Your ballot
Two forms, 130 names. Election day is Saturday, October 17.
Separate vote: the B.C. provincial election is on Saturday, October 24. Elections BC runs it, on its own ballot. Daily Hive
What's at stake
The issues voters rank highest. Tell the page about you to add the ones that hit home.
Renter protectionsRenters
ABC closed the City's Renters' Office in January 2023. Pete Fry had set it up as a councillor. Daily Hive Tyee
- Green
- Reopen it. Protect tenants in condos and basement suites. Define affordable as 30% of median income.
- COPE
- Reopen it. Triple the empty homes tax.
- Vote Vancouver
- Non-market homes on City land.
Your tax billOwners
Each 1% of property tax raises about $12M for the City. Utility fees, such as water and sewer, still rose 4.2% on average in the 2026 freeze year. Tyee
- ABC
- 0% in 2027. End residential parking-permit fees.
- Green
- Rise with inflation. Check empty homes tax compliance and raise the rate gradually.
- TEAM
- At or below inflation.
- Vote Vancouver
- Tied to inflation, with 4-year forecasts.
- COPE
- Triple the empty homes tax.
What can be built near youOwners
Vancouver adopted its first citywide development plan in March 2026. In July, council killed the Villages Plan 10β1. It would have allowed multiplexes and low-rise apartments in 17 neighbourhoods. Daily Hive Daily Hive
- TEAM
- Repeal the citywide plan in 90 days. Bring back neighbourhood planning.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Use the B.C. Building Code. One department for approvals.
- Green
- Pre-approved home designs. Undo the rule that allows 250 sq ft homes.
- OneCity
- Its councillor cast the only vote for the Villages Plan.
- ABC
- Voted against the Villages Plan.
ChildcareParents
Sim promised 5,000 childcare spaces in 2022. About 2,000 opened. Daily Hive
- ABC
- Double the 2,000 new spaces.
- Green
- Childcare in community centres.
- Vote Vancouver
- Childcare in public schools. Non-profit childcare in all new developments.
SchoolsParents
You elect 9 school trustees. A live fight: Microsoft Copilot accounts for students 13 and older. Tyee
- ABC
- A teaching assistant in every classroom. Keep school liaison officers.
- COPE
- Pause student chatbots. Universal school meals.
- OneCity
- No student chatbots before Grade 10.
- TEAM
- Pause student chatbot accounts.
Pools, play and getting aroundParents
- ABC
- Free learn-to-swim, levels 1β3, ages 3β12. Swim lessons in school hours. More free access to community centres and pools for under-18s.
- Vote Vancouver
- Free transit for youth.
- Green
- More 30 km/h streets. Car-free areas around schools.
- Vancouver Liberals
- A low-income pass for kids and seniors.
Running a businessBusiness
Bligh says business property taxes rose close to 23% over 4 years. Daily Hive
- ABC
- Faster business licences. Bring in tech companies.
- Green
- A Business Navigator Office. Faster change-of-use permits. Shield small businesses from tax on redevelopment value.
- Vote Vancouver
- A Small Business Concierge.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Let shops make and sell in one place. Restart the Vancouver Economic Commission.
- TEAM
- Service standards for permits.
Driving and parkingDrivers
Question 1 borrows $292M for bridges, roads, sidewalks, signals and street lights. City
- ABC
- End residential parking-permit fees. Free parking at Jericho, Spanish Banks and community centres. $104M for roads and sidewalks.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Free parking at all beaches and community centres.
- TEAM
- Free parking at Jericho and Spanish Banks. Review the rest.
- Green
- Turn at least 11% of roads to walking, cycling, transit or green space.
Transit and cyclingTransit + bike
Cost of living and property tax23% rank it first
Property tax rose 10.7%, 7.3% and 3.9% in Sim's first three budgets, then froze at 0% for 2026. ABC says the freeze protects core services. The same budget cut arts 12% and planning and sustainability 14%, and gave police 10% more. BIV Tyee
- ABC
- 0% again in 2027.
- Green
- Rise with inflation. No freeze promise.
- TEAM
- At or below inflation, after a line-by-line review.
- Vote Vancouver
- Tied to inflation, with 4-year forecasts.
Housing you can afford19% rank it first
In July, council killed the Villages Plan 10β1. It would have allowed multiplexes and low-rise apartments in 17 neighbourhoods. Only OneCity's Lucy Maloney voted yes. Daily Hive
- ABC
- Adopted the first citywide development plan, March 2026.
- Green
- City housing bonds. Co-ops and land trusts on City land.
- Vancouver Liberals
- B.C. Building Code in 100 days. One department for approvals.
- TEAM
- Repeal the citywide plan. Says upzoning fuels speculation.
- Vote Vancouver
- Non-market homes on 5 City sites.
- COPE
- Build affordable homes. Triple the empty homes tax.
Public safety10% rank it first
Police got 10% more in 2026. The City reported its lowest violent-crime rate in 23 years in 2025. Violent crime rose again in 2026. Tyee City CTV
- ABC
- Ban public hard-drug use. 100+ involuntary care beds. See questions 4 and 5.
- Green
- A 24/7 outreach team that is not police. An Office of Community Safety.
- TEAM
- Target repeat offenders. No tolerance for open drug use.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Go after organized crime. More police funding.
Trust in City Hall10% rank it first
The Integrity Commissioner found Sim harassed Coun. Sean Orr and misused his office. Sim disagreed with the findings, and ABC's 6 councillors voted down sanctions. The 2026 draft budget ran 23 pages; the 2025 draft ran 373. CP Tyee
- Green
- Ranked ballots for mayor. A voluntary lobbyist registry. Independent ethics oversight.
- COPE
- A "people's audit" of Sim's term.
- TEAM
- A line-by-line budget review.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Fiscal transparency and accountability.
- ABC
- Limit spending to core City services.
Homelessness9% rank it first
Council paused new supportive housing in February 2025, 6β3. The pause still holds. Sim says Vancouver hosts 77% of the region's supportive services but has 25% of its people. CP Tyee
- ABC
- Voted to keep the pause. Closer oversight of non-profits.
- Green
- Lift the pause, with rules. Small villages of lockable cabins. Daytime rest spaces.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Lift the pause. Do not remove a camp until everyone there is offered housing or services.
- Vote Vancouver
- Lift the pause within 100 days.
- COPE
- Follow the national protocol on encampments: no forced evictions.
AI data centresIn the news
Telus and Westbank want to turn the M3 office building at East 5th and Quebec into an AI data centre. In July, council sent the rezoning back to staff. It can return in early 2027 at the earliest. A second site, 150 West Georgia, has no rezoning application yet. Daily Hive
- ABC
- Sim backed the project. ABC voted down a motion to set rules.
- Green
- New zoning rules and community-benefit conditions.
- COPE
- A moratorium on new AI data centres.
- TEAM
- A moratorium while rules are set.
- Vancouver Liberals
- Against the Mount Pleasant site.
- Vote Vancouver
- Case by case, with clear public benefits.
- OneCity
- Rules first. Its councillor moved the defeated rules motion.
Community centres and poolsOn the ballot: Q2
In 2022, 72% of the 27 community centres were in poor or very poor shape. The new capital plan puts $400M into 5: Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Roundhouse and Kensington. ABC says the money is in the approved capital plan. A former Park Board chair says it pays for about 2. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre closed for good this summer. Tyee Daily Hive ABC
- ABC
- The $400M plan. A 50 m pool at the Aquatic Centre. Free swim lessons for kids.
- Green
- Rebuild Hastings, Kensington and Renfrew first.
- Vancouver Liberals
- $1.35B for centres, pools and rinks.
- TEAM
- The Park Board picks the centres. $738M for parks and recreation.
- OneCity
- Finish Britannia. A new centre with a 50 m pool at Kingsgate Mall.
- COPE
- Fully fund the Park Board. A new 50 m pool.
"Rank it first" is the share of Vancouver adults who named it their top issue. Justason, Aug 31βSep 11
Mayor
8 names. 5 run full campaigns.
