Expo 86

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The Expo 86 logo

The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communication: World in Motion - World in Touch", coincided with Vancouver's centennial and was held on the north shore of False Creek. It was the second time that Canada held a World's Fair, the first being Expo 67 in Montreal (during the Canadian Centennial).

History

Background

Up until the late 1970s, the 173 acre (0.7 km²) site on False Creek, where Expo was staged, was a former CPR rail yard and an industrial wasteland. In 1978, Sam Bawlf (then BC Minister of Recreation and Conservation) proposed an exposition to celebrate Vancouver's Centennial year (1986). The proposal was submitted in June, 1979, for a fair that was to be called "Transpo 86." In 1980, the British Columbia Legislature passed the Transpo 86 Corporation Act, paving the way for the fair. The transportation theme reflected the city's role in connecting Canada by rail, its status as a major port and transportation hub, and the role of transportation in communications.

The fair was awarded to Vancouver by the B.I.E. in November, 1980. However, once it became clear that the event would be a world exposition, the name was officially changed to "Expo 86" by Ambassador and Commissioner General Patrick Reid in October, 1981, and, by the end of the year, Expo 86 Corporation was established as a nonprofit agency responsible in the planning and operation of the fair. Local business tycoon, Jim Pattison was appointed as CEO, and would eventually also become the president of the corporation. The chief architect selected was Bruno Freschi, the Creative Director was Ron Woodall, and Bob Smith was responsible for the production and design.

Construction started in October 1983, when Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, started a cement mixer on the future site of the Canada Pavilion, and offered the "invitation to the world."^[1] But, work was disrupted by labour disputes for 5 months. Still, Expo Centre opened May 2, 1985, as a preview centre for the fair.

The final cost of the fair ended up being CDN $8 million under budget.^{[citation needed]}

The Fair

Expo '86 was opened by Charles, Prince of Wales, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on May 2, 1986. It featured pavilions from 54 nations and numerous corporations. Expo's participants were given the opportunity to design their own pavilion or opt for the less expensive Expo module. Each module was approximately two-and-a-half stories high and had the floor space equal to a third of a city block. The design was such that any number of the square modules could be placed together in a variety of shapes. The roof design allowed the interior exhibit space to be uninterrupted by pillars.

This World's Fair was categorised as a "Class II," or "specialised exhibition," reflecting its specific emphases on transportation and communications.

Pavilions

Canadian provincial and territorial pavilions:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories

Country pavilions:

US states' pavilions:

• California
• Oregon
• Washington

Corporate/NGO pavilions:

• Air Canada, BCTV
• Canadian National
• General Motors - Had one of the more popular exhibits in its pavilion: "Spirit Lodge" a live show augmented with holographic effects and other special effects. It was produced by Bob Rogers and created with the assistance of the Kwagulth Native reserve in Alert Bay (British Columbia).
• Via Rail Exhibit
• Canadian Pacific - The pavilion's main feature was the film: "Rainbow War"
• Telecom Canada - Featured a Circle-Vision 360° movie: "Portraits of Canada - Images du Canada"

Other pavilions and exhibits:

• Great Hall of Ramses II (Egypt) - containing rare treasures from the life of the pharaoh
• Great Norwegian Explorers (Norway)
• Pavilion of Promise
• Roundhouse - a renovated 100-year-old railway roundhouse contained various historical locomotives.
• Expo Centre.

Outdoor exhibits:

• Air Plaza
• Land Plaza
• Marine Plaza
• Folklife
• Highway 86 - a sculpture/exhibit consisting of a 217m 4 lane concrete highway that contained various modes of transportation (cars, mopeds, bikes, etc) that were frozen in time. All the real vehicles were painted a shade of light grey, and mounted in place. It was designed by 'S.I.T.E. Projects' of New York.
• UFO H2O - a UFO inspired children's water playground.

