Bob Mackin
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim went to the FIFA World Cup Final in New Jersey on July 19.
But questions remain unanswered. How much did Sim’s trip cost taxpayers? Who provided tickets to Sim and his wife, Teena Gupta?
theBreaker tried to find out key details of Sim’s trip to witness Spain dethrone Lionel Messi and Argentina. Vancouver was among the 16 host cities and promised a quota of four VIP tickets to the final, according to an appendix to the host city contract.
Civic officials have resisted disclosure of high-level costs, such as the amount spent by city hall to host seven matches and a fan festival. They are also refusing to release finer details about the mayor’s attendance at the final.
A Sept. 24 reply from two staffers in the access to information and privacy office, Kevin Tuerlings and April Miller, said the city has no records, because “the requested records do not relate to the business of the city.”
ABC Vancouver leader Sim is running for re-election on Oct. 17.
Sim’s calendar is equally mysterious. In June and July, there were no appointments during nine weekdays: June 9, 15-17, 25, 29, July 6, 17 and 20.
In 2024, Sim famously proclaimed “we’re getting the equivalent of 30 to 40 Super Bowls” in Vancouver. Hotel occupancy in June 2026 fell to 73.2%, compared with 87% during the same month in 2025.
theBreaker exclusively recorded video of Sim, Gupta and ABC Vancouver supporter/Lululemon founder Chip Wilson leaving the VIP gate at B.C. Place Stadium after Canada blanked Qatar 6-0 on June 18.
Before that match, Sim’s chief of staff and ABC campaign director Trevor Ford entered B.C. Place with top Vancouver Police Department officials. Ford wore a FIFA credential and City of Vancouver employee pass, but the FOI office claims no records exist because he was not there on civic business.
At the end of May, Premier David Eby’s NDP government estimated the cost of hosting FIFA in Vancouver could be as high as $729 million. It promised a final report around the first anniversary of the tournament.
