TORONTO

The Toronto Blue Jays season may be over but the city's final bill for the Bird's Nest isn't in yet.

City of Toronto officials are still tallying up the total cost for showing most of the Toronto Blue Jays' games during their playoff run in Nathan Phillips Square.

Earlier this month, the city estimated it would cost $10,000 per game to broadcast the Blue Jays in front of City Hall. Ten of the Jays 11 playoff games were shown in the square.

City spokesman Natasha Hinds Fitzsimmins said the city estimates a total of 10,000 to 15,000 people turned out to watch the games.

But was the cost - whatever it turns out to be - worth it? Hinds Fitzsimmins thinks so.

"It brought Torontonians together for the love of sport, supporting the Blue Jays, and their city. It also highlighted Nathan Phillips Square as a place for public gatherings and celebrations, and brought media from all across Canada to focus on Toronto and the Blue Jays," she said.

Blue Jays booster Mayor John Tory said he thinks "the public would say overwhelmingly 'yes' to" spending taxpayers' dollars on the Bird's Nest.

He argued the events gave people a chance to "come and celebrate."

"If I went out and took a referendum tomorrow and said, 'OK, I'll give you 10 choices of things we spend money on' and the Bird's Nest was one of them, I think the Bird's Nest might even have the possibility of finishing first," Tory said.

don.peat@sunmedia.ca