Fortress Vancouver
The powers-that-be are determined to put on a great show in Vancouver, and it should be a fun one to watch. But what is being sacrificed to ensure a "smooth" Games?
A staggering $900 million is being spent on security at the Olympics, while accusations of privacy invasion and repression are being made. Protesters are gathering to demonstrate their opposition to wayward spending, but how free will they be to express themselves?
What will be the security legacy of the Games? Answers will have to wait until the Games have packed up and left, but what we do know is that this mega-event will be the largest peacetime security operation in Canada's history, and the world will be here to see how we keep the peace.
Spending
The initial spending estimate for the Games (in 2003) was $175 million. It has since increased to an estimated $900 million. But Michael Vonn, Policy Director at the BC Civil Liberties Association, says even that is a "low-ball number," noting the neglected hidden costs of the Olympics, like the 600 or so Vancouver employees working for the Olympics.
In December, former NPA mayoral candidate Peter Ladner wrote in an editorial that Olympic security was the "spending scandal of the year" for Vancouver, while an EKOS Research poll in January revealed that 68 percent of British Columbians thought too much was being spent on the Olympics.
Permanence
An extensive surveillance system is being installed for the Olympics around venues and "live sites." Over 900 surveillance cameras are being put into use, but when will they be retired? The RCMP is leasing their cameras, but the City of Vancouver has purchased around 100 cameras, and build a substantial control centre from which to oversee the surveillance.
Kevin Wallinger, Director of Emergency Management for the City of Vancouver, said that after looking into leasing, it made more sense to purchase the cameras outright. He suggested the cameras could be used for traffic monitoring and other big events like the Celebration of Light firework festival.
Wallinger said that, in the past, the city has used up to seven cameras for the event. Michael Vonn said, "There will be opposition to allowing the Olympics to be the Trojan Horse that brings in a permanent surveillance infrastructure."
They're Watching
Richard Smith, an SFU professor who specializes in surveillance research, has, in association with the Vancouver Public Space Network, coordinated a count of cameras before the Olympics, and will do another one after the Games have finished.
Smith and others are worried that a repeat of the Athens surveillance experience, where, after the Olympics, cameras were left up and used to monitor citizens. Asked why there were so many cameras, he said, "People are starting to just assume surveillance cameras are the thing to do. Also, with the Olympics, money is no object." 
Restrictions on Expressions
As the world looks to Vancouver, a number of different interests will be protesting the Olympics, claiming the event has eaten up precious resources that should have gone elsewhere. Chris Shaw, a vocal opponent of the Olympics, said the security apparatus is more geared towards repressing protests than preventing terrorist attacks. Many kilometers of fencing will help keep violent threats from infiltrating venues, but will also keep vocal protests at a safe distance. Several controversies, from investigations into possible agitators (including the well-publicized questioning of one of Shaw's friends) to proposed restrictions on signage in the city (since amended) have increased the concerns about repressive practices on free speech.
Chris Shaw said the protest movement will raise international attention to local issues. "If anyone living in who knows where, even I dare say Timbuktu, didn't know there was dire poverty in Vancouver, now will know...we hope that focus will force the governments of the day, at three levels, to finally do something."
Follow the Money
The government hasn't been forthcoming on where the roughly $900 million in security spending is going. But breakdowns have been released. Of the $900 million, $492 million has gone to the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit of the RCMP, where, in turn, most of the money has gone into salaries and accommodation.
Joe Taplin at the RCMP ISU said $177.5 million is going into personnel and $300.6 million into accommodation, including three cruise ships that will house many security staff during the games. Within Personnel, an estimated $97,419,000 will go to hire 5,000 private security guards.
Other Spending
The Department of National Defense will get $212 million for their "unique military skills to support the RCMP in securing the Games." A further $137 million is a contingency fund that can conveivably be used for any security-related expenses.
Chris Shaw said much of the operation is for show: "They're doing security theatre. They can't really stop a determined terrorist attack; they can't really stop a determined protest. They can give the illusion that they're doing it and they can spend a lot of money creating that illusion."
Photo: The Department of National Defense
Legacy
Almost a year ago, Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said, "Experience has shown that Olympic Games and other mega-events can leave behind a pernicious legacy. That’s because large-scale security surveillance systems, initially installed for security at mega-events, often remain long after the event is over."
She went on: "In our democracy, benevolent intentions appear to be pushing us towards a surveillance society. We have to ensure that security at the Vancouver Olympic Games – however important – does not take us irretrievably down this path." 
