Milton Mayor encourages Toronto Olympic Bid

While Toronto Mayor John Tory mulls over whether to bid for the 2024 Olympics, some mayors in the Greater Toronto Area hope he'll move forward with the idea.

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• Toronto Olympic bid talk should wait until after Pan Am Games, John Tory says

Gord Krantz, the Town of Milton's mayor, said his town is ready to welcome an Olympic crowd. The town is home to the velodrome, called the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, which was one of the most popular venues during the Pan and Para Pan Am Games. 

Krantz said the success of the Pan Am Games is proof that the GTA is ready to welcome the world.
"Every event was sold out here at the velodrome," said Krantz. "Thanks very much for having the Town of Milton get worldwide recognition."

The keys to the world-class cycling track and community centre are now back in the town's hands, and it re-opens to the public next week. Krantz said the facility has been well accepted in the community, and he's eager to host an Olympic crowd.

He's encouraging Tory to warm up to the idea.

"I would encourage him to seriously consider about it, because I would say, 'count me in,'" said Krantz. "If you want to go forward, you do have to take a risk like we did here in Milton with the velodrome."

Milton's velodrome has an Olympic-standard track, but it doesn't have enough seating for an Olympic-sized crowd – something that's not an easy fix.

"We did add stands for the Pan American games ... but to add seats beyond that would be a fair investment beyond that in terms of changing the building itself," said Krantz.

Toronto's mayor has some support from other GTA counterparts.

In a statement, Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he's "supportive in having a conversation revolving around how our new stadium facility and other facilities built in the Golden Horseshoe could be a good fit for sporting events."

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she needs to see a business case and talk to residents before deciding if hosting the Olympics is a good idea.

Tory has until Sept. 15 to make an official declaration of interest to the International Olympic Committee.