B.C. government says stadium upgrades needed to bring in high-profile events

British Columbia's provincial government is pitching repairs to B.C. Place in Vancouver for hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup as much needed and a way for the venue to hold more events in the future, but isn't able to give a specific figure about what the needed renovations could cost.

The B.C. Pavilion Corp., the Crown corporation that operates the publicly owned stadium, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant for the work.

It underwent a previous $514 million renovation in 2011, which satisfied hosting duties for the 2015 Women's World Cup final.

"B.C. Place is a huge attraction, a huge facility for the province and we see events coming here just because of its size. So if we had anything smaller, we wouldn't have been able to attract Taylor Swift, for example," she said.

"Those upgrades are needed."

PavCo's RFP for a construction manager indicates B.C. Place, which turned 40 this year, will need more VIP suites and hospitality space on the stadium's third level, an upgrade to food-court concessions, renovation of washrooms and installation of more elevators.

The work will also help improve accessibility, said Popham.

"I'm really looking forward to having a further discussion with B.C. Place around the accessibility because obviously the reason why they're wanting to upgrade the accessibility features is probably to attract different kinds of events," she said.

The renovations will also include a walkway connecting the stadium to Parq Vancouver hotel and casino.

The construction manager will need to have completed one project of $50 million or greater in construction value as construction manager within the past 10 years; have completed three additional projects of $10 million or greater in