# Pan AM games..Olympic knockoff..who will pay for them?



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Heard that the Pan Am games are going to cost around 2.5 BILLION. Ontario is guaranteeing 1.6 Billion of that with others supplying the rest of the cost.

Now it seems that the country is getting a bit weary of all these games, winter Olympics, FIFA and others. 

The Tourism, Culture and Sports minister sez:


> the extra expense is worth it, especially because the *waterfront neighbourhood will include affordable housing.*
> 
> “It’s a good thing to do, to *help the people that are less fortunate and really to strengthen the area in the east waterfront area from a contaminated brownfield to a vibrant community come 2015,*” he said. “It’s good to revitalize the whole area.”





> Ontario’s extra costs also include part of the security budget, which is higher than initially estimated, and transportation.
> 
> *In the event of cost overruns at the Games, the province will have to pay the shortfall.*


Didn't we experience the cost over runs with the G8 Summit conference held in Toronto in 2010..it was over 1.1 billion..and the taxpayers had to pickup the tab for that. 


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...es-pegged-at-over-25-billion/article15526211/


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Didn't see this article but what phooey baloney spinned,



> The Tourism, Culture and Sports minister sez:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 ... for a starter, the minister's position for Tourism, Culture and Sports should be made contractual or better yet seasonal to pay for this *($B)-*making event. :rolleyes2:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Affordable housing?...that really means taxpayer subsidized social housing.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Could be part of the plan - but wouldn't that be in the Ministry of Housing and Development's jurisdiction?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Watched CBC news this morning and the reporter travelling on the Toronto Union-Pearson fast rail service that came into service last month. 

25 minute ride from Union station to the airport.
That's a lot more efficient than hailing a taxi/limo and a LOT cheaper too. 

Between Uber and the fast rail transit now starting to compete for the passenger bucks, the downtown and airport taxi service may be in trouble.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

I can see it changing ... but I doubt it's in trouble.

The CEO is going to take the TTC or uber? 
With the ages I'm seeing in the annual reports, that seems a long way off.


Cheers


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^


> The CEO is going to take the TTC or uber?


 ... the horror...lol! I was going to suggest a bike (non-motorized). :biggrin:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ^ ... the horror...lol! I was going to suggest a bike (non-motorized). :biggrin:


What from downtown TO to the airport? You would never make it on a bicycle. It's a concrete jungle and too many idiot drivers.
Maybe an ultralight? It would be a scenic flyover of how much traffic is on the QeW and 427. I remember it well..it was horrible back 40 years ago,
and I'm sure things haven't improved that much in the last 44 years.

Unlike Ottawa, they never planned anything properly back then, so you don't have the green space or nice scenic bike pathways to different parts of the city.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> ...
> 
> Maybe an ultralight? It would be a scenic flyover of how much traffic is on the QeW and 427. I remember it well..*it was horrible back 40 years ago,*and I'm sure things haven't improved that much in the last 44 years.
> 
> Unlike Ottawa, they never planned anything properly back then, so you don't have the green space or nice scenic bike pathways to different parts of the city.


 ... if you can recall from 40/44 years ago, then I would suggest a donkey and a cart for transport. 

Okay, flash forward ... how about a horse? The mounties/TO police still ride them - see them at cityhall all the time, works well for riot control too. :biggrin:


Seriously, I would think 40/44 years ago would had more green space - there was still farmland in Mississauga 20 years ago with pick your own farms.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ^ ... the horror...lol! I was going to suggest a bike (non-motorized). :biggrin:


The 70 year old CEO biking from Pearson to Bay Street ... I can see the "critical person insurance" underwriters cringing ... :biggrin:


Cheers


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## fraser (May 15, 2010)

Not sure who is paying for them?

Do you have a mirror in your home?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... if
> Seriously, I would think 40/44 years ago would had more green space - there was still farmland in Mississauga 20 years ago with pick your own farms.


Toronto back then was called "Toronto the Good"..when was the last time you heard that term? 
Everyday, there are murders and robberies and other nasty things that the inhabitants are doing to each other.

