

A team of 21 VANOC staff from all areas of the organization is participating in 14 observer sessions at the Paralympics. The topics include marketing and communications, ticketing, finance, news operations, sport and venue operations, including the way Paralympic villages are set up and run.

"The Paralympic movement is a powerful tool for increasing disability awareness in both sport and everyday life. The observations we've made will enable us to raise the bar higher in support of Paralympism," said Cathy Priestner Allinger, VANOC's senior vice-president for Sport, Paralympic Games and Venue Management. "The lessons and information we take from the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games will help us... in 2010."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1561

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

100S OF TV NETWORK PERSONNEL FOR DOZENS OF COUNTRIES COVER 2006 PARALYMPICS

Of late we've been focusing on the business rationale behind the International Paralympic Committee's own Internet broadcasting channel, but the IPC also notes that there a total of 303 staff that are covering the 2006 Torino Paralympics from TV networks in Canada, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and South Africa as well as the European Broadacsting Union of 54 countries and the Iberoamerican Television Organization -- 23 TV networks in North and South America, Spain, and Portugal, along with TV networks in the sub-Sahara section of Africa. All the networks acquired the broadcast rights to the Winter Games. The staff range from on-air people to technicians and other support personnel. About 20 television members from the EBU are broadcasting the Games on free-to-air channels, most of these broadcasters having on-site crews following their own countries' national athletes. A number of EBU broadcasters have extended their coverage with Internet broadband streaming and mobile technology. France Television, for example, provides 140 hours of live coverage available simultaneously by ADSL, Internet and/or mobile. On-site presence at the Winter Paralympics has also increased. German television channel ARD/ZDF has a strong presence in Sestriere with the largest operation its ever had for any Winter Paralympics with more than 70 staff, as well as a broadcast operation centre and a studio house. There is also a large television presence from Finland, France, Italy, Norway and Sweden. During the Opening Ceremony on March 10, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported a viewing audience of 2.4%. By comparison, a Japanese Soccer League match on the same day was watched by 3.4%. The following day, 240,000 viewers in Sweden saw a 20-minute highlights program from the Games and in Germany, ARD’s program was watched by 1.77 million viewers. In Norway, Paralympic coverage has had an average of 350,000 viewers daily. About 140 hours of coverage will be produced from the Torino Paralympic Winter Games, all but 10 of them live. The broadcast operations are run by 290 personnel in an organization called International Sports Broadcasting.

ARTISTS AT WORK ON RICHMOND SPEEDSKATING OVAL COMPLEX

Two "significant" public-art projects have been approved for the 2010 Richmond speedskating oval sports complex, and two artists, one of whom has not yet been identified, are expected to join the Oval’s architectural design team to help develop them. A signature element of the building is to be a translucent-blue polycarbonate material that will cover parts of the building’s exterior in a curtain-wall system. The artist, working with the architectural team for the building is to create a design that emphasizes the "silk-like qualities" of the complex's cladding by layering colour, and make decisions about how the transitions between tones work. The large concrete buttresses that will be part of the building's design is to have relief designs in the concrete at the pedestrian level, to "add texture and interest to the large expanses of concrete." An expert in casting artist designs into concrete, Seattle-based public works graphic artist Vicki Scuri is to help design the guidelines for this work. The actual artist-call selection process for the work will take place later. A full Oval Public Art Plan and Implementation Program is under development by 4Culture of Seattle, Washington. The plan, which is expected to be made public soon, will identify other artistic possibilities for the project and its adjacent lands. The other possibilities are expected to be awarded through public art competitions.

MOUNTAINS AND BEARS AND SNOW -- OH MY!

From our Didn't that Mogul Just Move Department: National Geographic is a publishing company with a huge readership of the kind that VANOC is particularly happy to encourage, so it's quite interesting when NG decides to glance over at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Tourism, recognition, reputation, the-Games-are-coming and all that. Taylor Kennedy, writing in National Geographic News, notes that NGN has been told by locals that there are Black bear dens are "all over" Whistler-Blackcomb Mountain, the alpine venue for the games in 2010. "When Olympic skiers raced down the slopes of Turin this year, they probably weren't running over hibernating bears," writes Kennedy. "But the athletes competing in the next Winter Olympics could do just that. Black bears are drawn to the mountain for the same reason as snow bunnies: the ski runs. Where trees are cut down for the runs, grasses coat the disturbed areas of forest and provide prime grazing for the bears in spring. The bears also fatten up on the autumn berries that pop up like weeds in the cleared areas. Luckily for skiers, the bears sleep all winter, leaving the runs clear for most of the time people are around." Except, of course, Kennedy implies, when they don't.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1560
CLOSING CEREMONY'S 2010 SEGMENT CRAMMED A NUMBER OF MESSAGES INTO ITS BRIEF FLIGHT

The chief marketer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) says the organization had a number of marketing objectives it wanted to accomplish during its eight-minute window at the Closing Ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

The senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, Dave Cobb, says that beyond the basic IOC requirements of exchanging the Olympic flag and singing Canada's national anthem, what VANOC did was primarily up to the team led by Burke Taylor, in charge of VANOC's cultural programs. "We had to cover off that invitation to the world. We wanted to keep it light, keep it sport-focused, keep it kid-focused and cram all of that into a short period of time."

The Olympics, generally, has had some difficulty in attracting the youth demographic and for the past few sets of Games, some themes have deliberately attempted to lean toward that type of audience. But Cobb says VANOC's ceremony had a broader appeal. "I don't know if there was a particular age group in our aim. The primary requirement for us was to invite the world, and, clearly, it was aimed at the world. I don't think we had enough time to really try and pick off any real segments. I think it had to be a fairly high-level message, and the kids playing sports was clearly a message we wanted to show, too.

The performance had aspects for youth, however, Cobb notes. "Avril Lavigne was an obvious choice for us. She was an Olympic Ambassador already and her fan base is obviously young. With Ben Heppner singing the anthem, it was more of a tribute to Italy, given the fact that he lives in Europe now and he's an opera singer, and he was aimed at that audience. I think we balanced that well with Avril."

Lavigne, on the other hand, deliberately changed her skater-girl image to that of a much more middle-of-the-road pop singer in just in the last few months. Cobb sidestepped the question of whether the Canadian singer's new image was what VANOC specifically had in mind when it contracted for her services, or whether the decision to incorporate her was made before the image change. "When we [VANOC management] had the discussions at a high level early about Avril," Cobb says, "I, personally, and I think our entire team thought it was a good idea, because regardless of whether it was this year or last year, her audience is a young audience. Kids can associate with her. We thought it was a good fit for us, and to relate to the kids who were watching."

RESOURCES

Avril Lavigne in her early-teen "skater punk" image:
www.avirllavigne.com/avril_lavigne_photo.html

Avril Lavigne during the 2010 Olympic ceremony in Torino:
www.hollywoodtuna.com/images/bigimages/avril_lavigne_ceremonies_2_big.jpg

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 16, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1559
HOCKEY TICKET TECHNOLOGY MAY BE A POSSIBLE ANSWER TO OLYMPIC TICKET CONUNDRUM SAYS 2010 EXEC

The senior vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications for the 2010 Games, Dave Cobb, says he is determined to find a way to deal with the economic and systemic forces that drive the appearance of empty seats in sold-out Olympic venues, and Canadian-style hockey-ticketing technology may prove to be part of the solution.

The problem has been growing with each Games. Much of it seems to do with the economics of the way bulk tickets are provided to organizations, such as sponsors and other members of the so-called Olympic family, as part of their agreements with the Games organizing committee. The ticketing process provides revenue for a Games to the point where bulk buys take up virtually all the tickets available and provides the requisite revenue to the organizing committee, but the process of distributing them, the ability of, say, companies or other organizations to provide them as gifts in a way that also puts the recipients in the venue, or getting them back to the organizing committee for resale or redistribution if they can't be used, appears to be where the flaw occurs.

The effect of having large banks of empty seats has significant ramifications from an appearance of the public's lack of interest in the Games by the millions of people watching the broadcasts of the Games -- and the International Olympic Committee likes to keep broadcasters happy because the auction of broadcasting rights provides about half the revenues for a Games -- to an influence on the teams or individual athletes since most respond psychologically to the size and volume of the crowd that watches them at or in a particular venue.

"Selling the tickets is the first challenge," says Cobb, back from reviewing the Olympic operations in Torino, Italy, "and the second one is making sure they're used. We're confident that we'll sell the tickets, and we're going to have to set our minds about how to solve the second one. They had a combination of both in Torino. They didn't sell everything, because some sports are more popular than others."

Cobb, who came to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) from a hockey management environment, points out that when he was with the Vancouver Canucks, which also sells tickets, in seasonal groups and often in bulk, systems were put in place to deal with such issues. "We sold every ticket, and they were all used. We used technology, and we put in systems for them to make them available for sale or to pass on to others. Season-ticket holders, for instance, could forward tickets by e-mail for someone else to use them on the day of a game, or even the hour before the game started, because the bar code [that tracked the tickets' use] could be printed out on a standard sheet of printer paper. There are already ways that technology allows us to redistribute tickets on short notice. I think by the time we start selling tickets for 2010, those systems will be available to make it even easier for tickets to get used.

Cobb also uses the game as an example of how the location of a Games can affect the sale of tickets of various events. "If you're not in a hockey country, it's tough to sell, because there are so many games, both on the mens' and womens' side, and multiple games per day. That was a struggle for Torino, because Italy is not a hockey country. We have a big advantage to selling those tickets, because Canada is a hockey country. On the other hand, Torino was more successful in selling tickets in other areas. But as for getting people into the seats after selling them, we're going to have to sit down with the IOC, the sports federations and the sponsors to figure out ways to make sure they're used. And we don't know what the answer is yet."

Cobb says in part it's probably a process of education for those who receive them, but it's also likely to require some research to determine exactly why they're not using them. Cobb says it's also possible that an incentive could be built into the process so that those who receive bulk Olympic tickets and find they can't use them by some deadline, they could be resold and part of the revenue is returned to them. "But we're really not sure yet, to be honest. We've identified the problem, we've observed it in Torino -- and the main purpose of going there was to identify areas where we can improve."

Cobb says that when the Torino executive arrive in Vancouver for the June debriefing meeting, "we'll spend a lot more time with their ticketing people to find out what did, what they attempted to do, or if they were even aware of this issue."

Cobb says there's another issue that has a significant effect on ticketing: the evolution of which country will be skating, skiing or playing in a gold-medal contest. "The fact is, people like to see their country's athletes. For example, when the US wasn't in the women's hockey final, there were a lot of tickets available from Americans who were no longer interested in going to see the final. We'll have to make it easy in those situations to somehow get the tickets from people who are no longer interested to those who are, whether it's through a swapping system, or perhaps by making them available to charity groups -- that's the challenge, for us, and we'll have to see what we can do."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 16, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1558

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

ALPINE CANADA TO HOST MEDIA EVENT ON PROPOSED 2010 COURSE

Alpine Canada, the national skiing sports federation, has a media event planned to promote its Canadian Championships downhill event, sponsored by the Pontiac division of General Motors, but it will be held on the proposed alpine speed course for the 2010 Winter Games at Whistler. As a result, you'll be able to see, at least in news coverage, VANOC's alpine location. The event will focus on two famous Canadian skiers, Nancy Green-Raine, who is now a ski-resort developer, Kathy Kreiner and Rob Boyd. But media will also have an opportunity to watch some of Canada’s newest Olympians Emily Brydon, Kelly Vanderbeek, Shona Rubens, Francois Bourque, Manual Osborne-Paradis and the rest of the 2006 Canadian alpine ski team. The event will take place on March 23; the alpine racing itself, however, starts March 20 and goes through the 28th.

GOLDEN DETERMINED TO BE IN 2010 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY

The town of Golden, in BC's southeast Kootenays area, intends to mount a lobby to ensure it is part of the 2010 Olympic torch relay route and that, if its confirmed as a stop, that it won't be dropped from the route, as it was when 1988 Olympics were held in Calgary. Chief Administrative Officer Phil Taylor, who was on an Olympics committee in Golden two decades ago, said he's determined that history won't be repeated, and says he'll start the lobbying effort with a letter to BC premier Gordon Campbell. Although Golden was told at the time of the Calgary Games it would be included, the torch run started at Prince Rupert, went east along Highway to Prince George, went south through the centre of the province along Highway 97 and from there it came along the Trans-Canada highway to the Lower Mainland. It then went across the province's southern road, Highway 3, through Hope to Princeton, Cranbrook and from there to Calgary... and missing Golden. VANOC hasn't yet picked the route the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay -- nor the usually shorter Paralympic Torch Relay -- will run, and doesn't expect to do so until 2008. However, VANOC CEO John Furlong says he hopes to have it go through every major community in BC, as well as across Canada.

IPC TV GATHERING RESPECTABLE NUMBERS FOR FIRST OFFERING

The International Paralympic Committee says that, so far, its new Internet TV channel has collected an audience of more than 23,000 viewers. They've tuned in online to watch live and delayed coverage of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. IPC Marketing Manager Alexis Schaefer says viewers are from more than 90 countries, with the highest number logging on from North America and Europe. "The top five countries are the USA, Italy, Canada, Germany and Japan," he said. IPC Media and Communication Director Miriam Wilkens says that, "By comparison with other Internet television channels, already in its first four days ParalympicSport.TV was viewed by the same number of people as other channels receive in a month. The average viewer watches Internet television for approximately 45 to 90 minutes, while visitors to ParalympicSport.TV are staying for over four hours." The station is round-the-clock channel broadcasting Games coverage for free. "Viewers all over the world can watch live broadcasts or see coverage ‘on demand’ at a time convenient to them," notes Wilkens. The system is developed and managed by Narrowstep. The implementation of the new channel is co-ordinated by the IPC with Brand Stage, a Hamburg, Germany-based marketing agency. The IPC hopes to provide about 100 hours of live coverage from all four winter sports -- alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, Nordic skiing and wheelchair curling -- as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The coverage is provided with an English language commentary. The IPC also provides a daily highlights package with the best performances from that days’ competitions.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 16, 2006

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1557
VANCOUVER 2010 ATHLETES VILLAGE LAND PREP HITS A SNAG THAT CAN ONLY BE FIXED BY POUNDING -- HARD

The staff of the City of Vancouver who are working on the preparation of the land for the 2010 Olympic Athlete Village have hit a snag in the process of awarding a contract for densification.

Project manager Robin Petri has told Vancouver City Council that he will ask it during its March 21 meeting to allow him to throw out the three lowest bids the City received for the process, which uses compression to help bring the old industrial land up to the City's standard for construction to withstand earthquakes.

