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And we should certainly be frightened by the money: somewhere between $1 billion and $3 billion out of municipal, provincial and federal taxpayers’ pockets, EY predicted. We should be appalled by it, too, considering what else it could buy — not least an amelioration of the squalor in which far too many city tenants live.

Might an Expo bid speed up development in the Port Lands? “I don’t reject the fact that when you have a big event it can accelerate the building of necessary infrastructure including transit and housing,” Tory told reporters. “We saw that to some extent with the Pan Am Games.”

Let’s pause briefly here to consider the splendour of the Union Pearson Express’s business model.

There exists a compelling existing plan to develop the Port Lands. And while the plan needs funding, inviting scores of countries to plunk down pavilions of their choice on the 400 acres in question seems a very odd and wasteful way of “accelerating” the process. It’s easy to imagine it hindering as much as helping.

And the whole idea of mega-events knocking governments into gear on infrastructure projects is predicated on people caring about those events. Do people care about Expos?

Stephen Harper could hardly pass wind in his own john without being accused of tarnishing Canada’s reputation on the world stage. Yet the Conservatives’ decision to cancel Canada’s membership in the Bureau International des Expositions, and not to participate in Milan, was an utter non-event. It takes some work on Google to find any evidence of it even happening.

With the exception of Coun. David Shiner, executive voted Tuesday to allow Expo 2025 proponents to proceed with their own self-funded feasibility study and report back in October. There are many sensible provisos attached, not least that Expo mustn’t divert any provincial or federal funds from other envelopes.

That’s a very John Tory solution. But I suspect those proponents, in business and labour and the arts, are wasting their money. At some point, councillors will be forced to put this misbegotten beast of an idea out of its misery.

• Email: cselley@nationalpost.com | Twitter: cselley