Calgarians raise concerns at Olympic open house
The City of Calgary held its first public engagement session on a potential 2026 Winter Games bid ahead of a public vote next month, but many attendees still had questions and concerns about costs, communication and transparency.
More than a 100 people turned out to the Dalhousie Community Centre on Tuesday night to learn more about a proposed hosting plan and cost-sharing agreements between the city, the province and the federal government.
There are two separate Olympic engagement campaigns underway: one from the city and one by the Calgary 2026 bid corporation.
The city has said it is committed to an “accountable … citizencentric” and neutral engagement campaign ahead of the Nov. 13 plebiscite.
Meanwhile, an “independent of and separate” campaign from Calgary 2026 is meant to “explore, develop and promote a responsible bid to host” the 2026 Winter Games.
Steve Morrison was at the open house and said he is concerned some Calgarians might not understand the difference between the two campaigns.
“It’s confusing also because there are so many committees or whatever,” Morrison said.
“Who’s supporting who? It’s just getting more muddled than what it already is.”
The open house featured dozens of infographics outlining details about the bid process. Guests were asked to share their comments and feedback with the city.
A board measuring attendees’ support for the bid was mostly in the negative with the majority saying they are not in support of a bid.
Even with city staffers on hand to answer questions, Morrison said he still has unanswered questions about the bid and potential cost overruns.
Morrison said he was expecting the session to look more like a town hall hosted by Calgary 2026 in September.
“I just thought when I walked in the door I’d see a panel up there where people would be there to answer (questions), and I think a lot of people who walked in the door thought the same thing,” he said.
City administration also raised concerns around the simultaneous engagement campaigns in a risk assessment report earlier this month. The city ’s own engagement portal online has been inundated with negative feedback
Evan Baker came out to the open house wearing a Calgary 2026 button and said he is all in for hosting the Games because of the economic and social benefits outlined in the hosting plan.
“I think the most exciting part of this bid is what it will do for the city before and after the Games,” Baker said. “The Games themselves are always exciting, but I think it’ll help drive community spirit and drive the economic recovery.”
Baker said he is in favour of the hosting plan’s commitment to transitioning a potential athletes’ village and other Olympic sites into affordable housing for at-risk Calgarians, but added he shares Morrison’s concerns about the potential costs to Calgarians.
Coun. Sean Chu, who has been vocal about his opposition to the Olympic bid, said it was “very encouraging” to see so many attendees at the open house, but said there is no amount of engagement or dollar figures from Edmonton or Ottawa that could sway his vote into the Yes column.
“It doesn’t matter which level of government, it’s tax dollars,” Chu said. “The money only comes from one place, that’s the poor taxpayers.”
Calgarians go to the polls for a non-binding vote on hosting the Olympics on Nov. 13. An engagement summary report is expected to be presented to council in early November.
The city’s next open house is on Wednesday, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Hotel Blackfoot.
For a full list of the city’s engagement events and to fill out an online survey, visit Calgary. ca/2026Games.