--- title: "Laura Gillanders: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/candidates/laura-gillanders" last_updated: "2026-10-31T17:02:47.430Z" meta: description: "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 13,122 votes, 5th of 55 (official count). Laura Gillanders was re-elected to Richmond City Council on..." "og:description": "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 13,122 votes, 5th of 55 (official count). Laura Gillanders was re-elected to Richmond City Council on..." "og:title": "Laura Gillanders: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026" "twitter:description": "Elected Councillor in the Richmond 2026 election with 13,122 votes, 5th of 55 (official count). Laura Gillanders was re-elected to Richmond City Council on..." "twitter:title": "Laura Gillanders: elected Councillor, Richmond 2026" --- Councillor · Richmond 2026 # Laura Gillanders - Elected, Councillor13,122 votes, 5th of 55. Official count, City of Richmond. [All results](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/results#councillor) Re-elected to Richmond City Council on October 17, 2026, with 13,122 votes, fifth among 55 council candidates. A councillor since 2022 with RITE Richmond and a construction company chief financial officer by the City's account, she ran on a housing authority that builds on City-owned land, lower fees for builders, and tax increases kept to a minimum. Laura Gillanders was re-elected to Richmond City Council on October 17, 2026, with 13,122 votes in the City's official count, fifth among the 55 council candidates. She ran with RITE Richmond, which re-elected its three sitting councillors. Richmond News reported her first election in October 2022, with 10,817 votes, and the City's own page describes her as chief financial officer of a Richmond construction company and a past chair of the Richmond Food Security and Agricultural Advisory Committee. In her Richmond News questionnaire she answered yes to more City-owned land for affordable housing, lower fees for developers, continued temporary modular housing contracts, more buses and bike lanes, and more recreation facilities, and wrote that taxes cannot be lowered but increases can be kept to a minimum. On RITE's site she wrote that a housing authority could use City-owned land to build rental and affordable homes. Explore priorities Campaign links Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page RITE Richmond2026 ![Laura Gillanders, from RITE Richmond.](https://voche.me/bc/richmond-2026/images/candidates/laura-gillanders-640.webp) *Laura GillandersCouncillorv.* [Image: RITE Richmond](https://riterichmond.com/laura-gillanders/) Promise tracker ## 16 promises. What Laura has done since. Tracked since October 18, 2026. Every change of status links to the vote, motion or report behind it. -
No action yet**Create a housing authority that builds rental and affordable homes on City-owned land**Housing · Own promise On RITE's site she wrote that a housing authority could use City-owned land for affordable and rental housing, control timelines, design and tenure mix, and reinvest rental and lease revenue in new housing, and that the details are still being worked out. At the council debate of October 8, 2026, Richmond News reported, she said the City should build on City-owned land. In the questionnaire she answered yes to more City-owned land for affordable housing. > “A housing authority would help us build homes for the people who work here, raise families here, and wish to age in place here.” No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Ways to make rental and market housing more affordable, by Laura Gillanders (opens in a new tab), Richmond News · Richmond Votes: 29 council candidates face off in debate, October 10, 2026 (opens in a new tab), RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Lower fees for developers to speed up housing**Housing · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to the City lowering fees for developers to support faster housing development. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Continue the temporary modular housing contracts**Housing · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to continuing the City's temporary modular housing contracts. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Keep tax increases to a minimum and keep one per cent of taxes for facilities**Taxes and spending · Own promise In the questionnaire she wrote that taxes cannot be lowered but increases can be kept to a minimum by finding efficiencies and re-evaluating programs, and that one per cent of taxes should keep going to the facilities capital budget so projects are paid from reserves. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**See through the new covered multi-sport box**Parks and recreation · Own promise In the questionnaire she wrote that she wants another four years to see through key community projects that Council started, like the new covered multi-sport box, and answered yes to more recreation facilities. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Increase arts funding and support community events through partnerships**Arts and culture · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to more arts funding and wrote that more events in the City Centre, north and east could be supported through community groups and partnerships rather than only taxpayer money. Her statement to the City lists recreation, arts and culture among her commitments. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab), City of Richmond · candidate profile, Laura Gillanders (her statement) (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**More bike lanes and more buses**Transportation · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to more bike lanes, yes to more buses and yes to the City needing to reduce traffic congestion. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Continue the City's appeal of the Cowichan Tribes ruling and increase reconciliation efforts**City services · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to continuing the City's appeal of the Cowichan Tribes ruling and yes to increasing reconciliation efforts with First Nations. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Low-cost or subsidized commercial space for local entrepreneurs**Business · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to the City creating more low-cost or subsidized commercial space for local entrepreneurs and startups. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**More public consultation before major infrastructure decisions**City services · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to Richmond holding more public consultations before major infrastructure decisions. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Support reducing environmentally sensitive areas on private property**Environment · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered yes to reducing environmentally sensitive areas on private property. Her statement to the City says she is committed to protecting Richmond's ecosystem. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab), City of Richmond · candidate profile, Laura Gillanders (her statement) (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Oppose retail cannabis stores in Richmond**Business · Own promise In the questionnaire she answered no to allowing retail cannabis stores in Richmond. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Keep Richmond safe and protect residents' quality of life**Public safety · Party platform RITE Richmond's platform says RITE councillors will keep Richmond safe and protect residents' quality of life. It names no program. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Keep taxes reasonable through strict oversight of spending**Taxes and spending · Party platform RITE Richmond's platform says RITE councillors will keep taxes reasonable through strict oversight of spending. It gives no figure. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Press the Province on housing, health care, long-term care and the drug crisis**Health · Party platform RITE Richmond's platform says RITE councillors will pressure the BC government to fulfil its responsibilities on housing, health care, long-term care and the drug crisis. Its toxic drug statement says RITE councillors insist the provincial housing programs on City land must be improved. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English (opens in a new tab), RITE Richmond · statement on the toxic drug problem (opens in a new tab).
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No action yet**Work with every member of Council**City services · Party platform RITE Richmond's platform says RITE councillors will work collaboratively with all members of Council to deliver practical solutions for Richmond residents. No vote or decision on this promise yet. Where the promise was made: RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English (opens in a new tab).
01 / Introduction ## About Laura Gillanders Laura Gillanders was re-elected to Richmond City Council on October 17, 2026. The City's official count, declared on October 21, 2026, gives her 13,122 votes, fifth among the 55 council candidates. The City's declaration of election by voting prints RITE Richmond as her elector organization; Richmond News reported that its three sitting councillors, Carol Day, Michael Wolfe and Gillanders, were all re-elected. On election night she told Richmond News that some of the new councillors had campaigned on what she called misinformation about sitting councillors wanting drug sites, and that Council deals with roads, heritage, public works and parks rather than drugs, health care or treatment. Richmond News reported her first election in October 2022, with 10,817 votes, as one of two new members of Council; the City's official results of October 19, 2022 list her seventh of 22 council candidates. The City's own page says she has worked more than 30 years in accounting and as chief financial officer of a large Richmond construction company, campaigned with Richmond FarmWatch to preserve farmland and reduce house size limits, and chaired the Richmond Food Security and Agricultural Advisory Committee in past years. In the statement she gave the City she says she sits on the Economic Advisory and Major Projects Oversight committees and is Council's liaison to the Gateway Theatre Board, the Richmond School Board, the Sea Island Community Association, the First Nations Building Committee and the Food Security and Agricultural Advisory Committee. Richmond News reported in