Calgary already has a grand Olympic legacy

Voices of the unemployed getting lost amid cheerleading, Daniel Gauld says.

Re: “Why we should say yes to the Olympics,” Kyle Shewfelt, Opinion, Aug. 11.

Kyle Shewfelt’s opinion piece shared his views on Calgary bidding for the 2026 Olympic Games. I appreciate that Calgary Herald readers would enjoy hearing from an Olympic-medal-winning athlete.

I looked up Shewfelt’s Wikipedia page to remind myself of his accomplishments, and they are admirable and extensive. He has had experiences few others have had. He inspires Calgarians with his hard work and dedication.

I wasn’t at the ’88 Games, but I was touched by his story of “little Kyle,” a five-yearold holding a candle and asking himself if he could be an Olympian someday. That tugged at my heartstrings.

But what does adult Kyle, taxpayer Kyle, business owner Kyle, have to say to the five-year-old whose father has been out of work for three years?

My friend, Stan, has sent out 237 resumes as I write this. He is one of the many thousands of older Calgarians who found himself out of a job and has struggled to get back on his feet.

Maybe adult Kyle can imagine five-year-old Kyle hearing some of these stories. Or this good news story about James Davison, who got to keep his house after getting a job, ending 21/2 years of unemployment.

Of course, Davison has depleted his retirement savings just to hang on.

What inspiring images are there for five-year-old Kyle about unemployment, losing the family home and depleting retirement savings? Maybe instead of thinking about 2026 in terms of a party, Shewfelt’s profile and accomplishments could be directed to attracting new industry and businesses to move to Calgary. This might do something about the 27-per-cent vacancy rate downtown.

Shewfelt mentioned “legacy,” and I’d like to consider that. We hear that word a lot from ex-athletes. WinSport is a great facility. I learned to snowboard there myself, and the bobsled is super fun. Like any venue, it needs regular maintenance and occasional upgrades.

Here’s the thing: we have that legacy already, and we’ve benefited greatly from it, and should continue to nurture it. We don’t need the Olympics again for that legacy to continue.

The fact is that the ’88 Games look nothing like the mega-event that the Olympics are now. We don’t know all the numbers, but is it not concerning that we could spend more than $4 billion and get no new infrastructure that will benefit all Calgarians, except maybe some upgrades to WinSport? I would love to have a business owner like Shewfelt explain to me how the numbers make sense.

I think Shewfelt and I agree, and I am hearing from everyone, that this has to make sense.

Is it possible WinSport and our Olympic athletes are putting what is best for them ahead of doing the right thing for our city?

I encounter a lot of Olympics proponents online. One doesn’t have to scratch very deep to find some perceived personal benefit now or in the future from a successful bid.

I’ve decided, instead, to try to amplify the voices of that five-year-old whose mom and dad have been out of work. This is a family that has nothing to gain from Calgary hosting the Olympics, yet the real possibility of a higher tax burden.

Calgary was promised extensive citizen engagement a few months back, but so far, there hasn’t been any.

From what I hear, there are a lot of people who aren’t represented by Shewfelt’s opinion piece, and these people aren’t being heard by city council.

We may not hear from fiveyear-olds, and they won’t be able to vote in the plebiscite. But I suspect when their taxpaying parents mark a ballot on Nov. 13, they will be putting an “x” in the no box.