[News] UPD: Calgary City Council approves exploratory bid study for 2026 Olympics

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by RM14

There are a majority of citizens who just see total dollars and scream NO NO NO...

Calgary should greatly benefit largely from community investments that would not have otherwise happened without the Olympics. If you are protecting Canadian taxpayers go for it. I don't mind sucking money from Federal and Provincial budgets for local benefit to Calgarians.

Vancouver for example:



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15036916/

Article does not account for massive olympic village loss underwritten by the City of Vancouver to the tune of ~100 MILLION dollars.

It's all clever accounting. The city of Vancouver will never get back the opportunity to develop prime False Creek real estate like the athletes village ever again. A development that should have resulted in a net gain of hundreds of millions turned out to be a sinkhole because of olympic pressure.

Stronger democracies than Canada are running for the hills away from these massive wealth transfers. It would be very Canadian to be the last ones holding the bag.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by RM14

If it's between the money coming to Calgary vs somewhere else. Pretty obvious what I'd choose. Not a parasitic view. Quebec publicly funded an NHL arena and still accepts equalization payments. That's parasitic.

Yes, that's parasitic. And it doesn't make it right for you to be a parasite too.

In fact, the existing parasites will fight tooth and nail to prevent you from joining their feast. Parasites cannot live by sucking each other's blood. They require a host.

[rayne008]

Originally Posted by RM14

There are a majority of citizens who just see total dollars and scream NO NO NO...

Calgary should greatly benefit largely from community investments that would not have otherwise happened without the Olympics. If you are protecting Canadian taxpayers go for it. I don't mind sucking money from Federal and Provincial budgets for local benefit to Calgarians.

Vancouver for example:



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15036916/

Provincial and Federal budgets still come from my tax dollars! I have a hard time supporting this project when we are in desperate need of modern cancer centre.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Yeah, there certainly seems to be a lot of athletes on the committee. I get why they are there (who better to know what makes an olympics successful)

yeah, those athletes know what it takes for the games to be successful from a competitors point of view, but from a business and logistical point of view?
likely not so much.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by rayne008

Provincial and Federal budgets still come from my tax dollars! I have a hard time supporting this project when we are in desperate need of modern cancer centre.

Why have a state of the art cancer centre for 30 years when you can have a party you aren't invited to for 2 weeks?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Why have a state of the art cancer centre for 30 years when you can have a party you aren't invited to for 2 weeks?

Yeah but one day we'll cure cancer, maybe, possibly?

You'll never find a cure for missing out on a good time!

[polak]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Why have a state of the art cancer centre for 30 years when you can have a party you aren't invited to for 2 weeks?

Does a state of the art cancer center have the potential to revitalize the city in a recession? If done right, the Olympics can accomplish a lot more than being a "big party"

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by polak

Does a state of the art cancer center have the potential to revitalize the city in a recession? If done right, the Olympics can accomplish a lot more than being a "big party"

show your work.

There was no impact on the city of Vancouver, in the middle of a recession, from the olympics:

“I think the overall lesson is that these are a very specific kind of phenomena. If you want to look at impacts you focus on the host city … there’s spillover, but it’s not sea to shining sea.”

The Olympics were a galvanizing force in B.C. for several years leading up to 2010, but the long-term social and economic impacts have been unclear.

The report states that the Games did not provide a significant boost in tourism, nor did the event appear to significantly change the international images of Vancouver or Whistler.

Compared with Edmonton and Toronto, Vancouver and Whistler had no significant increase in tourism in 2010 over 2009. “This finding suggests that being an event region had little to no effect on the number of overnight tourists during the event year,” the study states.

The report also says the Games, “did not appear to have influenced the attractiveness of the host [cities] with respect to either Consumer Price Index or the [value of the] real estate market … [with] no unusual change in either.”

[Table 5]

I think the Olympics need to be looked at as a catalyst for infrastructure work you're hoping to do anyway. If an Olympics allows you to revitalize a dead part of town (ie West Village) or to build an LRT line...and do with less direct money and on a quicker timeline, then that cost might be worth it.

