Toronto 2024 Olympic Bid (Dead)

[Tulse]

if Caribana (or whatever they call it now) is such a money-maker, why wouldn't the city pass the hat to businesses and ask them to pony-up the cost of the thing?

Isn't that what taxes do?

 

[TOareaFan]

Toronto would have been a shoo-in for 2020. As always, Rob Ford is our misfortune.

Rome has officially pulled out today for fiscal reasons leaving five cities in the 2020 race: Madrid; Tokyo; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

I would expect the EU to put pressure on Spain to follow the Italian government's example of today so it will likely be between Tokyo, Doha Istanbul and Baku!

 

[RichA]

NO tax-payering funding of Olympics!

Isn't that what taxes do?

No taxpayer should have to contribute to this. The Olympics again in most cases is a money-losing operation and even though Toronto specializes in spending our money, there are better things to do with it than spend it on those games. There are almost zero facilities to deal with it, they would all have to be built, at great expense. Likely any housing left afterwards would be sold at fire-sale prices to Toronto's grasping property developers.

 

[Tulse]

No taxpayer should have to contribute to this. The Olympics again in most cases is a money-losing operation

Right, but my point was not about the Olympics, but about Caribana, which supposedly makes money, in which case using taxes to pay for it is an investment by the city.

 

[RichA]

Caribana may be a money-maker, for some businesses (so let them pay for it)

Right, but my point was not about the Olympics, but about Caribana, which supposedly makes money, in which case using taxes to pay for it is an investment by the city.

I'd love to see the exact breakdown of where and what makes money from that festival. Also, it's the only one where you get people shot or stabbed (of all the city festivals) and I'd like to know what the cost of the police and trials are because of that. Apparently, an attempted murder or murder trial now can cost $10M to the taxpayers.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I'm with you on this comment. It seems everywhere we look lately Torontonians are happier with a small town esque city a la St Catherines or Collingwood rather than aspiring to be, or more specifically acting like, a world city. Toronto may never be an Alpha city like London, New York, or Tokyo, nor should it attempt to copy these cities, however we CAN take the best of these cities and make Toronto the best World Class city that Toronto can be. That includes building subways, LRT's, bidding on Olympics, hosting world class events, etc, etc.

Just wanted to correct your post. Toronto IS an alpha world city. Alpha world is the 3rd highest of 10 categories. Toronto is in the same category as Washington, San Francisco and Beijing to name a few.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

If your referring to the 2020 games, then yes.

The 2024 Olympic race officially opens up in 2015.

This is the time table for the 2020 race. We can use this as a guide of what is due around what month. Toronto is definitely gonna bid for the Olympics right off the heels of the Pan Am Games in 2015. Perfect timing!

May 16, 2011 NOC's can submit names of applicant cities
Until July 29, 2011 Applicant Cities to inform IOC of alternate Games dates proposals
September 1, 2011 Deadline to confirm submission of applicant cities
February 15, 2012 Applicant file due
May 2012 Announcement of candidate shortlist
January 2013 Candidate file "bid books" due
March - April 2013 IOC Evaluation Commission visits
August 2013 Evaluation report published by IOC
September 7, 2013 Winner Announced at IOC Session - Buenos Aires, Argentina

This will only happen if His Worship, Mayor Roberto Ford isn't our mayor. But anybody with half a brain knows that he has zero chance of being re-elected

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Who cares if we get it? AFAIK, only the Americans in Los Angeles every figured out how not to lose money on the Games. Montreal was a disgrace, Toronto would likely be just as bad. Toronto should stick to building condos, that's all it's good for. As one American said, "a boring city of banks and fast-food restaurants."
P.S. Speaking of events, if Caribana (or whatever they call it now) is such a money-maker, why wouldn't the city pass the hat to businesses and ask them to pony-up the cost of the thing? Because the businesses know the money-making aspect is pure fiction.

You must've forgotten about the successful Vancouver and Calgary Olympics.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

People need to remember that the Olympics are more then just games. They provide a chance for nation building; and Canada is desperately in need of some nation building. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics everyone watched the games. In the final hockey game more then half the people in the country watched the game. The amount of pride that filled the country in 2010 was amazing. In fact, according to most polls it was the first time that many people could truly say that they were proud to be Canadian. In my opinion that kind of pride is worth a few billion dollars.

 

[RichA]

National pride? They've never promoted it before, why start now?

People need to remember that the Olympics are more then just games. They provide a chance for nation building; and Canada is desperately in need of some nation building. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics everyone watched the games. In the final hockey game more then half the people in the country watched the game. The amount of pride that filled the country in 2010 was amazing. In fact, according to most polls it was the first time that many people could truly say that they were proud to be Canadian. In my opinion that kind of pride is worth a few billion dollars.

80% of the growth of Canada now is due to immigration from places wholly unlike Canada. Unlike the U.S. which encourages people to assimilate the existing culture, we've spent the last 40 years telling newcomers that their culture is what matters, we've even funded the teaching of it. So now we're supposed to spend $10 billion (or so) in a last-ditch effort to promote it? Gone are the days of 1972, Russia-Canada hockey tournaments. The people here now are more interested in how their home country is doing in soccer than how Canada is doing. The dwindling Anglo population will be your only boosters.