The City has the legal right to do that if the bids aren't compliant and, usually if that happens the project is retendered. But Petri says that if Council wants to keep to the project's already squeaky-tight timeline, it needs to authorize the Southeast False Creek Project Office to negotiate a sole-source contract with the low bidder, a company with offices in Richmond, south of Vancouver, called Geopac West, even though it proposes to use a different system than the City requested in its tendering documents.

If Council thinks the job, which is supposed to start in early April, should be retendered, Petri estimates it would delay the project, which is already under work by other contractors, by about a month, and other contractors are lined up to start work as soon as the densification is completed. "This delay," he says, "will put significant time pressures on the completion of the Olympic Village The Village, completely built, has to be handed over to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games by November, 2009 so it can install the Olympic overlay.

The engineers had scheduled a City Council decision on the densification tender during a meeting earlier this month, but pulled it at the last minute. Here's why:

The City engineer’s estimate for the densification work was C$1.6 million, excluding Canada's Goods and Services Tax of 7%. The three lowest bids that showed up, also before taxes: Geopac West Ltd: C$767,250; West Shore Constructors Ltd. at C$1,123,300 and Griffiths Pile Driving Inc. which bid C$1,294,850.

Petri says the Geopac and West Shore tenders don't comply with the tender because they also use different methods than specified, while the Griffiths tender isn't compliant because the company can't complete the work before the City's scheduled deadline for the project.

The prices of West Shore and Griffiths, says Petri, are based on a lump sum amount for installing gravel columns with an add/delete provision for more or less columns installed. The price listed for Geopac is based on a lump sum for completing the densification using the dynamic compaction method. It's a process that essentially pounds the land. Typically, devices called tampers, which can weighing anywhere from 10 to 40 tonnes are repeatedly dropped from heights of 20 to 40 metres. The land, depending on its composition, is usually compressed up to 15 metres deep.

Petri says that although the Geopac method wasn't what was requested, the method will work well enough for the City's purposes -- in fact, he reports, it will even take less time than expected, as well as save the City about C$1 million on its budget.

It'll be up to council to decide what to do, and they have a lot of other things on their plate that meeting.

RESOURCES

Geopac West's website:
www.geopac.ca

A separate website that gives a good explanation of dynamic compaction:
sbe.napier.ac.uk/projects/compaction/chapter3c.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 15, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1556
FIRST OF 2010-BRAND MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION LICENSES OFFERED, BUT ONLY FOR CANADA AND ONLY TO CANADIAN FIRMS

This is the news for which a lot of companies have been waiting.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has begun a formal and orderly process for qualifying businesses so they can become licensees for 2010-branded merchandise.

But, at least in this first round, VANOC says the call is only for Canadian companies, and only for Canadian distribution.

It's first move is to call for companies interested in the manufacture, sale and distribution of branded apparel, but the companies won't have exclusive rights to the clothing. Later, VANOC planners say, the organization will follow a similar process to deal with headware, novelty items and confections or other consumables. The brands involve those owned by VANOC, its sponsors and the governments associated with the organization, such as those of the Canadian and provincial governments, as well as Vancouver, Whistler, Richmond and West Vancouver.

In the first batch of licenses offered, VANOC says it's also considering the idea of including the right to sell the licensed apparel through wholesale as well as retail channels, and possibly the right to distribute premiums to VANOC and its sponsors and government groups, but it will largely depend on the response to its call for expressions of interest.

Once companies provide VANOC with the information the organization wants, and in the way it wants it, it will assign particular products to companies best able to handle its requirements for the product. And, note, some companies need not bother applying, because there will be some that VANOC won't consider, and those restrictions are over and above the fact that only Canadian operations and distribution is on the table.

VANOC planners say they won't shortlist "any person or entity" that owns or operates "general merchandise department stores, sporting goods retail stores or general merchandise retail stores carrying a similarly wide number and variety of product lines." That's because on VANOC's major retail sponsor, HBC, has that sector covered.

When a formal RFP is called -- and these aren't part of the criteria for the shortlist -- VANOC says there are a few operational items it will require of any licensing firm before it is awarded a contract. They include a forecast of projected sales of the licensed products during the term of the license, as well as a comprehensive marketing plan for the licensed products, including a proposed rollout plan by distribution channel -- such as specialty stores, souvenir, gift, tourist, duty-free, sports stores, general retail stores -- for the products, to be implemented during the term of the license.

VANOC will also want a financial proposal that includes a suggested royalty structure, and whether they'll offer any advance-on-signing and minimum guarantees to be paid to VANOC during the term of the license. It will also want to see a "demonstrated record of initiatives" taken to ensure brand protection and anti-piracy. VANOC has been exploring identity devices to ensure consumers know they're getting a legitimate product and to help with enforcement. And VANOC will want to see "a demonstrated ability" to manufacture the licensed products according to "a high ethical standard, social responsibility and sustainability, and a willingness and commitment to fully participate in VANOC’s sustainability program including evaluation and audit activities."

Now back to the specifics of VANOC's first offer, the apparel component: VANOC's procurement department says the qualification process is in two steps. VANOC is first asking any company interested and generally qualified to send in their information by April 19. VANOC staff will then evaluate the capabilities of each applicant and create a short list of no more than 25. The firms on the shortlist will be asked, probably by May 4, to give VANOC a proposal on the specific aspects of each requirement, and they'll then be given a chance to bid. But, they note, the applicants will have to "demonstrate specific and significant experience with the licensing of apparel" just to get in the door. VANOC also says its licensing program will "aim to reach consumers in every part of Canada," but only through distribution channels approved by VANOC.

Subcontracting or joint ventures will be okay, as long as an applicant shows how it intends to deal with the subcontracts or division of labour, and identifies the companies involved, but, VANOC says, joint venture firms should know that there's a good chance that if they are eventually awarded a contract, VANOC may require them to establish a separate company to handle the work, and it will be VANOC, during the negotiations, that will have the final word how the joint venture process will work.

The licensing could go as one deal all the way to December 31, 2010, or VANOC might decide to set up contracts with annual renewals; that, too, depends on the responses.

And, because of the way VANOC works, it will require a security and criminal-records background search on the people of the firms that win a contract with the organization. This is a clause that's been in all of VANOC's contract offers to date.

BACKGROUND

VANOC says its licensing program is intended to "further the ideals of Olympism by creating and distributing a broad range of Olympic-related products which promote and enhance the Olympic brand." To do that, the organization intends to "maximize the availability and sale of licensed products within an environment of controlled commercialization."

To do that, VANOC says it will seek "the best of the best of businesses with operations in Canada which can consistently design, manufacture and distribute a full range of attractive, high-quality, affordable licensed products."

--

And what are the apparel products VANOC is hoping to brand? They include:

T-shirts

Sweatshirts

Fleece

Performance or technical wear

Outerwear

Gloves

Ties

Scarves

Socks

Sleepwear

Polo shirts

Work-out wear

Sweaters -- but not Nordic-style knit sweaters

Tracksuits

Youth wear, and

Infant and toddler wear

VANOC says it depends on the corporate responses to its call whether it chooses one, or more, companies to produce a broad range of apparel for all target consumer groups, or may select one or more licensees to produce only particular licensed products or companies that say they only want to provide licensed products targeted to particular consumer groups, such as men, women, youth, infants or the like. In part, it depends on the expertise and experience of the companies involved. The type of fabric isn't a strong consideration.

--

So what, precisely, are the Olympic marks available: VANOC marks that relate to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, "whether now existing or to be created by VANOC during the term of the license," including the VANOC emblem, and the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games emblem to be unveiled in June, the mascots of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympics, which are to be decided, at last word, sometime next year, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic pictograms -- those are the graphics that are developed to identify each sport at the 2010 Games -- and marks relating to the Vancouver 2010 arts, cultural and environmental Olympiads, which are all running between now and the end of the 2010 Games. but NOT the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. None of the licensed products can use marks of the Canadian Olympic Committee or the Canadian Olympic Team. That's because either VANOC or the International Olympic Committee signs up sponsors for the two Torch events separately, and the COC has its own deals with its own sponsors, even thought it's intertwined with VANOC. Nowhere has VANOC suggested that the brands available would include the IOC emblem or any of its marks, nor any of the marks associated with the four aboriginal bands that are working with VANOC. It's not that they are excluded; it's just that, so far, VANOC's department of Revenue and Marketing is silent about them.

--

RESOURCES

VANOC's formal request for expressions of interest document, which provides all the details, rules, expectations and criteria, will be posted on the BC government's bid distribution network, BC Bid. The document is called "VANOC EOI NO L2010-03 Licensees for Apparel", and its a PDF file. Here's the BC Bid Internet address:

www.bcbid.gov.bc.ca

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 15, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1555

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

GVRD MAYORS MEET MARCH 31 ABOUT REGIONAL SECURITY

The mayors of the Greater Vancouver Regional District have called a closed-doors meeting for March 31 to consider regional security issues, and that while the impetus for the meeting is not directly related to the advent of the 2010 Winter Games, the security requirements for the Games are some of the reasons that is prompting the mayors to consider its issues along with others, such as regional emergency preparedness. GVRD officials say that all of the municipalities that form the GVRD have localized plans, but integration of them into a larger security plan is necessary. As well, the plan has to consider a promise by the newly elected federal Conservative government to expand its Pacific-area military presence, and it's possible military officials will attend the meeting.

2010 TO BRIEF IOC BOARD APRIL 7 IN SEOUL

The next meeting of the IOC's Executive Board is set for Seoul, South Korea over three days starting April 5. On the first day, the Board will meet with a number of national Olympic committees, which will have finished their General Assembly earlier in the week, as well as representatives from the world's international sports federations. It will then hear reports on the IOC’s current activities and, on the last day, April 7, get updates on the status of preparations for the next Olympic Games: the Summer Games in Beijing 2008, the Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010 and the Summer Games in London in 2012.

HANSEN CALLS FOR 2010 TO BRIDGE OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS

Rick Hansen, president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation, has called in an open letter published in Toronto today for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games to "begin building a truly Canadian model of inclusiveness for 2010 which ensures that the Games and the benefits of hosting them are applied equally to all our athletes," including those with disabilities. Hansen, who took part in the first wheelchair demonstration sport at the Los Angeles Olympics, and has since become a major fundraiser for medical solutions to spinal injuries in particular, writes of the 2010 Games, "My dream back then was that one day our athletes with a disability would have equal recognition. Today, as Canada's best competes at the ninth Paralympic Winter Games that dream remains unfulfilled. My challenge to Canadians is to see our team and indeed all the participants recognized as athletes first... We will have an unprecedented opportunity to burst through these remaining barriers once and for all in 2010. The whole world will be watching Canada when we host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Let's use the opportunity to create a model unique to Canada; one that bridges the Olympics and the Paralympics and reflects a society that is inclusive of all its citizens. We can demonstrate our commitment to people with spinal cord injury and related disabilities to include them in society fully, as equals."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 15, 2006

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1554
THINK TANK REPORTS GOLD, SILVER MEDAL WINNERS IN TORINO LESS THAN 0.5% DIFFERENCE IN MOST TIMED EVENTS

IncreMental Advantage, a New York-based corporate think tank that publishes research on competitive issues, has released its analysis of how much difference there was between the Gold and Silver medal winners at the 2006 Torino Games, and it sure isn't much.

The organization analyzed all of the winter Olympic competitions to determine the margins by which the winners beat out their rivals. It focused only on the timed events, and reported its findings in percentages of time. The cumulative average variance between the Gold Medal and Silver Medal Winners for all of men's competitions was 0.4%. The corresponding number for women's events was 0.75%. In fact, it says, the difference between men who won the Gold medal and those who won the Silver was less than 0.5% in 72.7% of the events.

Among its other findings are:

For men, the Gold Medal Winner was only 0.01% faster than the Silver Medalist for in both the Cross-Country Skiing Pursuit and in the Cross-Country 50 Kilometer Competitions.

For women, the Gold Medal Winner was only 0.03% faster than the Silver Medalist for in the Cross-Country Skiing 30 Kilometer Competition.

For men, the Gold Medal Winner was only 0.03% faster than the 5th Place competitor in the Cross-Country Skiing 50 Kilometer Competition.

For women, the Gold Medal Winner was only 0.58% faster than the 5th Place competitor in the Bobsled Competition.

In 24 out of 33 events -- or in 72.7% of the men's competitions -- the difference between the Gold Medal Winner and the Silver Medalist was less than 0.5%.

In 18 out of 28 events -- or in 64.3% of the women's competitions -- the difference between the Gold Medal Winner and the Silver Medalist was less than 0.5%.

In seven out of 33 events -- or in 21.2% of the men's competitions -- the difference between the Gold Medal Winner and the 5th Place Competitor was less than 0.5%.

David Wanetick, managing director of IncreMental, noted that there are lessons for business out of the analysis. "Our study of the performance of the athletes in the 2006 Winter Olympics confirms that when you are at the top of your game, you must do everything in your power to maintain every edge conceivable. There is no doubt that professionals who have reached the pinnacle of success in their fields -- regardless of whichever field is pursued -- are separated from the competition by the thinnest of margins. However, the incremental advantages that they achieve typically produce rewards -- in terms of compensation, publicity, and the like -- that are geometrically greater than those of the runners up."

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 14, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1553

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

SURVEY SHOWS AMERICAN, CANADIAN RESISTANCE TO US PASSPORT CARD

A survey released by Zogby International suggests 68% of people in the United States and 54% in Canada would be unlikely to purchase the American-proposed identity card that the US wants to make mandatory January 1 for those coming into the country by air, and at the beginning of 2008 for those coming by land. The idea is to avoid people having to pay for a passport under an American law designed to increase surveillance at its borders. A third of those surveyed in each country who don't have passports said they'd simply be less likely to cross the border. That, in turn, would affect about C$3 billion in tourism between the two countries. It is also seen as having a strong effect on American impulse tourism heading for the 2010 Winter Games, and adding to the cost of travelling to see them.

IPC OUTLINES FINANCIAL DETAILS OF ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM

The International Paralympic Committee has released the cost of anti-doping tests conducted during the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino and has discussed some of what goes on behind the scenes. A single urine test costs between C$350 and C$415 (e250 and e300), blood tests cost about c$1,250 (e900) each and a test for EPO (blood-boosting proteins) costs between C$1,100 and C$1,250 (e800 to e900). In Torino there are a total of 154 people involved in the doping-control program, including 84 volunteer escorts, 25 doping-control officers, 15 phlebotomists (who draw blood for analysis), 15 military personnel and 15 administrative staff. All in-competition testing at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games are carried out by TOROC, the Torino 2006 Organizing Committee, on behalf of the IPC. Samples are analysed by accredited World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratories. WADA, based in Montreal and run by VANOC director Dick Pound, is also responsible for the out-of-competition testing program and provides over C$29 million (e21 million) in funding to out-of-competition testing in sport worldwide. The Torino Paralympics is also the first major sport event to use WADA's new Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is a software and database tool to co-ordinate all anti-doping information within one secure system. It allows athletes to enter information about their location, manages the doping control process and lists the Therapeutic Use Exemption information for athletes who use certain types of medication, and provides an information clearing house. Eventually, WADA hopes to have more than one million people and up to 400 organizations using the system.

