Alberta minister of culture says province 'open' to new Calgary Olympics bid

Alberta's minister of culture says he's aware that proposals are in the works for Calgary to host the Olympics again one day. 

On Tuesday, Culture Minister Ron Orr said the province is "open to that." 

"I can say from the government's point that the question certainly has been raised," he said. 

"We have engaged in some initial processes and we're exploring it. There is a small group of individuals who have put together some proposals for our future opportunity, and we will certainly be looking at those as they come in … so yes, it's possible." 

He noted Calgary has almost all of the amenities needed to host the Olympics, but added he doesn't want to go into conversations that "may be happening." 

Calgary hosted the Olympics in 1988.

Four years ago, a proposed city bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics was cancelled after Calgarians rejected it in a plebiscite.

We will support an Olympic bid because it's something that's important for the city.- Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Orr's comments came during a funding announcement for WinSport. CEO Barry Heck said the organization is not involved in any discussions within the ongoing Olympic bid process. 

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce isn't involved in discussions either, said president and CEO Deborah Yedlin.

But the chamber would happily back a bid if the idea came to life.

"We will support an Olympic bid because it's something that's important for the city, we need a renewal of our sports infrastructure," said Yedlin. 

Calgary is still reaping the benefits of the 1988 Olympics in a number of ways, including the economy, infrastructure and sports and culture, Yedlin said.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who was a city councillor in 2018, opposed the 2026 bid and called it "destructive" for Calgary.

On Tuesday, she didn't say what the city's position on the possibility of hosting the Olympics would be, but she said the minister's comments came as a surprise.

"I don't know what Minister Orr is talking about. I'm looking forward to the provincial government engaging with us as the so-called site," she said, adding she was in a council meeting when she received text messages about the comments.

"I don't know anything more about it, [but] I'm really interested in what's happening."