Morgan:News:2010:Bronze Edition: August 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

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Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1839

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

ADDITIONAL VANOC CONSTRUCTION FUNDING MAY HAVE CONDITIONS ATTACHED

VANOC's executive vice president of Construction, Dan Doyle, suggests the additional C$110 million pledged by the federal and BC governments may have conditions attached to it. He answered a direct question this way about whether there were any unusual conditions attached to the additional captial construction funding of C$55 million from each government: "As you know, both governments had due-diligence reports done, and we've only seen drafts of those. When they're finished and made public, I'm sure that out of that there will be some things they wish us to do." He did not elaborate, but added, "I've seen the drafts, and I'm very comfortable that we're doing most of what's there, and whatever else they want us to do is fine, too." The BC government's report, prepared by Pacific Liaicon & Associates was done by a team of several senior construction consultants, led by the company's chairman, Henry H. Wakabayashi. "It was a good report that provided us with some good information," says Doyle.

BC, FEDS TO VANOC: THE DOOR TO THE TREASURY FOR CONSTRUCTION IS CLOSED

Quote without comment, from the minister in charge of BC's portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Colin Hansen: "We made it quite clear to VANOC that the C$580 million budget that they now have for venue construction -- they need to make sure that's adequate. They need to be able to build the venues necessary within that C$580 million. The federal government and the provincial government have made it clear that if VANOC were to ask for additional funding for venue construction, the answer from both governments would be 'No'. Now that our C$55 million committment is formalized, we have a remaining contingency within our C$600 million [for the direct costs of BC Olympic commitments] of C$76 million. That's there for other [non-capital] unforeseen things that might come up. But we would expect VANOC, if they have other pressures on their operating budget, would seek other sources of funding, other than from the taxpayers of Canada. The C$76 million is there as a true contingency. If we see cost pressures coming up in other areas of our obligations, that contingency is there to assist them."

COBB CONFIDENT VANOC-RELATED PLEDGE TO OTP PROGRAM GOOD

VANOC's executive vice-president of Revenue, Marketing and Communications, Dave Cobb, agrees that VANOC has to convince more sponsors to contribute to the Own The Podium program if VANOC is to make good on its pledge to raise C$55 million for the program by 2010. At the moment, projecting forward, VANOC would be about C$10 million short. "Yes, we haven't hit the C$55 million yet, but we're in very good shape. We're well underway, but we have to raise more." He has two points to make. The first is that there are a number of Tier-2 and Tier-3 sponsors that are expected to complete their negotiations over the next few weeks and be signed up. "We have a number of them that are close. There are programs coming up, and additional sponsors coming on board. We're not theire yet, but we expected to get there." Second, that it's a best-efforts pledge, and VANOC simply said it would do its best to raise the funds, but there's no commitment for VANOC to spend money from its operations budget to top up the funding if there were a shortfall. "I wouldn't expect our Board would allow us to do it. It's not coming out of our budget. we said we'd help to raise C$55 million. There's no line item in our operating budget for it."

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1838

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC SAID TO HAVE HELPED MT. WASHINGTON ACQUIRE PARALYMPIC WORLD CUP

VANOC is being credited with being part of those who helped convince the International Paralympic Committee to choose Mt Washington, a ski resort located near Comox, about the middle of BC's Vancouver Island, to host the IPC's Nordic Skiing World Cup finals next March. And some of the Paralympic athletes from 23 nations who will attend the 2010 Winter Games are expected to be at the event. Jules Xavier, of the Comox Valley Record, a community newspaper, reports, "The lead for this sporting opportunity was born through the Strathcona Nordics Ski Club and Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports -- both groups worked on attracting the event since the national disabled team held a spring training camp at Mount Washington two years ago. A follow-up by the Comox Valley delegation which attended Torino's recent Winter Olympic Games, and subsequent support from VANOC and Cross-country BC helped move the initiative forward." The reporter quotes Mike McLaughlin, chair of the Comox Valley World Cup organizing committee, as saying, "Canada hasn't hosted this particular World Cup in some time, making it a very strategic win for the Comox Valley to be able to show off our capabilities in hosting winter sporting events of this calibre as we get closer to Vancouver 2010... The event could bring up to 23 world nations to the Comox Valley, 158 athletes, in addition to coaches, friends and families,.. We are exploring an adopt-a-team program as well as holding the opening ceremonies off the mountain so businesses, schools and residents can meet these elite athletes and capture the Olympic spirit."

WHISTLER 2020 CORP TO PONDER ADDITIONAL ATHLETES

The directors of the Whistler 2020 Development Corporation, the subsidiary of the Resort Municipality of Whistler that's charged with building the C$130 million Whistler Athlete's Village for 2010, will likely get its first formal chance to discuss an expected 350-person expansion of the Village at its September 5 Board meeting. The International Olympic Committee, during the debriefing for VANOC that followed last winter's Torino Winter Games, said that more people -- athletes and their team supporters -- than previously expected will likely show up during the Olympics portion of the 2010 Games. The existing plans are based on the original request for 2,050 athlete spaces. The BC, federal and Whistler governments have all said publicly they don't feel they should be paying for the extra facilities, and that VANOC and the IOC should negotiate the matter. VANOC, for its part, says it is in discussions with the IOC about that and several other issues, but so far there's been no decision. The time for planning and designing the Village needs to start soon if it's to be delivered to VANOC by November, 2009, so it can be prepared for the athletes' arrivals in late January and early February, 2010. Meanwhile, Whistler mayor Ken Melamed says it's still not clear who will absorb the risk if the sale of legacy market units in the Village, which Whistler is relying upon to help pay for the ongoing buildings as apartments, doesn't realize as much money as expected. Melamed he's concerned about who will carry the debt from any empty units if they can't be sold. That risk may include increasing the amount of market housing to the project. The permanent athletes' village legacy neighbourhood involves about 300 housing units, with 10% allocated for market housing and the rest as employee-restricted units.

LOGOS OF VANOC, SPONSORS, PARADED

Two of VANOC's major sponsors have each been getting some good use out of a few large magnetic signs that prominently display their logos beside that of the equally prominent 2010 Winter Olympics. The logos of General Motors and Bell Canada are on clamped to the sides of high-end SUVs that pull exhibits in a nightly parade around the grounds that takes place during the popular 17-day Pacific National Exhibition in east Vancouver. About 900,000 people a year attend the Exhibition.

RESOURCES

On this map, the green arrow in the centre marks Comox. The white area to the left are the mountains of the Mt. Washington Resort complex:

maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=comox,+bc&ie=UTF8&z=10&ll=49.694729,-124.919357&spn=0.444168,1.330719&t=h&om=1

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1837
BIG BC CONSTRUCTION FIRMS WELCOME CONFIRMATION OF ADDITIONAL VANOC FUNDING

A group representing senior executives from BC's largest construction firms is applauding the federal government for agreeing to supply an additional C$55 million to bridge the gap between the original 2010 construction budget and "the reality of construction costs that exists today [in B.C.]"

Philip Hochstein, chair of the 2010 Construction Leaders Taskforce, says, "Annual construction inflation hit double digits in 2004 and has continued at that pace since. During the nineties through to 2001, construction inflation was about 2%, so when the Olympic budget was being drafted, no one, not even industry insiders, predicted just how dramatically costs would rise."

The 2010 Construction Leaders Taskforce, includes the owners and senior executives of 20 firms. It formed in July of 2003 to provide managerial advice on issues such as labour supply, costs and tendering.

"Given the market they are operating in, VANOC has done a tremendous job of exploring cost saving design and venue alternatives," adds Hochstein. He cited a redesign of the Nordic venue to make it more compact. He also suggested that moving the International Broadcast Centre to Vancouver rather than building one in Richmond as originally planned was part of the rationale, even though that was largely done because of questions at the time over tenure of the property involved.

Hochstein suggested that record high fuel and commodity prices, rising construction labour costs after years of wage stagnation, and the shortage of skilled workers which lowers productivity are the key components of the inflationary perfect storm. In BC, those have largely been triggered by a C$100-million capital construction list of projects, coupled with huge project developments competing for skilled trades people, particularly welders, at the tar sands projects in northern Alberta.

"No doubt the usual anti-Games, anti-fun and anti-business crowd will be pointing to the funding increase to advance their agendas," concludes Hochstein. "But higher construction costs are simply a fact and today's announcement that the Federal government will be sharing the burden should be great news to all British Columbians."

The BC government also cofirmed it chipped in a matching C$55 million contribution yesterday.

RESOURCES

The membership of the 2010 Construction Leaders Taskforce includes: Bird Construction, Dominion Fairmile Construction, EllisDon Corporation, Emil Anderson Construction, Graham Construction & Engineering, Intertech Construction Group, JJM Construction, Kinetic Construction, Knappett Projects, Ledcor Construction, Metro-Can Construction, Norson Construction, PCL Constructors Westcoast, Peter Kiewit Sons', RAM Construction, Scott Construction, Stuart Olson Constructors, Task Construction Management, Vanbots Construction and the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of BC.

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

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government, VANOC| #1836
FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS CONFIRM VANOC CONSTRUCTION BUDGET TO RISE TO C$580 MILLION

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and BC Premier Gordon Campbell each confirmed today in Vancouver that their governments have formally approved the 2010 Olympic's funding request of $55 million from each of them for VANOC's venue construction program, bringing the total estimate of the venue costs to $580 million, including a C$66.8 million contingency.

There's about C$200 million in construction work to be done next year, the second of the two big construction years for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), and much of it has now been tendered, so VANOC says it's got a fairly good handle on its venue budgets now.

It turns out, however, that not only had the federal government hired a consultant firm -- Pacific Liaicon & Associates of the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby -- to investigate the quality of VANOC's budget analysis before making the decision to advance the funds, but so did the BC government.

The BC minister in charge of the provincial government's Olympic responsibilities, Colin Hansen, confirms today that Partnership BC was hired to also insure VANOC needed the additional funding. Partnerships BC is wholly owned by the Province of British Columbia and reports to the BC Minister of Finance. Hansen says he expects the report, which he says is still in "draft" stage, will be published in about a month.

While there's some rationale for the new federal Conservative government conducting an independent due-diligence investigation into VANOC, as it was set up when the previous Liberal government was in power and federal accounting methods require any additional funding request to be presented as new, instead of drawing down a contingent, that rationale is not so clear with the BC government. It's the same government that has been involved in VANOC and its predecessor since the venues bid for the Olympic Games was prepared in 2002. As well, its senior appointee on VANOC's board of directors is Ken Dobell, whose focus is on Olympic financing. However, Hansen says the Partnerships BC investigation should be seen as part of a continuum.

"We've been doing due-diligence all along in every aspect of the work VANOC has been doing," he says. "There's two provincial representeatives that co-chair the Finance Committee for VANOC, so we have on-going oversight. When VANOC came to us with a request for these additional funds, we acknowledged at the time that they were probably going to need that. We said we would approve our C$55 million contingent on the federal government being part of that funding partnership. But we also then began looking at it venue by venue -- in terms of whether it was adequate. We don't like surprises. We didn't want us to have any future surprises that would take us over the C$580 million. We needed to make sure that we were looking out for the interests of the taxpayers. And we did that through the report we commissioned through Partnerships BC.

VANOC Board chairman Jack Poole thanked the two government leaders on behalf of VANOC, quipping that with all the taxation on the project, he was fairly sure that by the time the Games opened in less than four years, the governments would have all their funds back.

VANOC CEO John Furlong wasn't there for the announcement. He's "overseas" on holidays -- that's as far as anybody was prepared to go in talking about where he's taking his time off, said to be his first real holiday in five years.

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1835

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

DEVONIAN PROPERTIES SUPPORTING GLACIER SKI CAMP

Alberta-based housing developer Devonian Properties continues to sponsor ski camps at a C$2 million training centre on Farnham Glacier in the Rocky Mountains, in southeastern British Columbia, east-southeast of Invermere. The latest, underway now, is for Alpine Canada's Rising Star camp, which first involved 15 young Canadian women aged 15 and 16, and then 16 young male skiers. Devonian Properties president Stephen Ross says, “Helping to develop Canada’s young skiers and this project in particular is very exciting for us to be a part of. This camp and the other ACA projects that are supported by Devonian Properties are instrumental if Canada is to reach its goal of being the best at the international level.” This camp is the third year of the Devonian Properties “Rising Stars” program, which identifies leading young athlete. A Canmore and Fort McMurray area land development company, Devonian Properties also sponsors similar camps in Panorama, BC, in November and December and a Rising Star European Camp in January. Opened by the Calgary Olympic Development Association on July 3, Camp Green on Farnham Glacier is designed to boost Canada’s performance at future Olympic Games, including the 2010 Games, by allowing high-performance alpine ski racers, freestyle skiers and snowboard athletes the opportunity for on-snow training at home in the summer. CODA initially ran a highly successful pilot project on Farnham Glacier in 2003, but a C$1-million donation from Don and Shirley Green last year, brought about in part with the help of VANOC and a former executive of Molson's Canada, Dan O'Neill, moved the project forward.

GIRLS SOCCER BENEFITS FROM 2010 LOTTO AWARD

Part of the arrangement made in setting up Sportfunder, the BC Lottery Corporation's lottery brand for various games that use the 2010 logo and pay royalties to VANOC, is that the lottery retailer that sells the winning ticket for the week's highest SportsFunder 50/50 jackpot wins money to give to an amateur sport team or organization of their choice. Mickey's Convenience Store in Richmond won one of them this month, and that's why the Richmond United Soccer Club for girls under 12 is C$2,010 richer today.

VOLUNTEER RCMP AUXILIARY TRAINING UNDER WAY AS VOLUNTEER FORCE BUILDS FOR 2010

Burnaby RCMP will be looking for new recruits for its volunteer police auxiliary unit over the next few months. A recent graduating class of 19 brought the number to 59, but the detachment which polices the Vancouver-area suburb hopes to have about 125 auxiliaries trained and ready for service in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Potential recruits are trained during a series of three sessions each week over nearly four months. All auxiliary constables are required to volunteer for work for a minimum of 160 hours a year but some have put more, ranging in up to 1,200 hours last year.

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

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1833

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC MULLS THE HOUSING NEEDS OF 420 PARALYMPIC ATHLETES

It's too early yet for decisions on how VANOC will handle what will happen to the national Olympic sledge-hockey teams and the wheelchair curling teams, and their technical support staff, who were to have ended up in the Whistler Athletes Village until Whistler killed its plans to build an arena for the sports earlier this month. We're talking about 120 sledge hockey athletes, about 50 wheelchair curling and about 250 officials, for a total of about 420 people. It's likely that they'll somehow be shoehorned into the Vancouver Athlete's Village, for security reasons if nothing else. Although the Village's proposed apartments will be before City Council for a series of formal rezoning hearings starting in mid-October, the Village is currently designed to essentially hold only the number of people on national Olympic teams that have long been planned to take part in the Games being held in Greater Vancouver venues -- 3,042 -- and the Village is currently near that capacity in the plans. VANOC spokesman Chris Brumwell says, "The athletes and their support segments will likely be transferred to Vancouver, however it's too early to speculate on a location. We are still considering options for accommodating Paralympic athletes and officials in Vancouver and will consult with the [International Paralympic Committee] before making a final determination." The decision to incorporate them into the Vancouver Athletes Village could also mean VANOC may have to come up with more money for Vancouver. VANOC originally budgeted C$30 million of its construction budget for Vancouver's Village, and provided it to the City of Vancouver using a trust arrangement to ensure the Village is built, but the additional athletes from the Paralympics may push that up about C$4 million or C$5 million or so, eating into the C$18 million it "saved" when the sledge-hockey arena was dropped. Architects working on the Vancouver Athlete's Village still haven't heard officially what will transpire, but say that accessibility for the athletes isn't likely to be an issue for them, as it's a strong feature of the existing proposed building designs.

VANOC MULLS HOW TO ADD "MORE CAPACITY" TO WHISTLER MEDIA VENUES

In a letter by VANOC CEO John Furlong to Whistler Council August 18, the one in which he suggested council kill proposed sledge-hockey arena because of the potential cost, he wrote, "It has also become clear that there is an increased need for services at the Whistler Broadcast and Media Centres." These Centres are separate facilities, but they are likely be connected, as they were in Torino during last February's 2006 Winter Olympics. According to Guy Lodge, VANOC’s VP of Service and Overlay, more capacity will likely be needed within the Whistler Media and Broadcast Centres, as a result of analysis of Torino's experience, so, a VANOC spokesman says, "his team is in the process of evaluating how they can accomplish this within the current plans."

BC Auditor General's report on 2010 may be released in September

The latest date for release of the long-delayed report by the BC Auditor General into the financial affairs of VANOC is said to be September, according to a report today in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Reporter Jeff Lee writes, "Arn van Iersel, the acting auditor-general, said Monday the independent government agency has finished a draft report into the capital and operating budgets... and has given copies to the organizing committee and the provincial government for comment." Lee reports that VANOC won't comment until the final report is released, and the BC government spokesman on the file, Colin Hansen, is away on holidays. Lee writes, "Van Iersel said the auditor-general's report, the second one done since Vancouver decided to bid on the Winter Games, will likely be followed by more reviews as 2010 approaches. He noted that Vanoc will be finishing a more detailed business plan this fall, which will be scrutinized by his office." Lee quotes Van Iersel as telling him, "You can rest assured that the Olympics continues to be a major area of interest for this office, right through to holding them and even after. It is something we want, on behalf of the legislature and the public, to be seen to be staying on top of." The report was initially said last January that it was due to be released "in about a month."

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

Monday, August 28, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1832
C$10 MILLION SHORTFALL PROJECTED FOR OWN THE PODIUM BY 2010 UNLESS MORE VANOC SPONSORS CONTRIBUTE

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is expected to be about C$10 million short of its target to raise C$55 million for the Own The Podium program by 2010 if it does not convince more corporate sponsors to contribute to the plan.

And that means VANOC, which made commitments to the funding, would have to pay any shortfall out of its operational revenue, reducing the funds available for legacy funding to winter sports.

A source close to the issue says the C$10 million amount is considered "a small shortfall that is yet to be raised, but VANOC has committed to the full amount at the end of the day, and they're still negotiating sponsor agreements." VANOC has said there are possibly one or two more Tier 1 agreements to be finalized, as well as a number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 agreements, but so far none of them have agreed to contribute to Own The Podium even though OTP is mentioned during the talks. The source says, however, some of deals have yet to be finalized.

The Own The Podium 2010 program is a collaboration of national winter sports organizations, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee, VANOC and many of its sponsors, and the Canadian and BC governments. It's a national sport technical initiative designed to help Canada’s winter athletes win the most number of medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and to place in the top three nations with gold medals at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Under the scheme, a total of C$110 million in contributions, half in public money, half from private sources, is to be made by 2010 to the Canadian Olympic Foundation, which in turn distributes the money through a separate mechanism involving the Canadian Sport Review Panel, which approves applications for funding under the OTP scheme. The federal government pledged C$55 million of that, and since 2005 has been contributing C$11 million per year. The BC government has also fully paid its pledge of C$5 million for the winter version of the program, and that money is considered part of VANOC's obligations.