| Ken Sim | Pete Fry | Kareem Allam | Colleen Hardwick | Rebecca Bligh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot # | 54 | 51 | 56 | 50 | 52 |
| Party | ABC Vancouver | Green | Vancouver Liberals | TEAM | Vote Vancouver |
| Poll, Sep | 30% | 45% | 10% | 11% | 5% |
| Poll, Aug | 30% | 19% | 19% | 14% | 7% |
| Favourable, Aug | 39% | 45% | 33% | 36% | 31% |
| Experience | Mayor since 2022 | Councillor since 2018 | Strategist; Sim's ex-chief of staff | Councillor 2018β22 | Councillor since 2018 |
| Property tax | 0% in 2027 | In line with inflation | Not stated | At or below inflation | Tied to inflation |
| Supportive-housing pause | Keep (his motion) | Lift | Lift | Not stated | Lift within 100 days |
| Renters' Office | Closed it, 2023 | Reopen | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Housing plan | Not stated | City housing bonds | B.C. Building Code in 100 days | Repeal the citywide plan | 5 City sites, non-market |
| Hastings Community Centre | In the $400M plan | Top 3 to rebuild | Not named | Park Board decides | No promise |
| Mount Pleasant data centre | Backed the project | Zoning + benefit rules | Against the site | Moratorium | Case by case |
| Elected Park Board | Keep (dropped abolition, 2026) | Keep | Keep | Keep | Keep |
Polls are decided voters. Sep: Justason, online, 336 decided, after the two withdrawals. Aug: Research Co., online, before them. Justason Research Co. Positions: pitches promises ABC Greens Allam centres data centres experience
Also running: Muhammad Ahmad (#53, Bright Future Vancouver), Amauri Caliman (#55) and Scott Gilbert (#57), both independent. No poll reports them.
0 of 1 picked
Sim's record
His 2022 promises, scored. Then his other big moves, by year.
| 2022 promise | Result |
|---|---|
| 100 new police officers | 100 hired β |
| 100 mental-health nurses | 57 workers, per ABC |
| Citywide plan by end of term | Adopted March 2026 β |
| Double co-op homes (+6,000) | +334 net β |
| 5,000 childcare spaces | About 2,000 β |
| 100,000 new trees | Net +257, 2023β25 β |
| House permit in 3 weeks | 160 days in 2025, from 250 in 2022 β |
| Property tax, 2023β26 | +10.7%, +7.3%, +3.9%, 0% |
- 2023Closed the Renters' Office in January. Daily Hive
- 2023Moved to abolish the elected Park Board in December. Dropped the plan in July 2026. CTV
- 2025Paused new supportive housing in February, 6β3. Sim says Vancouver hosts 77% of the region's supportive services but has 25% of its people. CP
- 2025The City reported its lowest violent-crime rate in 23 years, after a police surge in the Downtown Eastside. Violent crime rose again in 2026. City CTV
- 2026The Integrity Commissioner found Sim harassed Coun. Sean Orr and misused his office. Sim disagreed with the findings. ABC's 6 councillors voted down sanctions. CP
Council
10 seats, 56 names. Any 6 votes control council.
ABC holds 6 seats plus the mayor today. COPE, OneCity and the Greens capped their slates to avoid splitting the vote: 13 names for 10 seats. Daily Hive
A recent housing vote: in July, council killed the Villages Plan 10β1. It would have allowed multiplexes and low-rise apartments in 17 neighbourhoods. Only Lucy Maloney (OneCity) voted yes; Fry voted no. Daily Hive
0 of 10 picked
OneCity5 running
Coun. Lucy Maloney cast the only vote for the Villages Plan and moved the data-centre rules. Daily Hive Daily Hive
COPE4 running
Reopen the Renters' Office. Triple the empty homes tax. Moratorium on new AI data centres. Daily Hive Tyee
Green4 running
Fry's party. City housing bonds, the Renters' Office back, Hastings, Kensington and Renfrew centres first. Daily Hive
ABC Vancouver9 running
Sim's party. Tax freeze in 2027, no residential parking-permit fees, a ban on public hard-drug use. Daily Hive
Vancouver Liberals7 running
Allam's party. He calls it a mix of Liberal, Conservative and NDP members. B.C. Building Code, one approvals department. Tyee Daily Hive
TEAM7 running
Hardwick's party. Repeal the citywide plan, tax at or below inflation, a data-centre moratorium. Daily Hive Tyee
Vote Vancouver6 running
Bligh's party. Non-market homes on City land, free transit for youth. Daily Hive
Bright Future Vancouver6 running
Ahmad's party. Little news coverage of its platform.
Others8 running
Two small parties and six independents.
Park Board
It survived. 7 seats, 35 names. It runs most community centres and pools.
