--- title: "Kevin Lai: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/candidates/kevin-lai" last_updated: "2026-10-31T17:02:47.418Z" meta: description: "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 12,006 votes, 8th of 55 (official count). Kevin Lai was elected to Richmond City Council on October 1..." "og:description": "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 12,006 votes, 8th of 55 (official count). Kevin Lai was elected to Richmond City Council on October 1..." "og:title": "Kevin Lai: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026" "twitter:description": "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 12,006 votes, 8th of 55 (official count). Kevin Lai was elected to Richmond City Council on October 1..." "twitter:title": "Kevin Lai: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026" --- Councillor · Richmond 2026 # Kevin Lai - Elected, Councillor12,006 votes, 8th of 55. Official count, City of Richmond. [All results](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/results#councillor) Elected councillor of Richmond on October 17, 2026, with 12,006 votes, eighth of 55 council candidates. The founder of Advance Richmond and a general contractor by his own account, he ran on opposing supervised consumption sites and housing that permits illicit drug use, faster renovation permits, and firm timelines and cost reporting for City projects. Kevin Lai was elected to Richmond City Council on October 17, 2026, with 12,006 votes in the City's official count, declared on October 21, 2026. He took the last of the eight seats, 979 votes behind Andy Hobbs. The City's declaration of election by voting prints Advance Richmond as his elector organization; its pages name him the founder and chair, and Richmond News called him its president. Richmond News reported him on election night saying his first order of business would be to speed up the construction permit process, which he said can take three to six months for a simple renovation. In the statement he gave the City he promised to use every lawful municipal power against supervised consumption sites and publicly funded housing that permits illicit drug use, to fast-track renovation permits that meet the building code, and to bring clear plans, realistic budgets and firm timelines to City projects. His organization's platform adds a tax freeze for restaurants and grocers, free parking for residents, a new Richmond to Burnaby bridge and City-employed family doctors. Explore priorities Campaign links Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page Advance Richmond2026 ![Kevin Lai, from Advance Richmond.](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/images/candidates/kevin-lai-640.webp) *Kevin LaiCouncillorv.* [Image: Advance Richmond](https://www.advancerichmond.com/team/kevin-lai/) Promise tracker ## 9 promises. What Kevin has done since. Tracked since October 18, 2026. Every change of status links to the vote, motion or report behind it. -
No action yet**Use every lawful City power against consumption sites and drug-permitting housing, with no-drug rules in public spaces**Public safety · Own promise In the statement he gave the City he promised to use every lawful municipal power to oppose supervised consumption sites and publicly funded housing that permits illicit drug use, to enforce clear no-drug rules in public spaces and taxpayer-funded facilities, and to support prevention, treatment and recovery. The organization's home page says it stands against drugs, and its post on cannabis in malls proposes strengthening the Public Health Protection Bylaw on cannabis and drugs in public spaces. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · home page and five priorities (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · Shopping malls banning cannabis use, do you support, campaign post (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · Richmond residents deserve answers, August 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Fast-track renovation permits that meet the building code**Housing · Own promise In the statement he gave the City he promised to stop making homeowners pay for City Hall delays and to fast-track renovation permits that meet safety and building code requirements. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Clear plans, realistic budgets and firm timelines for City projects, with accountability for overruns**Taxes and spending · Own promise In the statement he gave the City he promised to bring a builder's discipline to municipal projects through clear plans, realistic budgets, firm timelines and accountability for delays and cost overruns. The organization's post on the Gilbert Road sewer project demands transparent timelines and public cost reporting. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · 13 years for a single sewer project, campaign post (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Freeze municipal property taxes for restaurants and grocery stores**Taxes and spending · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote promises to freeze municipal property taxes for restaurants and grocery stores. It gives no cost. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Make City-run parking free for Richmond residents**Transportation · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote promises to make all City-run parking free for local residents while visitors from outside Richmond keep paying. It does not say how residents would be told from visitors. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Press Ottawa and Victoria for a new bridge between Richmond and Burnaby**Transportation · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote promises to push Ottawa and Victoria to build a new bridge across the North Arm of the Fraser River, with the City paying its fair share. It gives no cost and no share. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Hire family doctors as City employees on the Colwood model**Health · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote proposes that the City hire family doctors as employees with a salary, benefits and a pension, which it calls the Colwood model, funded by provincial patient-care payments. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Cut red tape so housing gets built**Housing · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote, about a housing project it says was still an empty lot seven years after its 2019 target, calls for a council that cuts through red tape, makes housing affordable and gets it built. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Regulate shared e-scooters with the City and the Province**Transportation · Party platform A post on Advance Richmond's news page before the vote says the organization calls for proper regulation of shared e-scooters, worked out with the City and the provincial government. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts (opens in a new tab).
01 / Introduction ## About Kevin Lai Kevin Lai was elected to Richmond City Council on October 17, 2026. The City's official count gives him 12,006 votes, eighth of 55 candidates for the eight seats. The City's declaration of election by voting of September 21, 2026 prints Advance Richmond as his elector organization; it elected three councillors (Gary Law, Sheldon Starrett and Lai) and three trustees. Richmond News reported on October 18, 2026 that he said he was sad that not every team member was elected, that his first order of business is to expedite the construction permit process, and that he hopes the new Council will be a bridge between residents and the government. Richmond News reported on June 2, 2026 that Advance Richmond was among the slates announced for the election, and in August 2026, when the organization added four candidates, it called him the organization's president and quoted him on its four focuses: public safety, accountability and transparency at City Hall, support for families, seniors and small businesses, and education above politics. The organization's pages call him its founder and chair. By his own account, in the statement he gave the City and on his organization's page, he is a general contractor and business owner with more than ten years of experience, came to Canada in 1993, has lived in Richmond for four years after more than a decade in Vancouver, helped organize opposition to a supervised consumption site and to the Cambie and Sexsmith permanent supportive housing project, and is president of the Richmond Centre Conservative electoral district association. voche.me has not checked these with any other body; news reports of the 2024 and 2025 rallies found do not name him. During the campaign the organization's posts carried his positions: in August 2026 it said he was calling for accountability and oversight of drug activity at BC Housing supportive housing, and in the same month he and Gary Law discussed senior safety and police follow-up after a senior was attacked twice in Seafair, the post says. Read the sources 02 / The issues ## Priorities & positions Campaign-source summary Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform. 01 ### No supervised consumption sites, and no drug use in publicly funded housing In the statement he gave the City he promised to use every lawful municipal power to oppose supervised consumption sites and publicly funded housing that permits illicit drug use, to enforce clear no-drug rules in public spaces and taxpayer-funded facilities, and to support prevention, treatment and recovery. The organization's August 2026 post says he was calling for oversight of drug activity at BC Housing supportive housing. [City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/candidates/CandidateProfile.aspx?ID=85) 02 ### Faster renovation and construction permits His statement to the City promises to stop making homeowners pay for City Hall delays and to fast-track renovation permits that meet safety and building code requirements. On election night he told Richmond News that speeding up the construction permit process would be his first order of business. [City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/candidates/CandidateProfile.aspx?ID=85) 03 ### Clear plans, realistic budgets and firm timelines for City projects His statement to the City promises to bring a builder's discipline to municipal projects: clear plans, realistic budgets, firm timelines and accountability for delays and cost overruns. The organization's post on the Gilbert Road sewer project demands transparent timelines and public cost reporting. [City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/candidates/CandidateProfile.aspx?ID=85) 04 ### The Advance Richmond platform His organization's five priorities, which its pages say its candidates share, include a tax freeze for restaurants and grocers, free parking for residents, a new bridge between Richmond and Burnaby, City-employed family doctors on the Colwood model, and cutting red tape for housing. [Advance Richmond · home page and five priorities ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/) 05 ### Public safety and support for seniors Richmond News quoted him in August 2026 on the slate's four focuses: public safety, accountability and transparency at City Hall, support for families, seniors and small businesses, and education above politics. In an August 2026 post he and Gary Law discussed senior safety and police follow-up after an attack on a senior in Seafair. [Richmond News · Advance Richmond adds four more candidates to slate, August 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/advance-richmond-adds-four-more-candidates-to-slate-12760189) [Advance Richmond, his candidate page](https://www.advancerichmond.com/team/kevin-lai/) Research status ## What voche.me has checked Researched on 2026-10-30 through the seven search steps listed below: the City's candidate profile, results and declarations, Advance Richmond's home, About, Election 2026, Latest News and results pages, its page for him and eight of its campaign posts, his VoteMate page, and Richmond News reports of June 2, August, October 10 and October 18, 2026. His account of his construction business, his years in Richmond, his part in the rallies against the consumption site and the Cambie and Sexsmith supportive housing project, and his role in the Conservative electoral district association comes from his statement to the City and his organization's page, and was not checked with any other body. Richmond News's search pages answer 403 to scripts, so its reports were found through web searches; no Richmond News questionnaire page with his own answers was found, and the paper's report of the council debate of October 8, 2026 does not quote him. His City profile lists no social media account. The website he gave the City, advancerichmond.ca, does not answer; the organization's site is www.advancerichmond.com. He held no public office before the vote, so there is no public record of votes. 03 / Background ## Experience & community 2026 ### Founder and chair of Advance Richmond, by the organization's account Advance Richmond's pages name him the founder of the Advance Richmond Community Association and its chair, and Richmond News called him its president in August 2026. voche.me has not checked this with Elections BC's register, which is cited on the organization's own page. [Advance Richmond · Kevin Lai, City Council Team](https://www.advancerichmond.com/team/kevin-lai/) 04 / Questions & answers ## Questions for the candidate Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied. No questions and answers have been supplied. ### Have your own question? Ask Kevin Lai directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one. 05 / About this page ## Questions about this page Facts voche.me can state about Kevin Lai's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
How did Kevin Lai do in the 2026 Richmond municipal election? Kevin Lai was elected Councillor with 12,006 votes, 8th of 55 in the official count. The City of Richmond published the count, and every candidate's total is on the results page.
