Toronto is months away from hosting the FIFA World Cup. $97M in provincial funding is still unconfirmed
CBC
The soccer world may be coming to Toronto this summer, but right now the city is just waiting for the province to show up.
Only a few months before the first of six FIFA World Cup matches kicks off at BMO Field — soon to be Toronto Stadium — the city is still waiting to confirm $97 million in tournament funding from the Ontario government.
The city’s FIFA secretariat presented a report with updates on funding and revenue to the city’s World Cup subcommittee on Wednesday, saying the province’s funding agreement is still in negotiations.
The total budget for the six matches is $380 million, with the city putting in nearly $180 million and the federal government committing about $104 million. The rest is supposed to come from the province.
Speaking to reports outside the meeting, Coun. Paul Ainslie had a direct message for the Ontario government.
“We’d really like you to sign your cheques,” he said. “Whoever is listening from the provincial government, this is not just for the city of Toronto. The provincial and federal government are going to see a lot of tax dollars.”
CBC Toronto requested has comment from Premier Doug Ford’s office. This story will be updated if there is a response.
FIFA estimates Toronto will have a positive economic output of $1.3 billion.
Coun. Amber Morley told reporters Wednesday that she expects the Ontario government to meet its obligations and be a strong partner in hosting the tournament, echoing Ainslie that taxes collected from visitor purchases should be an incentive.
“They’re not staying here in the city of Toronto despite the significant cost associated to the city,” she said.
The city had anticipated that the province’s contribution would be in cash. However, part of it is coming in the form of services, like policing, transportation, and health care.
Ainslie said the city and province have been going back and forth about the valuation of those services.
The report says if the province's cash component is lower than $97 million, the city will explore options for replacement funding or reducing costs.
Mayor Olivia Chow has previously said the city cannot afford to spend any more on the World Cup. A spokesperson for Chow confirmed discussions with the province are ongoing.
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