SALTZBERG 2014 BID HIT BY AUSTRIAN ANTI-DOPING INVESTIGATION

The Austrian doping scandal that rocked the European country's Olympic team three weeks ago has forced the people involved in the bid by Saltzberg for the 2014 Winter Olympics to replace their CEO. Fedor Radmann, a 61-year-old German sports businessman who helped bring the 2006 World Cup to Germany, replaced Anton Schutti as chief executive of the bid committee. Schutti returned to his previous job as managing director of an aid group in Vienna, after the investigations into the scandal, which continue, began including Schutti unofficially. Saltzberg is up against several other cities for the 2014 Games, which are the ones that follow Vancouver's. The final decision won't be made for more than a year, but the IOC executive meet this summer to shortlist the field, which include Almaty, Kazakhstan; Borjomi, Georgia; Jaca, Spain; Pyeongchang, South Korea; Sochi, Russia; and Sofia, Bulgaria. Whichever city gets the nod from the IOC in the summer of 2007 will become deeply involved with VANOC, and be part of Vancouver's Closing Ceremony.

RESOURCES

We first wrote about ADAMS in February, 2005, but here's a more detailed article:
'World Anti-Doping Agency launches Internet-based control system'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1302; Published on Thursday, November 17, 2005]

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 14, 2006

Monday, March 13, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1552

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

PARALYMPIC REPAIRS DONE BY OTTO BOCK HEALTHCARE

Otto Bock HealthCare, one of the sponsors of the International Paralympic Committee, is also an Official Service Provider for the Torino Winter Olympics. It has two stationary workshops -- one in each of the Paralympic Villages in Sestriere and Torino -- and several mobile workshops. The workshops' 60 technicians provide repair services free for athletes of all countries attending the Paralympic Games.

VANOC TO TALK PARALYMPICS WEDNESDAY

VANOC has scheduled a news conference for late in the afternoon in Torino on March 15 to discuss issues connected with the 2010 Paralympic Games; that's 7 am Vancouver time.

OREGON STILL EYES 2010 BUSINESS

Although representatives of various towns and cities in British Columbia debated the wisdom or cost-effectiveness of sending representatives to Torino to see what they could learn about how to organize for the 2010 Winter Games, Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of the Portland Visitors Association of Oregon, knew it was something he had to see for himself. And he's already decided his group will focus on Team USA activities before and after the 2010 Olympics, figuring the tourism side isn't likely to have much benefit to his area. Meanwhile, boosters of ski-resort areas on Mount Hood and Mount Bachelor are thinking they might be able to help visiting skiers and snowboarders train for the 2010 Games. Dave Tragethon, marketing director for Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort, Drew Mahalic, president of the Oregon Sports Authority, and Randy Miller, president of the Portland Ambassadors, a business group, are working on those angles. Mount Hood Meadows, one of the areas, could attract alpine skiers and snowboarders; Mount Bachelor would focus on Nordic events. They suggest that conditions at Oregon's Cascade Range resorts are similar to the type of snow pack found on the Whistler-Blackcomb mountains, where some of the 2010 events will be held. The US Snowboardcross Championships were held at Mount Hood Meadows last December. By 2010, there are expected to be additional condos in the Mount Hood area, and a lodge at the Collins Lake Resort, in Government Camp.

RESOURCES

A story we've previously written about the Oregon groups thinking about 2010:
'Oregon ski resort would go after skiers, snowboarders "displaced" by 2010 Games -- if it could'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1230; Published on Thursday, October 13, 2005]

Once you're at the page, use your browser's Find function to locate the article number, 1230.

Otto Bock Health Care's home page:
www.ottobock.com/

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 13, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1551

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

BC NDP START ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT VANOC PROCUREMENT

Apparently Morgan:News:2010 isn't the only organization interested in VANOC's procurement process. The BC NDP party, the provincial government's official opposition, has begun making a few inquiries about its practices during debate over the budget estimates of BC Finance minister Carole Taylor. The questions late last week, from Jenny Kwan, the Opposition Caucus chairman and Opposition Critic for Finance, tried in several different ways to get Taylor to admit she didn't have control over VANOC's procurement process. Taylor doesn't, since VANOC's operations are that of an independent agency, as she kept repeating to Kwan at the end of each of the various attempts. But, added Taylor, if Kwan wanted to ask questions about the BC office that looks after the BC government's portion of the 2010 Games, she should ask them of the minister in charge of the 2010 Olympic Secretariat, which is Colin Hasen, a former Liberal finance minister, when it comes time to debate his department's budget. By the way, the BC Auditor General, which has decided to have another look at the value-for-money equation of the 2010 Games, is now expected to release its report in April. The AG late last fall estimated the report would likely be released in late February or early March.

HBC OFFERS LIMITED LINE OF TEAM CANADA PARALYMPIAN CLOTHING

The senior management of HBC, VANOC's retailing sponsor and designer of clothing and luggage for the Canadian team at the 2006 Torino Games, has been a bit distracted of late, what with an American buying the Canadian icon and tossing its main executive staff, which may explain why the company is somewhat late in promoting only a few items from its "official replica" line of Paralympian clothing in only a few places. The marketing is now underway, a few days after the Paralympic Games started. HBC has its Olympic boutique stores in about 500 locations, but company spokesman say that only Paralympian t-shirts, hats and sweaters from its red-and-white "Heritage Modern" series will be available, and only at the Queen Street and Bloor Street stores in downtown Toronto, the St. Catherine's store in Montreal, the Rideau store in Ottawa and the two downtown locations in Calgary and Vancouver.

QUICKSILVER DEEPLY, QUIETLY INVOLVED IN WINTER OLYMPICS

One of the companies that's closely aligned with Olympic winter athletes, but you hardly ever hear from unless you're in their market, is Quicksilver Inc., based in Huntington Beach, California. It's an outdoor sportswear and sports product firm, which recently bought one of its rivals, Rossignol, and is slowly folding it into the operations. Bernard Mariette, president of Quiksilver was talking about his company's first-quarter operations today -- the quarter ended January 31 -- when he mentioned in passing just how involved the firm is in Winter Olympics. Even though the Torino Games are in his company's second quarter, he couldn't help but mention that, "Rossignol has a legacy of involvement with the Winter Olympics and, along with the riders for the Quiksilver brands, we sponsored 165 athletes from 26 countries who won 36 medals at the Games." Look for the company's name on a ski pole, boot or binding near you. Actually, the firm has such a plethora of brands, you should also look for the Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, Look and Kerma brands on alpine ski equipment, and the Rossignol, Dynastar, DC Shoes, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels on snowboarding equipment near you. The company, which is also into golf by the way, had net revenues that were up 58% to US$541.1 (C$628 million) for the quarter, and net income increased 31% to US$18.6 million (C$21.58 million).

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 13, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1550
RBC, VANOC TO START CROSS-CANADA TOUR MARCH 31 TO PROMOTE 2010 GAMES

The RBC Financial Group, one of the major sponsors of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), says it has assembled an exhibit that will start a six-week tour of Canada, from east to west, on March 31 to promote the 2010 Games -- and how to do business with VANOC.

The RBC 2010 Flag Tour, as it's called, will start in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is a cross-country touring exhibition which RBC spokesman Jackie Braden says is "designed to give Canadians a taste of the excitement and spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Canada."

Senior executives from the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee will also take part as their time permits, and talk about the 2010 Games. That's an outgrowth of a story we first reported last fall, in which VANOC CEO John Furlong is to speak at key locations. In addition, RBC will host what it calls "Olympic Business Development Seminars" wherever the exhibit sets up, to talk about how firms can do business connected with VANOC and its operations.

The exhibit is a 465 square-metre (5,000-square-foot) package that includes six themed area. They'll have interactive sport trials and displays for several of Canada's most popular Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games sports, such as, snowboard, hockey, freestyle skiing and ice sledge hockey. The exhibition is to also include a copy of the Olympic flag, hence the name.

As part of the tour, a number of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including a few that RBC sponsors directly under its RBC Olympian program, will be visiting schools, signing autographs and talking to Canadians about their Olympic and Paralympic experiences and accomplishments. Olympians attending various tour stops include:

Brad Gushue, whose team won a gold medal for Canada in curling during the Torino Games;

Dominique Maltais -- Snowboarding/Bronze/Torino 2006/RBC Olympian;

Kristi Richards Freestyle Ski/Torino 2006/RBC Olympian; and,

Members of Canada's Women's Ice Hockey Team (Gold/Torino 2006).

Other Olympians will be identified as the tour moves across the country.

BACKGROUND

The RBC 2010 Flag Tour is scheduled to travel to the following locations:

Halifax - Queen's Landing - March 31 to April 2

Montreal - Place des arts - April 7 to April 9

Toronto - Dundas Square - April 14 to April 16

Ottawa - The Besserer Court Lot beside the Rideau Centre - April 21 to April 23

Winnipeg - CanWest Global Park - April 28 to April 30

Calgary - Canada Olympic Park - May 5 to May 7

Vancouver - Vancouver Art Gallery - May 11 to May 14

---

VANOC went through a formal, public invitation to quote process last August to hire a PR agency to help with the tour, but has never revealed which firm, if any, won the contract.

RESOURCES

RBC's website that lists various aspects of the tour, including the hours of operation at each event:
www.rbc.com/2010flagtour
Note that this address currently resolves to...
www.rbc.com/sponsorship/winter-games.html
...but the first address may become a stand-alone location at some point later.

RBC's "A Guide for Business Opportunities in the 2010 Winter Games", a 36-page, 1.1 meg document that discusses how to work with VANOC and its related organizations:
www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/pdf/2010-Guide-EN.pdf
'2010 Committee asking for PR help to do Canada-wide speaking tour next spring'
www.morgan-news.com/2010/archives/2005_08_01_Bronze.htm
Once you're on the page, use your browser's Find feature to locate article 1141.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 13, 2006

Friday, March 10, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1549
RICHMOND OFFERS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPEEDSKATING OVAL AS IT HUNTS FOR "COMMISSIONING AUTHORITY"

The City of Richmond, as part of the process for building the 2010 Olympic speed-skating oval to LEED environmental standards, has begun searching for an independent company to look after the process of commissioning the building and all of its systems, both as it is designed, and as it is built.

Companies that can provide such services have until March 23 to respond to the city's contract offer; the contract is expected to be awarded next month, and the job is to start "in earnest", according to planners, immediately. The City's municipal staff, through the Ottawa-based consulting company it's hired to provide project-management services, MHPM Project Managers Inc., says the "independent commissioning authority" proponents to the offer will joint a growing list of consultants attached to the construction and oversight of what both Richmond and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) hope will be the signature structure of the 2010 Games.

LEED standards, an objective method for determining a higher level of environmentally responsible construction and operation than most buildings, was a requirement imposed by VANOC, which agreed in its Bid Book promises to the International Olympic Committee that it would aim for all of its venues to be built to at least LEED-Silver specifications. Having a commissioning organization involved is, in turn, a requirement of the LEED-Silver standard.

The "independent commissioning authority", say Richmond planners and MHPM staff, will make sure every aspect of the huge building works by the time it's ready for use on the current estimated completion date of September 8, 2008. That includes all of its basic operational equipment, from doors to refrigeration plants as well as electrical, electronic, heating, dehumidification, ventilating and air conditioning, lighting, life-safety, sound, elevators and security systems -- and even the operational software that goes with them.

In addition, the "commissioning authority" is to also "perform a focused review of the design prior to final construction documents to ensure that the owner’s sustainability goals are being interpreted in the design and construction documents." That means that throughout the entire project, the "authority" will be checking to insure standards are met, and systems work to meet those standards in indoor environmental quality and efficient use of energy and water. It will also prepare all the documents required to demonstrate the building meets the standards. And that, in turn, entails the use of still more consultants under the "authority" banner to deal with, at separate cost, an independent peer-review of the building's design by Canon Design for the architecture and Stantec for the engineering, independent peer-review of the construction documents and an independent review of contractor requirements.

Once the building is commissioned, which is expected to be in the fall of 2008, the "commissioning authority" will conduct seasonal tests to ensure the building operates according to LEED standards in the three other seasons.

Here are some other things we've learned about the project:

The estimated budget for the building of C$178 million is before taxes. The federal government is expected to reduce the pervasive Goods and Services tax to 6% this spring, which means the actual outlay could be as high C$188 million depending on the ways the taxes end up being calculated. However, municipalities receive a 57% GST rebate from the federal government. The BC government's more selective Social Services Tax of 7% is not applied universally to all aspects, but much of the materials purchased for the construction -- depending on where they're bought -- would have it added.

VANOC has hired a company called BuildGreen Consulting, a division of Windmill Developments of Ottawa, to do the executive-level sustainable- venue reviews for all its Olympic venues, including the Richmond Olympic Oval. Windmill is one of the companies that decided not to proceed with a proposal to build the Vancouver Olympic Village for the City of Vancouver.

Three peer reviews are being undertaken for the Richmond oval's geotechnical, ice refrigeration, and mechanical engineering components;

The planners are thinking the project will likely include a "rowing tank" for the University British Columbia;

Planners intend to use all the waste heat and spare cooling capacity of the ice plant to provide all required cooling and most of the heating requirements for the complex. In addition to the heat recovery from the ice plant, there will be two 750 kW high-efficiency boilers to provide additional heating. Hot water will be used to heat the building, the ventilation air systems, and the building's domestic water systems. The Oval Hall will be served by three air-handling systems: one system for the legacy ice area and two systems serve the Olympic overlay and related uses. Another two, much smaller, systems will look after the rest of the building's space. The entire Oval Hall will operate at one temperature and relative humidity when there is ice in the room. The systems are going to be designed so that about half the heat from the air stream as it's being vented outside will be captured for use in the building;

Two BC Hydro substations, one on Richmond's Granville Street, and the other across the Fraser River arm, will provide the estimated electrical power needed for the huge complex.

VANOC will be providing emergency generators to provide additional power to run broadcasting equipment, to help with the power load during the Games, and it will also be working with the project's design team to deal with how its power requirements will be distributed throughout the building. There were a number of power issues that affected several venues at the Torino Winter Games. VANOC is also going to provide uninterrupted-power systems as further backup. The amount of lighting that is to be standard at the building won't be enough for TV broadcasting, so VANOC is also going to provide all the requirements for that aspect during the Games.

Richmond hasn't yet decided whether to pay for protection against lightening strikes to the building. Such protection isn't required under current provincial standards, but the cost of insurance is expected to be a factor in the decision.

Cable TV will be provided in the lounge, community space and public square and it's to be used during the 2010 Games. It will also be available in the administration area, as well as at the entrance lobby and inside the oval.

