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But while the mayor has pledged to keep tournament spending within that budget, she told the committee the price tag could go up “because of tariffs and contract costs.” She said that “if (the event) requires more, let’s ask the federal and provincial folks to assist us.” 

Chow  that would authorize the city manager to request additional funding from the higher levels of government if he determined it was required to address “the impact of tariffs on the city’s ability to deliver” the World Cup.

The motion, which will go to council next week for final approval, suggested that the province and federal government would be in a position to bail out the city because they would take in significant revenue from any tariffs they impose on U.S. imports as part of a tit-for-tat trade war. 

Queen’s Park and Ottawa have already pledged about $200 million toward Toronto’s hosting plans.

Chow’s spokesperson didn’t provide details when asked how much hosting costs could increase. “Like most Torontonians, we are closely watching the impacts of potential U.S. tariffs. This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will aim to keep costs as low as possible,” Zeus Eden said in an email. 

Sharon Bollenbach, executive director of Toronto’s World Cup secretariat, said in a statement that the city was “actively monitoring the situation and reviewing existing vendor and supplier contracts to ensure the event is delivered as planned.”

She said the conversations Chow’s motion would authorize with the other governments about potential tariff impacts “have not yet taken place.”

Asked this week whether they would be willing to take on higher hosting costs, both the provincial and federal governments were noncommittal.

“Our government is investing up to $97 million in funds and provincial services to support hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto,” said a spokesperson for the Ontario ministry of sport, referencing the province’s previously announced contribution. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage said the federal government has pledged up to $220 million to pc28¹ÙÍøand Vancouver, the other Canadian host city, and “continues to monitor economic conditions, including tariffs, and their potential impacts.” 

The bill for Toronto’s hosting duties has ballooned since 2018, when council agreed to join the bid for the tournament. A report to council at the time projected it would cost just $45 million, not including security.

Although the city had hoped to split tournament costs equally between all three levels of government, the municipality is set to cover about $180 million, or just under half, despite having fewer resources and not getting a cut of income and sales tax revenue the games in pc28¹ÙÍøwill generate. The city expects the tournament to deliver it indirect economic benefits however, like adding $520 million to the Greater pc28¹ÙÍøArea GDP. 

A proposal Chow’s executive approved Wednesday would enable the city to raise revenue by spending $10.7 million to buy and resell ticket packages for the matches it’s staging. Critics on council have likened that to the municipal government stooping to ticket touting.

Coun. Shelley Carroll (Ward 17, Don Valley North), chair of the World Cup subcommittee, defended the plan however, calling it “absolutely standard practice” for municipalities hosting international sporting events.

“We are not opening up a City of pc28¹ÙÍøStubHub,” she told Chow’s executive.