CALGARY—The Calgary Olympic Bid Corporation made a case for the long-term benefits of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics amid a crowd largely composed of supporters at the group’s first public engagement session Thursday.

BidCo fielded questions ranging from concerns about International Olympic Committee ethics to environmental considerations for being a host city.

The public meeting was the first of two sessions where Calgarians had a chance to hear the Calgary 2026 draft hosting plan presentation and ask questions.

The city, in a separate effort, is also holding several open houses as part of its engagement process on the Olympic bid before Calgarians vote Nov. 13 on whether or not they are in favour of hosting the Games.

An informal show of hands at the Thursday afternoon meeting opened showed most of the people in the room supported Calgary’s Olympic bid, while a handful counted themselves among those who plan to vote “no,” and a few more remain undecided.

BidCo CEO Mary Moran, who gave the same draft hosting presentation to city council last week, said the BidCo still has significant work to do ahead of the plebiscite.

Read more:

Calgary looking for 3,000 workers to administer Olympic bid plebiscite

Calgary city councillors raise possibility of new NHL arena in Olympic plans

Calgary’s Olympic bid will cost taxpayers $3 billion, BidCo says

“My fear right now is that a lot of people, still, have a feeling, not a fact-based decision.”

The session also comes as some city councillors say Calgarians still don’t have the full picture of how much the Olympics could cost. CBC reported Thursday that the city could face additional costs for projects like relocating the bus barns at Victoria Park to make room for a planned athletes’ village.

Ward 7 Councillor Druh Farrell has been a vocal opponent of Calgary’s bid for months, and she reiterated Tuesday that she’s concerned there is still information around possible Olympic costs that Calgarians haven’t seen.

“So much of this information isn’t yet public and yet we’re going to the polls in November,” she said. “So what’s in and what’s out, I’ve asked that we provide complete clarity around that, because a lot of people are putting their hopes and dreams in the Olympics bringing in investment in some lovely projects that are not included in the Olympic bid.”

Moran said the $3 billion of public funding required for the Games includes consideration for removing the bus barns.

“I would challenge anybody on the way that we’ve built this budget and the rigour we’ve put into it,” she said.

“We’re very confident with the cost and that we’re representing it, and that there’s no hidden cost at this stage. I can’t speak for the documents (city councillors) are looking at.”

BidCo says the total cost of the Games will come to $5.2 billion.

At the public information session Thursday, attendees also had questions about the numbers.

Gary Silberg said that to make an informed vote, he wanted to see more information about the cost of security and the possible GDP benefits from hosting.

“I need someone to spend a fair bit of time on, what would happen if we didn’t do the Olympics? Would we get any of the (government investment)?”

Gerald Cole, who said he came to the session undecided but “more on the negative side,” is still on the fence after hearing from BidCo.

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

He said he remains unsure that the Olympics will provide a big enough legacy of benefits to justify spending money to make Calgary a host city for a second time.

“I always think that if you are going to use public money, there needs to be a long-term benefit. ... My concern with the Olympics is, is it really constrained to temporary benefit?”

But he said he feels he has more to think about after the lunchtime session.

“I think they legitimately acknowledged my concerns and expressed that there is still room to continue to evolve the bid.”

Read more about: