The former mayor's comments also underscore the controversial quest by Olympic host cities to use the international sporting spectacle as a catalyst for massive urban and regional redevelopment projects. Vancouver is no exception. Among the larger Olympic-related additions to the region's landscape: •An $800 million convention center complex on the city's waterfront. •A $1.1 billion high-rise residential development that now serves as the athletes' downtown Olympic Village. •The $600 million Sea-to-Sky Highway, a two-lane scenic road now carrying thousands of fans to the Olympic Alpine events in Whistler. As in other Olympic host cities, notably Athens in 2004, the jaw-dropping price tags have spawned vocal opposition. Chris Shaw, one of the city's most strident critics, says the redevelopment did not include Vancouver's poor downtown East Side, home to hundreds of homeless and drug addicts.