What are Vancouver municipal parties' major campaign promises? | Daily Hive

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With just over three weeks until the municipal election, campaign promises from the Vancouver municipal parties are starting to pile up — especially on housing, public safety, and jobs and the economy.

Daily Hive Urbanized examined campaign platforms from incumbent Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver, mayoral candidate Rebecca Bligh for Vote Vancouver, mayoral candidate Kareem Allam for the Vancouver Liberals, mayoral candidate Pete Fry for the Green Party of Vancouver, and mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick for TEAM for a Liveable Vancouver.

These are five of the major mayoral candidates and parties partaking in the Vancouver election. But there will actually be 130 names on the ballot, which Daily Hive Urbanized rounded up earlier this week.

Housing

Rebecca Bligh. (Vote Vancouver)

Pete Fry and Vancouver Greens promised to launch pre-approved housing designs (including prefabricated), partner with Build Canada Homes to attract investment and fast-track qualifying projects, champion Canadian procurement and employment requirements, utilize mass timber and wood-frame construction, and streamline permitting for a number of housing types. They also said they’d support the Vancouver Building bylaw and preserve existing affordable homes.

Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver did not include housing in their initial platform.

Rebecca Bligh and Vote Vancouver said they will create affordable homes for middle-income earners on public land, with not-for-profit childcare included in all new developments.

Colleen Hardwick and TEAM for a Livable Vancouver said that governments and the private sector would work together to deliver housing that middle-income households can afford, while also prioritizing low-income, supportive, and secure rental housing. They argue that upzoning land increases the development value on it, and thus causes speculation and makes it more costly once the homes are built.

Colleen Hardwick/TEAM For A Livable Vancouver

Kareem Allam and the Vancouver Liberals have said they would replace the Vancouver Building bylaw with the B.C. Building Code and merge the 12 departments that approve housing into one.

Public safety

Pete Fry and the Green Party of Vancouver announced that they would create the CROW (Community Response Outreach Workers) Team, which would be a 24/7 non-police, non-medical mobile response team to attend non-emergency calls regarding people experiencing homelessness, street-level addiction, public intoxication, and mental health crises. They said that police and paramedics currently respond to situations that don’t require them, meaning they aren’t available for emergencies. They added that they would create an “Office of Community Safety” to coordinate the City’s approach to safety across all departments.

Pete Fry. (Kenneth Chan)

Ken Sim and the ABC Party said they would ban hard drug use in public spaces, simplify the process for police to seize drugs, and push for at least 100 involuntary beds in Vancouver. They added that they want it to be a requirement that provincial overdose prevention sites are located away from public parks and schools. They also committed to providing closer oversight of non-profit organizations and good neighbour agreements for public housing properties affected by street disorder.

Kareem Allam and the Vancouver Liberals plan to target Vancouver’s “Tony Sopranos.” The party said that to address poverty, drug use, and homelessness, they must also address high-level organized crime. Allam said he would increase VPD funding, increase local cooperation with Canadian Border Services agents, and “advocate for the increases in the Canadian Coast Guard’s underwater marine intervention capacity.”

@KenSimCity/X

Colleen Hardwick and TEAM for a Livable Vancouver promised to create a residents’ safety action plan that targets repeat offenders, doesn’t tolerate open drug use in shared public spaces, and increases enforcement against street disorder. They said they will create a community-first approach to policing, a violence against women prevention strategy, and a “new” approach to addiction.

Rebecca Bligh, mayoral candidate for Vote Vancouver, did not include public safety promises in her platform.

Economic and business promises

ABC promised a property tax freeze in 2027, elimination of residential parking permit fees, and the removal of paid parking at beaches and community centres. They also promised to “revitalize Granville Street,” create a “new era of cooperation” between the City and major events, and have Vancouver as a hub for technology companies and create more jobs.

Vote Vancouver said they would create a small business concierge to give local businesses a one-stop shop to get help with permits, regulations, and city processes. They said they would establish Vancouver as the western headquarters for growing sectors, like critical minerals, defence, and technology.

Kareem Allam. (Kareem Allam/Submitted)

The Green Party of Vancouver promised to cut red tape for small businesses by streamlining permitting and licensing, as well as by creating one point of contact for businesses. They also said they would “simplify and fast-track change-of-use permits” for existing commercial spaces and extend temporary occupancy permits for pop-ups in vacant spaces.

The Vancouver Liberals said they would “modernize zoning and business rules to support small businesses, entrepreneurs, creators, and the next generation of Vancouver’s economy.” They said that old industrial-era bylaws hold back the economy, and that in many places in Vancouver, small businesses can’t manufacture and sell products in the same spot.

TEAM for a Liveable Vancouver announced a “fiscal framework,” promising to invest in core services, ensure that property tax increases don’t exceed inflation, and conduct a line-by-line budget review.

Other promises

Bligh’s party, Vote Vancouver, has also promised that it would work with TransLink and the province to make transit free for Vancouver youth under 18, as well as deliver an all-electric passenger ferry service. They also have a “love your community” pillar on their platform, which is a promise to make City Hall more accessible and responsive. They said they would fix broken street lights within 72 hours of reporting.

Sim and ABC Vancouver promised a 50-metre pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, as well as to include swimming lessons in the school day.

Allam and the Vancouver Liberals said they will bring free Wi-Fi to the Downtown Eastside by working with non-profit organizations.

The Green Party of Vancouver has promised to strengthen tree-protection bylaws and to create a Municipal Arborist Office with in-house arborists. Their Park Board platform commits to removing 5,000 stumps and replacing them with new trees and increasing tree canopy in underserved neighbourhoods. They’ve also committed to a 3-30-300 rule for all homes, which is three visible trees, 30 per cent neighbourhood canopy, and green space within 300 metres.

With files from Kenneth Chan

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