Calgary Olympic bid survives council vote
Posted October 31, 2018 5:04 pm.
Last Updated October 31, 2018 7:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Calgary city council voted on Wednesday afternoon to proceed with a bid to pursue the 2026 winter games. The vote means Calgarians will vote in a non-binding plebiscite on Nov. 13.
Council spent most of the day debating a proposal to cancel the public vote and thus, scrapping the Olympic bid.
The vote turned out to be 8-7 in favour of reconsidering previous approval of the games and the plebiscite.
The motion to cancel required 10 of 15 votes to abandon the plebiscite.
It appeared the possibility of a bid was headed for the ditch Tuesday when a councilor said there wasn’t a financial agreement between the federal and provincial governments and the city to fund the games.
But the bid corporation Calgary 2026 presented a revised financial plan, which the Canadian and Alberta governments agree to in principle, to council Wednesday.
The estimated cost of hosting the 2026 Games was reduced by $125 million to a total of $5.075 billion.
Mail-in ballots for the plebiscite were mailed out earlier in the week.
Advance voting is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the Calgary 2026 bid committee rallied supporters in front of City Hall to show support for the bid.
(With files from Canadian Press)
