[News] Updated cost for Calgary to host the 2026 Olympic to be $5.23 billion.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

There is no proposal for a new arena now. Until there is you can't include it in your calculus because it's imaginary.

Just again, when people think "massive infrastructure" they think roads, public transport, major projects. Not piecemeal upgrades to half century old buildings that already exist and some affordable housing. On top of all of that, the city could build all of those things and then some for a fraction of the 1B Olympic contribution.

That’s not true though. All of those things add to to somewhere around the same number as the city’s contribution for the Olympics would be.

Just guessing here:

McMahon - $150 million
Olympic Oval - $30-$50 million
BMO Centre /Big 4 - $50 million
Saddledome - any upgrades would be temporary lipstick so can’t count
Winsport $30 million
Nakiska/ Canmore - $30 million
Curling Centre - $25 million
Field house - $200 million
Community Arena - $50 million
Housing Units - $200-$300 million

Add those together, and you end up with a similar number to what has been going around as an approximate City contribution.

[DiracSpike]

I'd dispute some of those numbers but yeah maybe I overstated fraction slightly. The City's contribution will also inevitably be more due to cost overruns. And then what are we left with? An unnecessary community arena? Olympic Oval upgrades? 150 million dollars down the drain with McMahon?

Let's save the City money and use it to build things we actually want/need.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

That’s not true though. All of those things add to to somewhere around the same number as the city’s contribution for the Olympics would be.

Just guessing here:

McMahon - $150 million
Olympic Oval - $30-$50 million
BMO Centre /Big 4 - $50 million
Saddledome - any upgrades would be temporary lipstick so can’t count
Winsport $30 million
Nakiska/ Canmore - $30 million
Curling Centre - $25 million
Field house - $200 million
Community Arena - $50 million
Housing Units - $200-$300 million

Add those together, and you end up with a similar number to what has been going around as an approximate City contribution.

BMO/BIG 4 could be funded by Stampede
Oval needs 20 for the ice plant and slab rest is cosmetic
Winsport does not need upgrading as sliding upgrade is already funded independant of Olympics
We don’t need to fund a new ski lift at Nakiska

So really you get

300 million flames arena
200 million field house
150 million McMahon
300 million housing

For a city and provincial contribution of at least 1.5 billion. And you need to count provincial as that is clearly money that won’t be spent elsewhere. At that assumes the federal money is free.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by New Era

Vancouver Olympics - 2010


Legacy sites used



Rogers Arena - Built in 1995.
Pacific Coliseum - Built in 1968.

BC Place - Built in 1981, renovated in 2009 at a cost of $150M.


New Sites


Richmond Olympic Oval
UBC Thunderbird Arena
Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Center (Hillcrest Arena)
Whistler Olympic Park
Whistler Sliding Center


For comparison sake.


Calgary Olympics 2026


Legacy Sites


Rogers Arena (1995) vs. Olympic Saddledome - Built in 1981. Renovated in 1994.

Pacific Coliseum (1968) vs. nothing in Calgary.

BC Place (1981/2009) vs. McMahon Stadium - Built in 1960



So we'll be using a hockey arena built 45 years earlier. We'll be using a dilapidated football stadium built 65 years earlier.


And lets not compare Calgary's facilities to Los Angeles'. The LA Coliseum, just using one example, has been renovated a number of times to keep it up to date and usable, including a $300M upgrade in 2009. The two are just not even in the same ball park.

BC Place was over $500mil to renovate, not $150m.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

That's quite the bold statement if not conjecture - care to back it up with financials?

He could probably make his financials as accurate as a lowball Olympic bid.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by jayswin

BC Place was over $500mil to renovate, not $150m.

The renovations for the Olympics was $150M. The roof replacement, after the Olympics, was $514M.