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Spending Vancouver's new Olympic capital

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson heads east to Ottawa this week, to spend some of the political capital that he and the city have amassed during the successful run of the 2010 Games.

On his shopping list: a national housing strategy to help Vancouver's homeless, and greater funding for transit, both from the federal and B.C. governments.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Mr. Robertson said he hopes momentum from the Olympics will pave the way for commitments on both fronts.

“We suppressed expectations and then we had a home run. It feels like we knocked this one out of the park. Now that it's happened, we have to capitalize on that. We need to take a deep breath and focus on the follow-up.”

He'll be looking for the federal government to spend significant amounts on social housing – and ties that need directly to the Games. “I am hopeful that I can drive a commitment to a national housing strategy to help us meet the commitments that were part of the Olympics,” said the mayor, as the Games wound up and he prepared to launch what he sees as the next phase.

Second point to press: more provincial and federal funding for transit, with the mayor drawing connections to the Olympic experience.

“The appeal of transit in the Games was off the charts,” said Mr. Robertson, who himself managed to get around to 99 per cent of his official and unofficial duties by bike and transit, as he usually does.

“We've demonstrated on the transportation front that if we supply the transit options, people will leave their cars at home. But we need the investment from the province and the feds,” Mr. Robertson said

And third big item on the to-do list: Establish Vancouver as the emerging hotbed of green businesses.

Mr. Robertson, who spent a considerable amount of his time during the Games schmoozing 100 specially invited executives from 70 companies around the world, said he believes several of those companies will be committing investments to the region in the very near future.

“It's been a grand success on the economy front. This showed that Vancouver and Canada are ready to take on a more robust leadership position in the grand economy.”

The city will need to make sure it leads the way in following up on those opportunities, which will take work, he said.

“I'm mindful of the additional workload and logistics to manage growth.”

In spite of all that forward-thinking, the mayor, like many others in the city, is still flooded with the euphoria that the past 17 days produced.

It wasn't even the sports wins that wound him up. (Nor the many Twitter posts from visiting female Olympics fans commenting on how “hot” the mayor of Vancouver was.) His favourite day was the Friday after the Games started.

“We shattered transit records. The sun was shining. There were 180,000 people in the streets. We had a series of focused meetings on business investments. It was like a grand-slam day.”

The mayor is even thinking about another mega-event that Vancouver could host. But, he says, he doesn't know if he would necessarily want it to be a sports event.

Instead, he's bullish about the idea of a big arts and culture festival. He did get to go to several cultural events – though not as many as he would have liked – including one where he participated by playing the drums with Tewanee Joseph, the CEO of the Four Host First Nations, and his band Bitterly Divine at LiveCity Yaletown.

“I don't know about the future of sports mega-events,” said the mayor, who acknowledged that he only rarely got to see a sports event because of his official duties. “You can only go to so many sports events. But it would be fantastic to have a big arts and culture festival.”

Mayor Robertson sees momentum for transit funding

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is seizing on the soaring use of transit during the Olympics to lay down a marker for securing more funding once the Games are over.

Among the projects deserving of support, Mr. Robertson said, is the Canada streetcar line between the Olympic Village station and Granville Island. He said yesterday he wants the provincial government and TransLink, the regional transit agency, to support and sustain the current line and its expansion.

“It's critical that we keep the transit issue on the table. When we have had such a big success, we need to place that marker and say, ‘With a provincial budget coming, with TransLink looking at its medium term, we're got to consider significant investments in the transit system,'” Mr. Robertson said in an interview.

“This is the best validation possible for making more investments.”

His comments added shading to a statement issued earlier yesterday. In that release, the mayor touted the Olympic transportation plan to move tens of thousands during the Games as “a clear winner for Vancouver,” and said it has created “long-term sustainable transportation legacies.”

On the Canada Line, for example, the peak increase in usage is three times higher than pre-Games levels, and the two-station Olympic Line streetcar system is busier than networks in Portland and Seattle.

“Vancouver residents and businesses want to be greener and lead more sustainable lives. We've shown that if you build it, they will come,” the mayor said.

Two days after the Games end, the B.C. government is set to bring in a tough provincial budget as it struggles to deal with a $2.8-billion deficit – a reversal from a Liberal commitment during last spring's provincial election to a deficit of no more than $495-million.

