1) So, a few quick thoughts on #calgary2026. I thought that the yes side was going to take it because it was so much better organized and funded. Plebiscites are won on turnouts. Who mobilizes votes.
2) That said, there was also an angry, skeptical vibe about this entire shambolic process. I didn't know if that feeling would be strong enough to motivate people to vote.
3) Thus, I suspected the higher the turnout, the more likely a rejection. At ~40%, that is high.
4) Also, I found the rhetoric of the Yes side increasingly off-putting as the campaign wore on. No real attempt to address legitimate concerns. Inflation of benefits. Etc.
5) Most egregious was that a No vote was a vote against Calgary more generally. A vote against its voluteerism and can-do attitude. No-ers just didn't BELIEVE HARD ENOUGH.
6) "Why don't you smile more?"
7) It came off as manipulative and smug.
We are all Calgarians. We all love it here. We are all committed to making the city better.
We are all Calgarians. We all love it here. We are all committed to making the city better.
8) But this city isn't a fiefdom. You can't expect the electorate to jump because such and such a name put a smile on the bid.
Even people who were more open to the Olympics than I had real concerns. And that created a nasty tone throughout.
Even people who were more open to the Olympics than I had real concerns. And that created a nasty tone throughout.
9) I think we all have to put that tone behind us and look ahead to what is next. The Olympics process opened a conversation about what a vision for this city could look like, and I don't think Calgary should stop that conversation because of this vote.
10) Just my opinion, of course. But then, that is what I get paid for.
10a) (Except on Twitter, of course. YOU'RE WELCOME.)
