Kenney supports plebiscite, but wary of potential bid
United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney said Thursday he supports a plebiscite to decide whether Calgarians support a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
But he expressed concern over the bid process and the potential cost of the Games to the provincial treasury.
Calgarians will vote on Nov. 13 on whether they want the city to host the 2026 Games unless city council decides to abort the process at a Sept. 10 city council meeting where the hosting plan is to be revealed.
The plebiscite was mandated by the NDP government as a condition of providing support for the bid corporation.
“There has to be a plebiscite where Calgarians get to decide,” Kenney said in response to a reporter’s question Thursday.
“I’m concerned by the lack of transparency and information that the bid committee and the city council is giving Calgarians ... I think most Calgarians would love in principle to have the Olympics but are understandably cautious about the cost implications.”
The hosting plan released next month will contain capital and operating costs, as well as venue information, but won’t contain breakdowns of provincial and federal funding.
The province will reveal its financial commitment to the Games at least 30 days before the plebiscite and Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda said this week he was confident a cost-sharing deal with the city and Ottawa will be reached ahead of the vote.
Kenney made the Olympic comments at a news conference on the Federal Court’s rejection of federal approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
He said factors such as Alberta’s continued struggle to increase market access for its energy resources could affect Calgary’s ability and desire to host the 2026 Games.
“If we were in the middle of boom years, I think people would be a lot more inclined to vote Yes,” said Kenney.
The International Olympic Committee will decide the host city of the 2026 Winter Olympics in October next year.
A provincial election will be held in Alberta in the spring of 2019 and the UCP is seen as an early favourite to unseat the NDP government.