2026 World Cup - News, Updates and discussions

[MtlMario]

19 hours ago, narduch said:

Really the 2026 World Cup should have been used a reason to build the Whitecaps a proper outdoor grass stadium.

I remember many years ago Kerfoot wanted to build a stadium with his own money by the port but was refused by the city for some reason I don't recall.

[Cheeta]

So long as Canada is hosted in only one location I'm really couldn't care less if Montreal or Edmonton or Vancouver (or more likely combination there of) want to take a pass.  I'll be travelling regardless. 

Of course just like the WWC Canada's group will be spread around the country, I'm assuming BC/ONT, so a pain in the wallet.  

[SkuseisLoose]

22 hours ago, narduch said:

Really the 2026 World Cup should have been used a reason to build the Whitecaps a proper outdoor grass stadium.

Time to rebuild Empire again.

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, SkuseisLoose said:

Time to rebuild Empire again.

It's been a rumour before, as a possible permanent home for the Whitecaps. Honestly, hope Horgan is behind the scenes exploring the possibility of getting Vancouver back in the running. 

[SpursFlu]

A cultural event in BC that isn't nude feminist interpretive dance finger painting? Not gonna happen. Besides all those aggressive attempts at "winning" seems so scary and unnecessary. The Orangeman and his team of champagne socialists would never go for it

[Ansem]

The Feds refusing to compensate Quebec share of its initial funding 

This looks like a wrap for Montreal unless private money covers the province share

Alberta had talks with Edmonton but no final decision yet 

City of Toronto all in, no renegotiation of the original deal between all parties have been brought up.

There you have it...

[narduch]

What does that mean? Only Toronto is left? Can other cities come back in?

[Ansem]

7 minutes ago, narduch said:

What does that mean? Only Toronto is left? Can other cities come back in?

Toronto is the only city for which the provincial government has not withdrawn its financing. The previous Liberal government had said yes.

I'm don't know how it works in Alberta but the NDP must have gave support to Edmonton prior to Kenney taking over. They haven't said "No" yet but not "yes" either.

The previous Quebec Liberal government had said yes but the anti-Montreal, blackmailing conservative government of Francois Legault pulled out of the previous deal. He has an history of doing this to try and force Ottawa to pay their share (most recent example) is the train station at the airport. The government, who won a majority without winning a single seat on Montreal Island arbitrarily decided to pull funding and told the Feds to pay for it.

If Ottawa starts doing that every time... you get a country that's impossible to govern.

Personal opinion...we have a shit constitution and provinces have WAY WAY WAY too much power and NOTHING gets EVER done! That's the problem with Canada

 

[Obinna]

4 minutes ago, Ansem said:

Toronto is the only city for which the provincial government has not withdrawn its financing. The previous Liberal government had said yes.

I'm don't know how it works in Alberta but the NDP must have gave support to Edmonton prior to Kenney taking over. They haven't said "No" yet but not "yes" either.

The previous Quebec Liberal government had said yes but the anti-Montreal, blackmailing conservative government of Francois Legault pulled out of the previous deal. He has an history of doing this to try and force Ottawa to pay their share (most recent example) is the train station at the airport. The government, who won a majority without winning a single seat on Montreal Island arbitrarily decided to pull funding and told the Feds to pay for it.

If Ottawa starts doing that every time... you get a country that's impossible to govern.

Personal opinion...we have a shit constitution and provinces have WAY WAY WAY too much power and NOTHING gets EVER done! That's the problem with Canada

 

Canada...a nation...or a notion? Ex Premier of NB said that, I believe.

[Ansem]

1 minute ago, Obinna said:

Canada...a nation...or a notion? Ex Premier of NB said that, I believe.

Just look at the pandemic response. It should have been handle by Ottawa with the military deployed and provincial health ministries taking orders.

Trudeau, minority government = "I don't want to piss off provinces"

Then you let the provinces run the show with noticeable disparities.

This country can be very frustrating. We'll never have a VISION as a nation. It only takes 1 province to kill any national project unless you waste time and money to go to court every FN time.

