BC government rejects and kills Vancouver 2030 Olympic bid

Olympic rings installation in Coal Harbour during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. (Sergei Bachlakov/Shutterstock)

After more than two years of lobbying and planning by proponents, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will not be returning to British Columbia after all.

In a statement Thursday morning, the provincial government stated that “based on careful consideration, the province is declining to support a bid” to host the 2030 Games in Vancouver, Whistler, and Sun Peaks.

The bid was being led by the Four Host First Nations, in close collaboration with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). It was billed as an unprecedented opportunity for cultural and economic reconciliation with First Nations.

“For more than a year, the province has engaged in evaluating a potential bid for BC to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Lisa Beare, BC minister of tourism, in a statement.

“I know that the prospect of hosting these Games is exciting to athletes and sports fans. However, the province has the responsibility to weigh the benefits with the costs and possible risks of the project. There are billions of dollars in direct costs, and potential guarantee and indemnity liability risks on this project that could jeopardize our government’s ability to address pressures facing British Columbians right now.”

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She adds that the provincial government is instead focusing on “cost of living, health care, housing, public safety, and building a strong workforce.”

Proponents of the 2030 Games suggested it could be delivered at a significantly lower cost by largely reusing the venues and infrastructure built for the 2010 Games.

The COC estimated between $1 billion and $1.2 billion in public funding would be needed to cover non-organizing committee costs, including $299 million to $375 million for renewing the venues for another 20 years, $165 million to $267 million to build a First Nations affordable and market housing legacy incorporated into the Olympic Villages, and $560 million to $583 million for security. All organizing committee costs would be privately funded through sponsorship, ticketing, merchandising, and other non-public sources.

In order for a bid to be sustained, it would likely require the provincial government to provide significant funding towards the cost of staging the Games, and act as the financial guarantor — essentially replicating the role it had for the staging of the 2010 Games.

The bid has also yet to receive support and funding from the federal government, which typically requires a province to provide its full backing as the first step before seeking federal backing. Without the provincial government’s support, it is very unlikely the effort to bring back the Olympics in 2030 can be salvaged.

Following this month’s civic election, Vancouver mayor-elect Ken Sim stated his ABC governing party is fully in support of the bid, but only if the municipal government is not placed in a position of financial risk.

In her explanation rejecting support for the bid, Beare suggests the provincial government is already preoccupied with its obligations to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver and host the 2025 Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler. The full cost of staging the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver is pegged at up to $260 million.

“These world-class events will bring the international spotlight to British Columbia, as well as economic benefits to support the province’s tourism-sector recovery for the next decade and beyond,” reads her statement.

This decision to reject the 2030 bid comes at a time of changing leadership in the provincial government, with David Eby, previously BC’s attorney general and minister responsible for housing, set to be sworn in as the new premier in November.

Eby was an outspoken critic of the 2010 Games during the 2000s, especially through his roles with the Pivot Legal Society and BC Civil Liberties Association.

In late September, Beare suddenly returned to her role as the BC minister of tourism, replacing Melanie Mark, who departed from the provincial cabinet for unspecified health reasons.

Beare also had a significant role in the provincial government’s initial decision in early 2018 to pull out Vancouver’s bid to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing cost and risk as the reasons. Critics previously suggested the fresh BC NDP-led provincial government at the time rushed its original decision.

Earlier this year, after protracted negotiations with FIFA, the provincial government reversed its position opposing the World Cup, which ultimately led to FIFA’s June decision to include Vancouver as one of the 16 North American host cities.

The Four Host First Nations, ABC-led Vancouver municipal government, and the COC have yet to comment on the provincial government’s decision.

“Our government remains committed to the important work of putting reconciliation into action, and continuing to build strong relationships with Indigenous partners,” added Beare.

Earlier this year, the provincial government’s tourism ministry found controversy when it pushed ahead with plans to build a new replacement Royal BC Museum in downtown Victoria at a cost of $800 million. After a public outcry, the new museum plans were put on pause.

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