Vancouver’s Post-Olympic Blues

Could the Liberal leadership race be enough to distract Vancouver from post-Olympic blues?

Vancouver scored a pretty big hit in 2010 with the Olympics. But what’s the encore?

Remember 1992? Billy Ray Cyrus and “Achy Breaky Heart”? It was huge. Of course, he had to try to follow it up, which didn’t work out so well. Vancouver can relate.


With the Winter Olympics long gone, we’re now in next-year country. Unlike Billy Ray, Vancouver is not exactly a one-hit wonder. We did have Expo 86. That’s two hits, which puts us into Mr. Mister territory. The trick is to avoid becoming a civic Rick Astley and gain the career longevity of a Madonna. Some new attractions will be required to fill the post-Olympics deficit and keep the momentum going. 


One of Vancouver’s top tourist attractions is the Gastown steam clock. Say what you like, but it’s true: for many arrivals, this city’s most appealing feature is a bogus electronic replica of an old-fashioned contraption that farts water vapour at precise intervals. It’s like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park – if they capped the actual geyser and replaced it with a motorized dolphin sculpture. The continuing popularity of the steam clock is a rather humbling lesson to the big dreamers behind the Olympics. It’s not always the grand projects that bring the best toot for the buck.


Similar attractions should be easy and just as cost-effective to produce. An obvious candidate sits just down the street. The famous statue of Gassy Jack draws a lot of tourists as well, but many end up disappointed, expecting special effects similar to those of the Steam Clock. It would be a simple matter to retrofit the statue so that Gassy Jack lives up to his nickname, preferably in a regular fashion so you can set your watch by him.


A steam SkyTrain could work too. San Francisco’s cable cars have proved it’s possible to combine transportation and tourism, and coal-fired transit is an underexploited option for budget-conscious governments. But steam cannot be the sole answer to our marketing issues. Celebrations are also key.


Last summer the PNE marked its 100th anniversary with special events and shows from bands like Trooper. We could follow up with similar events, perhaps the 100th anniversary of Trooper. It must be close. Or possibly a 15th-anniversary celebration of the Evergreen Line proposal. That party could run for years.


Fine ideas all. But they lack something: the thrill of competition. Having binged on athletic facilities, we are now jonesing for medal ceremonies. In the post-Olympic era, Vancouverites expect their public works projects to have some kind of sporting element. Every new bridge must include a ski jump; every new sewage pipe must host vermin races.


The new Hornby bike lane was a good start. The project fit the Olympic model perfectly: a new resource for physical activity, built at considerable expense and destined to interfere with traffic patterns. The competition aspect is there too. For months to come, the bike lane will inspire battles between cyclists who say that encouraging green transportation is the way of the future and Hornby small-business owners who say the future is all very well but their rent is due today and their customers can’t park. Who’ll take the gold for best statistical analysis? Which side will win the Public Sympathy Sprints? Also, on weekends we can flood the lanes and curl.


But really, it’s not the same. Just ask Gordon Campbell. Few British Columbians understand the post-Olympic blues like the premier. Last year he was zip-lining above the crowd; now he’s looking at a Did Not Finish in the 10-year marathon. Still, Campbell has done us a favour on his way out the door. He has given us a competition to watch this winter. The question is, What kind? Liberal leadership candidates hope it’s a speed skate. But unless some candidate solves the HST issue, it could be downhill all the way.