Hard legacies from 2010 Olympics tough to come by

VANCOUVER - How the tale of the two cities hosting the 2010 Olympics will end is anyone's guess, with many predicting the legacy will be a mix of the best and worst of times.

But in the cities outside Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., some people are less convinced it's an ending that will see them living happily ever after.

While both host cities and those nearby are getting millions in new and upgraded infrastructure, including badly needed housing, some on the outskirts of Olympic glory say they're getting hardly anything at all.

In Squamish, B.C., which sits along the Sea-to-Sky highway between the Vancouver and Whistler, Mayor Ian Sutherland rails against what he says are broken promises leaving his town bereft of lasting physical legacies from the Games.

A new ferry terminal and service was promised to transport spectators to Squamish, where they were then to transfer to Whistler by bus.

That plan was cancelled.

An ice arena for Paralympic sledge hockey was also supposed to be built.

That plan was cancelled.

Organizers briefly floated the idea of housing media on cruise ships nearby, which would give the town of about 15,000 massive media exposure.

That plan was cancelled.

Squamish was also supposed to be a transportation hub, where buses going to Whistler would stop for people to get a chance to visit on their way to Olympic events.

That's also been scrapped.

"At the end of the day, it's a fair amount of frustration for the people who live in Squamish," said Sutherland, who is running as a Liberal candidate in the current federal election.

But he said it wasn't organizers' fault entirely.

Some things just fell through, while others just weren't going to work.

On their end, organizers admit it's unfortunate that some of the proposed plans for Squamish won't materialize, but they're confident the town can still reap long-term benefits from the Games.

"We don't measure the Olympics in terms of hard legacy only," said Terry Wright, director of Games operations for the organizing committee.

"There's community spirit and cultural growth and opportunities to participate and opportunities for youth to get closer to it, all of these things come together in terms of how communities benefit from an event like this."

Squamish is still on the Olympic gravy train, even if it's moved back a few cars.

The volunteer centre for the Games has been set up there and with a shortage of hotel rooms in Whistler and Vancouver, the city will also likely house spectators and volunteers.

Organizers point out legions of workers from the area are supporting Olympic construction and service efforts.

People in the Sea-to-Sky corridor and especially in Squamish are being targeted to volunteer at the Games as well, giving them coveted access to venues and events.

They'll also benefit long term from the $600 million being spent to upgrade the highway.

Then, there's Pemberton.

The village is a scant thirty minutes north of Whistler and when the bid book was being put together for the Games, its population hovered around 800 people.

Lobbying efforts to be directly connected to the Games were few and with the land outside their boundaries set aside strictly for agricultural use, development possibilities were limited.

Now, it's village of over 2,000 and is home to much of Whistler's workforce, but still has no official connection to the Games.

"In terms of 'bricks and mortar' legacies, there are none at this point and no distinct plans that I know of to officially benefit from the Games," said local realtor Lisa Ames.

"There is, however, still a small window of opportunity to take advantage of the momentum being created by the Games and tap into some corporate sponsorships from companies who want some name recognition but are not associated with (the organizing committee)."

The organizing committee couldn't simply build concrete legacies everywhere, said Wright.

"The mandate that (the organizing committee) has is to stage the Games in the most responsible manner it can. That's the expectations of our government and sport owners and of the public and of the taxpayers," he said.

"We're not funded to spread legacy throughout in terms of hard legacy throughout all the communities we touch."

He said the committee continues to work with Pemberton and Squamish to help harness benefits from the Games.

Pemberton officials are also doing their part.

They've reworked bylaws so that vacant space could be used for Games-related business and are expanding events like their annual winter festival to capitalize on the Games' spirit.

Many of the hotel rooms in the city have also been booked by Games-related staff, though only a small number are for Olympic officials themselves.

Mayor Jordan Sturdy is confident the town will benefit, even if how they do it is largely up to them.

"I think at the end of the day we'd very much like to see this be a positive experience for our community," Sturdy said.

Pemberton also received $300,000 from the provincial government to set up celebration sites for the Games.

The town will use the money to build a youth centre and install new audio visual equipment, as well as upgrade an existing community centre.

Circling the communities of Squamish and Pemberton are also two aboriginal bands who are profiting handsomely from the Games.

They signed a deal with the federal and provincial governments worth an estimated $20 million for land and resources to build a cultural centre and provide other services.