OTP-2010 also receives financial and organizational support from the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The COC, for instance, covers the cost of the OTP's Alberta office space, supplier expenses and staff payroll because OTP is not a legal entity. VANOC also contributes in non-cash ways as well. For instance, it developed and will own the OTP's logos and web domain until 2010, although for proprietary reasons it does not host the website, nor does it receive a royalty for the use of the logos.

So far, VANOC has worked out OTP contribution arrangements with several of its major corporate sponsors during the sponsorship negotiations. So far, Bell Canada, Petro-Canada, the Royal Bank of Canada, HBC, Rona, General Motors and McDonald’s Restaurants Canada have agreed to contribute funding over five years. Bell, VANOC's telecommunications sponsor, has so far agreed to contribute the largest amount over five years -- C$15 million. But the amounts involved are still not yet enough to forecast that the VANOC portion will be fully covered by the time 2010 occurs if it does not sign on additional sponsors, and it is now more than a year into the five-year contribution plan.

It's expected that negotiations for a winter-2014 program would need to start as early as 2008 or 2009, in order for staff planning and funding cash flows can be properly projected. As our source puts it, "The winter sports, if these discussions don't take place then, will known that 50% of their funding will run out, and they may start to have a knee-jerk reaction before then to manage their staffing, and all the cutbacks they're going to have to make." Also, if talks start much later, the question of government commitments is expected to weigh heavily on whether sponsors, who will be involved in Olympics support until December 31, 2012, will contribute beyond 2010. "Sponsors don't yet know enough about the initiative, and they haven't yet been able to really see results, but we can't leave it too late."

The city to host the 2014 Winter Games won't be selected for another year or so.

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1831

Here are three more moguls we ran into today:

SURREY TO OFFER OLYMPIC PLAN IN A MONTH OR TWO

Linda Hepner, the chair of the mayor's task force on the Olympics in the Vancouver suburban municipality of Surrey, says staff will release "a general Olympic plan" in a month or two that she expects will detail how the area might prepare itself to support the 2010 Games. In addition, she doesn't expect national Olympic teams will make a decision until sometime next year as to whether to take Surrey up on its offer to host a team to train for the 2010 Games. The Surrey Leader, a community newspaper, quotes her as saying, that national Olympic teams are expected to want more than Surrey ice rinks, they "also want those athletes training, and we've got such great indoor sport places, for the 'dry land' training that they'll be doing just to keep in physical shape," Hepner said. The publication quotes her as saying, "There is an immediate hard dollar value to having teams come here [and] if you can attract a country to use your facilities, it obviously bumps you up a notch in the international arena.

JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM REBUILDS FOR 2010

Jamaica's bobsled team is expected to begin ice training in Canada in October as it rebuilds for the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to the Jamaica Observer newspaper. National coach Wayne Thomas is doing dry-land work to short-list selections for the ice training now. Jamaica's last appearance at the Winter Olympics was during the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The team failed to qualify for the 2006 Games in Italy last February. Even so, it arrived in Torino 225 days before those Games began, for training purposes.

FACTORIES TO DOWN TOOLS DURING BEIJING GAMES

Nancy Lee, head of CBC-TV Sport, has just returned to Canada from a meeting of broadcasters planning for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she says she was told that China will tell its factories in the city to shut down while the Games are on in an effort to improve air conditions in the notoriously smoggy city. CBC will be sending about 350 Canadian broadcasters and technicians to cover the Games. Lee suggests all English and French television and radio staff will be going to the Chinese capital. The production crew, however, will remain in Toronto. working with satellite feeds.

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1830

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

OWN THE PODIUM WEBSITE UPDATED

VANOC and Own The Podium has beefed up their website that provides a unified face to the many organizations that underlie the "Own the Podium" program (OTP) that VANOC developed with the Canadian Olympic Committee. [See RESOURCES, below, for the address]. The program, funded with C$110 million, half provided under arrangements set up by the Canadian Liberal government and the other half through corporate money raised by VANOC through its major sponsorship agreements, now portrays itself as "Canada's coordinating technical body of winter high-performance sport." It's purpose is to "help Canada achieve the goal of becoming the top medal finisher at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top three nations at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games." OTP's Director of Operations, Claire Buffone-Blair, says from the organization's headquarters in Alberta, "To ensure optimal collaboration among sports, OTP is inviting all organizations associated with the Canadian sport system to link to our website." The new site is largely marketing oriented. For instance, it has areas designed to give media ideas for writing about the organization, how Canadians can further contribute to the Program's work, how researchers can work with the organization to develop ways to improve athletic performance, and for athletes there is information on the OTP's recruitment programs in various winter sports that will be played at the 2010 Games. However, there is also a password-protected section for the "Sport Community" that will be used as "a collaborative workspace for the sharing of important resources," which are unspecified. VANOC purchased the domain in September, 2007 and its due to expire in September, 2010.

UN DISABILITIES CONVENTION FINALIZED

The United Nations Ad Hoc Committee that's been working for the past five years on drafting a Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has voted to approve the final wording and sent it to the UN General Assembly for adoption at its session, which begins in September. The Convention will then be available for signing and ratification by the world's 192 countries, which is expected to take a while. The International Paralympic Committee was involved in developing the Convention's wording, which a spokesman says recognizes that "persons with a disability should have the right to participate in sporting activities with a choice between mainstream and disability-specific programmes; have equal access to sporting activities in the school system; and have access to sporting and recreational venues whether as a participant or as a spectator." UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson said after the agreement was reached, "This is the first convention of this magnitude for this century." He told negotiators that they were conveying to the world, "the message that we want to have a life with dignity for all and that all human beings are all equal." Ann Cody, a member of the IPC's Governing Board says from the organization's headquarters in Bonn, Germany: "The Paralympic Movement can play a significant role in raising awareness of the treaty, particularly through the IPC's membership and Paralympic athletes as global messengers." The IPC Human Rights Advisor, Paralympian Linda Mastandrea, added: "I am confident the treaty will open up the world of sport and recreation to persons with a disability that have not had the opportunity. It will take time but in the future we will see a real impact on the world stage thanks to more participation at the local level which will then feed into growth at all levels of world competition including the Paralympic Games."

2010 LEGACIES NOW WORKSHOP FOR MAPLE RIDGE/PITT MEADOWS

The Spirit of B.C. Community Committee which covers the neighbouring Lower Mainland municipalities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows will be hosting a workshop for local arts and community groups, funded by 2010 Legacies Now, on September 26 and 30. "Our goal is to increase community engagement in creative activities, and the celebrations workshops will help us do that," said Lori Baxter, director of Arts Now for 2010 Legacies Now. The area held a "wood festival" in 2000, and so, she suggests, one idea might be that the area create an international wood festival, "This workshop will give them the tools they need to make this celebration successful." Workshop participants are expected to learn about planning a festival-type event, including, how to develop an artistic vision for a community celebration, the details of locations, permits, insurance and safety, how to get members of the community involved, how to raise funds and manage finances, and tips for marketing and intriguing the media. An arts subcontractor, Public Dreams Society, is also involved in offering expertise.

RESOURCES

Own The Podium
Claire Buffone-Blair, Director, Operations
Phone: (+1) 403.202.6310
E-mail: ClaireBuffone@OwnThePodium2010.com
www.OwnThePodium2010.com

---

Public Dreams Society:
www.publicdreams.org

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

Friday, August 25, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1829
COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL HIRED TO FIND 2010 WAREHOUSE AND STORAGE LAND

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) has hired Colliers International, the same Vancouver company that found VANOC's headquarters building, to find it warehouse and storage land between now and the 2010 Games.

Colliers, in turn, is now asking for expressions of interest from the owners of property or developers that fit VANOC’s requirements in Greater Vancouver and the municipalities of Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton by September 15.

Colliers and VANOC also want them to describe the existing or structures that are planned to be on the warehouse land, as well as parking, amenities and transit access, and to generally outline the timing of the warehouse and land availability.

These will be evaluated and a short list will be developed; those on the shortlist will be offered detailed proposals.

Here's what VANOC needs for warehouse and land requirements in Greater Vancouver and somewhere between Squamish and Pemberton:

GREATER VANCOUVER AREA:

Pre-Games Logistics Space
52,000 square feet of warehouse space on 3.3 acres of land from October 1, 2007 to April 15, 2010

Main Logistics Area
270,000 square feet of warehouse space on 12.9 acres of land, preferably near the Pre-Games Logistics warehouse. Needed from May 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010

Main Fleet Compound
38 acres of land with provision for a small office of about 5,000 square feet of space from February 1, 2009 to May 16, 2010

Technology Area
142,000 square feet of warehouse space on seven acres of land from April 15, 2009 to April 15, 2010

Remote Vehicle Screening Site
50,000 square feet of warehouse space on 2.9 acres of land, from January 1, 2010 to March 31, 2010

SQUAMISH/WHISTLER/PEMBERTON CORRIDOR:

Secondary Logistics Warehouse
85,000 square feet of warehouse space on 4.9 acres of land; needed from October 1, 2008 to May 31, 2010

VANOC Squamish Bus Terminal
Four acres of land with provision for a 640-square-foot building. It will be needed from September 14, 2009 to April 26, 2010

Sea to Sky Fleet Compound
2.8 acres of land with a 3,500-square-foot service building, from September 14, 2009 to April 27, 2010

Remote Vehicle Screening Site
50,000 square feet of warehouse space on 2.9 acres of land, which is needed from January 1, 2010 to April 30, 2010.