BACKGROUND

The Oval sports complex has two stories, a gross area of 5.2 hectares, and is located on an 11.7-hectare (29-acre) site on River Road along the North arm of the Fraser River, between the No.2 Road and Dinsmore Bridges in Richmond, the municipality directly south of Vancouver. The building will have two configurations, one for the 2010 Games and one for afterward. VANOC budgeted C$68.7 million in 2002 for its capital portion of the project, and C$5.8 million on the Olympic Overlay portion.

In its legacy configuration, the two floors will include an integrated parkade, commercial spaces, a main hall integrating a wellness centre, a community-fitness centre, a high-performance fitness centre, two short-track ice sheets, eight gym or basketball courts, and a field house for track-and-field activities. There are also to be hockey rinks. A post-2010 Games conversion will be required in order to take out the temporary seating installed for the Games, to reduce the seating capacity from 8,000 to 2,000 for legacy use.

The Oval building is to be located on six hectares (15 acres) at the east end of the site and the remaining 5.7 hectares (14 acres) at the west end of the site are to remain undeveloped until the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This area will serve as a VANOC staging area and accommodate a number of things it requires. That part of the area is to be redeveloped into a high-density residential community after the 2010 Games, to help pay for the building.

The complex is to "prominently feature" BC wood or wood products, and be programmed as a "flexible world-class multi-purpose public facility" post Games, convertible to festivals, events, concerts and a variety of sports uses including being able to allow for ice-floor and dry-floor uses at the same time.

--

MHPM Project Managers Inc. has been contracted by the City of Richmond to look after all aspects of the Richmond Olympic Oval project management. MHPM is responsible for co-ordinating, scheduling, reviewing and approving the work of the various participants. The "commissioning authority" will report to the MHPM.

The architect of record is Cannon Johnston Architecture (CannonDesign) with mechanical and electrical design conducted by Stantec Engineering. The specifications writer is Morris Specifications Inc. The construction work contracts will be offered in packages, implemented by the construction manager as advisor, Dominion Fairmile, using sequential trade contracts.

Stantec has hired Keen Engineering to provide mechanical electrical and sustainable consulting.

The City of Richmond has hired Delcan, a company based in Markham, Ontario, to provide consulting on the site's external services, such as fire and water systems, the sanitary and storm sewer systems.

RESOURCES

The Oval building is required to achieve a minimum LEED certification of Silver, under the Canadian Green Building Council's LEED Canada-NC 1.0 Rating System. Information about this is here:
www.cagbc.org

MHPM Project Managers:
www.mhpm.com

Morris Specifications
www3.telus.net/public/a4a22167/who.html

Delcan:
www.delcan.com/prod/index.php?id=9

Windmill Developments:
www.windmilldevelopments.com/overview.html

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 10, 2006

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1548
ANOTHER MAJOR CLEAN-UP CONTRACT OFFERED TO COMPANIES FOR VANCOUVER OLYMPIC VILLAGE LANDS

The City of Vancouver has issued the fifth in a series of contracts to prepare the land for the 2010 Athletes Village. Bidders have until March 24 to get their response in, and there is a site inspection set for March 14.

The Southeast False Creek Project Office, which is overseeing the project, has asked for bids on a detailed, extensive and environmentally sensitive part of the project that essentially means digging out about 260,000 tonnes of soil, much of it contaminated, from the eastern half of the former industrial site, including land laced with chemicals from an old zinc-plating shop, sorting thousands of tonnes of the material and taking it to various dump sites, depending on its toxicity. And it means dealing with about 50 kilolitres (about 11,000 Imperial gallons) of contaminated water and mud.

The contractor is also asked to take up tonnes of old asphalt -- 40,000 square metres (about 10 acres) of it -- and take it to locations where it can be reground and reused around the Greater Vancouver area, instead of being thrown away.

Once that's done, the contractor is asked replace the materials with clean sand and gravel, and healthy dirt, and prepare the various rights of way -- roads, sewers and water systems -- that will be used to service the buildings to be constructed for the Village, and installing the manholes and other access points that will be necessary.

The SEFC office wants the contractor to start work on April 17, substantially complete the eastern portion of the site by June 16 and have the job finished by the end of November 30.

The eastern portion needs to be done first, because that area is going to be turned over under another contract for construction of roadwork and the underground municipal utilities.

Throughout the extensive documents and contracts being offered for the job, proponents are being warned they'll be required to make extensive efforts to handle the work under a lot of environmental constraints, all of which are detailed for pages, and that, besides the City engineers looking over their shoulder, they'll also have environmental consultants and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans tracking whether any fish habitat along the foreshore is affected by the work, particularly during the summer months when various types of salmon are in False Creek.

The Project Office says that the site's signature Domtar Salt Building will be moved about half a block away by July so that the soils under it can be cleared away and rebuilt. And, according to the office, there's a lot more to come. Future construction activities, besides the roadwork and utility construction, there is also a contract being prepared for a company to do the off-site roadwork and utility construction along First Avenue. The office says these contracts are scheduled to be tendered in May, so that work can begin in June and be completed by April 2007.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 9, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1547

BRIEF CEREMONY BY JEAN FOCUSES ON OLYMPIC FLAG IN VANCOUVER

Canada's governor general Michaelle Jean, VANOC CEO John Furlong, Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan, all of the City councillors, a colour guard of Vancouver police and fire department personnel, RCMP and plenty of on-duty police and security guards took part in a brief ceremony at City Hall today connected with the Olympic flag. She unveiled a plaque and new flag case built to display the flag that first flew at the Oslo 1952 Olympic Winter Games. The flag is officially entrusted to the City of Vancouver by the IOC for the duration of its Olympiad and through the 2010 Winter Games. The flag will be on view to the public during regular business hours at City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. The flag case, 6 metres high by 1.37 metres wide (20 feet high and 4 foot 6 inches wide), was designed by city staff and built by the Hycraft Design Custom Woodwork of Vancouver. Furlong, during his speech, said, "There could have been no better way to unveil the Olso Olympic Flag than by our country's Governor General. Her participation underlines that these Games are truly for all Canadians. We hope that citizens from not only our region but from around the country will see the flag, be inspired to learn more about Olympism and share our excitement for the Games in 2010." Traditionally, governors general travel to each province and territory during the first year of their mandate to meet with Canadians in their respective communities; she was in Victoria yesterday.

NEARLY 500 ATHLETES AWAIT PARALYMPIC GAME OPENING

The latest word from the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, which start tomorrow, is that there are 486 athletes from 39 countries. During the 10 days of competition, athletes are after 58 medals in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, sledge hockey and curling. There's also a tip today for VANOC from some of the Canadian athletes at the Sestriere venue, where alpine skiing will take place: be prepared to deal with slush around the venues -- it makes it really difficult for wheelchair-bound Paralympians to move about, as they are currently discovering during a bout of warm weather in the area. On the other hand, they say, once the Torino Organizing Committee hears about an issue from the teams, they move quickly to resolve it. The relatively limited repertoire of menus in the Torino Athlete Villages is also getting some flak, just as it did during the Olympics two weeks ago.

WINTER ATHLETES, COACH, FIRST FOR PARALYMPIC HALL OF FAME

Two Winter Games Paralympians, a male and female athlete, and a Paralympic coach, were the first people inducted to the Paralympic Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Torino tomorrow. The ceremony, sponsored by Visa. The three, according to the International Paralympic Committee, were chosen for their athletic performance, history of fair play and participation in community service. The include Annemie Schneider of Germany, who has eight gold, one silver and one bronze for alpine skiing (giant slalom, slalom and downhill); Jouko Grip of Finland, who has 14 medals for Nordic skiing (cross country and biathlon); and Ulla Renvall of Sweden for her role as a coach, trainer and Nordic skiing guide for the past 30 years.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 9, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1546
MOST VANCOUVER RESIDENTS FEEL 2010 GAMES WILL IMPROVE VANCOUVER'S REPUTATION

A new survey shows that more than 80% of Lower Mainland residents believe the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will improve Vancouver's reputation as a livable city.

The survey was commissioned by Reputations Corporation, a Vancouver-based corporate-reputation management and communications agency that also offers services -- such as brand, stakeholder development and community involvement -- related to the Olympic Games.

"Such a high percentage of positive respondents is unique in any survey, and shows a really high level of public support for the 2010 Games," says Wayne Hartrick, the company's president and chief reputations officer. "And this support has remained strong despite various controversies, such as rising construction costs."

Hartrick was referring to the decision by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to reset the cost of building its venues to account for changes in the cost of construction and escalating building-materials costs during the non-residential building boom in the Lower Mainland area of BC. The change was widely viewed as a cost overrun by the public, even though VANOC had reduced the scope and complexity of its venue plans.

Top among reasons given in the survey for the improvement in reputation was that the 2010 Games will expose Vancouver to the world. The number of respondents giving this reason -- 43% -- was a quarter larger than the next most-popular response, said the company.

"Vancouver's residents are savvy enough to realize that the biggest impact will be in how the city is portrayed to the rest of the world by the media," says Hartrick. "It is important that, along with VANOC, all of our communities get prepared to host all visitors -- athletes, spectators, business and media -- and reflect the great city that Vancouver is."

Other benefits cited in the survey, according to Hartrick, were a higher level of tourism, better transportation and the construction of new sporting facilities. Of the 9% of residents who said the 2010 Games will worsen Vancouver's reputation, the largest reason give was that the event will prove too costly in financial terms.

The research, carried out by Justason Market Intelligence, surveyed 509 Lower Mainland residents and is accurate to +/- 4.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Justason works from the same address as Reputations Corp.

RESOURCES

Reputations Corporation contact info:
www.reputations.com/about/contact.shtml

Wayne Hartrick's photo and bio:
www.reputations.com/corporate/management.shtml

Justason Market Intelligence contact info:
www.justasonmi.com/contact.shtml

Justason Market Intelligence bio:
http://www.justasonmi.com/talent.shtml

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 9, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1545
ZUKER AND HIS TEAM REPLACE HELLER AND HIS TEAM AT THE TOP OF VANOC SPONSOR HBC

Two weeks after Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) was sold to an American firm, company president George Heller has been moved out of the chain of command to become a single director of the company. The new owner, Jerry Zucker, has appointed himself Governor and CEO of the firm.

The move comes a day after HBC posted a C$170 million operating loss for the 2005 fiscal year ending January 31, compared with a C$60 million profit the year before.

Heller's friendship with the CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), John Furlong, was one of the underpinnings of a decision just over a year ago for HBC to become a major sponsor of the 2010 Winter Games, in a package of marketing rights and retailing expertise that VANOC valued at C$100 million. The contracts that defined the arrangement between HBC and VANOC, which were largely informal for most of last year, were signed February 24, only four days before HBC was bought by Zucker. VANOC had said in January that it was confident the new owner of HBC would continue with the company's sponsorship commitments.

Zucker promoted HBC's executive vice-president and chief financial officer, Michael Rousseau, to president. Among the senior executives shed by the shake-up today are Chief Operating Officer Marc Chouinard, and two executive vice-presidents, Thomas Haig and Peter Kenyon.

Zucker, in a prepared statement, said, "The changes we are making today will result in a more streamlined, flexible, and responsive organizational structure. Decision making will be team based, but yet decentralized, which will result in more timely and efficient outcomes."

Zucker also announced a new Board of Directors, many of them from the company that bought HBC, Maple Leaf Heritage Investments Acquisition Corporation, which is indirectly owned by Zucker. They include Zucker, Peter Bourgeois, Paul Campoli, Robert Johnston, Michael Lowry, Brice Sweatt and Julian Tiedemann. Also on the new Board are Rousseau, Heller and James Ingram. Bourgeois, Campoli and Lowry will be on the audit committee of the Board. Heller's official title is "Senior Director" but it does not appear to give him more authority than that of any other director.

Furlong and Heller first worked toghether in a similar way in the 1990s when they both worked on the Victoria Commonwealth Games. However, it wasn't that relationship which was the prime motivation for the VANOC/HBC deal. VANOC said last year that an "evaluation committee" of VANOC and the Canadian Olympic Committee chose HBC for the clothing contract after reviewing submissions from 12 companies that responded to a request for proposals to supply Team Canada clothing and luggage that was issued in December, 2004, and that "merchandise experts" were consulted in the process. However, because of the terms of the RFP it was highly unlikely that 12 companies of HBC's size were in the running.

HBC's market position at the end of trading today:

(NYSE:HBC)
US$85.58 +0.01 (0.01%)
Open: US$85.85
High: US$85.94
Low: US$85.50
Volume: 264,900
Avg Vol: 376,000
Mkt Cap: US$191.21B

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 9, 2006

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1544
WALL FINANCIAL FIRST TO ASK FOR REZONING FOR LAND ADJACENT TO 2010'S VANCOUVER ATHLETE VILLAGE

The City of Vancouver has received its first rezoning application from a private landowner for a property that will be inside the security zone of the city's 2010 Athlete Village in the southeast False Creek area of the city.

The application is from Gomberoff Bell Lyon Architects on behalf of Wall Financial to rezone the site, with the current addresses that range from 102 to 160 West 1st Avenue, from M-2 to CD-1, shorthand for the Comprehensive Development District. The property is well inside the Southeast False Creek Official Development Plan area. Most of the land in the area, a former industrial zone, is owned by the City, but there are about half a dozen private landowners in the area.

Wall Financial, a B.C.-owned and -operated public company (TSX:WFC) with about 40 years of experience building skyscrapers as well as single and multi-family housing developments throughout the Lower Mainland, is one of the three companies that has given the City a proposal to develop the buildings of the 2010 Village, but it is working with another architectural firm, Hotson Bakker Boniface Hadden, on that project. The City is expected to make a decision later this month on which of the three proposals to endorse, so design work on the Village itself can get started.

John Madden, the SEFC Project Planner from the City's major developments group involved in central area planning, says that before the West 1st Avenue rezoning is considered by council, the city will hold an open house late in the day at the property on March 13 to see what the public thinks of the proposal. The site, and the open house, is at the Playhouse Theatre Company Office and Production Centre, from 4pm to 7pm.

The company wants the City to authorize a mixed-use commercial and residential development which includes:

Four residential mid-rise buildings with 351 housing units, including 12 townhouse units, covering about 35,363 square metres (about 380,600 square feet) of floor space;

Provision for about 4,088 m2 (44,000 sq.ft) of floor space for the Playhouse Theatre Company, including a 260-seat theatre, as well as rehearsal space, production centre and offices;

A mix of commercial and retail space covering about 560 m2 (about 6,000 sq ft.); and

About 430 m2 (4,600 sq.ft) of "amenity space".

