Should Calgary Bid on the 2026 Olympics

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Couldn't it be argued though that sports is related to health in that it's wellness, and preventative healthcare? Having an healthy, active community is beneficial to the healthcare system.

Sure, but how is a speed skating oval 99.9% of the city will never use going to help? The fieldhouse I can't dispute as being more valuable, but really that's the only facility that is worthy of investment as a public health facility. So I suppose the real question is how do we get the fieldhouse without the $1billion handout to Securitas and G4S? I think it'd be pretty cool the not have to incur the $1billion to get a $200 million facility, but maybe that's just me. The problem I will never stop having is we can't get these things because we need them. Only for the Olympics. It speaks to how pathetic and weak most politicians are.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Leondros

It can definitely be argued. It gets into the argument of preventative or reactive healthcare. Our society seems to like to focus on heart surgery, rather than heart health and active lifestyles. Something that some of our most prominent heart surgeons in their later lives are trying to change. Its far cheaper and less invasive to invest into something that with prevent a heart attack rather than having to perform a double bypass.

I argue that sports and active life styles definitely promote that prevention. Does it have to be niche sports such as alpine or ski jumping to do that? Probably not.

These niche sports that a very, very small portion of the population will do understandably shouldn't get much attention, and with the bid, it kinda follows through with that. Ski jumping isn't even going to happen in the Calgary area, saving costs by putting it in Whistler (which I don't completely agree with considering how much it's suppose to save, but understand), and the alpine improvements at Naiska would be an expansion that the public will get to benefit from.

Lots happen at winsport currently that we make use of, and even more could be brought there, as well as finally getting the fieldhouse built in the foothills that will serve us for decades.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Sure, but how is a speed skating oval 99.9% of the city will never use going to help? The fieldhouse I can't dispute as being more valuable, but really that's the only facility that is worthy of investment as a public health facility. So I suppose the real question is how do we get the fieldhouse without the $1billion handout to Securitas and G4S? I think it'd be pretty cool the not have to incur the $1billion to get a $200 million facility, but maybe that's just me. The problem I will never stop having is we can't get these things because we need them. Only for the Olympics. It speaks to how pathetic and weak most politicians are.

In a perfect world, with or without the Olympics, these all the facilities that are needed, plus renewed would get done, and then the costs for security goes out the door if you don't still maintain the desire to host the games. But unfortunately as you mentioned, it doesn't work that way. This is why an opportunity to get funding for all the eggs in one batch is something to strongly consider. Because to do it for one thing alone, it's like pulling teeth. Getting money for a new arena, and renovations to McMahon, and a fieldhouse, and Oval renovations, winsport upgrades, etc. would be difficult to pull off in a reasonable (10-15 years) timespan.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Literally nothing you said here would have any chance of swaying someone who would vote no. Which is exactly why I think no will win. This seems to be the whole yes sides campaign.

Then let me re post for you:

YES CALGARY!

Who here is looking to save the federal government money by not having the olympics? The government isn't going to save that money or invest it and they certainly aren't going to give you a cheque for the amount we didn't spend. Are we the province that only gives money in transfer payments then tells the government not to bother spending money on us?

If we don't have an olympics the federal goverment is going to spend that money on other events. They aren't going to thank Alberta for not having the Olympics.

Bombardier gets a bailout, dairy industry is getting 3.5 billion in subsidies coming up, the auto sector gets bailouts and protections, Vancouver get's an olympics., Winnipeg got a pan am games. What does Alberta get?

The government just spent 4.5 billion on a pipeline that's going nowhere.

Give it a rest people. The government isn't in the business of saving money.

Do you people honestly think if Quebec had an opportunity for a commonwealth games they wouldn't take government funding and not think twice?

IT'S OUR TURN ALBERTA

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

Old people will probably be dead by 2026.

Nobody within 8 years of average Canadian life expectancy should be allowed to vote.

Or anybody that doesn’t want an Olympics cause they already experienced one in 88.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Joborule

In a perfect world, with or without the Olympics, these all the facilities that are needed, plus renewed would get done, and then the costs for security goes out the door if you don't still maintain the desire to host the games. But unfortunately as you mentioned, it doesn't work that way. This is why an opportunity to get funding for all the eggs in one batch is something to strongly consider. Because to do it for one thing alone, it's like pulling teeth. Getting money for a new arena, and renovations to McMahon, and a fieldhouse, and Oval renovations, winsport upgrades, etc. would be difficult to pull off in a reasonable (10-15 years) timespan.

Sure it's worth considering, and if there were a genuine financial case to be made, I'd love to consider it. But as we've seen from the city's own risk assessment, the NHL not participating alone means financial debacle and makes it impossible for the Games to do anything but hemorrhage money. And security remains of course in flux, it could quite reasonably double between now and 2026 depending on what happens in the increasingly volatile world we live in.

For me, far too much of this bid relies on hope and on every single thing going exactly right. Given we're dealing with government where that never happens, and with the IOC where that never happens and quite often the exact opposite where everything goes wrong happens ....I feel pretty strongly this is going to go very poorly.

[DiracSpike]

A bit OTT.

Most people outside the business world know Calgary not for O&G, but as a place to visit thanks to proximity to the Rockies. It will always enjoy a higher profile as a result of this feature.

As for 88. The impact of those games is not being overstated. It turbocharged Calgary’s international profile. Before 88 few I knew heard of Calgary. Afterwards just about everybody had and their perception was very positive.

Mind you, they may have heard about Calgary because I constantly went on about it.

I wasn't talking about what it's known for, I was talking about why it's a metro area of 1.3M today and it's definitely not because of the Olympics like the BidCo suggested.

