Pro-Olympic advertising irks those hoping for impartial facts

CALGARY (CITYNEWS) – A month to go before Calgarians vote in a plebiscite that could decide the future of the city’s 2026 Olympic bid and you may have noticed, the “yes” campaign seems to be more prevalent.

More signs, better signs, more ads in general. It’s clear to see that the “no” campaign doesn’t have as much money as the group pushing for another Calgary winter games, especially if we’re judging by a sign looking like this:

 

The sign pictured on Blackfoot Trai near Heritage Drive looks notably lower-budget and that’s simply because it is.

“NoCalgaryOlympics.org has no funding,” Erin Waite with the campaign told CityNews. She added she’s not particularly concerned about a lack of money as their motivation and process has been based on “asking good questions”.

“Without funding, other than out-of-pocket coverage of cost by our small team of volunteers managing organizing our campaign, we have invited Calgarians to join a conversation about hosting the Olympics including costs and risks and to talk about what else Calgary could consider for our future. We are having conversations with individuals who are concerned that pursuing the Olympics is a mistake and who have approached our campaign and offered funds and support. We have not accepted any funding to this point in time.”

She also said conversation “seems to be all that’s needed”.

On the opposite side, Yes Calgary 2026 says a lot of its money comes from small donations and the sale of its pins.

“It’s an ordinary pin. We’re selling them for $20.26 and it’s how we actually fundraise a lot of our operations. It’s just from everyday donations like that,” said Yes Calgary 2026’s Jason Ribeiro, adding he doesn’t know how much his organization has in its budget for marketing, but its website does list how the donations are spent.

“We can show you exactly where that money goes. If it’s going to activating volunteers so that they can have a shirt and go to a recreation centre, or if it’s everything from making a sponsored ad so we can get out the word of what is not being told.”

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Then there’s the Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation. It’s tasked with providing clear and accurate details and costs to Calgarians so they can make an informed decision. It’s had $30 million in funding for exploring the bid.

According to Susan Veres with the bid corp., a “substantial” amount of the funding has been funneled into advertising. “Mostly all of the dollars are allocated [to advertising], other than administration and the team that supports the bid. The lion’s share of it would be marketing and communication dollars.”

Bidco released this ad online (below) and at two local theatres before Thanksgiving long weekend, but critics say it’s leaning toward a positive message to host the games.

‘Have a family conversation – together, let’s shape the games’ from Calgary 2026 on Vimeo.

 

“We are not directing people to vote no. The ad says please start a family conversation, get informed and then vote, and that is our job,” said Veres.

Calgarians head to the polls November 13th to vote on whether the city should host the 2026 winter games. Funding from the province for the games–$700-million–hinges on the outcome of the non-binding vote. Premier Rachel Notley announced the final figure last week, adding in a few conditions like a “yes” win in the plebiscite and more transparency from organizers.

WATCH: Ottawa Olympic bid share still a mystery

The deadline to submit 2026 bid to International Olympic Committee is Jan. 11.