Who Will Pay for 2010 Police State?

Canadian Press, Oct 12, 2008

VANCOUVER — The release of the security budget for the 2010 Winter Olympics is being held up by cost-sharing negotiations between the federal and provincial governments and one critic says that leaves planners with a blank cheque for spending.

Almost a year after the multi-agency force led by the RCMP to oversee Olympic security submitted a revised budget, they are still waiting for word on how much they're allowed to spend on the Games.

"It's the equivalent of a blank cheque," said Chris Shaw, of No2010, an Olympic watchdog group.

"If they don't have a fixed budget they have written a blank cheque that all the agencies will take advantage of because of the nature of bureaucracy."

The initial budget for securing the Games was pegged at $175 million, though even the Integrated Security Unit itself said that was far too low.

Now, one estimate pegs the budget at coming in at as much as a billion dollars.

Federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said it wouldn't be inaccurate to say the initial budget will at least be doubled.

"Although we are not in a position to confirm when the revised security budget will be finalized and approved by the provincial and federal governments, it is hopeful this will be done by November," he said in an emailed statement.

The Integrated Security Unit, or ISU, finds itself caught in the middle of the political back-and-forth over the budget and has directed all inquires on the subject to Public Safety.

"We have submitted revised security plans and accompanying financial requirements to the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia and we are confident that a decision and announcement will be forthcoming," said a statement from the unit.

Meanwhile, the planning continues.

Boardrooms at their headquarters are packed with planners from more than a dozen federal and provincial agencies co-ordinating security for everything from roads to ports.

It's not clear who's picking up the tab for all that work.

"Security will not be compromised for financial reasons," is all Day would say on how the current planning and acquisition process by the security unit is being funded.

The provincial Olympic secretariat did not respond to the question of costs, but provincial Finance Minister Colin Hansen said it's between the RCMP and the federal government.

"They have been working with federal government officials in terms of the resources that they feel that they need," he said.

Day said the budget hasn't been released because it's not finalized, while Hansen said the overall number has been set and negotiations revolve around who will be paying for what.

The costs of security for the Games are being borne by both the provincial and federal governments, in what's supposed to a 50/50 split of the costs for "Games Security Coverage Areas," that come in over and above policing costs covered on a regular basis by the federal government.

Hansen said the terms of the agreement signed between B.C. and the federal government mean the province is only on the hook for the costs for venue and athlete security.

The agreement itself appears to go a bit further, defining the "Games Security Coverage Areas" as venues, accommodation, media centres, ceremonies and celebration sites, support facilities and transportation corridors.

For example, the cost of overtime would be contained in the budget overall but the question is how much of that overtime would ordinarily be covered by Ottawa and, on top of that, how much is coming from areas the province is supposed to be paying for.

"This comes down to the accountants, to sort out who pays for what," said Hansen.

"My obligation to the taxpayers of British Columbia is that we only charge them for what is appropriate for them to be billed."

Even if the budget comes in at a billion dollars, it likely still won't be enough, said Shaw.

Since the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, all Olympic security budgets have been over a billion dollars.

"No one in their right mind could say it would stay under a billion and be shown to be correct," he said.

"They are lying to the public because they are afraid of admitting the truth."