(Vancouver) A committee of Vancouver City Council has voted 10 to 2 in favor of supporting the bid led by four Indigenous nations to host the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Posted yesterday at 8:01 p.m.
This vote was won despite the doubts raised recently in an internal report concerning the financing of the operation as well as the very tight deadline for submitting a candidature file to the International Olympic Committee. The deadline is set for next February.
The chiefs of the four host nations, namely Squamish, Lil’wat, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam, mentioned before the committee that the possibility of supporting an application led by Aboriginal people represents a great opportunity to act in coherence with the commitment of the government for reconciliation.
Before members voted, Musqueam Nation Leader Wayne Sparrow asked them to “get in the canoe” so their efforts were not wasted.
Following the vote, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said the council had just taken the very important decision to continue working collaboratively with host nations.
He described this vote as the end of Phase 1 of the process, stating that everyone had agreed on the merit of exploring this possible candidacy.
For Mayor Stewart, the next step now is to rally the federal and provincial governments as partners, and then sign a multilateral agreement that will become the basis of the bid.
Vancouver’s decision follows that of Whistler, whose councilors voted on Tuesday to support the bid.
Earlier this month, the four indigenous nations behind the process estimated that organizing the Olympics could cost between 3.5 and 4 billion. A sum shared between public and private funds.
The Canadian Olympic Committee has said the bid still needs to get approval from the provincial and federal governments before the case is filed next February.