Olympic organizers contributed $17-million to provide enhanced transit service, but those funds will be gone with the Games. That will leave the regional transit provider, TransLink, to figure out how to proceed after failing in a bid to win provincial support for system and service expansion funded by fees on carbon emission or road use.

Mr. Robertson acknowledged challenges on the money front.

“TransLink funding is a huge concern going forward. The provincial government, which controls TransLink, needs to step up and deliver on funding that enables them to grow transit across the region,” Mr. Robertson said.

“The increased service gets rolled back due to funding shortages, but that doesn't prevent people from using transit. There's no question the existing system can carry more passengers, and hopefully the positive experiences of many people riding transit for the first time during the Games is continued.”

On the streetcar system, he said the city needs the province and TransLink to build a network in Vancouver. “As it exists, it's not viable for the city to run. It needs to be part of the larger transit system and funded by TransLink and ultimately the province.” he said.

TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie forecast a compelling debate once the Olympic flame is dimmed. “The experience we have had sets up a really interesting and productive discussion that's going to take place after the Games are over,” he said. There's no way to sustain Olympic levels of service but lessons from the experience will be “really useful” in transit planning.

Gordon Price, a former city councillor now director of the city program at Simon Fraser University, said among the key issues are whether it is possible to galvanize support for a new TransLink funding model, and how to pay for an ongoing streetcar system.

Suzanne Anton, of the minority Non-Partisan Association on council, estimated an ongoing streetcar system would require $90-million in capital costs. “It would take real determination by the mayor to make that happen,” she said. “It is a slam-dunk except that it takes money.”

Transport Minister Shirley Bond issued a statement last night, but did not respond to call for more funding.

“As a user of public transit before and during the Games, I can speak firsthand to how effectively the transportation plan worked,” she said.

“The success of the transportation plan also demonstrates how all of our provincial funding is paying dividends. The province has committed more than $700-million to transit in Metro Vancouver since announcing our Provincial Transportation Plan two years ago. ... These investments will continue to benefit transit users for decades, just like the original Expo line continues to serve as a legacy of Expo 86.”

Olympic cauldron could soon be more visible, Vancouver mayor Robertson says

A security perimeter surrounding the Olympic cauldron in downtown Vancouver could soon be altered to allow better visibility, Mayor Gregor Robertson said Tuesday morning.

Robertson said he's spoken to Vanoc CEO John Furlong about complaints that a high chain-link fence impedes the public's view of the flame, adding he's been assured Vanoc is working towards a better solution.

"We want to make that visible and have the ultimate benefit from the flame being right in the city," Robertson said, adding the city has received numerous complaints on the issue.

"I've made a call to John Furlong and we've been talking about next steps," he added.

"I'm confident they are going to take next steps to make the flame more visible."

Premier Gordon Campbell said on Tuesday that he too had spoken to Furlong on the issue, and confirmed Vanoc is working to find a solution.

"They are working around the clock to try and find additional viewing," he said, adding he understands both the security concerns and the public complaints.

"It is a little bit the magic of the Games," he added, speaking of the flame.

"The closer we can get [people] to the magic of the Games, the better off we are."

jfowlie@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

City councillor calls for Strathcona policing centre

Strathcona needs a community policing centre to help reduce escalating crime in the neighbourhood, says Vision Vancouver Coun. George Chow.

Chow successfully introduced a motion to city council Jan. 19 to have senior city staff study the feasibility of opening a policing centre in Strathcona. "It would be a long term solution to managing public safety issues in the community without constantly having to add police," said Chow, who introduced the motion at the request of the Strathcona Business Improvement Association.

In July 2009, Claude Lemay of the improvement association told the Vancouver Police Board that businesses had moved from the neighbourhood because of drug dealing and public disorder.

He said business owners want more drug arrests, more drug seizures and more police on foot, bicycle and horseback in the community. Strathcona has about 800 businesses.

The Vancouver Police Department's statistics on its website don't indicate the number of drug arrests.

But statistics for 2009 in Strathcona show there were 753 assaults, 168 robberies, 194 incidents involving "offensive weapons," 227 burglaries and 879 cases of theft of goods worth more than $5,000.

Police Chief Jim Chu and Mayor Gregor Robertson announced Jan. 20 the crime rate was dropping in the city.