RESOURCES

Colliers International
John Boer john.boer@colliers.com or (+1).604.662.2659) or
Ray Ahrens ray.ahrens@colliers.com or (+1) 604.662.2632)
Collier's Vancouver office web page:
tinyurl.com/o39fo

Expressions of Interest go to, by September 15, 4 pm:
VANOC – Expression of Interest No. 2010-35
C/O Colliers International
Suite 1910, Granville Square
200 Granville Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2R6

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 25, 2006

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1828

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

BC, CANADIAN GOVERNMENTS REJECTED CONCEPT OF REALLOCATING SLEDGE-HOCKEY MONEY

While most of Whistler was wondering for the last few weeks if its municipal council was going to reject the sledge-hockey and curling sports complex it planned to build, we've learned that decision was expected weeks earlier at senior levels and they were already working on Plan B. The mayor and senior staff were spending the same time wondering if the BC and federal governments, who split VANOC's capital construction financing, would approve a redirection of VANOC's C$20 million grant for the project to the Whistler Olympic Village. That was what Whistler mayor Melamed, pressed about the arena's financing, referred to when he would only say that Whistler was awaiting a decision from the BC government during the lead-up to the sledge-hockey arena vote. The decision, ultimately, was, no, the governments weren't going to redirect the money. One of the things not made public by either VANOC or the IOC following the Torino debriefing meeting held in Vancouver this summer was that the IOC felt there should be 350 more beds made available for the athletic contingent scheduled to arrive for the 2010 Games in the Whistler Athletes Village, currently budgeted at C$130 million to house 2,050 athletes and their team support, but there was word on who was to pay for that request, which would likely cost an extra C$15 million or so. The Whistler Village has not yet been designed, let alone tendered; an architect has not even been chosen as for the project as yet. In addition, the IOC also quietly made the request for more services at the Whistler broadcast and media centres, the specifications of which have not yet been made public. In fact, a news release issued by VANOC at the end of the Torino debriefing said, "The debriefing sessions confirmed that VANOC’s facility legacy vision is on track." However, said Melamed, "At the end of the day... we were unable to secure that promise from the federal and provincial governments,” he said. VANOC has committed to work with Whistler on the financial implications of the increased capacity, Furlong said. Melamed confirms this, noting, "There’s going to be some negotiation. Whistler doesn’t have any more money for additional beds.”

VANOC'S SLIPPERY SLOPES STABLE

A geotechnical report, written by three engineers working for VANOC's consultant Golder & Associates, says that there is a slight risk of problems to portions of the temporary ski jumps VANOC plans to construct at the Whistler Nordic Centre if a major earthquake should happen to occur before or during the four weeks they'll be in use during the Games in 2010. But generally, says the report, given to VANOC last May, the side of the mountain on which the K95 and K125 jumps are to be built is good strong rock that has been there for millions of years, but, it notes, there are some layers of old, fractured rock that will need to be bolted during construction to ensure their stability. The tests were based on the possibility of the largest earthquake to hit the area in 475 years. If one of those hit the area, it's likely people would have a great deal more to worry about that ski jumping. VANOC has the ski-jump construction out for bid, which won't close until September 15. The jumps are to be removed and the mountainside reclaimed after the Games are over because a satisfactory business case for making them permanent wasn't feasible.

BELL SILENT ON CELL-PHONE BROADCASTING PLANS FOR 2010 GAMES

Bell Canada, VANOC's telecommunications sponsor, has nothing to communicate, at least for public consumption, about its own plans for cell-phone broadcasting, after the 2008 Beijing Olympics said today it would used Chinese-developed technology to broadcast its Summer Olympics via satellite to cell-phone subscribers. Bell Canada's associate director of Corporate Communications in Vancouver, Linda Low, would say only that, "Our plans are still in development, so I do not have any definitive information at this time on Bell's mobility offerings in 2010... As we move closer to 2010, our plans will certainly become more solidified." During the Torino Winter Olympics last February, Bell offered live Olympic coverage on enabled mobile handsets for the first time in Canada, but those were clips, not a continuous broadcast. Low adds, "We look forward to continuing to develop technological innovations such as this moving forward and helping to connect all Canadians to the Olympic experience with Bell technology and services." Although the Games are more than three years out, which is a considerable length of time in cell technology time, VANOC has said it expects to freeze in 2007 the technology it plans to use during 2010 for reliability reasons, primarily so that it isn't forced to rely on systems with only a short operational history.

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

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business, VANOC| #1827
MAGAZINE REPORTS ON THE STATUS OF VANOC LICENSING PROGRAM

A lengthy article about Olympic product licenses in the August issue of Licensing Magazine contains an outline of how the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) is working on its own licensing program, which the magazine says VANOC hopes will eventually generate C$600 million in "retail sales."

VANOC began tendering its licensee process on March 15 by posting an expression of interest through BC Bid, the BC government's major bidding service and on VANOC's own website, starting with apparel, followed by headwear and hard goods, all of which have closed. The magazine article, written by Lorri Freifeld, the magazine's managing editor, quotes Dennis Kim, VANOC's director of licensing and merchandising, as saying, "We then review the submissions and invite a number of the companies into the RFP stage, where they submit a written proposal. Then we narrow it further, asking several companies to do in-person presentations. The contract signing follows once we have made a decision -- usually it's a minimum of two months between the application and the granting of the license."

She also quotes him on what VANOC conceptually sees as its licensee criteria, "First, the licensee must recognize that this brand is different. It's not just a sports property or a corporate logo. It must include our visions and values found on our Website. Sustainability is a large part of the program. Second, the company must have operations in Canada, be able to meet distribution demand in Vancouver and nationally, and must contribute financially [to VANOC]."

After a license is granted, Kim told Freifeld, "VANOC meets with the licensee, gives a presentation of the brand essence, creative directions and products we'd like to see. We also look for a marketing plan for the licensee to develop, and the execution it would like to proceed with. Style guides are being finalized now. We meet at least twice a year with licensees." The article reports that all VANOC Olympic licensees also "must comply with social responsibility regulations. For example, the exclusive pin licensee, Artiss Aminco, had to undergo a factory audit," Freidfeld writes. Artiss Aminco is a partnership between Laurie Artiss of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Aminco International (USA) Inc. of Lake Forest, California.

Freifeld reports that in addition to Artiss Aminco, retailer HBC (Hudson Bay Company) is the only other licensee signed on to date, and that's because it's a major corporate sponsor of the 2010 Games, with rights to the Canadian team Olympic marks for Beijing's 2008 and London's 2012 Summer Games, as well as 2010. HBC owns 500 retail stores and its focus has been Vancouver 2010 apparel and hard goods, which have been in the market since June 2005.

The magazine quotes Kim as saying that VANOC left the apparel license wide open so it could either have one vertically integrated company do T-shirts, outerwear, childrens or the like, or individual companies could apply for each of the categories. Freifeld quotes Kim as saying, "This offers both big and small companies the opportunity to obtain the license. The goal is to have all the product categories covered, but we definitely don't want to saturate the market with lots of licensees."

Kim told Freifeld that VANOC is open to new, innovative product ideas, but that it's major business is like going to be pins, apparel, headwear and hard goods. Confectionary, such as boxed chocolate and candy, we reported a few months ago will be offered in a separate RFP process, which Licensing Magazine says will likely be offered this fall. Kim told the magazine that there will be different tiers of merchandise for mass, specialty, and department stores, and that he estimates there will be 30 to 40 licensees for the Vancouver Games by 2010.

The magazine reports the 2010 mascot, which is said to be in the planning stage now, is expected to be launched in "early 2007. Licensees will use the mascot in addition to pictograms (artistic depictions of various sports in the Games)."

Kim reportedly told the magazine, "We're also giving equal prominence to the Paralympic Games. We see it as something we are giving stature and part of how we deliver the Games. It will have its own look. Licensees for the Olympics also will get the Paralympic license. Or companies can just apply for the Paralympic license if they have a history for that."

The Beijing Olympic Committee began its mascot and licensing program about three years out from the start of its Games, last November. The magazine reports that it was aimed at "two types of customers: those who buy the products for their own use and those who buy the products for gifts." Each product must carry an anti-fake label with a unique serial number and is available only in the stores licensed. VANOC has been exploring anti-counterfeiting measures through an expression of interest process issued last February, but it has not yet said whether it has chosen a specific type of technology.

The magazine quotes Beijing officials as saying that, for Beijing Organizing Committee, it's important to keep the images on product consistent once a licensee is chosen, either a manufacturer or a distributor. BOCOG, it says, "holds training seminars for licensees regularly and a trade fair once or twice a year [and they] also have an information system in place to allow licensees to obtain product approval online."

RESOURCES

Our story about VANOC's anti-counterfeit requests:

'2010 Olympic Committee to use anit-counterfeiting devices to ensure its branded products are authentic'
[Morgan:News:2010:Number:1453; Published on Friday, February 3, 2006]

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1826

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

CHINA EXPECTS TO BROADCAST 2008 OLYMPICS TO CELL PHONES

China will start trial broadcasts of TV programs for mobile phones next year and will use the system to show the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a government newspaper reported yesterday. The system, called digital media broadcasting (DMB), will be based on Chinese-developed technology, the China Daily said, citing the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. After trial broadcasts next year, "a satellite system will be activated in the first half of 2008 so that the Olympic Games can be broadcast to mobile-phone users across the country," the China Daily said. China has the world's biggest mobile phone market, with more than 431 million users, according to the government's information. [See RESOURCES, below.]

VANOC SKI-JUMP CONTRACT OFFER ENLARGED

The timeline for VANOC's call for proposals for contractors to build its temporary ski jumps at the Whistler Nordic Centre has slipped slightly. The closing deadline for the RFP 556 is now a week later than when the documents were released earlier this month. The new closing deadline is September 15.

VANOC DIRECTOR SCOTT LEARNS OLYMPIC MANAGEMENT ROPES

Canadian Olympic skiing medal winner Beckie Scott has immersed herself heavily into the management world of the Olympics, and her appointment by the Canadian Olympic Committee as one of its seven directors on VANOC's 20-person Board of Directors earlier this year was just one aspect of that. Scott is also a member of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee a board member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, a member of the Athlete's Commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency as well as being a member of the board of the WADA Foundation, the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport, and the TransCanada Trail and an ambassador for Right To Play organization. During an interview for a newsletter published by the international skiing federation, FIS, she says that, for VANOC, "I've had several meetings around Canada, including a recent tour of the Vancouver 2010 venues. I am looking forward to providing them with feedback from an athlete's perspective. Overall, I am thrilled to help prepare the next Olympics in my home country because my career really started at the 1988 Calgary Olympics where I realized that skiing was what I would like to do, too. So in a way, I started as an Olympian, competed in three Olympics, and am now closing the circle through my work for VANOC." As a result of doping penalties levied against the two skiers ahead of her during the 2002 Winter Olympics, she holds a Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the pursuit, and won a 2006 Olympic Silver medal in the sprint relay before retiring earlier this year. As she puts it, "I am passionate about my role in the anti-doping fight. We have a great group of fifteen highly committed, international athletes on the WADA's Athletes' Commission working for fairer and cleaner sport. For me personally, it is important to ensure that young athletes can continue to believe in their chances to compete and win clean."

RESOURCES

This white paper, a fairly small PDF file posted last November by Texas Instruments, looks at how a generic DMB system works, some of the technical challenges for cell phone manufacturers as a result of using it, and examines some market potential:
focus.ti.com/pdfs/wtbu/ti_digitaltvforhandsets.pdf

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

Morgan:News:2010 |Paralympic| #1825
EDELMAN CHOSEN AS IPC'S PR AGENCY

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has selected Edelman as its primary public relations agency.

Edelman will work for on a pro-bono basis for the IPC, the international governing body of paralympic sport, whose headquarters is in Bonn, Germany.

The IPC reviewed proposals from several firms for this assignment. “We opted to partner with Edelman because of the firm’s unique sport marketing and Games expertise, as well as their global reach,” said Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive Officer. He added that, "Edelman recognizes the value and potential of the Paralympic Movement, and has committed to help us promote our important mission to inspire others through sport, empower athletes and to make the world better for all people with a disability.”

Edelman will support the IPC with work on sports marketing, corporate reputation, consumer and multicultural marketing. The company has offices in Hamburg, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Beijing, London and Toronto, however it will Edelman will co-ordinate the work from Hamburg and New York, starting with the development of a global PR program and then implementing it in Europe and the US, and China, Canada and England, because they are hosting the next three sets of Paralympic Games.

Peter Land, global managing director of Edelman’s Sports & Sponsorship Practice, says his company's staff, which has already worked on various Olympic Games around the world "were seeking to contribute something back to their communities through sports. We will be able to deepen Edelman’s leadership position within the Games environment, and anyone who has been to a Paralympic event or met one of its talented athletes, understands the power and passion of the Paralympic Games. We believe our global network will help strengthen the profile of the Paralympics.”

Since 1984, Edelman has worked on every Olympic Games through numerous clients, including corporate sponsors, national governing bodies, organizing committees, bid cities and athletes. For the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Edelman worked for three worldwide Olympic sponsors, including Samsung, which also became a major sponsor of the IPC this year.

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

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1824

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

RICHMOND SEEKS MANAGER OF OLYMPIC OPS

The City of Richmond is hoping to hire a Manager of Olympic Operations, who will probably be on board by December, to be the second-in-command for its Olympic Business Office. According to the documentation, it's a "strategic role [that] demands an experienced and proven professional who is accustomed to changing environments and big picture thinking. [The person hired] will be empowered to create and implement the many facets of preparing the City of Richmond as a venue city for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games." The job supervises Richmond's sponsorship and business connections to the Games, as well as the protocol and community-relations projects connected with the Games and Richmond's part in it. Richmond hopes to hire somebody with a degree in Sports and Recreation, or Business, and at least five years experience in management, preferably in business. "Relationship-building strengths will be of paramount importance." The job opening closes September 1.

VANOC TO HIRE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR VANCOUVER...

VANOC continues to expand its Communications section. It's now begun the process of hiring a Director of Communications for Vancouver, but the positions responsibilities, at least for the time being, include working on a number of VANOC community-relations jobs in Canada, including Whistler, as well. "Build relationships with key community groups across Canada, integration of western, central and eastern Canada community relations programs... create and direct the Community Relations strategy for Vancouver, greater BC, [and] Canada," as the documentation puts it. The person will also be responsible for setting up a VANOC info centre in a retail area, which is to be operated by volunteers. They'll also be responsible for dealing with VANOC's Speakers Bureau and setting up speaking tours for VANOC officials, working with communities and various communications issues, working with VANOC's sponsors, Olympic, Paralympic and government representatives, as well as with 2010 Legacies Now, as well as keeping the messages consistent when dealing with the federal and provincial government 2010 secretariat offices. The job opportunity closes August 31.

... AND AN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

VANOC's also hoping to hire by the end of the year somebody to help keep internal communications flowing. The Manager of Internal Communications, will work with "an employee base of approximately 2,300 and a volunteer base of 25,000," according to the documentation. Those numbers may be subject to change. It's the first time we've heard that VANOC expects its hired help will number as high as 2,300; up to now VANOC has said it expected to hire about 1,200 by 2009, and that after watching how things went at Torino last February, it was mulling over the possibility of shrinking the volunteer force to about 23,000. The person's job also entails working with VANOC's internal business units to "manage [the] input of functional messages into the strategic internal communications plan [and] liaise with [the] Creative Brand & Services team to infuse VANOC brand, culture, and personality into all internal communications projects and activities." That job opportunity also closes August 31.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 22, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1823

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANOC SPONSORS CONFERENCE SET FOR NOVEMBER

VANOC will be hosting a two-day conference on the 1st and 2nd of November in Vancouver, bringing together all of its corporate sponsors as well as representatives of the governments with which they are working. According to a VANOC spokesman, "It's an internal meeting... to provide them information that will help with their games-time operations."

VANOC SPONSORS TO SET THEIR OWN PARALYMPIC ACTIVITIES -- AFTER SEPT 16

VANOC's sponsorship department has confirmed that will ensure that VANOC's sponsors and governments that have the rights to use its new Paralympic logo will not have access to the new emblem beforehand, but will receive it "as soon as possible after the launch" on September 16 in Whistler. VANOC's marketing co-ordination system requires that those who use it are required to provide an explanation to VANOC of how it will be used before it can be used. As a result, VANOC says, "Our partners have not announced their marketing or activation plans, and each will be making announcements about activations based on their own timelines." This was also the case when VANOC set up a national TV show to unveil its Olympic logo, however the Paralympic unveiling will be during an untelevised event at a Whistler golf course.

COC TO HOST GOLF TOURNAMENT IN WHISTLER IN SEPTEMBER

The Canadian Olympic Committee will host two golf tournaments between now and the end of the year: September 8-9 in Whistler and October 2 in Montreal. A tournament was held earlier this month in Toronto, where about 100 people took part. The proceeds of the charity tournament support the Canadian Olympic Foundation, with 25% being re-invested directly in sport within the community where the event is held. The Foundation provides direct support to Canadian athletes, coaches, national sport federations that belong to the COC, and two programs Own The Podium 2010, for which VANOC is helping to raise funds, and the COC's Road To Excellence project.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 22, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC| #1822
VANOC LETTER TO WHISTLER CALLED FOR CHANGE OF SLEDGE-HOCKEY VENUE

Here is the complete text of the August 18th letter from John Furlong, the CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC), to the council of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), in which he recommends council not proceed with a new sledge-hockey arena complex:

Dear Mayor Melamed and Council:

I write this letter to you in the spirit of partnership to ask you to support a key recommendation we have in respect to the 2010 Games venue program that will help us deliver what we believe can be the most sustainable Games ever. VANOC has appreciated the partnership that your Municipality has shown during the last two months as we have worked through the challenges of meeting the additional capacity requested by the IOC for the Whistler Athletes’ Village and Athlete Centre and the needs for Mountain Broadcast and Media Centres. After much consideration, a careful analysis of all viable options for staging specific Games events and the benefit of our recent Torino Paralympic experience, we have concluded that the construction of a 2700 seat arena in Whistler is not practical, affordable or sustainable.

We do not believe it fair for us to expect Whistler to fund this project to the level that would be required beyond our $20 million earlier commitment when there is another very good and viable option available to us. After careful examination we believe we can achieve an extraordinary Games experience for this sport and the athletes at the new high capacity Olympic arena planned for UBC.

Therefore we respectfully ask that Whistler formally decline the opportunity to build the proposed ice sledge hockey facility in Whistler. While this difficult decision will mean changes to the Paralympic program and concept, our view is that these changes will be good for Whistler, for sport and for the Games, and will also bring the community of Vancouver much closer to the Paralympic Games. We propose, for added balance, that the Paralympic curling events also be moved to Vancouver where a high capacity curling venue for the 2010 Games is being constructed.

