Along with the drama in Stockholm, where the city’s 2026 bid will not have municipal government financial support, there was a significant development in Calgary’s 2026 bid.
The provincial government of Alberta agreed to support the 2026 Games bid and the staging of the Games in Calgary, and will contribute C$700 million (~$538 million U.S.), but no more.
The Calgary bid plan has assumed that Alberta government would supply C$1 billion for the Games, with C$1.5 billion coming from the federal government in Ottawa.
With “only” C$700 million coming from the province, the cost to Calgary itself – and its taxpayers – likely now rises from C$500 million (~ $384 million U.S.) to C$800 million (~ $614 million U.S.) … assuming that the national support of C$1.5 billion (~ $1.15 billion U.S.) comes through. This is not-so-good news for the bid promoters in the face of a 13 November 2018 city-wide referendum on whether the bid should go forward.
The next question is when (and if) Calgary voters will have any assurance of support from the national government prior to the vote next month.
