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Audio of radio talk show: Topic is a Toronto 2024 bid, one of the talk show hosts is positive and the other very negative..lol Sources mention that the IOC is trying to secure the North American bid because Boston may fall through hence the meetings with Bach.and Toronto 2015 organizers. https://soundcloud.com/live-drive/june-30th-2015-fill-in-hosts-alex-pierson-and-scott-reid

Pan Am Games seen as possibly setting the stage for a Toronto Olympics bid Jul 3 10:47 AM ET More from Richard Warnica THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungMayor John Tory, walking with his wife Barbara Hackett during Toronto’s Pride Parade on Sunday, said the Pan Am Games have helped set deadlines for progress. Twitter Google+ Reddit Email Typo? More Several prominent Torontonians see the upcoming Pan Am Games as a dry run for a possible Olympic bid — including Mayor John Tory. In an interview with the National Post, Tory praised the Pan Am Games for bringing much-needed infrastructure to Toronto and suggested future games could do even more. “Whether it’s the Olympics or the Pan Am Games or these kind of things, they open on a given day and you have to be ready,” he said. “The train to the airport … wouldn’t be running yet if the Pan Am Games weren’t happening.” Tory wouldn’t commit to anything specific, saying he’d be guided by how “the overall Pan Am story goes.” “But if you said to me, ‘Do I believe these international games are useful?’ “Yes I do.” Tyler Anderson/NP/FilesDeputy Mayor Glenn De Baeremaeker: A "reluctant convert" to the Olympic idea. Toronto has tried and failed to bring the summer Olympics home twice before, in 1996 and 2008. The head of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Marcel Aubet, recently told the Toronto Star the city is primed to make another bid. “My view is this country should look at the Summer Games as a priority and there’s not any other city in the country other than Toronto that could offer the site to do this,” Aubet told the newspaper. Recent changes to Olympic bid rules, meanwhile, mean many of the facilities Ontario built for the Pan Am Games could be reused for a future Olympics, said Bob Richardson, the well-connected organizer behind Toronto’s Pan Am bid. “Sochi was a wake-up call in terms of cost,” he said. “I think it’s a much more flexible proposition now.” Richardson, who co-chaired Tory’s successful mayoral campaign, said the city’s priority for now should be on the Pan Am Games, which open on July 10. “We haven’t done anything for 80 years,” he said. “Let’s get this one right before we start worrying about the next one.” Deputy Mayor Glenn De Baeremaeker, though, said he’s already become a “reluctant convert” to the Olympic idea. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think the answer is yes,” he said when asked if he’d support an Olympic bid. De Baeremaeker believes the Olympics would guarantee a vast investment in Toronto infrastructure. “For better or for worse, these international events do seem to be the trigger that makes us build things,” he said. De Baeremaeker said he’d personally push for projects like the downtown relief subway line — an idea mooted in Toronto for decades — to be included in an Olympic proposal. “It’s a sad state of affairs that it takes a special event to make sure we get good transit,” he said. In the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver region saw vast infrastructure spending. Long-delayed projects that included a new highway to Whistler, a rail link to the airport and a convention centre were all rushed to completion, largely with provincial and federal funds. “I honestly think that if you align your legacies with real problems that a host has, a region has, you can do an incredible job with the amount of money that seems available from other levels of government,” said Robert VanWynsberghe, a University of British Columbia professor who studied the financial legacy of the Games for the Canadian Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee. Related Mystery tunnel discovery spurred Pan Am ticket sale ‘spike,’ games CEO Saad Rafi says Pana-meh-mania: Apathy rampant in Toronto in lead up to Pan Am Games — but rural Cookstown is keen Pan Am Games set to cripple an already congested region for events in near-empty stadiums Toronto councillors mulled over a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but the economic development committee rejected the idea last year. The city has until Sept. 15 to reverse that decision and, with the National Olympic Committee’s support, put its name forward to the IOC. Despite reports of wide apathy in the city and complaints of pending traffic chaos during the 16-day Pan Am Games, Tory said they’ve already been a success in terms of what they’ve brought the city, including the Union Pearson Express service and the new Scarborough aquatic centre. “I do believe that’s one of the reasons you apply for these international events,” he said. “They set deadlines.” National Post

As expected, talks are really starting to ramp up about Toronto jumping back into the race. John Tory won't talk about this until the Pan Am games are done and a success. Thomas Bach will be in the city tomorrow and has a scheduled meeting with Tory. Plus there is a lot of chatter via various Canadian media outlets that the city will reverse the decision they made in January 2014 to not bid for 2024. Some Councillors are changing their tune on the issue. With Paris officially in this race, I'm really nervous going up against them this time. They're huge favourites. If Toronto does bid will this be the same scenario the city faced when they bid for 2008, where Beijing was the frontrunner by a huge margin? Should we actually give it another chance and let time and luck take its course?

