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Why a Zine? The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup (FWC26) came to Vancouver with promises of celebration, opportunity, and lasting community benefits. For months, the tournament was presented as a chance to put Vancouver on the world stage, bring people together, and generate economic and social benefits that would extend well beyond the event’s conclusions. But as the tournament approached, and as Vancouver prepared for and hosted its seven matches—and celebrated the other 97 from afar—another set of questions became increasingly difficult to ignore: Who was this event for? Who benefited from it? Who carried its costs? And whose voices shaped the decisions that mattered most? This zine brings together a collection of perspectives that ask those questions from different angles. The project began with a set of initial concerns identified by people who, as excitement for the tournament grew, started to question some of the claims that had been made by event organizers about the benefits that the FWC26 would bring to Vancouver. This work was then continued by students in a course at Capilano University, whose research projects examined the impacts of the FWC26 on resident and visitor safety, youth soccer, small businesses, artists, public space, and the environment. We have brought that research together with the work of local organizations that spent months advocating for communities affected by the tournament, and supplemented it with analysis emerging from the FIFA Impacts Conference hosted at Simon Fraser University in April, 2026.

Foreword by Myles de Jong

Many of the concerns raised in these pages were not new. Community organizations, researchers, workers, and advocates had begun identifying potential problems and proposing alternatives well before the tournament arrived in Vancouver. There were also concrete ideas for how the FWC26 might contribute to housing, accessibility, youth sport, local economies, environmental sustainability, and community wellbeing—many of which can be traced back to Vancouver’s own experiences of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Yet, identifying solutions is different from having the collective power to make them happen. And so, Vancouver’s experience of the FWC26 raises important questions about how community voices are organized, how they interact with governments and event organizers, and what structural barriers make it difficult for diverse groups with differing— and, sometimes, competing—interests to translate their collective concerns into public policy and meaningful change. The pieces that follow do not provide all the answers. Instead, they document some of the experiences, concerns, research, organizing, and ideas that can help us ask better questions. Taken together, they offer a starting point for a broader conversation about who our city is built for—and who gets to shape its future.

Table of Contents

I. From Witnesses to Authors • While Vancouver Hosted FIFA, We Watched • Safety for Whom

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• Can FIFA 2026 Create a Lasting Youth Soccer Legacy . . . . . 10 • Game Day or Pay Day? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 • The Sound of the Streets

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• A Full House, But No Windfall

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• Sound of the Cup

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• Bottled Up: Using Sustainability as a Marketing Stunt

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• Recommendations: Putting the Community First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good? • Security costs drive B.C.’s FIFA World Cup price tag higher • Two years later, affordable housing remains scarce • Ten years into B.C.’s ongoing toxic drug crisis

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• “This doesn’t redistribute pipes. This redistributes deaths.”

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III. Mitigating Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations • Ayx Community Bus

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• Good Night Out

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• Pivot Legal Society •

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Voor Urban Labs: The FIFA Impacts Conference . . . . 42 NOTE: All characters and businesses depicted in this zine are illustrated for narrative purposes and do not represent the real individuals or establishments interviewed except where expressly noted.

I. From Witnesses to Authors

section

What happens when a global mega-event comes to your city? These Capilano University student research projects set out to find answers. Examining the impacts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on safety, youth soccer, small businesses, artists, public space, and the environment, their work emerged from an interdisciplinary course co-taught by five instructors. Contributors:

Chris Carnovale, Ruby Erck, Alexa Marano, Asmi Toor Sogi, Yuji Hyde, Gurkirat Kaur, Caitlin Wallin, Gurmanjeet Singh, Anna Li, and the Capilano University TOUR 370—Special Topics in Tourism Management: Impacts of FIFA Vancouver Class.

2026 FIFA impacts

While Vancouver Hosted FIFA, We Watched Introduction

By Chris Carnovale (he/him) // Faculty, School of Tourism Management

As local restaurants finalized strategies to attract cheering fans and the city put the finishing touches on Vancouver’s FIFA makeover, something different was taking shape at Capilano University. In partnership with Voor Urban Labs, CapU was developing a course that would position students not simply as spectators of the FIFA World Cup, but as observers, monitors and witnesses. TOUR 370—Special Topics in Tourism Management: The Impacts of FIFA Vancouver was built around a simple idea: a mega-event this large cannot be understood through a single academic discipline. The course was open to students from across Capilano University and delivered through an interdisciplinary, co-taught model. Five instructors brought five very different perspectives to the same question:

What happens when a mega event like FIFA comes to a city? Jeff Wahl (Faculty of Global & Communities Studies, School of Tourism) examined megaevents as spaces of social conflict and contestation. Brian Ganter (Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Humanities) explored masculinity, queerness and the cultural politics of soccer. Alana Schick (Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Depts. of Biology, Computing and Data Science) examined environmental impacts, sustainability and greenwashing. Sean Ashley (Faculty of Arts & Sciences, School of Social Sciences, Criminology, Sociology) focused on surveillance and security, while Majid Raja (Faculty of Business & Professional Studies, School of Business) interrogated the economic promise of mega-events and the more complicated question

of who actually benefits.

The timing was deliberate. The academic modules were completed before the tournament, while assignments and observations stretched across the period before, during and after the matches. The course also coincided with the FIFA Impacts Conference hosted by Voor Urban Labs (see page 42), exposing students to perspectives from international and local community organizers, academics, journalists, NGOs and government. By the time FIFA arrived, students had a toolkit of ideas and questions they could take into their FIFA experience. Then theory was taken to the street. Students watched Vancouver transform through street celebrations, fan-fests and public spaces, security measures, temporary infrastructure, businesses preparing for crowds and a city presenting itself to the world. But they were being asked to look beyond the spectacle. Who participated? Who benefited? Who carried the costs? Whose voices were heard? What claims stood up to scrutiny? And what would remain when FIFA left? The interdisciplinary nature of the class made those questions even more interesting. Students came from The Schools of Tourism Management, Kinesiology, Early Childhood Care and Education, Motion Picture Arts, Communications, Business and other programs. Each brought a different way of seeing the same event. From the unique perspectives carried by the students in the course and into the event, there would be no single FIFA experience.

Introduction: I. From Witnesses to Authors

From Witnesses to Authors That brings us to this ZINE produced by

the Capilano Courier. Throughout the course, students were positioned as observers, monitors and witnesses. Some of the articles in this Zine are the product of what was asked of and reflected on by the students.

Their task was not simply to describe what happened. It was to identify a meaningful story, question, tension or contradiction and explain why it matters. Who benefited? Who was left out? What surprised us? What should Vancouver learn from the experience? The result is not intended to be a definitive verdict on FIFA 2026. Instead, it is a collection

of perspectives from undergraduate students who had the unusual opportunity to study a global megaevent while it unfolded around them. The matches are over. Visitors have gone home. Temporary installations are disappearing, streets are returning to normal, and the FIFA grass has already been ripped out as the BC Lions (and hopefully the Whitecaps) return to their regular old turf. But the impacts, and the questions surrounding them, do not disappear quite as quickly. Years from now, this ZINE may become one small part of the historical record of what FIFA 2026 meant to Vancouver—not from FIFA, the city or the highlight reels—but from the students who were watching.

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Safety for Whom By Ruby Erck

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring with it to Vancouver an increased level of surveillance that will not only impact football fans and spectators, but also the general population of Vancouver—whether they agree with the tournament or not. The city is expecting an influx of 350,000 visitors during the approximately five-week period. This will require an increase in security measures for the safety and well-being of Vancouver residents and soccer fans alike, but what these measures look like exactly will have an impact beyond safety and come with their own set of risks that begs the question: safety for whom at the expense of who else? Head of security for the event, Deputy Chief Don Chapman of the Vancouver Police Department, lists public drunkenness, drones, and fraud as concerns during the event. To mitigate these concerns and gain control of the mass crowds expected, two principal methods of surveillance will be deployed: physical surveillance—including CCTV cameras, drones, police officers and dogs—and controlled flow of pedestrian traffic. The FIFA zones include the surrounding areas of BC Place Stadium, the FIFA Fan Festival at Hastings Park, and the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone. Given the small size of our city, these changes will likely impact all Vancouver residents, and subject many to surveillance they may often be unaware of. The CCTV cameras are of particular concern. The installation of an estimated 200 new security cameras in addition to the integration of 500 to 1,000 existing cameras will be utilized for the duration of the tournament, as well as drones, capturing images of fans and residents who may not be aware of their presence. While some members of the public feel positive about this surveillance, others are skeptical. The treatment of data collected by these cameras is a controversial issue. While the Vancouver Host Committee claims “access to surveillance footage will be limited to authorized personnel and handled in line with city policy and privacy law”, they also mentioned that “[f]ootage will be shared as needed with FIFA and security contractors”, which could change the reality of the privacy law protection. Because FIFA is not a Canadian corporation, their treatment of data is governed by different laws.

