RECAP: 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Assessment Committee

At the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Assessment Committee meeting on November 6, a number of items were presented and discussed, including:

• The conclusion of the public engagement program
• The cost-benefit report by Ernst & Young
• The Calgary 2026 proposal on a Cultural Olympiad
• A Calgary 2026 update

Public engagement program
Our public engagement program closed on October 28. The What We Heard report is now available. The report is a summary of the public engagement process and what participants told us. Thank you to all the citizens who made time in their busy days to learn more about the proposed bid and talk with us about why Calgary should or should not host the Games.

Cost-benefit analysis
We hired Ernst & Young to complete a cost-benefit analysis of the Calgary 2026 Draft Hosting Plan Concept. The analysis weighs both the advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (costs) of hosting the Games. The analysis looked at five categories:

• Government financial
• Environmental
• Social
• Resident consumer
• Economic development

Results show both costs and benefits to hosting the Games in Calgary. You can read and review the report and Ernst & Young’s presentation for more information.

Culture and education - Calgary 2026
Calgary 2026’s approach to culture and education realizes one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement (Sport, Culture and Sustainability). Its objectives include:

• increasing cultural understanding through creativity; and
• building better relationships with Indigenous peoples.

Traditionally, the cultural programming kicks off with the Flag Handover Ceremony at the closing ceremonies of the previous Games. It’s followed by a Cultural Olympiad, educational events, and youth programs, which can take place over the next four years, leading up to and during the proposed 50 days of celebration during the next Games. Calgary 2026’s draft hosting plan includes $30 million to fund these programs.

Calgary 2026 update - risk management and cost overrun insurance
Calgary 2026 presented an update on its approach to risk management, including a discussion about insurance to mitigate the risk of cost overruns. An example of construction cost overrun was provided.

Your chance to help Council decide - Vote 2018
Your chance to vote on whether Calgary should host or not host the Games is on Tuesday, November 13. To find out when and where to vote and voter eligibility requirements, visit calgary.ca/Vote2018.

City Secretariat report to Committee
We will continue to work diligently to ensure you have balanced information. Please check our blog series and visit calgary.ca/2026Games for more information.

Update on Centennial Planetarium space

The City of Calgary has been pleased to work with Contemporary Calgary over the past three years to work towards their vision to see the transformation of the former Centennial Planetarium (the former location of the Science Centre) into a future art gallery. This iconic building has both heritage status and symbolic value for Calgarians.

In 2014, Contemporary Calgary was identified as the highest ranking candidate in the Request for Expression of Interest that sought ideas on arts, culture and heritage users of the building, although no applicant had the financial and organizational capacity to renovate and operate the planetarium. At the time, Contemporary Calgary was a recent amalgamation of three organizations (Art Gallery of Calgary, the Institute for Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Calgary). The City developed an innovative approach with Contemporary Calgary to enable them to phase their move into the building to coincide with their development as a single organization, and to facilitate their capacity to progressively improve the planetarium space.

This innovative plan included:

1. The City renovating the planetarium to base building standard for $24.5 million by 2018.
2. Leasing 8,000 of the 42,000 square feet of the planetarium to Contemporary Calgary now to replace their existing space.
3. The City operating the renovated planetarium for an interim period as a multi-tenant cultural facility.
4. Allowing Contemporary Calgary to lease the entire building after the interim period, subject to Contemporary Calgary satisfying the conditions described below.

This approach would relieve Contemporary Calgary from the burden of having to operate the entire 42,000 square foot building and responsibility for the base building renovation. This would allow Contemporary Calgary to focus on fundraising and building their operational capacity.

The City shares Contemporary Calgary’s vision to become the prime tenant for the building once key milestones and criteria have been met. From the beginning of our discussion with Contemporary Calgary, The City has made it clear that in keeping with Council-directed policy, the following criteria must be met:

1. The Society provides confirmation that it has raised 90% of the capital dollars required to undertake tenant improvements for the project (current estimate to upgrade the planetarium from base building to gallery status is $32 million).
2. The Society provides evidence, through audited financial statements and business plan, that its operating model will not require annual operating funds from The City. 
3. The Society’s business plans, financial statements and governance structure meet The City’s requirements for leaseholders of City property.

As a diligent steward of public property, The City requires all leaseholders to meet these conditions before entering into long-term lease agreements. Contemporary Calgary was aware of these criteria and requested that these criteria, along with confirmation that The City supported Contemporary Calgary’s vision, be set out in a letter from The City to share with potential donors. This letter was provided to Contemporary Calgary on Aug. 25, 2017.

To help Contemporary Calgary achieve its vision, The City:

1. Undertook, at a cost of $2.3 million, a study of the requirements to bring this 50 year old structure up to the standard of a contemporary cultural space.
2. Developed a model for the planetarium as a multi-tenant cultural hub that would enable Contemporary Calgary to achieve Phase 1 of its plan, while simultaneously achieving the milestones that would enable it to enter into a longer lease for the entire building.
3. Allocated $24.5 million of Cultural Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding to renovate the base building. 
4. Accepted the Society’s proposal to lease a portion of the building for three years with an option to renew, and to renovate 8,000 square feet of space to create a gallery for contemporary art. Access to parking and service areas are including in the short-term lease.
5. Enabled Contemporary Calgary to hold fundraisers in the building over the past years by absorbing the opening and operating costs for these fundraisers.

The partially-leased space, named “Temporary Contemporary,” was considered Phase 1 of achieving Contemporary Calgary’s vision. This phased approach was mutually agreed to, and promoted to Calgarians through Contemporary Calgary’s successive fund raisers.

