B.C. government working on a deal to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver

The B.C. government is working on a deal to keep the Vancouver Whitecaps in the city.

The Whitecaps have been clear that without a dedicated stadium, they are not confident that they can stay in the city without help from the province.

Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, confirmed to Global News that BC Place, which is operated by PavCo, will now give the Whitecaps back all the profits they make from the games, which will amount to about $1.5 million.

Kahlon said they will work with the Whitecaps on also trying to get them more money from food and beverage sales on game days and potentially some in-stadium advertising money.

“I’ve said many times, we want to keep the team here,” Kahlon said.

“That’s why we’ve offered to return the dollars back to them so that they can have a better financial arrangement. We believe all these things and the additional revenue opportunities that we’ve put in front of them put the team in a better place, but it doesn’t solve the problem that the team’s owners want to sell and find a way to maximize their profits.

“We can’t solve that problem for them. What we can do is make sure that the contract they have with PavCo is as good as it can be and we believe it’s a pretty good deal.”

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In a statement on Tuesday, Axel Schuster, the CEO of the Whitecaps, said they appreciate the continued efforts of the government and BC Place under these challenging economic conditions.

“However, unfortunately, our gap between being top seven in attendance and last in revenue is so significant that this effort alone isn’t the game changer that is needed for long-term sustainability,” he said.

“We are committed to working collaboratively to identify solutions that ensure the long-term home of Whitecaps FC in Vancouver.”

4:48 Whitecaps exploring idea of new stadium at Hastings Park

Last week, Schuster said that despite good conversations with BC Place, the future has stalled.

“From our side, it feels like there’s nothing left, the progress has come to an end,” he said.

With the FIFA World Cup coming to Vancouver this year, the Whitecaps will play eight of the first nine MLS matches at home, followed by nearly three months on the road while BC Place is being used for the World Cup.

“I would say the challenges we have and we have raised cannot be addressed in a way that is really bettering our situation in a good way,” Schuster said.

In December, the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Whitecaps FC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enter an exclusive negotiation period through 2026 to explore the idea of a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park.

This MOU gave the city and the Whitecaps the chance to negotiate terms for a ground lease, a new stadium and financial terms for the team’s move to the new location.

However, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the city would not be contributing any money for the stadium and site.