To reflect the sustainability concept of the Village and the southeast False Creek area, the project is also proposing a number of measures, such as "green" roofs, on-site storm-water management and water-efficient landscaping as well as a focus on ensuring the buildings use a low amount of energy through the design of the building. All of those features are expected to be built into the proposals for the buildings of the Athlete Village that will be across West 1st from the proposed complex.

RESOURCES

Here is a satellite and map view -- the image is from about two years ago -- of the approximate location of the Wall Financial proposal for the new complex. The swath of land on the north side of the view is where the Athlete Village is to be built; it's currently being cleared -- the main work at the moment is occurring around the small inlet to the north of the proposal, marked "B" on the view. (You can use the slider on the upper left corner of the map to zoom in and out):
tinyurl.com/kw52d

Gomberoff Bell Lyon Architects contact info:
www.gbl-arch.com/connect/connect.php

Other Wall Financial buildings:
www.emporis.com/en/cd/cm/?id=103699

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1543
WASHINGTON STATE BUSINESS EXECUTIVE URGES STATE GOVERNMENT TO WORK ON 2010 FILE

The president of the Association of Washington Business has urged his state's officials to work on several projects that would help American firms profit from the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Don Brunnell says, "The governor and our Congressional delegation need to continue their efforts to expedite cross-border travel" despite security threats to the United States. As he puts it, "Contractors and suppliers need to be able to get back and forth across the border without waiting hours in line each time. And during the Olympics, visitors from the western U.S. traveling by car must be able to cross the border in a safe and timely manner."

In fact, Brunnell says, his state "ought to spend some time studying ways to make it easier for the traveling public. Little things will make a difference. For example, a nice rest area with clean bathroom facilities at Blaine is needed. To drive home that point, a family recently told me a harrowing story about having to beg a Canadian border guard to let them take their three pre-school aged children back into Canada to use the guard’s bathroom." The Blaine/Peace Arch border crossing is on the main route between Vancouver and Seattle.

Brunnell also says that "state officials can also help Washington businesses identify the opportunities available in Vancouver and match them up with Canadian partners [and the] state must recognize what improvement we must make to entice people heading to the Games to stop in our state.

The Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) is holding a series of meetings around the state beginning March 21 so that Washington business owners can meet face-to-face with US trade officials and the Governor’s 2010 Olympics Task Force to talk about 2010 Olympic opportunities. Brunnell says that, "While CTED is working on a list of Canadian firms working on Olympic projects, more needs to be done to provide specific and timely information to interested business owners here in our state. The opportunities for Washington businesses to be part of the 2010 Olympics are out there, but the clock is ticking. The time to get started is now."

RESOURCES

Association of Washington Businesses:
www.awb.org

Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development contact page:
qa.cted.wa.gov/portal/alias__CTED/lang__en/tabID__38/DesktopDefault.aspx

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1542

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

VANOC'S PARALYMPIC EMBLEM TO BE SEEN IN JUNE

Dena Coward, VANOC's Director of Paralympic Games, says from Torino, Italy, today that the new Paralympic Games logo, which was approved by the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board today, will be made public during a ceremony in June. By contrast, the International Olympic Committee, which approved the 2010 Olympic logo a year ago, saw it only shortly before it was unveiled during an hour-long ceremony in downtown Vancouver that was broadcast across Canada.

SIDE TRIPS FOR 2010 TOURISTS TO BE PLANNED

The minister in charge of BC's portion of the 2010 Winter Games says planning for tourism to extend the impact of the 2010 Games continues. "We’re going to be encouraging tourists who will come to British Columbia for the Games to do side trips into other parts of the province,” Colin Hansen said.

PARALYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM CAPTAIN BENCHED BY AIRPLANE

Travelling to or from Torino is just not that lucky for the disabled, as the 2006 Winter Paralympics are about to get started on Friday. First it was an airline losing the sophisticated wheelchair that Vancouver mayor and quadraplegic Sam Sullivan used to wave the Olympic flag as it was transferred to Vancouver for the 2010 Games, now it's the hockey sledge that belongs to the team captain of the defending Paralympic hockey champions, the United States. Joe Howard left for Torino from Boston last weekend, flying through Frankfurt, Germany. Somewhere en route, his hockey bag with the "Team USA" label on it and his specially designed sledge in it, didn't arrive where and when planned. Sledge hockey is a sitting version of a regular hockey game. Players use sleds -- skate blades bolted to a seat with an extension to support their feet. Players propel themselves over the ice with two sticks edged with teeth at one end and shaped into a blade at the other in order to play the puck. Howard lost both his legs in a train accident when he was 15. His team is in Torino practicing; he's watching from the side in his wheelchair -- which did make it to the city.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1541
VANOC RETAILING SPONSOR HBC LOST C$170 MILLION LAST YEAR

The major retailing sponsor of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) reports that the sponsor lost C$170 million during its 2005 fiscal year that ended January 31, on sales of nearly C$7 billion. Overall, revenues were only off 1.6% from the previous year, but the lost compares with a profit of C$60 million the year before.

The company says that Olympic program costs contributed, although in only a small way, to the loss, as well as to revenues. During the year, HBC paid for the design of the Canadian Olympic Team clothing and luggage, and heavily promoted retail versions of the designs to its customers through extensive and expensive TV advertising that started in November. The campaign is expected to continue at least through this month to capture publicity generated by the 2006 Paralympics. HBC also spent an unidentified amount of money to establish Olympic boutique areas in all of its fashion stores that focused on general and 2010 Olympic branded items, as well as sourced various items from various countries and stocked the locations. "The Bay’s inventory was higher than last year due mainly to increases in Olympic and major home fashion inventory," said the management commentary approved by the audit committee of the company's Board.

Even when non-comparable items are taken out of the comparison, the 336-year-old company, which was sold February 28 to Maple Leaf Heritage Investments Acquisition Corporation, an American firm, lost C$10 million in 2005. The non-comparable items were a hefty goodwill write-off of C$138 million for its Zellers chain and C$29 million in restructuring costs.

The Company operates about 500 stores in Canada, consisting mainly of the Bay and Zellers brand stores, Home Outfitters, a kitchen, bed and bath superstore chain of 56 stores and Designer Depot, a new off-price, designer-brand chain of seven stores. The Company also operates Fields, a chain of 118 small general-merchandise stores located in Western Canada. Sales were down in The Bay and Zellers stores, but up slightly in the others. In the fourth quarter of 2005 -- the holiday high-retail season in Canada -- HBC says it cut almost 800 jobs, a decision which it expects to free up about C$40 million in 2006.

This year, the company expects to move two stores, close seven, expand five and renovate 19.

Just over a year ago, on March 2, 2005, HBC confirmed it had reached an understanding on an eight-year partnership agreement with VANOC. In excchange for exclusive rights connected with the sponsorship of Canadian athletes at the next four Olympic games, the company committed to spend about C$100 million in value to VANOC on a combination of cash, marketing support, value-in-kind support or "budget relief," and pay royalties on the sale of Olympic-branded merchandise. The company said today that it didn't actually sign the agreements with VANOC until just last month, on February 24 -- only four days before the company was sold to Maple Leaf -- and even at that point, the contracts were subject to the approval of the International Olympic Committee.

Under the deals, HBC is the exclusive department store and general merchandise retailer for VANOC in Canada until December 31, 2012, as well as the official clothing supplier to the estimated 28,000 volunteers vANOC expects to require to run the 2010 Games. It has also committed to support Canada's winter and summer athletes through fundraising efforts beyond the guaranteed commitment, and it is to provide merchandise, marketing and service concepts as a national sponsor of VANOC in the hosting of the 2010 Games.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1540

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

IPC OKS VANOC PARALYMPIC LOGO

The International Paralympic Committee's Governing Board met in closed-door session in Torino, Italy, today to approve, among other things, the official logo that will be used by the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games. The logo was developed by Karacters Design Group, a Vancouver-based graphic design company hired by VANOC last September through a Request for Proposals process. The Olympic logo design was the subject of considerable controversy when VANOC announced it would be chosen through a contest, a process that many graphic design firms in a number of industrialized countries, including Canada, said was unethical. The Governing Board, headed by Philip Craven, the IPC's president, also heard a presentation by VANOC on the status of its preparations for the 2010 Paralympic Games; that, too, was an open discussion. Karacters Design Group also developed the Vancouver 2010 image and brand-identity system that VANOC began using February 1 on its website, and which is to eventually include letterhead, envelopes, business cards, colours, typefaces, posters, banners and the like.

VANCOUVER COUNCIL CONFIRMS OLYMPIC VILLAGE DECISION

The final debate by the two main factions on Vancouver City Council on whether to reduce from 33% to 20% the social-housing component of the buildings of the 2010 Olympic Village that will become apartments after the Games are finished was completed following another marathon, six-hour public hearing that was required when Council voted to make the change to the area's Official Development Plan last month. The effect of the decision is to reduce the financial burden of the site's development on the city's Property Endowment Fund, and to allow city staff to complete a Request for Proposal process that was underway with three developers when the vote, which changes the economics of the developers' proposals to construct the buildings. The complex is to be turned over to VANOC in November, 2009, so it can fit the buildings out for their use by athletes, coaches and other Olympic officials. The vote to proceed was along party lines on Council.

SNOWMOBILE, ICE FISHING -- AND MAYBE HEAT

From our Quote Without Comment Department: "So I guess the world now thinks our only form of transportation is the snowmobile. We still trap animals for clothes. We don't have any grocery stores so we have to cut through ice. And then in the background, I guess they were supposed to be whale noises. It sounded like two Canadian curlers in heat." -- Veteran Vancouver sportscaster Neil McRae about VANOC's 2010 eight-minute presentation at the Torino Olympic Closing Ceremony.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1539

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

CHARMAIN CROOKS HONOURED AT SWISS CEREMONY

The International Olympic Committee today awarded its 2006 Continental “Women and Sport” Trophy to VANOC director Charmaine Crooks, who represents the Canadian Olympic Committee on the organization's Board. Crooks, winner of the trophy for North America, represented Canada for about 20 years as an athlete. After five Olympic Games and a silver medal won in Los Angeles in 1984, she was elected in 1996 as a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and then served as an IOC member until 2004. Besides being on VANOC's Board, she is also a member of the IOC Press Commission, the World Olympians Association and the Canadian Olympic Committee. She and a handful of others that represent other areas of the world were selected by the IOC Women and Sport Commission, chaired by IOC member Anita DeFrantz, from dozens of candidates submitted by national Olympic committees around the world and by international federations of Olympic sports. The official ceremony was held today at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

THREE GREATER VANCOUVER TOWNS MULL 2010 LINKS

The Legacy Task Force of Port Coquitlam, a Greater Vancouver municipality, is discussing a draft report from a consultant on ways the city can organize itself in connection with the 2010 Games. The final report and its recommendations is expected to come before city council this spring. Meanwhile, an adjacent community, Port Moody, says its Games Legacy Task Force, which met last week, is hoping to attract athletes from Korea to train at the city’s new Olympic-sized ice rink. A third municipality, Coquitlam, is thinking that its main work to support the Games will be cultural, with a focus on the French heritage of Maillardville, are area of the municipality that is the largest French-speaking community in western Canada. Coquitlam is also thinking about a retail and recreation campaign to market furniture stores along a large-store section of the municipality centred on United Boulevard to help decorate Olympic Village suites, and that it is also still hoping to upgrade sports facilities and promoting possible Paralympic connections.

ITALIAN PARALYMPIC TORCH RELAY ARRIVES IN TORINO

The process, strategy -- and celebrities -- involved in the Torch Relay for the Italian Paralympic Games is much the same as that for the Olympic Games. The length of time the sponsored event is quite a bit shorter, but there are plenty of people paying attention, which is the point of the marketing exercise. The Relay arrived today at Torino after a tour of northern Italy. The trail will end on Friday with the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. During its three days in Torino, 126 torchbearers will be carrying it including 40 people with disabilities. Twenty people carried it so today, there will be 42 tomorrow and 64 on Friday. The first Torchbearer today was Torino’s mayor, Sergio Chiamparino, who started from Torino's Town Hall. He handed to the Torch over to Cesare Vaciago, CEO of TOROC and of the City of Torino. The last runner today was the President of the Piedmont Region, the mountainous area where the Games are held, Mrs. Mercedes Bresso. TOROC President Valentino Castellani will be the last Torchbearer on Friday, and will end his relay at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1538

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

KODAK, SUN OUTLINE HOW TORINO MEDICAL SYSTEMS WORKED

Kodak, an international sponsor of the IOC, and Sun Microsystems, a Kodak contractor, today talked a little about how they worked together on a technical level to capture, retrieve and store images of injured athletes that were taken to Kodak's Olympic Polyclinic at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. State-of-the-art digital imaging and information systems from Kodak, called "PACS System V" was supported by a system from Sun called "Information Lifecycle Management." These were combined to circulate images of the injured athletes and information about their medical and dental status among the medical specialists of the Italian Games's three Olympic Polyclinics within seconds. Doing so allows specialists to take part in the medical treatment of athletes even though the physicians may be scattered around the Torino sites. Sun also set up storage equipment at a telecommunications centre in Milano, about 100 kilometres away, where Kodak had a remote-storage service to hospitals and dentists linked with its VIPArchive software. Kodak hasn't yet decided whether to expand its IOC sponsorship to the 2010 Winter Games. Detailed medical planning by VANOC for the 2010 Winter Games is expected to take place this year.

LENOVO TO DONATE SOME COMPUTERS TO ATHLETE CHARITY

Lenovo, the China-owned company that bought IBM's personal computer division a while back, is donating 20 of the ThinkPad notebook computers it provided for use at the 2006 Torino Olympics as part of its sponsorship obligations to "Right To Play," the athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as tools for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Lenovo, which now calls itself "the preferred provider of personal computing equipment for Right to Play," says the computers will be used for the charity's operations in Dubai, Uganda and Bangkok. Like Kodak, Lenovo has not yet decided whether to expand its IOC international sponsorship to the 2010 Winter Games, either. Right to Play is the same charity to which Olympic athletes in at least Canada, the US and China all contributed thousands of dollars last month following the Torino Games.

ATOS ORIGIN: "CONSTANT SECURITY ATTACKS" AT TORINO

From our Quotes without Comment Department: "In February 2006, Atos Origin managed the IT systems for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. As in Athens 2004, our systems performed perfectly to specification in the face of unscheduled disruptions and constant security attacks that international events of this kind attract. Many of our clients visited the Games and saw for themselves the rigorous procedures and processes that we brought to bear to achieve that success. It is an event where performance has to be at the highest level, and on time to the second. There are no second chances at the Olympics." -- Bernard Bourigeaud, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Atos Origin, the international computer networking sponsor of the IOC and, through it, of the 2010 winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, in his company's annual report released today.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 8, 2006

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1537

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC REGISTERS FIVE NEW TRADEMARKS

VANOC has added five more trademarks to its stable of marks, slogans and logos. "Born for the Games", "Olympic Torch Relay" and "Ambassadeur des Jeux de Vancouver 2010" (Ambassador of the 2010 Games) are slogans that are being advertised in this month's edition of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's gazette. "The Inukshuk Games" is also being registered by VANOC's legal firm that does such work, Borden Ladner Gervais of Vancouver. And, VANOC has also registered, as a single design, two previously prepared marks connected with its portion of the "Own The Podium-2010" program. One part is an existing logo -- three maple leaves that are designed so there's a larger central gold one that overlaps two smaller silver and bronze leaves on either side. It's been combined with the phrase "Own The Podium" and the French equivalent, "À Nous le Podium" and the number "2010", all the text in VANOC's new corporate font.

