Spirits were lifted, jobs were created, infrastructure was improved, but the most important Olympic legacy may be the demonstrated ability of multiple levels of government, the private sector and members of the community to achieve such a monumental undertaking together.
Two leaders in the DTES with very different roles agree this is a valuable lesson that we can learn from and build on. Rev. Ric Mathews of First United Church and Shirley Chan, CEO of Building Opportunities with Business.
As Reverend Ric Mathews observed, “The Olympics tell us what we already know – if something is a priority we can deliver it. The Games showed us a new kind of collaborative approach to overcoming major obstacles and delivering results.”
Reverend Mathews, a respected leader in the Downtown Eastside, believes that these Olympic Games showed just how we can work together effectively to meet challenges in our communities. “If we can focus three levels of government and find the political will to access $6.9 billion in resources, to bring together diverse stakeholders to the table and work together on a common goal like the Olympics, we can do it for other things too.” Rev. Mathews believes one of those things should be the Downtown Eastside, and Chan is one of the many others who agree:
“An Olympics scale collaboration is particularly apropos now, as the Vancouver Agreement comes to an end with numerous initiatives still underway. By pulling together three levels of government, the private sector and citizens who share the vision of a healthy Downtown Eastside we can continue to achieve meaningful and inclusive transformation here in the Downtown Eastside.”
The Vancouver Agreement, signed between the City, provincial and federal governments in 2000, expires this month (March 2010). The agreement supported local community initiatives to tackle economic, social, health and safety issues in Vancouver’s inner-city, with much focus on the DTES. Building Opportunities with Business was one of the key non-profits focusing on community economic development in the inner-city and Chan, like Mathews, knows firsthand that co-operation and collaboration are crucial to its continued rejuvenation.
The “VANOC Model” stayed true through numerous changes at all levels of government yet the political will to see this massive undertaking through never wavered. The DTES is arguably Vancouver’s most pressing issue, and while much has been achieved here we could achieve so much more with a similar unified and integrated Olympian effort, believe Mathews and Chan. This may be the greatest legacy left by the Games.
