Will the Pan Am Games be for the Public?

As we all now know, Toronto has won the 2015 Pan Am Games. I think it is great that Toronto is finally an important part of international news, and the Games have the potential to be a means for positive change in Toronto. However, there are also several issues that could create negative impacts on this city.
The Pan Am Games will cost a lot of money, but government officials’ state that the long-term benefits will be worth it. Various benefits will include upgrades to the transit network, a rail line to Pearson Airport, new affordable housing, new sports facilities, a push for renovations, and of course a massive boost in tourism.

The first negative issue that I would like to address deals with marginalization. There has been a trend where metropolitan hosts try to hide their ugly side when international games are to take place. Examples of this include the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and the upcoming Vancouver Olympic Games. Already, Vancouver has stated that the homeless must be removed from certain areas or face arrest. I have the feeling that Toronto will follow the same trend when faced with a conflicted interest in public space.
The new sports facilities that will be built for the Games are said to be open for public use once the Games are finished. However, there is no guarantee that the tax money collected to build these facilities will actually be open for public use. A world class aquatics center is going to be built on the U of T Scarborough Campus. This could prove problematic because the facility will be built on private property, which means that free access to this facility might be limited to students only, just like the athletic centre at the downtown U of T campus.
New affordable housing is a great idea for mixed landuse. The only problem with this is that it could end up costing us a lot more than initially planned. The Athletes Village built for the Vancouver Olympics is already going to cost more than planned because of the money it takes to transform these houses into affordable permanent dwellings. I think that they should have been planning to build affordable housing whether Toronto won the Pan Am Games or not.

Provincial and municipal money is ultimately our money, and we need to have affordable access to these locations without being marginalized. Public profits should produce public space.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/panamgames/article/720191--a-vision-beyond-2015-pan-am-games
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=172479