VISA OFFERS MARKET RESEARCH INFO AS IT DISCUSSES TORINO PERFORMANCE

Visa International, which is an international sponsor of the IOC and, through Visa Canada will be the only credit-card company working with the 2010 Winter Games, says that its operations went well during the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, particularly its point-of-sale (POS) transaction volume at the Games venues, including ticket sales and purchases made at the Olympic Superstore. Visa says volume totalled C$10.7 million for the duration of the Games, with an average purchase transaction of C$123, which, the company says, was 40% higher than that of the previous Winter Games in Salt Lake City. International visitors to the Games accounted for 68% of purchases. The average value of transactions at Visa-installed ATMs was up by 35% compared to Athens and 95% compared to Salt Lake City to C$239. In total, 7,000 merchants and the mountain venues used 2.1 million pieces of Visa-branded POS and display signage created specifically for the Games. For the first time, Visa allowed merchants in Torino and the mountain venues to choose store signage and promotional materials from a range of designs reflecting Torino and the Games. Merchant participation, as a result, says the company, helped drive cardholder traffic and increased goodwill for the credit card during the Games. The firm had 25 terminals installed at the Olympic Superstore and their transaction volume for the 17 days was C$3,793,816. Non-Italian cardholders made 68% of the transactions at on-venue merchants and the Olympic Superstore, with Italian cardholders accounting for the remaining 32%. In Torino, Visa was involved in a multi-year global alliance with Turismo Torino to promote the region as a key travel destination, creating programs to benefit the city's travel industry the 7,000 merchant. Visa is involved in a similar program with Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Whistler. Visa said that about 1,200 Visa member banks in 46 countries took part in cardholder promotions, an increase in member activation of 230% compared with Salt Lake City. Visa's sponsorship also included a range of programs, such as the Visa Championships-Torino 2006 online arcade game, The Visa Olympics of the Imagination art contests and the Visa Olympians Reunion Centre. A total of 45,000 Visa and Sanpaolo bank-branded prepaid cards were issued to the volunteers for both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as well as those involved with Visa and two other IOC sponsors, Coca-Cola and McDonalds, for their use in hospitality and business venues. Also, for the first time at an Olympic Games, Visa opened a Merchant Showroom to showcase Visa's POS promotion materials for the duration of the Games; about 600 merchants in Torino attended.

AUSTRALIA TO INVEST C$51.5 MILLION TO DEVELOP WINTER ATHLETES FOR 2010 AND BEYOND

Australlia says it hopes to invest about C$51.5 million in a bid to become a Winter Olympics nation by the time the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are held. The country plans to build a state-of-the-art training centre in its southern city of Melbourne. Australia won two medals at last month's Winter Games in Torino: gold in the freestyle moguls and a bronze in the women's aerial skiing. The Melbourne facility will focus on a range of sports, but particularly speed skating, ice hockey and curling. Short-track speed skating and figure skating will also be included at next year's Olympic Youth Festival in Sydney, Australia.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1536

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

VANOC LOOKING FOR CORPORATE IMAGE-PACKAGE PRINTERS

VANOC, as it gets ready to move to its new headquarters building in east Vancouver around the beginning of April, is putting out to tender its need for new letterhead, envelopes and business cards, but the arrangement it's proposing should see the successful print shop do all of VANOC's necessary work on this until VANOC dissipates in the late spring of 2010. VANOC says it will give printers until March 24 to send in their proposals to its current headquarters in downtown Vancouver. The new corporate image package, which will include the pastel blue-and-green colour scheme VANOC has been using since February 1, is being offered for the estimated 1,600 staff VANOC is expected to have hired by 2009. It currently has about 150 employees. VANOC says its sustainability and environmental guidelines will be quite important when it comes to judge the proposals. A proponent's "demonstrated commitment to sustainability, including environmental and social responsibility, through sustainability policies and practices, means of implementation, and methods of audit and compliance" is one of the main criteria.

COMOX VALLEY BUSINESS TO CONSIDER TORINO EXPERIENCES

The Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, on the eastern middle of Vancouver Island, will hold a meeting Thursday with area delegates who were at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. The delegates are to discuss the business and government opportunities they feel may exist for the Comox Valley in the period leading up to 2010, and the chances of enticing national Olympic Committee teams to train in the area. Comox Valley delegates included Comox Valley Economic Development Society representative John Watson; Courtenay mayor Starr Winchester; Chamber of Commerce president Don Sharpe, Comox Valley Tourism representative Lara Greasley and Susan Kelsey, Chairman of the Spirit of BC Committee, which is connected to 2010 LegaciesNow.

2010 SPONSORS BCE, ALIANT CONTINUE TO CONSOLIDATE

BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE) and its separate operating company Aliant Inc. (TSX: AIT), both sponsors of the 2010 Winter Games through Bell Canada, are continuing to consolidate. Bell Canada's wireline operations in its regional territories in Ontario and Quebec, which BCE said last month would be converted into an income trust, is to be combined with Aliant's wireline operations and Bell's 63.4% interest in the Bell Nordiq Income Fund (TSX: BNQ.UN) through a series of behind-the-scenes transactions. The upshot: a new consolidated income trust. The trust, which will have 3.4 million local access lines and more than 400,000 high-speed Internet subscribers in six provinces, will be headquartered in Atlantic Canada but controlled by BCE. Bell says it will also acquire Aliant Mobility and Aliant's DownEast Communications retail outlets as part of the transaction. Bell was VANOC's first corporate sponsor, with a deal worth C$200 million to VANOC, in exchange for exclusive Olympic marketing rights until December 31, 2012. The company's Aliant division, because of the way it was corporately structured, was added last month to VANOC's list of second-tier sponsors, with funding as part of Bell's sponsorship. The only other second-tier sponsor VANOC has so far confirmed is the BC Lottery Corporation.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1535

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

TOROC TECHNOLOGY READIES FOR 2006 PARALYMPICS

Since the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games ended February 26th, the TOROC technology department has been getting ready for the start of the Paralympic Games. Like Vancouver's schedule, the Paralympics in both Italy and 2010 are held separately, about two weeks after the end of the Olympics. The technology group, which includes Atos Origin, the networking giant that sponsors the IOC, has decommissioned and rebuilt 1,200 personal computers, re-installed 180 servers and Unix computers, refurbished and moved 650 printers and deployed 250 intra-net (as opposed to Internet) terminals across the four Paralympic Winter Games competition venues in Italy. They've also doe the same sort of thing with seven non-competition venues that include the Paralympic Villages, Media Centre, Accreditation Centre, airport and the like. Deploying these systems is a complex, large-scale operation that is managed from what Atos calls its "PC Factory" in its information-technology warehouse. That's a 6,000 square-metre (64,600 square-foot) facility where all the information-technology hardware, such as servers and workstations, are received, stored, configured, allocated a barcode for identification, and quality checked before being sent to the venues. All of the Paralympic Games in 2010 will take place in Whistler. Atos is responsible for the Information Diffusion System, which relays results and athlete information to the media and athletes during the Paralympic Games. It is based on the system used in the Olympic Games, but it's modified to meet Paralympic requirements, and the Games Management System. It provides accreditation and deals with transportation, arrivals and departures, medical encounters reports, sports qualifications, workforce staffing and scheduling and protocol information. This is the same system used in the Olympic Games. Atos links Lenovo, which is providing the desktop and laptop computers, and Swatch, which provides the timing equipment.

PETRO-CANADA TO FUND HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT

Petro-Canada is expected to say tomorrow morning in Vancouver how it intends to support the cost of high-performance equipment for Canadian athletes through the Paralympic Equipment Fund. BC-based funding recipients SportAbility and the Disabled Skiers Association of BC, as well as representatives of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, are expected to be on hand when it does so. Petro-Canada is the fuels sponsor of VANOC.

"BATTLE FOR CONTINENTAL SUPREMACY"COMING TO 2010

From our Quote Without Comment Department: "For most Oregonians and Washingtonians, [the 2010 Games in Vancouver] will be the most accessible Winter Games since the 1960 Games in California's Squaw Valley and the 2002 event at Salt Lake City. And this time, thanks to Canada's newfound athletics chauvinism, it'll be a battle for continental supremacy on the snow and ice. Mark your calendars, Portland, for Feb. 12-28, 2010." -- Concluding paragraph of a much longer article in the Portland Oregonian newspaper.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |IOC| #1534
WINTER OLYMPIANS JOIN COC ATHLETE-ADVISORY BODY

Four winter Canadian Olympians who took part in the 2006 Winter Games, have been elected to four year terms on the 13-member Athletic Council of The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)

Cassie Campbell (ice hockey, Brampton, Ontario), Deidra Dionne (freestyle skiing, Red Deer, Alberta), Jeff Pain (skeleton, Calgary, Alberta) and Alexa Loo (snowboard, Richmond, B.C.) were elected, while 2006 Olympian Beckie Scott (cross-country skiing, Vermilion, Alberta) was automatically appointed to an eight-year term on the Athlete Council after being elected to the IOC Athlete's Commission on February 23.

Voting for the four elected positions took place from January 31 to February 26 via an online ballot. All 196 athletes from the 2006 Canadian Olympic Team were eligible to vote. The results of the vote for each athlete, and the total votes, were not released by the COC.

The five members will begin serving their terms at the Council's first meeting on April 27. The Athlete Council reviews and provides recommendations to the COC on issues such as team selection, funding allocation and how to better support Canadian athletes to help them achieve podium success.

To be eligible, candidates must have competed at the 2006 or 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

BACKGROUND
The other members of the COC's Athlete Council include elected athletes Iain Brambell (rowing, Victoria, B.C.), David Ford (kayak, Edmonton, Alberta), Nicolas Gill (judo, Montreal, Quebec), Daniel Igali (wrestling, Surrey, B.C.), Sherraine Mackay (fencing, Brooks, Alberta), Anne Montminy (diving, Montreal, Quebec), appointed athlete representative Jaret Llewellyn (water ski, Innisfail, Alberta) and appointed Pan American Sport Organization Athlete Council member Charmaine Crooks (athletics, Vancouver, B.C.). Crooks is also a Board director of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC).

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1533
VANOC'S "FAIR, OPEN AND TRANSPARENT" PROCUREMENT POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES VAGUE, MUDDY, CONTRADICTORY -- AND PRIVATE

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has finally and somewhat reluctantly decided to make public the general overview portion of its official procurement policy, but it says it will not release two related policies and nine directly related procedures.

The reluctance to provide the overview document comes even though the Policy's first page, referring to an agreement with the various levels of governments and aboriginal organizations with which VANOC works, says, "The Multiparty agreement requires that VANOC's procurement policy be fair, open and transparent, and that it reflect normal standards of accountability for organizations operating in the public domain." The document's first page also says that, "During its bid to host the 2010 Games, Vancouver's story contained significant references to business best practices with relation to competitive procurement and transparency of operations."

The related procedures which VANOC vice-president of Communications Renee Smith-Valade finally says, after several requests, she is "not in a position to provide," are entitled "Procurement Principles", "Commitment Documents" and "General Procurement", while other procedures cover how to handle or otherwise deal with procurement planning, directed awards for aboriginal and "inner-city" suppliers, formal and informal invitations to quote as well as working with formal requests for proposals and expressions of interest. The related policies which won't apparently be officially released deal with how financial authority is delegated internally within VANOC, which is not expected to be particularly relevant to companies considering supplying goods or services to VANOC, and VANOC's ethics policy, which is widely available in various other forms, and which is often attached to specific contract offers.

Even getting the general document, entitled "VANOC Finance - Procurement Policy Revision 2.0" and dated June 18, 2005, took repeated requests by Morgan:News:2010, and came only after senior management eventually overruled VANOC's Communications Department's decision to withhold it, passed along by VANOC spokesman Ailie Somerville, who had said: "We have not been publicizing the VANOC Procurement Policy outside of VANOC. However, much of the procurement policy is actually captured and shared on our public web site in the form of objectives."

As we'll see later in this feature, the web site's version of VANOC's procurement objectives not only don't match the objectives required by staff to use in VANOC's internal policy, they're considerably different.

Surprisingly for an organization that has a steady influx of new senior staff and which has already spent millions of dollars of taxpayer funds on supplies and services, and intends to spend millions more, the overview policy, at only three pages, is almost as vague as the objectives on VANOC's website, but even by those equivocal standards, the organization hasn't been following the internal policy particularly well.

Smith-Valade, in making the Procurement Policy overview document available, said that a proposal is expected to be considered by the Finance Committee of VANOC's Board of Directors at a meeting in mid-March that would "look at ways" to make VANOC's procurement activities "more transparent". The Finance Committee usually meets the day before a full VANOC Board meeting so that any decisions that it makes can be reported to the Board.

THE PROCUREMENT POLICY

The current Procurement Policy, the responsibility of VANOC's Finance Department, is applicable to "all employees, volunteers, consultants, officers and directors of VANOC." It also applies to "any aquisition activity that may give rise to a financial committment by VANOC." These activities specifically include acquiring goods and services, developing venues, and setting up lease agreements, although it's not limited to those main functions. On the other hand, other policies cover employment contracts, venue grants, value-in-kind goods and services, travel and real estate services, so they aren't part of the Procurement Policy coverage. The financial commitments include contracts such as purchase orders, service contracts, change orders -- even verbal orders. The policy is careful to say, however, that "All financial commitments require appropriate documentation and approvals prior to commitment based on the proper spending authorization levels."

The general policy is that VANOC intends to obtain "best value for its expended funds by providing competitive, equitable and open opportunities for qualified suppliers desiring to do business with VANOC," however the document is forced to immediately qualify that because of previous agreements VANOC made for political reasons during the Bid Phase, and expanded since then, to specifically direct some of its procurement expenditures to hire aboriginal businesses, and to hire companies that are located in specific disadvantaged areas of east Vancouver. These areas are not defined in the Procurement Policy overview document, although Morgan:News:2010 understands them to include Vancouver's downtown eastside, downtown south and Mount Pleasant areas, and that the general idea is to "develop opportunities for existing and emerging local inner-city businesses and artisans to promote their goods and services, and to develop potential procurement opportunities for businesses that employ local residents."

