MARSDEN: MP leads fight to save city's Olympic landmark

David Marsden is a Calgary writer and editorUsually, Calgary MPs fly to Ottawa and disappear into the well-polished and well-varnished woodwork of Parliament Hill.Calgary Midnapore MP Stephanie Kusie has now done just the opposite: launching a parliamentary petition to save the 30,000 personalized bricks that form the bedrock of Olympic Plaza, where the medals were hung around athletes’ necks during the 1988 Winter Games.Kusie’s petition asks the federal government to recognize the significance of the engraved bricks and ensure they are preserved, and ideally, become part of any new design of the plaza.It’s often said that politics is local, which it true. Canadians might show some concern for alleged foreign interference from nations such as India and China. And American Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s defence of abortion also likely resonates with some Canadians.But what we care most about is what happens in our own homes, and among our own families. We are mindful of safety on our streets and in our communities, as well as the provision of efficient services and amenities.That’s why Kusie deserves a gold medal for her bid to save the paid-for bricks that embody the best of Calgarians’ generosity, and represent the city at its height. It’s unfortunate that Calgarians must depend on the federal government to safeguard what the city itself should understand is an obligation.You don’t see Egypt rushing to pull down the Giza Pyramids because they are too close to Cairo. Where is the effort to knock down South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore and its stony images of former U.S. presidents, because they are well past their due date?Calgary Olympic Plaza must stay. As it is. It’s not simply enough to save the bricks — a tribute that has been ruled out by the city’s call makers. The bricks must stay exactly where they were laid when Calgary came of age as a city in 1988.The entire plaza is a moment frozen in time, as it should be. And that is very special.The folks tasked with nurturing Calgary’s cultural past and present are prepared to throw away an iconic gathering place in pursuit of expanded heavily-subsidized performance facilities..Among the other casualties of the redesign of Olympic Plaza is the mothballing of the Famous Five statue. You remember the Famous Five? The strong-willed Albertans who made it certain that women were recognized as persons in 1929. The trailblazers were once featured on the back of the Canadian 50-dollar bill.They are also memorialized in a statue in Ottawa — it too, relocated because of redesigning of the setting.Now, Calgary is prepared is put the statue in storage and turn its back on the accomplishment that was celebrated as recently as this year.Frankly, it’s a surprise there’s an appetite to spend $70 million on the desecration of Olympic Plaza. The Green Line transit system is hemorrhaging cash and property taxes are intolerable. Surely, money is scarce when Calgarians have difficulty paying their rents and mortgages; never mind trying to eat healthy meals.One of the actors in this sorry saga is the Calgary Municipal Land Corp. It was formed in 2007 to breathe life into a neglected area of the city, the East Village. As part of the package, it was agreed that property tax increases within the district could be kept and spent within the area. It’s a controversial agreement that has been extended to 2047.So, when the Bow tower and other downtown properties pay their taxes to the city, the substantial funds stay close to home. That’s not true of the properties in prosperous places such as Quarry Park and Seton. The owners of those lands and buildings contribute to a citywide pot that funds services well beyond their narrow boundaries.The Calgary Municipal Land Corp.’s privilege allowed it to contribute $70 million to the Calgary Central Library. It also has a role in planning for the new event centre that will replace the Saddledome.Whenever development is contemplated, it should demonstrate regard for the environment. Rivers and wetlands are part of the environment, and so are historical treasures that represent gold to the community.MP Kusie deserves applause for standing up for a Calgary that is worth preserving; not one that is always changing on a whim and skating on thin ice.In this instance, Calgary is turning gold into lead. David Marsden is a Calgary writer and editor.

MARSDEN: MP leads fight to save city's Olympic landmark

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