Toronto?

[MisterSG1]

There is no point in bidding. Councilors do not support it. It will fail barring a drastic change in opinion.

See, so it looks like I was right all along. If Agenda 2020 works, then perhaps Toronto should try a bid, but for now it makes the most sense to let someone else be the guinea pig as I do not want to be paying potentially 20 billion or more as a taxpayer for the Olympics.

[ofan]

See, so it looks like I was right all along. If Agenda 2020 works, then perhaps Toronto should try a bid, but for now it makes the most sense to let someone else be the guinea pig as I do not want to be paying potentially 20 billion or more as a taxpayer for the Olympics.

I am honestly sick and tired of this "I don't wanna pay X as a taxpayer" bullshit. There is 0 chance that an Olympics in a democratic country will cost 20 billion. Regardless, not every bit of the budget will be publicly funded. I can't wrap my head around how uninformed and stubborn many citizens, including yourself and members of council, are. Why doesn't anyone realize that this is money going towards public transit, new infrastructure, community facilities, etc? 50 million for a bid is only 12 dollars per person when you do the math. Are people really that unwilling to fork up an hours wage to take a shot at potential improvements to the city in the form of an Olympic bid?

[dave199]

Toronto's bid has been trademarked before a decision is announced.

Toronto 2024, Toronto 2024 Olympic Bid and TO2024 are trademarked with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

[Nacre]

I am honestly sick and tired of this "I don't wanna pay X as a taxpayer" bullshit. There is 0 chance that an Olympics in a democratic country will cost 20 billion.

London spent 9 billion pounds of public money, which equates to $18 billion CAD. And London had a bit more in place than Toronto does.

The Olympics are very, very expensive even in democratic countries.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Nacre

[monorail]

The private sector financing of the bid is a critical factor. From what I hear Tory is working hard to secure that. This will delay the council vote as they will have the bid already financed and the Bid committee up and running.

[monorail]

Toronto's bid has been trademarked before a decision is announced.

Toronto 2024, Toronto 2024 Olympic Bid and TO2024 are trademarked with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

Also I wanted to note that the website domain toronto-2024.com has been registered. It's obviously not live yet.

[MisterSG1]

I am honestly sick and tired of this "I don't wanna pay X as a taxpayer" bullshit. There is 0 chance that an Olympics in a democratic country will cost 20 billion. Regardless, not every bit of the budget will be publicly funded. I can't wrap my head around how uninformed and stubborn many citizens, including yourself and members of council, are. Why doesn't anyone realize that this is money going towards public transit, new infrastructure, community facilities, etc? 50 million for a bid is only 12 dollars per person when you do the math. Are people really that unwilling to fork up an hours wage to take a shot at potential improvements to the city in the form of an Olympic bid?

There are a few things I would like to ask you about the public transit argument. I used to believe that too, and I was a staunch supporter before of Olympics in Toronto, but let's look at a few things:

-Athletes, Coaches, Delgates, IOC, WILL NOT use public transit whatsoever. Instead like we just seen during the Pan Am Games, regular traffic lanes will be turned into OLYMPIC LANES, not 50/50 HOV/PAN AM lanes, but full Olympic Lanes to make sure they get exactly where they are going and not have to face the horrors of local traffic

-While spectators will have to use public transit, consider this, if the Olympic Stadium is built in the Port Lands, I can see either one of two things occuring there for transit improvements for the crown jewel venue of the Olympics. ONE, they simply build a spur line from the GO Train similar to how they built a spur from the Kitchener GO/CN Rail line to the airport for the UP Express. Or TWO, they build a new streetcar or LRT line that is an express route from the Union Station streetcar platform but goes to the Port Lands.

-As no realistic venues will take place within the path of any kind of proposed Downtown Relief Line, an Olympics will accelerate the building of a downtown subway how exactly?

-If Toronto, Queen's Park, and Ottawa could not even build a subway underneath a corridor that really does need one, yes I'm talking to you Eglinton, it essentially gets silver transit when gold transit is indeed required, that whole crosstown, and should have been from the airport to kennedy station should have been a full blown subway. The Liberals always whine that the Ontario PCs cancelled the Eglinton West subway, but I notice they have not had any serious talks of reinstating anything worthwhile. The Finch West LRT and Sheppard East LRT, if they ever see the light of day will be on the subway map at first, but when people see how slow the thing moves, they will be branded as 500 series routes. You may not know this but the Harbourfront LRT (yes there's a plaque in Union that calls it that) was originally branded route 604 and appeared on a TTC map as a subway line. When they realized that this service for a lack of a better word sucked in terms for speed, they rebranded it as a streetcar route. If you wish me to post this map I will.

-If we can spend 20 billion dollars for the Olympics, why can't we simply spend that 20 billion where our people actually need it, traffic and congestion levels on both roads and transit is making motorists militant and transit riders frustrated. You cannot deny this, if we are told constantly that subways are too expensive, why are the Olympics not expensive then?

