Jim Green critiques Chris Shaw
Posted: Jul 2nd, 2009
On June 25, the Vancouver Observer’s Megan Stewart called former city councillor Jim Green to get his comments about his meeting with Tom Tresser, as reported by Chris Shaw in his Olympics blog. “What has Chris Shaw brought to the Olympics except a quote from a conversation I had at breakfast with a reporter in Chicago?” Green asks. Here is a transcript of Stewart and Green's conversation.
VO: I wanted to talk to you about what you told this Chicago reporter.
JG: I haven’t read the article so I have no idea.
VO: I can tell you.
JG: Can you send me a copy of it?
VO: There isn’t an article. He [Tom] sent me the quotes.
JG: I’m sorry. I’m not going to respond to something that doesn’t exist.
VO: It does exist. He’s [Tom] saying that you said this. He is saying that you said this and he has got your quotations recorded. And he may not have written anything, but he sent it along.
JG: I have never heard of a reporter telling another reporter that this is what I said that is not in an article or anything else.
VO: I guess, maybe sometimes, like in other circles, we share information amongst ourselves.
JG: Ah-ha.
VO: Is it not true that…
JG: I don’t know! I have no idea. I haven’t seen the article. There is no article.
VO: No, there is no article, but I can tell you what he is saying you said. Can I tell you that much?
JG: I’m sure you’d love to.
VO: He is saying that you told him that you supported the Olympic bid and the plebiscite because the province and the city would support the Woodward’s project.
JG: That was certainly an influence on my decision. There is no question about it.
VO: That’s not something that was reported then, but it was rumoured. Is this just confirming what we already knew?
JG: I’m sorry. Have you been in Vancouver very long?
VO: No.
JG: Okay, well, I’ve seen at least 30 publications that have something to that effect. I have said this publicly tonnes of times. I have not said it is the reason I supported the Olympics, but being part of the inclusivity committee and working to get a whole lot of things through and I think the impact on the communities coalition, felt very strongly that we had won a whole lot of concessions, and that was a very big one: 200 units of social housing at the Woodward’s project.
VO: So it was worth it?
JG: It was worth it, yeah.
VO: Can you tell me what that conversation was like?
JG: Well of course he [the Premier] wouldn’t want me to oppose it.
VO: Well, exactly. Can you tell me what that conversation was like? Do you remember it?
JG: No. I don’t know. He [Larry Campbell] told me that the Premier was hoping that I would support the Olympics because I didn’t know whether I was or not, depending on what we were able to get out of them for people in the Downtown Eastside, low-income people, and the city of Vancouver. So, yeah, statement of fact, I said that, I’m sure. I told him, no evictions, no displacement of low-income people, no conversion of single-room accommodation hotels, more social housing, the purchase of hotels, which they have been doing aggressively, and Woodward’s with 200 units of social housing. And all those things are there and that’s what brought me over onto the Yes side.
VO: What about opposition to the Olympics? I know there are people who think Woodward’s may be a good thing, but bringing the Olympics to the city was not worth it. How do you respond to that?
JG: There is no need to respond to it. Woodward’s is being built. If they don’t think it’s worth it, that’s fine. I would like to ask what they are going to get the people of Vancouver out of the Olympics. I’m pretty proud of what I did. So let’s ask Chris [Shaw]. What has Chris brought to the Olympics except a quote from a conversation I had at breakfast with a reporter in Chicago?
VO: Perhaps that’s a fair question. I’ll ask Chris.
JG: What has he done to make the Olympics better? He tried to kill it, he lost. What’s his back-up plan? Just more negativity? It’s too late for that. He lost.
VO: We can say, perhaps, he’s adding a critical perspective.
JG: He can have a critical perspective. I’m critical too. I’m very critical. I keep working to make it better. I don’t think sitting on the sidelines, gesticulating and pointing is making anything better. Where’s the new information he’s brought up? Jim Green had breakfast with Tom in Chicago?
VO: I wanted to talk to you about what you told this Chicago reporter.
JG: I haven’t read the article so I have no idea.
VO: I can tell you.
JG: Can you send me a copy of it?
VO: There isn’t an article. He [Tom] sent me the quotes.
JG: I’m sorry. I’m not going to respond to something that doesn’t exist.
VO: It does exist. He’s [Tom] saying that you said this. He is saying that you said this and he has got your quotations recorded. And he may not have written anything, but he sent it along.
JG: I have never heard of a reporter telling another reporter that this is what I said that is not in an article or anything else.
VO: I guess, maybe sometimes, like in other circles, we share information amongst ourselves.
JG: Ah-ha.
VO: Is it not true that…
JG: I don’t know! I have no idea. I haven’t seen the article. There is no article.
VO: No, there is no article, but I can tell you what he is saying you said. Can I tell you that much?
JG: I’m sure you’d love to.
