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Enjoy the Olympics, but consider our future

It has been said that the death of one person is a tragedy but the death of a million is a statistic.

It has been said that the death of one person is a tragedy but the death of a million is a statistic.

Not sure that I totally agree with that statement as the tragedy that is the countless deaths in Haiti unfolds, but the point is that singular or special events are more noticeable or memorable or significant or meaningful than common occurrences.

This is not surprising. It is our nature to be on the look out for the unusual.

It is a survival trait that kept us alive millions of years ago on the savannahs of Africa. It is a survival trait that saves many of us on a daily basis.

But, being aware of special events and singular occurrences also applies to good things - not just bad.

That is, the opening statement to this column could have just as easily read: the birth of one child is a joyous occasion but the birth of a million is a statistic.

Events, such as Expo '86 or the first moon landing, stick out in our memories, because they were singular and joyous events.

Moments of awe, and wonder, in which we celebrated.

In a little less than a week, the province will be afforded the opportunity to celebrate another one of those special events that we will remember for a long time.

For two weeks, millions of people around the world will share with us the 2010 Winter Olympics.

They will also be granted the opportunity to see one of the best places on Earth.

The 2010 Winter Olympics have been a long time coming. And, after two different provincial governments, four premiers, 12 years, and billions of dollars, they have finally arrived.

As my students might say: "It is time to PAR-TAY!!"

And maybe, for a while, we can forget about the closure of the Eurocan Pulp mill in Kitimat that has seen 500 workers directly lose their jobs and many more forced to move from their homes.

Or the closure of the mills in Mackenzie that have rocked that community over the past five years.

Or the 14 per cent unemployment rate that has dampened the spirit of our fair city.

Or the $2.8 billion dollar, and climbing, provincial deficit.

Or the failed promise of an Olympic windfall that was supposed to spread to every community throughout the province, ensuring that we all benefitted from the largess and legacy of the games.

Or the schools that are closing and the teachers that are losing their jobs.

Fourteen schools are on the chopping block in School District 57.

In Vancouver, 800 teachers have been notified that they may not have a job next year.

The Olympics are here, though. All of these other concerns will go on the back burner because they are not "one off" singular events.

They are just the ordinary events of our lives.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are, well, the Olympics. A singular and special event.

Don't get me wrong.

I think that securing the Olympics for B.C. - even if they are the Vancouver games - was, and is, important, if for no other reason than it forces Stephen Colbert to come to Canada.

But consider the irony.

The cost of the games is staggering - somewhere around $6 billion, depending upon whose numbers you use.

But even if they only cost $1billion, that represents an expenditure of about $330,000 per athlete over the two weeks or about $23,800 per day.

Our school system, on the other hand, receives $8,242 per student for an entire school year. That is about $42 per day.

Yes, the argument can and has been made that Olympians are elite athletes and that the Olympics are the pinnacle of human athletic achievement but our students are in a pretty elite company in the international arena as well.

We are the fourth ranked jurisdiction in the world (the USA is 26th) in science and mathematics for high school students, for example.

Surely some of the "own the podium" spirit could be focused on our schools so that next time our students are tested, we can at least get a bronze.

We should celebrate the Olympics.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are an important, and singular, event in the history of British Columbia.

But we should not forget the day-to-day common occurrences. We should also be celebrating our students and finding ways to better support and fund their education.

After all, in a little over two weeks, the Olympics will be history but our students will still be our hope and our future.

Dr. Todd Whitcombe is a professor at UNBC and a politically active member of the community. His column appears Mondays. E-mail: whitcomb@unbc.ca


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