Thomas Bach will be in Toronto starting tomorrow. Mayor John Tory has a meeting with him

Hear is audio from Bob Richardson (bid leader) and Mayor John Tory about Toronto 2024 bid.

This Toronto Councillor is really reaching with this attempt. Hosting some of the venues for the Boston bid? Really? Mind you, this is the same guy that proposed submitting a co-host bid for the 2024 Olympics with Buffalo a year ago. Atleast the talk of bidding for 2024 has really picked up steam in Toronto over the past month. John Tory won't publicly discuss it until the Pan Am Games are done. http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/18/toronto-to-offer-hosting-help-to-boston-in-olympic-bid

Checking out the Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes Village June 16, 2015 5:40 pm | by Brandon Leal | 14 Comments In 24 days, over 10,000 athletes and coaches from around the world will flood the Greater Toronto Area for the 2015 Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. Hosting such a large scale international competition requires a complex web of services, venues and people working in sync. With only a few weeks left to go, success looks ripe for the picking, on the podium and at the Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletes Village in Toronto’s West Don Lands. The Pan Am Athlete's Village, ready for its debut, image by Craig White On a tour of the village led by TO2015 Executive VP Allen Vansen, two-time Olympian swimmer Julia Wilkinson, and track and field Pan Am hopeful Kimberly Hyacinthe, we got a peek at the amenities athletes can expect at their home away from home. Allen Vansen (left), Olympian Julia Wilkinson (centre) and Pan Am Hopeful Kimberly Hyacinthe (right) leading the tour, image by Craig White After arriving in Toronto by land, sea or air, athletes and coaches will make their way to the Welcome Centre to be checked-in to their temporary digs. With visitors from over 41 countries pouring in, the atmosphere can be expected to be lively with a “symphony of different languages,” as described by Wilkinson, set against the flags of all participating nations. Lounging area at the CIBC Banking Centre, image by Craig White The Welcome Centre will play double duty as well catering to ongoing needs of visitors, firstly as a cafe where athletes can watch the events live-streamed to them while grabbing an iced coffee or as a fully functional CIBC Banking Centre for taking care of their finances while here. The Welcome Centre will additionally include a Loblaws grocery shop, and salons to ensure athletes feel and look their best during their big matches. Lastly, the centre will provide a safe and convenient spot for families, friends, coaches and athletes to meet, while nightly entertainment will truly make the centre a “chill space.” Once the games are over up to 90% of all furnishings and fixtures are planned to be re-purposed to help make these games one of the greenest. Cafe tables overlooking the Welcome Centre square, image by Craig White While the athletes aren’t competing, they are probably training. With state of the art training facilities provided at the future YMCA community centre, athletes are well poised, as Hyacinthe notes, to stay in top condition throughout and after the competition. High-tech equipment ranging from treadmills, to weight training and spin cycles will all be equipped with the Wellness Cloud digital platform, allowing teams to track athletic performance in the gym and on the go or use simulation software in training exercises. Wellness Cloud equipped training equipment at the future YMCA training centre, image by Craig White In comparison to other athlete villages, Wilkinson noted that having these facilities at their doorstep greatly reduces the stresses of having to travel to auxiliary training grounds and is another way that the TO2015 team has made sure the village is a truly comprehensive and compact home away from home. Running track at the future YMCA training centre, image by Craig White Between training and competing however, dining accommodations are of utmost importance. With room for 6,500 people, the dining hall at the Athletes Village will serve foods from all cultural backgrounds including custom requests. Serving so many over the course of the games means the dining hall comes packed with over 90,000 bananas, 50,000 steaks 20,000 litres of tomato sauce, and plenty of ice cream for those hot summer days. Continuing the theme of compact and comprehensive, the dining hall was placed adjacent to the bus mall so athletes can grab meals on the go when they might most need it before a big match. Inside the Athletes Village Dining hall with space for 6,500 people, image by Craig White The Village also includes a fully equipped polyclinic to treat any and all medical needs that might arise. Headed by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julia Alleyne, this 20,000 square foot temporary facility comes equipped with and MRI scanner, Ultrasound equipment, X-Ray machines, dental offices and emergency rooms to ensure a complete package of healthcare services for emergency, acute and therapeutic care scenarios. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Julia Alleyne, greeting reporters to the Polyclinic, image by Craig White Patient bed and CISCO telepresence equipment at the Polyclinic, image by Craig White The state of the art equipment in the facility is also extended to its anti-doping station, where 40% of all testing will be done to ensure a fair games for all. For all 120 medical sites across the games footprint, telecommunications services will be provided to facilitate video calls, instrument report transferring and patient files. Once the games are over, the modular facility will be broken down and its fixtures and furnishings will be re-purposed where needed. Life Labs Analytical testing lab at the Athletes Village Polyclinic, image by Craig White Relaxation is critical to keeping focused and succeeding in such a high stakes sporting environment, so athletes and coaches will be provided a very Ontarian atmosphere at The Cabin. With the use of warm wooden tones, hammocks and bean bags chairs, creating a very Muskoka flare, The Cabin bring a little bit of cottage country to the city for visitors to enjoy and chill out. Muskoka-inspired Cabin lounging space, image by Craig White Across Front Street a temporary park sits filled with the iconic Muskoka chairs and tables. Once the games are over, this site will be redeveloped into a new mixed-use development to complete the "cupping" of the award-winning Corktown Common park. Temporary park to be developed after the Pan Am Games, image by Craig White All of the future condominiums and affordable housing suites in what's eventually to be called The Canary District, are currently subdivided to work as dorms for the athletes and officials. When preparing the units, comfort and convenience were made front and centre. Future condos set up at athletes' dorms in the Pan Am Village, image by Craig White In selecting the beds to be used, the TO2015 organizing committee held votes on the mattresses and selected the winning entry, built at home in Canada, for use during the games. Judging by our two athletes’ expressions, getting out of bed might be the hardest part of the day. All apartments will also be furnished with artworks commissioned from students at local Toronto District School Board schools. Athletes taking a trial rest on Canadian made mattresses in the Athletes Village, image by Craig White With final preparations nearing the finish line and the village ready for occupancy, the 2015 Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are on track to be a winner. UrbanToronto will keep you updated on the latest developments and inside looks before, during and after the games. Tell us what you think about the Athletes Village in the comment section below and join in on our Forum discussion by clicking the associated links in our database file.

He's had a discussion with Toronto Mayor John Tory. Aubut also believes the election of Mayor John Tory, succeeding Ford, will make this city more amenable to a bid. The COC president said he has spoken with Tory. "Yes, one time," he recounted. "And we are agreed that it was important to wait until the end of the Pan Ams but the excitement of exploring this exists. We didn’t talk about the detail or any year (but we) guaranteed to each other that this is going to be a serious discussion after the Pan Am Games." Tory could not be reached for comment. Aubut said his public encouragement for a Toronto bid is meant to spark discussion and, he said, "I hope my voice will influence people." His term as COC president ends in 2017 and he’d like his legacy to be a "very serious process" underway to bring the Olympics to Toronto. "I’m absolutely convinced that Toronto is ready."

As was expected, talks about a Toronto Olympic bid are ramping up with the arrival of the Pan Am Games. Will Toronto bid for 2024? 2028 seems more likely. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/toronto-should-bid-for-olympics-again-marcel-aubut-1.3107772 Toronto should bid for Olympics again: Marcel Aubut Canadian Olympic Committee boss says Pan Am Games venues a big boostCBC Sports Posted: Jun 10, 2015 12:35 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 10, 2015 12:38 PM ET Marcel Aubut, president of the Canadian Olympic committee, says it's time for Canada, and Toronto, specifically, to bid for a Summer Olympics again. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) 13 shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Google Share Email Related Stories Olympic funding boost raises athletes' hopes Marcel Aubut brings swagger to Canadian Olympic team Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut told the Toronto Star that Toronto is ready to bid again for the Summer Olympics and is "the only Canadian city that could offer the site to do this," in reference to holding a Summer Olympics. Aubut, who is a member of the board for the 2015 Pan Am Games, said that the venues and organization built for the Toronto events make it "a dress rehearsal for something bigger." Toronto was an unsuccessful Olympic bidder for the 1996 Summer Games held in Atlanta and the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has led his organization into a series of 40 changes, mostly aimed at financial reform after the Olympics became too pricey for most bidders. Russia spent a record $51 billion US for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the bidding for the 2022 Winter Games saw four European cities withdraw early reducing the field to just Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan. Aubut did not mention to the Toronto Star which Olympics that Toronto should pursue but indicated that he'd promote bid discussions after the 2015 Pan Am Games are completed. Tokyo, Japan has the rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics while Boston, Rome, Paris and Hamburg, Germany are bidding for 2024. The deadline for bidding on that event is September 2015 with a winner to be declared by the summer of 2017.

On my drive home I noticed the "Toronto 2015" banners up and it wasn't downtown. I was surprised to see them up on Jane St. As for the excitement in the city, it definitely isn't high but I expect that to change once the games are a week away.

Are you for real?

Toronto had a record breaking year with its tourists hitting 14.3 million overnight visitors. That number is expected to be broken in 2015 with help of the Pan Ams. Good stuff! http://www.thestar.com/business/economy/2015/02/12/toronto-sets-new-tourism-records-china-now-top-overseas-market.html

Yeah I believe rowing would be placed at the portlands again. It would just make for great tv footage with the city view.

John Tory is a big supporter of sport and the Olympics. Speaking of which, he was very vague but in this article about the Pan Am games and mishandling with expenses he does make this comment towards the end. From what I take from it, once the 2015 Pan Ams are complete, Tory and his team will access everything and make a decision whether Toronto should reboot the 2024 bid they had going earlier. The Toronto bid isn't 100% dead, http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/14/pan-am-expenses-defy-common-sense-mayor-john-tory Yeah, now he's Tory's second in power. The right people are in power in Toronto to reboot this bid. Ford would flat out deny it once again.

If Paris enters the race I think we should sit it out. If the U.S. happens to win that cycle atleast we know the next North American host will be in Canada

For some reason I previously thought they just plain out voted NO to 2024 bid. But I'm reading and watching video back to that decision and the word they're using is "postponing" or "deferring" which means this 2024 bid could possibly be brought back to life in the next year. http://www.680news.com/2014/01/20/toronto-committee-postpones-considering-2024-olympic-bid/

Our mayoral frontrunner looks to have a lot of support from Canadian Olympic athletes and leaders. The probability of Tory going forward with a bid are favourable. http://www.johntory.ca/olympic-athletes-and-leaders-in-the-sports-community-back-john-tory-for-mayor/ Some more info I'm digging up, this is in regards to Rob Ford shutting down Toronto's potential 2020 bid without any consultation or vote: John Tory, who supported Toronto exploring an Olympic bid, said he understands the mayor has big issues to tackle at city hall, but thinks public consultation could have been helpful. “I don’t know that he would have decided any differently,” said the former leader of the provincial Conservative Party, who chairs the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance. “Having said that, he might have had a chance to speak with some more people.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-councillor-slams-mayors-unilateral-decision-on-olympic-bid/article592775/

That's why it's looking favourable for a return to North America. 2024 could be the US or Canada's best shot at winning in the next few cycles.

I think the city will wait it out until it's gets a clearer picture of who will bid. The field of play is shaping up to be small.

Disgusting

This was brought up in the Paris thread so might as well bring it here so we can keep it on topic. We elect a brand new mayor in a couple weeks. What are the chances Toronto officials ressurrect a bid for 2024? Pan Am games are just around the corner and that should boost the city's spirits and aspirations for going for 2024. Let's discuss. Keep in mind Toronto's executive committee which consisted of like 5-8 people voted now earlier in the year. This does not represent every city councillor.

I'm surprised the French are going to pass up 2024. They would be obvious favourites so I'm scratching my head at them going for Expo instead. Do you really think it will be brought up again this year after the executive committee voted no. Has John Tory publicly given his stance on going forward with an Olympic bid? Out of the 3 main candidates he seems most likely to back a 2024 bid. There's no way Doug Ford will back it if he's elected mayor. Olivia Chow I'm not so sure about either but she ain't gonna win anyways

I still haven't requested tickets. I got to get on that soon.

I kept seeing this commercial on tv all day today. It definitely caught my attention.