Calgary hasn't actually secured provincial, federal funding for 2026 Olympic bid, city says
An incorrect report was posted online, City of Calgary says
A report on Calgary's potential Olympic bid released Friday incorrectly stated that the city had confirmed financial support from the federal and provincial governments.
The City of Calgary said in a release on Saturday morning that the report, which had been posted to the city's website and was set to be presented to city council on Wednesday, was false.
The report stated the city had received confirmation that Ottawa and Alberta would fund the formation of a 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Corporation.
As of Saturday, the report and attached documents had been removed from the agenda minutes on the city's website.
"While the city has received very positive indications from both the governments of Canada and Alberta, no formal or final funding confirmation has been received," the city said in the emailed statement Friday.
"There was no intent to mislead the public or city council. Administration apologizes for this error."
The city said the report had been prepared with the hope of receiving a formal approval, and was posted by mistake.
On Friday, Cheryl Oates, Premier Rachel Notley's communications director, said discussions between the province and city are ongoing, and that the province hopes to announce a decision soon.
Several city councillors were taken aback by Friday's release, sharing concerns on Twitter.
2/On a weekend where we have many weighty items to read, we now have an accidental posting of an announcement about Olympic BidCo funding.
—@JyotiGondekOlympic update was inadvertently released to the media yesterday. This is the second accidental release of information. I don’t buy it. It’s unacceptable that Council continues to learn of key information on this massive project through the media. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyccc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyccc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a>
—@DruhFarrell"Maybe we should have a discussion about feasibility before we draft information about possible funding confirmation," Ward 3 Coun. Jyoti Gondek tweeted.
The revised report will be presented at a council meeting on Wednesday.
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