Should Calgary Bid on the 2026 Olympics

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I prefer to assess information before drawing a conclusion. I wish more people would do the same these days instead of argue from assumptions, partisan beliefs, or the fear of being wrong.

Cool, then please check out the CBC mentioned previously. It's written by an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary in the Department of Economics.

I'd suggest that you also consider the ridiculous claims of a 10:1 return on investment coming from the "Yes Bidco" side and consider what other false accounting information they are also putting out there for their benefit.

[Calgary14]

"Former Olympians Donovan Bailey, Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards and Cassie Campbell are among those who will be headlining an Olympic rally next Monday, Postmedia has learned"

Cool - how much will each one be contributing towards the final cost to help pay for the Olympics?

[bizaro86]

I really want to vote yes for this. One thing I'd like to see from IOC is the option to not have ski jump events. Otherwise if we agree to it Whistler has us over a barrel.

If we can say - do it cheap and chip in a bit or we just won't have that event that should really cut back on the amount we get screwed by BC.

[sleepingmoose]

Just out of curiosity (since this thread started as a poll quite some time ago), is there a way to reset the poll on this thread to allow people to vote again and see what's changed?

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It's not a mistake. It's a calculated choice to "show the calculation" in that manner to make you vote "OMG YES"!

If you were to truly believe a 10:1 return on investment, or even your 4 times return on investment - the entire world would be smashing your door down for that kind of return. You, I and every market in the world would be maxing out our credit cards to get that.

It's not as simple as the 10:1 is making it out to be but your analogy isn't quite apt either. The $4.3 billion is definitely a shot in the arm to the City. It's upgraded facilities and definitely represents new jobs across the City.

Are the jobs all for Calgarians? Definitely not. Are they all swiss ski judges or whatever Markusoff was going on about? No. It's somewhere in the middle.

This is the issue I have with both sides of this debate. They are both full of so much hyperbole that it's hard to discern the facts.

The no side and yes side thing is overplayed. I'm neither. I don't want to "Have a party and make everyone pay for it" it would just be nice to have the exaggeration turned down a notch so that we could have a legitimate discussion without either side frothing. And to be clear, I don't mean just here I'm talking about social media in general on this one.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

Just out of curiosity (since this thread started as a poll quite some time ago), is there a way to reset the poll on this thread to allow people to vote again and see what's changed?

I think they can only do 1 poll per thread.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by nik-

How noble of you.

Where is the information? Are we allowed to use trends from past Olympics as our information?

Noble? Hardly. It’s just common sense if it matters to you that opinions are based on fact instead of emotion. We’ve got way too much of the latter going on in our world these days.

Use whatever relevant information is available. The more the merrier. Whatever gets one to the soundest assessment with all available information. Then run sensitivities to assess the impacts of imperfect information or just being wrong in your assumptions.

That should be the goal. For both sides of any debate. GGG has demonstrated the best ability to do this for the no side in here. Both sides should aspire to be on that level.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by GGG

Thy also cut housing which was the biggest potential legacy feature of the games.

It’s difficult to find the exact numbers but it appears they cut 1000 units of housing from the bid. This makes the original bid on the housing component make much more sense. 1800 units, 500 market, 600 affordable, 200 senior, plus indigenous and student. So now 1300 of a proposed 1800 are accounted for. Expect that unaccounted for number to continue to be used as a reserve fund to cover cost overruns by selling at market.

The other question that we should all ask is that whose security estimate do you trust. The Calgary Police / RCMP number or the number changed under duress. I think it’s very reasonable to say that the real security number will be at least 600 million.

I think the Bidco document - 1000 units of housing - 125 million in security is a good approximation of what is currently on the table.

The funding side appears to be 370 million plus 150 million that is planned to be spent as part of the Vic Park plans with or without the Olympics. 700 million Province and 1.5 billion federal. 925 million US from the IOC

They clarified, it was 1000 beds, so I assume 500 units. And, it was under the student category.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by RM14

They clarified, it was 1000 beds, so I assume 500 units. And, it was under the student category.

And if I'm remembering correctly that was all from the bus barns?

[RM14]

I think that's what she said. I thought it was strange to have student housing in Vic Park.

[Hockeyguy15]

I don't think that was necessarily all going to be student housing after? Her reasoninging on it was that not all the staff needed to be housed on site.