I. From Witnesses to Authors

Aislin Jackson, Policy Staff Counsel of the BC Civil Liberties Association, pointed out that it is concerning when data moves outside of the boundaries of the country because other jurisdictions have less privacy protective legislation than Canada. Considering that FIFA is not a Canadian public body—and security contractors may or may not be based inside of Canada—the personal information of Canadian civilians and tourists could be exposed to underregulated third party entities with no obligation for accountability. The surveillance footage will likely be utilised to enforce the collection of temporary Bylaw amendments in effect during the tournament, from May 13, 2026, to July 20, 2026. The responsibility of Vancouver to comply with FIFA’s host city expectations will partially fall on local business owners through these bylaws which will put community members at risk for significant fines if they fail to comply. The time in which Building owners or tenants are required to remove graffiti is reduced from 10 days to 24 hours with the city having the power to remove the graffiti themselves at the cost of the owner or occupant if they fail to comply within a “reasonable time and in a reasonable manner” (2026 FIFA World Cup By-Law 21). Street vending within exclusion areas “without written permission from the general Manager, Engineering Services” will be prohibited. The display of “advertising matter” which is defined as “anything capable of use or used to convey information or direct or attract attention for a commercial purpose, including advertisement, business promotion, or promotion of a product, activity, or service” will be prohibited during FIFA (2026 FIFA World Cup By-Law 24). These bylaws indicate a shift of power in which FIFA, an international corporation, rather than the democratically elected Canadian and British Columbian government dictates the actions and behaviour of Vancouver citizens. Failure to comply with the previously mentioned bylaws could result in $1,000 fines given at the discretion of Vancouver law enforcement—a significant amount for any business owner, street vendor or average Vancouver resident (2026 FIFA World Cup By-Law 27).

Vancouver Transit Police, Delta Police Department, Calgary Police Department and Edmonton Police Department. 800 police officers from outside jurisdictions are being brought in for the event with deployment reaching an estimated 1,200 on certain days. This sets a record-setting deployment that surpasses the policing levels seen during the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to CTV News journalist Kraig Krause. In short, the increase in physical presence and surveillance technology will help to minimize safety and security risks—a critical priority for large events. However, the result will also place participating and non-participating Vancouver residents in a heavily surveilled atmosphere, often without their full awareness, and with murky treatment of the surveillance footage.

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“800 police officers from outside jurisdictions are being brought in for the event with deployment reaching an estimated 1,200 on certain days. This set a recordsetting deployment that surpasses the policing levels seen during the 2010 Winter Olympics.” According to CTV News journalist Kraig Krause.

The Vancouver Police Department will be working collaboratively with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Metro 2026 FIFA impacts

Can FIFA 2026 Create Soccer Legacy By Alexa Marano As a youth soccer coach, I noticed a different kind of energy in the youth players while Vancouver hosted the World Cup. Players of all ages were heavily invested in matches, wore different national team jerseys, and imitated plays and players that they had watched. These observations made me wonder whether moments like these would become lasting participation or whether this would disappear once the tournament ends. So, can hosting a mega-event like the FIFA World Cup leave a lasting soccer legacy for youth participation? When cities host mega-events such as the FIFA World Cup, after the event, the conversation often shifts from what happened during the tournament to what happens after it ends. The idea of legacy focuses on these lasting impacts in communities. Many discussions focus on economic benefits, tourism, or new infrastructure but Holger Preuss—German professor for Sport Economy and Sport Management—believes that legacy can be more general than these visible outcomes. Not only is legacy measured by what a city builds or gains during an event, but also by what communities continue to experience afterward. Importantly, as identified by Preuss, these legacies are not always positive. Communities may also face negative aspects of legacy such as underused infrastructure and rising costs. Among the many forms of legacy identified in the literature is sporting legacy, which includes the potential for mega-events to influence long-term sport participation.

I. From Witnesses to Authors

The idea that mega-events can create a sporting legacy is often linked to the “demonstration effect”—where watching professional athletes compete is expected to inspire people to participate themselves— according to a 2015 systematic review on the Olympic Games and sport participation in London. This assumption is one reason cities often view major sporting events as opportunities to increase physical activity and sport involvement. However, other research examined by the 2015 study showed that the relationship between inspiration and participation is more complicated. While events like the FIFA World Cup can create excitement and interest in the sport, the study explains that simply watching athletes does not mean people will start or continue playing. Long-term participation and engagement depend on whether communities have accessible programs, facilities, and pathways that allow interest to become lifelong participation.

a Lasting Youth in Vancouver?

The question I have for Vancouver now becomes whether the city has created the conditions needed for a lasting sporting legacy. After FIFA ended, I looked into some of the initiatives that were introduced to support youth soccer beyond the tournament. For example, FIFA developed the FIFA World Cup 2026 Canada 50/50 Draw to support youth soccer in host cities. In British Columbia, proceeds from this draw are being used toward grassroots infrastructure projects and programming through BC Soccer. This funding is intended to expand opportunities for youth soccer beyond the tournament. Similarly, British Columbia announced $13 million in funding for up to 20 FIFA World Cup legacy mini soccer pitches across the province. These pitches are going to be used to extend access to community sport spaces and help reduce barriers to sport participation.

While B.C.’s investments in mini-pitches and grassroots programming represent important steps toward creating a sporting legacy, a study on leveraging sport events to boost local sport participation—conducted by a team of Canadian and American researchers—suggests that these initiatives must be supported by further planning. Ultimately, FIFA 2026’s sporting legacy should not be determined by the tournament itself, but by how Vancouver chooses to build soccer pathways for future players. For that excitement to become true participation, young players need continued access to affordable programs, quality coaching, safe facilities, and opportunities to develop within the sport. As a coach, I’m particularly interested in whether these opportunities reach young players who may not always see themselves represented in the sport. Vancouver’s investments in grassroots initiatives and community spaces are important steps in supporting youth soccer beyond FIFA. However, it will take time to see whether these efforts create lasting changes for young players and the soccer community. A true youth soccer legacy should not be measured only by attendance numbers, television audiences, or the memories created during the tournament. Instead, it should be measured in whether today’s young fans become tomorrow’s players, coaches, and members of the soccer community. The most meaningful outcome of FIFA 2026 may not be the matches themselves, but whether the passion they created continues to grow for the generations to follow.

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2026 FIFA impacts

What Local Businesses What Local Businesses What Local Businesses really think about really think about really think about FIFA 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA 2026 Written By Asmi Toor Sogi, Written Asmi Toor Sogi, Written ByBy Asmi Toor Sogi, Comic By Andy Poystila Comic Andy Poystila Comic ByBy Andy Poystila

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I. From Witnesses to Authors

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�e ��t ��d��t ��d �t� I w�r��d �u�i�g t�e 2010 O�y��s t�o. ��a��y I w�rk 10 h�u�s a ��y 4 �i��s a ��e�, ��t �t�s ��e� i�c��d t� 5 ��e of t�e ��e�t� �t�s p��y ��c� t�e �a�e ��e�t t�e O�y��s ��s a��u�d a 2 ��e� t�i�g w�i�e F��A �s �t��c��d ��t ��e a ��t lo��e�. Q: D� y�u t�i�k t��t F��A �s �e��i�g l��a� ��i��s� N�t �i��t��, t�e t�u��s a�e� ��e�y��e�s ��e� ��t �e��b��i�g w��c� b�i��s p�e��y of ��i��s t� a�l t�e l��a� �t��s i� t�e a��a� ��t p��s �i�e �u��y a�d �u�t�e� ��e��t ��a��y ��e� ��i�g �s ��c� of t��s w��c� ��s��t ��e� t�e� t�e �a�e �e�e��s� Pr��b�y ��e o��s ��a��y�

