The rejection of the 2026 Olympic bid by a convincing 56 per cent of Calgary plebiscite voters on Nov. 13 is victory for Alberta-style populist democracy.
Elections, plebiscites and referendums give citizens a sense of control over public affairs.
In 21st century politics, money often trumps votes. But the plebiscite wasn't up for sale, it was a decision about how the city's future would be built.
A majority of citizens decided that the future isn't a megaproject to be paid for with billions of taxpayer dollars.
The oil era that began after the Second World War is ending but the search for the new Alberta is not an Olympic bid.
That citizen control was evident in the scantily-funded No organization's victory.
The bid committee had $30 million in funding -- $10 million from each of the federal, provincial and Calgary civic governments, and 6,500 volunteers.
The No committee that opposed the bid had a Facebook page and $800 for buttons and signs. There were less that 20 regular volunteers.
In August, there were four bidders for the 2026 Winter Games -- Sweden, Italy, Turkey and Canada.
In September, the International Olympic Committee dropped Erzurum, Turkey from the bid list because it doubted the country's ability to fund the Games' facilities.
In October, the Italian government announced the joint bid by Milan, Turin and Cortina was "dead" because the cities' three mayors would not back the proposal.
Also in October, Stockholm's civic government said it would not fund the 2026 Games.
The Swedish bid's sole asset is that it is now the last bidder still standing.
However, without funding, the Stockholm bid is an empty shell.
The plebiscite result takes Canada out of the running, in spite of dark mutterings that Calgary could find a way around the plebiscite result and continue with the bid.
The majority of Calgary's city council has voted against the bid. There will be no political suicide by funding in spite of the plebiscite result, in spite of dark mutterings by some losers that the vote shouldn't really count.
Come the IOC's bid deadline of Jan. 11, there is likely to be no adequately funded proposal.
The IOC faced this situation once before, for the 1976 Winter Olympics and had to request Innsbruck, Austria to host the Games. (In 2017, Innsbruck decided by referendum not to bid for the 2026 games.)
Now Salt Lake City, Utah, is quietly lobbying the IOC to ask it to take on the 2026 Games. Salt Lake hosted the 2002 Winter Games and is preparing a bid for the 2030 event.
It is a military truism that generals prepare to fight the last war.
The plebiscite campaign for the Games was essentially nostalgia for the 1988 Winter Olympics. But that was 30 years ago in a different city, a different economy, and a different demographic with different values and life goals.
Alberta can't go back. It must find itself in the future, not the past.
– Frank Dabbs is a veteran political and business journalist.
