The great 2026 debate, Calgary’s ‘yes’ and ‘no’ sides state their cases

CALGARY — The Canadian Press asked the No Calgary Olympics and Yes Calgary 2026 organizations for five points in their arguments against and for the city bidding for the 2026 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games.

The ‘no’ side provided the following:

— Calgary 2026 is not the right project for Calgary now. An Olympics won’t solve the city’s biggest problems, including 27-per-cent downtown office vacancy and rising property taxes.

— Every deadline so far has been missed and costs have already increased just for the bid process. It’s not possible to host an Olympics without cost overruns.

— Nostalgia is not a vision. 1988 was great, but nothing about 1988 is true today. The plan to update facilities and venues has same risk of cost overruns as new builds.

— The International Olympic Committee’s interests are not Calgary’s interests. The IOC has total control, yet all of the risk is Calgary’s.

—  Calgary 2026’s rationale is ‘the Olympics is all we’ve got’ and ‘short-term jobs are better than nothing’. Voting ‘no’ says we believe in Calgary and its future.

The ‘yes’ side provided the following:

— Calgary 2026 is an investment in our community.

— Calgary 2026 is an opportunity to get the infrastructure our communities needs and wants, for much less money.

— Calgary 2026 will provide a legacy of sport and recreation opportunities for all Calgarians.

— Calgary can have confidence in the Calgary 2026 budget.

— Hosting the Paralympics is a new opportunity for Calgary, one that will help ensure barrier-free access around the city and to community facilities.

The Canadian Press

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