The Chronicle Herald reports that Walter Nolan, president of the Halifax Regional Homeowners Association, told a local radio station that his group wants the regional government to withdraw from the bidding process for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.Nolan, a former municipal councillor and President of Sport Nova Scotia, said as an association they weren’t against the Games, but were “wary” of the bidding process being held in Nova Scotia and the way “they’re going about it”.
He said the lack of transparency surrounding the Games bid has been the big issue for the association. “We are a municipal watchdog association. We want to make sure our money is spent wisely”.
Nolan said he doesn’t buy into the bid committee’s explanation that secrecy is required to keep details of the Halifax proposal from its competitors, Glasgow Scotland and Abuju Nigeria. “There other competing cities would have to be total idiots not to figure it out for themselves”.
Scott Logan, CEO of Halifax’s bid committee, said he was surprised by the association’s opposition to the Games, and that Nolan is “jumping the gun” in his criticism of the cost breakdown, reports the newspaper.
The association’s other concern is how the Games will be paid for. The Chronicle Herald reports that the association is critical of how the final budget will be broken down among the three levels of government and believes that since the country as a whole will benefit most from the Games the federal government should foot the biggest part of the bill.
The association plans to meet later this week and will send letters to Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly and regional council, to request a withdrawal of the bid.
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