A ��t��e� from ��c� I ��d��t ��e a��, �i�e p�a�s ��t I ��s ��i�g t� e�j�y ��e �e t��s� i� ��c�a��e for a f��g�.. t�e ��e a�d ��e��t�i�g� N�w I'm i�t� �e��i�g ��u�f. T�e g��e�n�e�t ��s t��t F��A �s �e��i�g l��a� ��i��, d� y�u �g��e� 100% I w�u�d ��y ��s mo�e t�a� w��t �e �x��d for l��a� ��i��s� D� y�u t�i�k �t�s t�e �e�p�e� Or F��A �s t�e o��a�i��i�n? "�t�s t�e �e�p�e� A�d �t g��s t� "�o��i��s t�e t�e o��a�i��i�n t�o ��e �a��y t��y a�e t�e o��s w�o o��a�i�e �s��t t pro��t-�t�s ��i�g ��e��t�i��, �e��s ��e��t�i�g ��, t�e �e�p�e from a�l y�u kn��, ��t t�e �e�p�e �e�e�" a��u�d t�e w�r�d�" A�e y�u d�i�g ��e��i�e� ��d t��y �i�e ��w ��a�f? �e�i��e��, �s��a��y ��e I ��a��y d� ��g�t s�i��, t�e�e�s a l�t of ��t�a w�rk. T��y a�e �i�i�g ��w �e�p�e �t t�e mo�e�t� A l�t mo�e c��a�i��, a l�t mo�e �a��e a�d w��t n�t�.��t �t �s w��t �t �s� A l�t mo�e c�f��, fo�d o��e�s� ��a�, a�d u�, a l�t of A�e��a�s�

T�e g��e�n�e�t ��s t��t F��A �s �u�po��i�g l��a� ��i��, d� y�u �g��e� I t�i�k �t �e�e��s� T�e�e�s a l�t of p��s t��t a�e i��e (��e� i� t�e ��y) t��t ��e� ��e t�e ��g�t of t�e ��y� I t�i�k �t d��s �e�p ��t ��t� s��e s�a�l ��i��s ��t �t�e�s a�e ��t ��e�, �t�s a 50/50. F�r �e�e t��g�..��t�s ��e� a l�t mo�e ��i��s t�a� ��a��" ��e�y �e�s�n �e i��e��d �g��d on o�e t�i�g� �H� CR��D� H�LP�D �H� �U�INESS. ��t o�i�i��s �i��e��d on w�o ��e��d t�e c��t� ��s �t F��A… or �i�p�y t�e t��a��s of ��t��s w�o �a�e t� �e��b��e� �e�i�d ��e�y g��a� s�o��i�g ��e�t a�e t�e �e�p�e w�o ��e� t�e ��y �u��i�g� ⚽

The Sound By Yuji Hyde of the Streets: How does FIFA Impact Local Artists?

Governments and headlines often tell the FIFA World Cup story through billion-dollar projections and tourism statistics, but they rarely stop to ask the people working on the sidewalks. Through original interviews with local buskers, this article explores how this global mega-event affected the artists performing on Vancouver’s streets, questioning: Did the people who entertained the visitors actually benefit? Before the first goal was scored, the story had already been written. The FIFA World Cup was framed as a billion-dollar opportunity, projecting over $1 billion in added visitor spending, one million extra overnight stays, and thousands of new jobs, according to an economic impact assessment released in June 2026 by BC Stats and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports. The expectation was clear: businesses across the city would benefit as crowds poured into Vancouver. However, this report—which focused on the overall economic benefits for the city and tourism industry—did not examine how those benefits might be experienced by smaller groups whose income depend directly on tips, such as Vancouver’s street performers. To better understand these impacts, my fellow group members and I interviewed several street performers working in downtown Vancouver’s FIFA Fan Zone, a public event area where fans gathered to watch matches and take part in tournament activities. While the government measured success through visitor numbers and economic

I. From Witnesses to Authors

projections, we wanted to understand what success looked like from the perspective of the people performing on the streets. Although every busker experienced the same event, their stories were very different. Yuki the Juggler explained that regular tourism supports street performers more consistently because many FIFA visitors were focused on the games, sports bars, and nearby attractions rather than stopping to watch performances. Gilded “The Gold Statue” Johnson shared a similar experience, observing that many people simply walked past without stopping. In contrast, another performer told us that the street closures and increased pedestrian traffic worked in his favour by bringing larger crowds past his act. What became clear was that there was no single FIFA experience for Vancouver’s street performers. Some performers earned less, some earned more, and others faced challenges accessing their usual performance locations. This suggests that the tournament created both opportunities and challenges depending on the performer, their location, and the type of audience they attracted. Reports of performers being displaced from locations such as Granville Island also highlighted that not everyone experienced the event in the same way.

Before I started the interviews, I assumed bigger crowds meant bigger tips. From the outside, it seemed obvious. However, after speaking with the performers themselves, I realized I had been looking at the tournament throughthe eyes of a spectator instead of the people trying to make a living on the streets. To fairly represent what the street performers told me turned out to be challenging. Some had a great tournament, while others felt they lost out. I didn’t want to pick a side because there wasn’t one. The experiences of these street artists show that the economic success of events like the World Cup cannot be measured only

through visitor spending and hotel stays because those numbers don’t tell us whether the people working the streets of Vancouver actually benefited. In the future, host cities should also consider how closing the street, designated event zones, and crowd behaviour affect smaller independent workers. If local artists are the soul of a city’s culture, they should always be included in mega events rather than left out in the cold.

“Regular tourism brings in the money FIFA brings in the sports crowd. But most people are spending the money on booze than tipping us.” - Yuki the Juggler

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“People are more distracted by the games and milling about.” - Gilded Johnson

“It’s been great! I have a bigger stage and I am making more.” - Jerry

2026 FIFA impacts

A Full House, But What The Club No Windfall reveals about the uneven business impacts Gurkirat Kaur (she/her)

Selecting a restaurant and jazz club situated close to BC Place for this case study— which will be referred to as “The Club”—I anticipated a clear-cut case of success during the FIFA tournament, given its location. With approximately 350,000 spectators expected across Vancouver’s seven FIFA matches, the logic seemed simple: more people in the neighbourhood should mean more customers and more revenue. I visited the restaurant, photographed the surrounding area, and tried to speak with a manager. After following up by email and telephone, I eventually received written answers from a manager at The Club. His answers complicated my original assumption. During our class discussion, I heard that some Vancouver restaurants and entertainment businesses had benefited strongly from FIFA. This made The Club even more interesting to me because its location directly across from BC Place made it look like an obvious success story. My question therefore became: why did The Club not appear to benefit in the same way? More visitors, but the same number of seats According to the manager, the Jazz Club sells out nearly every night, and both rooms often reach capacity during the summer. Every restaurant has limits based on its number of seats, kitchen capacity, staffing, and service time. Therefore, higher demand does not necessarily cause sales to increase at the same rate. Although FIFA may encourage more people to dine there, a huge lineup outside does not guarantee additional profit. The two-and-a-half-hour rush In line with The Club experience during major events at BC Place, the restaurant usually undergoes a rush period about

I. From Witnesses to Authors

of FIFA World Cup 2026

2.5 hours prior to the event, followed by another rush once the event has concluded. Demand therefore arrives in bursts. Guests want to order, eat, pay, and reach the stadium on time, requiring staff to serve a large number of people within a short period.

“The main challenge is getting that many guests in and out in a timely manner for their event.” —Manager at The Club, personal communication. July 6, 2026.

A full restaurant may require additional labour, even if The Club serves no more customers than it would on another busy summer evening. A new customer may replace a regular one The manager also explained that some regular customers avoid The Club during major events because they want to avoid heavy traffic, crowded places, and limited parking options. This is a case of displacement. An event visitor may occupy a table, but a regular customer who would normally have visited may have stayed away. The customer is new, but the sale is not necessarily entirely additional. When soccer temporarily displaced jazz The Club is also a Jazz Club. However, the manager explained that The Club cancelled jazz performances on FIFA game nights because of heavy downtown traffic. This was the most unexpected contradiction in my research. A global entertainment event brought visitors into Vancouver, but the surrounding disruption temporarily displaced a smaller cultural

experience that was already operating beside the stadium. This does not mean that FIFA negatively affected cultural tourism in Vancouver overall. Instead, it demonstrates that a mega-event has the potential to reorganize existing local cultural activity rather than simply adding to it. The hidden cost of two extra minutes One less visible impact involved The Club payment technology. The manager reported that The Club cellular-dependent payment devices slowed when BC Place was full, which he attributed to strain on local data networks. One or two additional minutes at a single table may sound insignificant, but multiplied across a full restaurant during a compressed pre-event rush, those minutes can slow table turnover and increase pressure on employees.

This kind of operational effect is almost invisible in economic forecasts based on visitor spending, tax revenue, and provincial GDP. The Club does not show that FIFA failed to benefit Vancouver businesses Instead, it shows that the benefits were not automatic or experienced equally by every business. The Club was already busy and often close to capacity, while also dealing with concentrated rushes, additional staffing pressure, regular customers staying away, cancelled jazz performances, and slower payment processing. The study I conducted has shown that being close to the action can be both helpful and problematic. On the one hand, it allows a business to gain more visibility and attract more clients due to the proximity to a big event. On the other hand, being close by can bring inconveniences that might prevent the business from profiting. A large crowd outside a business is easy to see, but its actual economic benefit is much harder to measure.

