Vancouver View -- Canada's Leadership Drama Escalates, Vancouver Mayor Takes Office Next Week

If Prime Minster Harper is forced out, Stephane Dion will lead Canada until May 2009. (Getty Images)Canada Moving Toward New Leadership

Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion is poised to become Canada's interim prime minister as soon as Dec. 8 if a confidence motion is allowed to stand.

On Monday, the Liberal and New Democratic parties signed a formal agreement, which the Bloc Quebecois agreed to support, in an effort to oust the Conservative minority government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The parties agreed to govern together until at least June 30, 2010.

If the group is successful, it will be the first change in the federal government without an election since 1926.

Harper-led candidates won 143 of the 308 electoral districts in the Oct. 14 election, but the opposition parties have a combined 163 seats. Coalition talks were spurred by the Conservative quarterly financial statement which included a plan to end a $1.95 per vote political party subsidy and ban federal workers' strikes for three years.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean is expected to solve the constitutional crisis by accepting Dion's coalition proposal instead of ordering a new election, but the Conservatives could ask her to recess Parliament until the late January delivery of a fast-tracked budget.

Dion will not, however, be the Olympic Prime Minister. Liberal members will choose a new leader on May 2. The coalition government is expected to replace Peter Brown, Jacques Gauthier and Carol Stephenson, the three Conservative-appointed federal directors on VANOC's board.

The federal government has committed $654.65 million in 2010 Games' spending and is the dominant backer of the RCMP and Canadian Forces security effort. Security was originally pegged at $175 million, but costs have ballooned to somewhere between $400 million and $1 billion.

New Vancouver Mayor

Vancouver's new mayor, Gregor Robertson, will be sworn in Dec. 8.

Gregor Robertson will be sworn in as mayor of Vancouver on Dec. 8.Robertson, of the left-wing Vision Vancouver party, won the Nov. 15 civic election. He promised to disclose the financing of the Southeast False Creek Olympic Village after a leaked report revealed the city council voted in secret to loan $100 million to developer Millennium.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported that city finance director Estelle Lo resigned Oct. 29 and received $220,000 severance after a dispute with city manager and VANOC Director Judy Rogers about village financing.

Robertson could remove Rogers and Jeff Mooney from the VANOC board.

Olympic Transportation Plan Released

The City of Vancouver released its draft transportation plan for the 2010 Games -- 10 days after the civic election.

The plan, released Nov. 25, shows RCMP-dictated closures of the elevated Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and streets around General Motors Place, B.C. Place Stadium and the Southeast False Creek Olympic Village. Smaller no-go security red zones are also near the Pacific Coliseum (short-track speedskating/figure skating) and Vancouver Olympic Centre (curling).

"Now we need to be able to get feedback from our public, our residents and our businesses to make sure we've minimized the impact," said Dale Bracewell, the city's Olympic transportation director.

City hall says it needs to reduce vehicle traffic by up to 35 percent during the Games so that streets and bridges can accommodate VANOC's fleet of 2,300 vehicles and 1,000 motorcoaches plus TransLink buses. It hopes public transit can carry the load. By 2010, the Canada Line, a third SeaBus passenger-only commuter ferry, 48 new SkyTrain rapid transit cars, 180 new buses and a temporary Bombardier streetcar will be in service. More than a quarter million visitors are expected at Games-time.

A city map shows a network of lanes restricted to Olympic traffic, expanded rush hour parking bans and pedestrian and cycling routes. The map doesn't show bridges to the suburban North Shore or Richmond. VANOC and the Ministry of Transportation both dodged answering questions about this.

"We have been asking for information from both the city and the RCMP but, to date, we have not had any information other than to say that they will let us know at some point in the distant future," said False Creek Residents Association co-chair Patsy McMillan, who lives at Citygate. "Perhaps after February 2010 itself?"

The comprehensive VANOC transportation plan was originally expected by the end of 2007 but is a work in progress that won't be done until March 2009. London 2012, by contrast, asked for public input on a draft plan in 2006.

"We have five very, very tough months ahead of us," said VANOC Executive Vice President Terry Wright in October.

RCMP Seeks Rent-a-Cops

The RCMP Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit is looking for private security companies to staff the airport-style checkpoints at all Vancouver 2010 venues. A Dec. 11 bidders' conference The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are planning to utilize private security for assistance in 2010. (Getty Images)is scheduled for the 2010 Commerce Centre in Vancouver's Robson Square.

