In this post, you’ll learn about The City of Calgary’s public engagement program and a summary of what was presented and decided at the September 11 combined Council meeting.
Public engagement opportunities begin October 1
The Engagement Advisory Sub-Committee hired an external vendor to carry out a public engagement program before the November 13 vote of the electors. Starting October 1, the program will include in-person opportunities such as open houses, intercept surveys and pop-up events as well as online engagement. This program will provide opportunities for Calgarians to hear about and provide feedback on Calgary 2026 bid corporation’s draft hosting plan concept. This public engagement program has three goals:
- Inform and educate the public about the bid process.
- Seek public input into whether Calgary should submit a bid.
- Identify issues, concerns and opportunities of a potential bid, and respond to questions.
Visit calgary.ca/gamesbid for information about events you can attend and participate in.
Council update
On September 11, Council heard a presentation from Calgary 2026 and an update from the City Secretariat. They confirmed November 13, 2018 as the date for the vote of the electors, and voted in favour of continuing to explore a bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Calgary 2026
CEO Mary Moran and her team from Calgary 2026 presented their draft hosting plan concept, which included a proposed budget and games information, such as where events might be hosted.
Secretariat update
The City Secretariat then provided Council with a report that included analysis of Calgary 2026’s Draft Hosting Plan Concept. The analysis included information about:
- Opportunities, benefits and legacies for Calgary and Calgarians.
- Affordable housing and recreation benefits and legacies for Calgarians.
- Comparison to the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee (CBEC) report.
- Programming of event sites during the Games.
- Calgary 2026 alignment to citizen priorities, Council directives and elements of value.
- Review of the Calgary 2026 draft hosting plan: alignment with Council policies, strategies and plans.
- Law’s response to Olympic BidCo transparency and accountability exploration notion of motion.
Council approved the City Secretariat’s recommendations to:
- Confirm the vote of the electors be held on November 13, 2018.
- Continue the due diligence review of Calgary 2026’s Draft Hosting Plan Concept.
- Continue to negotiate agreements with the other orders of government on funding the potential 2026 Games.
Moving forward, we will continue to make sure Calgarians have accurate, balanced and timely information. Please check our blog series and visit calgary.ca/gamesbid for more information.