CALGARY—Councillor Evan Woolley pledged Tuesday that Calgarians will have the last word on whether the city should proceed with a bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

“The plebiscite will be the final arbiter of whether we make a decision to do this or not,” said Woolley, who chairs the city’s Olympic oversight committee.

Although the vote would be non-binding, Woolley said it would be a challenge to pursue the Games if Calgarians rejected the bid through a plebiscite.

“I certainly could not support that,” he said.

City administration told the committee Tuesday that cost estimates would be refined several times over the coming months before the Olympic bid book is submitted Jan. 1.

According to the city’s bid exploration committee, hosting the Games would cost an estimated $4.6 billion. However, administration has repeatedly warned council that number will rise once inflation and additional venue costs are tallied.

Administration told the committee it would present updated operating and capital budgets in less than a month.

Woolley said voters would have a “very, very clear understanding” of the costs associated with the Olympics before holding a plebiscite, which is projected to cost about $2 million.

The provincial government committed $10 million toward the creation of a $30-million Olympic Bid Corporation on the condition the city hold a plebiscite. The city and federal governments each chipped in a third of the cost.

The oversight committee heard Tuesday that the city has spent $5.2 million to date on Olympic work, including $3 million on the bid exploration committee. That money falls under the $30-million envelope allocated to the Olympic Bid Corporation.

Administration will present several options on the wording and timing of the plebiscite, as well as a nonstatutory public hearing, at the May 29 meeting of the oversight committee.

“Leading up to that plebiscite, we will have a number of engagements with Calgarians on a whole breadth of issues,” Woolley said. “The nonstatutory public hearing is an opportunity for people to come and speak … about their opinions on things.

“We are committed to an open and engaging process … that we will be doing in a much more intentional way in the coming months,” he said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Read more about: