VANCOUVER - From New Year's Day until the day before April Fool's Day, it could be harder to find a copy of 24 hours in Vancouver.
That's because a proposed bylaw going to city council today would ban advertising matter - including newspapers distributed by hand - "on, in, or above any zone street, venue corridor, pedestrian corridor or Olympic lane" from Jan. 1 to March 31.
"Our mandate is to deliver the news to the community and advertising is only one component of it," said 24 hours general manager Philip Tan. "Any bylaw which infringes on our ability to deliver that information goes against the public interest."
Olympic operations director Paul Henderson claimed staff who wrote the bylaw could not differentiate between newspapers and other commercial literature. He said the city must uphold anti-ambush marketing pledges to the International Olympic Committee.
24 hours is not a Games sponsor.
"The goal is to reduce litter, reduce congestion, reduce commercialization of the streets," Henderson said.
"The idea of bringing the Olympics into town was so the world can discover Vancouver and all that it has to offer," Tan said. "Restricting legit business and goods - whether in designated zones or in other capacities - is also contrary to the promise of economic benefits Vancouver hopes to reap in these recessionary times."
The bylaw does not affect newspaper boxes, but Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit is ordering removal of newspaper and mail boxes and garbage cans near venues.
Bob Mackin reports for Vancouver 24 hours.
Crackdowns
Slowly starting to look like Beijing.
The goal is to reduce commercialization of the streets?
Really?
The Olympic Games have been called the world's most successful brand. It is a private enterprise and entirely commercial.
If we really want to reduce commercialization on the streets, we should start dictating to the IOC the conditions of holding an Olympic Games on our soil - which is unceded Coast Salish territory - and not bow down to their every whim.
The IOC is not above the law because its offices are in Switzerland. So far, they have been found guilty of discrimination toward the women ski jumpers. The Games are a half year away and they've already been made criminals of!
Why are we paying $6 billion to let some corporate bully stomp all over us. My advice to the justice system: Grow some!
sieg heil and shut up slaves
buy consume die.
welcome to 2010 = what the government really really wants.
and no dissent or else.
Freedom
Oh the right wing is all about freedom. Bull The olympics is about sport. All Bull. They are about money and only money and how to fleece the public trough.
And the Western Media
made an issue about China doing the same thing. We really are getting to be a third world country.
I think it was Peter C. Newman who said ...
... Canada is the most affluent third world country.
His reasoning was based on our reliance on resource extraction and export coupled with a weak processing/manufacturing sector.
Policing/security are finally catching up.
In the aftermath of a mega-event like the Olympic Games, part of the legacy will be political, legal, psychological, social, economic. How this event is handled by government and VANOC will determine the cultural code by which our society operates. It will leave an indelible impression on our self-identity as a people.
The question is, do we want that impression to be inspired by fear or will we conduct ourselves in a manner that is dignified and praiseworthy? It's time for Vancouver to live up to its international reputation as one of the world's most livable cities. I hope we do that by showing who we really are and not imposing a false image of Vancouver on the world.
Here's how to do it, now.
OK, so if we want to make this look as silly as it is, let's be thorough. Don't throw a single candy-wrapper. Don't walk the streets in any slap-dash fashion. Don't cough. Don't even whip a handkerchief out of your pocket. Let the riot goons stand there and look pointless all alone and impress on the World that Canada is populated by people who can govern themselves, and topped by a crowd of tunnel-visioned supreme daleks who are incapable of discernment. Making their judgment of the situation as far off the mark as we can, and the security overspending as gross as we can, this is our best way of paying these overreaching numbskulls their just desserts. You think we'll be giving them just what they want? Think again. They want justification for their draconian measures. Let's not give it to them.
The story about the Emperor's new clothes - you realize the little child's voice only carried to the whole crowd, because the entire remainder of the crowd were obediently silent, putting a good face on it. This is the necessary background for rubbing it in that the parading emperor is indeed buck naked. Way stronger than any stink-bomb.