Theatres:

• Labatt's Expo Theatre
• Kodak Pacific Bowl
• Xerox International Theatre

Entertainment and famous visitors

Royalty: Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Crown Prince Harald & Crown Princess Sonja of Norway

Prime Minister: Brian Mulroney (Canada) Margaret Thatcher (United Kingdom) Pierre Trudeau (former Prime Minister - Canada)

Vice-President: George Bush United States

Concerts: Einstürzende Neubauten, Harry Belafonte, Anne Murray, Billy Ocean, Bruce Cockburn, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Eurythmics, Julio Iglesias, Amy Grant, Loverboy, A-ha, Liberace, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Gowan, Parachute Club, Joan Baez with Don McLean, Kenny Loggins, Lou Rawls & The Fifth Dimension, Honeymoon Suite, Kim Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Depeche Mode, Joe Jackson, George Thorogood, Smokey Robinson, George Benson, John Denver, The Manhattan Transfer, The Beach Boys, Air Supply, Peter Paul & Mary, The Temptations, René Simard, k.d. lang (opening for Rockin' Ronnie Hawkins), Peter Allen, Sheena Easton, Trooper, Bryan Adams, World Drums concert (led by John Wyre), The Romaniacs, Shannon Gunn, Skywalk, Kent-Meridian Jazz Ensemble, Tangerine Dream, Youssou N'Dour, Rolf Harris

The "Festival of Independent Recording Artists", a concert series promoting local bands, was cancelled on the first night after a performance by Slow devolved into a riot.

Comedians: Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Joan Rivers, Howie Mandel and George Burns

Dance: Mikhail Baryshnikov

Directors: Norman Jewison, George Cosmatos (Rambo: First Blood Part II)

Oceanographer: Jacques Cousteau of France

Facts and figures

• Official Theme: "Transportation and Communication"
• Sub Theme: "A Celebration of Ingenuity"
• Total Attendance Number: 22,111,578
• Operating Dates: May 2, 1986 to October 13, 1986
• Chief Architect: Bruno Freschi
• Official Mascot: Expo Ernie - A lifesized robot.

• Revenues: $491,000,000^{[citation needed]}
• Expenditures : $802,000,000^{[citation needed]}
• Deficit : $311,000,000^{[citation needed]}
• (Note: All amounts are in Canadian funds and are not adjusted for inflation.)

• Main Expo Site Size: 670,000 m³, (165 acres).
• Canadian Pavilion Size: 24,000 m³ (6 acres), 4.5 km away from the main site connected by Vancouver's SkyTrain.
• Total Expo Site Size: 700,000 m² (173 acres)

54 Official Participating Nations: Antigua et Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, China, Cook island, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominica, Fiji, France, Germany, Grenada, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Monserrat, Nauru, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Romania, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, U.S.A., USSR, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, and Yugoslavia.

Legacy

In all, 22 million people attended the expo and, despite a deficit of $311 million CAD, it was considered a tremendous success. It remains to date the biggest event in British Columbia history and is viewed by many as the transition of Vancouver from a sleepy provincial backwater to a city with some global clout^{[citation needed]}. It marked a strong boost to tourism for the province.

Many have also seen the fair as being at least partially responsible for the re-election of the Social Credit party for its final term as a provincial government.

Today, the western half of the site has and is continuing to be developed into parks and high rise condominiums. The eastern portion was used for the annual Molson Indy race, until it was cancelled in late 2004. Future plans call for the eastern third of the site to be developed into parkland and condominiums. The western third of the site is presently owned by the real estate investment firm Concord Pacific, which has its primary shareholder the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing. The redevelopment took longer than expected, but is one of the most successful urban developments in Canadian history.^{[citation needed]} The south eastern section of the site just underneath the former Expo Center is being developed for use as part the Olympic Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, it will also be developed into condos and park land.

State of Expo 86 attractions

The former Expo 86 monorail, now installed at Alton Towers, UK.