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“The main challenge is getting that many guests in and out in a timely manner for their event.” – Manager at The Club, personal communication, July 6, 2026 CASE STUDY NOTE The Club did not disclose confidential sales, payroll, reservation, or profit records. Therefore, this article cannot determine the restaurant’s exact financial gain or loss. Some of the manager’s comments referred specifically to FIFA game nights, while others reflected The Club’s broader experience during major events at BC Place. 2026 FIFA impacts

Sound Cup of the

By Caitlin

Part 1: Why Does Noise Matter? Wallin Noise pollution is more than an inconvenience. Excessive environmental noise can affect communication, concentration, stress levels, and overall quality of life. Vancouver already regulates excessive environmental noise through Noise Control By-law No. 6555, while allowing temporary exemptions for major public events through noise exception permits. Before FIFA, residents were informed to expect increased activity, concerts, road closures, and larger crowds throughout the tournament.

Part 2: The Story in Numbers By Gurmanjeet Singh Ambient noise levels in downtown Vancouver increased noticeably during FIFA World Cup 2026, rising from an average of 72.7 dB before the tournament to 91.1 dB during it, which is a statistically significant increase even with a small number of measurements. This supported the original hypothesis: large crowds, fan celebrations, and amplified music around BC Place on match days created conditions much louder than typically experienced in the area. The average “during” noise level also exceeded the 70 dB threshold commonly used for community noise and amplified street entertainment guidelines.

I. From Witnesses to Authors

The conversation around event noise was already underway before FIFA. The redesign of the PNE Amphitheatre sparked significant public discussion, with nearby residents expressing concerns about increased neighbourhood noise. In response, the venue incorporated new design features intended to reduce sound travelling beyond the site. These discussions highlighted the ongoing challenge of balancing major events, entertainment, tourism, and community well-being.

Excessive environmental noise can affect communication, concentration, stress levels, and overall quality of life.

Post-tournament measurements were more inconsistent than expected, ranging from 67 dB at Main Street–Science World (where FIFA signage and infrastructure were being removed) to 100 dB on Granville Street during a busy evening with tourists and street performers.

This suggests downtown Vancouver did not immediately return to a single, uniform “normal” noise level after the tournament, but the regular city activity, tourism, and specific measurement locations continued to strongly influence sound levels.

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Note: Measurements were taken at different times of day across visits, which may have added noise variability unrelated to the tournament itself. A repeat study would benefit from more measurements per period, consistent times of day across locations, and multiple readings per visit to improve precision.

2026 FIFA impacts

Bottled Up: Community Submission:

By Anna Li

How FIFA and Coca-Cola Use Sustainability as a Marketing Stunt

Coca-Cola is reported to produce 137 billion single-use plastic bottles every year. Coca-Cola promised:

In reality, Coca-Cola:

For all packaging to be globally recyclable by 2025.

Made their packaging recyclable by design, but is not actually recycling 100% of products in practice due to a lack of global waste management infrastructure and a mixed component design where only the bottle itself is clear PET plastic, while the cap and adhesive labels are not, making recycling costly and limited.

To use 50% recycled materials across all packaging by 2030. To collect all bottles/cans sold by 2030.

For 25% of beverages to be sold in refillable or returnable format by 2030.

Replaced this goal with a scaled-back target of just 35% to 40% recycled materials, now set for 2035. Lowered the threshold down to 70% to 75% of the equivalent number of bottles and cans, while pushing back the timeline to 2035. completely abandoned this objective by late 2024, eliminating it from their website and sustainability initiatives altogether.

I. From Witnesses to Authors

Without corporate action or government intervention, Oceana—an international organization focused on ocean conservation—estimates that by 2030, up to 602,000 metric tons (1.33 billion pounds) of the plastic packaging sold by Coca-Cola annually will become pollution in our waterways and oceans. This amount of plastic could fill the stomachs of over 18 million blue whales. Since 1978, Coca-Cola has held exclusive global beverage rights with FIFA, locking out other vendors and creating a vacuum for mass sales and direct consumption of their products during matches. In June 2026, FIFA initially banned all outside water bottles—including reusable ones— from stadiums, drawing sharp criticism from fans, politicians, and environmental advocates. The decision raised questions about prioritizing commercial interests over environmental concerns, as Coca-Cola owns bottled water brands like Dasani and Smartwater and would benefit from forcing fans to purchase single-use bottles. After public backlash, FIFA reversed course: spectators are now permitted to bring one soft, plastic,

factory-sealed disposable water bottle (up to 20 ounces/590ml) into stadiums, while the ban on hard-sided reusable bottles remains in effect. This final policy contradicts the sustainability pledges of both FIFA and Coca-Cola by mandating single-use plastics while banning reusable alternatives.

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This amount of plastic could fill the stomachs of over 18 million blue whales.

2026 FIFA impacts

Conclusion

For the Next Big Event, We Recommend Putting the Community First By the Capilano University TOUR 370—Special Topics in Tourism Management: Impacts of FIFA Vancouver Class After spending the course observing, questioning, and examining FIFA’s impacts on Vancouver from multiple perspectives, students in Capilano University’s TOUR 370—Special Topics in Tourism Management: Impacts of FIFA Vancouver were asked to look ahead and to share: “What is the one key recommendation you have for the City of Vancouver when hosting future mega-events?” Their responses were clear: start with community. Listen to the people who live here, learn from their experiences, create opportunities for them to participate and benefit, and ensure the impact of a mega-event lasts well beyond the final

whistle. The following recommendations bring together the students’ ideas for how Vancouver can turn future mega-events into opportunities for community benefit, learning, access, and lasting legacy.

1. Put Community Needs at the Centre of Mega-Event Planning

Future mega-events should be planned around the needs, priorities, and well-being of local communities; not simply the operational needs of the event. Community benefit should be treated as a core measure of event success alongside safety, economic impact, and visitor experience.

2. Engage and Learn from Communities Before, During, and After the Event Create meaningful and ongoing opportunities for residents, neighbourhood organizations, businesses, Indigenous communities, and other affected groups to inform event planning and implementation. Engagement should begin early, continue throughout the event, and

I. From Witnesses to Authors

include post-event opportunities to identify what worked, what did not, and what should change for future events. Particular attention should be given to communities directly affected by event related decisions such as road closures, traffic management, security zones, public-space restrictions, and event programming.

6. Create a Sport Access Legacy Establish a dedicated Sport Access Legacy Fund that reduces financial and other barriers to participation, particularly for children and youth. Hosting a major sporting event should create opportunities not only to watch elite sport, but also to participate in it.

3. Create a Community Benefits and Legacy Strategy Require every publicly supported mega-event to have a clearly defined Community Benefits and Legacy Strategy. The strategy should identify specific and measurable ways the event will contribute to residents, neighbourhoods, community organizations, and future generations.

7. Make Mega-Events More Accessible to Local Youth Reserve a meaningful allocation of tickets for free or significantly subsidized distribution to children and youth through schools, community organizations, recreation programs, and other community partners. Access to the event itself should be considered part of its community legacy.

4. Dedicate Event Funding to Community-Led Legacy Projects Require a fixed percentage of event revenues (i.e. ticket purchases) or public event expenditures to support a Community Legacy Fund. Funding should provide opportunities for local non-profits, neighbourhood groups, cultural organizations, sport organizations, and other community initiatives to develop projects that create benefits extending beyond the event itself.

8. Support Independent University and Expert Monitoring Partner with universities, researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, students, and subject-matter experts to independently monitor the social, economic, environmental, cultural, and community impacts of megaevents.

5. Invest in Permanent Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Use mega-events as catalysts for infrastructure that communities need and will continue to use. Investments should connect to the context of the event. For example, a major soccer event could contribute to new or improved all-weather pitches, community fields, and recreation facilities that expand opportunities for youth and community participation.

These partnerships should be designed not simply to evaluate the event, but to learn from it, creating knowledge that can inform future events, public policy, community planning, and Vancouver’s broader approach to hosting major events. 9. Measure Success Through Community Outcomes Expand the definition of mega-event success beyond attendance, tourism expenditures, media exposure, and economic impact. Establish measurable indicators related to community well-being, resident experience, accessibility, sport participation, public infrastructure, environmental outcomes, neighbourhood impacts, and community legacy. 10. Publicly Report and Carry Learning Forward Produce a transparent post-event report documenting community impacts, outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned. Findings should be carried forward into future event planning so that each mega-event builds on the knowledge and experience gained from those that came before.

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2026 FIFA impacts

II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good?

