With a "majority of Calgarians voting against the city hosting" the 2026 Games in a plebiscite, the city's bid is "all but finished thanks to pledges from elected officials," who said that they "would not go forward without the support of voters," according to Meghan Potkins of the CALGARY HERALD. Of the 304,774 ballots cast, 56.4% were "against Calgary hosting" in '26. The results of the vote are non-binding and the city council "must still formally vote to kill the bid." Both Calgary 2026 Chair Scott Hutcheson and CEO Mary Moran acknowledged that the debate around the bid had become "divisive" in the lead-up to the vote. Hutcheson said, "Building a dream and articulating that with our social media-type of environment today and a populist movement makes it more challenging" (CALGARY HERALD, 11/14). In Calgary, Yolande Cole reported voter turnout for the Olympic plebiscite was nearly equal to "total voter turnout" in the city for Canada's general election last year (CALGARY HERALD, 11/14). The CP's Donna Spencer reported the vote's results will not be declared official until Friday, and the city council is "expected to address the results Monday" (CP, 11/13).
MAKING THE DECISION: The CALGARY HERALD's Sammy Hudes reported Yes Calgary 2026 organizer Jason Ribeiro said that factors such as "economic anxiety" and a message that did not "resonate with some older Calgarians that had already experienced the Games" in '88 "were at play" for voters deciding on the bid. Ribeiro admitted that the "funding deal came a lot later than he had hoped" (CALGARY HERALD, 11/14). The GLOBE & MAIL's Giovannetti & Keller reported Calgary's vote is a "rebuke" for the IOC from a city that "prides itself as a winter sports capital" and leaves only Stockholm and a joint Italian bid in contention for '26 (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/14). In Calgary, Don Braid wrote there is "no mystery to the final ritual death of Calgary's Olympic dream." The "only puzzle is how it survived so long despite vigorous assassination attempts by both its enemies and its friends." The "screwups, blunders and miscalculations seemed limitless," and they "wore down public trust and enthusiasm" (CALGARY HERALD, 11/14). Also in Calgary, Licia Corbella wrote the decision is an "Olympic-sized loss for Calgary and Canada on numerous levels" because it is "impossible to objectively look at the money and understand how anyone could see this as a bad deal." The no vote was "caused, mostly, by a lack of leadership at City Hall" (CALGARY HERALD, 11/14).
