A Vancouver council committee has voted by a 10 to 2 margin to continue to help four First Nations win the bid for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games .
The vote came despite concerns raised in a City of Vancouver staff report on finances and a tight timeline to submit the bid to the International Olympic Committee by next February.
The chiefs of the four host nations — Líl̓wat,, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh — appeared before the standing committee meeting Thursday, saying that supporting the Indigenous-led bid is an opportunity to act on government commitments of reconciliation.
A formal bid needs to be submitted to the international Olympic committee in six months. In comparison, the 2010 bid had six years.
The report also said council needs a clearer understanding of the proposed funding, operating, identification and governance models – none of which it has.
“We are waiting to see where the province is going to land on this,” Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry.
“We do need some indemnification and support. It’s a big infrastructure project, it’s not something the City of Vancouver can be left holding the bag on.”
In 2021, Vancouver signed a memorandum of understanding with Whistler and the four First Nations to explore the feasibility of hosting the games. The organizing committee recently released a comprehensive financial plan leaving taxpayers responsible for about $1 billion to $1.5 billion of an estimated $4-billion total cost.
“This is a real opportunity to actually put reconciliation into action and it’s a huge opportunity to showcase what reconciliation actually means to Canadians,” Fry said.
“Ideally, it should bring the federal and provincial governments to the table and we can do something meaningful with the host nations.”
The committee has budgeted between $2.4 and $2.8 billion to cover the cost of planning, organizing and operations.
These costs will be paid for through a share of the International Olympic Committee’s broadcast and sponsorship revenues, domestic sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise and other sources.
The Indigenous-led group is optimistic the province will come on board with support.
“We are listening to our people. We are listening to our communities. This includes our respective First Nations communities and the broader community,” said Squamish Nation Coun. Wilson Williams said.
“All the comparison is on 2010. The cost will not be the same. We are going to strategize. We know what the road ahead is. We didn’t expect a smooth sailing road. It is different. It is Indigenous-led and first of its kind.”
– with files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Richard Zussman