If it's just about a big party with no real benefit but good memories, no thanks. If it's a fast-track to city building, then I think it becomes a lot more palatable.

[Canehdianman]

Thank you to whoever posted the link to the questionnaire.

It won't make a difference, but at least I can say that I'm made my thoughts on the matter clear now.

I was strongly opposed to every single ridiculous reason they came up with as a 'benefit' from a successful bid. I actually laughed out loud at the part that said that marginalized people will benefit from a successful bid.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

show your work.

There was no impact on the city of Vancouver, in the middle of a recession, from the olympics:

That only talks about tourism? Vancouver was already the go to tourist destination in Canada. Not surprised their tourism didn't sky rocket?

[FurnaceFace]

I'm supportive:

• We have a number of facilities which already exist and are used for world class competitions annually
• We have additional facilities built (Winsport) which can be used
• We have plans for new arenas without the games
• We have plans for new city infrastructure without the games
• We have additional infrastructure needs which are on the books but not funded

If the Olympics can be the catalyst to get additional infrastructure projects kick started, and the associated dollars with them, I'm all for it.

I think we've seen huge costs for some of the recent games because they were built from the ground up. I believe we have a number of existing facilities we can use which would help. Plus being Canada our security concerns might be less than Sochi and Rio.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by polak

Does a state of the art cancer center have the potential to revitalize the city in a recession? If done right, the Olympics can accomplish a lot more than being a "big party"

Except we all know the only thing you specifically care about is the party. Just go back to Europe, which as you know is significantly better.

[RM14]

Originally Posted by rayne008

Provincial and Federal budgets still come from my tax dollars! I have a hard time supporting this project when we are in desperate need of modern cancer centre.

We will likely have both... I don't think the current proposal is one or the other.

Edit: New cancer centre is slated to open in 2024. http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/...Page13157.aspx


.

[rayne008]

Originally Posted by RM14

We will likely have both... I don't think the current proposal is one or the other.

Edit: New cancer centre is slated to open in 2024. http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/...Page13157.aspx


.

The NCCC is already into the initial planning stages. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017 and the centre is expected to open by 2024.

* lol my smug ass to be wrong on this one. Great news!

[RM14]

Originally Posted by rayne008

The NCCC is already into the initial planning stages. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017 and the centre is expected to open by 2024.

LOL.

Sorry, but last I heard it is not funded yet, and there is basically 0 chance construction starts in 2017.

*however I would love for my smug ass to be wrong on this one.

RFP's are out for design, construction expected to start in late 2017, NDP has is budgeted at $1.2 BB through 2020..

[Muta]

Originally Posted by rayne008

The NCCC is already into the initial planning stages. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017 and the centre is expected to open by 2024.

LOL.

Sorry, but last I heard it is not funded yet, and there is basically 0 chance construction starts in 2017.

*however I would love for my smug ass to be wrong on this one.

You are wrong on this one.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Except we all know the only thing you specifically care about is the party. Just go back to Europe, which as you know is significantly better.

I'll be 36.

I don't care about the party. I want Calgary to be showcased and get the added infrastructure benefits.

[Weitz]

I always thought it would be cool to live where the Olympics were going on, but I just think the whole thing costs way too much money for a 2 week event.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by RM14

Calgary should greatly benefit largely from community investments that would not have otherwise happened without the Olympics. If you are protecting Canadian taxpayers go for it. I don't mind sucking money from Federal and Provincial budgets for local benefit to Calgarians.

Since I pay provincial and federal taxes, and worry about the long-term fiscal health of those levels of government much more than I worry about the city, that isn't a selling point to me.

Governments at every level are borrowing massively in the desperate hopes that a magical turnaround will balance the books in the future. I prefer not to leave the long-term viability of public health care, education, and pensions up to such wishful thinking. We don't have the money for this stuff. We just don't. And the public in places like Sweden and Austria have figured that out.