The SARS benefit turned a new page for Toronto.

Angus Reid
Vancouver Sun

Watching the intense media coverage of the SARS concert earlier this week in Toronto, I was struck by the growing significance of the live mega-spectacle, not just as a source of entertainment and revenue, but as a deeply emotional, almost cathartic experience that redefines the core identity of a community, the qualities of its leaders and its image in the world. If eight weeks of advance hype for an 11-hour event can help Toronto turn a new page, what are the implications for Vancouver and British Columbia, which have recently embarked on a seven-year journey that will culminate in a three-week Olympic spectacle in the winter of 2010?

Contrary to the claims of its organizers, "SARS-stock" probably won't do much to turn around the Toronto economy or relieve its besieged tourism and health care sectors. Only about 15,000 of the more than 400,000 tickets sold for the event went to Americans, and less than a dollar of the $16 U.S. ticket price went to community projects. Even the much ballyhooed international media coverage proved largely elusive, with the event drawing little more than snippets in the major American and European newspapers.

But after a tough, emotionally draining year marked by illness, tragic deaths, a major economic downturn and a near total absence of political leadership, the Toronto concert represents a turning point of sorts on three fronts. First, and perhaps most importantly, it marks an important shift away from the excessively serious (some might even say uptight) demeanour that has long characterized Torontonians in the eyes of many Canadians. A day after the event, Toronto Star columnist Jim Coyle detected the scent of "Gen X cool." Toronto, the centre of Canada's business, had suddenly become the focus of its amusement.

The SARS concert also marked what will likely be the start of a new chapter in the politics of Toronto, Ontario and possibly even Canada. Mel Lastman, Toronto's disgraced mayor who was missing in action during much of the SARS crisis, is stepping down in the fall. Ontario premier Ernie Eves, who chose golf in Arizona over leadership in Toronto when the SARS crisis was escalating last Easter, will likely be defeated in the forthcoming Ontario election. And Jean Chrétien will be gone by February. The SARS concert serves as a dividing line between an entire generation of gentrified politicians and a new era desperate for fresh faces and ideas.

Finally, the Rollings Stones et-al spectacle represented a Canadian homecoming for Toronto, which has spent much of the last two decades looking down its nose at the rest of the country while transfixed by the delusion of its world-class splendour. Sadly, the world didn't turn up at Toronto's door to celebrate its coming-out party, but the rest of Canada was there with an enthusiasm that transformed the event from a local concert into a national festival.

Here in Vancouver our mega-spectacle lies over the horizon, but a new chapter is already being turned in the culture and identity of the city and province. Though it contains the same elements that are found in the unfolding story of Toronto, the ending differs in many important respects.

Unlike Toronto, which has morphed from business to fun, Vancouver's identity makeover during the next seven years may go the other way. Vancouver and B.C. are about to become much more industrious, if for no other reason than the enormousness of the task of building the facilities and transportation infrastructure necessary to pull off a successful event. Indeed, the entire province is about to become a veritable beehive of activity, with an emphasis on old-fashioned, no-nonsense, hard work. Say goodbye Lotus Land for at least the next seven years.

Our last event-induced catharsis came as a result of Expo '86, which produced an infectious "can do" attitude that helped stimulate the development of the city and province for almost a decade. The Olympic jolt could have an even bigger impact. There's a sense of excitement—and willingness to invest—on the part of Vancouver's business community that has been largely absent since the mid-1990s. It may be too soon to open a new Harry Rosen store, but an unmistakable scent of enterprise and venture is settling on Vancouver and Whistler.

In the world of politics, the mega-spectacles in Ontario and B.C. are producing startling but entirely different outcomes. In Toronto, the politicians look increasingly like bums; here they are heroes.

Premier Gordon Campbell, in particular, emerges as a huge winner, since he invested most of his political capital on a risky venture and won. Even though many of his social policies are unpopular in B.C., his star could shine brightly through to the opening ceremonies because his biggest "image deficit" has suddenly become an asset.

Campbell suffers from a stiff personality that often seems out of sync with the laidback culture of the west coast. But if I'm right about the transformation towards a more business-focused, industrious identity, British Columbians may warm to his style. Whether you like him or not, he's seen as a leader who can get things done. And there's a lot to do.

The final element of our transformation concerns the impact of the Olympics on our image in Canada and around the world. Here the recent Toronto experience provides an abject lesson for Olympic planners who may be tempted to set their sights on some misguided sense of a "world-class" status that will come from hosting the event. Naturally we want to build facilities for an experience which will do us proud before a global audience. But we must never forget that the most intense fans will be fellow Canadians who will flock to Vancouver and Whistler by the tens of thousands.

Toronto's spectacle headlined a British rock group and courted global public opinion. At the end of the day, the world yawned, but Toronto was firmly embraced by Canadians from coast to coast. Our event will headline Canada's athletes and celebrate our heritage and identity.

If we can keep this focus, we may discover a global audience that embraces Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada beyond our wildest expectations. And we may look back seven years hence and marvel at how we've changed because of the mysterious alchemy of our very own mega event.

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