Calgary city council mulls putting more money into possible 2026 bid

Calgary is coming up on an offramp for the 2026 Winter Games as city council contemplates spending more money on a potential bid.

A project team comprised of city administration and consultants asked council Monday for $2 million to continue the work of the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee, which ended operations Oct. 31.

Council heard the rationale behind the ask and will decide next week whether to grant that request.

“My understanding from what we’re hearing today is without the additional funding it will be very, very hard to actually move forward, so council needs to determine if they’re in for a bit more here,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said.

Council committed $5 million just over a year ago to CBEC, which concluded the price tag for hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be approximately $4.6 billion.