B.C.’s premier designate plans to speak with Whitecaps about future in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s premier designate says he doesn’t know what the plan is to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.

Lorne Doerkson spoke to media Sunday, hours after his B.C. Conservatives were elected in about two-thirds of the province’s 93 ridings.

“I love the Whitecaps and there’s a great amount of support for them here,” said the party’s interim leader. “But I’ll be straight up with you — I don’t know the plan going forward.

“But I do want to have a conversation with the Whitecaps because — trust me when I say this — British Columbia loves the Whitecaps.”

The team has been for sale since December 2024 and the current ownership group has repeatedly said they want it to stay in Vancouver.

Both the Whitecaps and Major League Soccer have said the team’s ability to generate revenue is limited, in part because it does not own its home stadium and that has made it difficult to attract buyers willing to keep the ‘Caps in the city.

The 55,000-seat venue is owned and operated by PavCo, a provincial Crown corporation.

Whitecaps sporting director and CEO Axel Schuster said last month the club had reached an agreement to extend its lease at BC Place through the 2027 “sprint season.”

The condensed campaign will run from February through May, with each of the league’s 30 teams playing a 14-game regular season before the single-elimination playoffs.

MLS will then move to a summer-to-spring calendar, starting in July 2027.

What happens to the Whitecaps after the sprint season remains unclear, Schuster said.

“People should know we’re here, we’re staying in the sprint season,” he said. “So the club is not going yet, and nothing is happening yet. … And the only way you can show us your support and help is buying tickets and come to the games.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press