World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
This article is about the 1986 World's Fair. For the album by Wolf Parade, seeExpo 86 (album). For the song by Death Cab For Cutie, seeTransatlanticism.
The1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simplyExpo 86, was aworld's fair held inVancouver, 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 ofFalse Creek.
It was the second time that Canada held a world's fair, the first beingExpo 67 inMontreal (during theCanadian Centennial). It was also the third world's fair to be held in the Pacific Northwest in the previous 24 years as of 1986 and to date, it still stands as the last world's fair to be held in North America.
Up until the late 1970s, the 173 acres (70 ha) site onFalse Creek, where Expo was staged, was a formerCPRrail 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 initial idea was to have "a modest $80 million transportation exposition that would mark Vancouver's 100th anniversary."[2] It soon blossomed into a full exposition, thanks to the help of the Vancouver Exposition Commissioner-General at that time, Patrick Reid. The theme of Transportation and Communication led to the conglomeration of many different exhibits of transportation networks. This included a 3.5-mile (5.6 km)monorail line that glided over the crowds included a trip to every zone.[3] Other ground transports included theSkyTrain, aHigh Speed Surface Transport from Japan, and a French "People Mover." The transport of the sky was the Gondola, a boxcar hovering high in the air. The water taxis moved along four different ports on the site.[4]
The fair was awarded to Vancouver by theBureau International des Expositions (BIE) in November 1980. However, once it became clear that the event would be aworld 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 tycoonJim Pattison was appointed as CEO, and would eventually also become the president of the corporation. The chief architect selected wasBruno Freschi, the Creative Director was Ron Woodall, and Bob Smith was responsible for the production and design.
Construction started in October 1983, whenQueen Elizabeth II,Queen of Canada, started a concrete mixer on the future site of the Canada Pavilion, and offered the "invitation to the world."[5] However, work was disrupted by labour disputes for five months. Still, Expo Centre opened May 2, 1985, as a preview centre for the fair.
The fair was originally budgeted for CAN$78 million. However, final expenditures for the expanded event totalled $802 million, with a deficit of CAN$311 million.[6]
As the city prepared to welcome an influx of visitors, more than a thousand low-income residents of Vancouver'sDowntown Eastside were evicted from their long-term homes insingle room occupancy (SRO) hotels, sometimes with as little as a single day's notice.[7] Because tenants were subject to British Columbia's Innkeeper's Act rather than the laws governing typical landlords and renters, the SRO owners were not required to give significant notice, or even written notice, of an eviction.Mike Harcourt, the city's mayor at the time, hoped provincial laws might be changed to protect these residents, but the provincial government refused.[7] The Patricia Hotel was among those establishments that evicted most or all of its residents, including a Norwegian man named Olaf Solheim. Solheim, who had lived at the Patricia Hotel for decades, was well known in the community but was evicted with just a week's notice. Although he found a new home, he became despondent, stopped eating, and died within a month. Vancouver's chief medical health officer at the time, John Batherwick, publicly asserted that the sudden eviction could be the cause of Solheim's death: "He'd been moved from where he was to a place he didn't want to be, and he simply lost his will to live and he died."[7]
Expo 86 was opened byThe Prince andPrincess of Wales, andPrime MinisterBrian Mulroney on Friday, 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 categorized as a "Class II", or "specialized exhibition," reflecting its specific emphases on transportation and communications.
The fair was known for the unfortunate ill-timing of the themes of both the United States and the Soviet Union pavilions. The U.S. pavilion centred around the country's space program. However, it had been less than four months after NASA had its worst disaster when theSpace ShuttleChallenger exploded shortly after takeoff. The Soviet Union had an even more problematic theme: it celebrated the country's nuclear industry. But less than a week before the fair opening ceremonies, theChernobyl nuclear disaster occurred.
BCTV set up a fully functional broadcast studio on the Expo site. The BCTV pavilion allowed visitors to see, and participate, in every step of how a television station operates, and to see how newscasts and television shows were produced. The pavilion was also used by the station for coverage of the Expo, and by visiting journalists.[8][9][10][11]
General Motors - Had one of the more popular exhibits in its pavilion:Spirit Lodge[12] a live show augmented with holographic effects and other special effects. It was produced by experience designerBob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts,[13] and created with the assistance of the Kwagulth Native reserve in Alert Bay (British Columbia).
