Posted Apr 28, 2026, 8:08 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: East Vancouver (No longer across the ocean!)
Posts: 3,665
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jollyburger
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Politics seem to happen fast when a sports team is involved:
Quote:
Vancouver mayor urging BC Place to make a deal with the Whitecaps
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is urging BC Place to make a deal with the Vancouver Whitecaps to keep them in the city.
“The City of Vancouver has done its part to create a path forward for the team’s future here by offering prime space at Hastings Park for the Whitecaps to construct a new stadium and entertainment district,” Sim said in a statement.
“Now, we face the difficult part.”
BC Place is owned and operated by the B.C. government.
“In order for the team to stay in Vancouver, the Whitecaps and Province must sign a bridge deal that will allow BC Place to become viable in the near term while a new stadium can be designed and built,” Sim said in the statement.
When asked on Tuesday about the possibility of buying the Whitecaps, Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s jobs and economic growth minister, said the province wasn’t willing to do that.
“I’ve been getting messages from Whitecaps fans saying that B.C. should just give BC Place to the Whitecaps. The management has not asked for that,” he said.
“We’ve opened up our books. They see the numbers. They see we’re breaking even with the agreement that we have with them and at no time have they come forward and said here’s our proposal for that.”
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https://globalnews.ca/news/11820840/vancouver-mayor-urging-bc-place-deal-whitecaps/
Then later:
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Minister says B.C. government won't buy Whitecaps, but will help MLS team cut costs
VICTORIA — British Columbia’s government says it is working with the Vancouver Whitecaps to help the team lower costs and generate more revenue at BC Place — but it won’t be buying the Major League Soccer team to prevent it from moving cities.
Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, says the team is now using the stadium at no cost, and any breaks that the team received this year could be extended for another year.
The Whitecaps and the provincial government — which owns BC Place through the provincial Crown corporation PavCo — signed a one-year lease earlier this year, which annually returns to the club about $1-1.5 million that the province makes from hosting.
Kahlon, a longtime season-ticket holder, says the province has also helped the team generate more revenue from concession sales and advertising, adding that the province is open to exploring other revenue sources.
The Athletic reported Monday that the league has told owners around the league that it is exploring relocation of the Whitecaps, with Las Vegas being the top candidate.
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https://www.tsn.ca/soccer/mls/article/mi...tecaps-but-will-help-mls-team-cut-costs/
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