The fight, in 7 steps
- 1Oct 2022. ABC wins 6 of 7 seats. Tyee
- 2Dec 2023. Sim moves to abolish the board. Council asks the Province to change the Vancouver Charter, 8β3. Global
- 3Late 2023. 3 of ABC's 6 commissioners quit the party. ABC loses control of the board. Daily Hive
- 4Oct 2025. The Province tables Bill 26: abolition only after a citywide referendum. Daily Hive
- 5Oct 2025. The Province shelves the bill. The Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations asked for more consultation. Daily Hive
- 6Jul 2026. Sim drops abolition. ABC runs 7 candidates. CTV
- 7Now. Every party says it will keep the board. Tyee
π Hastings Community Centre: who promises what
| Party | Promise |
|---|---|
| Green | Hastings in the first 3 rebuilds; 50 m pool at Hastings or Kensington |
| OneCity | A new pool at Hastings |
| COPE | Follow the 2022 Park Board list (Hastings ranks 3rd) |
| ABC | Hastings is 1 of 5 in the $400M plan |
| TEAM | Park Board, not council, picks the centres |
| Vancouver Liberals | Renfrew and River District named; Hastings not |
| Vote Vancouver | No rebuild promise |
The 2022 Park Board strategy found 72% of the 27 centres in poor or very poor shape. It ranked Hastings 3rd, tied with Strathcona. Council's $400M list also took in Kerrisdale, Dunbar and Roundhouse, which ranked lower or not at all. Council says it picked by building condition and use. Tyee Vancity Lookout
0 of 7 picked
OneCity3 running
Finish Britannia. New pools at Marpole and Hastings. Lifeguards at every beach and pool. Tyee
ABC Vancouver7 running
$400M for 5 centres, Hastings included. Double the dog parks. Bring back the Stanley Park train. Tyee
Vancouver Liberals6 running
$1.35B for centres, pools and rinks. Renfrew and River District named. Tyee
School Board
9 seats, 31 names. Trustees set policy. Staff run the schools.
A live issue: AI chatbot accounts for students. COPE and TEAM would pause them. OneCity would wait until Grade 10. Tyee
0 of 9 picked
OneCity5 running
Delay student AI chatbots to Grade 10. Former superintendent Steve Cardwell runs. Tyee
ABC Vancouver7 running
A teaching assistant in every classroom. Keep school liaison officers. Daily Hive
Vancouver Liberals5 running
Little coverage of a school platform.
Others4 running
One small party and one independent.
The 5 questions
3 decide borrowing. 2 are advisory only.
Form 1: borrowing, 2027β2030
A Yes lets council borrow up to the amount without another vote. City
Form 2: advisory
The form opens with this line: "Vancouver has experienced unprecedented levels of street disorder, open-air hard drug use, and disruption to community safety and individual health."
Are you in favour of the City of Vancouver strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug (Heroin, Meth, Fentanyl, and Crack) use in public spaces?
Should the City of Vancouver formally ask the Province of BC to convert portions of the old St. Paul's Hospital, or another similar site, into a secure medical facility that provides acute voluntary and 100-plus involuntary care beds for individuals posing a serious risk to themselves or others due to severe substance use and mental health disorders?
My ballot
Your picks in ballot-number order, to copy onto the paper form. Saved on this device only.
Tick names above. They show here.
Read more
Almost everything leans one way. The label says which way.
Official
- Plan your voteCity of Vancouver
- Candidates, with nomination papers and contactsCity of Vancouver
- The 5 questions, full wordingCity of Vancouver
- Help researching candidates at any branchVancouver Public Library
Reporting
- Every party's main promisesDaily Hive Β· Sep 25
- Sim's 2022 promises, scoredDaily Hive Β· Sep 16
- Five mayoral pitches to the Board of TradeDaily Hive Β· Oct 6
- Who will fix the pools and community centresThe Tyee, non-profit, leans left Β· Oct 8
- Where the parties stand on AI and data centresThe Tyee Β· Aug 11
- Why the centrists stayed in the raceThe Tyee Β· Sep 10
- How council picked the 5 centresVancity Lookout, independent Β· Apr 29
- The 0% budget passesBusiness in Vancouver
Opinion and advocacy
- The problem with Pete Fry's campaignTyee opinion Β· the case against Fry
- Labour's endorsed slateVDLC, labour, left
- A guide to the choicesSide Street, says it favours mid-rise housing
- Mayor quiz, 15 questionsAnonymous owner; some positions AI-estimated
Polls
- Fry 45, Sim 30 Β· Aug 31βSep 11Justason; co-sponsor Fair Voting BC
- Sim 30, Fry 19, Allam 19 Β· Jul 30βAug 1Research Co.
- Sim approval 28%, disapproval 48% Β· Jul 20β24Pallas Data; paid for by the Conservative Electors Association
Party platforms
- ABC VancouverSim
- Green Party of VancouverFry
- Vancouver LiberalsAllam
- TEAM for a Livable VancouverHardwick
- Vote VancouverBligh
- OneCitycouncil, park and school slates
- COPEcouncil, park and school slates
- Bright Future VancouverAhmad