 

[ticky]

During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics everyone watched the games. In the final hockey game more then half the people in the country watched the game. The amount of pride that filled the country in 2010 was amazing.

Except we are talking about the summer games, and Canada blows for the most part. Unless some Canadian makes the 100m track final, half the country will never be watching a single event.

 

[ladyscraper]

80% of the growth of Canada now is due to immigration from places wholly unlike Canada. Unlike the U.S. which encourages people to assimilate the existing culture, we've spent the last 40 years telling newcomers that their culture is what matters, we've even funded the teaching of it. So now we're supposed to spend $10 billion (or so) in a last-ditch effort to promote it? Gone are the days of 1972, Russia-Canada hockey tournaments. The people here now are more interested in how their home country is doing in soccer than how Canada is doing. The dwindling Anglo population will be your only boosters.

How do you explain all the Asian-Canadians celebrating Canada's hockey victory in the streets? I was out there and there were tons of them.

 

[Thanos]

80% of the growth of Canada now is due to immigration from places wholly unlike Canada. Unlike the U.S. which encourages people to assimilate the existing culture, we've spent the last 40 years telling newcomers that their culture is what matters, we've even funded the teaching of it. So now we're supposed to spend $10 billion (or so) in a last-ditch effort to promote it? Gone are the days of 1972, Russia-Canada hockey tournaments. The people here now are more interested in how their home country is doing in soccer than how Canada is doing. The dwindling Anglo population will be your only boosters.

This sounds to me like a comment coming from old anglo saxon man who is mad with all these immigrants.
You couldn't be further from the truth. All of the second generation immigrants i now participate in Hockey, skate, ski, watch Candian television and movies. Or maybe by your standards, movies like Breakaway and shows like Little Mosque are not Canadian.

 

[jn_12]

The (potentially) next big name in hockey is a 15 year old kid named Joshua Ho-Sang. He's from Toronto and his parents immigrated from Jamaica and Chile. His Grandfather is Chinese. He was raised Christian and Jewish. On top of that, the Leafs top prospect, Nazem Kadri is of Lebanese descent and is a practicing Muslim. Go to a local arena and you'll find that these stories aren't exceptions by any means (apart from the talent these two guys possess of course).

 

[intoronto1125]

Toronto should definitely go for the 2024 games. A very compact bid would be proposed. Here is a proposal I made from another forum:

Sport - City - Venue - # of seats

Archery - Toronto - E.T.Seton Park (temporary) 6,000

Athletics - Toronto - Olympic Stadium - 84,000

Badminton - Direct Energy center Hall A - 5,000

Basketball - Toronto - Air Canada Center - 19,000

Boxing - Toronto - Direct Energy center Hall C - 7,000

Canoeing (sprint) - Toronto - Canoe/Rowing center - 12,000

Canoeing (slalom) - Toronto - New stadium (temporary) - 6,000

Cycling (Road) - Toronto - Road course - N/A

Cycling (Track) - Toronto - Velodrome/Multi sport center - 6,000

Cycling (BMX) - Toronto - Where ever they build it for the 2015PAG - 5,000

Cycling (Mountain) - Toronto - Don Valley race course (temporary) - 6,000

Diving - Toronto - Toronto Aquatic Center - 15,000 (expansion)

Equestrian - Toronto - Toronto Equestrian Stadium - 15,000

Fencing - Toronto - Field house - 6,000 (expansion)

Field hockey - Toronto - U.of T hockey stadium and Lamport Stadium - 8,000 (expansion) 10,000 (renovation)

Football - Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal - BMO Field (23,000) Rogers Center (50,600) Olympic Stadium (84,000), Ivor Wynne Stadium (40,000), Olympic Stadium (66,000) and Frank Clair Stadium (40,000)

Golf - Toronto - St. George's Golf and Country Club - N/A

Gymnastics - Toronto - National Trade Center hall B - 20,000

Handball - Toronto - Ricoh Coliseum - 8,500

Judo - Toronto - Metro Toronto Convention center - 6,000

Modern Pentathlon - Toronto - Toronto Aquatic Center/Field house and Toronto Equestrian Stadium - 15,000/6,000/15,000

Rowing - Toronto - Canoe/Rowing center - 12,000

Rugby - Toronto - Rogers Center - 50,600

Sailing - Royal Canadian Yacht Club - Toronto - N/A

Shooting - Olympic Shooting center /E.T.Seton Park (temporary for skeet/trap) - Toronto - 5,050/6,000

Swimming - Toronto - Toronto Aquatic Center - 15,000 (expansion)

Synchronized swimming - Toronto - Toronto Aquatic Center - 15,000 (expansion

Table tennis - Direct Energy center Hall D - 7,000

Taekwondo - Toronto - Metro Toronto Convention center - 6,000

Tennis - Toronto - Rexall Center@ York university - 12,000

Triathlon - Toronto - Ontario Place course (temporary) - 10,000

Volleyball - Toronto - Volleyball arena (temporary) - 12,000
Wrestling - Toronto - Velodrome/Multi sport center - 6,000

All venues (besides football) are located in the city and are all accessible by transit by 2020! Very good bid probably the best technical bid possible.

Tell me what do you think!