Vancouver View - Test Event for Women's Hockey; Bank Hires Advisor

The women's Hockey Canada Cup suffered from sparse crowds. The U.S. beat Canada 2-1 for the gold medal on Sept. 6. (ATR/B. Mackin) Women’s Hockey Test Event Held

The five-day, 10-game Hockey Canada Cup women’s tournament drew an estimated 28,000 fans, according to VANOC.

The United States edged Canada 2-1 in the Sept. 6 final at GM Place, the main Vancouver 2010 hockey venue. The gold medal match attendance was announced as 8,137, which is less than half the capacity of the 18,630-seat arena. The U.S. also beat Canada Sept. 3 before 6,833 fans.

Canada drew a combined 4,572 for its preliminary round routs of Finland and Sweden. Tickets started at $10 plus service charge.

VANOC had a $14.8 million test event budget. The other 17 events drew 70,000 spectators.

VANOC deputy CEO Dave Cobb said in August that approximately 1.4 million tickets have been purchased or reserved with deposits for the Feb. 12-28 Winter Games.

Bank HiresFirst NationsLeader as Advisor

Assembly of First Nations grand chief Phil Fontaine has been hired as an advisor by Royal Bank of Canada. (Getty Images)Royal Bank of Canada, the co-sponsor of the Vancouver 2010 torch relay, hired former Assembly of First Nations grand chief Phil Fontaine as an advisor on Sept. 2.

Fontaine retired from the post in July and was replaced by B.C. chief Shawn Atleo. During his term, Fontaine achieved the historic 2008 apology from the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper for decades of abuse at boarding schools for native children and youths.

At the time, Fontaine said protests similar to those that dogged the Beijing 2008 relay in Europe and the United States could happen in Canada to draw attention to aboriginal poverty. “We find the Tibet situation compelling,” he said. “Our efforts to establish a healthy respectful relationship with this government are not compelling enough.”

A Vancouver-based aboriginal youth movement has threatened to protest the torch relay and has called for a continent-wide convergence of indigenous people in Vancouver during the Games.

Meanwhile, 16 public and private schools across Canada were awarded 20 spots each on the torch relay by RBC.

B.C. Place GM Denies Knowledge of Janitor Death

The general manager of ceremonies venue B.C. Place Stadium claimed he knew nothing about the death of a janitor until almost two years after it happened.

Howard Crosley said the Nov. 13, 2006 collapse of a Modern Cleaners’ worker at B.C. Place and her subsequent death in hospital “came up to my attention” after a worker notified WorkSafeBC on Oct. 6, 2008.

The Workers’ Compensation Act states employers must immediately report severe injuries or deaths of workers.

“We neglected to (report) it, I guess,” Crosley said. “I don't know why we didn't do it. It should have been done, but it wasn't.”

The worker’s death came just over six weeks before the stadium roof ripped and collapsed because the snow-melting system was not activated.

Modern continues to work for B.C. Place, despite the 2006 incident and older safety issues.

Minutes of a Dec. 20, 2004 B.C. Place health and safety committee meeting attended by Crosley said there was a “grave concern” because Modern workers had no radio communications and inadequate first aid coverage.

Work on Media Center Completed

Work is wrapping up on the main media center at Canada Place.

Premier Gordon Campbell re-opened the 1986-built east wing of the Vancouver Convention Centre on Wednesday by unveiling the Harbour Concourse and Moon Journey, a granite, floor mosaic in the lobby.

The $35.5 million concourse connects the April-opened western expansion that will host the international broadcast center.

The $813.5 million project was $357.4 million over-budget.

“This is an exceptional treasure trove of richness,” Campbell said of the First Nations art.

Russians Are Coming to the PNE

The Russian Sochi 2014 House at Science World isn’t the only place for Russian hospitality at Vancouver 2010.

A Toronto-based event promoter is renting a building and meeting Anatoly Bondarev, chairman of the Russian House 2010 organizing committee in Vancouver. (ATR/B. Mackin) room at the Pacific National Exhibition site. Anatoly Bondarev hopes to draw 35,000 to 50,000 people from Feb. 12-28 to enjoy a Russian exhibition of art, sport and culture.

Bondarev said Russian House 2010 is endorsed by the Russian Olympic Committee.

The nearby Pacific Coliseum is the site of Olympic short-track speedskating and figure skating. VANOC is also using the Agrodome, Rollerland, Forum and livestock barns.

VANOC Selling Paralympic Tickets

VANOC is selling 30,000 tickets to the 2010 Winter Paralympics to school groups for $5 each.

The Ticket to Inspiration program is intended to fill seats that would otherwise be empty for 15 daytime events during the March 12-21 Games for athletes with a disability. Deadline to apply is Oct. 2. Bus transportation grants will be available.

First B.C. Spirit School Named

False Creek elementary was named B.C.’s first Spirit School Sept. 8 in an optional campaign to encourage physical activity, healthy eating and classroom lessons about the 2010 Winter Games.

The $460,500 campaign comes in the wake of a $119,700 cut to the provincial governing body of high school and elementary sports.

“Very difficult decisions were made around sports funding, that was the ministry of healthy living and sport,” said education minister Margaret MacDiarmid.

B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Irene Lanzinger said Sharing the Dream: Teachable Moments for the 2010 Classroom is a promotion with questionable education value. She said all aspects of the Olympic movement need to be taught, including doping, corruption and corporate sponsorship.

With reporting from Bob Mackin in Vancouver.

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