Quote:
Originally Posted by octothorp
Here's where I'm at: (still undecided)
The biggest issue facing the province is that our economic engine is an industry that is unsustainable long-term, and may become unsustainable much more quickly depending on factors beyond our control. Economic diversification should be our biggest priority. And hosting the Olympics is a short-term bump to that - some added tourism, some short-term construction jobs created - but it doesn't remotely begin to address the long-term problems facing the province, which is where we should be spending money on. If the worst-case scenarios hit, no new pipelines get built, the price of gas drops further, and the Olympics go significantly over budget, etc.... we're going to be in a world of hurt.
That said, it's not like there's any proposal of an alternative way of spending this money, and maybe this very short-term, inefficient approach to economic diversification is better than nothing. Maybe I'm underrating the long-term tourism industry effects. But it also might be worse than nothing if there's a massive debt load.
I don't think I've ever been as split on a voting issue as I am on this.
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Good points, but I think something people are fundamentally misunderstanding here is how the games help to renew and optimize Calgary’s geography wealth.
I moved here 2 years ago after living in Saskatchewan for 35 years & Toronto for 2.
The quality of life here is second to none in part because of the cultural and physical legacy of the 88 games (Nakisha & the Canmore Nordic centre for example). The place is a play ground with geography that the rest of the country can only navel gaze at.
The point being is that there is an existing outdoor industry and culture here that is one of the region's greatest assets to diversify the economy.
Tech firms and entrepreneurs can startup and locate anywhere.
What gives Calgary an advantage over places like Toronto and Vancouver, not to mention Winnipeg, Saskatoon, southern Ontario or Quebec is the proximaty and affordability of this playground.
I can be in the mountains in 40 minutes from my house.
It’s an ace up our sleeve that other places do not possess. It’s also one we should take full advantage of and not squander. Provided housing can stay affordable it only enhances our economic competitiveness.
If people in Calgary haven’t lived elsewhere or haven’t for a long time, I can see how this perspective fades because it’s the normal they have become accustomed to. My kids will probably grow up with this. My son's school playground has a panoramic view of the Rockies.
My jaw still drops when I see a morning view of a sunrise on the eastern slopes of the rockies.
This is why I find people on the NO vote frequently can not see the forest from the trees. The seem to confuse finance and economics, knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.
What makes the Olympics even more attractive is that it also unites us as a City/Province/Country while providing attention to the rest of the world that we couldn’t purchase even if we wanted to.