Olympic bid decision a wise one
Re City will not bid for 2024 Olympics, Sept. 15 Thank you, Mayor John Tory, for helping Toronto make the best decision, by not pursuing the Olympic bid at this time. An Olympic bid would have been a $50-million gamble that would probably have failed, considering the competition from richer cities, like Los Angeles.
And thank you for your explanation of how the city can still aspire to great things, in other ways, with transit, housing, roads and other pressing issues.
I hope the city understands that you are laying out a better plan. It’s encouraging to see good leadership for a change. Max Moore, Toronto Not to gloat, but what a great decision Mayor Tory made by not getting Toronto involved in a major financial fiasco known as the Olympics.
Now it’s time for the Star to get back to basic city building. The needs are great, such as basic infrastructure, upgrading our public housing stock, our public schools, the endemic problems on public transit (such as constant signal issues on our subways). Let’s not forget about water mains as we face another cold winter.
There are absolutely no financial bene- fits to hosting the Olympics and the evidence is overwhelming from Athens to Montreal. Our recent experience with the Pan Am Games showed there were very few economic benefits.
In fact, the recent success of the Blue Jays has done far more for the local economy than the Pan Am Games could ever have done.
This is a victory for funding human needs over sports stupidity. Andrew van Velzen, Toronto I am delighted that John Tory has decided not to waste our money and energy bidding for (let alone hosting) the 2024 Olympics.
But there is an exciting event coming up in 2024, on April 8 — a total eclipse of the sun. Not quite total in Toronto, but it will be in Niagara Falls. That will be something to enjoy and celebrate. Elizabeth Block, Toronto I am so proud of Mayor Tory and his decision not to bid for the Olympics. We have enough taxes to pay. Montreal home owners paid an ongoing tax for years after the Olympics.
Great man; I am so glad I voted for him. Linda Esposito, Toronto
Probably the best decision Toronto has ever made, because Olympic bids are never money makers, they’re only debt makers — for years and years and years. Douglas Cornish, Ottawa Mark this day in your calendar. Rob Ford and John Tory agree on something.
In one day, Mr. Tory has quietly moved a few thousand refugees from Ford Nation to Greater Toronto. Patrick Cowan, North York Just a week ago, Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut said, in reference to financial support for Toronto’s 2024 Olympic bid, “There are lots of people . . . who are there ready to commit to go one step further . . . But I won’t give you the list.”
A few days later Mayor Tory said, “Nobody was rushing forward with their chequebooks to hand us their cheques.”
Which statement are we to believe? Who should we trust? Tory, I hope, since he’s an elected official and our mayor. Helen Jefferson, Toronto A wise and prudent decision by our mayor to give a thumbs down to an Olympics bid.
Pan Am created commuter panic like never before (fortunately not as great an impact after all as many were away on holidays) but the cost of putting on the Olympics would put a terrific burden on the city and its residents.
Toronto is a great city and getting greater every day. We don’t need an Olympic committee to give us assurances of that. Marty Fruchtman, Toronto Yes, Mayor Tory, Hogtown is not in the same league as Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Hamburg. . .
How about those Leafs? Mark Perala, Ajax