ABC Vancouver and Mayor Ken Sim are being accused of using City money to fund partisan advertisements, months before the civic election that takes place this October.
The accusations come from OneCity Vancouver, which suggests that partisan messaging was included in a property tax pamphlet that is mailed out every year.
OneCity says that in previous years, the messaging on these pamphlets has purely been “technical” but that the pamphlet in question features “blatant partisan messaging.”
It offers the following line as an example:
“By implementing a 0% property tax increase for 2026, Council is taking a back-to-basics, back-to-community, approach to ease the burden on residents and business while prioritizing frontline services.”
“Zero means zero. Council’s mandated approach delivers a 0% property tax increase while protecting the frontline services residents rely on,” the pamphlet adds.
If “zero means zero” sounds familiar, that was the name of Sim’s property tax plan, which OneCity points out was passed on a party-line vote.
“OneCity Councillor Lucy Maloney and all other opposition parties opposed the budget on the grounds that it would lead to deep, unpredictable cuts to services that Vancouverites rely on,” OneCity adds.
This mailout has gone out across the city. Typically, it only contains information about how to pay your property taxes.
This is a political message. And the City of Vancouver isn’t one of Ken Sim’s big money backers. This is a totally unacceptable use of public resources. pic.twitter.com/dt7LsMuLaz
— OneCity Vancouver (@OneCityVan) May 29, 2026
OneCity also says that ABC Vancouver attacked opposition councillors for voting against the budget.
“The City of Vancouver isn’t one of Ken Sim’s big money backers. Siphoning away public dollars to deliver partisan messages is poor stewardship of our City’s resources. ABC Vancouver should reimburse the City for funds spent on this politicized mailout, reflecting its true nature – political advertising,” said OneCity’s mayoral candidate William Azaroff.
OneCity is calling on Sim and ABC Vancouver to reimburse the City for the “costs of this partisan advertising.”
On social media, some are defending the mayor, while others agree with OneCity and think it looks like a campaign ad.
In response to the concerns, the Mayor’s Office told Daily Hive Urbanized that the messaging in the pamphlet “reflects a policy direction and budget decision approved by Council.”
It added that it didn’t promote any political party, campaign, or electoral activity.
“It is also common practice for municipalities to include messaging from Mayors on behalf of Council in civic communications, including annual property tax mailouts, to help explain Council priorities and decisions to residents and businesses,” the Mayor’s Office added.