Talk about wasted potential. We are this world's 10th biggest economy and we're not even close to look like it nor act like it.

[Obinna]

2 minutes ago, Ansem said:

Just look at the pandemic response. It should have been handle by Ottawa with the military deployed and provincial health ministries taking orders.

Trudeau, minority government = "I don't want to piss off provinces"

Then you let the provinces run the show with noticeable disparities.

This country can be very frustrating. We'll never have a VISION as a nation. It only takes 1 province to kill any national project unless you waste time and money to go to court every FN time.

Talk about wasted potential. We are this world's 10th biggest economy and we're not even close to look like it nor act like it.

Ironically Canada was born out of the desire for economic cooperation.

[SpursFlu]

I think I'm good with Justin Trudeau having nothing to do with BC

[dyslexic nam]

29 minutes ago, Ansem said:

Just look at the pandemic response. It should have been handle by Ottawa with the military deployed and provincial health ministries taking orders.

Trudeau, minority government = "I don't want to piss off provinces"

Then you let the provinces run the show with noticeable disparities.

This country can be very frustrating. We'll never have a VISION as a nation. It only takes 1 province to kill any national project unless you waste time and money to go to court every FN time.

Talk about wasted potential. We are this world's 10th biggest economy and we're not even close to look like it nor act like it.

There is a lot about this post that seems off to me but I will focus on the bolded part.  What part of the pandemic response should have involved marching the military into every province and territory and telling people and governments what to do?   The vaccines?  The testing regimes?  PPE distribution?  Prioritization of essential health services?  Addressing the backlog of 2nd tier healthcare services?   Implementing and enforcing public health measures?  Moving services online for virtual delivery?   And the military should do this in 13 provinces and territories that all have unique situations and considerations? 
 

There are many, many aspects of the pandemic response and suggesting that the military could step into each province and do a better job responding by imposing some cookie cutter approach across the country seems extremely naive.  
 

Amd to be clear, there is a massive amount of intergovernmental coordination and cooperation that has happened throughout this response.  FPT governments have constantly worked to coordinate testing supply chains and processes, vaccine delivery mechanisms (to meet cold chain requirements) that need to match PT human resource capacity, PPE that was federally procured to leverage economies of scale and harness national purchasing power at a time when it was so scarce and in demand that planeloads of PPE were literally getting diverted off tarmacs in China to be resold to the highest bidder.  
 

Look, the response hasn’t been perfect.   But it is ridiculous to pretend that some grossly simplified solution would fix all the problems in a hugely complex issue that has been unprecedented for modern governments and which has required a level of coordination and effort that most people have no grasp of whatsoever.  

[Obinna]

30 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

There is a lot about this post that seems off to me but I will focus on the bolded part.  What part of the pandemic response should have involved marching the military into every province and territory and telling people and governments what to do?   The vaccines?  The testing regimes?  PPE distribution?  Prioritization of essential health services?  Addressing the backlog of 2nd tier healthcare services?   Implementing and enforcing public health measures?  Moving services online for virtual delivery?   And the military should do this in 13 provinces and territories that all have unique situations and considerations? 
 

There are many, many aspects of the pandemic response and suggesting that the military could step into each province and do a better job responding by imposing some cookie cutter approach across the country seems extremely naive.  
 

Amd to be clear, there is a massive amount of intergovernmental coordination and cooperation that has happened throughout this response.  FPT governments have constantly worked to coordinate testing supply chains and processes, vaccine delivery mechanisms (to meet cold chain requirements) that need to match PT human resource capacity, PPE that was federally procured to leverage economies of scale and harness national purchasing power at a time when it was so scarce and in demand that planeloads of PPE were literally getting diverted off tarmacs in China to be resold to the highest bidder.  
 

Look, the response hasn’t been perfect.   But it is ridiculous to pretend that some grossly simplified solution would fix all the problems in a hugely complex issue that has been unprecedented for modern governments and which has required a level of coordination and effort that most people have no grasp of whatsoever.

I have to agree with this. You're not wrong at all with any of that.

