With a year to go before the lighting of the torch for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, activists in the Downtown Eastside have staged their own Poverty Olympics.
Itchy the bedbug, Chewy the rat and Creepy the cockroach are not your normal Olympic mascots.
You won't see Miga, Quatchi or Sumi here. At issue is the city's homeless and it seems that a number of politicians are hearing the message.
"I'm an official mascot of our Olympics, not their Olympics," said Itchy the bedbug.
The second annual event has its own sports, such as Welfare Hurdles and Corporate Curling.
At the Opening Ceremonies someone sings "Money Makes the World Go Round."
As satire it's blunt, but these Games have a purpose -- to make us think twice about the $6 billion critics say we're spending to host the real Games.
"It's completely unnecessary and if the money was spent on the Olympics to end poverty it could be done," said Su Jean Swanson, one of the organizers.
The activists are right about one thing -- poverty in Vancouver isn't a game -- thousands of homeless people are still on the streets, and the child poverty rate is the highest in Canada
But former city councilor Jim Green says Vancouver has benefited from the real Olympics.
"I don't think that the Olympics created bedbugs," he said. "I really had a brighter dream than what I'm seeing, but I still have to say that the province, the city, and the Olympics have done a good job."
Governments have spent tens of millions of dollars on renovating notorious Downtown Eastside hotels.
On Sunday, Vancouver's Mayor opened his fifth homeless shelter since being elected.
He says more has to be done.
"Over the next year we've got to get the housing units created and ensure that people aren't getting forced out of buildings are being closed or shifted over for Olympic housing," said Gregor Robertson.
Even with all the new housing, activists will continue making noise.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward.
