Olympics Security – worth the hassle? worth the cost?? – Canada’s biggest peacetime security operation is ramping up to full force as Vancouver sets to host the 2010 Winter Games.

The Vancouver Olympics will attract 2,500 athletes, but will require 16,000 police officers, soldiers, and private security guards.  The security budget is $900M.  All of that is in addition to the security detail certain to accompany foreign athletes and dignitaries.

But is hosting the Games worth the security-related inconvenience and hassle?  Is it worth the financial burden?  Is it worth the risk?

A week before the opening ceremonies, Vancouver residents are already encountering street closures, “off-limits” security perimeters, additional navy patrols of the waterways, soldiers on skis, sniffer dogs, and a no-fly zone around the athletes’ villages in Vancouver and Whistler.

Ticket-holding spectators may be entertaining second thoughts about actually attending the events: the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) is recommending coming to events like the opening ceremonies 4 hours before the start because of “airport-like” security procedures.

Those attending with children will be sure to experience migraine-inducing aggravation, and have been warned that additional gear will prolong the security process.  Banned items include infant strollers, umbrellas, coolers, most food and drinks, folding chairs, and some toys.

And just to add another dimension to the security blanket that will envelop the spectacle, the B.C. government has chosen the Games as a time to target auto theft.  The strategy: “flooding” venue and public transit parking lots with “bait” cars.  These vehicles will contain visible property (including electronics and laptops), but items will be coded and monitored by video cameras, allowing police to recover stolen property and make arrests, when and if thieves cannot resist the temptation.

As Canadians, we’ve got to ask ourselves: at what point does the cost, the risk, and the aggravation outweigh the value of hosting or attending these events?

Maybe the answer to that question will be Vancouver’s legacy.