The Olympics are finally here and as I'm scrambling to get ready for my flight out to the west coast and I didn't think anything could wipe the grin off my face. Apparently I was wrong.

I opened up my newspaper on Bloor street in Toronto, finding it mildly amusing that the Patrick Chan figure skating on the front page was gazing down at me from his larger than life Harry Rosen billboard, and couldn't believe it. There it was, a full-page article telling Canadians to "suspend your belief" followed, of course, by a list of complaints about the 2010 Vancouver Games. I couldn't help thinking, this again?

We know the Olympics are expensive. We know that it draws attention to the weaknesses in the city. We know not everyone wants them here.

What some don't realize, is that the resources and funding put into hosting a Games will literally change the face of a city and its country for generations to come. The $6 billion isn't for two weeks worth of shallow entertainment, believe me if it was, the millions of people putting their lives on hold to fly into Vancouver International from around the world would've stayed home.

The Olympics will expand sport, recreation and education programs, build a stronger sense of community and inspire those who have lost their will to keep going. We need to remember how powerful it is to have something to believe in. It makes each and every one us better ourselves and reach out to others in our community. It would sadden me if we all became so jaded as to forget that.

The 2010 Games are also being criticized for putting Vancouver under a microscope, revealing the dirty underbelly of the city we have tried to hide for so long. Am I the only one who thinks this is a good thing?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the only way to work towards bettering yourself is knowing your weaknesses. Any Olympian would tell you the same thing. We don't hide from what we have to work on, we accept that we have weaknesses, embrace them. Having them in front of you every single day makes you do whatever you have to, to push past them.

Vancouver does have one of the poorest neighborhoods in the world and it is not something we are proud of. There are many Canadians who are embarrassed that the Olympics has highlighted this little secret to the world, but I'm curious to see if they cared about this neighborhood before Canada's road to 2010 even began. It's easy to pass blame, but I don't see anyone taking responsibility. The Olympic Games can force desperately needed changes in a society, actually taking a step forward, not back.

It's our time to believe in this country and what it's capable of.