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Cost of Olympics security could grow

OTTAWA -- Despite public assurances that security planning for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is within budget, the RCMP has informed the B.C. government that it cannot project costs beyond this year, documents obtained by CanWest News Service reveal.  The RCMP, which is coordinating security for the event, has set an overall security budget of $175 million. The costs are expected to be shared between the federal and B.C. governments. More.

Gearing up for an Olympic show

Televising the 2010 Olympics will be a billion-dollar job for the Olympic movement. And already, the vanguard to an army of 2,200 camera operators, technicians and producers has landed in Vancouver to draw up its plans to deliver competition footage that the Games' official broadcasters will beam to a global audience of more than three billion.  Source.

BC's January building permits hit

Builders in British Columbia took out just over $1 billion worth of building permits in January, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday, offering some support to the expectations for high levels of construction in 2007.  The figure is no record, Statistics Canada analyst Etienne Saint-Pierre said. B.C.'s all-time high remains $1.28 billion in permits issued last November.  Full article here.

VANOC - Security

The B.C. Federation of Labour wants to discuss with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic organizing committee security measures that could subject everyone working on the Games to a criminal-record check.

Federation president Jim Sinclair, whose organization represents 470,000 members of affiliated unions in the province, said yesterday he understands the need to make sure the Games are safe -- but he doesn't want to see the rights of working people trampled in the process.

Full article here.