However, I think it's also understandable that a non-healthcare person would suggest a cookie-cutter solution out of frustration and disappointment. It may be hard to take the criticism if you're directly involved or close to the action, but the criticism is fully deserved. More importantly (and to his point), the example highlights our failings as a "nation".

Everything you say has merit, but it's natural to look at another country and say "why not Canada"? Whether it is pandemic response or bidding for a World Cup, it's just a different set of excuses to mask similar failings. 

That we may only have Toronto as a host for the World Cup in 2026 is an absolute disgrace. 

[Obinna]

Furthermore, it should be okay for Canadians to acknowledge our weaknesses.

How do we improve upon our weaknesses if we don't give them proper attention?

[dyslexic nam]

1 minute ago, Obinna said:

I have to agree with this. You're not wrong at all with any of that.

However, I think it's also understandable that a non-healthcare person would suggest a cookie-cutter solution out of frustration and disappointment. It may be hard to take the criticism if you're directly involved or close to the action, but the criticism is fully deserved. More importantly (and to his point), the example highlights our failings as a "nation".

Everything you say has merit, but it's natural to look at another country and say "why not Canada"? Whether it is pandemic response or bidding for a World Cup, it's just a different set of excuses to mask similar failings. 

That we may only have Toronto as a host for the World Cup in 2026 is an absolute disgrace. 

What country are you looking at as an example?   The US hasn’t withdrawn from the 2026 bid and yet it is at least as politically fragmented as Canada.  Those differences are so significant that they were on the verge of ripping the country apart recently.   Yet they are still all-in for the WC bid - which suggests that politics and regionalism aren’t the fatal forces behind our own weakening bid. 
 

I have said it before and still believe it to be true - governments are mired in COVID related debt right now.  Throwing money at a soccer tournament, no matter how important we happen to think it is, simply isn’t something that some folks are prioritizing right now.  Using that isolated issue to make broad generalizations about the Canadian political landscape (while ignoring analogous counter examples) just isn’t convincing. 

[dyslexic nam]

5 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Furthermore, it should be okay for Canadians to acknowledge our weaknesses.

How do we improve upon our weaknesses if we don't give them proper attention?

What I am saying is the perception of our regional diversity, and the complex federated system of governance we have evolved as a result, as a “weakness” is an idea that I reject - especially when it’s is backed up by a fallacious example.  

[SpursFlu]

Or maybe the media shouldn't have falsely freaked the hell out of people to the point where 50% + health care workers no showed for work. Not to mention actually family members scared to take care of their own parents and grandparents. Resulting in staff rotating facilities and patients and infecting vulnerable elderly people thus creating more fear, confusion & death. Not sure why soldiers would be needed? Unless seeing soldiers marching around generating more unfounded fear is the real intention 

What ever happened to that giant field hospital constructed in Wuhan in less than a week? I recall the CBC running that sleek drone footage around the clock about a year ago

Edited February 26, 2021 by SpursFlu

[Watchmen]

8 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Whether it is pandemic response or bidding for a World Cup, it's just a different set of excuses to mask similar failings. 

That we may only have Toronto as a host for the World Cup in 2026 is an absolute disgrace. 

Legitimate question here: do you think the majority of Canadians want to host the World Cup? Because the sentiment I get, regardless of province, is No.

[kacbru]

23 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Legitimate question here: do you think the majority of Canadians want to host the World Cup? Because the sentiment I get, regardless of province, is No.

I think this really gets at the heart of the issue.  And it is not about hosting the World Cup - it is about a handful of (largely meaningless) games for a US hosted tournament.  There simply isn't enough public support that would encourage any politician getting behind this - lots of risks with little to gain.  

[nfitz]

Tough luck for Montreal. But a great opportunity for Vancouver to get their act together. 

Any chance that Ottawa would look at a bid? Or any of the other CPL cities?

