Sean Orr set to become Vancouver's deputy mayor | Daily Hive

Sean Orr set to become Vancouver's first deputy mayor of the new City Council term

Sean Orr. (Sean Orr)

At the inaugural Vancouver City Council meeting at City Hall on the evening of Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, just hours after the inauguration ceremony at the Orpheum Theatre, the newly elected City Council is expected to endorse mayor-elect Pete Fry’s recommendations for several key statutory appointments.

These include appointing COPE City Councillor Sean Orr as deputy mayor for the first few months of the new term, through January 2027.

The deputy mayor represents the mayor and City Council at official events, ceremonies, and community functions, including when the mayor is unavailable. The position typically rotates among city councillors throughout the term. Orr will replace outgoing ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung in the role.

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Additionally, Fry has selected seven members, including himself, to fill the City of Vancouver’s designated seats on the Metro Vancouver Regional District board of directors. They would join the region’s other mayors and city councillors in overseeing the regional government.

Vancouver’s regional board makeup consists of Fry, fellow Green Party of Vancouver City Councillors Camil Dumont and Annette Reilly, COPE City Councillors Orr and Chloe Leslie, OneCity City Councillor Lucy Maloney, and ABC City Councillor Mike Klassen.

Together, they would carry a combined allocation of 34 votes on the board, based on the regional district’s weighted voting system based on each jurisdiction’s population. The remaining four Vancouver city councillors would serve as alternates when the designated directors are unavailable to attend meetings.

Fry would also represent Vancouver on the Union of British Columbia Municipalities executive. Meanwhile, Green City Councillor Stephanie Smith would be nominated to represent Vancouver on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities board of directors, subject to that body’s internal election, for the remainder of its 2025–2027 term.

In a post-election interview with Daily Hive Urbanized, Fry said he had developed a good working relationship with Orr and expected to lean on him as COPE’s caucus leader. The pair had discussed the responsibilities that come with moving from opposition into a position with greater influence over City Council’s decisions.

More broadly, Fry said he wants to work across party lines and help city councillors build on their individual strengths. He highlighted Maloney’s expertise in active transportation and Klassen’s connections to the business community as qualities he wants to support in the new City Council.

“I’ve been super clear that I don’t intend to run a hyperpartisan council,” Fry told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“In fact, I really would like everybody to almost drop their colours as we get into Council, and let’s just focus on how we’re going to work for the betterment of the city.”

The Vancouver Park Board will also host its inaugural meeting on Nov. 2, while the Vancouver School Board will do the same on Nov. 9.

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