Performance Reporting

Core Business Area: Olympic Bid and Community Initiatives

Goal: British Columbia is host to the 2010 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

The Olympic Games have the potential for substantial positive economic impact on British Columbia and the rest of Canada. A study by the Ministry of Competition, Science and Enterprise indicated that winning the bid for Vancouver/Whistler, combined with an expanded convention centre in Vancouver, could generate up to $10 billion in direct economic activity. The study also estimated over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created across the province resulting in additional tax revenues up to $2.5 billion. Other major benefits include permanent community and sports legacies.

Community Initiatives and the Vancouver Agreement are working to address the long-standing challenges facing low-income communities in Vancouver, particularly in the Downtown Eastside. The Olympics are viewed as an opportunity to support economic development in this area. The ministry supports the Vancouver Agreement by providing funding and support such as expertise in policy and strategic planning, and facilitating intergovernmental collaboration.

Objectives and Strategies

Objective 1: The Vancouver Bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games receives coordinated provincial support.

Key Strategies Undertaken:

• Funding and advice were provided to the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation.
• Pledges for private and public financial support for the Olympic Games were secured.
• Responses to technical questions raised by the International Olympic Committee with regard to the bid book were provided.
• The 2010 Winter Olympic Games Secretariat was established to replace the 2010 Bid Secretariat.

Objective 2: An enhanced sports system in British Columbia.

Key Strategies Undertaken:

• Provincial sports infrastructure projects were developed.

Projects were developed through partnerships with LegaciesNow and others to strengthen the BC sport system. This included supporting the World Junior Hockey Championships and the Spirit of 2010 Hockey Tournaments and developing a sport website, SportFit, an Internet-based program aimed at improving physical fitness in children attending grades 4 through 7. Another project was the Esteem Team, a national non-profit role model program made up of Olympic, Paralympic and World Class athletes who speak to young people about life skills like goal setting, overcoming obstacles, making positive choices and having a healthy, active lifestyle. The presentations are complemented with a school resource and website.

Led by the TELUS Whistler Sport Centre, the promotion and development of Olympic and Paralympic winter sport has taken place across the province through increased exposure, administrative help, and/or coach and athlete development. More than 200 athletes participated in a winter sport development clinic.

The ministry also supported other initiatives such as the Action Schools! BC initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Health Planning, the Ministry of Education, University of British Columbia and the 2010 LegaciesNow Society. The program is designed to help keep school children physically active by providing additional resources for physical education teachers.

Objective 3: Partnerships for an integrated approach in achieving community revitalization and supportive social infrastructures.

Key Strategies Undertaken:

• The ministry partnered in the Vancouver Agreement to revitalize the Downtown Eastside.
• Opportunities resulting from the 2010 Games were identified for new initiatives for Vancouver's inner city.

Explanation of Variance:

An investment of $10 million from the federal government in the Downtown Eastside under the Vancouver Agreement resulted in an increase in number of initiatives.

As part of the Olympic Legacy Fund, $10 million was invested in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) by the federal government to match funds paid by the provincial government in fiscal 2002/03. A number of other initiatives under the Vancouver Agreement brought resources to the DTES in the areas of shelter, housing, employment, training and services. These initiatives were: the Interurban Gallery, Pathway OneStop Employment Information Centre, Aboriginal Connection to Employment Program, Gastown Bike Race, Aboriginal Mother Centre, re-design of the Carnegie Community Centre, Lifeskill Centre, Community Economic and Development Centre, Aboriginal Front Door, the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Carnegie Community Centre, a Diversity Workshop and Business Incubator. These initiatives resulted in increased jobs for local residents, improved health status for residents and increased economic activity in the areas of the DTES that have been economically depressed.

The ministry also entered into agreements with multiple funding partners for the BladeRunners program, taking it from a provincial program to a public-private partnership. The program assists at-risk youth (80 per cent Aboriginal) by providing employment and on-the-job training opportunities. The partnership is expected to increase participation by 30 per cent. In 2003/04, 120 youth benefited from the program in four communities.