Is this an official page for Kevin Lai? No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Kevin Lai's own campaign.
What party did Kevin Lai run with? Kevin Lai ran for Councillor with Advance Richmond.
Does Kevin Lai currently hold public office? Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Kevin Lai.
How many sources does this Kevin Lai profile cite? This profile lists 26 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Kevin Lai's page show no answer? The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Kevin Lai in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When was the election Kevin Lai ran in? The 2026 Richmond municipal election, including the Councillor race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions ## Space for campaign updates ### No campaign updates yet Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added. ## Sources & transparency - [City of Richmond · Declaration of Official Election Results, October 21, 2026 ](https://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/2026_declaration_of_official_result79945.pdf)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · Election Results, 2026 General Local Election ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/electionresults/Results.aspx)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · Declaration of Election by Voting, September 21, 2026 ](https://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/Declaration_of_Election_by_Voting_-_September_21__202679778.pdf)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · 2026 Candidate List ](https://www.richmond.ca/city-hall/elections/candidateslist.htm)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · candidate profile, Kevin Lai ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/candidates/CandidateProfile.aspx?ID=85)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Kevin Lai, City Council Team ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/team/kevin-lai/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · home page and five priorities ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · 2026 Richmond Election Candidates ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/election-2026/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · About ARCA ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/about/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Latest News, the campaign posts ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Six Advance Richmond Candidates Elected, October 18, 2026 ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/richmond-2026-election-results/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Richmond residents deserve answers, August 10, 2026 ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-richmond-residents-deserve-answers-43169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · A 70-year-old Chinese Canadian senior was harassed and attacked twice, August 8, 2026 ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-a-70-year-old-chinese-canadian-senior-was-harassed-a-81169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · 13 years for a single sewer project, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-13-years-for-a-single-sewer-project-that-s-not-normal-from-school-desk-25169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · 7 years later, this 'coming 2019' housing project is still an empty lot, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-7-years-later-this-coming-2019-housing-project-is-still-just-an-empty-89169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Are you waiting for a family doctor, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-are-you-waiting-for-a-family-doctor-or-forced-to-leave-richmond-just-t-81169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Tired of getting stuck crossing the North Arm of the Fraser River, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-tired-of-getting-stuck-crossing-the-north-arm-of-the-fraser-river-rich-19169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Shopping malls banning cannabis use, do you support, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-shopping-malls-banning-cannabis-use-do-you-support-37169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Advance Richmond · Exposing the city councillors who voted for drug injection sites, campaign post ](https://www.advancerichmond.com/latest-news/community-exposing-the-city-councillors-who-voted-for-drug-injection-sites-and-i-65169385/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [VoteMate · Kevin Lai, Advance for Richmond, 2026 BC Local Elections ](https://www.votemate.org/c/13338?riding=797)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Advance Richmond adds four more candidates to slate, August 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/advance-richmond-adds-four-more-candidates-to-slate-12760189)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Richmond election 2026: A complete list of local candidates ](https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/heres-who-running-in-richmond-come-election-time-in-october-12771026)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Slates announced for Richmond fall election, June 2, 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/slates-announced-for-richmond-bc-2026-municipal-election-12364717)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Richmond Votes: Newly formed slate Advance Richmond elects three councillors, October 18, 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/richmond-votes-advance-richmond-elects-three-councillors-12907463)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Richmond Votes: Five fresh faces on Richmond city council, October 18, 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/richmond-bc-votes-four-fresh-faces-on-richmond-council-12908027)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Richmond Votes: 29 council candidates face off in debate, October 10, 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/richmond-bc-votes-29-council-candidates-face-off-in-debate-12878344)Checked October 30, 2026 Missing information does not imply a candidate’s position. [Read our editorial standards.](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/about) Campaign contact ## Campaign links & contact. Find the candidate’s website, social accounts and contact information. [Advance Richmond, the organization's site](https://www.advancerichmond.com/) ## View more candidates. [All candidate spaces ](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/candidates) [Councillor**Andy Hobbs**](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/candidates/andy-hobbs) [Councillor**Carol Day**](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/candidates/carol-day) Candidate Q&A ## Ask Kevin Lai a question. Give your name, email and question. We send it to the campaign, and publish their answer here if we get one. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/richmond-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.