1 Type of submission: News and Views Title: Leveraging Legacies

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Type of submission: News and Views
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Title: Leveraging Legacies: Will the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games really benefit public
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health?
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Authors:
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*Marc Mitchell1,2, PhD (c)
Email: marc.mitchell@mail.utoronto.ca
Heather Manson2, MD, FRCPC, MHSc
Ken Allison2, PhD
Jennifer Robertson2, PhD
Peter Donnelly1, PhD
Jack Goodman1, PhD
1University
of Toronto, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 55 Harbord
Street, Toronto, ON
2Public
Health Ontario, Health Promotion, Chronic Disease, and Injury Prevention, 480
University Avenue, Suite 300, Toronto, ON
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Abstract
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Toronto and the surrounding area will host the $1.4 billion Pan/Parapan American
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Games in 2015 (TO2015). TO2015’s 2009 bid document, Your Moment is Here,
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outlines the anticipated societal benefits, or legacies, of the Games. In this document,
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TO2015 organizers describe the potential for the Games to create positive ‘public
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health’ legacies in particular. Public health legacies are operationally defined as all
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those elements assuring the conditions for populations to be healthy (e.g., employment
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opportunities, access to affordable housing, public transit, and recreation opportunities).
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We argue that unless certain mechanisms are in place, TO2015 is unlikely to produce
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all the purported public health benefits outlined in its bid document. While some
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mechanisms may be in place to facilitate positive public health legacies from TO2015
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(e.g., new transit infrastructure), others are notably absent (e.g., access to affordable
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housing). In view of persisting global economic instability and government austerity,
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TO2015 legacies should not be considered as an automatic ‘trickle down’ or by-product
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– rather, they need to be planned for, organized, and funded in the same way as
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TO2015. While equal investment may be unrealistic, minimizing Games-time spending
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and shifting resources for enhanced legacy planning/fulfilment is recommended. The
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2012 Summer Olympic Games in London offer an opportunity to reflect on TO2015 and
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whether mechanisms are in place to produce long-lasting public health benefits from the
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Games.
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MeSH: Anniversaries and special events, Public health, Sports
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Introduction
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The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London are projected to cost more than $30
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billion (US) – twice the inflation-adjusted price tag of the notoriously costly 1992
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Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.(1,2) As the cost of hosting a mega-sporting
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event (MSE) has increased, the trend has been for host cities to focus on the potential
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for these events to leverage broader societal benefits, or ‘legacies’. In particular, the
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legacy focus of MSEs has shifted to the creation of positive ‘public health’ legacies,
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reflecting the rising concern over high rates of chronic disease in developed nations.
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Public health legacies, operationally defined as all those elements assuring the
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conditions for populations to be healthy (e.g., employment opportunities, access to
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affordable housing, public transit, recreation opportunities), have emerged as a common
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legacy pledge in MSE bid documents, despite the lack of supporting evidence. Toronto,
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host of the $1.441 billion 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games (TO2015), provides a
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case in point. While a stronger tourism industry, more employment opportunities, and
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economic growth may positively influence public health over the long term, assessing
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the impact of MSEs on these factors was beyond the scope of this paper. The data that
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does exist, however, is contradictory, with no clear evidence of MSEs having a positive
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or negative impact on tourism, employment, or economic growth (3).
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According to the TO2015 bid book, Your Moment is Here, Games-related investments
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will contribute to the “creation of affordable housing and community sports facilities,
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(and) enhanced access to public transit”.(4; p.68) Since these outcomes are important
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socioeconomic determinants of health,(5) TO2015 organizers contend that the short-
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term mega-investment in the Games will also improve the health of Torontonians and
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Ontarians over the long-term (e.g., that new sports infrastructure will increase public
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participation in physical activity). This is not the likely scenario, however. Rather, we
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argue that unless certain mechanisms are in place, TO2015 is unlikely to produce the
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purported public health benefits outlined in its bid document.
