City of Calgary officials have earmarked then as the most likely time for the vote over the future involvement in the bid.

The plebiscite will only move forward, however, should the Council agree to continue pursuing the Olympic bid.

Evan Woolley, chair of the City's Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Oversight Committee, claimed earlier this month that the result of the public ballot would be binding.

Councillors are due to hold another vote on whether to proceed in June after studying more details about the potential financial implications of hosting the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1988.

A decision has yet to be taken on the question which will be asked to voters, however a proposal has been floated.

The proposed questions is: "Do you support or do you oppose The City of Calgary's participation in hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?"

Potential answers would be either "Yes, I support The City of Calgary's participation" or "No, I oppose The City of Calgary's participation".

The Canadian city is also seeking to secure local input for its potential bid, with officials considering public hearings.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi opposed the idea of holding the hearings, but other means of gathering feedback are expected to be considered.

"If we're doing the plebiscite, the public hearing is just window dressing," Nenshi said, according to CBC.

"It's a lot of time, it's a lot of work, it's a lot of money to organise that.

"It's very difficult for people who are working to come down to the city.

"So you never get a full cross-section of people."

In 2017, the Bid Exploration Committee, which has so far spent CAD$5.2 million (£3 million/$4 million/€3.5 million) on exploring the possibility of a bid, estimated that the Games would cost $4.6 billion (£2.6 billion/€3.6 billion/€3 billion).

That budget could be revised next month, however, when an update is expected to be given.

Sion in Switzerland, Graz in Austria, Sapporo in Japan, Erzurum in Turkey and Stockholm in Sweden are among the other contenders for the 2026 Games, as well as a joint Italian bid from Milan, Turin and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Sion in Switzerland must also face a referendum.

A host city is due to be chosen by the International Olympic Committee in 2019.