Last night I tuned into the Canadian television news at 10 p.m. to get a flavor for the aftermath of the Vancouver Winter Games. CBC's indepth wrapped up of the 17-day Olympics ended with a report from the airport which handled thousands of outbound Olympians and spectators yesterday. It went smooth as glass and was an appropriate end to a very successful games.
Canada took home the most gold medals and the USA won the medal count. What an honor for two close friends. And, the men's hockey games between "the States" and Canada were up for grabs both times right to the very end.
The Vancouver organizing committee and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, who was the keynote speaker at the AWB Policy Summit in 2003, not only made all Canadians very proud but those of us in the entire Pacific Northwest as well.
There is another side to the Canadians. They are a welcoming and generous people. When U.S. Bobsledder Steve Mesler's family was conned out of their rental money in Whistler, the Canadians pitched in and made sure they had a place to stay and everything they needed. Once the news aired over the local radio stations, NBC reported:
"The response from local listeners was immediate. Offers started pouring in from at least a dozen Whistler homeowners, inviting the Meslers and their friends to stay in the mountain village free of charge."
The Seattle Times said it best: "Vancouver set a gold-medal standard." That they did!
The Canadians have been our long-time friends and best allies.Thanks for being a good neighbor (except when it comes to hockey).
Good for Canada!
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
