The Vancouver civic election is under a year away, and mayoral hopefuls, like Amanda Burrows, are campaigning hard to catch the attention of voters.
Burrows is seeking the nomination with OneCity Vancouver over William Azaroff.
Today, Burrows shared some details of her public safety plan and took the opportunity to take some shots at current Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.
She started by stating that people in Vancouver deserve to feel safe, adding that policing on its own would not solve “complex problems.”
“Public safety comes from housing people, ensuring food access, creating low-barrier jobs, expanding voluntary treatment, and providing real mental health supports. Ken Sim has leaned into fear instead of evidence — and people feel less safe because of it.”
Burrows points to folks in the community, saying they have great ideas, but that current political leadership isn’t willing to listen or take clear positions.
“This city doesn’t just need better policy,” said Burrows in a campaign release. “It needs leadership that can build a bigger tent: bring people together across differences, work with other governments, and actually deliver results.”
Burrows’ plan includes two core commitments, including reintroducing the Four Pillars, which will expand on prevention and treatment, including improved pathways into detox and recovery, and continuing to support harm reduction to keep people alive.
The release states that Burrows would commit city-owned land and capital funding to open additional detox and treatment beds, as well as fast-track approvals for treatment and recovery facilities.
Her second commitment is to implement a city-wide, community-led mental health crisis response program. The program would be modelled on “proven teams” that are operated by the CMHA, “which resolve nearly all calls without police involvement.”
“Vancouver needs leadership that reduces harm, builds trust, and makes neighbourhoods safer for everyone,” Burrows added.
“And I am running to be that leader.”
How the 2026 Vancouver civic election is shaping up
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There are several candidates who have officially declared that they’re entering the mayoral race for the 2026 civic election.
Those include Burrows and Azaroff with OneCity, Kareem Allam with the Vancouver Liberals, and Rebecca Bligh with Vote Vancouver.
Burrows has seemed to be the most active, trying to reach audiences across various social media platforms and media. She recently announced her plan to lower grocery costs, which led to some debate, as Sim called her plan “ridiculous.”
Azaroff recently announced a plan for building affordable homes in Vancouver.
Allam has also been firing shots at ABC Vancouver. In a recent post on X, he said, “$14 million of Vancouver taxpayer money has gone to purchase FIFA tickets—and no one knows who those tickets are for.”
Bligh was also critical of ABC after it was announced that the London Drugs in Gastown would be closing.
“More police spending is not a plan. Mayor Ken Sim and ABC continue to ignore the underlying issues getting worse. Vancouver needs leadership focused on prevention and real community safety—not expensive band-aids,” she wrote on X.
Green Party Councillor Pete Fry has also expressed interest in running, though he has been relatively quiet on social media recently. Former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart, who recently deleted his X account, has also expressed interest in a potential return to civic politics.
Sima also recently outlined his priorities in an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized.
Who are you hoping gets elected as the next Vancouver mayor, or are you happy with the current leadership?
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