Latest news with #WorldCup26
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Canada's World Cup Set a Zero-Waste Standard, or Leave a Legacy of Trash?
New Campaign Urges Toronto and Vancouver to Act Now TORONTO, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In one year, millions of fans will take part in global festivities around Toronto's BMO Field and Vancouver's BC Place as Canada co-hosts the FIFA World Cup 26TM. What they leave behind could be just as monumental: a legacy of trash, or a breakthrough in sustainable sport. Today, Oceana Canada launched #ReuseForTheWin, a campaign urging Toronto and Vancouver to eliminate single-use food and beverage containers during the tournament. The campaign calls on stadium operators to eliminate single-use cups for beer, pop, and coffee during the World Cup. The stadium operator in Toronto is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (BMO Field) and in Vancouver, it is BC Pavilion Corporation (BC Place, which already operates a reusable cup program in select sections and is exploring expansion). The solution is simple: ditch single-use cups bound for the trash and replace them with ones that will be collected, cleaned, re-stocked, and reused for the next game, creating a zero-waste standard in global sport. 'Every match of the World Cup could generate over 100,000 single-use items — and that's just from drinks,' said Anthony Merante, Senior Plastics Campaigner at Oceana Canada. 'We have one shot to get this right. If stadiums make the switch to reuse, Canada can leave behind a legacy of sustainable leadership, not litter.' The Problem: Single-Use Waste on a Global StageGovernments are investing nearly $1 billion to host the FIFA World Cup 26™ in Toronto and Vancouver. Unless major venues stop serving single-use items, millions of cups, trays, bottles, and wrappers could end up in landfill, incinerators, or polluting waterways. This isn't just a waste issue — it's an ocean crisis. Major sports stadiums across Canada routinely serve single-use items, many of them made from or lined with plastic. In Canada, half of all plastic waste is single-use like the products served in the stands. Yet only eight per cent of plastics are recycled, with more than 90 per cent going to landfill, incineration, or directly into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Canadians want better. An Oceana Canada-commissioned poll by Abacus Data found that 88 per cent of Canadians would choose a reusable option over single-use one if available. Right now, fans at BMO Field and BC Place lack choice. It's time to make single use history. #ReuseForTheWin. The Solution: Reuse is a Win for Everyone If BMO Field and BC Place fully switch to reuse, up to 2.3 million single-use items could be avoided during the tournament. Reuse creates local green jobs in collection, cleaning, and delivery, while cutting waste management costs. All fans would get a guilt-free, zero-waste experience at every match. Toronto and Vancouver could create a sustainability legacy for their stadiums and cities. Each year, more than $7.8 billion worth of plastic is lost to landfills in Canada. Reusables offer a long-term, sustainable investment, eliminating the need to repurchase items that become trash after a single use. Reuse isn't just good for the environment, it's good economics. The Call to Action: One Year to Get it RightThe opportunity for change is now. Oceana Canada is calling on: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (BMO Field) and the BC Pavillion Corporation (BC Place) to ditch single use and switch to reuse ahead of the FIFA World Cup 26™. Toronto and Vancouver to pass reuse bylaws ahead of FIFA World Cup 26™, requiring refillable and reusable food and beverage service at stadiums, restaurants, festivals and other large venues. (Read and sign the petition at The Coca-Cola Company, one of the largest 2026 World Cup sponsors, to invest in the transition to reuse at World Cup venues. 'Hosting the World Cup will leave a legacy on our cities. Let's make it one of sustainability — not waste,' said Merante. 'Stadiums across the world have already been upgraded to reuse and found success. This is Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the BC Pavillion Corporation's moment to lead.' Oceana Canada's recommendations follow a workshop with stadium operators, policy experts, reuse providers, and government representatives from across Canada and the United States exploring practical approaches to zero-waste operations in sport. Visit to learn more and add your voice to the call for zero-waste World Cup cities. Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest internationaladvocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to ban single-use plastics, end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada's formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada's oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits and protect our future. Find out more at Media contacts: Vaishali Dassani, Oceana Canada, vdassani@ 647-294-3335; Rose-Marie Ménard, Pilot PMR, +1-579-622-9925
CBC
28-01-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Toronto organizes soccer drills with Regent Park youth to mark 500 days to FIFA World Cup
Toronto organized soccer drills with young players in Regent Park on Tuesday to begin counting down 500 days until the city hosts its first FIFA World Cup 26 game. The soccer session at the Regent Park Community Centre gymnasium drew about 30 young people from the city's soccer program and featured Scarborough born and raised Dwayne De Rosario, a former Canadian professional soccer player. The FIFA World Cup 26 opener in Toronto is set for June 12, 2026 and will feature Canada's men's national team. De Rosario said it's extremely important to show children in underserved communities that they can have a future in soccer. "I'm a product of inner city community. I'm a product of Metro Housing. I'm a first-generation Canadian, where all the odds are against you," De Rosario told reporters. "It was sport that created a pathway for me to see the world, to help provide for my family," De Rosario said. De Rosario said he was in Regent Park, "opening these kids' eyes to bigger opportunities." Toronto will host six World Cup 26 games at a cost of $380 million. Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's host cities for the sports tournament, with Vancouver hosting seven games. Canada, the United States and Mexico are co-hosting the expanded 48-team, 104-match World Cup. The U.S. has 11 host cities, while Mexico has three. Each of the young athletes received a special commemorative scarf to mark the occasion that the city called Toronto's "FIFA World Cup 26 journey." According to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, De Rosario retired in 2015 as a four-time Major League Soccer champion and seven-time Major League Soccer All-Star. "He remains the ninth all-time leading goal scorer in MLS history, with 109 league goals and 82 assists over 367 games," the hall of fame says on its website. 'We are ready': mayor At an unrelated news conference earlier on Tuesday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow expressed enthusiasm for the event, saying much work is being done behind the scenes to prepare. "We are ready — 500 days! Yeah, we are ready," Chow told reporters. Chow said the city is also organizing what it calls Fan Fest, whose location has been picked but not yet announced. She said there will be a sale of packages for people to come to watch the games. "The fans are ready, the soccer leagues in Toronto are ready. Everywhere I go, people said, 'Whoa, OK. World Cup is coming.' So we're ready — 500 days." In its 2025 budget notes on the FIFA World Cup 26, the city said the total cost of planning and hosting the event in Toronto includes $236.4 million in operating costs and $143.6 million in capital costs, with a total cost of $380 million. One of the projects associated with the games is an expansion of BMO Field, which will see the addition of more than 17,000 seats to bring the capacity to more than 45,000 seats. Construction is already underway. "By collaborating with various City divisions, agencies, community partners, and stakeholders, Toronto aims to enhance local infrastructure, particularly at BMO Field and Centennial Park, benefiting future generations and the growth of amateur sports. The initiative will bring significant economic advantages to Toronto, Ontario, and Canada," the city says in the budget notes. "Through community engagement, Toronto is committed to creating a lasting legacy focused on sport, human rights, sustainability, economic development, and arts and culture, while also respecting local Indigenous communities." City to get $97M from province, $104.3M from Ottawa Costs are fully funded from the city's reserves, federal and provincial grants as well as third party funding, the city says in the budget notes. The budget notes say the Ontario government pledged $97 million in December 2023 to support the city's efforts to host the games and the funding is "exclusively limited to investments that build lasting public infrastructure and benefits that will serve the community over the long-term following the completion of the games." The federal government, meanwhile, announced in May 2024 it will provide $104.3 million in funding for operational and capital expenses related to hosting.
