Former police officer Kash Heed wants to be Richmond's next mayor | Daily Hive

Kash Heed. (CBCF)

Richmond city councillor Kash Heed has announced his intention to run for mayor in the municipality’s October 2026 civic election.

He announced his campaign this week, promising a “results-oriented approach” and to “prioritize change over maintaining the status quo, focusing on our collective efforts to
create the most livable, safe, affordable, and culturally vibrant community in Canada.”

This will be the first time in years the seat of the mayor of Richmond will be seriously contested, after Mayor Malcolm Brodie announced earlier this month he will not seek re-election after 25 consecutive years in office.

You might also like:

Heed was first elected to Richmond City Council in the October 2022 civic election, earning 10,563 votes — the fewest among the eight successful city councillor candidates. He placed just behind Laura Gillanders, who received 10,817 votes, and slightly ahead of Derek Dang, who garnered 10,306.

He served with the Vancouver Police Department for 32 years, retiring in 2007 as superintendent. From 2007 to 2009, he was the Chief of the West Vancouver Police Department before entering politics. In 2009, he was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview under the BC Liberals, a position he held until 2013. During his time in provincial government, he briefly served in Premier Gordon Campbell’s cabinet as B.C.’s Solicitor General.

In an interview with Daily Hive earlier this year, Heed said he felt the BC NDP-led provincial government is largely to blame for the current crime, public safety, mental health, addictions, and homelessness issues in Vancouver.

“Compassion is to put them into some type of program that’s going to correct the condition that they have,” said Heed at the time, asserting that it is not compassionate to have people sleeping in alcoves and living on sidewalks.

“I point the finger right back at David Eby. It’s the administration of justice. It’s clear that if you’re a threat to society, it is clear that if you’re a repeat offender, you should be locked up. What happens is the judges in British Columbia disregard that. I don’t know why,” he said, adding that he does not think Premier David Eby and his cabinet ministers have been putting enough pressure on B.C. judges to change their approach.

Looking ahead to his campaign to become Richmond’s first new mayor in a quarter century, Heed says his public safety platform focuses on a holistic, technology-driven strategy. It includes tiered enforcement, compassionate responses to homelessness, and secure care for individuals struggling with addiction or mental health challenges. In early 2024, a member motion he submitted alongside city councillor Laura Gillanders to consider a new safe drug consumption site near Richmond Hospital ignited a controversy in the community, with fierce backlash.

As mayor, according to his platform, he will control municipal spending without compromising essential services by implementing a lean, efficient administrative system focused on measurable outcomes and open access to financial information.

Transparency will be another cornerstone of his forthcoming campaign. Heed will advocate for minimizing closed-door meetings, publishing City Council voting records promptly, and providing detailed reports that explain decisions by both Council members and city managers. He also promises to expand public access to municipal data, services, and contracts.

To strengthen accountability, Heed supports referendums for major capital projects, term limits for city councillors, regular financial audits, and a comprehensive Open Data policy.

On housing, Heed envisions a diverse range of options accessible to all residents. He proposes streamlining the permitting process through digital and artificial intelligence tools to accelerate approvals and ensure that development aligns with long-term community planning.

Affordability will guide every decision made by City Council, ensuring that policies directly benefit seniors, students, and working families rather than fuelling unchecked tax increases.

The legal dispute stemming from a B.C. judge’s decision to grant Aboriginal title to the Vancouver Island–based Cowichan Tribes over a large area of public and private land in southeast Richmond — including property owned by the City of Richmond — is expected to be a major issue in the upcoming election campaign.

With files from Amir Ali.

You might also like: