Expected motion in council could bring an end to potential Olympic hosting bid

Committee looks at motion to terminate Olympic bid Councillors are meeting behind closed doors to discuss a motion to terminate Calgary’s bid for the 2026 Olympics, Mark Villani has an update

Ward 11 councillor Jeromy Farkas says he will address his fellow members of council on Tuesday and implore them to terminate the bid process for Calgary’s potential hosting of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

According to Farkas, the public has not received enough details to make an informed decision regarding a potential bid.

On Monday afternoon, councillors were informed that Tuesday’s Olympic committee meeting had been rescheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Farkas’ expected motion follows reports indicating the three levels of government have not reached an agreement on the funding of the Games. The federal government is expected to announce $1.5 billion in the funding for the $3 billion project and the provincial government previously announced a commitment of $700 million. The City of Calgary would need to cover the remaining $800 million.

Councillor Evan Woolley of Ward 8 says that, unless something changed, he couldn’t see how the City could proceed with a bid.

An unbinding plebiscite is currently scheduled for November 13 but the public engagement vote would be scrapped if city council elects to cancel the bid on Wednesday. The plebiscite was expected to cost $2 million and it’s not known how much of that budget has been spent preparing for the vote.

Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams says the funding uncertainty leaves city council with little choice.

“The problem is that people need more information before they go into that vote,” said Williams. “If that information isn’t available, then it’s going to be very hard to get to yes. In fact, it’s going to be hard to get people to turn out if they’re uncertain.”

Emma May, a Yes Calgary 2026 representative, says proponents of a hosting bid are not disheartened by the news the bid could be in jeopardy.

“We’re trying to keep our chins up and we’re staying really positive that there is a deal to be had out there,” said May on Monday night at a Yes Calgary rally at WinSport. “We put together Calgary 2026, we put together a BidCo, we’ve got a plebiscite planned, Calgarians have been told that they’re going to get to vote on this so give us a chance to vote on it. Come up with a deal, show us the deal and let us vote on it.”

With files from CTV's Jordan Kanygin