B.C. Place will “need sprucing up” before hosting games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and an RFP to “hire a construction manager to oversee the work offers a hint at how extensive those requirements will be,” according to Derrick Penner of the VANCOUVER SUN. The B.C. Pavilion Corp. (PavCo), has issued an RFP "to hire a consultant for the work," and that person will “oversee a list of capital improvements in 2024 and 2025.” PavCo “didn’t attach a dollar figure to the cost for renovations, or the amount that taxpayers will be responsible for.” However, the RFP indicates that B.C. Place will “need more VIP suites and hospitality space on the stadium’s Level 3, an upgrade to food-court concessions, renovation of washrooms,” and “installation of more elevators.” According to the document, those projects are slated for 2024 in addition to “installing more elevators to meet Accessible B.C. Act requirements.” The Vancouver stadium now “only has three elevators in the 55,000-seat facility.” The list of projects for 2025 includes “renovations to food-court washrooms, a banquet room, dressing rooms and Edgewater Lounge; the addition of a merchandise store, a premium entrance, and connecting entrance between B.C. Place and the Parq Hotel and Casino” (VANCOUVER SUN, 12/10).
