NDP urges caution as city set to debate Games bid
As council prepares for a crucial vote on a potential 2026 Olympic bid and the unveiling of a detailed hosting plan, both set for Tuesday, an NDP minister is urging caution as the city moves forward.
In a column for Postmedia published Saturday, Culture and Tourism Minister Ricardo Miranda said the decision to bid for the 2026 Games is not an easy one.
“The Olympic Games will require substantial financial and human resources, all of which must be independently verified to ensure costs and benefits are accurate,” Miranda wrote.
If council elects to move forward with the bid process on Tuesday, Miranda says Calgary 2026 and its partners have “rigorous analysis to do” before the planned public vote on Nov. 13.
“The people in charge of the bid need to develop a proposal that lays out a strong understanding of value for money, the economic impact, the financial responsibilities of the various levels of government and the support of other partners, such as the International Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee and potential corporate sponsors,” he wrote.
“As that plan is developed, it must be independently verified to ensure the costs and benefits of the Games are accurate. That information will help guide us and the federal government, as different levels of government decide whether or not to commit to an
Olympic bid.”
Coun. Shane Keating believes the city is on the right track.
“Everything has to be independently verified, and I think that’s one of the reasons why the city developed a secretariat separate from the Calgary 2026 — the bid corporation,” said Keating.
“We’re not just taking their word for it, we’re taking what they’re saying and then we’re verifying it say a third or fourth time just to make sure.”
Coun. Jeff Davison added that from the get-go, council has been saying a potential bid has to be in the best interests of taxpayers.
“We have been working very hard to ensure the numbers start coming together, that (Calgary 2026) got formed and, at the end of the day, we can present Calgarians with information before the plebiscite,” said Davison.
“We’re not in this to make mistakes, we’re not in this to want to get into the cost overrun story. I think the people that we’ve put in charge of bringing together the numbers, they have the proper credentials and are the appropriate people to pull together numbers that Calgarians can have confidence in.”
Going into Tuesday ’s vote, Davison said because council allocated money to the bid corporation, it would be premature to kill the process without getting the results of the investment they’ve already made.
“Calgarians have overwhelmingly said ‘We want a say in this,’ and I think it’s our right to present them with the right amount of information,” said Davison.
“My opinion is, basically, let’s see what the numbers come back with here, let’s evaluate it and give Calgarians their say in it.”
However, Keating said he is concerned about what the city’s role will be and the fact they haven’t received “final information” from other levels of government.
But he does believe they are on the right track.
“If you’re looking at purchasing something and you don’t invest some time into deciding whether it’s right or wrong, and that means some resources such as financial as well, on something of this size, then you’re missing the boat,” said Keating.
“I think that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re verifying and we’re deciding whether it’s a good thing or not, and we need experts to give us the advice to do that.”