If you liked Expo 86, you're going to love the 2010 Olympic games.

That's a promise from Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Kevin Falcon, who predicts the naysayers will end up championing the upcoming games as "the greatest thing to ever happen to B.C."

The Health Minister gushed about the Olympics while delivering a toast to former Social Credit cabinet minister and Cloverdale booster Bill Reid last week, the same day as the torch lighting ceremony in Greece.

"The analogies between Expo 86 and the Olympics are incredible to me," he said, asking the crowd to remember all the complaining that went on before the world's fair and exhibition opened and 22 million visitors showed up.

"People were saying, 'It's terrible. Why is the government doing this, stupid Socreds, wasting all this money. It's a recession' – sound familiar? – That no one will come, it's not going to be a success. And you know what? It just blasted through every one of those arguments and was the greatest thing to ever happen in this province. And the Olympics in 2010 is going to be Expo 86 times 50, 100 maybe."

Falcon's excitement about Vancouver's impending Olympic debut – just over three months away – stands in stark contrast to the mixed, even bitter feelings swirling in the hearts of many voters. They're understandably concerned about footing the bill for a multi-billion dollar affair.

It's difficult to find anyone old enough to remember Expo 86 who's really excited about the games.

When Falcon says the Olympics will be 50, maybe 100 times Expo, some people might reasonably fear he may in fact be referring to cost, officially budgeted at $1.76 billion in operating costs, but no one is saying for certain what the final tally will be.

Falcon is young enough to have stacked up a lifetime's worth of fond memories of the summer of 1986, when youths came from across B.C. and the country and found jobs – and excitement – at Expo.

He's right: for Lower Mainland residents, Expo 86 is the gold standard to aspire to in terms of a legacy and in bringing the country – and people from around the world – together in a global setting, and a hosting a really great party.

Along with infrastructure legacies and a revitalized downtown, Expo saw a sleepy backwater emerge from the shadows and claim its rightful spot on the international stage.

Here's another thing: Vancouver welcomed the world, but we also felt welcome at Expo, a lesson the protest-phobic suits at VANOC might want to remember in time for the opening ceremonies this coming February.