B.C. premier holds ‘constructive’ talks with MLS commissioner over Whitecaps’ future

David Eby met with Major League Soccer’s commissioner to find a solution to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.

It’s not the final whistle just yet—but the fate of the Whitecaps’ future in Vancouver has the feel of entering stoppage time.

B.C. Premier David Eby held talks with Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber on Wednesday, just days after reports indicated the league’s owners have openly discussed relocating the soccer club.

“We want the Whitecaps to stay,” Eby told reporters before the meeting. “And so the goal is to get that information from MLS, from the Whitecaps, how do we get to that shared goal that I think we have. And whether or not the province is able to meet that, we’ll do our best to meet that and find a path forward.”

After the meeting, Eby’s office described the meeting as “constructive,” adding they had “agreed to find time to meet again to continue the important discussion of working toward a solution to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.”

The provincial government has already made concessions to the Whitecaps in an effort to provide a financial break to the club—but while some have suggested the government simply hand over BC Place as well given the stadium doesn’t make money, Eby ruled that out on Wednesday.

“The simple reason for that is the Whitecaps have shown absolutely no interest in taking over BC Place,” Eby said.

The government has also renegotiated the BC Place deal the Whitecaps had with more favourable terms, but the relocation scuttlebutt has only accelerated in recent weeks.

“We have renegotiated the contract that they had for more than a decade here in British Columbia,” Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon told reporters on Wednesday. “They’ve seen a $2-million reduction in their costs. We’ve seen additional million dollars in revenue for them. So $3-million in total. And we’re still at the table wanting to work with them, but we have to be reasonable.”

Vancouver’s mayor argues the province needs to find a way to keep the team in the city until a new stadium can be built.

“The big stumbling block right now is a bridge deal with the province,” Ken Sim told CTV News on Wednesday. “And if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t look very hopeful for the Whitecaps to stay in town.”

Meanwhile, some Whitecaps supporters are choosing to look at the commissioner’s talks with the province as a positive.

“It’s a real threat that they could be moved, but I’m not taking Don Garber coming to town as a pessimistic or a negative thing,” said Wyatt Tierney, of the Whitecaps’ main supporter group the Southsiders. “That makes me believe that something is happening behind the scenes. I choose to think that it will be a positive thing.”

Whitecaps supporters are holding a “Save the ‘Caps” rally at 8 a.m. Thursday outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, where the FIFA Congress will be taking place.