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As Calgary’s Winter Olympic bid committee diligently carries out its ostensibly objective work, 2016 draws to a close with the mayor trumpeting the supposed economic benefits of playing host to the world.

The committee is set to report some interim findings next month, and again in April, before presenting its final recommendations in July on the idea of a 2026 Winter Olympic bid.

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Naheed Nenshi has at times called himself a “bit of a skeptic,” but has also called the idea of a bid “a very exciting opportunity for Calgary.” Perhaps when a politician tries to balance a desire for legacy projects with a desire to be seen as prudent, such contradictions are inevitable.

That was evident last week.

Speaking last week before the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Nenshi spoke of how an Olympic bid could open the door to an LRT link to the Calgary International Airport (sorry, the YYC Calgary International Airport). Later, though, the mayor conceded that the project is “quite low on the (priority) list,” but that “a whole bunch of federal funding for something like the Olympics” could allow the city to “accelerate” the entire list.