The Alberta government pledged $700 million on Friday for a potential Calgary Winter Olympics.
In a letter from Finance Minister Joe Ceci to Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Kirsty Duncan, federal minister of science and sport, the province said the money is contingent on “the majority of Calgarians supporting the bid in the November 13th plebiscite.”
Another condition was increased transparency requirements from Calgary 2026 “and/or any successor corporation or organizing committee.”
Calgary 2026, the bid corporation, has predicted $5.23 billion would be needed to host the Games, although critics calls that cost projection optimistic.
The organization said $3 billion of that would need to come from various levels of government.
Documents obtained by CBC News also show not all cost considerations are included in that figure, including infrastructure costs to be borne by the city.
The province had promised to make its funding intentions clear at least 30 days prior to a plebiscite on whether or not to host the games and fulfilled that promise on Friday. That plebiscite is scheduled for Nov. 13.
The federal government has still not announced how much it would contribute if Calgary decides to pursue a bid and wins.
There are three bids still in the running for the 2026 Winter Olympics: Calgary, Stockholm and a combined Italian bid including Milan and Cortina.
Reports on Friday, however, suggest Stockholm’s bid is at risk of falling apart.
The International Olympic Committee will vote next June on which city will host the 2026 Games.