Vancouver councillor wants city to consider costs, consequences of 2030 Olympic bid
Posted February 23, 2020 7:17 pm.
Last Updated February 23, 2020 8:05 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — One Vancouver councillor says her phone has been ringing off the hook since the idea of a 2030 Olympic bid was floated by the former committee chair last week.
Coun. Melissa DeGenova will bring a notice of motion to City Hall on Tuesday asking staff to launch a study on what it would take to bring the games back to the city.
“I think it’s really important that before we get the public’s hopes up we would look at the reality of what funding this would take and what the outcomes, economic benefits and impacts could be,” she says
The idea of Vancouver hosting the games again gained traction after it was floated by VANOC chief John Furlong at a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon.
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De Genova says she doesn’t have enough information right now to decide whether she would support or oppose a bid.
“We really just need to ground ourselves,” she says. “This motion is neutral, it’s not to be positive or negative. It’s not trying to look at should we do it or should we not do it.”
She says the first thing she needs to know is whether the provincial and federal governments are willing to back a bid with funding.
“There’s a lot of excitement right now and I think we could talk around in circles, different levels of government will point fingers. But I think we really need to know what the commitments of the provincial and federal governments are, because when it comes down to it their piggy banks are a lot bigger than ours at the City of Vancouver.”
The move to host the games in 2010 was controversial and De Genova says any move to bring the Olympics back would have to consider what it will cost and how it may affect or exacerbate urgent issues plaguing the city, such as the housing affordability crisis.
With files from Jonathan Szekeres
