Posts from — February 2010

Did the BC Civil Liberties Association withdraw its “legal observers” from Saturday’s violent downtown anti-Games demo because of safety concerns? That was BCCLA executive director David Eby’s explanation to the Vancouver Sun.

Evidently worried about the nature of the unfolding protest, the BCCLA asked its volunteers to stay away.

Or was the decision made at the request of organizers of the riot that moved through the downtown core? That was the explanation offered to the Globe and Mail, and included in the statement issued by the BCCLA during the weekend.

Either way, the absence of the BCCLA from Saturday’s’ events compromises the organization’s independence as a monitor of “policing.”

According to the Saturday statement, the BCCLA observers come and go at the request of protest organizers, staying away when requested and rushing in when police take steps to enforce the law.

For the record, the BCCLA has denounced the violence and expressed satisfaction with police conduct.

The staggering numbers of travellers moved by public transit during the first weekend of the Games — 150,000 a day on the Canada Line, more than 20,000 daily on the Olympic Line streetcars — are shattering preconceptions about regional transportation.

Olympic Line numbers are already competitive with existing urban streetcar systems like Portland’s and the Canada Line is now delivering daily volumes that planners did not expect to see for many years.

Ridership numbers like these transform the business case for transit investments and build public support at the same time.

Bright Light installation at the Yue Shan Society in Chinatown: even more beautiful at night.

Fireworks and dragon dancing celebrated the opening of the Bright Light public art installation in the courtyard of the  Yue Shan Society at 39 East Pender today, where just 30 years ago a narrow walkway linked Pender St. to Market Alley.

The installation by a team led by architect Inga Roecker used 800 umbrellas to light up the sky above the courtyard, which is part of 12 installations commissioned by the City of Vancouver’s public art program during the 2010 Games.

The entire project makes for a fascinating walking tour of Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside, all best seen at night.

Dragons dance for the opening of the Yue Shan courtyard.

Today’s decision to re-open the Whistler Sliding Centre will sound familiar to anyone who has been involved in workplace accident investigations.

The International Luge Federation says, in effect: “The victim made mistakes that resulted in this tragic accident, but we are taking steps to ensure it won’t happen again.”