Latest news with #SharonBollenbach
National Post
05-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
'STEP BACKWARDS': World Cup will have 'ravine strategy,' but not free transit
It's not easy being green. Article content A not-yet-released City of Toronto environmental plan, mandated by FIFA and received by the Toronto Sun after a freedom-of-information request, shows the soccer federation and the municipal government will use an array of topics, including several tied to diversity and labour matters, to sell the soccer celebration as being as earth-friendly as it can be. Article content Article content Article content That comes despite the tournament taking 'a huge step backwards' by not offering free transit for ticket holders. Article content In a brief statement, Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the city's World Cup secretariat, confirmed the Sun has the most recent edition of the environmental document, Version 5, dated September 2024. Updates to the plan and 'other components of the city's legacy framework' should be released late this year or early in 2026, she said. Article content 'The current plan is for accredited volunteers to receive complimentary transit access during the tournament,' Bollenbach added. Article content A TTC spokesperson confirmed to the Sun that World Cup host cities are required to offer free transit for volunteers, but said no other fare concessions are currently in the plans. Article content Just last year, news reports said World Cup ticket holders would get free access to the TTC. Article content Included in the freedom-of-information disclosure were notes from a January 2024 meeting that was attended by two city bureaucrats and representatives from FIFA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which operates BMO Field. Article content Article content However, 'since 2014, free transit has been offered for all ticket holders, so not offering this would be a huge step backwards in 2026,' the notes add. Article content Article content A section of the environmental plan, headlined 'low carbon transportation,' says one of Toronto's objectives is to 'enhance active and public transportation accessibility and efficiency' for the tournament. It says other 'potential initiatives' are being considered, such as free parking at TTC lots, increased service from GO Transit stations, and more bike racks and bike share stations at BMO Field. Article content Free transit wasn't the only thing that was dropped. Later versions of the environmental plan omit a section that references what is required by FIFA, such as 'The City of Toronto shall inform what recycling and composting services for waste will be provided at all tournament sites.'
Toronto Sun
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
'STEP BACKWARDS': World Cup will have 'ravine strategy,' but not free transit
While Toronto's environmental plan focuses on things like diversity and animal rights, the city will fall short of FIFA's recent standards by scrapping free rides for soccer ticket holders. A TTC streetcar driver waves an Italian flag that was handed to him during a celebration of Italy's Euro victory on College St. on Sunday June 24, 2012. There may be fewer smiles on soccer fans' faces with no free transit for World Cup ticket holders in Toronto in 2026. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun files It's not easy being green. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A not-yet-released City of Toronto environmental plan, mandated by FIFA and received by the Toronto Sun after a freedom-of-information request, shows the soccer federation and the municipal government will use an array of topics, including several tied to diversity and labour matters, to sell the soccer celebration as being as earth-friendly as it can be. That comes despite the tournament taking 'a huge step backwards' by not offering free transit for ticket holders. In a brief statement, Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the city's World Cup secretariat, confirmed the Sun has the most recent edition of the environmental document, Version 5, dated September 2024. Updates to the plan and 'other components of the city's legacy framework' should be released late this year or early in 2026, she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The current plan is for accredited volunteers to receive complimentary transit access during the tournament,' Bollenbach added. A TTC spokesperson confirmed to the Sun that World Cup host cities are required to offer free transit for volunteers, but said no other fare concessions are currently in the plans. Just last year, news reports said World Cup ticket holders would get free access to the TTC. Included in the freedom-of-information disclosure were notes from a January 2024 meeting that was attended by two city bureaucrats and representatives from FIFA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which operates BMO Field. Some World Cup host requirements have 'been relaxed and refined,' and 'free public transportation (is) no longer' a must, the notes say. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. However, 'since 2014, free transit has been offered for all ticket holders, so not offering this would be a huge step backwards in 2026,' the notes add. Notably, at the 2018 tournament in Russia, ticket holders enjoyed not just complimentary local transportation, but also free train rides between World Cup host cities. A photo taken on May 10, 2018, shows the express train linking Volgograd, Russia, to its airport at the main railway station. Volgograd did what it appears Toronto will not as a World Cup host, in providing free transit and regional train travel to ticket holders. Photo byfiles A section of the environmental plan, headlined 'low carbon transportation,' says one of Toronto's objectives is to 'enhance active and public transportation accessibility and efficiency' for the tournament. It says other 'potential initiatives' are being considered, such as free parking at TTC lots, increased service from GO Transit stations, and more bike racks and bike share stations at BMO Field. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Free transit wasn't the only thing that was dropped. Later versions of the environmental plan omit a section that references what is required by FIFA, such as 'The City of Toronto shall inform what recycling and composting services for waste will be provided at all tournament sites.' 'I have consulted our legal team … our position is to ask you to remove mention of the requirements as these are taken from documents that are not in the public realm,' Paula Gabriela Freitas, a FIFA sustainability manager, wrote three city officials in an email in June 2024. Toronto's plan covers numerous topics, but only briefly and in very general terms. The most recent version of the plan is just 28 pages. Topics range from the energy efficiency of the new Centennial Park training facility — which is being built for the tournament — to electric vehicles, food waste, air quality and animal rights. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the January 2024 meeting, it was suggested the plan's authors 'consider adding procedures to deal with stray animals (such as) raccoons, squirrels' at BMO Field. That idea does not appear to have made the cut — instead, the 'biodiversity and animal rights' section covers 'urban bird safety and reduced light pollution,' a 'pollinator protection strategy' and the 'Toronto ravine strategy.' On water management, the plan says the city will, through signs, social media and advertising, 'raise awareness and educate' at the World Cup about what shouldn't get flushed down the drain. The city is also working to 'naturalize around 600 metres' of a stream in Centennial Park. A fox wanders around BMO Field on December 12, 2019. Photo by Jack Boland/Toronto Sun files A large portion of the plan, under the headline 'sustainable procurement and supply chain management,' has little apparent link to the environment. One section discusses 'supply chain diversity' — encouraging access to procurement processes based on race. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Other subheadings include 'fair wage bylaw,' 'gender diversity in city procurements,' 'workforce development' and 'purchase of products manufactured in factories where children are used as slave labour or other exploitive circumstances which impede child development.' The gender diversity portion reads, in full: 'As part of city council's support to enhance gender diversity on boards of corporations, all corporations conducting business with the City of Toronto are encouraged to utilize an intersectional analysis to strive to have gender parity on their corporate boards.' The January 2024 meeting emphasized a need to 'make a connection' with First Nations as part of Toronto's 'environmental justice' strategy. In the preliminary version of the environmental plan, there is an 'environmental justice' section — but it is blank, and the section was dropped from later editions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The documents don't say the equity focus is mandated by FIFA, but it fits with city hall's goals for the tournament, as previously reported by the Sun . The city set aside $7.5 million for 'legacy' social initiatives, such as workforce development, for 'equity-deserving communities.' Read More That money is part of city hall's $380-million World Cup budget. When council committed to Toronto's bid in April 2022, the city had pegged the cost at $290 million. That total budget figure may not be final, as city hall committees heard this spring about a 'funding gap' that could see World Cup planners 'reduce scope.' The drafting of the environmental plan will have taken years, with the first version dated October 2023. Since then, there have been meetings and many emails, one of which hints at some of the friction that process may have created. 'Understandably, some of you may not be so happy with the final results,' FIFA's Freitas wrote in February 2024, as she gave city bureaucrats a brief extension on the environmental plan's second version. Toronto will host six World Cup games, with the first set for June 12, 2026. jholmes@ RECOMMENDED VIDEO Crime Other Sports Editorials Canada World
Edmonton Journal
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
'STEP BACKWARDS': World Cup will have 'ravine strategy,' but not free transit
