When tourists Dave and Rosie Primeau arrived in 91原创, visiting the flaming Olympic cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza was tops on their list.
But when the couple from Signal Hill, California went to get some pictures of flames coming out of the cauldron on Tuesday, they were shocked at what they saw.
鈥淚t should be lit up,鈥� Dave said while standing outside the unlit cauldron adjacent to the 91原创 Convention Centre.
鈥淲e expected so much more.鈥�
The couple who are near retirement often take 鈥渃old weather trips鈥� and recall when they visited Salt Lake City after that city had the 2002 Winter Olympics there was still a strong Olympic legacy. 鈥淚n Salt Lake City they have a whole museum to highlight the Games,鈥� he said.
Take our poll: When should tax dollars be used to light the Olympic cauldron?
Rosie said the red lights illuminating the lower arms of the cauldron are hard to notice in the daytime.
鈥漈his would be impressive if it was lit up,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey should have the flame lit to commemorate the Olympics.鈥�
Added Dave: 鈥淐anada is famous for gas, light it up. It will remind people of the Olympics.鈥�
The lack of a big flame at the cauldron in downtown 91原创 has not gone unnoticed among locals.
Atti Torok, 50, was a volunteer at the 91原创 Olympics, in 2010, driving International Olympic Committee members to the various venues. He is disappointed the cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza is not lit up.
鈥淚n Calgary they lit their cauldron, so why not here in 91原创?鈥� he asked.
鈥淚 thought the Olympic cauldron was for everybody here, not for them to charge money to light it up.
鈥淚f Calgary lights up their cauldron, why can鈥檛 we do the same?鈥�
In Calgary, Dale Oviatt is the director of communications for WinSport, a non-profit which is financed through the Calgary 1988 Olympics legacy fund.
He said lighting up the Olympic cauldron at Calgary鈥檚 Canada Olympic Park has been a huge hit with locals and tourists. 鈥淲e often get people out who remember the cauldron being lit at the 1988 Olympics,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is also a tourist attraction, for sure.鈥�
Like the cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza, the flame in Calgary is fed by natural gas. Oviatt said he did not have a cost for keeping the flame going from the start of the Sochi Olympics until the finish.
Oviatt said WinSport covers the cost of the gas to light the cauldron up during the Games. And he said there has been no negative reaction to the flame burning for the entire length of the Sochi Olympics. 鈥淓verybody is positive about it,鈥� he said.
According to the 91原创 Convention Centre鈥檚 Jinny Wu, the Olympic cauldron can be lit, but it will be at a cost and only for special occasions. To turn the flame on, she said it would run about $6,400.
The four-armed glass and steel cauldron was built to reflect the 2010 Games鈥� theme of fire on ice and was first lit during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in 91原创 by hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
During the start of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals between the Boston Bruins and the 91原创 Canucks, the cauldron was lit up.
91原创鈥檚 Olympic cauldron was also relit on March 20, 2013, to celebrate the opening of the Cactus Club on top of the 91原创 Convention Centre.
In the past, the cauldron has been relit for Canada Day celebrations. A plaque on the cauldron says it 鈥渨ill be lit to celebrate major achievements and events.鈥�
The cauldron is managed by the 91原创 Convention Centre which is run by the B.C. Pavilion Corporation, the crown corporation also responsible for running B.C. Place.
It was built by Terasen Gas, now called FortisBC, in partnership with the 91原创 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committees. Following the games it was handed over the 91原创 Convention Centre.
