About 150 people gathered in downtown’s Victory Park. The complaints about the Olympics were numerous. Many feel that the $6 billion cost of the Olympics could have been better spent on affordable housing, health care, income supports, and social services. When people sober up after the Games, these are the areas likely to be cut. Since being awarded the games in 2003, Vancouver has lost 850 units of affordable housing and homelessness has increased 250%. Like during the Calgary Stampede, the poor will ‘disappear’ during the Games.

An estimated $1 billion alone is being spent on security. Intimidation by police in the lead up to the Games in Vancouver is beginning to resemble Beijing in 2008. Some protestors have been harassed and have even had their homes searched by police. Contrary to earlier statements, it looks though that the police have now agreed that protestors will be able to march on the streets during the Games, but not anywhere near Olympic venues.

The Vancouver Olympic Games were to be the green games, but they are anything but. Once you wade through the green spin you see the horrific truth. Tens of thousands of trees were mowed down to make way for the construction of the Sea-to-Sky Highway and the Olympic venues in the Callaghan Valley. Interestingly during the Olympic bid process, the Vancouver Games were presented as not being automobile dependent. As pointed out in the documentary ‘Five Ring Circus’, these trees died so people can drive to a 3 week Olympic ‘party’.

Of note, a recent poll of British Columbians indicated that only 50% believe that the Olympics will have a positive impact on their province, while 31% said they would have a negative impact and the rest said they were not sure.

Anyway, the last speech at the rally was by a Native women who reminded us that much of British Columbia, Vancouver included, is on unceded and non-surrendered Indigenous territory. The provincial government though continues to sell, lease, and develop Native land, while Natives live in poverty and environmental devastation.

The protestors then proceded to march down East Hastings. The two lanes heading east were taken over. In the middle of the march there was a pickup truck with massive speakers in the back. Sprinkled throughout the rally were people carrying lit torches. All we needed were pitch forks and it would have been perfect. I have to admit it was the first protest I had attended with torches and I loved it. The police who were riding bicycles alongside the protestors didn’t seem to mind. The police throughout the march took an earful from some of the anarchists, who didn’t mince their words. The police just took it all in stride. (For a photo slide show click here, and for a video clip click here).

I had never been through East Hastings at night before. It was surreal. The sidewalks were littered with poverty and drug addicts. Seeing the disparity between the rich and poor in Vancouver was overwhelming. I was embarrassed to live in such a country that has failed so many people. Street after street in East Hastings is lined with wretched hotels and bars. I will never forget looking up and seeing people pop their heads out the lit up windows of their ‘homes’ to see what the commotation down below was all about. The highlight was getting a big cheer from the homeless lining up at a shelter. The protest ended in an intersection joining East Hastings and China Town. Traffic there was snarled in all four directions for a good 30 minutes.

On my way back to my hotel I saw some encouraging signs in East Hastings. Many bus stops have an electronic scrolling sign that said when the next bus was coming. There were also kick ass bike paths, recently installed, beside the sidewalk, that were separated by a barrier from vehicle traffic. Seeing these made me slightly hopeful.

Vancouver has lots of promise. The mayor is Gregor Robertson, a former NDP MLA who was co-founder of Happy Planet smoothy drinks. He rides his bike everywhere, even to meetings throughout the day. Robertson’s goal is to make Vancouver the green capital of the world by 2020. Robertson is using the Olympic Games to wine and dine green energy companies to set up shop in Vancouver. Despite an uproar from drivers, he even led the closing down of a vehicle lane on a major bridge to create a bike-only lane. Drivers have calmed down from their fear of gridlocked traffic when no such thing materialized. I should note that Robertson has many critics who do not think he is going far enough, like significantly reducing traffic and urban sprawl, introducing composting, decreasing the number of homeless etc.

I admired the spunk of protestors in Vancouver. In a city that gets 5,000 people out to critical mass bike rides, they know that they have to be bold in their push for change. Hopefully with their change, Calgary will someday follow.