CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauds the Alberta government’s decision to stop exploring the idea of hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

“The Alberta government made the right decision and it’ll save taxpayers a bunch of money,” Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director, said. “With so many Albertans struggling to make ends meet, it would have been wrong to stick taxpayers with a big bill for hosting a table tennis tournament.” 

The state of Victoria in Australia cancelled its plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the estimated price tag increased to more than $6 billion CAD. 

The city of Hamilton decided against hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games when estimated costs hit $500 million. 

The government of Alberta and the cities of Edmonton and Calgary collectively spent $4 million to study whether Alberta should host the 2030 sports tournament.

In a mandate letter issued earlier this month, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith instructed her minister of sport and tourism to set up a framework to hold referendums before hosting future international sports tournaments.  

“It’s good to see the government back away from this waste of money and commit to an extra layer of protection by requiring a referendum before tax dollars are wasted on future international sports tournaments,” Sims said.