VO: He is saying that you told him that you supported the Olympic bid and the plebiscite because the province and the city would support the Woodward’s project.
JG: That was certainly an influence on my decision. There is no question about it.
VO: That’s not something that was reported then, but it was rumoured. Is this just confirming what we already knew?
JG: I’m sorry. Have you been in Vancouver very long?
VO: No.
JG: Okay, well, I’ve seen at least 30 publications that have something to that effect. I have said this publicly tonnes of times. I have not said it is the reason I supported the Olympics, but being part of the inclusivity committee and working to get a whole lot of things through and I think the impact on the communities coalition, felt very strongly that we had won a whole lot of concessions, and that was a very big one: 200 units of social housing at the Woodward’s project.
VO: So it was worth it?
JG: It was worth it, yeah.
VO: Can you tell me what that conversation was like?
JG: Well of course he [the Premier] wouldn’t want me to oppose it.
VO: Well, exactly. Can you tell me what that conversation was like? Do you remember it?
JG: No. I don’t know. He [Larry Campbell] told me that the Premier was hoping that I would support the Olympics because I didn’t know whether I was or not, depending on what we were able to get out of them for people in the Downtown Eastside, low-income people, and the city of Vancouver. So, yeah, statement of fact, I said that, I’m sure. I told him, no evictions, no displacement of low-income people, no conversion of single-room accommodation hotels, more social housing, the purchase of hotels, which they have been doing aggressively, and Woodward’s with 200 units of social housing. And all those things are there and that’s what brought me over onto the Yes side.
VO: What about opposition to the Olympics? I know there are people who think Woodward’s may be a good thing, but bringing the Olympics to the city was not worth it. How do you respond to that?
JG: There is no need to respond to it. Woodward’s is being built. If they don’t think it’s worth it, that’s fine. I would like to ask what they are going to get the people of Vancouver out of the Olympics. I’m pretty proud of what I did. So let’s ask Chris [Shaw]. What has Chris brought to the Olympics except a quote from a conversation I had at breakfast with a reporter in Chicago?
VO: Perhaps that’s a fair question. I’ll ask Chris.
JG: What has he done to make the Olympics better? He tried to kill it, he lost. What’s his back-up plan? Just more negativity? It’s too late for that. He lost.
VO: We can say, perhaps, he’s adding a critical perspective.
JG: He can have a critical perspective. I’m critical too. I’m very critical. I keep working to make it better. I don’t think sitting on the sidelines, gesticulating and pointing is making anything better. Where’s the new information he’s brought up? Jim Green had breakfast with Tom in Chicago?
(6) Comments
Linda Solomon
Linda Solomon is the founder and publisher of the Vancouver Observer and the author of Why I Love Vancouver. Linda's upcoming workshops and speaking engagements:Model UN: Hyatt Regency, keynote...Read Bio »
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Megan, there's no story here!
Just like there's not likely to be any mold from uninsulated pipes in the Olympic Village. But that's another story that someone foolishly tried to promulgate.
I tend to read or skim most VO stories, except those with Chris Shaw's name on them. Frankly, I delete those before reading. I agree entirely with Jim Green on this one!
keeping politics transparent
In regards to everyone* who knew Jim Green supported the Olympics in return for certain assurances, all that was reported at the time were the rumours swirling what everyone* knew.
*I'd argue that the majority of this group excluded the general public. And this is in large part because Jim didn't directly respond to questions on the subject. We decided to pursue the story in the interest of confirming what was largely speculated.
Jim Green is a pretty flexible fellow
What was the outcome to be if Green hadn't gone along? No social housing in Woodward's? That sounds more like blackmail or bribery than negotiation.
Definitely no NEW story here
I agree with Green - the no side lost. So now what? The Olympics are going to happen no matter what we think. What do we do now? I think it is a waste of time and effort to attempt to re-hash old news as though some grand scoop has been discovered. Move on to all of the new and worthy stories surrounding 2010. Hold VANOC accountable for every decision they make leading up to the games. Since we can't stop the games from happening why not now focus our energies on making them the most accountable games ever held?
History is useful and there are many vie
Whether it's an old story or a new story, the Olympics is now our story in Vancouver. The Vancouver Observer will be reporting on as many dimensions of the story as resources allow us to do in the coming months. History provides a context for us to understand where we are today. There are many views of what will prove to be a pivotal event for the city in many ways, whether we like them or not. Please keep commenting and if you have a better story about the Olympics to tell, consider telling it here.
Linda Solomon
Olymics blog
The deception and lack of transparency continues to this day.
As I acknowledged in my first story, "What backroom deal got us the Olympics?" with the quote from Alan Garr, rumours about Green's deal have been out there for years. However, until Jim Green talked with Tom Tresser in Chicago, it was only a rumour. Now we have it from the horse's mouth.