-I've been following the Spadina subway extension since 2005....and she is still not ready. If Toronto is awarded the Olympics, with all the bureaucracy and unions, you honestly think we can get a subway line done in 7 years. Shall I remind you about Montreal's Olympic stadium in how it was not completed by the time the games started?

Basically, even if Toronto gets the Olympics, how can we be sure that Toronto will realize it's public transit endeavors that have been talked about for over a century?

[BR2028]

So Toronto realizes it has like 12 days to get a bid ready right?

[ofan]

So Toronto realizes it has like 12 days to get a bid ready right?

Um, no they don't. They have 12 days to just say yes.

[dave199]

Tory will launch the bid on Tuesday September 8th

[intoronto]

Tory will launch the bid on Tuesday September 8th

how do you know?

[runningrings]

Who says Toronto isn't one of the top cities in the world:

That list makes no sense - how is Brooklyn a separate entity to NYC?

[MisterSG1]

Um, no they don't. They have 12 days to just say yes.

I see that you didn't dare to try to challenge my points.

Now imagine this scenario that is probably going to happen.....Toronto bids, and once again fails to win....IOC once again feels sorry for Canada and awards Quebec City the 2026 Winter Games. Once again, Toronto has to be the scapegoat for another Canadian winter olympics.

[dave199]

how do you know?

The leader of the NOTO2024 campaign says according to his source. I also heard from another person supposedly in the know the same date.

I also found out the Toronto Olympic Organizing committee from 2008 was formally dissolved recently with Industry Canada which is kind of odd. It makes one believe the reasoning is to clean the slate to restart up for 2024.

[dave199]

I see that you didn't dare to try to challenge my points.

Now imagine this scenario that is probably going to happen.....Toronto bids, and once again fails to win....IOC once again feels sorry for Canada and awards Quebec City the 2026 Winter Games. Once again, Toronto has to be the scapegoat for another Canadian winter olympics.

I highly doubt the COC would do that again to Toronto. It was kind of shady but considering it's 14 years later, the COC is focused on bringing a Summer Olympics to the country before a winter.

[dave199]

http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2674910602

[mistercorporate]

I highly doubt the COC would do that again to Toronto. It was kind of shady but considering it's 14 years later, the COC is focused on bringing a Summer Olympics to the country before a winter.

Yeah, it's either Toronto or bust from now on. No other never-hosted city in Canada is important enough to undermine Toronto's future chances at securing a Games. If they try to pull another Vancouver the COC will get skinned alive.

[ofan]

According to some snooping around on Twitter, Tory and Wynne have a meeting tomorrow morning and media availability at 10. Wonder if it has to do with a bid.

[dave199]

According to some snooping around on Twitter, Tory and Wynne have a meeting tomorrow morning and media availability at 10. Wonder if it has to do with a bid.

I heard the same thing too.

[dave199]

Press conference has been called for 10am from Queens Park in Toronto with Mayor Tory and Premiere Wynne. All signs are pointing to the official announcement of a bid launch. If the city was going to not join the announcement would have came over the weekend.

[intoronto]

How certain are you its for the Olympics, it might be for something else?

[GBModerator]

The leader of the NOTO2024 campaign says according to his source. I also heard from another person supposedly in the know the same date.

I also found out the Toronto Olympic Organizing committee from 2008 was formally dissolved recently with Industry Canada which is kind of odd. It makes one believe the reasoning is to clean the slate to restart up for 2024.

Who is the leader of NoTo2024? They seem to be in the shadows.

[dave199]

How certain are you its for the Olympics, it might be for something else?

I'm just saying what I've been told and what I'm hearing through others who are getting information. I previously said there would be an announcement September 8th. Today I then find out from people in the press, a Press Conference has been called by John Tory and Kathleen Wynne, Both have had many meetings since the Pan Am Games finished about TO2024. Tory has had quite the busy week with his consultations and meetings with city councillors, business leaders, union leaders and many others to help with his decision. How much longer will he take? Will he announce right on September 15th? Or will he announce a week before the deadline? Anyways, the point I'm making is he's already made up his mind, he's great with his poker face but we all know if he wasn't going to sign off on the letter he would have made that public already.

[dave199]

Who is the leader of NoTo2024? They seem to be in the shadows.

Fern Hill. Not many are following them anyways. Their petition doesn't have a lot of signatures.

Edited September 8, 2015 by dave199

[intoronto]

And they are spreading a lot of lies lol. Quite pathetic if you ask me.

Fact is the following Pan Am Venues are good enough to be used:

-Caledon

-BMX

-Mountain biking

-Aquatics center (for synchro/diving)

-Pan Am Fields (field hockey)

-Rogers Center (can be split into two and used for two different arena sports)

-Velodrome (makes sense with Agenda 2020)

Probably the only new permanent build needed is the main stadium.