The glass panels that line the hall at Vancouver’s Plaza of Nations are boarded up, the flag poles that lead to its main entrance bear no flags.
Nearby resident Isaac Jeffs walks his dog through the vacant square, wondering why the space has gone quiet.
“I feel like nothing really happens here,” he said.
Forty years ago, it was the opposite. The plaza was a central hub during Expo 86. It had an amphitheatre — a site of concerts and public ceremonies. It also housed the B.C. Pavilion, the province’s showcase that served up a theatre, musicals, food, and dance to fairgoers.
The Plaza of Nations was a central gathering hub for the Expo 86 world’s fair. (City of Vancouver archives)
In the decades since, the property and its remaining structures have been subject to legal battles, planned redevelopments, and a recent sale.
“They’ve been undeveloped for the full 40 years, which is kind of an unbelievable outcome, which is certainly not something the Expo developers had in mind,” said Geoff Meggs, a former Vancouver city councillor.
The former Expo property is owned by Northchild Group, an international development firm that says it is in the early stages of a planned redevelopment of the site. The firm hasn’t put forward any project applications to the city.
“The project remains in early planning, focused on gathering input and refining a long-term vision that contributes meaningfully to the city and surrounding community,” a spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement to CBC News.
Crowds pass through the Plaza of Nations, covered by a glass roof, during Expo 86. (City of Vancouver archives)Welcome to Expo
The Plaza of Nations was among the many cornerstones of Expo 86 — a world’s fair that ran from May 2 to Oct. 13, 1986.
“This was the beating heart of Expo 86,” said Meggs, standing in the plaza. “There were a lot of people coming and going.”
Musicians perform in the Plaza of Nations during Expo 86. (City of Vancouver archives)
Crowds visiting the site could expect to be greeted by Expo Ernie, the fair’s official mascot. A glass roof was built overtop of the plaza.
“There was a monorail going overhead, pavilions all around us from various parts of the world, entertainment from a small amphitheatre that would continue to be an amphitheatre for many, many, many years afterwards,” said Meggs.
Thousands of people gathered at the Plaza of Nations in April 1993 to protest property tax surcharges imposed by the provincial government of the time. (City of Vancouver archives)
“This was really the centre of a lot of the action, and in the middle of the grounds.”
Timeline
When the world’s fair ended, the provincial government of the time pledged to keep the Plaza of Nations and B.C. Pavilion open to the public. Years later, the land was sold by the B.C. Development Corporation to Canadian Metropolitan Properties (CMP), a development corporation owned by Singaporean billionaire Hong Leong Oei.
Live music and performances at the outdoor venue continued, while bars and clubs operated out of commercial space. In 2004, Vancouver city council approved a casino in the Enterprise Hall as an interim use.
A 2005 land use study of the property denied the owner’s proposal to add residential units and reduce entertainment uses at the site. It concluded that any redevelopment of the site should preserve the Expo legacy buildings and that the owner should work in conjunction with adjacent property owners, Concord Pacific, to come up with a comprehensive development plan that ensured “neighbourhood livability.”
Fences and mobile trailers are pictured as FIFA crews install infrastructure at the Plaza of Nations in preparation for the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver on May 1, 2026. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A year later, the glass roof was found to be unsafe and later torn down.
In 2017, the Parq Casino opened nearby, replacing the Edgewater Casino that operated inside the Enterprise Hall.
In 2020, CMP applied for a sweeping redevelopment of the site, which included terraced buildings of up to 30 storeys, hundreds of units, a civic centre, and a community plaza.
A satellite map of Vancouver’s Plaza of Nations highlights key features and buildings (City of Vancouver)Future plans
In the years that followed, the property became embroiled in a lengthy court battle between the owner and Concord Pacific, uncovering the two sides had agreed upon terms for a $500-million redevelopment of the site. The court ruled the agreement was never legally binding and Oei was awarded millions in legal costs.
An artist’s rendering of a since scrapped plan to redevelop the Plaza of Nations. (Canadian Metropolitan Properties/City of Vancouver)
Last year, the property was sold to Northchild Group, an international development firm with offices in Vancouver, the United States, the U.K. and Australia. Miao Yang is listed as the company’s director.
The company has scrapped previous designs.
“Previous concepts were explored but are no longer being advanced, as the project has moved into a broader, early-stage planning phase. We’ll share more details as plans evolve,” the firm told CBC News.
WATCH | Plaza of Nations sits vacant:
Plaza of Nations sits largely vacant 40 years since Expo 86
It’s been 40 years since Expo 86 and one central landmark remains largely vacant. The Plaza of Nations was home to the B.C. Pavilion, a premier showcase during the fair. As the CBC’s Jon Hernandez reports the site remains but has been used less and less over the years.
Meggs said there’s opportunity to build something special for the neighbourhood that’s in line with the plaza’s legacy — especially since the adjacent property owned by Concord Pacific, also largely vacant since Expo 86, is in the early stages of redevelopment for a long-awaited housing and entertainment district.
“I’d like to see both companies move forward as quickly as possible. Just the investment they would make to build would really help the economy of the province, it would be billions of dollars in construction,” said Meggs.
“It would be a brand new park in the middle of the city, and it would complete a project that frankly many people thought should be done a long time ago.”
The Plaza of Nations is seen from above in this drone shot. (Ben Nelms/CBC)