24 section

Vancouver’s experience hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows us what the City, together with support from all other levels of government, can make happen where there is political will. All three levels of government can work together to find a collective $740 million, pass new and extraordinary bylaws, execute a sophisticated marketing campaign, deploy a massive police presence reinforced by outside forces, and shut down city streets when they want to. The same state powers could also be deployed to solve the decade-long toxic drug crisis (rather than campaign against and shutter life-saving overdose prevention sites in the Downtown core), or to ensure housing for all. Instead, those powers were mobilized so that Vancouver could host a weeks-long public spectacle for one of the most corrupt sporting organizations in the world. By Laura Macintyre FIFA on the Block: The Post-Mortem, published on August 25, 2026, at pivotlegal.org.

2026 FIFA impacts

Security costs drive

B.C.’s FIFA World Cup price tag higher By Bob Mackin The cost of FIFA World Cup security in Vancouver is now in the range of the original, all-in cost for hosting. In a May 29 budget update, timed by the NDP government for the day after the Legislature session ended, $242 million is the new estimate.

“Cost estimates will continue to evolve in response to world events and other FIFA factors,” said a presentation to reporters.

When Vancouver was named one of the 16 co-hosts in 2022, the NDP government said hosting could cost $240 million to $260 million. But FIFA- demanded stadium renovation, the expanded schedule, scope creep and inflation drove-up the total price, now expected to be as high as $729 million.

“projected decrease in sponsorship program revenue. This revenue decrease is partially offset by an anticipated increase in FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver revenue.”

The province assumes that the 2023-imposed 2.5% accommodation tax, only With three weeks to go, the city announced nine in City of Vancouver, will collect host city supporters under the sponsorship program. One of those supporters, $250 million to $260 million by the PNE, told theBreaker that it its expiry in early 2030. That paid nothing to be part of the prorevenue stream was originally The World Cup gram and is not buying any match supposed to cover the en- happens at a time tickets from the city’s $14.4 miltire cost of hosting. In when the province lion inventory. The 2025 update’s 2023, FIFA expanded has a record deficit section on risks identified the the tournament from 80 to 104 and the NDP potential for “less-than-planned matches and B.C. Place Stadium government has net revenue from the host city was given two more matches cancelled expansion commercial program due to than expected. The province says at Burnaby Hospital lower market demand.” it has collected $105.7 million on behalf of Vancouver as of the end of March.

and several projects for seniors housing.

In the June 2025 estimates, the total cost was expected to be as high as $624 million and City of Vancouver and the Park Board’s estimated revenue contribution was $50 million to $62 million. The new version lowers the expectation, to between $43 million and $53 million. Asked about the 14% decrease, David Harrison of the city’s host committee office said that is because of a

The report said the Fan Festival’s net cost is $26 million. But Harrison later said the gross cost is $47.6 million and funding is provided “through a collaborative partnership involving multiple contributing organizations.” He did not provide the breakdown, but all signs point to the province taking a bigger role at an event that was supposed to be solely city-delivered. He said revenue is projected at $21.6 million from food, beverage and ticket sales.

II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good?

Is the true cost NDP ducking closer to $1 billion? accountability, Adding the PNE Amphitheatre to the running transparency tally would bring World Cup costs to as much as $912 million.

The $183 million centrepiece of the Fan Festival must be completed on a timeline to fulfil that duty beginning June 11. While gate admission is free to the Fan Festival, the reserved seating under the big roof is not. In 2006, when B.C.’s Office of the Auditor General analyzed costs to build and operate the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, it cited the Government of New South Wales’ definition for the costs of the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics: “costs directly related to, or incurred in meeting, the obligations of the host city contract.” “The investment into the amphitheatre by the city of Vancouver and the need for that is going to have a legacy well beyond the games,” Kahlon said. “I wouldn’t say that it was built for the World Cup, but it’s been built for bringing more tourists and more economic opportunities to the PNE grounds. It’s going to have a legacy for years into the future.” The World Cup happens at a time when the province has a record deficit and the NDP government has cancelled expansion at Burnaby Hospital and several projects for seniors housing. Yet, Kahlon and Kang continued to repeat the vague five-year forecast of $1 billion more revenue and 1 million more tourists due to the World Cup.

Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said costs have skyrocketed 217%. He also said the NDP government is dodging accountability with World Cup spending and making it harder for British Columbia journalists, taxpayers and advocates to get documents. The government’s amendments to water down the freedom of information law were passed on the final day of the Legislature session. “Releasing these newest cost figures just a day after the legislative session closes is a naked attempt to avoid accountability,” Binda said. “David Eby didn’t want to be questioned about these dramatic cost overruns in question period.” The province gave reporters a 19-page Powerpoint presentation and a seven-page summary, but those were not sufficient, Binda said. “We need to see what the business plan is, what the line-by-line spending is, how our money is being used at the end of the day,” he said. “There’s no reason for the government to be withholding those kinds of documents, if they exist at all.” Originally published on May 30, 2026, at thebreaker.news.

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“We need to continue to find opportunities to grow the economy, so that we can provide long-term care opportunities, expand our health care, expand the opportunities for education for young people,” said Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon. “We need to do both, and that’s what this initiative is about.”

2026 FIFA impacts

DTES community calls on province to make good on its 2 year old housing promise By the Carnegie Housing Project On July 6, 2026, a press conference was held on an empty lot at 301 East Hastings. On this site, the government had promised, almost exactly two years ago, to redevelop it into a building of up to eight storeys, featuring below-market homes for people with low to moderate incomes, supportive homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and community health services. The redevelopment of this site was initially planned in 2018, yet at the time of writing, there is not even a development permit sign in sight.

The city has lost 391 units of supportive housing in recent years.

The Carnegie Housing Project is a project of the Carnegie Community Centre Association’s annually elected board. It delivers community-based research and organizing on issues related to social housing, income, and gentrification in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood of Vancouver, B.C. “Now is the time for the province to implement its old promise, made twice, two years ago today and also in 2018,” stated Kabir Madan, research manager at the Carnegie Housing Project and one of the speakers at the conference. According to him, the city has lost 391 units of supportive housing in recent years at Larwill place (98 units), Heather Place (98 units), Lugaat (110 units), Aneki Place (39 units) and Little Mountain (46 units). “We’re calling on the federal and provincial governments to immediately step up and start funding the 10,000 units of shelter rate housing that Vancouver needs, beginning with this site here at Gore and Hastings,” said Madan. 2,000+ DTES residents with no fixed address 3,500 homeless people (approx.) 6,500 Single-room occupancy units that need replacing 10,000 units of shelter rate housing needed in Vancouver

“The federal government also needs to step up and fund housing for homeless people,” added Madan. “Build Canada Homes provides a measly $1 B over 5 years for transitional and supportive housing, enough to guarantee that over 50,000 people will have hard and short lives,” he warned, explaining how living on the street often causes people to have mental and physical illness and to use drugs to cope with their situation.

II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good?

“Housing can make a huge difference in people’s lives. I went from being labelled ‘hard to house’ to having my own little place and it transformed my life.” —Phoenix Winter, a volunteer at the Carnegie Housing Project.

“It’s not right that governments get to bask in approvals for announcing a housing project it abandons and it’s not right for governments to abandon thousands of precious humans to live and die without housing.” —Kabir Madan, research manager at the Carnegie Housing Project.

“I’ve been advocating for housing for twenty years, and it never gets better. The government knows how bad things are but they won’t get their act together. They have invested less and less into housing and harm reduction but the only ones who see more funding are the police and the jails. I’ve seen too many broken promises. Years ago the government promised they would build social housing at 301 East Hastings, and now nothing. Even though Tracey Morrison wanted to make this space a wellness center for everyone. But once again nothing happened.” —Samona Marsh, secretary of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.

“Since the announcement of housing for 200 people at this site, we have seen the number of people experiencing homelessness in the region increase by at least 9%. Clearly, the re-pacing of housing we need in BC is to meet the urgent demand for deeply affordable and supportive housing. Over the past years, we have seen significant investment at all levels of government to host the 2026 World Cup—a cost of over $1 billion of public funds, while communities suffer under legislated poverty and lack of housing. It is time to move beyond promises and take the action required to ensure community belonging and safety, meet health care needs, and enact the right to housing.” —Chantelle Spicer, campaign manager for the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition.

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Our province won’t fund its own harm reduction recommendations By Laura Morales P. (she/they)

BCCDC report reveals chronic underfunding of safe inhalation program since its inception, despite its own evidence that it aligns with public health best practices Source: This article is entirely based on British Columbia’s Safer Inhalation Supply Program: Evaluation Report; BC Centre for Disease Control, 2026. Harm reduction programs and approaches from public health organizations often come from communities of people taking steps to care for one another and minimize health risks that come with substance use. An early example are syringe distribution programs, which successfully reduced HIV transmission. Nowadays, the harm reduction needs of people who use substances have evolved significantly, with inhalation replacing injection as the preferred method of drug use. In the context of a volatile drug supply, in which people don’t always know the potency or contents of their substances, smoking allows them to adjust how much they are taking based on the effects they are feeling, which can reduce the risk of overdosing. Additionally, carrying a pipe is more convenient than all the supplies needed to safely inject, and smoking is often perceived as more socially acceptable than injecting.

