Police investigate suspected arson of Ken Sim's ABC signs at volunteer's home | Daily Hive

Suspected arson fire of ABC Vancouver campaign signs at a volunteer's home, as seen on Oct. 6, 2026. (Submitted)

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is investigating fire-damaged ABC Vancouver campaign signs at a volunteer’s home, raising concerns that flames could have completely engulfed numerous campaign signs and spread to his house and neighbouring properties.

The incident occurred sometime between Monday evening, Oct. 5, and early Tuesday morning, Oct. 6.

The resident, whose name is being withheld by this publication for personal safety reasons, told Daily Hive Urbanized everything appeared normal when he finished working that night. He discovered the damage the following morning.

“It’s got me really rattled,” he said in an interview.

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Photographs provided to Daily Hive Urbanized show a large campaign sign promoting Ken Sim and the ABC party with a burned opening along its lower edge. Blackened material surrounds the hole, which exposes the wood behind the sign. The damaged sign was one of many stacked against an exterior wall of the volunteer’s residential property.

In response to an inquiry from Daily Hive Urbanized, the VPD confirmed today it received a report on Oct. 6 of several campaign signs damaged by what they say is a “suspected arson fire.”

VPD noted that officers interviewed the volunteer, while forensic identification officers processed evidence. The investigation is ongoing.

According to the volunteer, police seized a damaged sign to conduct fingerprinting and were looking for additional security video footage in the area. He said there is also a surveillance camera at his property.

The police confirmed that forensic evidence had been processed, but did not provide details about any footage, identify a suspect, or confirm a possible motive.

abc vancouver ken sim sign arson fire oct 5 2026

Suspected arson fire of ABC Vancouver campaign signs at a volunteer’s home, as seen on Oct. 6, 2026. (Submitted)

The volunteer said he has helped prepare and install political party campaign signs for about 25 years, working from his home. Over that time, he has encountered signs being defaced, knocked down, or otherwise damaged, as well as occasional hostile comments while putting them up.

But he said an attempt to set signs on fire at his home raised far more serious concerns.

The signs were being stored and assembled at the back of his property. He feared a fire could have reached his garage, which contains flammable materials, tools, family belongings, and possessions left by his late father.

A hedge between the garage and house added to his concern about flames spreading. He also worried about the potential danger to his elderly neighbours.

He said the possibility of putting nearby households at risk went well beyond the damage he has come to expect during election campaigns.

After describing how signs are sometimes covered in graffiti or knocked down, he said: “I can go around and fix them or replace them. But to light them on fire, I just can’t imagine that people think this is a good idea or that they want to support people who think this is a good idea.”

Across Vancouver, the volunteer said he has also encountered graffiti on ABC campaign signs and signs that have disappeared.

Daily Hive Urbanized has also observed ABC signs vandalized with graffiti, including some signs with red writing that replaced the sign’s “MAYOR” text with “KILL” to read “KILL KEN SIM”.

abc ken sim sign vandalized kill october 2026

Graffiti vandalism on an ABC Vancouver party sign to read “KILL KEN SIM,” October 2026. (Daily Hive)

Graffiti vandalism on an ABC Vancouver party sign, October 2026. (Daily Hive)

Despite being shaken by what happened at his home, he said he does not want incidents like this to discourage people from publicly displaying their political preferences.

“I think people like to make a statement that they won’t back down and I won’t back down,” he said.

“People are trying to bully us to not have a political opinion. People have fought wars to protect our right to have whatever colour sign you want or no sign.”

He urged people who disagree with a party or candidate to put their energy into campaigning and community involvement.

“What does that say about your beliefs and [what] your perspective is if that’s all you can do? Spend your time constructively and work for what you believe in,” he said.

“There’s places in the world where that is very real, that if you have a particular political opinion, they could put you in jail or kill you. And that happens every day around the world. It’s horrible that people think that it’s okay in Canada to put people’s lives in danger because they have a different political opinion.”

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