---
title: "Vancouver city hall denied FOI requests for Mayor Ken Sim's FIFA World Cup trip costs"
description: "Vancouver city staff denied two freedom-of-information requests for records about Mayor Ken Sim's FIFA World Cup Final trip, saying the records \"do not relate to the business of the city,\" journalist Bob Mackin reported October 15."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/ken-sim-fifa-foi-documents-october-14"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T19:03:20.402Z"
---

Two freedom-of-information requests for records about Mayor Ken Sim's attendance at the FIFA World Cup Final were denied by Vancouver city staff, journalist Bob Mackin reported on October 15.

City staff Kevin Tuerlings and April Miller denied the requests on September 24, saying "the requested records do not relate to the business of the city." The denials covered Sim's trip to East Rutherford, New Jersey, where he attended the July 19 final in which Spain defeated Argentina. Ken Sim's office made no comment about the denials, according to the report.

Vancouver was one of 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup and received four VIP tickets to the final under its host city contract, Mackin reported.

## What Mackin found in the calendar

Mackin reported that Sim's public calendar shows nine weekdays with no scheduled appointments during the FIFA period: June 9, June 15, 16, and 17, June 25, June 29, July 6, July 17, and July 20.

Video footage shows Sim, his wife Teena Gupta, and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson leaving through the VIP gate after Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 on June 18, Mackin reported.

Mackin previously reported that Trevor Ford, the ABC Vancouver campaign director, wore a FIFA credential and a City of Vancouver employee pass at World Cup matches. That earlier report was covered by voche.me in October. Ford is not a candidate in the October 17 election.

## The hosting costs question

The NDP government estimated in late May that Vancouver's World Cup hosting costs could reach $729 million, according to Mackin's report. Hotel occupancy in Vancouver fell to 73.2% in June 2026, down from 87% in June 2025, Mackin reported.

The FOI requests denied on September 24 covered both Sim's trip costs and the broader hosting expenditures. With those records not released, the cost details are not in the public record before the October 17 vote.

Ken Sim is seeking re-election as mayor on October 17. Voters can read [Ken Sim's full profile at voche.me](/candidates/ken-sim) to compare the candidates. See [where to vote](/where-to-vote) for the location nearest to you.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.