'Left stranded': Wheelchair users denied access to BC Place lounge

Frustrated ticketholders are speaking out after multiple groups with wheelchair users were refused entry to a lounge at BC Place with accessible seating.

Friends Jordan Tarr and Marcia McNaughton said the upsetting situation unfolded during Sunday's game between the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which they attended in a group of five.

They were expecting to watch from the Edgewater Lounge – a preferred spot for wheelchair users like Tarr, as most accessible seats in the stadium only have room for one additional guest.

"There's a bar top so I can pull up there and we can watch the game with all my friends," said Tarr. "It's never been a problem in the past (but) they said there's no more room for wheelchairs up there."

That's when McNaughton rushed to customer service and discovered they weren't the only ones being denied access the lounge.

In a series of social media posts, McNaughton said "at least" four groups were turned away.

"Families with children in wheelchairs were left stranded," she added. "The only option was to hang in the concourse and watch the game on TV."

McNaughton told CTV News her group refused to stay in the concourse, and they were eventually placed in club seats and given a $100 food voucher.

She said they still missed "most of the game" dealing with the situation, which she called a "disgrace."

"It was absolutely ridiculous," she said.

In a statement, the Crown corporation that operates BC Place apologized to everyone who was denied lounge access on Sunday - and promised to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances.

"We recognize that our 41-year-old building poses challenges for accessibility, and while we are actively working to improve this, it was a mistake to deny entry to the lounge," BC Pavilion Corporation said.

Other groups will be provided free tickets, food and beverages to a future game, PavSe added.

The corporation described the Edgewater Lounge as a general admission area available to ticketholders from certain sections of the stadium on a first come, first served basis.

The accessible seats in the lounge were "already occupied" when McNaughton's group and the other impacted ticketholders arrived, according to the statement.

McNaughton said there were other available lounge spaces - not ones specifically designated for accessible seating - where they could have gone.

"There's always challenges of being in a wheelchair – there's a lot of things I used to enjoy that I can't anymore," said Tarr, who added that watching a football game shouldn't have been one of those things.

In addition to the review, BC Pavilion Corporation said it is working to hire an accessibility-focused guest experience co-ordinator to "ensure all guests receive the care and attention they deserve."