The owner of the BC Lions wants to buy BC Place stadium from the government. At the summer games in Kelowna, Vancouver Island is leading. Seven regional companies made the top 40 best employers in Canada.
BC Lions owner interested in buying BC Place stadium — what’s behind the news
A recent short item published by CTV News sparked a lot of interest in Vancouver’s sports and business circles. According to TSN reporter Farhan Lalji, the owner of the Canadian Football League’s British Columbia Lions (BC Lions) has expressed interest in buying the famous BC Place stadium from the provincial government. At first glance, it might seem like just another business request, but in reality the situation runs much deeper and could dramatically reshape the province’s sports infrastructure.
BC Place is more than a domed stadium with a retractable roof in the heart of Vancouver. It is one of the country’s main venues, hosting not only CFL football games, but also major concerts, exhibitions and international-level sporting events. The stadium is owned by the Government of British Columbia and operated by the Crown corporation PavCo (British Columbia Pavilion Corporation). For the BC Lions, it’s the home venue where the team has played since 1983, except for the period during redevelopment in 2010–2011. Now, as the team faces tough times both financially and on the field, purchasing the stadium could become a solution to many of its problems.
What exactly is being discussed? If the deal goes through, the Lions would not just be tenants, but full owners of their arena. That would give them control over revenue from ticket sales, parking and concessions, as well as the ability to manage the events calendar themselves and bring in other tenants. For a professional sports club, that’s a huge lever for increasing profits and long-term stability. Under current lease terms, part of those revenues goes to the provincial government, and the team must get PavCo’s approval for each step. Buying the stadium would allow the Lions to become more independent and possibly invest in upgrading the arena—something that could attract more spectators.
It’s important to understand that in Canada, stadiums are often government-owned, especially those built using public funds. BC Place opened in 1983 and was fully renovated in 2011—at a cost of billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Selling an asset like that to a private owner isn’t just a commercial transaction, but also a politically sensitive move. Opponents may call it the sale of a national asset, while supporters could argue that it isn’t in the government’s interest to maintain a facility that can generate income only under professional management. The requested price and whether the government is ready to negotiate are still unknown, but the very fact that the Lions are interested suggests they see a future in private ownership of the infrastructure.
It’s also worth noting that the information came from Farhan Lalji—a respected insider who has covered the club for a long time. He wouldn’t publish it without confirmed sources. In his short report (https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/lions-owner-interested-in-buying-bc-place-report/) he cites anonymous sources close to the talks. So it’s reasonable to assume the process is already at an early stage: perhaps the team’s owner (the club is currently owned by a group of investors led by Amari Clarke) has already sent a corresponding letter or made a verbal offer. The government hasn’t publicly responded yet, but analysts expect it will be cautious.
Key points: buying the stadium could become a historic precedent for Canadian football. In the CFL, only one team—the Toronto Argonauts—owns its own stadium (BMO Field, although it’s owned by the City of Toronto, the team has long-term rights there). The other teams lease municipal or provincial venues. If the Lions succeed, it could prompt other clubs to try to buy their own stadiums too—such as the Calgary Stampeders or the Edmonton Elks. For Vancouver, it could also mean the stadium could be used more often for sporting events, not just concerts, which currently bring PavCo most of its revenue.
There are also risks. Maintaining such a massive facility requires million-dollar spending on utilities, repairs, security and roof maintenance. BC Place is a complex structure, and if the team can’t manage expenses effectively, the purchase could lead to losses. In addition, if the government sells the stadium, it will likely require keeping access to the venue for other sports and major public events, which would limit the new owner’s commercial flexibility. It’s also unclear how fans would react—many are used to thinking of the stadium as public property.
Overall, the news about a potential BC Place purchase is a signal that the BC Lions want to put down roots in the city for the long term and take full control of their own fate. If the deal happens, it could become one of the most significant moments in the history of Canadian professional sport in decades. For now, everything depends on official statements from PavCo and the provincial government—perhaps detailed information will emerge in the coming weeks.
Leadership from Vancouver Island and the Central Coast in the medal standings at the Kelowna summer games
The British Columbia Summer Games 2026 in Kelowna are gathering momentum: young athletes from across the province are competing for medals in dozens of sports. As of the evening of July 25, Zone 6—Vancouver Island and the Central Coast—sits firmly in first place on the medal table. The team has 48 medals: 15 gold, 20 silver and 13 bronze. However, Zone 4—Fraser River—is right behind with 47 medals, and it also has the most gold medals (19). Third is Zone 5—Vancouver Coastal—with 43 medals (16 gold, 15 silver, 12 bronze). Fourth is Zone 3—Fraser Valley—with 12 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze for a total of 41.
