Calgary is planning for the future, as the Canadian city may have a chance to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The city is exploring a potential bid, and the Alberta government says it would contribute a maximum of $700 million if Calgary were to host the Olympics.
Conditions of this financial support include increased transparency and majority support from Calgarians in the plebiscite in November.
Alberta provided $10 million to the City of Calgary and Calgary 2026, a corporation set up to work on the bid, to support the development of a hosting plan and a final bid should it go forward.
Calgary 2026 estimates the cost to host the Games will be $5.2 billion. The Games are expected to generate $2.2 billion, leaving $3 billion in support that would come from the three levels of government. This includes an estimated $49 million in costs resulting from an increased use of provincial services.
Calgary was invited to be a candidate city along with Stockholm, Sweden, and Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
The formal bid application is due in January 2019. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will select the winning city in June 2019.
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