The 2010 Winter Olympics register a blip on British Columbia’s employment chart.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Games Effect report published Thursday said up to 20,850 jobs were created from 2003 to 2008 in B.C. where the provincial government says the workforce numbers 2.2 million people. Games-related spending between 2002 and 2020 is estimated at $4.2 billion. The September-dated report only includes analysis through December 2008.
“I would expect to see some impact of the recession in subsequent reports,” said project leader Ed Mansfield.
Mansfield said the report is not a cost/benefit analysis, but he said future reports will analyze negative impacts, such as Games-related disruption to businesses and the drop in Whistler tourism because of price-gouging and construction inconvenience fears.
