British Columbia’s government is facing renewed questions about transparency and conditions tied to $18 million in payments made to the three host First Nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following reporting by Global News on Monday.
According to documents confirmed by Global News, the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation received $6 million each from the province.
The payments were made without any publicly disclosed conditions outlining how the funds must be used.
Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow said the funding does come with “clear guidelines,” but did not provide any details.
In a written statement, Sxwíxwtn-Wilson Williams, chairperson of the Squamish Nation, said the three Nations signed a memorandum of understanding with the B.C. government in June to act as partners in planning and hosting World Cup events on their shared traditional territories.
He said the funding will support operations, staff, and resources needed to host the games, as well as “recreational legacy projects” intended to benefit Squamish Nation members long after the tournament ends.
B.C. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Anne Kang would not speak to specific spending plans, saying details must be provided jointly with the Nations. She said the province understands the Nations’ interest in investing in long-term community benefits and capacity building.
However, opposition parties said the government must disclose more information.
BC Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar said taxpayers deserve to know what the $18 million is intended to deliver.
“I think really what the public deserves is nothing less than pure transparency and an understanding of what the deliverables are going to be,” he said.
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad went further, criticizing the payments as opaque and poorly justified.
In a statement posted to X, Rustad said: “While working families in BC scrape by amid soaring costs and cost of living crisis, Eby’s NDP insiders quietly funnel $18M in unchecked taxpayer dollars to Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations for FIFA ‘reconciliation.’ No real conditions, no transparency, just performative gestures that balloon World Cup bills to $581M. This is elite insider deals for left-wing NDP elites.”
The provincial government’s most recent cost estimates project the total price of hosting seven World Cup matches in Vancouver next year to be between $532 million and $624 million, up from earlier forecasts due to rising security and transportation expenses.
B.C. expects to cover $85 million to $145 million of those costs, with the remainder offset by projected revenues of up to $478 million.
The province has not released documentation outlining expected outcomes tied to the $18 million in payments, nor a detailed breakdown of how the host First Nations are required to report their use of the funds.