Vancouver council votes to postpone discussion of 2030 Winter Olympics bid
City council voted 7-4 to consider a motion to participate in an Olympic bid to next year
Vancouver city council voted Wednesday night to postpone a decision on whether it wants to explore hosting a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics, which means discussion will likely take place in early 2021 when city staff are expected to present a report to council.
Vancouver city council voted seven to four to move any consideration of the idea to next year.
Coun. Melissa De Genova tabled a motion in April pushing for the city to become a candidate for the 2030 Winter Olympics, but it was rescheduled due to the pandemic.
She has said a second Winter Games would be another boost to the city after the success of the 2010 Olympics, and could be part of a post-pandemic economic recovery plan.
On Wednesday, De Genova said she looks forward to hearing from members of the public in the future.
*BREAKING*Pre-pandemic I asked City Council to consider 2030 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vancouver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vancouver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics</a> motion.<br>Tonight, I asked Council for referral to staff for report back in March 2021. <br>WHY❓👇<br>✅Public can speak to Council<br>✅Informed decision making <br>✅ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> recovery opportunities<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VanPoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VanPoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/QTSvO28GSq">pic.twitter.com/QTSvO28GSq</a>
—@MelissaDeGenova"I welcome all voices here. I think that you know especially to the most vulnerable and marginalized in our community, if we can't leverage something big, if we are talking about infrastructure, if we can't do something for them then why would we do this?" said De Genova.
Coun. Jean Swanson voted against the motion, noting she feels money spent on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver could have helped people living in poverty.
She also expressed concerns for the environment.
"I'm actually very uncomfortable with the idea of promoting something during a climate emergency that involves a bunch of flying around in airplanes all over the world, so I think there are lots of reasons we should stop this idea right now," Swanson said.
City staff are expected to prepare a preliminary report to provide council with more information regarding an Olympic bid in a few months.