However, without safe inhalation supplies, drug users are at risk of inhaling toxic vapours, burns and injuries, and using a smoking supply with residue from unknown or unexpected substances. These risks can also contribute to respiratory illness, transmission of blood borne diseases, and death. Given the evidence of how safer inhalation supplies prevent harm, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) added these supplies to its provincial harm reduction supply distribution program. As indicated in the BCCDC report, the demand for safer inhalation supplies has exceeded the available funding since the program began in 2020. As a result, the program has to limit the purchase of supplies that authorized harm reduction supply distribution sites, such as VANDU, can order and distribute. Starting this year, BCCDC assigned allocations to the different distribution sites to address budget constraints.

II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good?

When it comes to adjusting down site’s requests, a BCCDC staff member commented about how it’s only getting more challenging:

“...it’s hard to take away from their need, and I feel like it’s just getting harder and harder. Like, when I started it was more straightforward to do adjustments ‘cause I could easily, like, identify sites that, like, you know, they hadn’t ordered in four months. And now they want 10 cases, like, it’s more straightforward to adjust that lower ‘cause I’m, like, you probably don’t need 10 right away. Whereas now I have to adjust the sites that order, like, 16 every week and, like, I know they need the 16 every week. But then can only give them 10.”

—BCCDC staff

Drug poisoning is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 19-59 years old in BC.

In short, this chronically underfunded program has created tension between providing low-barrier access to safer inhalation supplies, which are in line with public health best practices, and what the provincial government has decided to prioritize over a decade-long toxic drug crisis.

2026 FIFA impacts

“ This doesn’t redistribute pipes. This redistributes deaths. ” Excerpts from a letter sent to senior health officials across the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Provincial Health Services Authority, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, the Premier’s Office, among others, concerning the insufficient amount of harm reduction supplies across the Lower Mainland and the resulting escalation of harms and deaths.

From:

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) B.C. Association of People on Opiate Maintenance (BCAPOM) Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS) Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU) Campbell River Community Action Team Pivot Legal Society

Since glassware restrictions took effect on April 1, 2026, access to safer smoking supplies, particularly bubble pipes, has sharply decreased in the Lower Mainland. As access has decreased, we have seen a rise in the use of shared, broken, and dirty pipes, as well as improvised gear like foil and aluminum cans. The BCCDC’s own evaluation of British Columbia’s Safer Inhalation Supply Program identifies these practices as increasing the risk of overdose, injury, communicable disease, and blood-borne infection. These harms are not theoretical. Over the past three months, we have seen more overdose deaths from people using shared pipes, more injuries from broken pipes, and more infections from damaged and unsterile equipment. Supplies are so limited that many people are forced to buy pipes on the street. It is us, our loved ones, friends, partners, and families who will face the consequences of this policy decision, long before these effects appear in official statistics.

“It is us, our loved ones, friends, partners, and families who will face the consequences of this policy decision, long before these effects appear in official statistics.”

II. Funding FIFA: Did public funds equal public good?

The recent glassware restrictions also come 3 months after the end of the BC decriminalization pilot in January 2026. Since then, there has been a spike in the destruction of people’s pipes due to police stomping on or smashing them, further constricting the limited supply of glassware. After just three months of the BCCDC’s new policy, an unconscionable pattern has already emerged. Restricting access to safer smoking supplies does not reduce need. It creates scarcity, making the use of shared, broken, dirty, and improvised equipment inevitable, along with the correlated injuries, infections, and overdoses. Ten years into the toxic drug public health emergency—ten years of death, grief, and fighting for our basic rights. Continued rollbacks of evidence-based harm reduction measures cannot become the accepted response to a crisis that continues to take lives every day.

We call on the BCCDC to immediately reverse the decision to reduce glassware availability and prioritize increasing funding for safer smoking supplies, to meet increasing demand without simply redistributing deaths and harm around the province. We call on the Provincial Ministry of Health to address the reality of the limited resources that BCCDC is forced to contend with, and take a more active role in the discourse and decision-making related to the provision of harm reduction supplies that is significantly affecting life and death outcomes.

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2026 FIFA impacts

III. Mitigating Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations 34 section

Many of the concerns raised in these pages were not new. Community organizations, researchers, workers, and advocates had begun identifying potential problems and getting organized to address them well before the tournament arrived in Vancouver.

FIFA World Games and homelessness in Doubling on alreadyVancouver: down cruel practices

By The Ayx Community Bus

The Ayx Community Bus is a team of former residents of CRAB Park tent city and other tent cities, providing outreach in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) and other areas. All of the team members have lived and have living experience of being unhoused, and bring their expertise to issues of homelessness, displacement and injustice. Throughout early and summer 2026, Ayx Community Bus was part of a group of DTES organizations that responded to media inquiries, spoke at rallies and sounded the alarm on FIFA displacements,

mis-allocated funding, and over-the-top policing, while providing compassionate peer-led community support. The “Cooling bus” circled the DTES on hot days, with cold relief through water, cold snacks and harm reduction supplies. Outreach workers connected directly with unhoused and under-housed community members, while monitoring and experiencing FIFA-related crackdowns. In February 2026, the team released the following statement about the FIFA World Games:

Community Statement on FIFA 2026 and Human Rights in Vancouver from the Ayx Community Bus • Despite a dense Human Rights Plan and public assurances that “no one will be displaced,” past experience tells a different story. Displacement is already starting, creating anxiety and uncertainty and making it difficult to trust officials. • We are particularly concerned about lack of additional sheltering options (i.e., permanent, or daytime sheltering) and continuation of cruel daily displacement. Expo 86 and the 2010 Olympics both resulted in large-scale displacement, increased policing, and long-term harm to people living in poverty. “Another global event—the COVID pandemic—caused added harms” and pressures in the DTES. FIFA 2026 threatens to repeat these patterns.

We anticipate: •

Increased street-level enforcement in so-called “event zones”

•

Tent removals, ticketing, and arrests framed as “public safety” and “beautification”

•

Forced displacement into more hidden and unsafe spaces

•

Daytime displacement and street sweeps especially during daytime FIFA activities

•

Increased risk of fatal overdoses as people are pushed to use alone.

FIFA must not come at the cost of our lives.

The full statement is here: https://2026worldcupwatch.org/community-statement-on-fifa-2026-and-human-rightsin-vancouver-from-the-ayx-community-bus/

III. Mitigated Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations

Post-FIFA Feedback Heightened policing and displacement did not end with FIFA. While the number of “army”-type officers has decreased, regular police presence remains high. Members describe the atmosphere created by policing as angry, hostile and exhausting.

The FIFA period came with accelerated gentrification and hostile architecture, including demolitions and intensified street sweeps, all in the name of “beautification.” People living in tents report round-theclock sweeps that haven’t gone away, even after FIFA.

“They [police] are relentless. They started questioning me just because I was asleep. I was arrested. They created a really angry atmosphere.” “Gentrification was on steroids while they were here,” says Kay, adding, “If they wanted ‘beautification’, they should have hired more painters and not more police!” “FIFA is a nerve-wracking wave of gentrification for as long as it lasts. But the DTES has been around for a long time, and it’s such a diverse and vibrant community, with so many wins. If they try to erase that? They’re erasingthe history of Vancouver.” —Kay, outreach worker. “People were being asked not only to put their tents down flat, but to pack them up and take them away. It’s more dramatic, more severe.” - Fiona York

Photo by Michael YC Tseng from Anti-FIFA rally on April 30th, 2026.

Addressing Community Vancouver During

By Good Night Out

Good Night Out Vancouver is a BC-based Non-Profit society that uses recent research and best practices on gendered violence, bystander intervention, and anti-oppressive techniques to create a variety of original educational tools, interventions and messaging aimed at reducing gendered and homophobic harassment and violence in the city’s arts, culture and entertainment scene.

The Problem From the Toolkit curated by Good Night Out Vancouver Society, 2025.

