Deputy Mayor:Vancouver is Ready for the Olympics

The 21st Winter Olympics will begin on February 12th in Vancouver, Canada. But ever since its successful Olympics bid in 2003, the green and vibrant city has been beset by project delays, anti-Olympics protests and problems in some of its more infamous neighborhoods. Now with only three weeks to go before the start of the Games, is this alluring North American metropolis ready for the coming event?

To find out, our reporter Zhao Kun talked to Vancouver City Councilor and Deputy Mayor Kerry Jang.

Kerry Jang was elected to the Vancouver city council last year. He serves as the point person for the mayor on mental health, homelessness and addiction issues.

Currently, his calendar and daily schedule are booked solid as his work these days mainly revolves around the Olympic Games that will begin on February 12th.

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Selected as the "most livable city in the world" by the media, Vancouver still struggles with many complex challenges in its urban neighborhoods. The historic heart of the city—the downtown eastside—is notorious for its drug dealers and addicts, a high crime and HIV infection rate, and soaring unemployment.

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The city of Vancouver is renowned for its cultural diversity and ethnic mix, with the Chinese as the largest ethnic group.

Jang is the third generation of a Chinese family that emigrated from China to Canada a century ago.

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Jang says such regular ties are expected to be strengthened by the Olympics, which will draw international attention and provide a big platform for interactions between different races and nations.

For China Drive, I'm Zhao Kun.