TRICK OR TREAT? BID HANGS IN BALANCE
Majority of voters saying ‘Yes’ will light fire under backsides of all levels of government
On Halloween, Calgary city council will vote on whether to drive a stake into the heart of the beautiful foundling that is Calgary’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Cue to the howls of delight from those No-side types with the collective vision of zombies who believe that governments should only ever spend money on necessities like interchanges and garbage collection — the kind of people who think all civic buildings should be little more than cinder block rectangles and who believe that spending cash on landscaping is for the birds — unless it’s in front of their house.
Cue to the evil laughter of the vampires who suck the joy out of every civic-minded person working their tails off to build something glorious for future generations by attacking them with claims of self-enrichment and other poisonous barbs, as have been levelled against Calgary 2026 CEO Mary Moran and chair Scott Hutcheson.
Hutcheson, for instance, has worked around the clock and received not a cent for his troubles, and yet if you read what is said about him on social media by these often-anonymous ghouls, their moral depravity is frightening.
The only people who do not deserve any blame in this horror show are the folks at Calgary 2026. On the contrary, they deserve our gratitude for the grace, professionalism and diligence they have shown throughout this process.
In a written statement released Tuesday evening, Hutcheson said: “(On Tuesday), we were part of a productive and constructive discussion at City Hall. (Wednesday’s) vote at Council will be of extreme interest to all Calgarians. Negotiations with government are positive, are continuing — they have not stopped — and we remain confident an agreement will be reached. We know thousands of Calgarians understand what’s at stake and the importance of deciding the outcome themselves. These would be Canada’s Games, Calgary’s choice.”
On Tuesday, Calgary’s 2026 Winter Games Assessment Committee voted 14-0 at city hall in favour of recommending to a special session of council on Wednesday to kill Calgary’s bid for the 2026 Games, and to not hold the Nov. 13 plebiscite that will allow Calgarians to decide.
Late Tuesday, Ottawa and the province announced a new funding agreement had been reached that could save a potential bid.
It was determined — rather arbitrarily first by Mayor Naheed Nenshi (as disclosed in his leaked and passionate Oct. 26 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) and then by this committee — that the witching hour on getting a fully costed deal for the Games has to be available by Halloween.
Why? Is everyone going to turn into a pumpkin if every penny of the deal isn’t on the table by Wednesday night? Mail-in ballots are already coming back into the city. The vote should proceed. Nothing will work as well at lighting a fire under the backsides of all three levels of government than a majority of voters saying yes to the Games.
City council should give this bid at least one more week before pulling the plug.
So, who is to blame here? Well, there’s plenty to go around. The naysayers spread so much manure around about the bid that it fouled the air.
The provincial government, trying to pretend that it is actually fiscally responsible, only committed $700 million toward the Games rather than the anticipated $1 billion that apparently had been discussed for a very long time.
Then there’s the federal government. First it said it would reveal its funding commitment by June. It missed that deadline and asked for an extension until early September. It missed that deadline by a long shot as well. Finally, it announced that it would make available $1.75 billion in 2026 dollars (not 2018 dollars) but only if the other two levels of government matched that amount.
As Nenshi wrote in the leaked letter: “(The City has) been clear and consistent that if the Government of Canada requires a dollar-for-dollar match, this project cannot proceed.”
Rumours have it that considering the tough economic shape Calgary is in, that the city’s ability to raise revenue “is by far the least of the three partners,” and that Alberta is one of the few net contributing provinces to confederation, a federal contribution as high as 65 per cent has been considered.
Besides deviating from the federal Sport Canada policy of funding 50 per cent of the public investment, Nenshi came up with some innovative solutions, including:
“Remove some costs from the calculation and fund separately. These costs might include security or the construction of affordable housing.”
“Recognize other costs that the City and Province are incurring to build infrastructure that would serve Olympic sites and venues. For example,” writes Nenshi, “we are currently building the Green Line in Calgary, a project of nearly $5 billion, with about 40 per cent funded by the City (including financing costs) and about 30 per cent from each of Alberta and Canada. This line serves many Olympic venues and some portion of that cost could be used as matching investment.”
There is still a chance to save this bid and watch this beautiful foundling grow into a healthy and gorgeous princess (or prince). Calgary Economic Development and WinSport are organizing a rally outside of city hall for 9 a.m. on Halloween to urge council not to vote against holding the plebiscite to leave more time for a deal with Ottawa, the province and the city to be hashed out.
It’s not a trick, it’s democracy. Come out and support the Olympics — a historic event that promises to be a real treat for the city, province and country for decades to come.