By Terri Theodore, Canadian Press, April 10, 2010

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Twenty-two people who came to Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics have made refugee claims in Canada, seven of them members of the “Olympic family. The figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show the claimants came from nine different countries: Ghana, Hungary, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Nepal and Japan. For privacy concerns, Johanne Nadeau with Citizenship and Immigration couldn’t say if any of the claimants were athletes, only that seven of them were from organizations directly linked to the Games. The Olympic family includes everyone from sponsors and athletes to the entourage of support staff that travels with each country’s Olympic team.

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From Rochester Indymedia

On February 9th, two Rochester Indymedia journalists started their journey to Vancouver, unceded and occupied Coast Salish Territory to cover the 2010 anti-Olympic resistance movement. Anti-Olympic organizers called for a convergence of anti-colonial and anti-capitalist forces in Vancouver, February 10-15, 2010, to confront and disrupt the 2010 Olympic Games. These dates were chosen to coincide with the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics (Feb. 12, 2010). The entire Winter Games ran from Feb 12-28, 2010. The slogan under which the convergence coalesced was, “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land!”

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CTV.ca News Staff, Date: Tue. Mar. 2 2010 6:55 PM ET

Seven people who came to Canada to watch the Vancouver Winter Olympics are now seeking refugee status, CTV News has learned, including claimants from Hungary, Russia and Japan. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said it was “ridiculous” that anyone from Japan could claim to be a refugee and told CTV’s Power Play Tuesday that it was a sign that the system has broken down.

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Peter Kulchyski | March 1st 2010 | Canadian Dimenision

Early this fall, an event largely ignored by the mass media in Canada, took place in northwestern Ontario. A floatplane filled with equipment and staff from the Platinex mining company attempted to land on Big Trout Lake, known as Kitchenuhmaykoosib to the local Inninuwug. The chief and other members of the community got in their boats and played a game of “chicken” with the plane, maneuvering their boats in front of its landing trajectory to keep it from being able settle onto the lake. After making several attempts, the pilot turned around and returned south. A few months later the community heard the news that the Ontario government had bought out Platinex’s interest in the disputed territory (part of Treaty 9) and announced that the platinum mining development in the region would not proceed.

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