The hosts, Thompson-Okanagan, are currently limited to just 20 awards: five gold, eight silver and seven bronze. Zones 7 and 8 (Northwest and Cariboo-Northeast) are significantly behind, with 10 medals each, and Zone Kootenay has only eight. Mixed teams have earned three medals. As noted in an article by Abbotsford News, Saturday passed without forced event postponements due to smoke—air quality in the region improved, though the problem was acute on Friday.
The sports program was packed. In the morning, rugby matches were underway at the fields at Rutland Park. Fraser Valley team coach Stuart Crowley praised his girls’ performance after they beat the Thompson-Okanagan team. “That was great. Very physical. They executed exactly to our plan and did everything brilliantly. One of our athletes got injured, and the team rallied around her, winning the game in her honour,” Crowley said. He also added that it was his third Games, and Kelowna had turned out to be the most organized host: “The fields are just fantastic, in great condition. It was hot, and one day with smoke was a challenge, but we managed, and things have been smooth since then.”
Still, the weather had an impact: a thunderstorm front that moved through on Saturday afternoon delayed some events and medal ceremonies on the Apple Bowl track, although events resumed after 4 p.m. In girls’ fastpitch softball under-15, there was also a pause due to the storm. Fraser River zone coach Phil Nguyen said his team had a tough time: “We had a pretty hot weekend—not the kind of heat we’re used to around the Vancouver area—but the athletes rest, and once they start warming up they’ll get back into rhythm. We lost our first game, then won three straight and advanced to the quarterfinals, so we’re on the rise—we’re very excited to keep going.”
The games continue on Sunday, July 26. Full results and details are available on the official site bcgames.org. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, “BC Summer Games” are major provincial multi-sport competitions for young athletes, where zones represent geographic regions of British Columbia, from the coast to the interior. The current standings show the competition will be tight: the leaders have pulled ahead by just one medal, and there’s still a full day of events ahead.
Canada’s best employers: seven companies from British Columbia make the top 40
Each year, HRD Canada compiles a ranking of the best places to work in the country, and the latest list has again drawn attention to companies from British Columbia. The ranking is based on an anonymous employee survey that rates employers across 21 criteria—from pay and benefits to schedule flexibility, professional development and corporate culture. To make it into the coveted top 40, a company must achieve at least 75% satisfaction across all categories. As highlighted in a Daily Hive publication, the key strength of all recognized organizations is their ability to listen and respond.
“They listen to employees, take action based on what they heard, and close the feedback loop,” HRD Canada explains. “People want more flexibility, transparency and confidence that their input isn’t just landing in a spreadsheet.” This “closing the loop” principle means leadership doesn’t just collect feedback—it actually changes something, and then tells the team what decisions were made. In other words, feedback doesn’t become a formality.
Among the seven British Columbia companies that made the ranking, one earned a notable second-place finish nationally. It’s Vancouver law firm Harris & Company LLP, founded in 1992 and employing just over 120 people. Nearby on Pender Street in Vancouver is the office of recruitment company Altis, represented across Canada. Another company on the list is Surrey-based Amur Financial Group, which calls itself “Canada’s largest alternative mortgage lender.” (By “alternative lending,” companies typically mean real-estate loans that don’t meet the standards of traditional banks—for example, for self-employed people or those with less-than-perfect credit histories.) This company has ranked for the third year in a row, with employee satisfaction at nearly 79%. Director of People and Culture Cam Sumal attributes the success to a “strong sense of community.”
From Victoria, Ryan Company made the list. The company is involved in automated vending, micro-markets for self-serve, fresh food and office coffee. It serves more than 400 clients across the province. An unusual entry was a municipality—City of Abbotsford, one of the few local governments to appear in the ranking. City manager Peter Spasenese said employees value “the opportunity to directly influence the quality of life and services for residents of Abbotsford.” Overall employee satisfaction there reached 84%.
Two more companies represent the insurance sector. North Shore Mutual Insurance, based in Langley, offers mutual insurance for farms, commercial properties and homes—working since 1902. Westland Insurance Group, which grew out of a family brokerage agency in Ladner in 1980, now employs nearly 4,000 people and operates more than 250 offices across the province.
So HRD Canada’s ranking not only points to the best employers, but also underscores that the key to employee loyalty isn’t just pay—it’s culture, openness and willingness to change processes based on feedback. And British Columbia companies—from small law firms to entire municipalities—clearly demonstrate that.
