Power Utility a Profitable Legacy of 2010 Olympics

A heat-from-sewage facility built in Vancouver's 2010 Olympic Village is working so well that city officials are able to charge customers less for power and still take in a profit.

In what city engineers said is a happy and surprising discovery, the cost of operating the facility has dropped by 40 per cent while recovery from heat generated from sewage pipes has risen.

As a result, the utility, which provides heat to all of the Olympic Village as well as surrounding commercial and residential buildings, has already met its target of being price-competitive with BC Hydro, Brian Crowe, an assistant city engineer, told city council Thursday.

Next March Hydro will raise electricity rates across the province to about $87 per kilowatt hour. But the city's utility, which services about 1,600 homes and businesses, is able to offer a price of $84 per kilowatt hour and still make a reasonable profit for the city, Crowe said.

Olympic Village's heat-from-sewage utility a monetary success
The Vancouver Sun
December 2, 2010

Vancouver Transit Use Boosted During Winter Olympics

The city of Vancouver saw large jumps in transit use during the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to a new report. However, the jumps are mainly due to increased service during the games.

The Host City Olympic Transportation Plan Downtown Monitoring Study looked at how people got around during the February 12-28 Winter Games, and compared the findings to previous transportation monitoring efforts conducted by the City of Vancouver and its partners. On an average Olympic Games weekday there were approximately 1.17 million trips into or out of the downtown Vancouver peninsula – close to 44 per cent higher than the pre-Games weekday average of 813,000 person-trips.

City of Vancouver sets transportation records during 2010 Winter Games: UBC study
Eureka Alert
November 23, 2010

Vancouver to use 2010 Olympics to Build Connections, Boost Reputation

Vancouver is preparing to play host not only to the 2010 Winter Olympics, but also the the international cadre of mayors, officials and royalty that are expected to come to town for the games. The city is hoping to use the games to build tighter bonds with other cities and officials, and are thinking of the Olympics as an opportunity to improve the city's global reputation.

Come Games-time, visitors will include sports and IOC bigwigs, international mayors, 25 heads of government and state and 10 royalty.

Playing host to so many guests “offers the City of Vancouver a unique opportunity to enhance and strengthen the City’s global reputation,” according to a report from outgoing Olympic services general manager Dave Rudberg.

No doubt, local elected representatives will have their hands full. Each day of the Olympics, Vancouver’s mayor and council could host or attend as many as two luncheons, fourteen courtesy calls, five evening receptions, six competitions and three after-dinner events such as visits to medal ceremonies.

Source:
Vancouver’s ‘global reputation’ rests on 2010 Games plan
The Tyee
March 24, 2009