[LabComm] James calls for made-in-BC Olympics strategy

[BC NDP NEWSWIRE]

-- NDP leader says Premier’s approach to Olympics development creating recipe for failure --

VICTORIA - BC NDP leader Carole James is calling for a new strategy for the Olympics to prevent skilled labour shortages and to ensure the 2010 Games come in on budget.

In a speech to the British Columbia and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council convention today in Victoria, James said a looming skilled trades shortage and Campbell government intransigence threaten to result in catastrophic cost over-runs on the 2010 Olympics.

"Government needs a made-in-BC Olympics strategy that includes all stakeholders to ensure we get the most from our investment in the Games," said James.  "This is one of the largest construction projects in British Columbia's history. A project of this size is an enormous opportunity but also an enormous challenge.  Done wrong, the Olympics can wind up being a huge burden on taxpayers and another source of division.  

"The Campbell government's approach is creating the conditions for failure. The Minister responsible, John Les, has refused to sit down and establish partnerships and a mutual understanding of how best to complete projects on time and on budget," she said.  “The Sydney Olympics should be our model here, not Atlanta or Athens.”

"The government has ignored the NDP's proposal to give BC's independent auditor general the job of watching over Olympic costs to protect taxpayers. And the government's Olympic plans are already being overtaken by reports of spiralling cost overruns that are putting key projects at risk," said James.

"Moreover, the labour relations climate fostered by the Campbell government is poisoning the environment in which important decisions about the Olympics are being made."

James said the premier's approach to the RAV line is indicative of his government's incompetent handling of Olympics infrastructure construction. 

"Rather than work to find the best solution for the Lower Mainland, Mr. Campbell wasted two years insisting - on ideological grounds - that RAV go ahead only as a privatization project and without making an adequate financial case," said James. 

"Now that RAV has been turned down by local government, the premier has withdrawn provincial funding and, with that, is risking federal matching dollars. Mr. Campbell needs to commit to funding Lower Mainland transit expansion instead of playing politics.

"The Games are an historic opportunity to showcase the best of British Columbia to the world, and an opportunity to establish a lasting social, economic, and athletic legacy for our province and country. To succeed, we need a new approach."

James said government needs to foster a climate of partnership and creativity to ensure the Games reflect BC's culture of innovation, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship, and our shared sense of community. Government also needs to establish new apprenticeship and training opportunities for the thousands of workers who will make the Games a success - from the people who build the facilities to those who will welcome the guests.

"Community involvement, business involvement, and labour involvement today equals Olympic success six years from now," says James. "The Olympics can't be the private preserve of a few.  They must become a common project for every British Columbian."

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Media contact: Scott Perchall 604-862-7747

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