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Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee
As for the Calgary becoming Detroit... yeah. Yeah right now it sure as #### looks like it will be. Which leads me to my main reason for voting no. Lack of proper focus in government;
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This sentiment is something that appears on both sides I've noticed. Beyond the Olympics, Calgary is at risk.
Doesn't matter if we call Calgary the next Detroit, Buffalo or any crumbling U.S. city; it's simply the symbolism and narrative behind Calgary's fall from grace, something we are all uncomfortable with, want to reverse, and with significant haste.
No one should blame those wanting to use the Olympics to provide both an economic and morale boost; both are injections we need direly in Calgary because it's just been one disappointment and setback after another. Looking for any positive reasoning to save face or feel better should not be a stigmatized exercise of futility.
You are right be concerned about government focus - it seems to be sporadic and self-serving at various levels, especially when multiple different spectrum parties are operating across the country. The bid could have been organized better and, with additional time, Calgary voters could have had more time to digest all the information at hand (both sides). That said, I am not sure this upcoming wave of conservative populism is going to solve anything either - PC's couldn't fix our economy even during the best of times in the last 15 years.
Calgary is in trouble and the City is going to have to compete with other Canadian jurisdictions for people, business, and investment. Anyone who doesn't believe this is putting their heads in the sand. How we get there is going to take really good ideas, patience, and a willingness to re-shift our workforce and expectations, because as recent actions have proven we can't rely on anyone to give us the tools to continue with "business as usual" like we got way too comfortable with in Calgary for so many years.