Image via WikipediaThe largest owner of Canadian newspapers, Canwest, has bought up the rights to the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympic Games to become the “Official Newspaper Chain of the 2010″.

The deal includes all 10 of Canwest’s regional newspapers in British Columbia, including Vancouver’s two daily papers, The Vancouver Sun and The Province.

The agreement, worth somewhere between CAD$3m and $10m, means Canwest can use the Olympic rings and other official marks. In return, the newspaper will provide advertising space to Vanoc.

Although the deal is said to guarantee editorial independence, some are already questioning its impact:

The official result, however, is bad news for journalistic independence in Vancouver around the Games, with all Vancouver newspapers in some form of official business relationship with VANOC. While the Sun and Province’s coverage of Olympic issues hasn’t been great, it hasn’t been bad either.

The Winter Olympics are a contentious issue in Vancouver, particularly over social housing and homelessness in the city’s Downtown East Side, and potential protests from First Nations.