When looking at the overall average across the city, burglaries were down by 19 per cent and robberies by 13 per cent in 2009.

Auto thefts decreased by 17 per cent, thefts by four per cent and assaults by almost two per cent.

Chu acknowledged Strathcona was a "challenging neighbourhood" because of its proximity to crime problems in the Downtown Eastside. "It's not an easy problem to solve," the chief said. "So we'll continue to work on that."

Chu pointed out community policing centres operated on Keefer Street in Chinatown, at Hastings-North and at Commercial Drive and East Hastings.

"We'll look at the proposal and we'll see if there's a need to increase [the number of policing centres]," added Chu, who has met with Strathcona business people and residents since he became chief in August 2007. "And if there's a way to leverage more volunteers for that neighbourhood, then that is a positive thing."

Chow said a policing centre would cost $100,000 a year to run.

Roughly one-third of the Strathcona Business Improvement Association's operating budget, about $178,000, pays for Genesis Security patrols.

Every two years, the business association conducts a survey with its members. Security is always the number one priority identified, according to the association. 

The green mayor goes for gold

It's an easy 10-minute pedal to the day's first appointment. On an overcast morning, on a warm January day, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tucks his grey suit pants into his blue dress socks, dons a helmet and sets off from his two-storey home near City Hall. The 45-year-old co-founder of the Happy Planet organic juice company could drive or be driven where he needs to go to lead Canada's Olympic city.

Instead, in a business suit and bike helmet, never mind the regular rain, Mr. Robertson puts 80 kilometres a week on his two-decade-old mountain bike.

On arrival, there's not a bead of sweat on him. Vancouver's green capitalist-in-chief locks up against a fence and shifts with ease from cycling to conversation with the Belgian ambassador and a Bombardier Inc. executive, partners on the trial project of a streetcar line that will run during the Olympics.

His brown hair slightly mussed, coloured by sprigs of grey, Mr. Robertson leads officials and reporters on the line's inaugural run. "Smooth," the smiling mayor comments, "a sweet ride."

He is perfect on camera: His good looks are described as "Hollywood movie star handsome" by green ally David Suzuki.

Vancouver's mayor, on the job for only a year and in politics less than five, doesn't match the mould of the typical Canadian politician. Mr. Robertson has led the life of a risk-taking entrepreneur. From work as a cowboy in rural British Columbia and sailing the Pacific Ocean in a small boat, to starting an organic farm and then Happy Planet, Mr. Robertson is no standard-issue staid politician.

The 2010 Olympic Games, which begin on Feb. 12 and will put his face on televisions around the world, are the mayor's spotlight to promote his long-held belief in the urgent need for a green economy, even if he knows that it'll be hard to hold attention in between hockey games and ski races.

"People complain and moan and groan about the inconvenience or the cost or the potential debts, and pressures on the city," Mr. Robertson said in an interview in his modest City Hall office. "We're getting through all that. There's a good chance that we end up being one of the few Olympic cities that really does land some significant benefits socially and economically."

To his supporters, he's a prototype politician for the 21st century who balances and blends business acumen and sincere green instincts. Mr. Robertson won decisively in November, 2008 - but has yet to be tested in a run for re-election.

Mr. Robertson has two big goals: Make Vancouver the world's green capital by 2020, and end homelessness in a city stained by the gaping maw of the drug-addled Downtown Eastside. Early progress has been made. One lane of a major bridge has been closed to cars for exclusive use by bikes. The plan was widely derided as a likely traffic catastrophe, but cars are still moving unimpeded and the number of bikes is up by 25 per cent.

On homelessness, Mr. Robertson faced down middle-class residents' anger last year over emergency shelters. The city has opened additional facilities this winter to little protest.

Critics are caustic about his pronouncements on what is possible in Vancouver. It's all "irritating greenwash," said Kennedy Stewart, a public policy professor at Simon Fraser University. "Vancouver doesn't even have a composting program or congestion charge. I understand about trying to set ambitious goals, but these types of ludicrous statements make Vancouver political leaders look like bumpkins rather than world leaders. It is superficial and insulting to voters. Don't get me started about his pledge to eliminate homelessness by 2015."

