B.C. Lions negotiating new stadium lease amidst Vancouver Whitecaps crisis: report

Photo courtesy: Jaclyn McKee/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions are in the midst of negotiations for a new lease at BC Place Stadium, according to a report from Global BC’s Jay Janower.

Team president Duane Vienneau reportedly told the outlet that “everything (is) going well” and that they expect a new deal to be in place ahead of their home opener on July 25. The Lions have been forced to vacate the stadium until then due to the FIFA World Cup, and will play their first two home games at a temporary venue in Kelowna.

The news comes as multiple levels of government are working together to strike a deal with BC Place’s other major tenant, Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps, to keep them in the city amidst threats of relocation to Las Vegas.

On Thursday, the City of Vancouver, the Government of British Columbia, three local First Nations groups, and PavCo, the Crown corporation that operates BC Place, released a joint statement indicating their commitment to finding a long-term solution to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver. This commitment included “improving the game day economic model at BC Place,” which the MLS and the franchise have routinely cited as untenable.

PavCo controls major game-day revenue sources, including parking, concession, and alcohol sales, as well as potentially lucrative stadium naming rights and all concert revenue. The company reportedly makes $1.5 million in profit from their current arrangement with the Whitecaps, but offered the team a proposal in February which would have seen the stadium operate at net zero revenue going forward. That deal was rejected.

The Whitecaps reached the MLS Cup final in 2025 and have produced strong attendance, but a recent LA Times report claimed the team lost $45 million last season and $300 million in the 15 years since joining the MLS. The franchise, which has been for sale since late 2024, has cited its stadium deal as a major reason for the deficit. There is reportedly a bid on the table from American businessman Grant Gustavson, which would see the team move to Nevada once their current lease expires at the end of this season.

The current hope is that with all levels of government working together, along with unnamed “private partners,”  BC Place’s offer can be sweetened enough for the Whitecaps to agree to a new four or five-year lease. That would stabilize the situation enough for a viable local ownership group to emerge and allow time for the construction of a new private stadium for the team.

The details of the B.C. Lions’ current lease agreement with BC Place have not been reported, but they are believed to be similar to the Whitecaps’ deal. The CFL franchise has remained publicly silent about the ongoing situation until now, but could benefit financially from the efforts being made to keep the MLS in Vancouver. Governments may be wary of bending over backwards for one local sports team while disadvantaging another.

Opened in 1983, BC Place replaced Empire Stadium as the Lions’ home venue and has played host to 10 Grey Cups, most recently in 2024. The stadium was renovated in 2010 following a roof deflation and has undergone further upgrades in advance of the World Cup.

The Lions average attendance was 27,124 last season, the third highest in the CFL. The Whitecaps averaged 21,806 fans per game, which was 13th in the MLS.