Two days after 56.4 per cent of residents voted against their city bidding to host the 2026 Olympic Games, the City of Calgary has released results of the vote, broken down by ward.
The majority of Calgarians voted “no” in the plebiscite, and similarly, the majority of wards did too.
On Friday, the city released the official plebiscite results.
Of 304,774 votes cast, 171,750 — 56.4 per cent — were against Calgary hosting the 2026 Winter Games. 132,382 — 43.6 per cent — were for hosting. Just shy of 40 per cent of eligible voters participated in the plebiscite.
Here’s a look at how the citizens of each of Calgary’s 14 wards cast their ballots.
Ward 1
Nearly 30,000 Ward 1 residents voted in the referendum. Of the 28,220 people who cast a ballot, 4,269 cast theirs during the advance vote. The ward as a whole voted “no” to the Olympics.
Votes for: 13,183
Votes against: 15,029
The advance vote saw 1,586 votes for and 3,043 votes against.
Ward 2
A total of 20,479 Ward 2 residents voted in the plebiscite, with 3,071 of them voting early in the advance vote.
Votes for: 8,928
Votes against: 11,545
In the advance vote, 887 people voted in favour of hosting the Olympics and 2,193 voted against it.
Ward 3
The majority of Ward 3 voters were against hosting the 2026 Games, with a total of 13,843 ballots cast.
Votes for: 5,803
Votes against: 8,040
The no side was also in the lead in the advance vote, with 2,193 of 3,071 early bird voters voting against welcoming the international sporting event.
Ward 4
In Ward 4, 24,477 ballots were cast, with 1,374 of those voters participating in the advance vote. The ward as a whole voted against the 2026 Winter Olympics coming to Calgary.
Votes for: 9,789
Votes against: 14,641
In the advance vote, the yes side was also losing to the no side, with 1,051 ballots cast being against the bid compared to 316 in favour.
Ward 5
Ward 5 saw a total of 7,192 voters have their say in the Olympic plebiscite, 1,652 of them doing so in the advance vote.
Votes for: 2,952
Votes against: 4,233
During the advance vote, 469 people voted for hosting the games and 1,179 voted against.
Ward 6
Residents of Ward 6 were a bit more divided and 26,897 people cast a ballot in the plebiscite. The ward as a whole voted against.
Votes for: 12,916
Votes against: 13,970
The no side was also in the lead in the advance vote, with 3,276 of the 4,850 voters saying “no” to bringing the Olympics to Calgary again.
Ward 7
A total of 19,145 Ward 7 residents voted in the plebiscite and were close to an even split in their opinions.
Votes for: 9,472
Votes against: 9,657
In the advance vote, 1,082 voted for the Olympics and 2,196 voted against.
Ward 8
Ward 8 was the only ward to vote in favour of hosting the Olympics. In that ward, 22,466 people had their say in the plebiscite.
Votes for: 12,461
Votes against: 9,992
In the advance vote, the no side was winning. Of the 3,928 ballots cast, 2,051 people were against compared to 1,875 who wanted to see the 2026 Games come to Calgary.
Ward 9
In Ward 9, 16,453 residents cast a ballot in the plebiscite, with 2,066 of them doing so in the advance vote.
Votes for: 6,106
Votes against: 10,311
Of the advance voters, 523 said they wanted to see the Olympics come to Calgary and 1,543 voted against.
Ward 10
A total of 13,439 voters went to the polls from Ward 10, with 1,513 taking advantage of the advance polls.
Votes for: 4,659
Votes against: 8,778
In the advance poll, the no side was winning with 1,118 votes against hosting the Olympics and 395 voting in favour.
Ward 11
Nearly 30,000 people cast a ballot in Ward 11. Of the 29,797 ballots cast in that ward, 3,716 of them did so in the advance vote.
Votes for: 12,942
Votes against: 16,837
In the advance vote, voters were decidedly against hosting the Olympics. Of the 3,716 ballots cast, 2,643 were against with 1,071 in favour.
Ward 12
In Ward 12, 22,320 voters had their say and the majority of the residents were decidedly against hosting the Games.
Votes for: 9,854
Votes against: 14,201
Of the 3,481 people that participated in the advance vote, 1,054 voted in favour of hosting the 2026 Olympics and 2,427 voted against.
Ward 13
Ward 13 saw 22,831 people cast their vote in the plebiscite, with 4,466 doing so during the advance vote. The majority of those residents were against hosting the Olympics again.
Votes for: 8,625
Votes against: 14,201
During the advance vote, 1,126 voted in favour of the Olympics coming to Calgary, with more than double that — 3,340 — voting against it.
Ward 14
A total of 27,079 voters took part in the plebiscite from Ward 14 and of the 2,598 that cast their ballot in the advance vote, the overwhelming majority were against hosting.
Votes for: 11,410
Votes against: 15,663
In the advance vote, only 654 voters were in favour of bringing the Olympics to Calgary, compared to 1,944 who were against it.
While the Olympic plebiscite was considered non-binding, the provincial government had put a strict contingency on its $700-million contribution to a Calgary Games that without a “yes” vote, there would be no money.
Calgary City Council is expected to vote to officially end the Olympic bid process on Monday.
Comments