Tory discussed potential Toronto Olympic bid with Wynne

theglobeandmail.com
Sept. 1, 2015
By Ann Hui

Toronto Mayor John Tory has spoken with the Premier of Ontario about the possibility of hosting the Olympics in the city, and plans to get the thoughts of all three major federal party leaders as well.

With just two weeks left to go until the Sept. 15 deadline to pursue a 2024 Summer Olympic bid, Mr. Tory shed some light Tuesday on his decision-making process thus far, which has included conversations with members of the private and public sector, plus gathering data from Games officials and city staff. And, if he gets his way, he also plans on discussing the matter with NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

Canada's flag bearer, women's basketball team member Kia Nurse, right, carries the Canadian flag during the closing ceremonies for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ont., on Sunday July 26, 2015.

“What I’m looking for is directional sort of advice from them, because if they said ‘Well, no, absolutely not,’...that’s obviously very relevant to my own deliberations,” Mr. Tory said.

“The most important question I have is ‘Do you think this would be to the benefit of the people of the City of Toronto?’”

A formal bid by Toronto would require support from both the provincial and federal governments, and the mayor said Tuesday that he’s already initiated those conversations.

Describing the conversations as “preliminary,” Mr. Tory said that he’s already had one discussion with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne specifically about the Olympics, and another - several months ago - with federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper “about these multinational sporting events.”

He added that neither of these were formal discussions, and said it would be “premature” to disclose the outcome of either of those talks.

A statement from Andrew Campbell, a spokesman for the provincial ministry of tourism, culture and sport, praised the Pan Am Games, but held off offering support for an Olympic bid.  "A thorough assessment of the process and implications of pursuing a bid must be considered before moving forward,” he wrote.

In the meantime, the mayor said he’s also asked city staff for a variety of other information, including data from the recent Pan Am Games, as well as a list of infrastructure projects that could potentially be accelerated with an Olympic bid.

Even if he decides to go ahead with an indication of interest in September, the mayor made clear that city council will ultimately make the decision whether to officially launch a bid.

Earlier this week, several councillors on the mayor’s budget committee expressed concern about the idea of the city spending the estimated $50- to $60-million associated with launching a bid.

In response Tuesday, Mr. Tory said he would expect that cost to be passed on to the private sector.

“One of the things I’m asking people is, ‘Would you step up yourselves as part of this?’”

If Toronto does move ahead, it’ll face strong competition from Los Angeles, whose city council voted unanimously Tuesday to bid on the 2024 Summer Games. Paris and Rome have also announced their intentions to bid.