Tying provincial money for Calgary’s pursuit of the Winter Olympics to a plebiscite is a poison pill, Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart said Tuesday.

Her reservations over bidding for the massive event emerged shortly after the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed seven cities on three continents, including Calgary, have expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Games.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

Colley-Urquhart said a provincial caveat making the funding dependent on a plebiscite on seeking the 2026 Games almost kills the process for her.

“I’m getting more concerned as this thing moves forward, with the strings attached to the money and imposing on the municipality . . . I’m open to a reconsideration motion given the untenable situation we’ve been put in,” she said.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

“It’s almost as if we’re being backed into our own corner with our own money.”

Gathering information, particularly on the Games’ finances and informing Calgarians of the findings, could take seven months before a non-binding plebiscite is even launched, she said.

The IOC is slated to choose a host for the Games in September 2019.

The city’s priorities and finance committee will vote on the issue next Tuesday, three weeks after a tight 8-6 council decision to fund BidCo with another $2.5 million.

Coun. Shane Keating said he’s not opposed to a plebiscite but that it has to be timed properly, with Calgarians sufficiently informed about the challenges, especially fiscal ones.

“We need to know what the financial threshold is for the citizens of Calgary at looking at an Olympic bid,” he said, adding the funding-plebiscite linkage simplifies the issue.

“The discussion of a plebiscite is over . . . if you take away the public engagement, it’s over with.”

There’s time for a plebiscite but the province needs to spell out its criteria — whether it would be binding, Alberta-wide or merely civic, said Coun. Jeff Davison.

“We’ve got to get some clarity on what they mean and figure out the timing and the cost,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IOC on Tuesday confirmed Calgary is on the list of seven cities expressing “official interest” in hosting the Winter Games in 2026.

Besides Calgary, the other cities officially in the running to host the 2026 Winter Games are:

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Graz, Austria

Cortina d’Ampezzo/Milan/Turin, Italy

Sapporo, Japan

Stockholm, Sweden

Sion, Switzerland

Erzurum, Turkey

A plebiscite to determine whether Calgarians are in favour of their city bidding for the Games would be a good step, said IOC executive director Christophe Dubi.

“That wouldn’t be a concern if there is a public consultation — (the Games) have to be welcome,” said Dubi. “This is a project of general and national interest that has an impact on everyone.”

And while the IOC views Calgary’s facilities from the 1988 Games and Canada’s expertise in holding them and the 2010 Winter Olympics as definite strengths, Dubi suggested its bid wouldn’t have to include the bobsled and luge runs at WinSport, given the alternative at Whistler, B.C.

“I’m not judging the level of the facilities — when you have choices, when you have delivered the Games in Vancouver, you have different options to make sure the most appropriate decisions are made,” he said.

While the IOC kicks in what Dubi called “a significant chunk” of Games funding, it’s up to local Olympic committees to ensure spending doesn’t exceed budgets and figure in security costs, adding Vancouver’s Olympics should be used as a fiscal template for any Calgary event.

Operational and infrastructure costs for the 2010 Vancouver Games totalled nearly $7 billion, with the IOC kicking in $659 million in sponsorships and contributions.

An estimated total cost for a Calgary Games is at least $4.5 billion.

The IOC has revamped its procedures for soliciting and assessing potential Olympic cities, including the addition of a new “dialogue stage” during which it offers greater assistance to help national Olympic committees develop their bids.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

In a statement released with the list of potential 2026 Olympic contenders, IOC president Thomas Bach said it had “turned the page” with the new process for selecting Olympic venues.

“Our goal is not just to have a record number of candidates but, ultimately, it is to select the best city to stage the best Olympic Winter Games for the best athletes of the world,” he said.

With files from Meghan Potkins