Calgary ’88 VP says nothing brings city together like Games
Says ‘infighting’ at city hall detracting from positives hosting Olympics offers
A former executive with the Calgary 1988 Winter Games hopes what he calls a lack of transparency and unanimity at city hall will not lead Calgarians to vote against a continued push toward a 2026 bid.
Jerry Joynt, senior vice-president of communications for the 1988 Olympic Organizing Committee and the Calgary Olympic Development Association, says another Winter Games in Calgary would bring a much-needed economic and community boost to the city, particularly at a time when political divisions are creating skepticism.
“My worry is that people who vote No will do so for the wrong reason. Because the elephant in the room is city hall — with all of its secrecy, the infighting and the lack of unanimity. It’s a constant fiasco, and it’s taking all of our confidence away.”
But Joynt is confident if Calgary is chosen to hold the 2026 Games, city hall will no longer be part of the organizational process.
He added that nothing can revitalize a city like an Olympic Games, recalling in the early 1980s when Calgary was preparing for the 1988 Games, the local economy was also struggling amid low oil prices and the National Energy Program, a federal revenue sharing policy that cost Albertans nearly $100 billion.
But in the end, Calgarians put on one of the most successful Games in Olympic history, collecting a surplus and reinvesting in a legacy fund.
And while the city received millions of dollars in new facilities, Joynt said organizers saved money wherever they could, rallying a massive volunteer corps and using a lot of existing facilities, like University of Calgary residence halls for athletes’ housing.
“We need to get that can-do attitude back. It’ll create a spirit within the city, a confidence in the future that you get by doing something really unique. We have to regain that.”
Last week, Mayor Naheed Nenshi issued an ultimatum to the federal government over funding, saying he would recommend council scrap a bid unless Ottawa increased its contribution to a proposed cost-sharing agreement.
While the letter was meant to be sent in private, it was leaked to Postmedia News, leading to a contentious two-day debate among councillors arguing the viability of a bid.
Ultimately, eight council members voted to stop both the bid and the plebiscite, which is normally a winning majority of the 15-member council. But since the vote was a “reconsideration” of an earlier decision, it needed 10 votes to pass, and eight was not enough.
Nenshi called the funding deal a good one, with the city kicking in $390 million, but getting more than $4 billion in return.
Still, this week, a new debate was sparked over the lack of clarity on whether the federal government would pay for security cost overruns.
A plebiscite will go ahead Tuesday, with advance polls already showing high turnouts.
Joynt worries the public perception of city council is one of deep divisions ahead of what should be a spectacular event that binds the community together.
Thanks to the ’88 Winter Games, Joynt says “Calgary is the poster boy for legacy” and another opportunity will create yet another legacy of upgraded facilities that will last for generations.
But most importantly, it would bring the city together again for years to come.
“Would a Stanley Cup win by the Flames do that? No. Would a Grey Cup win do that? No.
“The Olympic Games — justified or not, oversold or not, positive or negative — are still the Olympic Games.”