The news reports are filled with the official voices of gloom and untrammeled optimism. Some believe the 2010 Winter Olympics will usher in a new phase of visibility and prosperity in British Columbia. Others regard the Games as a corporatist nightmare of massive security expenses and civil liberties abuse.
But what do the little people have to say? We sent intrepid reporter Kate Allen into Gastown to find out. It was an afternoon in early February, on the eve of the Games, and many passers-by were keen to share their one word.
What would yours be?
Kate Allen is a freelance journalist living in Vancouver. Her work has been published in the Globe and Mail, the Vancouver Sun, The Tyee, and Toronto Life. She contributed to an investigative report on the Thai shrimp industry that will air on PBS Frontline in April.