Nova Scotia’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games was over before it began. In a surprise announcement, the province and Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly pulled their financial support for the event, estimated to cost $1.7 billion — more than double the original estimate.

No one was more surprised at the announcement than Halifax’s city council, which was just going into an in camera session to see the revised bid estimate for the first time. Before it had a chance to begin the conclave, however, the provincial government issued a news release saying the bid was over.

Many would say the writing had been on the wall for some time. Since Halifax was put forward as a Games contender, there have been those who felt the international competition was too rich for the city’s blood. Dubbed the “naysayers” and the “malcontents” by the Commonwealth cheerleaders, this increasingly vocal group found itself growing in numbers over the past few months — and money was the issue that accounted for the group’s new-found popularity.

Ever since the city, the province and the federal government announced that Halifax would be one of three candidates — along with Glasgow, Scotland, and Abuja, Nigeria — to host the Games, the first question everyone asked was: “How much will it cost?”

Until last month, that question was deftly sidestepped. Instead of looking at cash outlay, the naysayers and malcontents were told to look at cash inflow. Halifax would become the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Those rewards were said to include a legacy of sport and training facilities, enhanced tourism and economic opportunities.

So, how could anyone say “no” to nirvana? Well, at $758 million, the original estimate for hosting the Games, there were those who felt Utopia was overrated and well outside the city’s and the province’s pocketbooks. There was also skepticism that this number did not reflect reality.

That skepticism proved to be reality. When the final estimate was revealed in early March, it was closer to $2 billion. That figure proved to be the tipping point. The federal government had made it clear from the start that it would contribute $400 million and no more. The province was in for $300 million. In the wake of the new numbers, Premier Rodney MacDonald scrambled — unsuccessfully — to get the feds to up the ante. He also admitted the price was too rich for provincial coffers. Halifax also concurred — at least, its mayor did.

Now that the bid is dead, there is concern that the decision was made too hastily and too secretly. The issue of openness has been a sore spot from the outset. Halifax Deputy Mayor Sue Uteck is calling for a public inquiry. She’s particularly ticked at her boss. “The mayor sold us out — hook, line and sinker,” Uteck told reporters after the announcement. “We got set up like ducks.”

Well, the ducks are now quacking and they’re getting some interesting support. Mayor Kelly and the provincial government, while not endorsing a full-out inquiry into what went so wrong, have publicly asked that all information related to the 2014 Games bid be released to the public.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. Organizers are clearly devastated and annoyed. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, Fred MacGillivray, chairman of the bid committee, lamented: “What a dark day for Halifax. What a dark day for Nova Scotia. What a dark day for Canada.”

Since then, little light has been shed on the issue. Indeed, Andrew Pipe, president of Commonwealth Games Canada, called the situation “absolutely baffling.”

It’s unlikely the controversy will be resolved to anyone’s satisfaction. But there is one thing on which everyone agrees: Halifax has egg on its face. In fact, it has the whole henhouse. To lose the bid is one thing, but to never get out of the starting gate is amateur. IE