2026 Olympics- Calgary votes no- 56%

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Did you ever consider trying to not be insufferable?

Where's the fun in that?

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I've been enough of a dick here, if No wins I'll just say I'm happy with the result and move on. If Yes wins, I'll come and take my beating, since I imagine there's about a dozen posters who can't wait to give it to me.

I think if you turned the temperature down a bit, you'd be a little more persuasive.

The last word from me will be when the podcast I did with Mary Moran comes out tomorrow. I tried to be as charitable as possible, "steelmanning" a lot of opponents' views I've heard (including on CP) and posing them to her to see how she responds.

I don't know if its an approach that will resonate given how divided people have become over the rancorous discourse, but I gave it a shot. I hope some of you guys take some time to listen. Will post in the AM.

[MacDaddy77]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...led/ar-BBPwOUH

first look revealed for Olympics hub, McMahon and field house, at first glance I think it would be awesome and would work

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Or... just hear me out... possibly you could vote for someone without agreeing with everything they've ever said publicly on every issue?

Nah, nevermind, that would be ridiculous.

Well we do have the USA debacle to blame for that, no? No one believes someone could vote for the republicans without being a Trumper.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by MacDaddy77

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...led/ar-BBPwOUH

first look revealed for Olympics hub, McMahon and field house, at first glance I think it would be awesome and would work

I see they added a billion dollars to the bid to get rid on the lights on Crowchild. It looks good, Hopefully there is money there to twin or widen the overpass over crow

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by JBR

I've heard a number of comments in discussions with people who are leaning 'no' and am surprised to hear over and over:

"I hate Nenshi and don't trust him so I'm voting no"
"Notley has to go, so I'm voting no"
"Trudeau sucks and I hate his father, so I'm voting no"
"The IOC is corrupt so I'm voting no"

Don't vote no for the wrong reasons. Calgary 2026 is not about them. Do you think Calgary 88 is Ross Alger, Ralph Klein or Peter Lougheed's legacy? I don't think so.

I’m hearing arguements on the no side:

- I don’t want my property taxes going up.
Yet at the cbc townhall they said they would go up 1.5% which is $25/year and that’s only if other sources of funding don’t cover it

- Edmonton’s getting our games.
Ummm no they’re not getting any of our games. Whistler is getting ski jumping and cross country which i’m fine with to reduce our expenses. If there’s a world class site close by let’s use it. It’s 155 athletes out of 5000. Southern Alberta may get curling. I’m fine with that.

- Nenshi and council is corrupt and so is the IOC.
Ok maybe they are but i’m not going to let an economic driver pass us by because of it. Our city could use an economic boost since it isn’t coming from oil anytime soon. The IOC is trying to change their image with community involvement and community sense. They have to start somewhere.

- too much risk of cost over runs. Look at Japan.
We’re not Japan, we don’t do things like Japan and we’re hosting a winter olympics not a summer olympics. Winter olympics are smaller.
We also have 85% of the venues already built. Not as much risk to cost overruns when it’s already built.

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I’m hearing arguements on the no side:
- Edmonton’s getting our games.
Ummm no they’re not getting any of our games. Whistler is getting ski jumping and cross country which i’m fine with to reduce our expenses. If there’s a wprld class site close by let’s use it. It’s 155 athletes outbof 5000. Southern Alberta may get curling. I’m fine with that.

To add to your point, Whistler is only getting the cross country as part of Nordic Combined (ski jumping+cross country). The straight cross country ski events will be in Canmore. Ski jumping and Nordic Combined are pretty small pieces of a Winter Olympics being held in Canada as compared to a Nordic Country.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

To add to your point, Whistler is only getting the cross country as part of Nordic Combined (ski jumping+cross country). The straight cross country ski events will be in Canmore. Ski jumping and Nordic Combined are pretty small pieces of a Winter Olympics being held in Canada as compared to a Nordic Country.

Has the cost to use the Whistler facilities been provided?

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I’m hearing arguements on the no side

You should read GGG's post on the last page. That has more to do with the no side than what you posted.

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by GGG

I see they added a billion dollars to the bid to get rid on the lights on Crowchild. It looks good, Hopefully there is money there to twin or widen the overpass over crow

that's such a stupid intersection to service 4-5 businesses

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by GGG

The Olympics have a net operating loss of about 1 to 1.5 billion depending on which set of numbers you look at. So effectively the entire federal portion of the costs is going to running the games. 0 matching funds are going to infrastructure.

This is what I see as the ultimate failure of the bid. It fails to leverage federal dollars to build infrastructure for Calgary. Instead the province and city are paying for all the infrastructure whether it is required or not.

