Cost of Olympic services and facilities compared to ending poverty

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Costs of Olympic related services and facilities (January 2009)

Venues:                                 $600M
Program spending:                   $125M
Security:                                $400M-$1B
2 Olympic Villages:                    $1.261B
Sea to Sky Highway:                 $775M
Trade and Convention Centre:    $883M
RAV line:                                        $2B
TOTAL:                                           $6.044 Billion to $6.644 Billion

How billions spent on Olympics could reduce poverty and homelessness

Amount spent on Olympic related services and facilities:  $6.044 Billion (low estimate)
Number of social housing units this could build:                 30,220
Number of years welfare could be increased by 50%:        over 12

Or you could do ALL of these things:

Raise welfare by 50% for 5 years ($2.5B);
End the barriers that keep people in need from getting welfare for 5 years ($1B);
AND build 12,720 new units of good social housing ($2.5B);
PLUS increase minimum wage at 0 cost to taxpayers.