IG news Update,
We don’t yet know the estimated cost or which venues could host events for the potential 2030 Commonwealth Games, but officials say it will be up to Albertans whether to bid.
However, according to the group that put together the pitch and the Mayor of Calgary, people should not expect a referendum or public vote on the matter.
The group publicly launched its exploratory phase of a potential Alberta bid in early March and will have just months to put together a proposal.
Premier Danielle Smith said on Monday, “We have to see that the public is behind this. That is very important. We will not want to move forward without wider public support.”
“I prefer to see an offer before I decide on it.”
Getting the public vote is complicated, Smith suggested, because many communities are being considered as part of the bid.
Calgary and Edmonton will host plenty of events if Alberta welcomes the Games – Tsutina and Canmore could also be in the mix.
The Alberta 2030 Group is working on bidding and setting a price to host the Games.
The cost of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosted by Birmingham in the UK, was over $1.2 billion.
“It is difficult to adequately capture legacy impacts,” said Matt Lyons, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham who has studied the cost and impact of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and other major sporting events.
“One of the things that is usually overlooked is what can this money actually be spent on? What is the opportunity cost of this decision?” They said.
It’s really difficult to judge whether hosting the Commonwealth Games is really worth it, Lyons said.
“You’ve got the tourism effect, which is mainly what we’ve seen. It suggested it brought in around £200 million,” Lyons explained.
“But this is a fairly narrow estimate. The UK government has also produced a report which has looked at the wider impacts, and suggests the impact is more like £870 million.”
The Alberta 2030 Group is accepting feedback on its website and says input and participation will be at the core of its effort.
There is no word whether there will be an individual event organized by the explorer group or any level of government to gather public comments.
The bid proposal will be made public by August and a host for the 2030 Commonwealth Games will be chosen in November.