Conservative or overly rosy? Digging into the Calgary Olympic bid plan numbers
Calgary’s Olympic bid corporation says the city and Alberta stand to see a five-to-one return on their investment if they have another turn at hosting the Winter Games in 2026. Here is a closer look a what’s behind a projection some economists are calling overly rosy:
What does the Calgary 2026 bid committee say the costs and benefits are of hosting the Olympics?
The pricetag was pegged at more than $5.2 billion in a draft hosting plan presented to city council on Tuesday. Of that, taxpayers at the municipal, provincial and federal level are on the hook for $3 billion.
Calgary 2026 CEO Mary Moran’s presentation included another eye-popping number: an infusion of $7.4 billion that would not flow into Alberta and Calgary otherwise.