Ken Sim offers support to Pete Fry as outgoing Vancouver City Council bids farewell | Daily Hive

Ken Sim offers support to Mayor-Elect Pete Fry as outgoing ABC-led Vancouver City Council bids farewell

Makeup of Vancouver City Council after the April 2025 byelection. (City of Vancouver)

Outgoing Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim offered his support to Mayor-Elect Pete Fry as departing Vancouver city councillors delivered their final remarks — reflecting on their civic election defeats earlier this month, the demands on their families, and the work they hope will outlast their time at Vancouver City Hall.

The farewell speeches took place during the final meeting of the term for the 106th Vancouver City Council on the morning of Monday, Oct. 27, 2026, ahead of the new City Council’s inauguration on Monday, Nov. 2.

The incoming City Council will have five Green Party of Vancouver members, including Mayor-Elect Pete Fry, as well as four COPE city councillors, and one city councillor each from OneCity Vancouver and ABC Vancouver. The vast majority of the members of the incoming City Council will be fresh to the job.

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Fry will be joined by Green city councillors Annette Reilly, Stephanie Smith, Bridget Burns, and former Vancouver Park Board commissioner Camil Dumont, while COPE’s seats will be held by Chloe Leslie, Devyani Singh, Solomon Yi-Kieran, and incumbent Sean Orr. Incumbents OneCity Vancouver City Councillor Lucy Maloney and ABC City Councillor Mike Klassen complete the 11-member City Council. Klassen is the only ABC city councillor who secured re-election.

The civic election results earlier this month give the Greens the largest contingent in City Council, but leave every party short of an outright majority. Members from the Greens, OneCity, and COPE also swept every seat on the Park Board and Vancouver School Board, with COPE holding a majority on the Park Board and having the largest contingent on the School Board.

Addressing Mayor-Elect Fry directly and extending an olive branch, Mayor Sim said: “And all I got to say is you’re our mayor. You’re my mayor. Damn proud of you.”

“Pete, knock it out of the park, buddy,” he later added.

The outgoing ABC mayor warned his successor that the job could be lonely and bring intense criticism. He encouraged Fry to stay committed to his values and offered to help when needed.

Sim also urged the city councillors who lost their seats to take pride in having put themselves forward for public office.

Despite the disagreements that drew public attention, he said city councillors across party lines often found themselves voting the same way and shared a concern for Vancouver’s future.

“What people don’t realize is we actually agree on a lot of stuff. And so when you look at the stuff that we’ve been voting on, most of it we agree on. All I want to say to my teammates here, to the 10 individuals sitting here: thank you. Thank you for your service. Thanks for the lively debates. Thank you for really caring about the city that we all love, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you’re on,” said the outgoing mayor.

“I do want to acknowledge the members in this chamber that were not reelected. That’s life, and that’s not a bad thing. And you should hold your heads incredibly high. There are a lot of people who talk about how they want to contribute, and very few actually put their name in the hat, and even fewer get the honour and privilege of being elected and serving their city.”

Thanking his family, Sim recalled seeking their support ahead of the 2018 civic election — the first time he ran for mayor, under the Non-Partisan Association — without fully understanding what his involvement in politics would require of them.

He said his time as mayor would remain significant for the rest of his life.

“I know on my deathbed, I will look back at this time, and I can tell you, it will be the most meaningful thing that I’ve ever been involved in,” said Sim.

ABC city councillor Lenny Zhou paired his thanks for four years in office with regrets about how he had handled some moments on City Council.

“I’m certainly not perfect. There have been moments that I should have listened more carefully, been more patient, and pushed back stronger, even within our own team. Or chosen my words more wisely,” said Zhou.

Zhou said helping residents resolve longstanding problems, assisting seniors who could not speak English, and hearing from small business owners had given the job meaning. He also described the cost to his family, saying long workdays meant missing time with his young son.

He recalled arriving in Vancouver at the age of 23 as an international student with two suitcases, little English, and no local connections. He said he had never expected to one day represent the City, and that racist comments questioning how Canadian he was had deeply hurt him.

Vote Vancouver City Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who is leaving after eight years on City Council, thanked City staff for helping her learn the job and residents for both supporting and challenging her.

She also praised the commitment of her former colleagues in the ABC party, despite their disagreements.

“We didn’t always sit on the same side of an issue, and some of our debates were hard fought, but I never doubted that each of you ran, served, and showed up because you love the city,” said Bligh.

For ABC City Councillor Lisa Dominato, some of the most satisfying work involved helping people deal with City Hall on matters that rarely attracted public attention.

She said she was proud of assisting residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations in finding their way through city processes and getting their concerns addressed.

“I listened, I showed up, and I always maintained a laser focus on my duty to serve the public interest,” said Dominato.

Dominato thanked Sim and congratulated Mayor-Elect Fry, telling him that her youngest daughter remained one of his biggest fans. She invoked Spider-Man’s lesson about power and responsibility before urging Fry to govern fairly.

“I would also like to offer my congratulations to Mayor-Elect Fry. My youngest daughter, who continues to be one of your biggest fans, would approve my comments today as it comes for Spider-Man: ‘With great power comes great responsibility,'” said Dominato.

“The public has elected you the next mayor of Vancouver. I hope you will govern with a balanced hand.”

ABC City Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung expressed her gratitude after 12 years of municipal office, including one term on the Park Board and two terms on City Council.

She reflected on affordable housing projects, child care openings, and efforts to help arts organizations remain in their spaces. She also described the opportunity to meet residents across Vancouver and take part in cultural celebrations she might otherwise never have experienced.

Her recollections included both the excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup and the shock she witnessed near the scene of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.

Kirby-Yung said she still paused when entering or leaving City Hall to consider the responsibility of serving in a democratic institution.

“I never want to lose that feeling. I think it’s what public service is about,” said Kirby-Yung.

Bligh, Dominato, and Kirby-Yung were originally elected under the Non-Partisan Association in their first term in office.

ABC City Councillor Peter Meiszner thanked colleagues across party lines and wished the incoming City Council success.

“The past four years have been one of the best experiences of my life,” said Meiszner.

Meiszner said he believed Fry had Vancouver’s best interests at heart. Although he had fallen short in his re-election bid, he said he would continue following City Council’s work and cheer on those taking office.

Klassen, the only re-elected ABC city councillor, thanked the City’s election workers and acknowledged the colleagues he would no longer be serving alongside. He said he expected them to remain advocates for Vancouver and hoped to keep in touch in the years ahead.

City Manager Donny van Dyk closed the tributes by outlining what he saw as the outgoing City Council’s accomplishments, including hosting the Invictus Games and FIFA World Cup, and speeding up permits for businesses.

He said City Council had approved nearly 60,000 new homes over the last four years. He also said they had spent 256 hours in public meetings that year, compared with approximately 225 hours of sittings at the provincial legislature.

“You were truly stewards. Growing up in northern B.C., we’re always taught to leave a place better than when we found it. And I think everyone here leaving this Council chamber today has left the city a better place than when they found it,” said Van Dyk.

Makeup of Vancouver City Council after the April 2025 byelection. (City of Vancouver)

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