This year was an interesting one for Vancouver news stories, and while some of them left a mark, others are just a prelude to what will surely be an even more interesting 2026.
These are just some of the stories that left a mark on 2025.
Municipal politics
Rob Williams/Daily Hive
Starting with politics, while the next civic election isn’t until 2026, lots of events took place in 2025 that will prove crucial when the election rolls around.
Those events include several notable political leaders who have either officially announced that they’re going to run in the 2026 election or have expressed interest in running.
A recent story revealed that the city’s previous mayor, Kennedy Stewart, is mulling over another mayoral run.
“I love this city, and I believe Vancouver deserves competent, experienced leadership. That is why I am giving serious consideration to returning to public service,” Stewart told Daily Hive.
Stewart also questioned Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s judgment, “from his reckless and chaotic push to abolish the Park Board and a pattern of questionable public conduct,” Stewart said.
Others who have announced a mayoral bid include social justice advocate Amanda Burrows and former ABC councillor Rebecca Bligh.
Sim didn’t necessarily have the best year either in the court of public opinion. Some of his decisions, including a zero per cent property tax increase, resulted in much public criticism. The “zero means zero” move meant cutbacks for some city services.
Provincial politics
John Rustad
2024 saw B.C. elect a new premier in David Eby, and 2025 was a rough year for him.
Sentiments toward Eby grew more and more negative as 2025 went on, especially relating to the ongoing conversations about Aboriginal titles.
In September, we learned that Eby’s approval rating ranked among the lowest of Canadian premiers.
In November, Elenore Sturko, the independent MLA for the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale, called on Premier David Eby and the B.C. NDP-led provincial government to publicly disclose all lawsuits filed by First Nations asserting Aboriginal title over land in the province, particularly where those claims may overlap with existing private property.
If it was a rough year for Eby, then it was a disastrous year for the leader of the official opposition and BC Conservative Party, John Rustad.
Earlier this month, Rustad announced his resignation as party leader, and he said he was doing it to avoid a political “civil war.”
- You might also like:
- 'Not going anywhere': John Rustad denies removal from B.C. Conservative Party
- Aboriginal title ruling killed initial sale deal for Richmond luxury hotel
- Majority of B.C. residents worried about impact of Aboriginal title ruling: survey
Pool party
Kits Pool on Aug. 14, 2019. (David Margolis/Submitted)
Swimming pools took up a lot of space in Vancouver news headlines in 2025. While there were a few stories about South Vancouver swimming pools and some updates on the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre, stories about Kits Pool were probably the loudest.
Long story short, a vocal group of poolgoers were upset about the Kits Pool reservation system. The reservation system, which had been in place since COVID-19, didn’t make sense to some poolgoers. Eventually, the Park Board relented and made some changes, but not the biggest ones that the vocal crowd were asking for.
Shaughnessy Restaurant
Shaughnessy Restaurant/Facebook
A restaurant in Vancouver that one family had been running for decades almost met its demise in 2025.
The family behind Shaughnessy Restaurant didn’t learn that their restaurant was at risk until after the City of Vancouver had started the bidding process for a new owner to take over the lease of the space.
We eventually learned that Truffle Fine Foods was in the running to take over.
Shaughnessy Restaurant is a hugely popular wedding and events venue.
Carlle Chatten, who handles events and bookings for the restaurant, had to tell numerous people that their wedding bookings weren’t going to move forward due to the uncertainty that the family was facing at the establishment.
Thankfully, the family, with the support of media and devout and loyal patrons, was able to make their voice heard, and the restaurant will live on.
- You might also like:
- City looks to replace long-running Vancouver restaurant for bigger financial return
- Last call? Fate of storied Vancouver restaurant hangs in the balance
Bye-bye, Bay-bee and major retail news
“Permanent closure” sign posted onto the entrances of Hudson’s Bay in downtown Vancouver, shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (Kenneth Chan)
This year saw the loss of a long-running Vancouver retailer, The Bay, in downtown.
The store officially closed on June 1, 2025.
The final week featured some unsettling sights, including a graveyard of mannequins.
Offering some levity to the whole ordeal was businesswoman Ruby Liu’s failed pursuit to acquire the location. Daily Hive Urbanized shared exactly why her bid failed, including some strange photos of what her vision would’ve looked like.
This year also revealed the first notable retailer going into the space that Nordstrom used to occupy in downtown Vancouver.
Aritzia will be opening a 40,000 sq. ft. flagship store in the space, news that was revealed this November.
Metro Vancouver also opened its first Costco Business Centre, with a ginormous freezer to boot, in 2025.
While not a retailer, another significant change in 2025 saw the end of the Shangri-La’s time in Vancouver. In June of this year, we learned that the hotel brand’s time in Vancouver came to an abrupt end, with Hyatt taking over.
- You might also like:
- 'Out of money': Precarious state of Hudson's Bay made clear in creditor protection
- Former Hudson's Bay building in downtown Vancouver listed for sale
Huge changes to the Vancouver event scene
Team Yukon at the 2025 Honda Celebration of Light fireworks. (Gabriel Lam/Meimento)
2025 brought some tragic news for a long-running event, as we learned that the Honda Celebration of Light was cancelled indefinitely.
The cancellation was a result of a significant funding collapse.
The fireworks show was the largest free outdoor event in the entire country, and many poured out their frustrations online.
Another more recent story related to the event scene is the fact that horse racing at Hastings Park was going to be shut down permanently.
Thankfully, 2025 also brought some good news around the event scene in Vancouver.
While not nearly as big as the Celebration of Light, we learned that the Dragon Boat Festival would be making its return in 2026.
2025 also saw Vancouver host the largest convention in the city’s history.
- You might also like:
- End of horse racing opens door to major transformation at Hastings Park
- Vancouver reacts to indefinite fireworks cancellation but it could get worse for the events scene
Lapu Lapu Day
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
This year tragically brought one of the darkest news stories in Vancouver’s history: the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy.
Eleven people died in the Filipino street festival when a car plowed through a crowd near John Oliver Secondary School.
During a press conference at midnight, VPD chief Steve Rai confirmed that one lone male in his 30s who is “known to police” has been taken into custody. He says the suspect was initially apprehended at the scene by the crowd.
In September, the suspect was hit with an additional 31 charges.
Are there any Vancouver news stories that didn’t make this list that you considered to be notable in 2025? Let us know in the comments.