Whistler as the main site will still host most Paralympic events (84 events in total) and nightly Paralympic celebrations. The effect of this decision will be broad, significant and positive. It will allow us to return these funds to our construction program contingency to further ensure that every element of our project both in Whistler and Vancouver will be delivered to the highest possible standard.

Here is some background to this request:

At VANOC, we are constantly reviewing our venue program to respond to the realities of the market place and the evolving complex requirements for staging the Games. Our capital program, like every other construction program in the province of BC, has been challenged by significant construction cost escalation. And while we are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the current construction environment, we continue to search for economies, efficiencies and new ways to deliver venues and programs for less cost. Taxpayers expect no less of us.

Our attendance at the 2006 Torino Games and more recently, the Torino Debrief that occurred in Vancouver last month, have provided us with new information about the needs for the Whistler portion of the Games. Initially the IOC had a requirement for approximately 2,050 athletes and team officials in the Whistler Athletes’ Village and now they have raised that figure to approximately 2,400 based on experience from the Torino Games. It has also become clear that there is an increased need for services at the Whistler Broadcast and Media Centres. The Torino Games experience has emphasized the need to accommodate these two critically important groups.

We acknowledge that your Administration has been through an exhaustive exercise of its own to better understand the cost of building a 2,700 seat ice sledge hockey facility in this same extremely challenging construction environment. We are also aware from our discussions that you are concerned about the sustainability of the venue in the community after the Games given these escalating construction costs and associated ongoing operating costs.

In light of these cost challenges, our view is that we should collectively concentrate our efforts on delivering the Olympic Games venues planned for Whistler, the Whistler Athletes’ Village and the Athlete Centre all to the highest standard possible so that all of the Whistler Games’ legacies are fully sustainable long after 2010.

We recognize that Whistler is concerned that the Whistler Athletes’ Village and Athlete Centre in particular are vitally important to your long term legacy interests. Be assured that our funding request to the Province of BC and Government of Canada addresses these key facilities. Therefore we will be working with you and with our partners to achieve the result and legacy we all need and will be proud of.

Let me state categorically that we share your passion for the Paralympic Games. We also believe strongly in our responsibility to make recommendations in the best long term interests of Paralympic sport and the 2010 Games’ commitment to sustainable sport legacies. We learned from the Torino 2006 Games that there is a tremendous spectator interest in ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling that could be accommodated in much larger facilities in 2010. This move would greatly enhance the athletes’ experience and provide much greater public exposure to both sports, particularly given Canada’s gold medal winning performances in both sports in Torino. The state-of-the-art Olympic arena complex at UBC can be easily adapted to accommodate ice sledge hockey and the Hillcrest Olympic curling facility can readily accommodate wheelchair curling.

The new proposed delivery model will bring the added advantages of more spectators and greater profile for the Paralympic Games in Vancouver. Furthermore, the larger stadiums will add great value for television as well. These are significant considerations for sports where Canadian teams have excelled and where we expect to be able to draw national attention and raise support and awareness for these sports along with those that will be hosted in Whistler. All things considered, we see moving ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling as a positive move for all involved.

As you know, we have together been discussing other ways to improve the legacy aspects of the Games in Whistler. In this regard you should know we are now prepared to transfer a minimum of $3 million originally committed from VANOC’s operations budget for temporary night time celebration facilities to assist Whistler in developing a permanent community celebration plaza as a sustainable lasting legacy post-Games. This grant could then be supplemented by the $2 million you will have entitlement to in your contract with VANOC in the event the Paralympic arena is not built. We will also work in partnership with you to help secure other funding that might be needed to develop this facility. VANOC would encourage the Municipality and Whistler Development Corporation to initiate the planning to provide for accommodation of increased athletes and officials in the Whistler Athletes’ Village and Athlete Centre. VANOC will work with Whistler to resolve the financial implications of this additional works.

In closing, we greatly appreciate our partnership with the Resort Municipality of Whistler in the delivery of what we hope will be extraordinary Games. We recognize that only with your ongoing commitment and support will we be successful in this endeavour. We understand and appreciate that this change is a major one for your community, but we believe it is the right decision for Whistler and your 2010 Games partners if we are to deliver extraordinary Games within our financial means. As Whistler has been a lead partner in our pursuit of truly sustainable Games we trust you will see what is proposed as highly positive and enduring.

I very much appreciate your consideration of this request.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 22, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |VANOC, Paralympic| #1821
IPC CALLS UPON VANOC FOR NEW PLANS BY NOVEMBER FOR HOSTING PARALYMPICS

The International Paralympic Committee has called for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to produce a revised plan to host the Paralaympic Games at a meeting in November of the IPC Governing Board.

The IPC meeting is scheduled for November 23-25 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The IPC's call comes after Whistler failed to approve an sledge hockey arena that became increasingly elaborate as planning for it proceeded. Whistler municipal council voted unanimously last night to turn down the arena after learning the complex, as it was designed, would cost C$60 million, and after reviewing an August 18th letter from VANOC CEO John Furlong urging the municipality to reject the concept.

Council last year hesitatingly voted to accept the C$20 million VANOC was offering it to built the ice rink, which would host sledge hockey and wheelchair curling, and begin design and planning for the project which was estimated then to cost about C$35 million.

Those sports, says VANOC, will now be moved to Vancouver as a result of the council decision. Sledge hockey will be played at the new rinks under construction by VANOC and University of British Columbia, and wheelchair curling will be hosted at a new curling rink under construction in central Vancouver by VANOC and the City of Vancouver. However, all of the IPC's alpine events are still scheduled to take place in Whistler.

IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez says: "In the process of the organization of Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, situations like this may arise, but we are confident that the Organizing Committee, as VANOC CEO John Furlong has said, will deliver a new, good concept with viable options.”

A spokesman at the IPC's headquarters in Bonn, Germany, says the IPC is convinced the concept of the so-called "compact Games" in Whistler, which was the centrepiece of VANOC's bid to host the 2010 Paralympics "was still the best one, but acknowledges that VANOC and its partners have arrived to the conclusion that this compact concept is not a sustainable option."

As result, the IPC is requesting "VANOC develop an alternative concept, which should address the full impact of these changes. This new concept will need to be presented for approval to the IPC Governing Board at its meeting."

Some of the impacts mean that there will be more athletes and their team support housed at the Vancouver Olympic Village and less at the Whistler Village, affecting the economics of both, it affects traffic, bus volumes and transport provided by VANOC to and from Whistler, as well as ticket sales, which are expected to be greater with the sledge hockey and wheelchair curling in Vancouver than it would have been at the proposed 2,700 seat arena in Whistler.

Whistler, which gets a C$2 million cancellation payment to help cover the consultant work and other city expenses it has invested in the project, will remain home to the majority of Paralympic events, nightly Paralympic celebrations for a total of 84 events and the Paralympic Closing Ceremony. VANOC has budgeted C$5 million for a permanent plaza on the site, where the awards will be given out during Game time.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 12 to 21, 2010, with about 650 athletes from 45 countries participating in five sports, including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country in addition to he ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 22, 2006

Monday, August 21, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1820
AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE STATE VANCOUVER OLYMPIC ATHLETE'S VILLAGE AS REZONING NEARS

The City of Vancouver is expected to be facing a large inflation of construction costs on the public portion of the Southeast False Creek (SEFC) land development, a part of which is to be the 2010 Olympic Village.

In January, 2005, City staff reported to Council that the estimated costs of the SEFC public infrastructure and amenity package for would be about C$183 million by the time the project is completed in 2018. Staff are expected to tell Council, probably in October, that the cost of the overall project has been escalating at roughly 1.5% per month, and that they now expect it will cost about C$245 million to C$250 million by the time it's finished.

The increased costs are not expected to affect the construction budget of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC). Two years ago, it advanced C$30 million to the City in trust for development of the Olympic Village portion of the project, and the City incorporated that amount into overall funding for developing the much larger housing and commercial area along the industrial foreshore of False Creek between the Cambie bridge and Quebec Street. That much larger area will be temporarily used for staging, storage and other operations of the 2010 Games, but will revert back to the City and developers in March, 2010.

The prospect of the Olympic Village as the core of the new housing and commercial development demanded that the City advance its planning and design for the area to ensure the so-called "public realm" would be consistent throughout the area. That meant the Village portion of the public realm design be constructed and put in place, and the Village built, by November 1, 2009 so VANOC could install its Olympic overlay before the Games begin in February, 2010.

The public realm aspects, paid by the City government, includes road works, traffic management, low and middle income housing, parks, heritage sites, a community centre, a boating facility, a library and child care areas.

Political wrangling and changing requirements by different City councils over the last three years has delayed the project's start to the point where the City engineering department was forced to begin the public-realm design and construction late last year, before a firm, overall budget could be approved by City Council. That overall, much higher-than-expected budget is expected to be brought to Council's attention this fall.

The timing of the development continues to slip, even though the completion and the date of handing over the Village buildings to VANOC on November 1, 2009, cannot move. The Millenium Development Group won the contract from the city to install the buildings that will include those required by the Olympic Athletes Villages. There are to be, under current proposals, a plethora of buildings ranging from five to 13 stories on the site.

