Vancouver 2010: View From the Top
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson had no role in bringing the Olympics to his city. When the city held a plebiscite on the Olympics in 2003, Robertson, though he claims to have been a supporter, didn’t even vote. Robertson says at that time he was consumed with business and family matters. (He founded an organic juice company and he and his wife have four children.) As the Games plan developed, Robertson says he did play a role as an advocate for responsible environmental policies. But since the 45-year-old entrepreneur took office in December of 2009, he has become—at least to the international community—the first face of this 2010 Olympics. And its legacy will go a long way to determining his future and, more important, Vancouver’s. Robertson sat down with me in the food court at the press center. Here’s what he’d like you to know about the host city and its Games.
Culture: During this Olympics, Vancouver has been hosting—with little notice outside the city—the biggest cultural festival in Canadian history. Vancouver is already a North American film capital and one-third of the jobs here are in the creative economy. “This is a dream come true for arts and culture in our community,” he said. “This just turbocharged our identity as a creative city.”
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