JEREMY BOSCH
Sports Writer

VANCOUVER — With only days remaining until the opening of the Olympic ceremonies, there is a distinct buzz in Vancouver. But not everyone in the city is excited about what is coming.

By Feb. 12, downtown Vancouver will be almost completely shut down as many of the major arteries in and out of the downtown core will be closed for security reasons. Vehicle transportation has already been restricted on avenues near General Motors Place and the Athletes Village. Not everyone can put their lives on hold for two weeks during the Games.

“I am a teacher; I have to drive every day to Coquitlam (Vancouver suburb). Schools aren’t shut down,” said one downtown resident.

“I don’t know how I am going to get to work,” added the Vancouverite.

Another frustrating aspect, parking at downtown metres will now cost $6 an hour in some areas. This comes after a large increase to parking fees that started on Jan. 1, just in time for the Games. It is easy to see why some Vancouver residents, especially those who are not big sports fans, see the Olympics as a giant nuisance rather than a celebration.

A mild winter on the Pacific Coast is also causing concerns. Rain and unseasonably warm weather at Cypress Mountain, the site for many of the snowboarding and freestyle events, has melted most of the snow. A recent 20 centimetre dump has helped but rain has continued to fall over the last few days, destroying any natural snow accumulation.

The lack of any white stuff has propelled the Games’ organizational body, the Vancouver Olympic Committee into full-on emergency mode.

According to VANOC officials, The game plan is to use helicopters to transport straw bales to the venues, drop them into place, and then cover the bales with artificial snow to make the courses. Also, snow from higher elevations will be used if necessary.

Despite concerns that some snowboarding and freestyle skiing events might have to be moved last minute, it appears, at least for now, that all the events at Cypress will go as planned.

Tim Gayda, VANOC’s vice president of sport, says alternate plans are in place in case spring decides to present itself in full force during the Games’ alpine events.

“The plan to stage the freestyle and snowboard events on Cypress Mountain is continuing full steam ahead,” said Gayda.

“We’ve made great progress in preparing the venue thanks to our team that’s been working night and day to deliver on the contingency plan we had ready,” added Gayda.

Without a doubt, organizers, athletes and fans in Vancouver are nervously waiting to see what the final product of Canada’s Olympic Games will look like.

For now, an interesting balance between excitement and frustration permeates the cloudy Vancouver atmosphere.

For many Vancouverites, the excitement of hosting the world is overwhelming and an enthusiastic celebration for Canadian athletes. For others, the Olympics will be nothing more than a two-week party full of staggering consequences that include astronomical budget deficits, transportation grievances, human rights issues surrounding homeless people and Aboriginal land claims.

Now only a handful of days away, residents of Vancouver — and Canadians in general — are going to get the Olympics whether the Games are welcomed or not.

One thing is certain. The Olympics are likely going to be memorable for everyone in Vancouver; it just might not be for the same reasons.

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photo: Jeremy Bosch