Rival mayor in the red, and black, over Cup bet
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi made good on his Grey Cup bet with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson at Monday’s council meeting.
Eight days after the Ottawa Redblacks defeated the Calgary Stampeders in Grey Cup overtime, Nenshi donned a Redblacks jersey and recited a poem in council chambers penned by Watson.
“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder why the Stampeders were subpar,” read Nenshi before critiquing the poetry’s pentameter and lack of rhyming.
“That was the worst poem I’ve ever had to read,” he told reporters later.
The friendly wager between the two mayors was made up of several components: a food bank donation, the poem and jersey, and an exchange of local eats.
Nenshi said Monday morning he was still looking for an inexpensive way to get fresh Jelly Modern doughnuts to Ottawa.
Calgary’s mayor also had to pay up for a bet with Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume after the University of Calgary Dinos lost the Vanier Cup in Hamilton last weekend.
He made good on that wager Monday by wearing a Laval Rouge ET Or jersey when council reconvened after the lunch break and reading a poem of Labeaume’s choosing in council chambers, first in French, then English.