1 in 3 women (32% 32%) and

1 in 8 men (13% 13%)

61%

reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour in a public place in1the previous 12 months.

of young women aged 15-24 experienced unwanted sexual behaviours in a public place in the prior year2

Members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are more than

60%

twice as likely to face innapropriate behaviour in public3

22%

65% of trans youth reported avoiding 3 or more public

spaces due to safety concerns

III. Mitigated Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations

Safety in Downtown the World Cup The Solution

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup (FWC26), Good Night Out Vancouver designed and delivered a multi-site community safety initiative focused on gender-based violence prevention, harm reduction, bystander support, and community wellbeing. Outreach teams operated across three locations: the FIFA Fan Festival™ at Hastings Park, the Last Mile spectator route to BC Place, and expanded downtown outreach patrols in the Granville Entertainment District.

In addition to direct outreach and support services, Good Night Out Vancouver coordinated volunteers, distributed prevention resources, supported event partners, and collaborated with event staff and community organizations to help create safer experiences for residents and visitors throughout the tournament. The initiative also included a public awareness campaign featuring posters, postcards, stickers, and hospitality outreach materials focused on consent, harm reduction, bystander intervention, and available support services.

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By The Numbers: 23 volunteers 2,220 people supported 212 outreach hours outreach locations supported both local residents and international visitors.

people supported every shift (on average)

people supported every hours (on average)

media hits

53 outreach shifts supported on the busiest day (June 18th)

Worked alongside security, medical, volunteers, and community partners direct referrals to community organizations

1. Statistics Canada (2019). Gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces. 2. Women and Gender Equality Canada. Facts, stats and WAGE’s impact: Gender-based violence. Accessed Aug. 30, 2026. 3. Statistics Canada (2020). Experiences of violent victimization and unwanted sexual behaviours among gay, lesbian, bisexual and other sexual minority people, and the transgender population, in Canada, 2018. By Jaffray, Brianna. 4. Trans Pulse Canada (2021). Health and well-being among trans and non-binary youth.

FIFA on the The Block: Post-Mortem By Laura Macintyre (she/her) Pivot Legal Society works in partnership with communities affected by poverty and social exclusion to identify priorities and develop solutions to complex human rights issues. Their work is focused in five policy areas: criminalization & policing, drug policy, homelessness, anti-stigma & poverty, and sex workers’ rights.

roll a weeks-long sporting spectacle than invest in life-saving health care, housing, and community supports. This, too, belongs in the archive.

It matters how we remember the summer of 2026 when, for 39 days, Vancouver played host to the largest sporting event in world history. Over the course of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 367,000 ticketed fans attended one of the 7 matches at BC Place; 500,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival in Hastings Park; and thousands more gathered in Vancouver’s streets to take part in the fanfare. The energy across the city was palpable; the atmosphere was “electric.” This is how our government, who collectively spent $740 million on the tournament, wants us to remember it.

“For five weeks, Vancouver felt different”: this is what people struck by the shiny, vibrant version of Vancouver during the FIFA event period observed During the Games, it was impossiblenot to notice that the typically “run down” Granville Strip had transformed into a hub of energy, serving as a pedestrian -only zone and a corridor for FIFA fandom. This account of Granville’s new-found beauty, however, entirely ignores the organized campaign of displacement that its transformation required.

But behind this spectacular account of the Games lies another. While the 2026 FIFA World Cup was in Vancouver, people already at disproportionate risk of criminalization had to contend with the 1300 police officers deployed on each Match Day – the largest deployment of law enforcement in the city’s history. People who call the streets home were asked to move along because they were deemed unfit for the “clean”, “beautiful” image Vancouver so desperately wanted to display. And people who have been and continue to be abandoned by the state were asked to reckon with the reality that their government would rather bank-

We will remember what Vancouver’s “beautification” required

Months ago, the City of Vancouver and BC’s Ministry of Housing agreed to close three single-room occupancy hotels (SROs) along the Granville Strip: the Lugaat Hotel, St Helen’s Hotel, and Granville Villa – a decision that resulted in hundreds of tenants losing their housing. Tenants of the Lugaat Hotel were forced to abandon their homes by the beginning of June, just days before the FIFA Games kicked off. Once low-income tenants were forced out, Granville’s“beautification” campaign continued with heavy policing, street sanitation, and bylaw enforcement both before and during the Games.

III. Mitigated Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations

In other words, Granville Street felt “different” because the visible markers of poverty and organized state abandonment had been intentionally obscured. In the lead-up to the Games, Pivot skilled up 56 community members to document police enforcement actions through its Legal Observer program. Legal Observers, who were strategically deployed in shifts on FIFA Match Days, witnessed a significant police and bylaw presence in the DTES in the form of coordinated street sweep teams. These teams typically consisted of at least three city workers, a bylaw officer, and two police officers escorted by a dump truck, a cargo truck, and a police car. Legal Observers watched as street sweep teams worked their way up Hastings and the surrounding blocks throughout the day. Police stood by on foot as City Workers approached people sheltering outside and either asked them to pack their belongings into a plastic bag or put their belongings into a garbage bin to be “voluntarily stored” and — in theory —retrieved later. In reality, this “storage” is neither secure nor voluntary; items are only returned if the owner can complete the applicable retrieval process before the disposal deadline, and the standards for how and when this process must be completed remain inconsistent and inaccessible. Items being “stored” were generally seized without providing any paperwork or notice to the owner, although impoundment notices were occasionally observed. Pivot’s call for the City to create a fair, consistent, and accessible process for retrieving belongings remains unmet and pressing.

Each team’s enforcement was inconsistent: sometimes City Workers asked people not to sit on the streets and/or to move along, sometimes Workers allowed them to stay but asked them to tidy up their belongings, and other times Workers allowed them to stay but seized their belongings altogether. Legal Observers also witnessed instances of City Workers throwing away belongings, when their owners left them briefly unattended, for instance to use the bathroom. It should be noted that, during the Games, public washrooms and other desperately needed social infrastructures proliferated in tourist destinations and around the stadium; meanwhile, the DTES has been systematically losing public amenities including park benches, toilets, and water stations for the last decade. There will be another mega-event. But we refuse to start our resistance from scratch, to reinvent the wheel. The lessons from FIFA and the summer of 2026 will make us more organized, more prepared, and better equipped to safeguard dignity, justice, and human rights when that next mega-event comes to town. But in order to leverage those lessons, we must first remember them. Originally published on August 25, 2026, Read the full blog post at pivotlegal.org.

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2026 FIFA impacts

FIFA Impacts Conference: City Policy Shortcomings and a Need for By Miles de Jong

Community Mobilization

In response to FIFA’s Human Rights Framework, the City of Vancouver released a draft Human Rights Action Plan (HRAP) in February, 2026. The City described the plan as having been developed through consultation with “many community-serving organizations and other relevant interest holders”1. Community organizations and subject-matter experts, however, raised concerns about the extent to which those most directly affected by the tournament had meaningfully participated in the HRAP’s development2. In fact, the City’s own list of consulted stakeholders notably omitted a number of organizations with longstanding expertise in issues including housing, poverty, public health, harm reduction, and environmental sustainability. Beyond concerns about consultation, the HRAP raised broader questions about accountability. The plan contained few measurable targets, timelines, or mechanisms for determining whether its commitments would actually be fulfilled. This was striking given Vancouver’s experience with the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, for which the city and its partners secured 27 explicit legacy commitments through the Inner-City Inclusive Commitment Statement. In comparison, Vancouver entered FWC26 with considerably less clarity about what would remain for residents once the tournament was over.

Voor’s Munch! Impacts Lab Events In an attempt to create a space for critical dialogue and collaborative policymaking in the months preceding FWC26, Voor Urban Labs hosted Munch!—a series of five “Impacts Lab” events examining how the City’s planning for the World Cup intersected with longstanding urban policy issues. Throughout these events, participants examined the City’s HRAP in depth. Together, these discussions were intended to develop a set

of policy standards and accountability measures that could help ensure that the public investment associated with Vancouver’s World Cup—which was much higher than originally proposed— mitigated human rights violations and produced tangible benefits for residents, as well as to create a space for both critique and political imagination. 1. FWC26 Host Committee (2026a). https://www.vancouverfwc26.ca/community-hub/human-rights-action-plan 2. BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (2026). https://www.bcpovertyreduction.ca/advocacy-and-impact/ press-release-coalition-of-dtes-and-chinatown-organizationssound-the-alarm-after-the-release-of-vancouvers-fifa-2026human-rights-action-plan

The FIFA Impacts Conference Building on the groundwork laid throughout the Munch! events, on April 29th, 2026, 110 participants gathered to discuss the potential impacts and legacies of the FWC26 in Vancouver. The group in attendance was comprised of student researchers and academics from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Capilano University, community organizers and policy stakeholders from Vancouver and other host cities (Toronto, Atlanta, New York, Miami), and key speakers from the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), Curacao Football Federation (KFF),Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPRO) the international union of soccer players, Jennifer Li of Dignity 2026 and frontline organiser from four host cities, as well as the Canadian Secretary of State for Sport. The morning session was hosted by Canadian Olympian Catriona Le May Doan. The timing of this conference was deliberate – as FIFA leadership and representatives from its 211 member associations gathered blocks away to make decisions about the future of the global game, the conference created a parallel space for those living with the local consequences of FIFA’s decisions to articulate their own priorities. Five priority issues emerged from these discussions:

III. Mitigated Negative Impacts: Work from local organizations

Priority Issue #1: Community Benefits

Community benefits are the lasting social, economic, cultural, and infrastructural benefits that accrue to local residents (at the community level) as a result of hosting a major event.