February 2024 that she and Councillor Kash Heed initiated the motion, carried 8 to 1 at committee, directing staff to explore a site at the hospital grounds where drug users could test and consume drugs; after the vote, the paper reported in October 2026, Vancouver Coastal Health said a consumption site was not needed in Richmond. By her own account, in the statement she gave the City and on RITE's site, she introduced the motions that added an audit function to the Finance Committee, reworked the lower-end market rental program and created the Housing Office, and asked staff to create a housing authority; in her questionnaire she adds that Council replaced the Olympic Oval board to cut executive salaries. voche.me has not checked these against Council records. In her Richmond News questionnaire, posted on RITE's site, she answered yes to more City-owned land for affordable housing, lower fees for developers, continuing temporary modular housing contracts, more bike lanes and buses, more recreation facilities, more arts funding, reducing environmentally sensitive areas on private property, low-cost commercial space for entrepreneurs and more public consultation, and no to retail cannabis stores. She wrote that taxes cannot be lowered but increases can be kept to a minimum by finding efficiencies, and that she wants to see through the new covered multi-sport box. At the council debate of October 8, 2026, Richmond News reported, she said the City should build on City-owned land because reliance on private developers for affordable housing has not worked. The City's minutes of September 28, 2026 list her present and record her and Councillor Wolfe as the two members opposed to first, second and third reading of the bylaw rezoning 9211 to 9351 Blundell Road to high density townhouses, after discussion of tree retention and replacement. The minutes of October 13, 2026 list her present and record no vote by her against a motion. 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 ### A housing authority that builds on City-owned land On RITE's site she wrote that a housing authority could use City-owned land for affordable and rental housing, control timelines, design and tenure mix, and reinvest rental revenue in new homes, and that the details are still being worked out. At the council debate she said the City should build on its own land.
Read the full position In the questionnaire she answered yes to more City-owned land for affordable housing and yes to lower fees for developers.
[RITE Richmond · Ways to make rental and market housing more affordable, by Laura Gillanders ](https://riterichmond.com/richmond-votes-council-candidate-laura-gillanders-copy/) 02 ### Tax increases kept to a minimum In the questionnaire she wrote that taxes cannot be lowered but increases can be kept to a minimum by finding efficiencies and re-evaluating programs, and that one per cent of taxes should keep going to the facilities capital budget. [RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 ](https://riterichmond.com/supports-for-at-risk-youth-reduce-drug-use-copy/) 03 ### Recreation, arts and culture In the statement she gave the City she says she is committed to affordability, recreation, arts and culture. In the questionnaire she answered yes to more recreation facilities and more arts funding, wrote that she wants to see through the new covered multi-sport box, and said more events in the City Centre, north and east could be supported through partnerships rather than only taxpayer money. [RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 ](https://riterichmond.com/supports-for-at-risk-youth-reduce-drug-use-copy/) 04 ### More buses and bike lanes In the questionnaire she answered yes to more bike lanes, yes to more buses and yes to the City needing to reduce traffic congestion. The City's page lists improved transportation infrastructure among her aims. [RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 ](https://riterichmond.com/supports-for-at-risk-youth-reduce-drug-use-copy/) 05 ### Keep taxes reasonable and press the Province RITE Richmond's platform promises to keep taxes reasonable through strict oversight of spending, to keep Richmond safe, to pressure the BC government on housing, health care, long-term care and the drug crisis, and to work with every member of Council. [RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English ](https://riterichmond.com/platform-en/) [RITE Richmond platform](https://riterichmond.com/platform-en/) 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, the City's councillor page, her page, the platform, the toxic drug statement, her housing post and her questionnaire answers on RITE Richmond's site, Richmond News reports of October 10, 18 and 19, 2026, of February 2024 and of October 2022, the City's official results of 2022, and the City's council minutes of September 28 and October 13, 2026. Her account of the motions she introduced on Council is her own and was not checked against Council records. The company she works for is not named by the City. Her questionnaire answers were read on RITE's site, which says it reprints the Richmond News questionnaire; the Richmond News page itself was not found. Her Facebook and Instagram accounts showed a login page to scripts, and her City profile's X handle did not open, so no post was read. No 2026 VoteMate page with her answers was found. 