Thousands of fans still waiting for refunds after Vancouver Formula E race cancelled

Electric car racing is a growing sport with a massive international fan base that includes thousands who purchased tickets for a race that was supposed to happen in Vancouver over the Canada Day weekend.

"I was excited. I'm a motor-racing fan,” said Keith Paterson, who spent more than $500 on a pair of weekend passes.

In all, 33,000 tickets were sold for the event before the race was cancelled in early April after the City of Vancouver abruptly terminated the agreement it had with event organizer One Stop Strategy Group.

According to internal city emails seen by CTV News, OSS routinely missed planning deadlines and failed to follow through on standard requests the city makes of major event organizers.

The emails say OSS failed to provide proof of insurance, did not show it had agreements in place with private property owners at the racing site, and did not provide engineer-approved plans for temporary buildings and grandstands in a timely manner.

“OSS has routinely submitted incomplete submittals lacking the information previously requested by city staff,” reads one of the emails.

With little planning complete and less than three months before the event, on April 5, the city’s legal department informed OSS it was terminating the agreement to host the race in Vancouver.

"We had actually found out on the news. There was no email directly from OSS Group telling us it was postponed,” said a ticketholder named Amy who requested to only be identified by her first name.

OSS did eventually tell ticketholders the Vancouver race would take place in 2023 and that tickets for the 2022 event would be honoured for the new date.

Despite the postponement claims by OSS, when the Formula E international racing schedule came out in June, it did not include a Vancouver stop.

A lawyer who has been contacted by a number of ticket holders about the possibility of a lawsuit does not believe a future event will take place.

“Formula E says it has terminated their contractual obligations with the One Stop Strategy Group,” said Richard Chang of Diamond and Diamond Lawyers.

Even if the event does go ahead in the future, under B.C.’s Consumer Protection Act, it will still be up to the ticketholder to decide if they would like a refund or tickets to the rescheduled event.

"I fairly quickly lost confidence and I immediately said I don't want to reschedule, I want a refund,” said Paterson, who has tried unsuccessfully to get his money back.

Chang said ticket-holders who have been in touch with his firm have also been unsuccessful in obtaining refunds, and worry the company won’t be able to organize a Formula E race in Vancouver for next year.

"Individuals who have contacted us are doubtful. That's why there is an investigation on our part as to the merits of bringing on a class-action suit on behalf of these individuals,” Chang said.

CTV News was unable to reach OSS for comment on the status of refunds or possible future dates for the race.