Everyone will be consulted about Olympic bid

Mere mention of 1988 fills a room with pride, writes Scott Hutcheson

There are few words in the English language that have the power to inspire like the words Olympic and Paralympic. And few projects can transform, unite and uplift a country like the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is not new to us in Calgary and Canmore, who own a special place in the library of Olympic achievement. Mere mention of 1988 is enough to fill a room in our city with energy and profound pride.

This week, as Mary Moran takes up her new role as CEO of Calgary 2026, I wanted to take the opportunity to provide Calgarians with an update on our efforts.

Our first priority is to ensure that when Calgarians vote on Nov. 13, they have the facts to make a decision that will have a lasting impact for generations. We need to separate what is true from what is not.

With good information, I know our citizens will be decisive and give us direction we can rely on — we need to trust the process.

We are fortunate to have a strong, volunteer board of directors representing all facets of the community — men and women who love their community, province and country.

Each one has their own inspiration and belief and are committed to doing good work. We are fortunate we can recall the lessons of 1988, when the city followed a dream and transformed the country.

We worked for one another, stuck together, overcame huge adversity and never gave up. The result: a worldleading legacy that is simply unparalleled. There were doubts then — worries, even fears. Yet great optimism.

In the end, we took a stance and showed the world a new way to host a successful Olympic Winter Games. Thirty years later, the city is still smiling. Those Games affected us all. We discovered the unique power of teamwork and revealed the kind of character only adversity can expose.

And this time is no different. We need to be in this together, and I personally like our odds.

I am thrilled to welcome Mary Moran to lead this exciting project as our CEO. She brings exceptional market experience and intelligence, along with a desire to succeed in all that she does.

I have watched Mary in action with Calgary Economic Development and I know we are fortunate to have one of the great executives in our city lead the Calgary 2026 team.

I want to thank CED chair Steve Allan and his board for allowing Mary to take an unpaid leave of absence until the end of the year to support our efforts. Steve has assumed Mary’s duties without compensation while she leads this critical phase for Calgary 2026.

A longtime community builder, Steve has demonstrated selflessness and an awareness of just how important this task is to the greater community.

Many have asked about Mary’s compensation. She will earn the same compensation she received at Calgary Economic Development in 2017 and 2018, which is $290,250 per annum, prorated for the remainder of the year.

Calgary 2026 will reimburse Calgary Economic Development and Mary for the cost of her other benefits. Mary declined the opportunity to earn the higher compensation recommended by the search firm and any bonuses for a successful plebiscite or bid.

I know she feels excited to be making this contribution to our community’s future.

If there is a decision to move forward after the vote, Mary’s role at CED will be permanently filled, and she will continue on as CEO of Calgary 2026 until the International Olympic Committee makes its decision on the host city in the latter part of 2019.

While we will not pursue a Games at all costs, our mandate is to develop and promote the best possible bid for Canada. A winning bid.

If we agree to move forward, it will be because pursuing a bid will benefit our city, our province, and all of Canada.

It will be because this “can do” community feels confident and trusts that we can build spirit through optimism, volunteerism, inclusivity and that our diverse city will prosper from the possibilities.

In the weeks ahead, we will increase the dialogue with you to understand all points of view, meeting with those in favour and with those who have genuine concerns. I believe this will make us stronger and inspire new ideas.

We will be talking to everyone. No one will be left out. There will be open, honest discussion and debate. It’s important that every voice is heard.

This is not about the few — it’s about the many.

Someday, I hope to be able to proudly present a Canadian bid with the full endorsement of the people of Calgary and Canmore. This possibility is worth all of the effort required to get us there.

We are lucky to have Mary Moran, countless other community builders and each of you investing your energy into this project.

Regardless of the path we choose, I know Calgary, Alberta and Canada, will be better for going through the process.