Overview
- A memorandum of understanding opens an exclusive negotiation window through the end of 2026 to hash out a ground lease, stadium design, financing terms, and community benefits.
- Hastings Park on the PNE fairgrounds is the proposed site, with the city retaining land ownership and seeking a fair‑market lease that avoids financial risk to taxpayers.
- Mayor Ken Sim said the Whitecaps and private partners must produce and fund the plan, and city officials cautioned construction would likely take more than four years.
- The step is intended to reduce relocation risk as MLS commissioner Don Garber has called the current BC Place lease untenable and the club remains for sale.
- Near‑term logistics remain unresolved with the BC Place lease expiring this month, though the venue is still set to host 2026 World Cup matches and officials noted the Tsleil‑Waututh Nation’s deal to purchase the on‑site casino business.