I think the student allocation is the one getting hit though, so if students were going to be by the U of C, maybe some of those student ones now become maybe market or affordable instead.

Edit: Having said that, it would be nice if we had more info on it (like some other items).

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

This is the issue I have with both sides of this debate. They are both full of so much hyperbole that it's hard to discern the facts.

I don't disagree. But the numbers being pushed by the YES (no matter what) people are fundamentally wrong and misleading.

10:1 return on investment is wrong. It is a falsified financial number. And it is misleading for their benefit.

We as a city should have the proper numbers in front of us. Numbers that we should be confident of, not slapped together and clearly rigged at the last minute. Personally, I have little faith in the numbers that have been presented to us with this process and that is my biggest concern. It is also clearly a concern for the City as well.

####, if we can have the Olympics with a reasonable understanding of the risk of overruns and financial risks and benefits, I'd look at it like any reasonable adult.

But when you tell me that you think you have $20 million set aside for the "hope that you can find" $200 million in overrun insurance (that does not exist and likely has no reasonable chance in reality) and publicly tout that . . . come on man.

I cannot understand how this process has been this messy and offside. What would a Yes vote be based on? Hope that the presented numbers are sorta kinda maybe right? Prayers for the provincial and federal government to bail us out on overruns? Nostalgia of 1988 costs of living and running an Olympics?

If we presented this to a bank for investment, we'd be maced, laughed out of the building and blacklisted.

[RM14]

Housing in the "City" Cluster is described as:

ATHLETES’ VILLAGE: CITY
The proposed use as a Village and legacy mixed-use, transit-oriented development is consistent with the Rivers District Master Plan (2018). The design concept for the site is similar to the adjacent, East Village typology, comprising concrete, midrise residential towers on commercial and residential podia. Project delivery will be the responsibility of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). The proposed Athletes’ Village will provide a legacy of market and non-market rental accommodation as well as affordable housing to help meet the needs of Calgary. The proposed development plan includes 70 affordable housing units, 140 attainable housing units (near market pricing) and 500 market units



https://www.calgary2026.ca/wp-conten...sed.Sept27.pdf

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I really want to vote yes for this. One thing I'd like to see from IOC is the option to not have ski jump events. Otherwise if we agree to it Whistler has us over a barrel.

If we can say - do it cheap and chip in a bit or we just won't have that event that should really cut back on the amount we get screwed by BC.

lol. "do it cheap". there's a good calgary olympic legacy.

maybe it can be the slogan.

funny how so many people don't care about billions of taxpayer dollars for calgary, but get bent out of shape at whistler maybe getting a small piece.

[flambers]

I'll vote yes for sure, then if the games occur. I would definitely like to volunteer.

Figure the experience would be a blast....

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by RM14

I think that's what she said. I thought it was strange to have student housing in Vic Park.

No, the councillors confused themselves with this because they were merging two different thoughts.

1. There were savings by taking the City Athlete's Village in Victoria Park (Stampede Park Cluster) and moving it away from the bus barns. Now we don't have to worry about the costs associated with having to dismantle the barns.

2. The original plan had additional units spread around the Calgary clusters (NOT part of the Athlete's Village) to be used by police forces and other staff. After the Games those beds could have been used for students, probably since they would have been around the Foothills Cluster near the UofC. By removing those beds which the RCMP and CPS said they could do without, there was more cost savings.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by flambers

I'll vote yes for sure, then if the games occur. I would definitely like to volunteer.

Figure the experience would be a blast....

If the Games happen, I'm immediately volunteering as well. Would be an absolutely amazing experience.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

lol. "do it cheap". there's a good calgary olympic legacy.

maybe it can be the slogan.

funny how so many people don't care about billions of taxpayer dollars for calgary, but get bent out of shape at whistler maybe getting a small piece.

Cheap is not a good word. "Efficient & Effective" is what they are going for.

[gasman]

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

According to the BidCo. in the City Council meeting yesterday, the budget (both original and adjustments) was provided by RCMP and CPS directly, it wasn't created by the BidCo.

Nope, See previous posts, they took the number from CPS/RCMP and "scrutinized" them and loped of $150MM

[mrkajz44]

Genuinely worried that the most recent trend we've seen in politics will exist for this vote: Facts will not matter. If someone has picked a side, no amount of logic and reasoning will move them from their position. I really think the vote will be very close and the YES side winning by 5 points or less.