It's not easy being green. Article content A not-yet-released City of Toronto environmental plan, mandated by FIFA and received by the Toronto Sun after a freedom-of-information request, shows the soccer federation and the municipal government will use an array of topics, including several tied to diversity and labour matters, to sell the soccer celebration as being as earth-friendly as it can be. Article content Article content Article content That comes despite the tournament taking 'a huge step backwards' by not offering free transit for ticket holders. Article content Article content In a brief statement, Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of the city's World Cup secretariat, confirmed the Sun has the most recent edition of the environmental document, Version 5, dated September 2024. Updates to the plan and 'other components of the city's legacy framework' should be released late this year or early in 2026, she said. Article content 'The current plan is for accredited volunteers to receive complimentary transit access during the tournament,' Bollenbach added. Article content A TTC spokesperson confirmed to the Sun that World Cup host cities are required to offer free transit for volunteers, but said no other fare concessions are currently in the plans. Article content Just last year, news reports said World Cup ticket holders would get free access to the TTC. Article content Article content Included in the freedom-of-information disclosure were notes from a January 2024 meeting that was attended by two city bureaucrats and representatives from FIFA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which operates BMO Field. Article content Some World Cup host requirements have 'been relaxed and refined,' and 'free public transportation (is) no longer' a must, the notes say. Article content However, 'since 2014, free transit has been offered for all ticket holders, so not offering this would be a huge step backwards in 2026,' the notes add. Article content Notably, at the 2018 tournament in Russia, ticket holders enjoyed not just complimentary local transportation, but also free train rides between World Cup host cities. Article content Article content A section of the environmental plan, headlined 'low carbon transportation,' says one of Toronto's objectives is to 'enhance active and public transportation accessibility and efficiency' for the tournament. It says other 'potential initiatives' are being considered, such as free parking at TTC lots, increased service from GO Transit stations, and more bike racks and bike share stations at BMO Field.
Globe and Mail
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
World Cup 2026 organizers prepare for wrinkles created by U.S. travel restrictions
The head of Toronto's World Cup 2026 host committee says the executive order issued by the White House last week restricting travel to the U.S. from 19 countries is more of the same uncertainty that organizers have had to adjust to as partners in the event with the U.S. under President Donald Trump. 'Things have been changing with some of these [presidential] orders back and forth, as we all know in the tariff situation,' said Sharon Bollenbach, the executive director of FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto. When the new edict came down, 'I think there's a bit of, like: 'OK, that's what we're dealing with today.'' Her assessment echoed comments by some of her U.S. counterparts at a gathering of the 11 U.S. host city leaders this week. 'There are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament next year, so we recognize that we're planning within uncertainty,' Meg Kane, the head of Philadelphia's local organizing committee, told reporters. 'One of the things that I think we all recognize is that we have to be really good at operating within that uncertainty.' Last week's executive order bans citizens of 12 countries from travelling to the U.S., including Iran, ranked 18th in the world by FIFA, which qualified for the World Cup in March. Other nations with promising teams such as Haiti and Sudan also fall under the ban. The U.S. also partially restricted travel to the U.S. of citizens of an additional seven countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Sierra Leone. World Cup 2026 will be Canada's chance to show the world how much fight we have in us The order contains exemptions for players, staff and family members of sports teams competing in major events such as the World Cup or the Olympics. But it caught organizers off guard and represents a significant impediment for fans hoping to travel between the three host nations. It also casts a shadow over the spirit of unity that those countries – Canada, the United States and Mexico – had hoped to strike when they signed on to the tournament in 2018. In a statement to The Globe and Mail, Jessie Adcock, FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver host committee lead, said the organization is 'actively reviewing the recent Executive Order issued by the White House and are in ongoing discussions with our partners to assess any potential implications for tournament planning and operations.' Bollenbach noted that the schedule for the first round of the tournament – which kicks off in Canada at Toronto's BMO Field on June 12, 2026, followed by a match at BC Place in Vancouver the next day – won't be known until FIFA conducts its draw in December. That is when fans will learn where their teams are playing their three group stage matches, prior to the knockout round. Toronto will host one of the round-of-32 knockout games. Vancouver will host one round-of-32 match and one round-of-16 match. 