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Affordable Housing
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The TO2015 Athletes’ Village may technically “create affordable housing” (4; p.61) in
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Toronto, with 353 units earmarked for affordable ownership/renting in the West Don
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Lands area.(6) History suggests, however, that bid-time pledges such as this rarely
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manifest as intended. For example, half of the 252 units set aside for social housing in
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Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympic Games Athletes’ Village are now being rented out at
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‘market rate’ to essential service workers, and not to low-income Vancouverites as
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initially promised.(7)
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In addition, the meagre number of units earmarked as affordable by MSE organizers
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usually does not offset the predictable rise in house prices following the event. Indeed,
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evidence from a systematic review of the socioeconomic impacts of major multi-sport
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events suggests a trend toward higher house prices in Olympic cities following the
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MSE.(3) The rising cost of a single-family home in Toronto (a nearly 10% increase was
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observed in the last year alone),(8) along with the anticipated ‘bump’ in house prices
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from TO2015, may displace more low-income families in Toronto than will be supported
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by the units earmarked as ‘affordable’ (in 2006, there were 134, 247 low income families
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in the City of Toronto (9), while only 353 Pan Am Games housing units have been
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reserved for affordable ownership/renting (6)). A more comprehensive plan to fulfill
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TO2015’s affordable housing legacy pledge is required.
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Such a plan might include securing funding for additional affordable housing units, the
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introduction of ‘laneway housing’ legislation (e.g., permitting detached dwellings in the
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typical garage/laneway area of single-family lots, as was enacted in Vancouver in 2009,
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but considering recommendations from a 2006 City of Toronto Staff Report),(10,11) and
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seeking innovative cross-sectoral partnerships. The award-winning partnership between
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BC Housing, the Vancouver Organizing Committee, and building manufacturer WEQ
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Britco LP (Britco) offers a model from which to work. The Britco-led partnership
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reconfigured temporary rooms used during the 2010 Games into permanent social
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housing units that have been relocated across British Columbia.(12) To provide a more
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meaningful affordable housing legacy, Infrastructure Ontario could re-evaluate its
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relationship with developer Dundee Kilmer Developments LP to encourage the
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reconfiguration and relocation of temporary lodging from TO2015’s Athletes’ Village.
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Sports Facilities
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TO2015 organizers also claim that new and refurbished sports facilities will “increase
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physical activity within the general population”.(4; p.210) There is little clear evidence,
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however, that hosting a MSE consistently increases access to sports facilities or
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produces a ‘trickle down’ effect - the often-cited phenomena where mass physical
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activity participation is stimulated by exposure to elite sport.(13) Athlete success and
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increased visibility during MSEs does not necessarily translate into increased public
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participation in sport – other factors, like adequate facility and program infrastructures,
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need to be in place to meet MSE-induced surges in interest).(13) According to a
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systematic review, public access to sports facilities and subsequent use is largely
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contingent on two factors: 1) facility location (e.g., proximity of facilities to target
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populations) and 2) thoughtful legacy planning (e.g., ensuring user fees, if any, are not
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prohibitively costly).(14; p.37)
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A recent announcement by TO2015 CEO Ian Troop indicated that TO2015 competition
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will be ‘clustered’ almost exclusively in Toronto, and not across southern Ontario as
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originally planned.(15) The move, it is suggested, will save money. The cost-cutting
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measure is occurring at the expense of populations living outside Toronto, however,
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who have limited access to recreation opportunities. Some of the very municipalities
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that supported the TO2015 bid for a chance at a positive sports facilities legacy are now
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being cut out of the deal (i.e. 11 municipalities, rather than 16 as first announced, will be
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involved in hosting TO2015 competitions).(15) Sherwood Forest Park will not be
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retrofitted to host TO2015 soccer matches as previously described, for instance,
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disrupting the development of a key infrastructural legacy in Burlington, Ontario. The
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new, centralized venue cluster design may actually undermine community support
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outside of Toronto, an important pre-condition for the development of positive MSE
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legacies.(14) It is recommended that monies saved through further cost-saving
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measures be re-directed to the fulfillment of bid-time facility legacy pledges.
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In terms of long-term legacy planning, TO2015 has established a $70 million Facility
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Operating Trust Fund to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of TO2015
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facilities (presumably, from interest gained, as is the case with Vancouver’s $110 million
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Legacy Endowment Fund).(16) Since the annual contribution from the Legacy
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Endowment Fund is not sufficient to cover current operating costs of 2010 facilities,(16)
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additional contributions to TO2015’s Operating Trust are likely needed. The strategic
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additional investment would help optimize facility use over the long-term (e.g., >5yrs).