I remember lots of farmland around the GTA...now it's just rows and rows of house built of ticky-tack standing in a row. 

All the good farmland in Ontario is slowly being paved over..but you can't stop progress they say.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

montreal's Vincent Riendeau is 2nd, so far, in the mens' 10 metre tower diving at the pan am games ce soir.

only 18 years old, riendeau is competing in the adult division at a major game for the first time. He has 7 non-stop years of international youth competition behind him & has never come home without a medal.

also from montreal, also representing canada on the 10 metre tower in toronto, is 24-year-old Maxim Bouchard. Bouchard was badly injured when a diving tower in the Philippines collapsed under him a few years ago, underwent extensive surgery on one shoulder, still deals with residual pain.

tonight bouchard is in 12th place in toronto. It's possible that pain from the shoulder injury has come back to haunt him.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

i don't think gold medalist Ivan Garcia from mexico had yet dived when i got so excited upon seeing Montreal's teen-age native son in early 2nd place on the 10 metre tower!

but garcia did take diving gold tonight. Vincent Riendeau dropped to 5th while Maxim Bouchard made it up to 7th with his 2nd dive.

as for silver, bronze & 4th, the latin american divers cleaned up ce soir. Interestingly, the US divers were 9th & 10th.

of course, all the athletes in toronto are aiming for the Brazil 2016 summer olympics. Toronto 2015 is an opportunity for our young canadian athletes to meet, size up & directly compete against those who are going to be their olympic competitors a year from now.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Two of Canada's "Fab Four" in sychronized diving have won gold.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

*Kanye West to headline Pan Am Games closing ceremony

The U.S. rapper, along with Serena Ryder and Pitbull, will play the show at the Rogers Centre on July 26.*

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/panamgames/2015/07/15/kanye-west-to-headline-pan-am-games-closing-ceremony.html



> Kanye West will headline the Pan Am Games closing ceremonies, organizers announced Wednesday.
> 
> 
> The U.S. rapper, along with Toronto-born artist Serena Ryder and Pitbull, who is Cuban-American, will play the show at the Rogers Centre on July 26. As of Wednesday morning, there were still 15,000 tickets remaining.
> ...


 ... just can't get better than this .. and not to be missed! ... I'll be watching Kanye perform with my eyes closed. :sleeping:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> *Kanye West to headline Pan Am Games closing ceremony
> 
> The U.S. rapper, along with Serena Ryder and Pitbull, will play the show at the Rogers Centre on July 26.*
> 
> ...


What is his claim to fame other than being married to K Kardashian? 
he appeared at the Ottawa "Bluesfest"..a misnomer if there ever was one...



> And while his ego may rub people the wrong way, the reason he is still around is because he has the talent to back up his mouth. She said that if *true music lovers can get past his ego, they will enjoy the show*


.



> But then again, rising to the occasion is nothing new for West, who seems to only come alive when goaded by public backlash. In Ottawa, where the media made mountains out of Facebook mole hills, the flames of indignation fuelled his fire. “Any one who talks s— about me,” he told the crowd in a truncated soliloquy, “I don’t give a f–k!”


Nice..is that a way for an 'artist" to talk? Obviously humility is not his key strong points...


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Maybe he can learn a thing after this petition becomes successful: https://www.change.org/p/toronto-pan-am-games-don-t-have-kanye-west-perform-the-closing-ceremony-for-the-toronto-pan-american-games?recruiter=21807740&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-reason_msg


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

I think the Pan Am games organizers were desperate to get him to provide the entertainment for the closing ceremonies. What does Kanye's repertoire have to do with Canada or it's cultures..
this is so bizarre. At least the opening show with Cirque de Soliel was more "with the program"

But John Tory doesn't know who he is..but he certainly has seen Kanye's wife's...ah... bodaceous tatas. 

http://globalnews.ca/video/2113626/john-tory-mistakes-kanye-west-for-a-canadian-rapper/

This guy is a rapper and if they really needed a rapper they could have got Drake...at least he is Canadian.


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