Drones, CCTV cameras and extra transit in Vancouver's World Cup plan

FIFA us congress brings international delegates — and protesters — to george vancouver

Feds outlay $145M for security at Toronto, Vancouver FIFA World Cup events

FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour kicks off Canadian leg in Vancouver

From the protests outside to the politics inside, here's what happened at the FIFA Congress

Excitement building for fans of countries playing World Cup matches in Vancouver

Officials gathered for a photo at the end. "Everyone say '2026!'"

What you need to know before you go:

That's it from the press conference.

There were a lot of media in attendance and no shortage of questions put forward to officials, but only about 10 minutes were provided for the question-and-answer period.

There is a lot still to be revealed regarding security costs and further security details, something we'll be following in the lead-up to the games.

Vancouver host committee lead Jessie Adcock says organizers have been listening carefully to PNE-area residents' concerns about parking and congestion, which is part of why they are promoting the Know Before You Go campaign. 

"Our goal is, through promoting this campaign, ensuring people know what the easiest way is, the fastest way to get there, which is ultimately by not driving," she said. 

Adcock says TransLink is significantly boosting service levels, and event organizers have been working with other mobility partners —  like Lime, which operates the city's e-scooter share service, and rideshare company Uber — to ensure people can get to the fan festival without driving. 

FIFA Fan Festival signage is posted outside the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station, highlighting the direct route buses will take from this transit hub directly to the PNE fairgrounds.

We can expect more banners and flags around the city in the days and weeks to come.

Chapman said there will be a number of added CCTV cameras going up around B.C. Place and the security perimeter.

He said VPD has been working with the provincial privacy commissioner and the city around a privacy impact assessment.

"To my knowledge, we're in a very good place with that," Chapman said.

Adcock said there will be "appropriate measures" around who can access the data from cameras.

"No one will be able to be recognized ... And also we have a plan to decommission those cameras as soon as the event is over."

FIFA Congress brings international delegates — and protesters — to Vancouver

The international soccer organization FIFA held its annual congress at the Vancouver Convention Centre this week. The ceremonial event came with tight security and a string of protests outside. As Jon Hernandez reports, it could be a sign of what's to come when the World Cup arrives.

Don Chapman, deputy chief with the Vancouver Police Department, says police will respect people's Charter right to protest, so long as they remain lawful.

When Vancouver hosted the FIFA Congress last month, protesters on several issues — including a group opposed to Iran’s participation in the tournament — descended on the meetings.

Chapman says police will look to work with fan group organizers to chaperone fan marches before games.

Where police see the potential for conflict between fan marches and demonstrations, he says police will work with organizers to keep them separate and safe. 

B.C. Residents still don't have a good idea of how much FIFA security measures are costing taxpayers.

Jessie Adcock, host committee lead for FIFA World Cup, says budget updates won't come until "the next few weeks."

"A lot of our projections have been provided ... Not knowing what teams were playing here, what times our matches were going to be. And now we have all of that information, and we've been able to refine our plan."

Back in Vancouver, Chapman said he expects a "peak level of people into the city with real passionate interest" around July 2 and July 7 in the rounds of 32 and 16.

FIFA World Cup: Drones, cameras among heightened security measures

Toronto police outlined some of their security plans for the upcoming FIFA World Cup including drones and video cameras.

Toronto officials shared details of their FIFA security plans on Tuesday, including a new $12.5-million police command centre. 

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw described a state-of-the-art operations centre that will bring a variety of expertise and decision-makers into one space. 

Along with police, the Toronto Integrated Safety and Security Unit Area Command Centre (TACC) will host staff from Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Paramedic Services, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto Hydro, Toronto Water, the Ontario coroner's office, Metrolinx and the TTC. 

Police say they will be able to monitor things like crowd movement and traffic conditions in real time using drones and traffic cameras. Police are also temporarily deploying cameras in key locations such as the FIFA Fan Festival at the Fort York National Historic Site and The Bentway.

Police will be doing more training exercises to prepare for the event, Chapman said.

Chapman said Vancouver is on pace with Toronto's public safety efforts.

He said the department has a "very robust drone program" that will monitor crowd movements.

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