Vancouver's Chinese community message for Winter Olympics organisers "Don't Reign on our Parade"

VANCOUVER - Vancouver's Chinese community had a defiant message for Winter Olympics organisers when it was suggested they should cancel their longstanding Lunar New Year parade - 'no way in hell'.

The city's 36th annual parade, which will usher in the Year of the Tiger, will go ahead as planned on February 14, two days after the start of the February 12-28 Olympics.

City councilor Kerry Jang said there had initially been suggestions from VANOC, the Olympics organising committee, to either cancel or postpone the parade "over security and other concerns".

"The Chinese community said ‘no way in hell'," said Jang, a third-generation Chinese-Canadian.

"They went to city hall and said ‘forget it, we're having it'. So we had a compromise."

He said he was expecting about 20,000 people or more to attend this year's festivities which will start earlier than usual.

With numerous initiatives currently underway to revitalize Chinatown, the second largest of its kind in North America after San Francisco, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said the economic health of the area was a priority.

Current plans include lobbying to get the area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"Chinatown, like all of Vancouver, will be exposed to the world like never before (with the arrival of the Olympics). We want to use this attention and leverage it for many, many more visitors to come," Robertson said.

"(We have to) find a balance of new growth opportunities that respect the history, tradition and values that is in this neighborhood. We want to liven things up here. We have taken steps that will hopefully lead to increased investment, interest and activity for Chinatown."

(Source: CTV Olympics)