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Toronto Nearing Decision on Formal Bid To Host Expo 2015 |
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Written by Wire Services/Staff
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
The City of Toronto is nearing a decision on whether to submit a formal bid to host a World Expo in 2015. A second round of Public Consultations is scheduled for April and a City Council decision will likely be made in late May, Councillor Brian Ashton, Chair of the Toronto 2015 World Expo Steering Committee, announced on Wednesday.
Ashton pointed out that no decisions would be made until all costs, benefits and possible legacies of hosting a World Expo were known and made available to the public adding, "We also promised that the process would be fully transparent and we would consult extensively with the public."
The city's first round of consultations were held in the Fall of 2005 and were met with enthusiasm but Torontonians made it clear that more detailed information was required before any decisions were made.
Following the completion of the studies and consultations, the Expo Corporation will prepare a report with recommendations on whether or not to proceed with a bid, and the recommended major elements. The report will be submitted to the City Of Toronto's Policy and Finance Committee at its meeting on May 16 and be released publicly. It will be presented to Toronto City Council May 23, 24 and 25.
The next world expo will be hosted by Zaragoza, Spain in 2008 with Shanghai hosting the 2010 exposition. Canada's first exposition was hosted by Montreal in 1967 (Expo '67) while Vancouver hosted the world event in 1986.
If Toronto decides to submit their bif for the 2015 exposition they will be competing with Atlanta, Izmir (Turkey), Las Vegas, Moscow, San Francisco. A final decision on the host city for the 2015 World Expo will be made by The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) at its General Assembly in February 2008. |
