Edmonton Journal

NO VOTE MAKES SENSE

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As Edmontonia­ns, it was hard not to cheer just a little for Calgary to recapture the magic of 1988 by hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. What better way for that city to shake off the blues of landlocked oil, vacant offices and layoffs than re-staging the Olympics that put Calgary on the map? Besides boosting morale, it also promised 15,400 short-term jobs and rejuvenate­d facilities.

While displaying Canadian prowess in winter sports such as hockey, curling, skiing and figure skating on home soil, Calgary could also have showcased beautiful Alberta once more under a global spotlight.

On the other hand, despite promises of a lowbudget Olympics, we also still worried about the prospect of our archrival city hosting a mega-event estimated to cost $5.1 billion, along with the inevitable cost overruns as synonymous with the Games as flaming torches.

After all, while Edmonton wasn’t invited to be part of the bid — despite our splendid Commonweal­th Stadium, Rogers Place and other facilities — we did have skin in the game in our share of Alberta’s $700-million stake and the $1.423 billion promised by the federal government and likely, any overruns in security and other costs.

Calgarians harboured the same ambivalenc­e. Despite a big advertisin­g push and support for the yes side from Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and other prominent citizens, Calgarians voted no to bid for the Games in a tight plebiscite, with just over 56 per cent voting no, and 43 per cent voting yes.

It was an issue that polarized Calgary and for some, the divisivene­ss continues. But before condemning Calgarians who voted no, it’s useful to understand why they voted how they did.

Equivocal support from all three levels of government and a lack of clarity on who would pay for cost overruns unfurled huge red flags. The lingering economic malaise in Calgary and Alberta’s forecasted debt of $96 billion by 2023-24 must have also weighed heavily on their minds.

The no vote also amounts to an indictment of the Internatio­nal Olympic Committee, whose Games have been sullied by doping, corruption scandals and abandoned venues in previous host cities. It’s telling that three other cities in Austria and Switzerlan­d held similar votes on bidding for the Olympics in 2026 and their residents also rejected the idea.

While 2026 is now out of the question, there’s still the potential for Calgary to go for future Games — hopefully with a bid that takes a more transparen­t and unified tack and incorporat­es a regional approach that shares the benefits and not just the costs.

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