Mr. Robertson has always embraced risk, yet at the same time carefully weighed and measured it. Mr. Robertson and his wife, Amy, sailed across the Pacific Ocean a few years after university in Colorado, at sea for as long as 25 days at a stretch in a 12-metre 1957 sailboat that the young couple, newly married, had restored. They stowed two bikes for on-shore explorations. Back in Canada, the two became organic farmers in 1991 west of Vancouver, growing strawberries and carrots and raising deer and turkeys, years ahead of today's prevailing trends. Happy Planet started in 1994, named during the Stanley Cup finals that the Vancouver Canucks lost to the New York Rangers, and by 1998, Mr. Robertson had managed to get the juices in Starbucks stores across Canada.

Food, to Mr. Robertson, was the nexus of the world's problems - and potential. He aimed, on the 20-hectare Glen Valley farm, to strike at the mass manufacturing of food, heavy with pesticides and underpinned by oil for transport.

"I meet a lot of business people who know they should care about the environment, or who may be genuinely interested, but few who have Gregor's depth of knowledge or values," said Tzeporah Berman, long-time environmental activist and old friend of the mayor. "Gregor has given birth to a new form of politics, a kind of radical pragmatism."

Politics is the latest iteration of an eclectic life full of go-big moves. Discouraged by B.C. politics early this decade, Mr. Robertson was urged to pursue public office by close friends Joel Solomon, whose Renewal Partners was the first outside financial backer of Happy Planet, and Mike Magee, another old friend and political activist who helped get Mr. Robertson elected as a New Democratic MLA in 2005 in a tough Vancouver seat and as mayor three years later.

Preparations for February are feverish. The Olympics will be a flurry of greetings with dignitaries, scores of public events, the day-to-day running of the city - all the while trying to trumpet green. Mr. Robertson aims to spark the small cluster of clean energy companies in the region into a global hub. The immediate plan: Persuade dozens of European green firms to make Vancouver their North American headquarters, a bridge between Europe, America and Asia.

"Three billion people watching the city," said Mr. Magee, now the mayor's chief of staff. "It's an enormous opportunity. The risky part for the mayor is that there are a huge number of things out of our control - the weather being one."

The spotlight on Mr. Robertson was expected to be held by former mayor Sam Sullivan, a quadriplegic who made a global impression accepting the Olympic flag at the close of the Turin Games in 2006. But Mr. Sullivan's party ousted him in June of 2008, and Mr. Robertson's Vision Vancouver team trounced the incumbent council and their mayoral candidate that November.

Vancouver business leaders praise Mr. Robertson, support that is unusual, all the more so in B.C.: capitalists backing the hippie socialist. "He's an excellent representative," billionaire Jim Pattison said. "He walks the talk. He's got some new ideas, he's creative, and he's certainly a good listener."

Politics wasn't Mr. Robertson's first career choice - not even his second. The original plan was to be a doctor. Mr. Robertson's middle name is Bethune, named after humanitarian and doctor Norman Bethune, a relative. After high school, he attended Colorado College, a small private liberal arts school south of Denver. It was there that he met his American wife and studied sciences and English, readying for medical school. His undergrad thesis was on contemporary satire in the works of Thomas Pynchon and Terry Southern.

"That clearly showed a witty side of him that could stand outside the system," remembered Prof. George Butte, who taught Mr. Robertson a class on Tennyson and Browning. "[He's] the kind of person ... that can cross these boundaries and actually solve problems."

On graduation, Mr. Robertson and his wife travelled in China, India and southeast Asia, and the allure of medical school faded. And then he wasn't accepted to study medicine at the University of British Columbia, so he went sailing with Amy instead.

His entrepreneurial heart comes from his father, John. A prominent Vancouver lawyer who did business in China and Japan, the elder Mr. Robertson disappeared on the North Shore Mountains in 1991, as Gregor and Amy were starting their farm and had their first child. Mr. Robertson's remains were found on Mount Seymour four years later, the cause of his death unknown.

"He taught a measure of respect, and engagement, and enterprise," Mr. Robertson said of his father.

"Politics is a profession that probably goes to lots of people's heads, just because they got elected. I don't have that feeling at all. I feel a weight of responsibility and a need to stay true to myself. A lot of that comes from my Dad."

*****

TAUTING THE TUBA

Gregor Robertson concedes tubas are "geeky" to some people but he has had a lifelong affection for the instrument he plays when he gets time.

He learned the tuba in high school after being a frustrated drummer competing for parts.

