A group of like-minded individuals in Alberta have started a petition to block using taxpayer funds to bring the Commonwealth Games to Alberta..In 2015, a small group of Calgarians affiliated with professional sports teams began working on another Calgary Olympic bid..The Alberta Institute said the entire campaign was a "disaster of epic proportions," with exaggerated benefits, underestimated costs that kept increasing every few weeks, a complete lack of transparency and accountability, and a general disdain for the regular taxpaying members of the public.."In 2018, those regular taxpaying members of the public in Calgary sent a clear message — voting in a referendum to reject the idea of Calgary submitting a formal bid to host the Olympics," the Alberta Institute said.."But the secretive groups behind that bid didn't listen. They immediately began working on a new bid for the 2030 Olympic Games! After once again working behind the scenes in secret for a couple of years, this bid was sunk when the Alberta government ruled out providing any public funding for such a bid.".The Alberta Institute is an independent, libertarian, public policy think tank that aims to advance personal freedom and choice in Alberta..Founded in 2018, it works to develop and promote solutions to a wide range of municipal, provincial, and federal public policy issues in a strictly non-partisan way..The drive to spend taxpayer funding on professional sports facilities isn't limited only to Calgary though..In Edmonton, a similar group tried to put together a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.."That bid fell apart due to, you guessed it, runaway costs and a lack of funding," the group said..But the Edmonton group was also not deterred and switched their focus to a bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was also unsuccessful.."The fact that they just keep trying, no matter the cost and even no matter what the actual event they're bidding on is, seems to suggest perhaps the bids are more about getting access to that taxpayer funding than they are about the value and benefits of any specific event," the group said.."All of which brings us to the latest shiny thing these groups want to bid for.".On Wednesday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi joined forces to announce an Alberta bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games..This time, it's a joint bid, with both Calgary and Edmonton groups getting in on the action, ostensibly to share costs..But, the potential cost for a joint Calgary-Edmonton bid for the 2030 Commonwealth has yet to be determined.."Even when a "final" cost is determined and the bidders claim that the cost makes financial sense, we already know that those numbers will be fudged to overestimate the benefits and under-count the costs," the Alberta Institute said.."All of the academic literature, credible economic analysis, and historical evidence show that the economic benefits of major sporting events don’t add up."."That’s because every dollar that goes 'into' the economy when the government spends taxes on sporting events and arenas is a dollar that first had to be taxed 'out of' the economy," the group said.."That means, at best, there can be no economic boost, and more likely, wasted government spending will leave the economy worse off overall. We also know there will inevitably be regular cost increases and the 'final' cost will be nothing of the sort.".The group claimed, eventually, it will become obvious to everyone except the organizers and the self-interested city officials that the bid doesn't make sense.."But, by then, they're hoping we're so far in on the process of bidding that it will be too late to back out," the group said.."The Alberta government needs to step in and nip this idea in the bud. Calgary, Edmonton, and Alberta taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for fancy buildings for rich sports groups. During an affordability crisis, record high inflation, and uncertainty about the future of our province's economy, Albertans have much more important things to spend their money on.".The group said taxpayers in Alberta can't afford this extravagant expense.."The Alberta government must rule out the use of any taxpayer funding for the Alberta 2030 bid to host the Commonwealth Games," the group said.."If the organizations and individuals behind the bid believe it's so valuable, they should have no problem finding a way to make it work without needing to force regular Albertans who can't afford their grocery and electricity bills to pay for it for it.".The group has since started a petition opposing taxpayer funding being used to host the Commonwealth Games..It currently has 2,900 signatures.
