Richmond's new council sets its first priorities in its opening week

Richmond's new mayor used his inauguration speech to name three priorities he wants the new council to act on. One day later, the council's first committee meeting addressed a motion about supervised consumption sites, a City events budget, and a letter about federal cuts to English language training.

The inauguration and Howard's plans

Rob Howard was sworn in as mayor at an Inaugural Council Meeting at Richmond City Hall on the evening of November 2, 2026. Daily Hive, citing the event, reported that Howard described three priorities.

He said he would approach the provincial and federal governments about building a world-class trade and exhibition centre in Richmond. He pointed to the city's location near Vancouver International Airport, port facilities and highway connections as reasons to pursue the project. He did not name a site.

He also said the new council would begin planning for an arts and culture centre at the City Centre waterfront, describing it as "a place where families can stroll, seniors can gather, and the community can come together," according to Daily Hive. He promised to start planning immediately but set no date for a decision.

Both facilities have a history at the Duck Island site, the former location of the Richmond Night Market at the northern end of Richmond City Centre, next to the Bridgeport SkyTrain station. Daily Hive reported that in 2024, Jingon International Development Group received rezoning approval to develop the site into a large commercial and entertainment complex, with previous plans including a 450,000 square foot convention and exhibition centre. The developer later encountered financial difficulties, and the property is now subject to a court-ordered sale.

Howard also said he would ask the council to support an independent value-for-money review of City spending and services, telling the gathering that "other cities have found meaningful savings through this kind of exercise," according to Daily Hive. The review is one of his promises in his tracker at /bc/richmond-2026/candidates/rob-howard.

Howard ran with Richmond Forward and is Richmond's first new mayor in 25 years, replacing Malcolm Brodie, who chose not to seek re-election. Daily Hive noted that Howard served as a Richmond city councillor from 2001 to 2008 and as the BC Liberal MLA for Richmond Centre from 2009 to 2013.

The first committee meeting

On November 3, 2026, the General Purposes Committee met at 4:00 pm in the Anderson Room at Richmond City Hall. The revised agenda lists ten items, from a liquor licence application to the appointment of acting mayors and of council members to City committees. Three of them are below.

The supervised consumption site motion

Councillor Laura Gillanders added a motion to the committee's revised agenda to formally state Richmond's position on supervised consumption sites.

The motion, as written in the City's agenda document, states: "BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Richmond will not pursue, initiate, study, plan for, or advance the establishment of a supervised consumption site within the City of Richmond."

The agenda notes that the City had previously considered the feasibility of such a site and confirmed it would not proceed, and that uncertainty in the community about the City's position prompted the motion.

The question was a large one in the campaign. CTV News reported on October 18 that Howard's campaign with Richmond Forward featured strong opposition to supervised injection sites, and quoted him before the vote: "No more experiments. No more studies. No more injection sites." CTV also reported that a 2024 council motion asked staff to explore the potential benefits and challenges of a site near Richmond Hospital.

Gillanders is one of three RITE Richmond councillors. The other seven council seats are held by Gary Law, Kevin Lai and Sheldon Starrett (Advance Richmond), Kenny Chiu (Common Sense), Andy Hobbs (Richmond United), and Carol Day and Michael Wolfe (also RITE Richmond). The committee's recommendation goes to full Council on November 9, 2026.

The 2027 events budget

The committee was also asked to approve the City Signature and Community Events Program 2027. The staff recommendation in the agenda lists eight events: the Children's Arts Festival, the Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival, Doors Open Richmond, the Community Celebration Grant Program, the Neighbourhood Block Party Program, the Steveston Salmon Festival, the Richmond Maritime Festival, and Richmond Farm Fest.

The agenda shows total expenditures of $1,115,000, with $960,000 from the Rate Stabilization Account, $95,000 in estimated sponsorship and $60,000 in estimated grant revenue, all subject to Council approval as part of the 2027 budget process.

The federal funding cuts letter

Another item before the committee concerned cuts by the federal immigration department to English language training for newcomers. The staff recommendation is to prepare a letter, for the Mayor's signature, to the Prime Minister, the Premier of British Columbia, the Minister of Immigration, the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and Richmond's Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly.

The letter would advocate for the reinstatement of funding for intermediate and advanced English language training and for a sustainable funding model that responds to newcomers' needs.

What comes next

The full City Council meets next on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 7:00 pm at Richmond City Hall, 6911 No. 3 Road. At that meeting, councillors will vote on the committee's recommendations, including the supervised consumption site motion and the 2027 events program. The public can attend in person, watch the live stream, or take part by phone. Details are on the City's council records page.

Residents can track Mayor Howard's and Councillor Gillanders's progress on their tracker pages: Rob Howard and Laura Gillanders. The full promise tracker is at /bc/richmond-2026/tracker.