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Additional funding could be leveraged through private sector partnerships, or preferably,
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through minimizing Games-time spending. Currently, less than 5% of TO2015 capital
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and operating expenses are dedicated to legacy spending.(4; p.195)
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While clustering competition in Toronto may increase efficiency and curb costs,
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significant changes to venue plans, on top of recent concerns from Ontario Members of
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Parliament (MPP) including Conservative MPP Rod Jackson, over “explosive”
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Organizing Committee salaries,(17) make it hard to believe the Games will be delivered
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as promised, and on budget. Since final MSE budgets usually surpass initial projections
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by 300-500%,(1) regular and transparent budget updates, as recently promised by Mr.
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Troop, will be required (and should be mandated) to maintain the accountability
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Canadian taxpayers deserve.
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Public Transit
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TO2015 organizers have also promised “enhanced transportation networks” (4; p.212)
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to increase social inclusion and economic opportunities. Other jurisdictions have
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successfully leveraged MSEs to improve transportation infrastructure and yield a wide-
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range of public health benefits (e.g., less automobile use, improved air quality).(3) The
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‘bullet train’ built for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, for example,
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significantly reduced travel time and increased transit use compared to before the
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Games.(1) The accelerated development of transport services and pedestrian
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improvements in Wales and Cardiff leading up to the 1999 Rugby World Cup, were key
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infrastructural legacies as well, creating opportunities for active transportation and
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reducing emissions.(18)
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Accelerating the development of transit projects that are in the ‘pipeline’ is a common
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path through which MSEs create positive infrastructural legacies. Toronto seems to be
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well-positioned to capitalize on TO2015 as the development of a number of transit
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projects have been approved and funded far earlier than expected (e.g., new roadways
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and extensions in the West Don Lands area).(5) As well, while Toronto’s long-overdue
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Air Rail Link between Union Station and Pearson International Airport will not directly
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service TO2015 venues, final approval was likely spurred by the successful TO2015 bid
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(the Link was approved a few months after the successful bid and is planned to be
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completed in time for the Game in 2015).(20)
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In the run up to the Games, however, several notable opportunities are being missed.
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For example, while the Link is expected to eliminate 1.2 million car trips annually, it
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appears that in a hasty effort to complete it by 2015 (a seemingly arbitrary deadline) the
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project may fall short of expectations. The Link currently plans to construct two stops
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only between the airport and Union Station. City councillors have called for more stops
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over the concern that the Link will end up better serving those who fly to Toronto for the
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day, than the communities through which it will pass.(16) It is recommended that
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Metrolinx, the Government of Ontario agency responsible for Link construction, consider
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adding stops to the line (but not necessarily by 2015). As well, to maximize ridership, it
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is recommended that user fees be kept in line with those of other major cities (e.g., $5-
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10). Leveraging TO2015 to increase access to public transit, reduce emissions and
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promote active transportation, is a public health legacy worth vigorously pursuing.
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Conclusion
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MSEs provide unique opportunities for new policies, partnerships and infrastructure
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investments that may improve public health. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in
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London offer an opportunity to reflect on TO2015 and whether mechanisms are in place
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to produce purported public health benefits. While some mechanisms are in place to
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facilitate positive public health legacies, others are notably absent. Namely, a lack of a
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comprehensive plan linked to TO2015 to counteract rising house prices in Toronto; an
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Operating Trust that may be too small to support facility use over the long-term; and a
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rapid transit line that may not benefit the local population, may block the development of
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the public health legacies outlined in TO2015’s bid document. In view of persisting
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global economic instability and government austerity, MSE legacies should not be
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considered as an automatic ‘trickle down’ – rather, they need to be planned for,
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organized, and funded in the same way as MSEs. After all, legacies are the reason
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cities choose to bid for these events, right?
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Declaration of competing interests: None.
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Acknowledgements: We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Scott Thomas for contributing to
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project conception and collaborations as well as Michelle Brownrigg for critically
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reviewing the paper. We also acknowledge the key informants who offered content
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expertise throughout the development of this paper.
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