The value of the contract was not listed, but RCMP documents from April 2007, obtained via public disclosure laws, estimated labor for pedestrian and vehicle screening would cost more than $34 million. Last spring, the RCMP told security companies that it needed 650,000 to 900,000 hours of service from January to March 2010. The Vancouver 2010 bid book, written in 2002, estimated there would be 3,700 RCMP and 3,000 contract security personnel among the Games' force of 12,350.

Worries about a lack of B.C.-licensed security guards were calmed in July when premiers of Canada's 10 provinces and three territories agreed to relax trade barriers and recognize all licensed workers from other provinces or territories.

Countdown to 2010, Lottery Style

Sportsfunder Countdown to 2010 lottery winners won't be empty-handed if General Motors can't deliver vehicle prizes, says the B.C. Lottery Corporation's president.

VANOC sponsor BCLC would substitute cash for cars if the struggling automaker drives into bankruptcy. "We're anticipating GM will be with us right to the bitter end," Mike Graydon said at the game's Dec. 1 launch.

The $20 scratch-and-win tickets are marketed as a Christmas stocking stuffer for those unable to buy 2010 Winter Olympics tickets. GM vehicles, Air Canada trips, Panasonic electronics and cash are also up for grabs instantly or in a March 2 draw. Each of the 500,000 tickets printed comes with an Artiss Aminco-supplied 2010 Games souvenir pin. Proceeds aid amateur sport.

…Briefs

…VANOC is struggling to find accommodation for its workforce near Whistler. It began seeking bids on Nov. 28 for small cruise ships to accommodate 300 to 500 people. Vancouver 2010 mascot Quatchi hides behind a rack of Mukmuk the marmot dolls which went on sale Thursday at the Bay downtown. Mukmuk remains a "virtual sidekick" because it only exists as a doll and online. (ATR/B.Mackin)The deadline is Jan. 7. VANOC has rented a 449 ft. berth at Squamish Terminals from Jan. 1-March 10, 2010. A 2006 plan to house international media aboard a cruise ship at Squamish was nixed by the International Olympic Committee.

…Mukmuk the Marmot is now for sale. But the cyber sidekick of year-old Vancouver 2010 mascots Miga, Quatchi and Sumi isn't ready for full-size treatment. Dolls of the orange toque-wearing rodent were launched Nov. 27 to celebrate the first anniversary of the unveiling of the mythical seabear, sasquatch and thunderbird. "He deserves to come out of the TV," said Vicki Wong, co-designer of the First Nations-inspired, Japanese-style mascots.

…On Nov. 27, the Omega-sponsored Olympic countdown clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery lost power. It has been the target of anti-Olympic vandalism on at least three occasions, but VANOC said it was a technical glitch. The Paralympic countdown clock, which is separate, was not affected.

…Hockey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation are planning a 58,000-square foot hospitality centre across from General Motors Place. Vision Co. of Toronto is seeking contractors to design and build Hockey House Live! by the shores of False Creek. An official announcement is expected during the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa, Ontario. The request for proposals says it will be "a signature venue and one of the most memorable activities" of the Games for corporate hospitality, live concerts and private events. Hockey Canada Vice President Johnny Misley said it will be "the epicenter of hockey" in 2010, but declined to talk costs.

…The City of Vancouver wants to turn Library Square's atrium into the $1 million host city pavilion during the Games. City council hired consultant brand.LIVE Management Group for $53,550 to plan the free admission venue. The group was involved in production of the adidas pavilion in Beijing. A staff report said access to the library and existing businesses would be maintained. However, city spokeswoman Lesli Boldt said, "It's premature for us to speculate on what the impacts on library service might be."

…There could be as many as 200,000 revelers in downtown Vancouver to enjoy nightly Olympic celebrations, according to City of Vancouver Emergency Management Director Kevin Wallinger. Wallinger spoke at the Pacific Northwest Emergency Preparedness Conference Nov. 26. He wouldn't comment on security or safety threats for Vancouver, but said "We want to plan for the most probable. Whether it's power outages, winter storms, traffic congestion [or] accidents."

Wallinger said weather and crowd size can be anticipated for February 2010, but authorities need to be ready for unknowns, such as changes in management, VIP visits, impacts of world events and accidents. "If it's a traffic accident, if it happens during the Olympics, someone's going to draw attention to it and somebody's going to say it has something to do with the Olympics," said Wallinger, the former director of the provincial Integrated Public Safety Unit.

With reporting from

Bob Mackin in Vancouver.

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