Residents of East Vancouver’s activist heartland may not mind seeing Jarome Iginla in their neighbourhood in 2010, but they’re not so keen on baton-wielding security personnel cracking heads to stifle anti-Olympic dissent.

This was the sentiment when around 150 Grandview-Woodland residents filed into the auditorium of Britannia secondary school to voice their concerns about the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee’s planned $114,000 rental of the skating rink next door, for hockey practices in 2010.

“Downtown Vancouver will be inundated with the Canadian army, the RCMP, and the Vancouver police force, and, quite possibly, police forces from suburban communities,” Grandview resident Esther Shannon told those at the meeting, which was hosted May 5 by the Britannia Community Services Centre’s board of management. “I think that we can anticipate a significant security apparatus around Britannia Centre. It may start out being at the rink, but I am quite certain that, if any open event occurs that caused
any anxiety to security, that detail will be ramped up instantly, and the corridor will extend far past the rink.”

According to the three-page meeting agenda, the Britannia Centre board passed a motion in September 2006 “to explore the opportunity to use the Britannia rink with VANOC and the City [of Vancouver]”. Vanoc has asked that the rink be closed from January 28 to February 28, 2010, but, according to centre executive director Enzo Guerriero, Britannia students will be able to watch the practices at no cost.

According to the agenda, the centre will seek a total of $325,000 from Vanoc to upgrade the rink, and the City will be asked to kick in $150,000 to upgrade the ice-making unit from propane to electric.

Vanoc spokesperson Chris Brumwell didn’t return a call by the Straight ’s deadline.