The provincial money really depends on what you will think happens in the next 8 years. If every response to infrastructure requests are met with you chose to spend the money on the Olympics then it is not new money and not a benefit of the Olympics. If you believe tha Calgary will continue to get its share of additional Capital dollars than it is a benefit to Calgary.

I highly doubt all infrastructure projects would be stopped. Sure some maybe delayed. But if i’m choosing between curb and sidewalk renewal delays or the olympics, i’ll take the olympics. Curb and sidewalk renewal won’t create jobs or give our city an economic boost.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I highly doubt all infrastructure projects would be stopped. Sure some maybe delayed. But if i’m choosing between curb and sidewalk renewal delays or the olympics, i’ll take the olympics. Curb and sidewalk renewal won’t create jobs or give our city an economic boost.

Infrastructure projects create jobs and give an economic boost....I mean that is kind one of the critical arguments for hosting the Olympics. So if those projects are delayed, the associated jobs and economic impact are delayed. You seem to believe there is no opportunity cost here.

[PepsiFree]

So, this is going to be a total emotion-based thought and not good financial sense, but I was having a conversation with someone and they brought up a point that resonated with me.

The 88’ Olympics were (apparently) a great experience. They inspired a lot of really fond memories, memories my parents and grand parents talk about really fondly, and I can’t say looking on this board and around in general, that I’ve ever heard someone talk negatively about the 88’ Olympics. 2026 obviously won’t be the same, it’s a different structure now, different level of money required, different vibe all around.

But what got me thinking was when they brought up why they’re voting yes. We’ve only got one go round on earth, and you’re never going to remember the money you didn’t save or the little bit of extra money you had anywhere near as much as the things you actually got to do and be a part of. In 40 years, am I going to remember the time my property taxes went up? Or remember the 2026 Olympics?

Even today, when I look back on my best memories, it’s never about how much it cost or what I didn’t do in order to have that experience, it’s the experience itself.

This isn’t meant to sway anyone from the No side. I’ve heard the arguments 1000 times and I totally understand them, but for me I think I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care about the numbers or the bid process or property taxes or anything like that. I care about filling my life with some awesome experiences, so I’m going to vote accordingly. 99% of my regrets are experiences I didn’t take, so I’m not going to put the money first on this one. I’m going to vote to have the experience and at least know I did my part to make it happen, even if the vote turns out as a No.

[JBR]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

except with the slimmed down security costs, hasn't it been suggested by the bidco team that much of security can be done by volunteers and k-mart cops?
then you're not going to be seeing for example Winnipeg rcmp gal getting extra money to spend in calgary's economy and introducing more people to the city.

The Calgary Bid Exploration Committee stated in its report

Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on security personnel — costs that would likely include transportation, accommodation and overtime for hundreds of police officers from across the country — the plan is to "reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practical," according to the committee report.
It suggests one of the ways to do that is to hire fewer security personnel and fewer police officers.
That would include more volunteers, private security guards and peace officers. It's unclear whether the RCMP fully endorses the ideas laid out in the committee report or the Calgary 2026 draft hosting plan.


So it will be the let's go cheap and hoping nothing bad happens Olympics.

amazing how bid committees intentionally lowball security in their bids because they don't have to worry about the actual cost.

To answer your question... no, Bidco did not say that much of the security could be handled by volunteers and K-mart cops.

From Calgary 2026

"Did Calgary 2026 Budget Cut the Security Budget?"
"Calgary 2026 used a placeholder estimate in the September 11th Draft Hosting Plan Concept until RCMP released their finalized budget number. Their number was based on a bottom up budget, created over 5 months ago by over 40 members of the RCMP, K Division, CPS, CEMA and others. It resulted in an accurate detailed estimate that was a lower number than the placeholder. Security was not compromised or cut. All security agencies are committed to a safe and secure Games"

There are several 'experts' out there guessing at the security budget, but I choose to trust the pros.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

So, this is going to be a total emotion-based thought and not good financial sense, but I was having a conversation with someone and they brought up a point that resonated with me.

The 88’ Olympics were (apparently) a great experience. They inspired a lot of really fond memories, memories my parents and grand parents talk about really fondly, and I can’t say looking on this board and around in general, that I’ve ever heard someone talk negatively about the 88’ Olympics. 2026 obviously won’t be the same, it’s a different structure now, different level of money required, different vibe all around.

But what got me thinking was when they brought up why they’re voting yes. We’ve only got one go round on earth, and you’re never going to remember the money you didn’t save or the little bit of extra money you had anywhere near as much as the things you actually got to do and be a part of. In 40 years, am I going to remember the time my property taxes went up? Or remember the 2026 Olympics?

