New documents show that the federal government liked Edmonton Expo 2017 bid, but still decided to yank their support. The documents come from an internal review done by Canadian Heritage on the city bid. And they show very few items were flagged by the government as a problem.
No mention was given on security budget issues, which the heritage minister blamed when he pulled the federal government's support back in November. The government claimed security costs could have soared into the hundreds of millions.
The internal review shows that Edmonton's bid is "solid, comprehensive and professional."
Only two issues were raised, which included the theme and the deficit guarantor.
A review summary point does raise the possibility that the federal government is spending a significant amount of money in Western Canada, which could lead to similar request from Eastern Canada.
The findings aren't sitting well with the mayor.
"All the info we received during the discussions with the administration and with various ministers was that this was not a project to move ahead. And then election time came and they became concerned about what might or might not be reflected in terms of east versus west," said Mayor Stephen Mandel.
The city and the province spent $3.5 million on the bid.
Mandel says he would like an apology from the federal government for the trouble they put the city through. He maintains this is in the past and it's time to move on.
With files from Kim Taylor
