Vancouver City Council

NOTICE OF MOTION

MOVER: Councillor Sam Sullivan
SECONDER: Councillor Peter Ladner

Whereas the City of Vancouver entered into the Bid City Agreement with the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Participation Agreement with the Province of British Columbia to pursue a bid on behalf of Canada for the 2010 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games, and;

Whereas the hard work of the previous provincial government and Vancouver and Whistler's community leaders and athletes has resulted in Vancouver being the only Canadian city permitted to compete for the Games with Calgary and Quebec City being eliminated by Vancouver, and;

Whereas the City of Vancouver has entered into a Multiparty Agreement with Canada, British Columbia, Whistler, Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee in respect to hosting the Games as well as agreements to serve as venue hosts, and;

Whereas we are entering into a particularly sensitive stage of the selection process in which Vancouver is one of only three cities remaining in the competition;

Whereas the International Olympic Committee is seeking a credible and reliable host that will act responsibly to safeguard the integrity and recognize the importance of the Olympics and Paralympics and honour agreements entered into in respect to the Games, and;

Whereas the very act of entering into a plebiscite process that could be perceived around the world as showing a lack of enthusiasm and an inability to recognize the value and importance of the Olympics and Paralympics seriously jeopardizes our chance of winning the Games; and

Whereas the City of Vancouver, other municipalities, the provincial government, the federal government, local and national corporate sponsors, leading citizens, sports organizations, volunteers and others have committed significant volunteer time and have raised $34 million over the last five years in an effort to win the rights to host the 2010 Olympic Winter and Paralympics Games; and

Whereas entering into a plebiscite process after five years of convincing other governments, agencies and individuals to commit resources to our effort could potentially expose the city to significant lawsuits from sponsors and would jeopardize our partnerships with other levels of government in numerous other areas such as a drug addiction, social housing and transportation infrastructure, and

Whereas the Inclusive Olympics Committee is working with the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics to be a model of social sustainability; and

Whereas the Games will result in $86 million of direct expenditures on community sports and events facilities as well as non-market housing, all east of Cambie Street in the City of Vancouver, spending which is not otherwise in the city budget; and

Whereas the City of Vancouver taxpayers are fully indemnified by the Province of BC against any cost overruns; and

Whereas all polls to date show majority support for the Olympics and Paralympics by the citizens of Vancouver; and

Whereas the previous council has endorsed the Bid and signed agreements committing the City to hosting of the Games

Therefore be it resolved that Vancouver City Council express its unequivocal support for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Bid and recommends full support of the bid to the citizens of Vancouver.

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