88, from all accounts, was a successful enterprise. It resulted in a new arena and a boost to Calgary's reputation while making money. That's great, it means nothing relative to this 2026 bid though. 9/11 happens, security costs go through the roof, there's twice as many events, and the IOC has more lavish requirements.

[Swarly]

People keep talking about the boost we got to the city and our presence on the world stage in '88 and saying we should do that again, boost our city up and reap the benefits. Has none of these people heard of the law of diminishing returns? You can't say that we got X amount of benefit from the first Olympics so let's do it again and get another X benefit.

In '88 hosting made the world aware or us, if we do it again the world will just say "oh ya, Calgary, the hosts of the '88 games". The first time hosting we got a lot of facilities from hosting, I get that, it was a great deal. If we don't host again that legacy and those facilities don't go anywhere, we still have them. If there was any other added benefit from this bid, anything lasting like a facility or city infrastructure I would be a yes. But as it is, we are on the hook for outrageous costs to get a $200M field house and a few upgraded buildings? sorry, that won't change my life in any way so it's a no.

[Amethyst]

I was at the Genesis Centre last night, where they had one of the info sessions. As I was leaving, they were packing things up. The sticker board wasn't packed up yet, so I took a glance and yes won that contest. On the yes side, there were lots of votes for strongly agree and agree. On the no side, there were lots for strongly disagree, but hardly any for disagree. I didn't count them, but strongly agree definitely had the most.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

So apparently the IOC was in Calgary today and said they’re tapped out. They’re a non profit and have no money to help fund the bid, beyond what they’ve already committed.

It was embarrassing to watch.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Or anybody that doesn’t want an Olympics cause they already experienced one in 88.

Is there a limit in your mind as to how much Calgary should spend?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by troutman

Is there a limit in your mind as to how much Calgary should spend?

Limits?! but ITS OUR TURN!

[Mr.Coffee]

I pray this does not work. I do not want to spend hundreds (thousands?) of property tax increases so that we can have some kind of weird sense of "pride" (nebulous at best) or increased "prestige".

What the hell does it matter to any of you what some guy in France or China thinks of Calgary? Nobody can explain this to me. So it makes you feel pride to come from a place, but why does that matter and why does that mean I should face tax increases as a homeowner for some nebulous BS 'feeling'? Yeah please can I pay more tax money so that Gerry and Sandra feel proud to be from Calgary? It makes no sense. People from other countries don't care about Calgary and people from Calgary don't care about other countries. Do you people sit around and think about cities with world prestige? No, and who cares?

The very critical fact that the province has restricted spending to the capital budget number and excess is not funded, should be a HUGE concern and put a bullet in this thing. We know this puppy is going to take us to at least double, so $10B.

As Senator Clay says, this city is in for a rude awakening in the next couple years as the reality of a (not just soft, but closer to life support situation) poor oilpatch settles in. We can't monitor economic declines to Calgary in 1 year increments. It's a 5 year outlook.

The city already has plans to grow property tax rates to support funding shortfalls. We are all already kind of in trouble in the medium-long term and you're going to go host a ####ing party? How about we try and be sensible... for once... with our spending.

I don't trust about 95% of the population that they budget properly. It's not taught in school. It's not taught to most people. So the fact that the plebiscite is our last hope to avoid this incoming clusterF is highly concerning because a) why don't our politicians realize that the butter that butters the bread is kind of drying up and b) most people are idiots who couldn't budget themselves out of a paper bag, so let's go ask them if we should do the sensible thing and not spend or throw a massive sweet party.

Yikes. If you're a no vote, please make sure you take the time to vote and don't just assume that due to early polling the No will take this thing. We need to kill this thing for sure, this will be an economic burden we do not want. At all.

[btimbit]

I was all for the olympics at first, and I still like the idea of hosting. But as far as a return on the investment this is a terrible idea

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

I was at the Genesis Centre last night, where they had one of the info sessions. As I was leaving, they were packing things up. The sticker board wasn't packed up yet, so I took a glance and yes won that contest. On the yes side, there were lots of votes for strongly agree and agree. On the no side, there were lots for strongly disagree, but hardly any for disagree. I didn't count them, but strongly agree definitely had the most.

If the plebiscite goes No, but not a huge voter turn out, it will be the ad his polls like that that Nenshi will use to toss out the results. It will be him saying that not a lot of people as a whole said no and all their “community engagement” strongly supported a bid.

[Mr.Coffee]

this will be the defining legacy for Nenshi as mayor of Calgary. It's just which way does it go?

Oh yeah he was the mayor that let his ego destroy our economy for a decade or oh yeah he was the mayor that tried to make a go of a cool project but intelligently thought better.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by btimbit

But as far as a return on the investment this is a terrible idea

How so?

Opinions aside, this really is a leveraging exercise.

Spend $500M to get $5B of investment.

To me, the ROI is incredible.

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

this will be the defining legacy for Nenshi as mayor of Calgary. It's just which way does it go?

Oh yeah he was the mayor that let his ego destroy our economy for a decade or oh yeah he was the mayor that tried to make a go of a cool project but intelligently thought better.

How exactly does the mayor of one City destroy an economy?

[the_only_turek_fan]

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4877098

Where is Mary Moran getting 4.4B number from?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Tyler

How so?

Opinions aside, this really is a leveraging exercise.

Spend $500M to get $5B of investment.

To me, the ROI is incredible.

Please tell me you don’t actually believe this.

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

How exactly does the mayor of one City destroy an economy?

Yeah maybe awkward wording but I presume you know what I mean. Replace economy with civic finances.