The Whitecaps haven’t yet shown the province a plan to take over B.C. Place, Ravi Kahlon says<\/p>\n
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Published Apr 28, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.<\/p>\n If the Vancouver Whitecaps really do want to take on the challenge of running B.C. Place<\/a>, the province is all ears.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n So says Ravi Kahlon, minister of jobs and economic growth. Kahlon has been handling the B.C. Place<\/a> file.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, we\u2019ve heard from the Whitecaps that they want their own stadium and they wanted to consider going to the PNE,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve told them we would support them. Obviously we would like them to stay in B.C. Place, but we\u2019d support them (going to the PNE). There has been no proposal from the Whitecaps on them taking over B.C. Place. We have opened our books to them so they understand the costs to operate the building. They understand the debt servicing. We have millions of dollars we\u2019ve spent to fix the stadium up.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they have not proposed that.\u201d<\/p>\n Kahlon\u2019s response comes a day after The Athletic reported that Major League Soccer has begun discussing relocation scenarios<\/a> for the Whitecaps if they are unable to come up with a solution for their current situation. The club\u2019s ownership has been looking publicly for new ownership for more than a year and a half, and has also said that remaining at B.C. Place in its current arrangement is not viable. The team\u2019s lease has been at very low cost since the Whitecaps joined MLS in 2011, with the stadium operator PavCo retaining the bulk of food and beverage and stadium sponsorship revenues. The Whitecaps have retained the bulk of ticket sales revenues.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n With operating costs in MLS surging in recent seasons, chiefly due to player and travel costs, the Whitecaps say they now lose millions of dollars each season and ownership can\u2019t carry on. Before this current season, the province and the team agreed on a new one-year lease for the team to play at B.C. Place, with the province agreeing to return all profits generated by Whitecaps games to the team in an effort to help reduce their operating deficit. These profits include concession sales and parking.<\/p>\n Last year, the province said the Whitecaps generated just $1.5 million in profits; Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster has suggested that the team has a target of increasing their own revenues by $40 million, which would put them roughly league average.<\/p>\n Beyond the initial shift of revenues agreed to earlier this year, Kahlon revealed Tuesday to Postmedia that the provincial government has since agree to shift advertising revenues as well, bringing the total that is being delivered to the team up to $3 million.<\/p>\n MLS commissioner Don Garber first intimated that he thought a solution to keep the team in the short term at B.C. Place would be for the team to take on a management contract for the stadium as a whole. The idea has remained a persistent talking point inside the Whitecaps, and even among fans \u2014 Kahlon is a Whitecaps season ticket holder \u2014 but Kahlon insisted he has not had a formal proposal put to him.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s what they\u2019re looking for,\u201d he said, \u201cthey need to put a proposal forward that comes with debt servicing. It can\u2019t be us investing millions in a roof and fixing the stadium and them saying \u2018OK we\u2019ll take the profits.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to see what their plan would look like, because we don\u2019t want to be stuck holding the bag if they were sold,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n There are examples from elsewhere in MLS of teams running publicly-owned stadium, like in Toronto where the owners of Toronto FC, MLSE, run BMO Field, or in Portland, where the Timbers run Providence Park, or in Seattle, where the Seattle Sounders and the NFL\u2019s Seattle Seahawks run Lumen Field. There\u2019s also a good example in Germany, where Eintracht Frankfurt took over Deutsche Bank Park in 2020 and have turned it into a success story. Deutsche Bank Park is considered B.C. Place\u2019s cousin as they have the same roof system.<\/p>\n All this said, Kahlon said the Whitecaps have been good to deal with. They have discussed how other stadiums are run, he acknowledged.<\/p>\n \u201cAxel and his team have been very professional,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working on that because we want to make sure that the numbers that they\u2019re presenting are accurate. The team also says they\u2019re losing money. We have no line of sight of their costs. They haven\u2019t shared their structure, how much debt they\u2019ve accumulated. And so these are things we would want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf they had a proposal that they felt, you know, would solve their issues, we\u2019d love to see it. We haven\u2019t seen that yet. They\u2019ve raised issues, good issues, with parking, concessions and advertising. And we\u2019ve been addressing them as we hear them.\u201d<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Whitecaps to Las Vegas? 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