Simply as an example: in February, 2005, VANOC chose Mills Basics of Vancouver as its general-office and stationery supplier after VANOC issued its first formal Invitation to Quote on paper supplies the previous September. Mills is located in Vancouver at the eastern edge of the downtown east-side, and VANOC staff later confirmed that the company's location was a factor in its selection. VANOC has not released either the value of the Mills quote, nor the names of other firms that offered quotes, nor what factors it officially took into consideration in making its selection. There was no mention, either, of a preference for east-side businesses in the ITQ, nor is it clear, even from the current Procurement Policy what value VANOC assigns to location when comparing quotes. Nor does the current Policy even define what constitutes doing business in east Vancouver, whether, for instance, a company has to have its headquarters there, its manufacturing facilities there, or whether a sales office or branch office -- or even a postal box -- will suffice. It's possible the procedures VANOC has chosen to withhold contains this information, but there's no confirmation that they do.

VANOC has also said at other times and places that it had decided to devote about 10% to 15% of its construction budget to directed awards to aboriginal businesses, and employed such contractors during its first construction year on the Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Nordic Centre -- also without releasing the amount of the awards nor the criteria it used to decide on what basis it considered a business was "aboriginal". For instance, the Procurement Policy does not discuss whether such qualification would require a business to be wholly owned by registered Indians, partially owned, or whether, for instance, simply hiring some specific portion of aboriginal employees on a VANOC job would qualify for directed or some other preferential treatment, or when a bid response is being assessed against corporate competitors. It's possible the procedures VANOC has chosen to withhold also contains this information, but there's no confirmation that they do. The firms used so far appear, after some investigation, to be wholly owned divisions of aboriginal band governments, or wholly owned by aboriginals, although such details have never been released by VANOC.

These social policies, part of the Multi-Party Agreement and amplified in later protocols with the City of Vancouver and specific aboriginal groups, are simply and generally described in the current Procurement Policy by the phrases "aboriginal participation" and "inner-city inclusivity."

And, although ostensibly VANOC's procurement policy guiding principle suggests it should equally consider bids from any company in the world to its public requests for proposals or invitations to quote, the organizations' systems as currently established favour local or national Canadian responses. For instance, the Policy says VANOC will "encourage participation by qualified local and Canada business" in the processes. VANOC has also set up processes where its contract offers are available in French and English, Canada's two official languages, and has signed a protocol with the Quebec government that includes distribution of its contract offers in Quebec, however, it does not seem to have yet made its offers available in any other language.

Although the current Policy makes repeated references to the fact that VANOC is to be open and transparent about its purchasing activities, it has steadfastly refused, despite numerous requests stretching back nearly two years, to release the value of the contracts it reaches with suppliers. It refuses to do so, citing "privacy" or "competitive" reasons for its decision, despite the fact that many of its contract offers are made via the BC government's publicly available BC Bid mechanism, and despite the fact that dozens of government and quasi-government organizations that use BC Bid normally provide the name of the winning supplier and the value to the penny of the awarded contract, a process that encourages industry competitors to constantly evaluate their own ability to bid. At an early stage of VANOC's existence, BC Bid's software even required an award to be posted with the value, and VANOC posted "$1" as its response to this requirement. When that was misunderstood by the public which thought that a company was essentially donating its goods or services, BC Bid adjusted its software so that a value was no longer required.

The Policy lists nine "Policy Objectives". One of these says that VANOC's procurement processes are to be undertaken "free from undue influence or pressure." The policy does not indicate what amount of pressure or influence is acceptable in this phrase, although it is often made legally clear in actual contracts offered that no influence or pressure is acceptable.

One of the objectives that could be quite useful for businesses developing responses for VANOC contract offers is that VANOC wants the response to, as much as possible, "Integrate VANOC environmental, social and economic sustainability principles, and leverage opportunities that contribute to enriching aboriginal participation, inner-city inclusivity, to athlete and sport development and to lasting sport legacies for Canadians."

And, a number of contracts that VANOC has publicly offered have focused on various components of that policy in detailed, certainly specific and often in legally worded form.

The policy also requires "Functional Managers" -- VANOC often describes its various departments as "Functions" -- to identify and plan requirements "well in advance of the required delivery dates to allow sufficient time to conduct effective strategic sourcing and thereby ensure that procurement actions will provide the best value to VANOC." However, there have been several instances where VANOC has given companies no more than ten days to a couple of weeks to respond to sometimes=complex public contract offers, and has, in an even larger number of cases, extended the deadline for responses to contract offers, and sometimes the extensions have occurred more than once.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OBJECTIVES vs PRIVATE OBJECTIVES

VANOC, until now, has directed businesses interested in procurement to a set of objectives on its website. Interestingly, the website's Objectives and the formal Prodcurement Objectives in the policy currently used internally by VANOC are different.

For example, a website objective says, "Prospective suppliers and contractors will be treated fairly throughout the tendering or procurement cycle." Another says, "VANOC will meet all applicable legal and regulatory requirements governing the procurement process." A third says, "VANOC will ensure that products and services delivered through the supply chain are manufactured and distributed ethically and with regard for international standards on human and labour rights." However, there are no such admonitions to staff in the internal Policy.

While a set of objectives are helpful for businesses to understand the general direction in which VANOC is going on various matters, the implementation of those objectives has been puzzling for businesses hoping to do business with the 2010 organization in a number circumstances. The actual purchasing policy, or at least its terminalogy, is used by staff to clarify what the objectives actually mean, but even that leaves considerable room for what VANOC calls "flexibility."

For example, the website says "Competitive and open process [sic] will be used where commercially reasonable. Public tenders will be employed for larger acquisitions." That procurement objective is not in the internal policy either, but even so, the vague phrase "commercially reasonable" is nowhere defined in any of the procurement materials made available so far, and the objectives do not specify at what point VANOC pursues supplier sponsorships for specific classes of commodities or services it needs, but below that it goes to other methods. Nor is there any indication of the value benchmark VANOC uses to publicize Requests for Proposals using the BC government's BC Bid process, or when it might decide to use other, less formal processes.

VANOC has gone to BC Bid for significant construction contracts worth more than C$1 million, for provision of a couple of construction ambulances worth perhaps $20,000 (VANOC hasn't published the ultimate amount it paid for the vehicles), and for providing a single sign atop its Whistler office, worth, perhaps, a few hundred dollars. On the other hand, VANOC has not gone to any public process for provision of, say, 20,000 "Thunderstick" noisemakers for use in Torino and other public events, for the supply of various large physical components of its Torino Closing ceremonies, nor for provision of, as a random example, printing and distribution services for VANOC's die-cut holiday-season cards.

BACKGROUND

VANOC'S PROCUREMENT POLICY:

The organization will, as a matter of policy:

Efficiently and effectively solicit and acquire goods and services to support the business of planning, preparing and staging the Games;

Encourage participation by qualified local and Canadian business;

Conduct its procurement activities in a professional, open, transparent and competitive manner;

Advance its sustainability, aboriginal participation and inner-city inclusivity objectives through procurement; and

Maximize the use of VIK [value-in-kind] resources and honour corporate sponsorship agreements.

--

VANOC'S PROCUREMENT POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Maximize the value and quality of goods and services received for the money spent through open and competitive processes, which are free from undue influence or pressure.

Ensure all goods and service; procured are suitable for the identified requirement and consistent with budget considerations and policies.

Employ ethical procurement practises and standards for all business conducted on behalf of VANOC and scrupulously avoid conflict of interest.

Integrate VANOC environmental, social, and economic sustainability principles and leverage opportunities that contribute to enriching aboriginal participation, inner city inclusivity, to athlete and sport development and to lasting sport legacies for Canadians.

Ensure that the cost of the procurement process, to both vendors and VANOC, is appropriate in relation to the value and complexity of each purchase.

Minimize risk through an appropriate assessment of procurement activities.

Ensure goods and services are delivered in a timely manner.

Purchase smartly by considering alternative sources of supply, consolidation of requirements and through advance planning of procurement tivities.

Minimize cash outlay through sponsor activity wherever possible.

--

VANOC'S SUPPLIER-EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Here are five main predetermined evalutation criteria VANOC lists in its Procurement Policy that its staff are to use when considering a potential supplier's bid, although each offer also often has additional criteria, particularly when VANOC is evaluating services, which are usually spelled out in the offer:

Supplier's ability to perform to stipulated specifications and/or deliveries.

Supplier's experience supplying goods and services of a similar size and nature.

Total net costs [to VANOC].

Risk [to VANOC] assessment.

Sustainability, aboriginal participation and inner-city inclusivity objectives.

VANOC's policy says risk-management assessment, which is one of the organizations' functional areas, involves "setting appropriate risk guidelines related to procurement activities, and [the section] will review facts and circumstances associated with procurement requirements that are judged as high risk or unusual, and will advise [the VANOC manager who needs the materials or services], accordingly. Risk Management will advise as to the nature and extent of insurance to be maintained by VANOC and to be required of VANOC's third-party service providers." The insurance aspect is usually spelled out in considerable detail in specific contract offers for companies that are providing construction services, for instance, but risk management concepts have also turned up as requests for specific response times to VANOC staff and personnel coverage for, say, travel or rental-car services.

RESOURCES

VANOC's current Procurment Policy:
www.morgan-news.com/2010/SupportFiles/2006-03/VANOCProcure.pdf

VANOC's web-based Procurement Objectives:
www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/BusinessOpportunities/ProcurementInformation/Objectives

VANOC's current public procurement opportunities:
www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/BusinessOpportunities/ProcurementInformation/ProcurementOpportunities

VANOC's web page where it lists companies that have been awarded contracts:
www.vancouver2010.com/en/OrganizingCommittee/BusinessOpportunities/ProcurementInformation/BidResults

VANOC's "Inner-City Inclusive Commitment Statement" (PDF document):
www.vancouver2010.com/resources/PDFs/CommitmentStatement_EN.pdf

VANOC's "MultiParty Agreement" in PDF format (about 300k)
olympics.els2.levelcms.com/resources/PDFs/MPA_EN.pdf

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1532
QUANTUM REMEDIATION CONSIDERED FOR C$4.7 MILLION VANCOUVER OLYMPIC VILLAGE CONTRACT AS DEBATE RENWED OVER HOUSING RATIOS

The City of Vancouver department overseeing development of the 2010 Olympic Village is recommending city council approve a C$4.7 million excavation and remediation contract to deal with thousands of tons of polluted land where the Village is to be built.

Olympic Village Project Engineer Robin Petri says Quantum Remediation's bid of C$4,671,968 for the work is about C$587,133 under the C$5.3 estimate of Stantec Engineering, which is doing the design work for the public infrastructure of the Village and its surrounding area. Petri's report to this afternoon's council meeting says the bid from the 14-year-old Burnaby-based company, which has offices in every province from BC to Ontario, was the lowest received. Hazco Environmental Services of Richmond, BC, had bid C$4,999,266 and Tyam Construction of Langley, a city east of Vancouver, had bid C$5,623,300.

The contract involves removing 60,200 tonnes of polluted and hazardous soil from the site in the area that is destined to become the core of the Village, and then backfilling it with clean sand and gravel and healthier dirt. It will also involved in dealing with about 40,000 tonnes of contaminated mud. Both Quantum and Hazco are national firms with extensive expertise in this type of work. The value of the bid is, according to the Project Office, a lump-sum amount for mobilization, demobilization and site preparation, along with unit rates for excavation, disposal of soil, wood waste, concrete and ground water, and supply, placement and compaction of backfill. Petri confirms that, despite the detail of the bid amount, "The contractor will be paid for the actual volumes of material disposed of, whether it is more or less than the volumes estimated."

Petri says the money for the project will come from the City's unusual Property Endowment Fund. If approved at this afternoon's meeting, it brings the total spent so far by the City on the design and construction work to prepare the grounds of the old industrial site for the Village to C$4,636,000. That includes C$712,000 for the operation of the SEFC Project Office in 2005, C$1.625 million for the area's integrated site servicing plan being developed by Stantec, C$265,000 for inlet decking and pile removal, $1,034,000 for cofferdam construction, and C$1 million for an interim site-servicing budget. It doesn't include C$615,000 to run the Project Office for this year.

There's still no overall project budget for the Village from City Hall. Petri says the money committed so far, along with site-servicing costs to come, "will be reflected in a more comprehensive project budget that will be reported to Council" in advance of a rezoning of the lands for the Village core later this spring. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) estimated in 2002 that the total budget for the Vancouver Village would be about C$167 million.

Meanwhile, Council at this afternoon's meeting was also to approve the next contract in sequence for the work this spring, for densification of the lands between Ontario and Columbia streets along the False Creek foreshore, but the Olympic Village Project office has withdrawn the item from the Council agenda.

As well, Council has one more opportunity to debate along party lines the wisdom of reducing the minimum affordable housing requirement from 33% to 20% across the entire Southeast False Creek site, which is larger than the Olympic Village, but
maintain the objective of continuing to aim for 33% affordable housing units after the 2010 Games are finished. The discussion is expected to come tonight at a public hearing made necessary by the 11th-hour decision to change the housing ratio from that proposed by the previous council, replaced during last November's municipal elections. The ratio adjustment changes considerably the economic value of the Olympic Village portion of the plan which had been part of a formal Request for Proposal process in which three development companies are contending for the City's approval to build apartment-style buildings that will be first used by Olympic athletes and their supporting organizations, and then later by the public after the 2010 Games. The change also reduces the amount of drawdown from the City's Property Endowment Fund.

The public hearing will also be asked to approve removing the requirement to have "modest" market housing in the area of the Olympic Village, while retaining the 33% requirement in surrounding areas, and to reduce the required minimum number of licensed childcare facilities in the area from five to three, but "maintain the objective of five as a target to strive for over time."

Previous council discussions have involved hours of wrangling over the issues.

RESOURCES

Quantum Remediation's BC contact info:
www.quantumgroup.ca/contact/bc.html

Hazco Environmental Services's contact info:
www.hazco.com/officelocations/Richmond.htm

Tyam's contact info:
Tyam Construction Ltd.
Ste, 201-6270, 205th Street
Langley, B.C. V3A 4P7
Canada
Phone: 604.533.8088

Stories we've published earlier about this part of the project:
'Vancouver Council approves C$1 million interim budget for first portion of Olympic Village costs'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1418; Published on Friday, January 20, 2006]

'Vancouver calls for contractors to dig out thousands of tons of contaminated soil at Olympic Village site'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1503; Published on Wednesday, February 22, 2006]

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 7, 2006

Friday, March 03, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1531

GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO "UNVEIL" OSLO FLAG

Still more pomp and circumstance to do with the Olympics. Canada's governor-general, Michaelle Jean, will officiate in a ceremony at Vancouver City Hall on March 9 at 9 am to unveil the so-called Oslo Olympic Flag in its new presentation case that will be on display in the main foyer of City Hall. The huge Oslo Flag is the official flag of the Olympic Games, and was first raised during the 1952 Oslo, Norway, Olympic Games; the City had a flag-raising ceremony earlier this week, but the flag that was used for it was a slightly smaller copy, and gets the wear and tear. There will Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan in the ceremony, which will include "a colour guard of police and fire-services personnel. Jean is not coming to Vancouver from Ottawa specifically for this project. Traditionally, governors general travel to each province and territory during the first year of their mandate. Yes, you're absolutely right. There WILL be speeches all round.

