Spending money on Games is misguided

Re: “Victoria bid for Games gaining strength,” column, Aug. 10. I am strongly opposed to the proposed Victoria bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. I think that spending the significant amount of money involved would be misguided and problematic for our city at this time.

It is clear that we have so many social and infrastructure issues to contend with — the opioid crisis, homelessness, the need to develop environmentally friendly transportation solutions. To fund these Games while scratching our heads about how to find the cash to remedy these pressing issues would be flagrantly disrespectful to our citizens.

As a lifelong Victorian, I feel increasingly anxious about the gap between how we represent ourselves to visitors and the tough realities our people are facing.

How decisions like this one are made says a lot about the actions and priorities of our government and leaders. As we face more and bigger challenges on the local and global levels, we need leadership that shows we are capable of paying attention to the things that truly matter.

Big-name sports celebrations have a lot to offer, as potentially community-building events. However, in order to participate authentically, we need to feel confident that our community is in solid shape.

If we don’t address the core issues that are draining the life-energy of the city, an event that is meant to revitalize could become a superficial show that demeans and harms our most vulnerable citizens, putting them at even greater risk than they/we experience now. Laura Anderson Victoria