Canadian Pacific – The pavilion's main feature was the filmRainbow War.[14] As with theSpirit Lodge show for the General Motors pavilion,Rainbow War was also produced by experience designerBob Rogers (designer) and the design team BRC Imagination Arts.[15] Following the film's run at Expo '86,Rainbow War received an Oscar nomination[16] for the 'Live Action Short' category at the58th Academy Awards. The film was played again for an international audience at the1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul Korea, as a part of the Olympic Arts Festival.CP Air was the official air carrier.
Highway 86 – a sculpture/exhibit consisting of a 217 m (712 ft) 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.
Many of the concerts were hosted byRed Robinson,[citation needed] Vancouver DJ. These concerts were held at the Open air Expo Theatre.
The "Festival of Independent Recording Artists", a concert series promoting local bands, was cancelled on the first night after a performance bySlow devolved into ariot.[18] Other artists who had been scheduled to appear in that series includedArt Bergmann.[18]
In all, 22 million people attended the expo and, despite a deficit of $311 millionCAD, it was considered a tremendous success. It remains to date the second biggest event inBritish Columbia history and is viewed by many as the transition ofVancouver from a provincial city dedicated to extractive industries to a city with global clout.[22] It marked a strong boost to tourism for the province.
Many[who?] have also seen the fair as being at least partially responsible for the re-election of theSocial 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 risecondominiums. The eastern portion was used for the annualMolson 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 firmConcord Pacific, which has its primary shareholder the Hong Kong billionaireLi Ka-Shing. The redevelopment took longer than expected, "set the standard for development in 1990s."[23] "These new neighborhoods delivered substantial contributions to public infrastructure and overall livability ... Integrating community amenity contributions (CACs) into the development process, thus enabling the construction of important public infrastructure as the city grows, [which] has become a signature part of 'Vancouverism', an urban development process and style for which the city has become world famous."[24] The south eastern section of the site just underneath the former Expo Centre was redeveloped for use as part the Olympic Village for the2010 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, it was redeveloped into condos and park land.
"Expo 86 will be remembered for the warm, friendly spirit that existed among the exhibitors, staff, 8000 volunteers and visitors." according to Kim O'Leary[25]
Some of the lasting contributions of Expo 86 to the city of Vancouver include:
SkyTrain – A fully automated elevatedadvanced rapid transit system. The first line was built intending partially to serve Expo, with construction beginning in the autumn of 1982 and revenue service opening in December 1985. SkyTrain has since become the backbone of the city's metropolitan transit system (metro) and the system has been extended six times, including three minor expansions to the original revenue line Expo Line in 1989, 1990, and 1994. Two additional metro lines, the Millennium Line and the Canada Line, were built in 2001 and 2009, respectively, with the Millennium Line being extended to Coquitlam by theEvergreen Extension in 2016. Construction of guideway, station, and train retrofitting of the entire Expo Line are underway as of 2012. Today, SkyTrain transports over 500,000 passengers daily. SkyTrain uses its original 1985–86 Expo fleet of trains (Bombardier/UTDC Mark I) as part of daily revenue service, and newer trains that have additional capacity and more advanced technology (Mark II, Mark III).
Expo Centre –Science World – An interactive educational centre with anOMNIMAX cinema. It opened May 2, 1986, as the Expo Centre. Between 1989 and 1990, after much public support, the building was expanded, and in late 1990, it opened to the general public as a science museum, "Science World".
BC Place Stadium – All-purpose domed sports stadium (primarily for theBC Lions &Vancouver Whitecaps), home of the opening of Expo 86. The stadium was also home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Opening and Closing Ceremonies. BC Place opened June 19, 1983. SkyTrain'sStadium-Chinatown Station (then, "Stadium Station") was built for this landmark in 1985, and has since served all major sporting and concert events since 1986. In May 2010, the landmark teflon roof was deflated, and it was replaced with a new retractable roof, as well as overall structural upgrades and a complete interior design makeover. BC Place reopened on September 30, 2011 as the world's largest cable-supported retractable-roof stadium.
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. In 2009, a companion building immediately to the northwest was completed. SkyTrain's terminusWaterfront Station served Canada Place in 1986. A special shuttle train between Waterfront and Stadium Station was used throughout the duration of the fair to get patrons between the Canada Pavilion and main Expo site along False Creek.
Plaza of Nations – This space has been used as an outdoor concert venue and public plaza with the surrounding buildings used as office space and nightclubs. Since Expo ended, the glass canopy that was connected to the adjacent office buildings was found unsafe and torn down, while in 2007 it was decided that the office buildings will be demolished. The B.C. Pavilion structure remains, and is the site of the, now former (and vacant),Edgewater Casino. Once the offices are demolished it will leave Canada Place, the B.C. Pavilion and the Telus World of Science as the only remaining structures from Expo directly left on the Expo site.
