[sureLoss]

Free trips to exotic places funded by taxpayers? good to see bribes are no longer part of the Olympic bid process /greentext /joking

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...tion-continues

The City of Calgary is paying for two MLAs to attend the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics in South Korea alongside three city staff, and potentially Mayor Naheed Nenshi, as part of efforts to evaluate a potential 2026 Olympic bid.

While Premier Rachel Notley dubbed the trip a fact-finding mission and said the province has made no decisions about supporting a Calgary bid, Nenshi said having provincial representation at the upcoming Winter Games is good news for Calgary’s repeat Olympic dreams.

Notley confirmed Thursday afternoon that deputy premier Sarah Hoffman and Minister of Culture and Tourism Ricardo Miranda accepted an invitation from the City of Calgary to attend the opening ceremonies in South Korea.

“I would imagine that that’s a pretty strong signal that if they want to observe, then they’re willing to fund their costs of the bid committee,” said Nenshi, who hopes to also attend the sporting event in February.

In November, council voted 9-4 in favour of spending an additional $1 million — on top of the $5 million already dedicated — to continue exploring a Calgary bid for the 2026 Winter Games.

Council agreed to spend another $1 million on the exploration efforts next year, if the federal and provincial governments agree to help cover the cost of a bid, which is estimated to be around $30 million.

“We’ve made no decision on that. We’re still in the fact-finding and the research stage right now,” Notley told reporters in Edmonton on Thursday.

An end of January deadline has been set by council for the province and Ottawa to come on board and participate in a bid committee — just days before the Feb. 9 to 25 Winter Games in South Korea.