Journalist records ABC campaign director entering FIFA match with VPD's top officers
Bob Mackin reports that Trevor Ford, who became ABC Vancouver's campaign director in May 2026, entered B.C. Place with the Vancouver police chief and two senior officers on June 18, 2026, displaying a City of Vancouver employee pass.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on bobmackin.substack.com.
Journalist Bob Mackin reported on October 8, 2026, that Trevor Ford, who became ABC Vancouver's campaign director in May 2026, was recorded entering B.C. Place Stadium on June 18 alongside Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai and two other senior officers for Canada's FIFA World Cup match against Qatar.
Ford had served as Mayor Ken Sim's chief of staff from June 2023. Mackin says Ford moved to the campaign director role in May 2026, more than three weeks before the June 18 event.
According to Mackin's report, Ford displayed a City of Vancouver employee pass and FIFA World Cup accreditation at the Terry Fox Plaza gate. The three VPD officers named in the report are Chief Constable Steve Rai, Senior Deputy Chief Howard Chow, and Superintendent Trevor Burmachuk.
The freedom of information request
Mackin reports that theBreaker.news filed a freedom of information request with Vancouver city hall about Ford's attendance at the match. According to the report, city hall denied the request, citing a provision that covers records not relating to the business of the public body.
No response on record
The article carried no response from ABC Vancouver, Trevor Ford, or any of the three named police officers.
Mackin's report notes that ABC Vancouver has committed to fully funding the VPD and that the party received electoral support from the Vancouver Police Union in previous elections. The article raises questions about the relationship between the campaign and VPD leadership.
What this means for voters
Public safety is one of the main issues in the October 17 election. ABC Vancouver's platform commits to fully funding the VPD, which had a budget of $497 million in 2026, according to Mackin's report. Voters can compare what each party has said on policing and public safety at /parties/abc-vancouver. Advance voting continues on October 10 and October 13, and election day is October 17.
Questions this story answers
Who is Trevor Ford and what is his role in the 2026 Vancouver election?
Trevor Ford served as Mayor Ken Sim's chief of staff from June 2023. In May 2026, he moved to the role of campaign director for ABC Vancouver, the party running Ken Sim for re-election as mayor. Bob Mackin published a report about Ford on October 8, 2026, raising questions about his attendance at a FIFA World Cup match with senior Vancouver police officers.
What did Bob Mackin report about Ford's attendance at the FIFA World Cup?
Bob Mackin reported on October 8, 2026, that Ford was recorded on June 18, 2026, entering B.C. Place Stadium at the Terry Fox Plaza gate for Canada's FIFA World Cup match against Qatar. According to Mackin's report, Ford was accompanied by Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai, Senior Deputy Chief Howard Chow, and Superintendent Trevor Burmachuk. Mackin says Ford displayed a City of Vancouver employee pass and FIFA World Cup accreditation.
Why does it matter that Ford displayed a City of Vancouver employee pass?
Mackin's report says Ford had already moved from his City of Vancouver chief of staff role to become ABC Vancouver's campaign director in May 2026, more than three weeks before the June 18 FIFA match. Mackin raises questions about why Ford, in his campaign director role, displayed a City employee pass at the stadium gate. The article does not allege that a specific law was broken.
Did ABC Vancouver or Trevor Ford respond to the report?
According to Bob Mackin's October 8, 2026, report, the article carried no response from ABC Vancouver, Trevor Ford, or any of the named Vancouver police officers: Chief Steve Rai, Senior Deputy Chief Howard Chow, and Superintendent Trevor Burmachuk.
Was a freedom of information request filed about this?
Yes. According to Bob Mackin's report, theBreaker.news filed a freedom of information request with Vancouver city hall about Ford's attendance at the FIFA World Cup. The report says city hall denied the request, citing a provision about records that do not relate to the business of the public body. The article does not give the date the request was filed or the date it was denied.
What is the relationship between ABC Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Department?
ABC Vancouver's platform commits to fully funding the Vancouver Police Department. The party received electoral support from the Vancouver Police Union in previous elections, according to Bob Mackin's October 8, 2026, report. The report raises questions about the relationship between the campaign and VPD leadership, given that the campaign director attended a public event alongside the police chief and two senior officers.
Who are the VPD officers named in the report?
Bob Mackin names three Vancouver Police Department officers who entered B.C. Place alongside Ford on June 18, 2026: Chief Constable Steve Rai, Senior Deputy Chief Howard Chow, and Superintendent Trevor Burmachuk. The report does not document any response from any of the three officers.
Where can voters read about ABC Vancouver's platform and compare it with other parties?
Voters can read ABC Vancouver's platform, along with those of all other parties running in the October 17 election, at /parties/abc-vancouver. A comparison of what all parties have said on public safety is on the voche.me news page. Election day is October 17, 2026, with advance voting available on October 10 and October 13.
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