Some of the lasting contributions of Expo '86 to the city of Vancouver include:

• Science World - an interactive educational centre with OMNIMAX cinema. It opened May 2, 1985 as the Expo Centre; in 2005 the name was changed to Science World at Telus World of Science.
• SkyTrain - an elevated rapid transit system. It has been expanded several times and there are plans for another soon.
• Canada Place The Canada Government pavilion is now a major downtown convention centre and cruise ship docks. It has seen major use over the years and was expanded to allow for bigger cruise ships to dock in 1999.
• Plaza of Nations - One of the last remaining structures from the fair. Used as an outdoor concert venue and public plaza. After twenty years, the Glass canopy that was connected to the adjacent office buildings was found unsafe and torn down. The two office buildings are now also undergoing complete demolition, leaving Canada Place and the Telus World of Science as the only remaining structures directly left from the Expo site.
• BC Place - All-purpose domed sports stadium (primarily for the BC Lions), home of the opening of Expo '86. - Future home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

After the fair closed many of the attractions were auctioned off to buyers outside of Vancouver. The dispersed Expo '86 attractions include:

• Monorail - now located at Alton Towers Theme Park in England
• Floating McDonald's (locally known as "McBarge") - is now essentially abandoned in the waters of Burrard Inlet, Burnaby. It can be seen when riding the West Coast Express.
• China Gate - donated by the Chinese Government to the City of Vancouver and is now located on Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown
• World's largest ice hockey stick - now in Duncan, British Columbia at the local hockey rink
• World's largest Flag Pole - now in Surrey, British Columbia at Flag Motors,
• Scream Machine roller coaster - now The Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis
• Inukshuk - once used at the Northwest Territories Pavilion, it is now used as a landmark on English Bay beach. It is also now doubling as the official logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
• Site Furniture - all sorts of brightly painted remnants were relocated to the PNE on East Hastings Street, as well as other parks and public areas in Greater Vancouver.

Reunions

A group of former Expo '86 employees conducted a 20th anniversary reunion for Expo participants on May 2, 2006 at the Plaza of Nations site.

A group of former BC Pavilion employees celebrated the 20th anniversary of the close of Expo 86 at a reunion [1] on October 13, 2006 at the former Expo Centre (now renamed the Telus World of Science).

Scandal

In 1988, the site was sold to the Concord Pacific development corporation for a fraction of the original cost, a move that proved to be extremely controversial. Premier William Vander Zalm and Peter Toigo were accused of influence peddling in the sale.

References in popular culture

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2008)

Indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie has a song named "Expo '86" on their album Transatlanticism.

In a 1986 episode of Cheers, Cliff returns to the bar after visiting Expo 86 in Vancouver.

Different American television productions have filmed in some of the areas once part of Expo '86. MacGyver had an episode Season 5 Episode 3 titled "The Black Corsage"filmed there as did the Disney movie/television pilot Earth Star Voyager.

Archie Andrews and the rest of the gang visited Expo 86 in an issue of "The World of Archie".

See also

• World's Fair
• 1986 in Canada
• Vancouver
• British Columbia
• Canada
• 2010 Winter Olympics
• Expo 67 in Montreal
• Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto
• Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver
• Gaselle

External links

• ExpoMuseum page on Expo 86
• Canadian Encyclopedia article on Expo 86
• Canadian Heritage site on expos
• Hansard transcript from BC Legislature's passing of the Transpo 86 Act in 1980.
• A 'Look Back' on EXPO 86 - over 140 web pages of images
• False Creek Urban Heritage Trail Guidebook (from New City Institute; refers to area of Expo '86 site)
• Expo '86 reunion
• BC Pavilion at EXPO '86 reunion
• Expo 86 Fansite

Multimedia

• CBC Archives - The food of Expo 86.
• CBC Archives Jim Pattison - a key person behind Expo 86 (from 1985) - and concerns about hosting Expo.

References

• List of performers at Expo '86

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2006)