'Until we know the countries that are specifically coming to our cities, there's not a lot we can do,' said Bollenbach. 'When the draw happens and we know what countries are playing here, that will unlock and cascade a lot of things for us in terms of planning, and part of that will be the travel plans and the marketing plan that we want to do to the countries that are playing here. We'll have to figure out if they're on that travel ban list.' She pointed out that fans from the 19 countries named in the executive order will still be free to travel to Canada. Iran is the only country in that group whose team has already qualified for the tournament. Portugal wins Nations League with thrilling penalty shootout win over Spain Last month, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said foreigners are welcome to attend the tournament, but warned: 'When the time is up, they'll have to go home, otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Bollenbach spoke ahead of an event scheduled for Thursday evening at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square marking one year from kickoff, at which dignitaries will unveil an official FIFA World Cup 26 Toronto Countdown Clock. Toronto mayor Olivia Chow proclaimed Thursday 'Soccer Day,' and encouraged Torontonians to turn out to the event wearing jerseys of their favourite teams. Chow has been critical of the agreement the city signed with FIFA as well as the escalating cost of hosting the event, which is now pegged at $380-million. In recent weeks she has warned that tariffs could add to the costs, and she has said the city, which is already on the hook for almost $179-million, might need to ask the province and federal government for more money than they have already committed. She has also alleged that the Ontario government is putting too high a value on the services included in the calculations of its $97-million pledge, leaving the city to make up a $39-million shortfall. The city and province are currently in negotiations over the dispute.
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Toronto's FIFA costs could rise amid higher provincial cost estimates
The Toronto sign outside city hall is shown in this file photo. (Chris Fox/ Toronto could be on the hook for more money than expected to host six FIFA World Cup games next year, according to a new report set to go before Toronto City Council this week. Earlier this month, Mayor Olivia Chow's Executive Committee asked Sharon Bollenbach, the executive director of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, to report directly to City Council on the status of intergovernmental funding related to hosting six of the games. The estimated cost of holding six FIFA matches in the city is $380 million. Of that, the federal government has agreed to kick in $104.3 million, while the province is providing $97 million. The city is picking up $178.7 million of the cost. While the city was hoping that much of the provincial contribution would be in the form of cash to offset tournament expenses, the $97 million also includes services being provided by the province, such as policing, transportation and health care. The cost of some of those provincially-provided services, however, are 'substantially higher than budgeted,' a report from Bollenbach says. In some cases, the provincial services are 'completely unbudgeted' so far, the report states. The latest estimate for provincial services which are still being negotiated pegs those costs at around $39 million, leaving less cash than expected to offset city expenses. Those estimated costs include $15 million from the Ministry of Health for paramedics and surge capacity; $2.5 million from the Ministry of Sport for project management and staffing; $6.6 million from the Ministry of Transportation for additional transit, free transit for volunteers, and additional security for highways; and $14 million for Ontario Provincial Police costs. The estimate does not include the full cost of provincial services that would be needed in the case of any emergency incidents arising out of the games. 'While negotiations continue to be productive, provincial service costs are still substantially higher than budgeted, and in some cases completely unbudgeted,' Bollenbach wrote. Her report did not say exactly how much cash the city could be short due to the higher cost estimates for provincial services. A separate report on procurement for the games found an $18 million funding gap, as of April 25, that the city is hoping to make up through donations, merchandise sales, music royalties, hospitality sales at the stadium, and opportunities around the FIFA Fan Festival. Bollenbach noted that an economic impact assessment conducted by Deloitte Canada estimated the games would contribute billions of dollars to Canada's economy, as well as 'substantial tax revenues' for the federal and provincial governments. 'FWC26 Toronto Secretariat will stay diligent in continuing negotiations with the province to reduce uncertainties around scope and lowering ministry service costs back to the City,' Bollenbach wrote. 'It is staff's intention to maintain as much of the $97 million contribution in cash to offset the City's hosting responsibilities while maintaining the approved budget envelop of $380 million approved by City Council.' The report is set to go before council later this week.