After the fair closed, many of the attractions were auctioned off to buyers. The dispersed Expo 86 buildings include:
TheMcBarge shown anchored inBurrard Inlet next to an oil refinery in 2006. The pub on the left was the China Gate Restaurant, and is now theLighthouse Pub inSechelt BC; the lighthouse on the right was a spaceship atop a McDonald's.
McBarge (officiallyFriendship 500) – a floatingMcDonald's. After the fair, it was abandoned in the waters ofBurrard Inlet, Burnaby (locally known as "McDerelict"). It could be seen when riding theWest Coast Express. It was moved in 2015 for refurbishment toMaple Ridge, British Columbia, where it capsized in 2025.
Space Ship McDonald's The spaceship motif from the restaurant was dismantled and the wings were removed. The remodelled pieces were then shipped toSechelt and reconstructed as a lighthouse to go atop theLighthouse Pub.
China Gate – donated by the Chinese Government to the City of Vancouver. The landmark was relocated in 1987 to Pender Street in Vancouver'sChinatown.
Site Furniture – all sorts of brightly painted remnants were relocated to thePacific National Exhibition on East Hastings Street, and to other parks and public areas in GreaterVancouver.
Folklife Pavilion – most of the Folklife Pavilion buildings were dismantled into pieces, shipped by barge and reconstructed as the Folklife Village, the main shopping centre onGabriola Island, BC
Dragon boats – the six teak wooden boats used to celebrate Hong Kong (pavilion) Day by holding adragon boat racing festival were raced annually for a number of years before being put into dry dock. In 2015 the original 6, plus 3 more teak and 6 Taiwanesedragon boats, were transferred toSalmon Arm, BC and completely restored.
Expo building modules – Numerous former pavilion structures were disassembled and reconstructed, largely for industrial use throughout the Lower Mainland, and few have survived to 2013. They can be identified by their distinctive peaked corners with exposed tubular girders. They can be found at Tillbury Industrial Park inDelta, British Columbia.
Russian Pavilion – The Russian Pavilion had a special roof designed with triangles which allowed for maximum floor space coverage without any beams coming down to support it save for the outside of the building. It was dismantled and relocated now housing machinery at the Kruger Products paper plant inNew Westminster, British Columbia.
Bench Seating – iconic painted wire grid bench seating, coloured as the different zone colours of the fair, with formed concrete bases and the "86" logo branded into the sides, can be seen at various locales around the Greater Vancouver area, notably along theWhite Rock beach promenade.One of the many Expo 86 benches still in use along the promenade ofWhite RockBritish Columbia
Pier A large steel pier constructed for use during Expo is now in use on the north side ofKeats Island as the main dock for Barnabas Landing. For years it was light green and pink (the original colours), but it has been painted a uniform blue.
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[27] on October 13, 2006, at the former Expo Centre (now Science World).
Celebrating 25 years since its opening of Expo 86,Vancouver is Awesome andYelp teamed up and threw a party at Science World on May 6, 2011.[28]
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. PremierWilliam Vander Zalm andPeter Toigo were accused ofinfluence peddling in the sale.[citation needed]
While opening the world's fair,Diana, Princess of Wales briefly fainted onto her then-husband in a crowded hall in the California Pavilion. She recovered quickly in the washroom and left half an hour later. Prince Charles later said that her fainting spell was a result of heat and exhaustion. However, the Princess confessed several years later that it was actually caused by not having kept down any food for several days, the result of her eating disorder. She was chastised by her husband for not "fainting gracefully behind a door."
On May 9, 1986, 9-year-old Karen Ford ofNanaimo, died at the Canadian Pavilion. She was crushed while on a revolving turntable that connected two semi-circular theatres in the pavilion. The revolving table was shut down for some time after the accident but was put back in service with a number of new safety measures.[29]
The Vancouver-based indie bandSaid the Whale recorded a song called "False Creek Change" about the changes that Expo 86 brought to the area. The song starts: "False Creek changed in 86 / The year Expo exploited her shore / It's been 22 years laying down bricks / There's no room for me here any more."
Scenes from Vancouver (some of the Expo) have appeared in a video edition of the song "If I Had Wings", composed in 1986 by children's singer/songwriter Hap Palmer.
Cheers episode "Money Dearest" featured Cliff Claven discussing his return from Expo 86.
The bandWolf Parade also released an LP entitledExpo 86 in 2010.
Archie Comics put out a special edition where they came to Expo 86.[30]
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Fiji,
France,
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Grenada,
Indonesia,
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Mexico,
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Vanuatu,
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