J.J. Adams: David Eby says he wants the MLS and Whitecaps to say exactly what they need to stay in Vancouver, and see if there’s a way to quell the relocation rumours<\/p>\n
Get the latest from J.J. Adams straight to your inbox Sign Up <\/p>\n
Published Apr 29, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 2\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 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 Chris May likes to joke that he once got to run away and join the circus.<\/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. 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 SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/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. 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 In the years prior to becoming the general manager of B.C. Place<\/a>, he had a five-year run at Cirque Du Soleil, and now, it seems, he\u2019s just exchanged one circus for another.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The GM is stuck between the province, who own and operate the stadium through the B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), and its unhappy main tenants in the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are at risk of being moved out of town.<\/p>\n Ask unhappy soccer fans about the situation, watching the province, Whitecaps and Major League Soccer all negotiate through the media \u2014 while also doing it at the table \u2014\u00a0and they\u2019d likely say everyone involved are all clowns.<\/p>\n At its simplest level, the Whitecaps said they can\u2019t make enough money under the current lease agreement they have with PavCo. With no takers for the team since it was put on the block a year ago, the burning possibility of the club relocating hit a flashpoint this week with the news MLS was exploring the possibility of moving the club to Las Vegas, among other cities.<\/p>\n The team signed a one-year lease under new terms that would increase their revenue by around $3M, with the province offering up any profits generated by Caps games, along with an increased share of advertising and concessions. The team said it has a target of $40M.<\/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 Internally, the Whitecaps have discussed the idea of taking over the management of B.C. Place<\/a>, and are confident they could run it more efficiently \u2014 and profitably \u2014 than the province. They would act as the landlords, holding total control of scheduling of all events, from the CFL and B.C. Lions games to concerts and trade shows.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Ravi Kahlon, the provincial minister of jobs and economic growth, said he would be happy to hear any proposal the team has \u2014 but none had yet been tabled. Same for Premier David Eby, who said on Tuesday he was set to meet with MLS commissioner Don Garber.<\/p>\n Eby was asked about the Caps taking over the stadium, though it was unclear if the question referred to managing the facility or buying it outright.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not on the table,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I would say the simple reason for that is Whitecaps have shown absolutely no interest in taking over B.C. Place,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a money-maker for the province. It\u2019s an important, critical institution, I would say, for hosting many events, including Lions and Whitecaps games.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be asking (Garber), what is it? Can we get a specific proposal from you or from the Whitecaps team about what it will take to stay and to do our best to see what we can do? \u2026 We have to be creative and be cooperative in this project of keeping the Whitecaps here. That\u2019s the goal of everybody, and certainly Mr. Kahlon and his team working hard on that today for the government.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n To every Whitecaps fan in B.C. \u2014 I hear you, and I see your passion. <\/p>\n We are fighting to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver. The province is at the table, working to find a solution to keep our beloved club in Vancouver. pic.twitter.com\/rPRn5LN2hu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 David Eby (@Dave_Eby) April 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Premier cited the Columbus Crew as a positive example of a club that was facing relocation, but found a solution to keep the team in the city. The difference in that case was the league was sued to keep the team in Columbus under the Art Modell law \u2014 a statute that prevented professional sports teams that use tax-supported facilities from relocating without proper notice and an opportunity for local ownership to purchase the team. MLS found a way to wriggle out of it without having to go to court, giving then-owner Anthony Precourt an expansion franchise in Austin, and selling the Crew to the Haslam family \u2014 owner of the Cleveland Browns.<\/p>\n Eby says he\u2019s sympathetic to Caps fans, whose \u201cSave the Caps\u201d campaign has been taken up by Columbus fans as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been hearing from fans who are trying to save the Caps, and I get it. There\u2019s frustration amongst supporters, and I get it because I was in the stands with them for the last 10 years when the team was struggling to get the wins,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were all chanting, \u2018we believe the team will win,\u2019 when deep down, we didn\u2019t really believe the team would win, but we did that because we supported the team.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cAnd to see the team now become successful, and then all of a sudden, now the value is at its highest, and the owner is saying they want to sell. That is a frustrating thing for supporters of the team to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n Time is running out. The league will kick off a shortened 14-week season in February 2027, then is pivoting to a summer-to-spring format later that year. Schedules need to be drawn up. The one-year lease the team has signed will have expired. Same with the Memorandum of Understanding to look at building a stadium on the site of the former Hastings Racetrack.<\/p>\n Eby says the province has been an open book, and now it\u2019s the team\u2019s turn. Though by admitting the stadium doesn\u2019t generate big profits, it perhaps opens the door for the MLS club.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have renegotiated a contract that they had for more than a decade. They\u2019ve seen a $2 million reduction in their costs. We\u2019ve seen additional million dollars in revenue for them, so $3 million in total, and we\u2019re still at the table wanting to work with them, because it has to be reasonable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know two things about professional sports teams: It\u2019s about the passion and love of the team, of the game.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to make a lot of money, typically, buying a professional sports team is not necessarily the avenue to do that, but these are also for-profit entities. There is a hope to make a (financial) return, to make money. I don\u2019t blame anyone for negotiating hard. All I ask is that they bring forward a proposal from their perspective, what it will take to stay, and then the province will see what is possible, where we can be creative and try to find a path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n May walked a careful line when asked about the Whitecaps potentially taking over the building\u2019s management.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always going to be a challenge to run a really profitable business when your mandate is one that includes community impact and things like this as part of what you have to deliver,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think the important thing to focus on is that it\u2019s a public building that\u2019s owned by the people of British Columbia. And every British Columbian has a right to come and enjoy B.C. Place as much as any other.<\/p>\n \u201cWe run that stadium as a multi-purpose facility that supports soccer, that supports football, concerts, trade shows, community events, and that\u2019s the focus: to provide a B.C. Place for all British Columbians. So my hope is that any operator, including PavCo, would always look at that facility as a place for all British Columbians to provide all types of event experience as an opportunity, not just one.\u201d<\/p>\n jadams@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Provincial government ready to hear Whitecaps’ proposal to run B.C. Place<\/p>\n![\"Whitecaps](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SOC-MLS-Vancouver-Fans-20260417.jpg\")
The Whitecaps are the No. 1 team in the league with one of its biggest stars in Thomas M\u00fcller. Can they also become a profitable facilities manager? Photo by Darryl Dyck\/CP \/PNGArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.1.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777524070_693_soc-mls-vancouver-fans-20260425_302789385-e1777217739798.jpg\")
Vancouver Whitecaps fans hold signs before the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids in Vancouver, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS \/THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n![\"Canucks](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.1.1\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-vs-canucksReport.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69efcc0c06bd0c40f8d24e17jpeg.jpg\")
Vancouver Whitecaps fans hold signs before the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Colorado Rapids in Vancouver, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS \/THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777524072_956_soc-mls-vancouver-fans-20260425_302789385-e1777217739798.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777524072_310_soc-mls-vancouver-fans-20260425_302790043.jpg\")
<\/p>\n