Conference Reflections

“If you’re creating safety, and it’s just for FIFA, is it even a legacy?” “Who is the city for? Is the city for roving capital that globally circulates and lands wherever it pleases, or is the city for people who live in it and who need to survive there?” Strategic Recommendations •

•

Call for a full-time FIFA Secretariat staffer dedicated exclusively to community benefits, as previous consultations were described as the City cherrypicking engagement targets who were not likely to challenge the top-down approach, and repetitive “wallpapering” with no clear link to decision-making. Move beyond symbolic “showcase” contracts (like garbage pick-up) and toward systemic procurement offerings that allow local, diverse, and Indigenous-led businesses to actually compete. Invest in social enterprise contracts to run public bathrooms in empty retail spaces. If too late, figure out other rental options.

Priority Issue #2:

Access to Sports

Access to sport is about creating equitable opportunities to participate in sport and to experience major sporting events as part of community life, regardless of income, neighbourhood, or social position.

Conference Reflections

“I hope that [this new federal investment] goes into the right channels to make the sport more affordable for everybody.” “… this is not for me. I know FIFA is not for me. It’s not for anybody in this room. If you don’t have [the money] it’s really not for you, you know.” “Where can Downtown Eastside residents watch FIFA where they don’t feel judged going into other areas. Like, why can’t we shut down Alexander Street and have FIFA at the Japanese Hall? It is a cooling center. We could close that whole block down. We do it for the Powell Street Festival. Can we get that done [for FIFA]?” “There’s no lack of people supporting soccer in this town. Just look at the support around the Whitecaps… [but] the lack of engagement, the lack of energy and excitement around [the FWC26] is the worst, because we don’t get the legacy. There’s social displacement, housing displacement. All the negatives are there, and we just have not leveraged the positives.”

2026 FIFA impacts

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Issue #3:

Create free local viewing spaces, particularly in the DTES, where residents can safely participate in the sporting festivities – similar to what was done at Oppenheimer Park during the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. These spaces could include watch parties for World Cup matches, cooling centres, and other community-based activities and/or services.

Public Health & Harm Reduction

•

Invest in new sports programming/ activities to promote children’s, youth, and adult soccer participation.

•

Develop a community ticket program to create more affordable pathways for acquiring tickets to matches (e.g. low-cost family tickets for inner city community centre members) and FIFA Fan Zone concerts.

The arrival of hundreds of thousands of visitors created the potential for increased substance use, alcohol-related harms, sexual and genderbased violence (SGBV), and pressure on already-stretched health and community services.

•

Public health and harm reduction encompass the policies, services, and practices that prevent injury, illness, overdose, and violence while supporting the dignity and safety of people who live in and visit Vancouver. This is particularly urgent in a city at the centre of B.C.’s ongoing toxic drug crisis, where an unpredictable and contaminated drug supply continues to cause preventable deaths.

B.C.’s public health authorities explicitly identified harms from substance use—including toxic drug overdoses and alcohol-related injuries—as a moderate risk associated with the tournament3.

“When there’s an international sports event… the pressure on that neighborhood just increases.” “We’re already the subject of fear mongering and scapegoating… our very presence, our very existence, drawing breath will give the city a black eye on the world stage – the rhetoric is all too familiar…”

Strategic Recommendations to the City of Vancouver •

Implement on-site drug checking and peer-led “safe partying” campaigns to prevent an influx-related health crisis. This would also benefit the local community which is confronted by the recent reversal of science-informed provincial health policy concerning tainted drug supply.

•

Connect with visiting fan associations (e.g. Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, etc.) to raise awareness around the toxic drug supply crisis in Vancouver, and how/ where to get these drugs tested.

•

Develop host city information kiosks and/or awareness campaigns (e.g. restaurant-wide QR codes with safety information) for visiting fans RE public health and safety.

3. FWC26 Host Committee (2026b). https://vancouverfwc26.ca/know-before-you-go/need-to-know

Priority Issue #4:

Housing, Displacement, & Airbnb Housing, displacement, and short-term rentals are closely connected in a city already facing a severe housing shortage and extremely low rental vacancy. Major sporting events can intensify these pressures by increasing demand for temporary accommodation, encouraging landlords to convert long-term rentals into short-term units, and displacing unhoused residents from highly visible public spaces.

Conference Reflections

“The idea is that you need public space to organize the games… so you’re going to take one population the organizers do not desire, and they’re going to replace it with the population they love more.”

Strategic Recommendations Establish a Dedicated Tenant Hotline: The City should fund a community-led portal or hotline (potentially in partner ship with a subject-expert community organisation) to provide immediate legal support and information to renters facing pressure or eviction from landlords intended to flip units to Airbnb. • Accountability of data: Require private sector companies like Airbnb to share real time data on listings to ensure accountability and compliance agreement.

•

Mandate Transparent Monitoring: The City should facilitate and fund independent community monitoring of “street sweeps” and interactions with unhoused residents to prevent human rights violations under the guise of “public realm management”.

•

Hold Landlords Accountable for Illegal Flipping: The City must aggressively penalize landlords instead of merely monitoring compliance to establish a 2026 FIFA impacts

proactive approach including legal action against non-compliant operators (e.g. by setting a fine at an amount which is above the potential value gained by landlords converting long-term units to short-term rentals for the event’s duration). • Develop a housing strategy for mega events including post-impact assessments of previous events such as Olympics and Expo as well as the upcoming FIFA. As a long-term planninginitiative, this strategy could include predefined enforcement measures, tenant protections, and shortterm rental controls.

Priority Issue #5:

Environmental Sustainability

The City of Vancouver’s HRAP did not establish any explicit mechanisms for ensuring the environmental sustainability of hosting the FWC26. Though it stated the City would “deliver the event in accordance with its existing environmental and sustainability priorities and policies” (p.34), it was unclear how the City intended to account for the anticipated increase in carbon emissions and other potential harms to the natural environment which would result from hosting the event. Conference participants were particularly concerned about transportation-related emissions, including extensive air travel by fans, players, and staff across North America. While FIFA promoted FWC26 as its most sustainable World Cup yet, Forbes reported researchers from Scientists for Global Responsibility, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the sports initiative Cool Down estimate that the 2026 World Cup are the “most polluting” ever, with greenhouse gas emissions of 9m tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, almost double the historical average.. The conference also highlighted the connection between environmental sustainability and human rights. In the context of an exceptionally dry spring, for example, how should the City ensure residents and visitors have access to clean air, clean drinking water, and protection from extreme heat and wildfire smoke?

Strategic Recommendations •

Set measurable environmental targets: Identify specific sustainability commit ments within the HRAP, including targets for emissions, waste, water, and resource use.

•

Designate clear responsibility for measuring and publicly reporting FWC26’s environmental impacts and carbon emissions.

•

Make environmental data public (e.g. by requiring PavCo to make BC Place energy-use and emissions data publicly accessible).

•

Plan for climate-related risks by developing contingency plans and public messaging for wildfire smoke, poor air quality, extreme heat, and water scarcity, including clear commitments to access to clean air and drinking water.

What we learned… One of the most important outcomes of the FIFA Impacts Conference was a formal call for further opportunities where residents could openly celebrate, question, and criticize FWC26 This emerged from a collective understanding that meaningful participation must include space for competing perspectives— something largely absent from the City’s approach to hosting the tournament. Ultimately, the recommendations identified provide a record of what community stakeholders were asking for before the tournament began, and a basis for reflecting on what ultimately happened.

Scan to watch the full conference and read more.

Irwin Oostindie Conference organizer and Director of Voor Urban Labs

2026 FIFA impacts

The Capilano Courier acknowledges that its work takes place on the stolen, traditional and ancestral territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations at Capilano University’s North Vancouver campus.

We are a democraticallyrun, independent student newspaper with a human-centered approach to content creation. We are committed to not publishing material that the collective deems as promoting sexism, racism, or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society. Cover, Illustrations & Design: Andy Poystila Editor & Project Coordinator: Laura Morales P. Writer & Editor: Myles de Jong Copy Editor: Alex K. Broznitsky