Vancouver city council voted Thursday to extend the temporary pedestrian zone on Granville Street through the rest of the summer, keeping the five-block area car-free after its successful debut during FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. The decision came during a special council meeting, with a majority in favor and two councillors opposed.
Council Decision and Cost Concerns
The motion to extend the zone, which had been set up for World Cup soccer matches, passed despite concerns over its $4.75 million price tag for seven weeks of operation. Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who voted against the motion along with Councillor Pete Fry, argued that small businesses are struggling and that spending nearly $700,000 per week on five or six downtown blocks is egregious. “This motion is asking for nearly $5 million for only seven weeks,” Bligh said. “Small businesses are struggling right across this city… How do you think they would feel if they knew that we would be agreeing to spending close to $700,000 a week in five or six blocks of the downtown? I think they would find that egregious.”
Mayor Sim's Vision for a World-Class District
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim supported the extension, citing the “overwhelming success” of the pedestrian area during the World Cup and the need to build on public excitement. “Opportunity knocks, we don’t get these opportunities very often, if at all, and I truly believe that we are ready as a neighbourhood… as a city, as a region, as a province, to take it to the next level. Granville Street is ready to become a global, world-class entertainment district,” Sim said.
Plans for a Seasonal Pilot
Councillor Lucy Maloney proposed that city staff work on a three-year seasonal pilot to give the downtown business improvement association and Granville Street businesses time to plan for a permanent pedestrian zone. “I think we need to commit to this. I think it’s absolutely wrong to expect that the pedestrian zone post World Cup is going to be like the pedestrian zone during the World Cup, but I think that that’s a really important thing for us to explore now,” Maloney said. She also emphasized the need to address illegal activities, such as open alcohol consumption that has led to several arrests, and to add more family-friendly activities.
Opposition and Transparency Concerns
Fry, while supporting a pedestrian zone in the long term, argued that the rushed summer extension lacked sufficient planning. “This is near $5 million that we’re talking about spending. We don’t really know what an activation without a World Cup, and the tens of thousands of visitors downtown would possibly look like,” he said, adding that the city still does not know its total World Cup expenditures. “So, this leaves us with so many questions, and I really wish that we had taken a more transparent and collaborative approach to this. I want to support this Granville activation. I want to see it succeed, but I am not presented with any kind of cogent argument that suggests that this will be a success… It’s not good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”
The five-block zone, which was packed with soccer fans during Canada’s matches, will remain car-free for the rest of the summer as the city explores long-term options.