"I think they're quite cool," said Vancouver's mayor, calling them crucial to any band because "music without a bass line is tinny and uninspiring."

The mayor has scored some good gigs. He's played Christmas carols with billionaire (and trumpet player) Jim Pattison on CBC Radio. "It was low-priced talent, as far as I can figure out," laughed Mr. Pattison. "I've got a lot of respect for tuba players, just carrying that thing around."

Mr. Robertson also recently contributed five hours of his time to She Believes Her Own Lies, a cut on B.C. performer Slim Milkie's new country music album, Silverado. He was roped into the project by NDP MLA Nicholas Simons, who helped produce the song for Mr. Milkie, his partner.

"My brother, who is a professional musician in Montreal, heard that track. He didn't know Gregor from a hole in the wall. He just thought it was a pretty good display of tuba playing," Mr. Simons said. "He's got good intonation, which means he knows if something is off-key, and I think those kind of skills translate well into being the mayor of a big city." 

Canada's largest cities to work together to help Haiti

 Vancouver and Surrey are among 22 of Canada's biggest cities that will band together in a display of national solidarity and donate local resources to Haiti's reconstruction.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors Caucus unanimously approved a proposal in Ottawa Thursday that will see each city send money, equipment and a pool of experts to the disaster-struck country.

"There are a number of mayors ... that have all been doing work within their own cities," said Dianne Watts, Surrey mayor and vice-chair of the caucus, in a phone interview from Ottawa Thursday. "But it's really important to have that solidarity across the country."

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the city's urban search and rescue team can help in a variety of ways, particularly with the rebuilding of infrastructure.

"At this point the federal government has told us to stand down, but if they give us the call, we'll be ready to go," said Robertson.

"We are also developing plans at the city to ensure that the Olympics are an opportunity to promote fundraising for Haiti."

Calling the Haiti earthquake "a tragedy of epic proportions," Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier said that his city is eager to help.

"Building infrastructure and running essential services is what we do," Bronconnier said in a statement released Thursday.

Montreal city councillor Claude Dauphin noted that his city, home to Canada's largest Haitian population, has already sent police officers, doctors and nurses to the Caribbean nation.

"The Haitian people can count on Montreal and all of Canada's big cities to help them through this," he said.

The initiative will be the caucus's biggest show of national solidarity in responding to a disaster, said Watts.

"We did it in a lesser degree through the FCM in Indonesia, with the tsunami, but it wasn't to the degree that we're looking at now," said Watts, noting that there is a more substantial personal connection this time around.

"Surrey has a connection with Haiti, as does Montreal, with a lot of their population having relatives in Haiti, and of course our governor general is Haitian."

The first step from here will be to assemble dedicated funds and a "bank of experts," including those in protective services, civil engineering and construction, said Watts.

The cities will work through the FCM in collaboration with the federal government, non-governmental agencies and Haitian authorities.

Assistance will be offered according to needs on the ground in Haiti.

Watts expects the BCMC's rebuilding efforts to begin in four to six months and last for several years.

The 7.0 magnitude quake that rocked Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 killed up to 200,000 people.

Smoking ban considered for Vancouver's parks and beaches

 Vancouver parks officials will look at ways to get butts off our beaches.

The Vancouver park board is set to discuss the issue of banning cigarette smoking on Vancouver beaches and in parks at a meeting Feb. 1.

Staff will then prepare a report with a recommendation on which way to proceed.

“During the summer period there was the forest fire at Stanley Park and there was some concern,” said park board commissioner Raj Hundal. “I approached staff to look into the matter and that led to a staff briefing sometime in November to look into the issue.”

Hundal said a public survey accompanied the briefing and an overwhelming majority (about 85 to 90 per cent) said they were in favour of some kind of regulation of smoking on beaches.

There are several options on the table, including partial bans with smoke-free zones, said Hundal, a non-smoker.

Another option is to have a trial period.

“Anything is possible at this moment. I personally have not made a decision one way or the other,” he said. “I am a non-smoker and would rather be in an environment where people don’t smoke.”

Advocates of a ban also argue that all the cigarette butts left on the beach cause environmental damage. Machines used to clean the beaches don’t pick up the butts.

“People have to pick those up by hand,” Hundal said. “And they wash up on our shores.”

