A three-metre-high metal fence now cages the courtyard of BC Place Stadium, home to seven World Cup games this summer. The security measure marks one of the most visible changes for residents and businesses surrounding the Vancouver venue.
The courtyard—used by students at Columbia Academy private elementary school as their playground—is now blocked off, including the famous statues of Terry Fox.
Local School Adjusts Operations
Brittany Conlon, principal at Columbia Academy, said students will relocate to the academy's high school location, a 15-minute walk away, on match days.
"A lot of families are driving in from Richmond, Burnaby, East Vancouver, and they would want to completely avoid this area," Conlon noted.
She has been planning since September and met with organizers in February to discuss arrangements. While Terry Fox Plaza remains cordoned off, students will walk to downtown parks for recess and gym classes.
"We have the BC Lions games here, and they usually have their parties on Friday afternoon. So, our students are used to a lot of activity there," Conlon said.
Road Closures Impact Area
Tens of thousands of soccer fans are expected to attend World Cup games in Vancouver. Local organizers have released maps showing which roads around BC Place will be open to local traffic only and which will be closed completely.
A stretch of busy Pacific Boulevard alongside the stadium has already shut down to traffic. Terry Fox Plaza is scheduled to remain cordoned off throughout the tournament, with Vancouver's last match on July 7 and FIFA renting the stadium for another week afterward.
Small Businesses Brace for Impact
Next to the school, Aquariums West will be closed on game days. Co-owner Kreig Leblanc said losing seven days of customers could mean a significant hit to the small business.
"We were asking our customers if any of them would really make the effort to try to navigate the street closures and the transit changes, and pretty much unanimously, our customers said no, they were not interested in coming to the shop on game days," Leblanc said.
The store has operated next to Terry Fox Plaza for 16 years, and customers still shop during regular CFL and Major League Soccer games. However, large events with increased restrictions differ.
"With Taylor Swift, we had a whole weekend that was basically a writeoff, because people just didn't come. So, FIFA is sort of an exaggerated version of that," Leblanc said. "Unfortunately, for a small business, seven days of lost revenue is a huge hit."
He reached out to the city seeking possible support through rent reduction or staff assistance, but the idea was rejected.