The G8/G20 summit has garnered a lot of attention before, during and after and mostly negative.
Overzealous police officers, Kettling, rights violations, charges against protesters and police officers, are constantly in the news.
Businesses suffering, expensive gazebos never used, artificial lakes and hundreds and hundreds of millions, possibly billions, spent of our money to host a few delegates from eight or 20 countries for a few days.
I was listening to the news and heard about staging this event would cost $2 billion, and I thought enough about the G8/G20 meeting in Toronto/Huntsville. They were talking about London’s hosting the Olympics.
The cost for staging the Olympics, for 17 days, with 70,000 volunteers, 10,000 police officers and 13,500 military personnel, battleships, eight million spectators, dignitaries and athletes from 204 countries and National Olympic Committees compare to Canada hosting a few people from less than a couple dozen countries for a few days.
Something is not quite right.
I hope this government never stages an Olympics, it would probably cost $20 billion after $100 billion in infrastructure costs. Then maybe every city, town, village and hamlet would get an artificial lake and an expensive gazebo.
The minute I hear Tony Clement is heading the committee to bid on the Olympics, I would have to quit my job and start a gazebo building business. I could retire a very wealthy man.
Garfield John Marks
Red Deer