The move toward prohibiting people from having a puff on the beach isn’t new. White Rock, West Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver have implemented smoking restrictions.

Those against the move say a law preventing someone from lighting up outdoors is “too heavy-handed,” said Hundal.

MyChoice.ca, a Quebec-based association which advocates for smokers to have a say in the debate, is concerned that liberties are be taken away. On its website, the organization claims such political decisions are biased because governments legalize and heavily tax tobacco and then punish customers by “not giving them any real say in how they are treated as citizens.”

Hundal said no decision has been made. “We want to listen to everyone,” he said.

Board seeks funding to prevent teacher layoffs

Threatened layoffs of teachers in Vancouver and the possibility of school closings in Prince George could spread across the province unless the Liberal government, already promising a tough budget due to a $2.8-billion deficit, comes to the rescue with more money, education officials warn.

“I'm on a listserv with other chairs across the province. They all have the same cost pressures we do,” Patti Bacchus, chair of the Vancouver School Board, said yesterday as 800 teachers in the city – 20 per cent of teaching staff – began receiving letters that warn of possible layoffs this year.

In Prince George, the superintendent of schools suggested closings are among the measures being considered as the city's school district deals with funding issues.

Brian Pepper declined to give more details, pending the release of a report at a public meeting this week.

“We're facing considerable pressures. We have some revenue challenges and some expense challenges,” he said. “I sense that many boards are facing similar challenges.”

David Green, president of the B.C. Association of School Business Officials, said school boards across B.C. are facing an increase in costs of more than $250-million that is not covered by provincial funding in the next year.

Boards are not allowed to run deficits, he said, but some have carried forward surpluses they will have to use. Wages and benefits make up much of their costs, so are a tempting target for cuts.

Referring to the B.C. budget expected on March 2, Mr. Green said, “It would certainly be good to see more money put into the system – let me tell you that.”

Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, speaking on the possibility of layoffs in Vancouver, acknowledged the tough situation.

“We recognize these are challenging times for every level of government, including boards of education. However, boards must still manage within their budgets,” she said in a statement.

She noted that enrolment in Vancouver has dropped 5 per cent since 2000-01, while operating funding has increased nearly 24 per cent or $84-million.

“Our government continues to make significant investments in Kindergarten to Grade 12 education in Vancouver,” the statement from the minister said.

The NDP Education critic said the declarations from Vancouver and Prince George indicate problems that the provincial government must address.

“We're hearing numerous school districts [have] serious problems,” said Robin Austin.

The Vancouver board is forecasting an operating budget shortfall of between $17.5-million and $36.3-million for 2010, depending on funding decisions by the province.

Today it's teachers, but Ms. Bacchus said cost-cutting could affect other staff.

“If this unfolds as we fear it might, we'll be looking at other aspects of the organization,” she said.

Targeted teachers in Vancouver began receiving letters yesterday, in line with their collective agreement, which asks them to provide a written update of their qualifications to help the board proceed if there are layoffs. There are about 3,500 full-time-equivalent teaching positions, which adds up to about 4,000 individuals, in the Vancouver system.

If teachers are laid off, notices will be issued in the first week of May. The last teacher layoffs were in May, 2004.

“It's absolutely awful,” Ms. Bacchus said of the situation and its likely impact on the morale of teachers. “It's something we really regret. We know this causes stress for a lot of people.”

Chris Harris, co-president of the Vancouver Teachers' Federation – a division of the B.C. Teachers' Federation – said the news is “devastating” for members even though there had been warnings.

“That's very different from receiving a piece of paper in your hand,” he said.

Mr. Harris said the union has its staff reps at schools making it clear that the federation will try to look out for their rights, but that one focus will be to advocate for enhanced funding from the province.

New art to go up around Vancouver

 When the Winter Games kick off this February, a number of new artworks will be on display in Vancouver.

Mayor Gregor Robertson has unveiled 25 pieces of art, and says 14 artists will have their pieces become permanent fixtures.

"Across the city, more than 20 permanent and temporary works by local, national and international artists will be installed. This $6-million investment will create an artistic legacy for Vancouver," he says.

Some filmmakers will have their work shown on Air Canada flights heading to Vancouver in January and February.

The art will be displayed in several key locations including Stanley Park, the Olympic Athletes Village, and City Hall.

Two more projects are on the way, including a massive nightly light show over English Bay.