As early as last summer, the City, while acknowledging their schedules were aggressive, expected to be holding rezoning hearings last February. As reality kept intervening, that was eventually moved to approaching City Council during one of its September meetings. Millennium is now proposing that City Council hear the rezoning request during its October 16 meeting, with development permit applications for individual structures on specific parcels to go to the City for approval in stages between October and next March. Millennium expects it can make the hand-over deadline for the buildings under its revised schedule but notes that it will be extremely tight, and both the architects and contractors will be under considerable construction pressure when the foundations for various buildings start going in.

Here is the schedule, which has yet to be formally approved by the City, that is proposed by Millennium to start foundation construction of various buildings in various parcels, all within the Olympic Village section of the False Creek lands: Parcel 9, May 1, 2007; Parcels 2, 3, 5, 6 and 10, July 3, 2007; Parcel 4, September 3, 2007; Parcel 11, November 1, 2007. Millennium says that a failure to start by these days on any of the parcels will delay the construction completion by an equivalent amount of the delay. Millennium notes that this schedule is conditional that the City will allow bulk excavation and shoring of the cites before the construction contacts are issued for the individual buildings. Several months would be shaved by taking this fast-track route.

The City is acting as its own developer in providing the public realm areas, and is using the City's unique Property Endowment Fund (PEF) as the entity that was to provide, as of 2005, about C$83 million of the C$183 million. It is not yet decided whether the PEF's contribution will increase, but that was not contemplated by staff last year.

In addition, several parcels of privately owned lands, which border the city-owned lands in SEFC, are also expected to contribute to the public-realm costs. It's now been learned that the development-cost levies for the private lands, because they have less amenities than the City-owned lands, will be about C$32 per square foot, while the PEF, which is covering a much higher set of amenities because the Olympic Village is the flagship, will now be expected to contribute about C$60 per square foot.

In other related news

Rennie Marketing Systems of Vancouver has been contracted by the developer, Millennium, to begin pre-selling the athlete housing, which is to be the legacy component of the Olympic Village and converted to regular apartments after the Games end in March 2010, as early as 2007. And the units will be sold on the condition that those buying the strata-title apartments along the waterfront won't be able to move in until after the 2010 Games are finished and the apartments converted. Rennie Marketing Systems this year has been pre-selling the City's Woodwards project. The 20% of the housing which is for "modest" income is expected to be subcontracted to social organizations, such as BC Housing, to use on the same terms.

The proposed location of the Community Centre, though still on the waterfront, has been shifted much closer to Quebec Street and away from the new Hinge Park under Millenium's rezoning plans, so that the Centre building can be used during the 2010 Games as a location where athletes, VIPs and media can mix without violating the stringent security measures that will be in place to protect the athletes apartments.

Millennium is planning, for the after-Games phase, that the major anchor commercial operations will be a liquor store, a drug store and a pocket-sized grocery store. There is a tug-of-war between the grocery-store consultants and the City Planning department about the location of the grocery store. The out-going planning chiefs want it located between a new street, tentatively called Salt Avenue, which runs east-west just north of the Olympic Village's heritage centrepiece, the Salt Building, and another new parallel street to the north, to be called Front Avenue, in order to provide pedestrian traffic to a plaza just north of the Salt Building. The plaza, under this scenario, would have the liquor store on the west and the grocery store on the east. However, the grocery-store consultants would rather the store be located one block south, so that it has access to the existing and more busier First Avenue, and there would also be better truck-delivery access, as well as better car access.

Most of the 2010 athletes and their officials will be accommodated in apartment buildings that are to be built along Salt Avenue north to Front Avenue, and between Manitoba and Columbia streets, which are to be extended north of Second Avenue into the Village.

There's another tug-of-war between the City and Millennium over the legacy use of the Salt Building itself, whose exterior will need to be significantly rebuilt in order for it to be presentable. The City wants the building used for heritage and other community uses, while the developer wants to market it as specialty retail.

The look and feel of busy Second Avenue from the Cambie Bridge to Main Street is expected to undergo considerable change from its existing use as retail and commercial as a result of a city planning-department decision to line both sides of the wide, busy thoroughfare with trees, including medians that will also feature trees. The effect of the bushy trees would be to effectively hide retail signage from passing vehicles, and thus considerably reduce the commercially lined street's appeal to retail or even non-retail commercial. As a result, there have already been two applications for rezoning along Second in the area south of the Olympic Village. The owners of one block of property on Second, about midway between Cambie and Quebec, are proposing a condominium development that fronts Second, while another owner of a much smaller piece of property is suggesting that it be allowed to put in a convenience store. The City's planning department has decided on the tree-lined street as a way to breath life into the legacy retail areas that will evolve from the Olympic Village, which are all two or three blocks north of Second Avenue. The reasoning is that if retail can be forced away from the north side of Second, the Olympic Village legacy commercial areas will become more important. The City says that while it intends to line the south side of Second Avenue with trees as well, it has no plans to change the overall light industrial zoning of the area south of Second, and expects it to stay as it is for the foreseeable future. The areas south of western and central False Creek, when they were redeveloped in the 70s and 80s, prompted a surge of housing redevelopment along the Fairview slopes south of Sixth Avenue, which is the equivalent of Second Avenue near the Olympic Village.

The Olympic Village has several security layers, with lines drawn on planning department maps to indicate where these levels change. For instance, the outermost security layer starts at the lane to the south of Second Avenue, so that the first level of security includes all of the buildings and properties lining the south side of First Avenue. There is a second line of security that snakes through portions of the Village just outside of where the Athletes housing is located. The type of housing to be built for the athletes has implications for the type of housing that will be available for sale or rental after the Olympics pulls out, and so the location of that security line has cost implications for the developers. VANOC has agreed to move that secondary security line through the middle of parcels 2, 5 and 9 in the Village. The agreement allows buildings north of the line to be included in the Athlete accommodation compound and, as such, makes it possible to use a significant number of "affordable housing" units as part of the Athletes accommodation. The Vancouver Housing Group has agreed these units be constructed in their final configuration -- including finished kitchens -- even though they will be occupied by athletes and their officials during the time VANOC has control over them, between November 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. The pre-installation of these features will allow the units to be quickly made available for housing after March 31. At the moment, VANOC, working with the architects, have found room for 2,427 athletes within the VANOC-approved security zone, but that still leaves 615 athletes outside the high-security boundary. Plans are still evolving over this.

There is a tug-of-war between VANOC and the Millennium Group over the amount of commercial space that VANOC needs for use by the athletes, and the amount of commercial space that the development will be providing for legacy uses. The commercial areas identified on the VANOC master plan for the Village are significantly more than the requirements provided by the Millennium proposal. And the types of grade-level areas VANOC requires for office space and the like during the Games is slotted in the bottoms of residential buildings in the Millennium planning. VANOC isn't happy with that because those spaces will require considerably more fit-out costs during the overlay period at a time when VANOC is trying to keep its budgets from expanding. VANOC is demanding that Millennium have another look at its initial development plans to at least bring VANOC's fit-out costs back to what VANOC considers to be reasonable.

VANOC's sustainability demands are also an issue between it and Millennium. VANOC wants the developer to put more work and effort into not just reducing fit-out costs, but making reusability a stronger factor. The focus, according to VANOC, is to look at modular systems and fixtures that can be reused.

The Vancouver School Board is reportedly having trouble lining up funding for the development of a proposed elementary school on the western edge of the Olympic Village, and the building may not be built before the 2010 Games. VANOC officials feel that it may not be essential the building be available before the Games, but this development is still in flux.

A "Net-Zero" building, with funding assistance from the federal government's Central Mortgage and Housing Authority is to be built as one of the apartment complexes that will become low-income housing rentals. The "Net-Zero" phrase means that the idea of the building's construction would be to produce as much energy as it requires when operating through off-electrical-grid methods, such as solar panels. CMHC says it wants to use the construction of the building to document the policies and practices used, with the idea that the information could be used elsewhere in Canada -- to this point CMHC has only focused on single-family dwellings for this sort of thing -- and to provide VANOC, the City of Vancouver, Whistler and CMHC with a set of practice guidelines to be offered to those developing the 2012 London Summer Olympics and the city eventually chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. CMHC, a federal agency, has agreed to pay for top-up costs to achieve this building.

When the Millennium Group submitted its proposal to the City to develop the Olympic Village, it agreed to provide units of "modest-cost" market housing throughout the Village lands. But it has since revamped that concept. Millennium says that during the planning for the rezoning application that's to go before Council in October, "it became evident the original concept would create "a legal strata tangle," and that "significant subsidies" would need to be paid by the City in order to make those units affordable to those with middle incomes. Millennium is now proposing to construct two stand-alone rental buildings, assuming the City would give Millennium bonus density elsewhere in the project for free as compensation, and allow design features that would reduce the cost of the buildings' construction. These would include limited parking, no building-wide air conditioning, reduced finishes and smaller or fewer windows. The idea is to make these units available for a specific time under a covenant as "modest marketing housing," under a controlled subsidy and market rental program operated by Millennium. Once the covenanted period ends -- and the length hasn't yet been finalized -- the buildings would be returned to Millennium and, presumably, put up for unrestricted strata sale. One of the buildings is in parcel 3. It's a seven-storey building totaling 52,490 square feet and accounting for 58 apartments. Parcel 6 would also host an 18,000 square-foot building with 24 units. Parking would be provided on parcels 3 and 6, but the use of cars for them would be "discouraged" under the guise of sustainability. The bonus density, over the amount specified in the original RFP of the City, would be 107,042 square feet, with 105,000 square feet designated to be used for "modest market housing."

