VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is demanding Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim follow Toronto’s lead, immediately release all contracts with FIFA and be more transparent about the World Cup’s expected costs. 

“With other host cities like Toronto and Seattle releasing their contracts with FIFA, there’s absolutely no excuse for Sim’s secrecy,” said Carson Binda, CTF B.C. Director. “Sim must stop the secrecy, be up front with taxpayers and release the unredacted contracts.” 

Vancouver, along with 15 other host cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico, is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Vancouver will host seven of the 104 games. 

In March 2023, a heavily-redacted contract was released to a Vancouver journalist in response to a freedom-of-information request. Nearly every page of the contract was redacted in its entirety. 

In 2022, the provincial government pegged the cost of hosting the seven FIFA games between $140 and $160 million. Tourism and Sports Minister Lana Popham has since said those costs have “changed substantially,” but the government hasn’t provided taxpayers with updated numbers.

“Taxpayers have every right to know how much we’re paying to host seven soccer games,” Binda said. “The city and province must be transparent with taxpayers instead of hiding the details.”