Over the past few years The City has made a significant investment in time and finances to support Contemporary Calgary’s vision, and is fully prepared to continue supporting this organization as it builds capacity to achieve its long-term vision. However, we would respect Contemporary Calgary’s decision to not proceed, and will continue our renovation of the Centennial Planetarium to become a multi-tenant cultural hub.

Four things you need to know about the Community Standards Bylaw

When you ask Calgarians what they love about this city, the answer is often “the people.” While most of us do our best to be good neighbours, sometimes we need a little guidance to do the right thing. That’s where the Community Standards Bylaw comes in.

Updated at the end of 2016, the bylaw promotes good neighbour relationships and addresses community concerns by regulating noise, fire pit use, untidy properties, weeds and grass, graffiti and nuisances. When we engaged with citizens as part of our bylaw review, we heard the concerns many of you expressed about outdoor concert bass sound levels, wood-burning fire pits, upkeep of properties and delivery of flyers to homes with “no junk mail” signs. We made a number of amendments to address these concerns, and brought in other changes to make the bylaw easier to understand and use.

1. Fire Pits

Did you know that the Community Standards Bylaw lays out the requirements for using backyard wood-burning fire pits? The new regulations for fire pits include:

• Using a mesh screen or spark guard to reduce the spread of embers and sparks
• Extinguishing the flame by midnight on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends
• Increased fines for unsafe fires and burning prohibited materials

The bylaw still covers other aspects of using wood-burning fire pits, such as:

• Restricting the height of the flame to one metre
• Building a fire pit out of acceptable materials and within maximum size limits
• Listing materials that cannot be burned
• Ensuring the fire pit is at least two metres from other structures and is not under a tree or overhanging branches
• Ensuring you have a means of extinguishing the fire on hand and that you put it out before you leave it unattended

2. Noise

While many Calgarians love their outdoor concerts and festivals, there are those who prefer peace and quiet. The Community Standards Bylaw helps reduce noise concerns for Calgarians by regulating the maximum sound levels that outdoor concerts can reach when measured from a home. The bylaw sets a new limit of 85 dBC for outdoor concert sound to reduce the impact of bass music while still allowing concert goers to enjoy the experience. Mid- and high-frequency sound still has a limit of 65 dBA. There are also increased fines for noise exceeding allowable limits.

3. Flyers

While some Calgarians appreciate getting information from organizations around the city others consider flyers junk mail. Flyers, including non-commercial flyers, cannot be delivered to homes with “no flyer” signs. There are a few exemptions, however, so you’ll still get election advertising, newspaper subscriptions, community newsletters, and information provided by government and elected officials.

4. Upkeep of properties

Calgary is known as one of the world’s most desirable cities to live in, and pride of ownership plays a big part in that. Since we can have different opinions on what is considered unsightly, the Community Standards Bylaw sets out rules based on what most people consider reasonable when it comes to upkeep of properties. We’ve increased the fines for bylaw violations. This helps maintain the deterrent effect for offences that cause an unsightly condition, create a public safety concern or attract pests. This includes long grass and weeds, and accumulation of building materials stored improperly, offensive materials and harmful fluids.

Want to know more or have a concern or complaint?

Read the Community Standards Bylaw, or call 311 for more information. To log a complaint about these and other bylaw infractions, call 311, or submit a service request using our 311 app or on The City’s web site.

Newcomers and refugees continue building their lives in Calgary

Hundreds of newcomers and refugees met new faces at “Building a Life in Calgary”, an event designed to connect them to City and community resources, services and programs.

The event, which took place on Saturday, February 4 at the BMO Centre, was hosted by the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP). “Building a Life in Calgary” is part of CLIP’s ongoing response for refugee resettlement in Calgary.

It was day of learning and family friendly activities for the attendees, most of whom arrived in Calgary in the past year or so. Attendees participated in many activities, including:

• A cultural exchange with newcomers from Vietnam, South Sudan, and Colombia who shared their experiences settling in Calgary 
• Educational workshops about volunteer opportunities, career development, English language supports, and financial literacy
• A resource fair featuring City business units and community organizations, and  
• Family-friendly activities, including cultural performances and wagon rides and crafts, courtesy of the Calgary Stampede. 

Honouring the victims of the Quebec City shooting

At  1 p.m., attendees gathered together to observe a moment of silence to honour those who were injured or killed during the Quebec City mosque attack on January 29.

“We send our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and communities of the victims,” said Jessica Pauletig, an issue strategist with Calgary Neighbourhoods who helps coordinate The City’s role in CLIP.

The moment of silence was followed by a performance by the Calgary Multicultural Orchestra (CMO), a youth program run by the International Avenue Arts & Culture Centre.

A smile means ‘welcome to Canada’

Afran Hajj Hammoud and Nour Yassin, two youths who arrived from Syria last February, helped to emcee the cultural performances. Nour, who didn’t speak English when she first arrived and is now attending high school, describes her first year as amazing.

“Our lives are getting better every day,” said Nour. “I don’t feel like I’m just a Syrian refugee – everyone has been so helpful.”

Afran, who arrived with her husband, brother-in-law and two young children, adds: “I love how everyone smiles here. That smile means ‘welcome to Canada’. It means everything to me.”

Approximately 1150 refugees arrive in Calgary each year. From November 2015 to March 2016, Calgary also received an additional 1400 Syrian refugees as part of the federal government's response to the global Syrian refugee crisis.

About the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership

The Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP) is a multi-sectoral partnership designed to help improve the integration of immigrants and strengthen the city’s ability to better integrate and address the needs of newcomers. The Government of Canada works with municipalities to establish local immigration partnerships across Canada. For more information about CLIP, visit calgary.ca/CLIP.