As part of my semi-retirement deal with UQ, I’m providing commentary on the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. I’ve written a piece for CEDA, looking at the possible economics. tl;dr “Whether or not it was a wise decision to host the Games, they are coming in 2032. As individual residents of Brisbane, the best thing we can do is enjoy them.”
Hilariously, Mayor Drapeau claimed to have been inspired to bring the Olympics to Montreal when he got off an elevator at the wrong floor and found himself at the office of the IOC. In a stroke of perverse genius, he combined this bad idea with another for financing it: the institution of state-run lotteries (not a standard part of the Canadian landscape in the 70's.)
The resulting financial disaster was predictable and predicted. The Gazette article reproduces two of Aislin's cartoons on the subject. An early one depicts Drapeau eating Olympic soup - but there is a fly in it. The fly is so large it overflows the bowl. A later cartoon was drawn after Drapeau infamously declared that "the Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby". It depicts a very round-bellied Drapeau on the phone, saying "'Ello, Morgentaler?" (Henry Morgentaler was a pioneering abortion providing doctor in Montreal.)
Also must be noted that we have large labour shortages in construction, and big union controlled infrastructure projects pay very generously, so we'll never build the housing we need while things like this are sucking all the available bodies in.
The Montreal games are worth revisiting, as the Montreal Gazette does in this 2017 article celebrating their long-time political cartoonist "Aislin" (Terry Mosher): https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/50-years-of-aislin-pregnant-pause-for-mayor-jean-drapeau
Hilariously, Mayor Drapeau claimed to have been inspired to bring the Olympics to Montreal when he got off an elevator at the wrong floor and found himself at the office of the IOC. In a stroke of perverse genius, he combined this bad idea with another for financing it: the institution of state-run lotteries (not a standard part of the Canadian landscape in the 70's.)
The resulting financial disaster was predictable and predicted. The Gazette article reproduces two of Aislin's cartoons on the subject. An early one depicts Drapeau eating Olympic soup - but there is a fly in it. The fly is so large it overflows the bowl. A later cartoon was drawn after Drapeau infamously declared that "the Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby". It depicts a very round-bellied Drapeau on the phone, saying "'Ello, Morgentaler?" (Henry Morgentaler was a pioneering abortion providing doctor in Montreal.)
Also must be noted that we have large labour shortages in construction, and big union controlled infrastructure projects pay very generously, so we'll never build the housing we need while things like this are sucking all the available bodies in.
Wouldn't a temporary increase in excise taxes on visitor related good and services help shift the balance toward black?
Are they fixing up your city's fairly ordinary public transport system as part of a long term package?
The 2000 Sydney Games were tremendous
I remember them like they were yesterday
Enjoy!