CTF backs Swedes’ 2026 Olympic bid

Draped in Swedish flags and holding a plate of Swedish meatballs, representatives of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation stood across the street from IKEA in southeast Calgary on Monday afternoon to endorse Stockholm’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The CTF’s Alberta director, Franco Terrazzano, said the Swedish bid, if successful over Calgary, would promote a model for hosting the Games. “The Stockholm city government, they’re hoping to make sure that their taxpayers aren’t footing the Winter Olympics,” Terrazzano said. In response to the CTF’s endorsement, the Calgary 2026 bid corporation said in a statement that the chance to host the Winter Olympics “is the best opportunity we have in front of us. It’s a $4.4-billion injection into Calgary’s economy,” the bid corporation stated, adding that 85 per cent of venues needed for Calgary to host the Olympics are already built, but require upgrades.

“This is not about a choice of spending dollars on the Olympics or other priorities. If the Games are not held here, billions of dollars will not come to Calgary.”