03 / Background ## Experience & community 2022 to now ### Councillor, City of Richmond Richmond News reported her first election in October 2022 with 10,817 votes, and the City's 2022 results list her seventh. Re-elected on October 17, 2026 with 13,122 votes. [Richmond News · RITE adds one more city councillor to roster, October 2022](https://www.richmond-news.com/2022-civic-election/rite-adds-one-more-city-councillor-to-roster-5962420) Now ### Chief financial officer, a Richmond construction company The City's councillor page says she has more than 30 years in accounting and as chief financial officer of a large Richmond-based construction company. It does not name the company. [City of Richmond · Councillor Laura Gillanders](https://richmond.ca/city-hall/city-council/members/lgillanders.htm) Past years ### Chair, Richmond Food Security and Agricultural Advisory Committee The City's councillor page says she chaired the committee in past years and campaigned with Richmond FarmWatch to preserve farmland and reduce house size limits. [City of Richmond · Councillor Laura Gillanders](https://richmond.ca/city-hall/city-council/members/lgillanders.htm) 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 Laura Gillanders 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 Laura Gillanders's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
How did Laura Gillanders do in the 2026 Richmond municipal election? Laura Gillanders was elected Councillor with 13,122 votes, 5th 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 Laura Gillanders? No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Laura Gillanders's own campaign.
What party did Laura Gillanders run with? Laura Gillanders ran for Councillor with RITE Richmond.
Does Laura Gillanders currently hold public office? Yes. Laura Gillanders currently serves as Councillor, City of Richmond.
How many sources does this Laura Gillanders profile cite? This profile lists 20 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Laura Gillanders's page show no answer? The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Laura Gillanders 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 Laura Gillanders 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, Laura Gillanders ](https://richmond.ca/electionservices/candidates/CandidateProfile.aspx?ID=93)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · Councillor Laura Gillanders ](https://richmond.ca/city-hall/city-council/members/lgillanders.htm)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · Laura Gillanders ](https://riterichmond.com/laura-gillanders/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · RITE Platform English ](https://riterichmond.com/platform-en/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · home page ](https://riterichmond.com/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · statement on the toxic drug problem ](https://riterichmond.com/rite-toxic-drug-en/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · Ways to make rental and market housing more affordable, by Laura Gillanders ](https://riterichmond.com/richmond-votes-council-candidate-laura-gillanders-copy/)Checked October 30, 2026 - [RITE Richmond · Richmond Votes: Council candidate Laura Gillanders, her Richmond News questionnaire answers as posted on RITE's site, October 2026 ](https://riterichmond.com/supports-for-at-risk-youth-reduce-drug-use-copy/)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 - [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: Municipal election turnout rises by 15K in 2026, October 19, 2026 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2026-civic-election/richmond-bc-votes-municipal-election-turnout-rises-by-15k-in-2026-12911501)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · Richmond council votes 8-1 to explore safe drug consumption site, February 2024 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/local-opioid-crisis-news/richmond-council-votes-8-1-to-explore-safe-drug-consumption-site-8214640)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Richmond News · RITE adds one more city councillor to roster, October 2022 ](https://www.richmond-news.com/2022-civic-election/rite-adds-one-more-city-councillor-to-roster-5962420)Checked October 30, 2026 - [City of Richmond · 2022 General Local and School Election, Official Results, October 19, 2022 ](https://citycouncil.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/2022_General_Local_and_School_Election_Results65824.pdf)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Council minutes, Regular Council meeting of September 28, 2026, Richmond City Council ](https://citycouncil.richmond.ca/agendas/council/092826_minutes.htm)Checked October 30, 2026 - [Council minutes, Regular Council meeting of October 13, 2026, Richmond City Council ](https://citycouncil.richmond.ca/agendas/council/101326_minutes.htm)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. [RITE Richmond: Laura Gillanders](https://riterichmond.com/laura-gillanders/) [City of Richmond: Councillor Laura Gillanders](https://richmond.ca/city-hall/city-council/members/lgillanders.htm) ## 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 Laura Gillanders 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.