OLYMPIC VILLAGE SITE CONTRACTORS TO BE CONFIRMED MARCH 7

Vancouver City Council is expected to approve the awards of two contracts at its March 7 meeting that deal with site preparation of the 2010 Winter Olympic Village on the shore of southeast False Creek. One contract involves the site's excavation and removal of about 60,200 tonnes of polluted and hazardous soil from the site, which was industrial for more than a century, and then backfilling the area with clean sand and gravel and much healthier dirt. It will also deal with about 40,000 tonnes of contaminated mud. The other will be for densification of the lands between Ontario and Columbia streets along the False Creek foreshore. The work for both contracts is to start in sequence in April and continue for about six or seven weeks.

LENOVO I.LOUNGE DEMOGRAPHICS UPDATED

Lenovo has now updated its usage figures for its so-called i.lounges at the Torino Winter Olympics. Lenovo, an IOC international sponsor of the Olympics, which will make the decision shortly as to whether it will also renew its contract for the 2010 Winter Games, equipped seven branded on-site Internet lounges in the Olympic Athlete Villages with 165 ThinkPad notebooks and Lenovo desktop computers. These let athletes, coaches and trainers keep in touch with their families and supporters back home. Lenovo says that since the i.lounges, as they were called, opened January 31, to February 15, the Internet lounges in the Torino Olympic Village were supporting about 200 athletes per day from more than 40 countries, but they were most popular with Russian, American, Canadian and Italian athletes. On the other hand, traffic in the mountain region Sestriere Olympic Village lounges, which also averaged about 200 people per day, including athletes from more than 35 countries, were most popular with athletes from Latvia, Slovakia and Romania. By the time the Games were finished, according to Lenovo spokesman Kelli Pietrantonio, the company said the average of the company's six i.lounges in various venues combined showed they supported 1,800 athlete visits per day -- athletes often visited i.lounges more than once per day -- during the time they were open.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 3, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1530

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

OWN THE PODIUM TO CONDUCT TORINO POST-MORTEM WITH FEDERATIONS NEXT MONTH

Roger Jackson, the chief executive officer of the Own the Podium program, says in an interview published in the Vancouver Straight newspaper, that, "We will meet with each of the 13 independent Canadian [sport] federations for a day or two in April. And in June, we're going to be coming together as a whole group -- all the sports, with athletes, coaches, corporate sponsors -- for a three-day strategy session to go over all the things we've learned [as a result of the Torino Games] and all the new policies and programs we'll implement over this next year. We'll do this annual process in each of the next four years so we can constantly hone how we can get better, how we can get stronger, how we can get more athletes involved, and how we get more world-class coaches involved. So it's really going to be a very strong effort to learn what we need to learn and make the adjustments. And we do have time. We've got four years to go, and that puts us in good stead." Jackson is also quoted as saying, "Own the Podium is just finishing its first of five years, and the first year was quite a rush to get things up and running and get resources to the sports... This is really the first of several different tests that we will see our athletes go through as they lead up to 2010, but it's the most important one, obviously, because it's the results of the first year of effort and it's the only Winter Olympics before the games are here. We've implemented a whole series of brand-new programming that Canadian athletes have never seen before, and this is the very first year. Besides the results, we'll be looking at a whole series of things we have put in place to see how well they work."

SEATTLE COMPANY AWARDED RICHMOND OVAL ART PLAN

4Culture, a cultural-services agency that was part of King County government in Seattle, Washington State, until 2003, when it became an independent public corporation, has been awarded a C$79,400 contract from the city of Richmond to develop the public-art plan for the 2010 speed-skating oval. The company, headed up by Cath Brunner, is to provide recommendations this month on how to incorporate the work of regional artists into the structure of the building itself. Then the city will decide whether 4Culture or another company will select artists and implement the plan.

INK-STAINED MOLES

From our Quotes without Comment Department: "The majority of North American media covering skiing at the [Torino] Olympics never see the sun. They ride buses to the venues, go right inside the heated pressrooms, and, only two minutes from the finish line, watch the race on closed-circuit television." -- SkiPress News ///// "We've been worried from day one that we'll be a bunch of people standing on the highways watching the buses go by," said Squamish Mayor Ian Sutherland. "No one owes us anything, and we've got to find a way to make 2010 relevant for us." -- Canada's Globe & Mail newspaper

RESOURCES

4Culture's staff page:
www.4culture.org/staff.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 3, 2006

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |International| #1529
UN ENVIROMENTAL HEAD SUGGESTS 2010 ORGANIZERS 'UPGRADE' 1988 CALGARY OLYMPIC FACILITES INSTEAD OF BUILDING NEW ONES

The head of the United Nations Enviroment program today proposed that the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of the 2010 Winter Games consider refurbishing Calgary's Olympic bobsleigh facilities instead of building a new one.

Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said in a statement issued from Nairobi, Kenya, where he's attending a conference, "In respect of some events like bobsleigh, future organizing committees might consider re-using and upgrading existing tracks and stadia rather than building new ones if such facilities are convenient or nearby. The next Winter Olympic Games is scheduled to be staged in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010. The IOC could, for instance, consider upgrading the bobsleigh facilities built for the 1988 Games held in Calgary."

The aging Calgary facilities are 674 kilometres (421 mi) from Vancouver, and separated by the several mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains, are in Alberta, not British Columbia. His comments come nearly five years after organizers first proposed building new such facilities in nearby Whistler, more than two years after the IOC awarded the Games to Vancouver and Whistler, a year after construction of the facilities began, and just as major contracts are being issued to build the track and buildings of the Whistler Sliding Centre. By comparison, Whistler is only 97 km (61 miles) from Vancouver along a highway that mostly lies in a valley.

Toepfer, who primarily praised the Torino Winter Olympic organizers for their environmental job, says, "One area that the IOC might wish review is the issue of recycling of sporting infrastructure. Take bobsleigh, for example. TOROC did a great job to try and mitigate its environmental impact. But the fact remains that constructing, operating and maintaining what is effectively a huge fridge in the mountains raises many fundamental questions of sustainability."

Toepfer added that, "TOROC has estimated that the track and equipment, also used to stage luge and skeleton events, cost around 70 million Euros to build. It has cut a 1,435-metre 'ravine' complete with 19 bends through the mountainside. The freezing system uses 48 tonnes of ammonia, a substance that is friendly to the ozone layer but raises concerns about the impacts of any possible leaks." VANOC's plans for its freezing system at the Whistler Sliding Centre is also engineered to use ammonia, a mature technology that's widely used in North America, and, like other such buildings, has a number of fail-safes engineered into it to prevent leaks.

Although the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is in daily contact with the IOC commission that oversees its 2010 franchise and the IOC president, Jacques Rogge and the head of the IOC Commission, Rene Fasel, have both regularly said over the last few years they completely endorse VANOC's planning, the UNEP chief says he making its comments after "collaborating with the IOC for over a decade and working closely with the Torino Organizing Committee (TOROC) before and during the Games."

Contrary to some suggestions that the Winter Olympics were held too far from the mountains, Torino may in fact have shown the way towards even more environmentally friendly Winter Olympics, Toepfer said.

"By locating in the city centre several key events, such as figure skating or ice hockey, along with accommodation for athletes and the media, the organizers have dramatically increased the likelihood that these buildings and structures will be sustainably used in the future for sports, other leisure activities and housing," said Toepfer. VANOC has been planning for years to do the same. "During the two weeks of competition this is likely to have increased commuting and transportation between the urban areas and the events staged in more rural, mountainous locations. But over the longer term the environmental impacts are likely to be positive," he said. "Indeed locating more and more Olympic events away from sensitive rural areas and into city centres with good access to public transport-- especially if this contributes to urban renewal and renovation of redundant buildings and structures-- may be an environmentally sound step forward for future games."

Toepfer believes the 2006 Winter Olympics underlined the growing importance of the environment for those staging sporting and public entertainment events.

Eric Falt, Director of UNEP's Sport & The Environment program, said: "We have been most impressed with the environmental measures and commitments made by the TOROC from their climate change initiatives and dedication, to the use of local stone and wood up to their adoption of 'green' environment management systems such as EMAS and ISO 14001." ISO 14001 is a family of environmental management standards; EMAS is short for Europoe's eco-management and audit program.

Falt said UNEP, which signed a cooperation agreement in Torino during the Games with the International Association of Athletics Federations, would want in future to work more closely with individual federations and bodies to ensure that the environment is factored into sporting events from the outset. An entire section of VANOC's bid is devoted to environmental considerations, and virtually every major contract it has issued, for both contractors and suppliers, incorporates environmental and sustainability concepts.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that incorporating sustainable development measures at the earliest possible stage of the planning process makes it easier to meet higher and more meaningful environmental goals," added Falt.

The final score card for Torino's environmental legacy is likely to emerge over the coming months, says Toepfer. But UNEP believes some lessons may have already been learned. TOROC is considering using the bobsleigh track at Cesana Pariol as a bobsleigh school. It has been designed to allow "juniors and kids" to practice. "However, the maintenance costs could be anywhere between 100,000 Euros and one million Euros annually which may be far more than the income generated by visitors. In contrast, the ski jump venue in Pragelato blends into the landscape through sensitive design that works with the natural gradients and contours of the location." VANOC's ski jump facilities will be removed when the Games conclude because of VANOC's concerns it could not economically support itself, and the lands on which it is to be used are to be replanted, and VANOC is in the process of constructing business plans for the Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Nordic Centre. And part of its budget is a legacy contribution to a trust fund that will help pay for the operation of the two centres after the Games are finished.

Other Torino measures praised by Toepfer include the use of passive solar heating, rainwater drainage systems, special fabrics for stabilizing soil on the slopes and the establishment of ecological corridors to allow wildlife to cross. All of these factors have been either considered or built into VANOC's design of its facilities.

UNEP says it is represented on the IOC Sport and Environment Commission, which it says "meets regularly to review environmental issues as they relate to the Olympic Games and to advise the IOC Executive Board on environmental issues."

Last November, UNEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Organizers of the Beijing Olympic Summer Games 2008. "Under the terms of the agreement," says Toepfer's statement, "UNEP will work closely with the Beijing Organizing Committee, offering expert advice and support in the development of relevant environmental reports. There are also plans for far-reaching educational- and public-awareness campaigns to further increase the impact of staging environmentally sustainable Olympic Games.

RESOURCES
The website of the United Nations Environment Programme:
www.unep.org

Overview of ISO 14001:
www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueListPage.CatalogueList?ICS1=13&ICS2=20&ICS3=10

Overview of EMAS:
europa.eu.int/comm/environment/emas/index_en.htm

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 2, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1528
MOBILE BROADCASTING, THE NEW WHIZ-KID OF OLYMPIC BROADCASTERS, A MIXED BAG FOR CONSUMERS

A dose of cold reality has been thrown on one of the major new technologies tapped by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, America's NBC network and others to cover the 2006 Winter Olympics, and touted as likely to be a major factor in broadcasting the 2010 Winter Games.

A major new American public-opinion survey shows that mobile-broadcast technology will only become a significant force if companies providing it can focus on what consumers need, instead of what the companies think they want.

A proliferation of product choices and rapidly changing technology are the key deterrents for consumers when it comes to purchasing their mobile technologies, according to the survey of 1,001 Americans released today by RBC Capital Markets, the corporate and investment banking arm of RBC Financial Group, the financial-services sponsor of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). VANOC was not involved in the survey nor its presentation.

The survey polled consumers who use a cell phone and other mobility devices, and found that 45% say too many product choices prevent them from making a purchase decision. The survey found rapidly changing technology deters more than half of potential purchasers (56%) from buying new handheld technologies.

Price was the top-purchasing driver for consumers, followed by compatibility with other devices. More consumers ranked compatibility as one of their top three priorities than any other priority.

The RBC Capital Markets survey also suggests the benefits of converging mobile technologies are not yet well understood enough to drive a purchase decision. Three-quarters of those surveyed said, "I am not interested in watching TV programs or movies on my handheld device," and 69% said they do not see themselves using cell phones for musical entertainment purposes.

"Consumers are generally deterred when it comes to adopting the latest integrated mobile devices due to concerns of obsolescence," said Mark Sue, RBC Capital Markets' communications equipment analyst. "As integrated mobile devices become more complex, a significant time lag can persist before the trajectory of growth accelerates. But digital music, video, and web browsing wrapped in an iconic device, may help mobile device makers grab a greater share of an individual's disposable income previously allocated to other consumer electronics."

"With so many single purpose devices in the market, combined with evolving technology, consumers are resisting making a choice," said Scott Collins, RBC Capital Markets' director of U.S. Equity Research. Companies are responding by beginning to produce easier to use devices with integrated functionality. "Our research shows that over time, mobility will be adopted more widely," Collins adds, "The mobile evolution has only just begun. Compatibility and convergence will be the key influences on consumer purchases and enterprise product development as we move forward."

Some Torino broadcasters used packaged subscriptions to allow consumers to view Olympic content, while others used advertising. Inline advertising during those broadcasts are solidly opposed by a majority of consumers -- but the majority is slim.

The price concerns aren't directly translating into acceptance of advertising models to pay for the service. Americans would accept advertising or text messaging to lower their service or subscription costs, however, 52% rejected the idea, while 56% were unwilling to trade personal information for discounted products and/or services. Mobile marketers and advertisers should take note that 58% of survey respondents said mobile marketing is a nuisance and should be prohibited. In fact, the only exception to consumer's price sensitivity was the willingness by 43% to pay more for a cell phone or PDA that prohibits marketing or advertising messages. Twenty-nine percent of respondents who own a PDA, notebook or laptop expressed frustration that their various handheld devices don't work with each other.

In addition to the more than half of Americans that said rapidly changing technology makes them reluctant to buy new handheld technologies, 48% worried products they've recently purchased and depend on will rapidly become obsolete. Forty-five percent said too many product choices prevented them from actually making a purchase decision, and Americans with a high school education or less were significantly more hesitant to buy new technologies because of their complexity than those with post-secondary education (42% vs. 33%).

The survey was conducted online by InsightExpress, on behalf of RBC Capital Markets, and details consumers' mobile technology purchasing criteria, needs and concerns. The margin of error was +/- 3.09%, 19 times out of 20.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on March 2, 2006

Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition

Friday, March 31, 2006

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