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

Friday, August 18, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Business| #1819
VANOC SPONSOR RONA BUYS WHISTLER AREA HOME-IMPROVEMENT STORES

Rona, of Montreal, one of the 2010 Olympics major corporate sponsors, has bought up three competitor renovation stores in and near Whistler to incorporate into its corporate network.

Rona, (TSX: RON), the 2010 Games' Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home improvement and gardening products, says it has purchased 100% of the operating assets of British Columbia-based Mountain Building Centres Limited, which generates C$22 million per year from stores in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. Squamish is a town about halfway between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea-to-Sky highway; Pemberton is a town just north of Whistler on the same highway.

RONA President and CEO Robert Dutton says that, "adding Mountain Building Centres will strengthen RONA's network north of Vancouver and allow us to better serve the commercial, industrial and institutional sector as well as the home renovator market in the thriving Sea to Sky country. Moreover, as a National Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, it is only fitting that RONA grow its presence in the region that will be hosting a significant portion of the Games. Together with the Mountain Building Centres team, we will proudly lend a hand to help build Canada's Games."

Part of Rona's sponsorship contract calls for it to provide materials for venue construction ordered by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the concept is embedded in a wide range of construction contracts tendered by VANOC.

Mountain Building Centres is a private company founded in 1993 by Brian McIntosh and Ken Pickering. The company employs 60 full time staff. Currently operating under the Tim-BR Mart banner, the store network includes about 5,670 square metres (61,000 square feet) of combined retail/warehouse space and 2.8 hectares (seven acres) of outdoor lumberyard storage. Lumber and building materials represent about 70% of the chain's sales. Rona used its own finances to pay for the company.

The acquisition of Mountain Building Centres follows three other purchases announced by Rona since the beginning of the year. In July, it completed the acquisition of Curtis Lumber, a chain operating six retail outlets in BC and, in April, 51% of operating businesses of Matériaux Coupal with nine points of sale in Greater Montreal. In March, the company also acquired a chain of eight Chester Dawe stores in Newfoundland and Labrador. These four transactions boosted Rona by more than C$306 million in retail sales to its network and added more than 1,060 new employees, expanding Rona's existing reach for 2010 sponsorship activation.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 18, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1818

Here are three moguls we ran into today:

VANCOUVER, SEATTLE MAYORS TO DISCUSS 2010

Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan is in Seattle for two days of meetings and tours with Seattle mayor Greg Nickels, as well as Seattle's 2010 Committee, among others. This is the first meeting of the two mayors. In his meeting with Nickels this afternoon, Sullivan says he plans to "discuss opportunities for Vancouver and Seattle to continue developing a partnership in the lead-up to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and to encourage cross-border tourism before, during and after the Games." Sullivan adds, "Mayor Nickels and I share the belief that the 2010 Winter Games will be a tremendous catalyst for positive changes in the entire Pacific Northwest corridor. I will be speaking with him about opportunities to maintain an ongoing dialogue about cross-border promotion of the Games, and I want to encourage Seattle residents to visit Vancouver to experience the Olympics and Paralympics." Also on the agenda for the mayors' meeting is a discussion about the upcoming passport requirements being introduced by the United States government at its land borders starting January 1. Mayor Sullivan has spoken about the potential impacts of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on cross-border trade and tourism, which are expected to affected 2010 Games attendance.

WHISTLER TO REDUCE RED TAPE OVER OLYMPIC VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT

Whistler council is expected Monday to approve a plan that would legally delegate virtually of its responsibilities for the land on which the 2010 Olympic Village is to be built, except for ownership, to its Whistler 2020 Development Corporation (WDC). The organization is a wholly owned company of Whistler, and its sole purpose is to plan and deliver both the athlete village and the adjacent resident neighbourhood on properly which is collectively called the Lower Cheakamus Community Land Bank. The effect of the transfer is to "streamline all legal matters associated with the development of the buildings on the Athletes Village site," according to Shannon Story, the municipality's manager Of Legislative Services. The transfer doesn't include the ability of WDC to grant mortgages or dispose of the land other than by freehold transfer; council will retain those rights, and it will remain on the land title as the legal owner of the land, but only as a "bare trustee" for WDC.

CBC TO BROADCAST ALPINE SKIING BETWEEN NOW AND 2010

CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster, may have lost out to the competing private network CTV to cover the 2010 Winter Olympics, but CBC has now reached a deal with the international ski federation, FIS, to broadcast Canadian alpine skiing between this coming ski season and that of the one leading into the 2010 Games. CBC will air at least 30 hours of skiing coverage per year, including world championships. he deal also includes multimedia rights, which means CBC can post footage from the competition on the internet. The first coverage under the arrangement will be the World Cup at Lake Louise, Alberta on November 25. Nancy Lee, executive director of CBC Sports, says, "We are committed to showcasing the very best in Olympic Winter sports, and this ensures our viewers will be able to follow Canada's best as they compete against the world, all the way to Vancouver." CBC's arrangement with the IOC to directly broadcast the Olympics in Canada ends with its coverage of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 18, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Government| #1817
WHISTLER AIMS TO CONTROL "TEMPORARY COMMERCIAL USES" FOR 2010 STAGING ON MORE THAN 100,000 SQUARE METRES

The Resort Municipality of Whistler, which estimates at least 100,000 square metres (about a million square feet) of commercial and industrial space will be required to stage the 2010 Winter Games in its community, is expected to start the process of controlling that activity on Monday.

“Zoning Amendment Bylaw Temporary Commercial Uses in Industrial Zones Related to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, No. 1759, 2006," to be first debated in council Monday, enables the municipality "to issue temporary use permits for temporary commercial uses related to, or associated with, the administration and operation of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Whistler municipal staff will ask council during its meeting to approve first and second readings of the bylaw that will allow staff to issue temporary commercial licenses for 2010-related activities in commercial and industrial areas of Function Junction, south of the municipality. The area specifically includes all addresses on Alpha Lake Road, Millar Creek Road and Lynham Road (for zonings affected, see BACKGROUND, for a map, see RESOURCES, both below). After second reading, council are expected to tell staff to hold a public hearing into the implications of the proposal, then bring information from the hearing and the bylaw to council for a final reading that would make the proposal law.

The area affected is a strategic industrial location that's close to the 2010 Olympic Village development, and the exit from the main highway to the Whistler Nordic Centre development. The time limit for a temporary commercial use permit would be decided by Council, or the general manager of Planning and Development.

It appears to be only the first of several such bylaws for specific areas of Whistler, however.

Bill Brown, the municipality's manager Of Current Planning, says, "As demand for temporary uses in other areas of the municipality are identified, further Zoning Bylaw amending bylaws will be brought forward to Council for consideration." Brown adds that, "Only a portion of the total required space will be located in Function Junction. Staff are taking a precautionary approach by limiting the current bylaw amendment to Function Junction. This will allow staff time to develop appropriate protocols for processing temporary commercial use permit applications in a relatively confined and controlled area. Once staff is confident in its processes and procedures and has a better understanding of the type and quantity of temporary uses required for the Games, they will bring forward further zoning amendments to allow temporary uses in other zones."

RESOURCES

The types of zoning affected by the first proposed bylaw dealing with limiting commercial uses in Whistler related to 2010 staging:

IS1 Zone (Industrial Service One)
IL2 Zone (Light Industrial Two)
IL3 Zone (Light Industrial Three)
IA1 Zone (Industrial Auxiliary One)
IS4 Zone (Industrial Service Four)
ILR Zone (Light Industrial Residential)

RESOURCES

A map of the area for Whistler's initial area of control for 2010-related commercial and industrial activities:
tinyurl.com/zhsjy

Originally published to Morgan:News:2010:Gold subscribers on August 18, 2006

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Morgan:News:2010 |Moguls| #1816
ARABIC COUNTRIES COVERED FOR BROADCAST OF 2010 GAMES

The International Olympic Committee reports that the 2010 broadcasting rights for Arabic countries were quietly sold last year to Arab Radio & Television. ART is a sports channel that presents 24-hour on-air coverage of international and local sports. The deal, which included the rights for the 2006 Winter Games held last February in Torino, was for US$400,000 (currently worth about C$448,000), which means the amount generated would be split between the IOC, TOROC and VANOC. ART administrative headquarters is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, its technical headquarters is in Amman, Jordan and its satellite transmission facilities are in Avezzano, Italy. It estimates it reaches about 9% of the population of Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, North and South Yemen, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel (including the the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, for a total Middle-East audience of 9.2 million. And, it says, it also has another quarter-million audience in Europe. That revenue and the Arab-speaking populations of those countries indicate the rights were sold for about C$0.014 per capita, easily the lowest-producing rights sale known so far. The average dollars per capita, so far, for the 2010 Games is C$3.55. Broadcasting contracts for a number of other countries and language groups have yet to be negotiated.

IPC MAY BROADCAST CLIPS OF VANOC PARALYMPIC LOGO LAUNCH

The International Paralympic Committee in Bonn, Germany, says it expects to have an official attending the September 16 launch of VANOC's Paralympic logo, but who it will be is not yet confirmed. The IPC also has a web-TV channel, which it uses to get around the often lack-lustre interest regular broadcast channels have in covering IPC Games and other events. The IPC says it will not be broadcasting the VANOC event live -- and neither will VANOC -- but the IPC hopes to make arrangements for excerpts of the event to be broadcast later on its Internet channel.

WHISTLER MIGHT DECIDE ON 2010 ARENA ON MONDAY

There's speculation that the next decision from Whistler in connection with the 2010 Sledge Hockey arena may be made at the resort municipality's August 21 council meeting, the only regularly scheduled meeting this month. The next VANOC-imposed deadline for whether Whi