[narduch]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

There is a lot about this post that seems off to me but I will focus on the bolded part.  What part of the pandemic response should have involved marching the military into every province and territory and telling people and governments what to do?   The vaccines?  The testing regimes?  PPE distribution?  Prioritization of essential health services?  Addressing the backlog of 2nd tier healthcare services?   Implementing and enforcing public health measures?  Moving services online for virtual delivery?   And the military should do this in 13 provinces and territories that all have unique situations and considerations? 
 

There are many, many aspects of the pandemic response and suggesting that the military could step into each province and do a better job responding by imposing some cookie cutter approach across the country seems extremely naive.  
 

Amd to be clear, there is a massive amount of intergovernmental coordination and cooperation that has happened throughout this response.  FPT governments have constantly worked to coordinate testing supply chains and processes, vaccine delivery mechanisms (to meet cold chain requirements) that need to match PT human resource capacity, PPE that was federally procured to leverage economies of scale and harness national purchasing power at a time when it was so scarce and in demand that planeloads of PPE were literally getting diverted off tarmacs in China to be resold to the highest bidder.  
 

Look, the response hasn’t been perfect.   But it is ridiculous to pretend that some grossly simplified solution would fix all the problems in a hugely complex issue that has been unprecedented for modern governments and which has required a level of coordination and effort that most people have no grasp of whatsoever.  

I wish someone would take over the pandemic response in Ontario. Doug Ford is a fucking idiot. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by narduch

[Ansem]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

There is a lot about this post that seems off to me but I will focus on the bolded part.  What part of the pandemic response should have involved marching the military into every province and territory and telling people and governments what to do?   The vaccines?  The testing regimes?  PPE distribution?  Prioritization of essential health services?  Addressing the backlog of 2nd tier healthcare services?   Implementing and enforcing public health measures?  Moving services online for virtual delivery?   And the military should do this in 13 provinces and territories that all have unique situations and considerations? 
 

There are many, many aspects of the pandemic response and suggesting that the military could step into each province and do a better job responding by imposing some cookie cutter approach across the country seems extremely naive.  
 

Amd to be clear, there is a massive amount of intergovernmental coordination and cooperation that has happened throughout this response.  FPT governments have constantly worked to coordinate testing supply chains and processes, vaccine delivery mechanisms (to meet cold chain requirements) that need to match PT human resource capacity, PPE that was federally procured to leverage economies of scale and harness national purchasing power at a time when it was so scarce and in demand that planeloads of PPE were literally getting diverted off tarmacs in China to be resold to the highest bidder.  
 

Look, the response hasn’t been perfect.   But it is ridiculous to pretend that some grossly simplified solution would fix all the problems in a hugely complex issue that has been unprecedented for modern governments and which has required a level of coordination and effort that most people have no grasp of whatsoever.  

I meant logistic wise. 

Also, it's the military that went on LTC homes in Quebec which were an absolutely disgrace.

The Federal wants national minimum standards for those homes and you have provinces bitching about it because "it's their competency"!!!

People have died but Premiers just wants to protect their image so they can win the next election. This is a major pandemic and the Feds had the power to override all the provinces. I'm just saying that because you look at Ford banking the Feds Covid money and barely spending a dime so he shows up next year and make it rain in Conservative friendly ridings.

Pardon my tantrum... Just feed up with those kind of politicians from another era. If you could listen to the Québec Premier publicly starting fights to look good in a pandemic, that's where you wish the Feds took over and ran the show.

Just my POV.

[narduch]

12 minutes ago, nfitz said:

Tough luck for Montreal. But a great opportunity for Vancouver to get their act together. 

Any chance that Ottawa would look at a bid? Or any of the other CPL cities?

In my opinion Winnipeg or Regina should take advantage of this opportunity. 

Their stadiums at least kinda look like World Cup worthy stadiums.

[Ansem]

1 minute ago, narduch said:

I wish someone would taken over the pandemic response in Ontario. Doug Ford is a fucking idiot. 

Quebec isn't better. Legault is a racist Fn joke. He still denies systemic racism so he can win the the non-Montreal ridings and Quebec City.

There's a reason why we've always said that if Quebec separated, Montreal would split from Quebec or face mass exodus