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gary mason

There is a financial reckoning after all great parties. The bill that needs to be paid long after the dancing has stopped, the flowers have been tossed out, the newlyweds ensconced in a sweltering apartment somewhere.

It wasn't going to be any different for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

And like most big bashes, it was dead certain that the final tally was going to be higher than what the party-throwers said it would be when it was all being organized.

The B.C. government announced on Friday what it said was its definitive contribution to the Games. But true to form, it had a difficult time spitting the number out.

In a report, the government said its "total financial commitment" to staging the Games was $765-million, an increase of $165-million over the original estimate that was blamed on skyrocketing security costs.

But read on a little further and another number jumped out: $160-million - which was additional funds the government spent to "enhance the Games experience." A good chunk of which went to the Vancouver Organizing Committee to allow it to make the opening ceremonies flashier, the torch relay grander and, depending on your view of these things, to help it balance its books.

Anyway, it was like pulling teeth to get Finance Minister Colin Hansen to admit that, yes, the total amount is more like $925-million, which will be written by some as "nearly $1-billion," and the government will have to live with it. Just like it will have to endure more criticism that its accounting doesn't include the price tag of things like the new rapid transit line from the airport, upgrades to the Sea to Sky highway and a shiny new convention centre downtown, which were all completed in time to play central roles in the Games.

Factor in those costs and the final bill is more than $6-billion.

I, myself, don't agree you should count those as Olympic costs. The Canada Line was a transit link Greater Vancouver desperately needed, was going to have at some point anyway, and will have for years to come (along with the income it derives from it). The fact that it has dramatically increased the number of people forsaking their automobiles to get downtown is certainly a happy byproduct of the decision.

The same can be said for the upgrades to the Sea to Sky highway. For years, groups had been urging the B.C. government to do something about one of the deadliest stretches of highway in the country. The Olympics gave Victoria the impetus to get on with it.

Vancouver, meantime, was losing millions of dollars in convention business each year because of a lack of capacity. A new convention centre had been planned for some time, and is already attracting millions in new business. The biggest problem with its construction was that it was $400-million over budget.

But leave out these costs for the sake of today's discussion. The province still spent nearly $1-billion, and Canadian taxpayers laid out another $1-billion for security. So the question is asked: was it worth it?

If you had asked British Columbians in the immediate days after the Games, the majority would have said yes. Now that the memories of that wondrous fortnight (plus the Paralympics) are beginning to fade, I'm guessing not as many people could justify the expense.

It would certainly be easier for governments not to do these sorts of things, to think small, not big, never to take chances for fear of being criticized. And there are certainly people who believe every available dime of taxpayers' money should be spent on health care and education and not trivial pursuits such as sporting festivals.

There is little question, however, that B.C. will derive economic benefits from the Olympics for years to come. The Games will have been the main driver of economic growth in the province for 2010. Given the fallout from the most recent recession, their arrival couldn't have come at a better time for the province.

Moreover, I think the Games gave the country something you can't put a price on: a feeling of pride that has spurred a new confidence that you could feel the day after the Olympic cauldron was extinguished.

Maybe it's not a tangible benefit, but it may be the most important one of the Olympics. One that can justify the cost all by itself.

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