2026 Olympics- Calgary votes no- 56%

[stampsx2]

Well we can close the door on the Olympics. We’ll have to search for an economic boost to our city somewhere else. Anybody know where we left off on the trans mountain pipeline?

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I voted yes but can't ignore how half-assed the plan was with Edmonton, Whistler, etc hosting some of the events and trotting out band-aid money wasting on McMahon stadium and building a 5k seat arena that nobody asked for. Nenshi and the other people organizing this bid are simply is a little out of touch with people's expectations of hosting an event like this. If you aren't going to use a lot of the federal funding on new legacy facilities it's going to be a hard sell. Go big or go home really as it just felt like they were trying to organize the poor-man's Winter Olympics.

You're saying Edmonton was hosting some events but call others out of touch?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

At what cost. I go to Westside Rec. Membership is $740 per year. That priced out of many people range. I gave it due to fitness spending at work.

I don't know what to tell you other than do your research and look around if you think that's too expensive? These facilities are meant to serve the majority of Calgarians, and the majority are middle class. It's all about what your priorities are.

The Field House is overdue in this city, and paying for rec centres is just something you will have to do (and are doing) as a taxpayer of a major Canadian city in addition to libraries, bridges, parks, etc.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

You're saying Edmonton was hosting some events but call others out of touch?

I believe very early on there was some chatter about Edmonton hosting some events, but that was then shot down pretty quick.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Well we can close the door on the Olympics. We’ll have to search for an economic boost to our city somewhere else. Anybody know where we left off on the trans mountain pipeline?

Highly unlikely, this City is unable to do much that is meaningful any more. At some point the majority of Calgary’s population became a colective group of people with limited vision. It’s a long cry from the City many of us were born in. It’s not just the the Olympic vote, it pretty much everything . This City is dying a slow death.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

Highly unlikely, this City is unable to do much that is meaningful any more. At some point the majority of Calgary’s population became a colective group of people with limited vision. It’s a long cry from the City many of us were born in. It’s not just the the Olympic vote, it pretty much everything . This City is dying a slow death.

Someone at my work this morning joked that Calgary was on it's way to becoming Detroit 2.0.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I don't know what to tell you other than do your research and look around if you think that's too expensive? These facilities are meant to serve the majority of Calgarians, and the majority are middle class. It's all about what your priorities are.

The Field House is overdue in this city, and paying for rec centres is just something you will have to do (and are doing) as a taxpayer of a major Canadian city in addition to libraries, bridges, parks, etc.

If that is the case the Fieldhouse should just be built like the Library and rec centers are with little fanfare. As you said it should have been built already.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Someone at my work this morning joked that Calgary was on it's way to becoming Detroit 2.0.

Pretty sure someone posted a thread with that exact claim here once.

[stampsx2]

That’s the most frustrating thing. People that voted no because they didn’t do enough research and then talk about a lack of transperency. Edmonton was not going to host any of our games.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

At what cost. I go to Westside Rec. Membership is $740 per year. That priced out of many people range. I gave it due to fitness spending at work.

Aren’t you the same person now advocating the city spend money on a new arena for the Flames, because “playoff hockey”?

Let’s not pretend you care about accessibility and pricing people out.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Well unfortunately the province tied their hands here. They made the $700M conditional on a YES vote to cover themselves politically, even though council had made it clear they did not feel a plebiscite was the way to handle this.

Province screwed Calgary council over hard.
1) they came in with less money than was expected
2) they would not backstop overruns like B.C.
3) they came out with their number early and alone rather than with the city and feds
4) they made itheir funding conditional on a plebiscite that council did not want.

1) they came in with less money than was hoped for by bidco.
2) why should they have? especially in this economic climate. if the bid was honest, you shouldn't have had that worry anyway.
3) maybe bidco could share blame for not having their poop together.
4) they read the political climate better than the city did.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Someone at my work this morning joked that Calgary was on it's way to becoming Detroit 2.0.

Seeing as the Yes side thinks fear mongering won here, perhaps they should have gone with "Vote Yes, or Calgary will become Detroit 2.0".

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I voted yes but can't ignore how half-assed the plan was with Edmonton, Whistler, etc hosting some of the events and trotting out band-aid money wasting on McMahon stadium and building a 5k seat arena that nobody asked for. Nenshi and the other people organizing this bid are simply is a little out of touch with people's expectations of hosting an event like this. If you aren't going to use a lot of the federal funding on new legacy facilities it's going to be a hard sell. Go big or go home really as it just felt like they were trying to organize the poor-man's Winter Olympics.

Bidco kept saying that the IOC requires 80% of infrastructure to already exist when putting forward an Olympic bid.

But I have a hard time believing that a bid from Calgary of all places would be rejected if a yes vote passed that included a new arena but didn't meet the 80% threshold.

[RM14]

Pure incompetence by city council, bidco, other two levels of government, and the people. We as a society cant even plan a vote woth 6 months lead time and have the real facts in order.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

1) they came in with less money than was hoped for by bidco.
2) why should they have? especially in this economic climate. if the bid was honest, you shouldn't have had that worry anyway.
3) maybe bidco could share blame for not having their poop together.
4) they read the political climate better than the city did.

I said this before the results and as a person who voted against the games but direct democracy sucks. We elect these people to make decisions for us. The Province didn't require a referendum because they read the political climate better, the province required one because they needed political cover from Kenny and didn't have the fortitude to outright say no. It was not about giving citizens a choice it was cowardice.

The province manages a 50 billion dollar budget and the city 5 billion. This project was well within the scope of there typical budget lines.

I agree bidco shares the blame but the Province, Feds, City and Bidco weren't on message like they needed to be for this to succeed. Instead you had fighting over funding up until 2 weeks ago. That needed to be behind closed doors and then a unified yes campaign after. Who screwed it up we likely don't find out, it sounds like Bidco, but the Province with the binding referendum forced them into a poor position.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Aren’t you the same person now advocating the city spend money on a new arena for the Flames, because “playoff hockey”?

Let’s not pretend you care about accessibility and pricing people out.

Both can be true. Things for accessibility should be done with public money and donors. Things done for business and entertainment should be done with more private money and investment. I was not advocating the city give the Flames an arena. There is a deal there, negotiate the Flames down.

I brought up the entertainment district was a better tourism play than the Olympics. I'm replying to different posts.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by RM14

Pure incompetence by city council, bidco, other two levels of government, and the people. We as a society cant even plan a vote woth 6 months lead time and have the real facts in order.

Simply because what you wanted didn't win? I mean sure there are some things that could have been better. But a lot of you guys are blowing the "people didn't know the bid" out of proportion because you lost.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I was not advocating the city give the Flames an arena. There is a deal there, negotiate the Flames down.

If there isn't a deal there now, how do you expect negotiating them down to work?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Bidco kept saying that the IOC requires 80% of infrastructure to already exist when putting forward an Olympic bid.

But I have a hard time believing that a bid from Calgary of all places would be rejected if a yes vote passed that included a new arena but didn't meet the 80% threshold.

That's BS from the IOC. Sochi built all their stuff after they won the bid. Pyeongchang too.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

If there isn't a deal there now, how do you expect negotiating them down to work?

I think there is. That's what Davison is working on now. I think it's an arena and Fieldhouse. Stamps are SOL.