Even today, when I look back on my best memories, it’s never about how much it cost or what I didn’t do in order to have that experience, it’s the experience itself.

This isn’t meant to sway anyone from the No side. I’ve heard the arguments 1000 times and I totally understand them, but for me I think I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care about the numbers or the bid process or property taxes or anything like that. I care about filling my life with some awesome experiences, so I’m going to vote accordingly. 99% of my regrets are experiences I didn’t take, so I’m not going to put the money first on this one. I’m going to vote to have the experience and at least know I did my part to make it happen, even if the vote turns out as a No.

This is what I have been thinking but didn't really bring it up. You only live once, and I'd rather be able to reflect on the the Olympics I got to see in my hometown rather than the fear of the cost overruns that kept us from doing something memorable. We take that risk every time we have a public project being built, so I see this as no different. Sometimes big things require some level of risk to do. We can't be hiding under a blanket all the time worrying about every possible scenario - if we did, we wouldn't start businesses, have kids, go on trips, etc.

Was at the '88 Olympics as a kid, and seeing it again in 2026 in my hometown would be just a perfect life moment.

[Tyler]

Not gonna lie, turning the overhead speaker into the northern lights looks really cool.

[Regorium]

There's a reason the yes side focuses primarily on emotional arguments. It's definitely persuasive, and I have no doubt that it'd be the greatest party Calgary has ever seen.

It's when people try to make logical arguments that make no sense like "indirect economic benefits" that bother me.

Just like the arena, if you want a playground then by all means go ahead and give all our money to the flames. But to argue that there's a net economic benefit is a joke.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Regorium

There's a reason the yes side focuses primarily on emotional arguments. It's definitely persuasive, and I have no doubt that it'd be the greatest party Calgary has ever seen.

It's when people try to make logical arguments that make no sense like "indirect economic benefits" that bother me.

Just like the arena, if you want a playground then by all means go ahead and give all our money to the flames. But to argue that there's a net economic benefit is a joke.

Entirely agree. Why try and justify something you just want with flimsy “indirect economic benefits.”

Just embrace the fact that it’s ok to vote with your heart and not your head on some things, or spend money on things that are just fun and not practical.

I get that the yes side wants to convince people this is good economically to sway the vote, but the strongest part of the argument is that it’s fun, exciting, and is going to be really memorable. It’s why the new library isn’t just a grey box. Going with your heart on something isn’t less valuable than going with your head, it’s just different.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

So, this is going to be a total emotion-based thought and not good financial sense, but I was having a conversation with someone and they brought up a point that resonated with me.

The 88’ Olympics were (apparently) a great experience. They inspired a lot of really fond memories, memories my parents and grand parents talk about really fondly, and I can’t say looking on this board and around in general, that I’ve ever heard someone talk negatively about the 88’ Olympics. 2026 obviously won’t be the same, it’s a different structure now, different level of money required, different vibe all around.

But what got me thinking was when they brought up why they’re voting yes. We’ve only got one go round on earth, and you’re never going to remember the money you didn’t save or the little bit of extra money you had anywhere near as much as the things you actually got to do and be a part of. In 40 years, am I going to remember the time my property taxes went up? Or remember the 2026 Olympics?

Even today, when I look back on my best memories, it’s never about how much it cost or what I didn’t do in order to have that experience, it’s the experience itself.

This isn’t meant to sway anyone from the No side. I’ve heard the arguments 1000 times and I totally understand them, but for me I think I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care about the numbers or the bid process or property taxes or anything like that. I care about filling my life with some awesome experiences, so I’m going to vote accordingly. 99% of my regrets are experiences I didn’t take, so I’m not going to put the money first on this one. I’m going to vote to have the experience and at least know I did my part to make it happen, even if the vote turns out as a No.

I can sum up your post in one sentence, i remember someone posting it on cp.

“Money comes and goes but memories last forever”.

[GullFoss]

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

BidCo. is not supposed to be neutral - their whole mandate is to prepare a successful bid for the Olympics, so I'm not sure why they'd act like they don't care either way. To paraphrase a line from Councillor Gondek, they're "BidCo", not "NoBidCo.".

And you're 100% right, anyone with skills with numbers can make any case they want, that's why it essentially boils down to how you feel about it personally - if you don't like the idea, you'll agree with the negative spin; if you like the idea, you'll agree with the positive spin.

My entire point is that using the powers of logic I can all but guarantee that the cost is going to be substantially over budget because those who made the budget are corrupted and biased and purposefully low-balled the budget for political purposes. And if Calgary is responsible for the entire cost overrun, we're basically getting bent over hard.