Referendums not always wise

Re: Council officially drives last nail into bid coffin, Nov. 20

The outcome of the recent Olympic referendum is very disappointing. The headline of the Calgary Herald was: Calgarians vote NO to bid for Olympics 2026. The headline should have been: Calgarians were undecided on bid for Olympics 2026. About 170,000 people voted against (56 per cent of 300,000 votes).

However, probably 600,000 eligible Calgarians did not vote. Thus, 170,000 protest voters forced their short-sighted vision onto 730,000 Calgarians.

A referendum on this issue was not the best solution for the situation. After this referendum, Calgary will be left with a very unsatisfying situation such as after the Brexit vote, where 37 per cent of the British people forced their opinion on 63 per cent of the population. Mayor Nenshi could have ignored this vote and have continued with the bid. All of Alberta will suffer economically from his unfortunate decision.

Willem Langenberg, Edmonton