Flying to Vancouver? WestJet makes wishes come true!

WestJet is a low-cost, high-service Canadian regional airline and they make frequent flights to Vancouver. Check out what they did for some lucky flyers this Christmas in their nearby home base of Calgary, Alberta in their inspiring Christmas video.

Buy red Canada mittens online to support Canadian athletes

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are well underway, and the must-have souvenier and accessory for the games is the red Canada mittens. By purchasing them, you are supporting the Canadian amateur athletes - people who do things for the love of the sport instead of the big fat paycheck.

Oprah recently got into the Olympic spirit by giving the mittens away to her studio audience, and they have been spotted on celebrities like Jon Hamm, Paris Hilton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They are the new hotness for sure (literally, they are made of very warm wool and will keep your fingers cold on those chilly Whistler, BC nights).

Vancouver 2010 aims to keep the flame burning

Four CMAs on the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) are using their strategic management skills to create an extraordinary experience for the athletes, officials and guests of 2010.

In 2010, all eyes will be on Vancouver, B.C. as the world's best athletes compete for gold at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The Games will encompass 17 days of Olympic Games events, 10 days of Paralympic Games events, 5,500 Olympic Games athletes and officials, 1,350 Paralympic Games athletes and officials, 80+ countries participating in Olympic Winter Games, 40+ countries participating in Paralympic Games, 10,000 media representatives and 3 billion television viewers worldwide.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Vancouver 2010) was established in 2003 to support and promote the development of sport in Canada by planning, organizing, financing, and staging the Games. The Committee is responsible for two key areas - the construction of venues, and the delivery of successful Games on behalf of all Canadians.

Vancouver 2010 comprises of 53 different functions (departments) and follows a formal process for mapping out service delivery and interactions with other functions.

Four CMAs on the Vancouver 2010 team are among a talented group who are working hard to provide top conditions for athletes and a welcome place for spectators to experience the excitement of competition.

"We're responsible for creating the plan and we're also responsible for delivering it," says David Crawford, CMA CCEP, director, accommodation, cleaning and waste. "The CMA designation has certainly enhanced our ability in the areas of clarity and focus, adaptability and contingency planning," all of which Crawford applies to his responsibilities on a daily basis.

Canadian news media forms united front for Olympics coverage

Seven large Canadian media companies including CanWest have come together as a consortium to share news and resources for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

49 daily newspapers, including the Vancouver Sun and Toronto Star, will band together for the purposes of advertising and news sharing to give 3.5 million daily subscribers (35% of all daily readers in Canada) the same exact viewpoints, because everyone knows people's information needs are best informed by a single, omnipresent voice!

Source: National Post

Three charged after cabinet office trashed in anti-Olympics violence

Three protesters with the "Anti Poverty Committee" have been arrested after trashing a Vancouver cabinet office. Brendon Cunningham, 29, and Thomas Malenfant, 23 are both charged with two counts of mischief and one count of break and enter. A 17-year old girl who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act also faces two mischief charges.

The group tried to symbolically "evict" Ken Dobell, adviser to BC premier Gordon Campbell. He is also helping plan for Vancouver 2010. The idea was to draw attention to the city's homelessness issues or whatever but instead they drew attention to the city's numerous and widespread stupid hippie asshole problems!

Nice going idiots, you have really made everyone hate the Olympics!

Vancouver 2010 legacy plans outlined

The Olympics have a way of leaving a lasting mark where they are hosted, and the organizers of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics have every intention of that ringing true for British Columbia. Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) CEO John Furlong had the following comments in a press release by the committee today:

"Since the idea of hosting the 2010 Winter Games surfaced in Vancouver back in 1996, the vision has been consistently clear - in addition to hosting outstanding Games, they must create benefits and legacies for sport and communities."

Among the legacy goals outlined in the press release:

• $110M will be invested by the federal and provincial governments to create the 2010 Winter Games Operating Trust to maintain and keep viable sports facilities like the Whistler Nordic Venue, Whistler Sliding Centre, and Richmond Oval.
• After the games, the Vancouver Olympic village will become a mixed-use community with 1,100 residential units, including 250 non-market, supportive housing units.
• Likewise, the Whistler Olympic village will become a permanent mixed-use community.
• Whistler will see the construction of the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre.
• Medical and sports equipment used during the games will be donated to community organizations.

Source: VANOC press release

1,000 days until the Vancouver 2010 Olympics

With 1,000 days remaining until the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the event is starting to take shape on the planning side of things. Canoe.ca's Terry Jones has an excellent article detailing the various construction and renovation activities planned for 2010, available here.

While it might be an Olympic feat to have the Games remain on time and on budget, VANOC appears to be doing everything right so far.