A researched record of campaign promises, City programs, public appearances and accountability issues. Each entry identifies its evidence and what remains unverified. Research checked October 2, 2026; this is not a complete assessment of every vote or claim.
The score counts how complete and checkable the published plan on this issue is. Whether the plan would work is a separate question, left to the reader. Measured October 2, 2026. The same seven points apply to every candidate for this office.
Housing supply and rental rules7/10
2/2
A position in the candidate’s own words
“He outlined continued efforts to accelerate development approvals through his party’s established “3-3-3-1” permitting framework, which represents approval timelines of three days for home renovations, three weeks for single-family detached homes/townhouses, three months for multi-family projects, and one year for high-rise towers.”
““3-3-3-1” permitting framework, which represents approval timelines of three days for home renovations, three weeks for single-family detached homes/townhouses, three months for multi-family projects, and one year for high-rise towers”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on housing: 1 commitment, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. Council sets zoning, approves rezonings and development permits, and makes rental and tenant-protection bylaws under the Vancouver Charter. The province sets rent increase limits and tenancy law.
“A favourable vote on the plebiscite would give Vancouverites a clear mandate to re-establish social expectations around open-air hard drug use in public spaces.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on homelessness and drugs: 2 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. Council funds shelter sites, street cleaning and city outreach, and decides where supportive housing is approved. Health services, treatment beds and drug policy are provincial and federal.
“Strengthening municipal bylaws would help address this gap by allowing police to issue administrative penalties for hard drug consumption in public spaces, providing an intermediate enforcement option between no intervention and criminal prosecution.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on public safety: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. Council approves the police budget. The Vancouver Police Board, not Council, directs the police department. Fire and rescue services report to the city.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on transport: 2 commitments, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The city owns and designs its streets, bike lanes, sidewalks and parking rules. Buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus are run by TransLink, a regional body the city does not control.
“Sim said that if re-elected, a property tax freeze on the municipal portion of the bill would be repeated in 2027, followed by future tax increases only happening at the rate of inflation.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on taxes and budget: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. Council sets the property tax rate each year, approves the operating budget, and approves the multi-year capital plan that pays for buildings and infrastructure.
“Vancouver city council voted on Thursday to pass Mayor Ken Sim's motion that pauses climate-friendly bylaws that tracked the city's emissions, with the motion also seeking to again allow new homes to use natural gas for space and water heating.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. Vancouver has its own building bylaw under the Vancouver Charter, so Council can set energy and emissions rules for new buildings that other BC cities cannot.
“For the first time, Sim announced the potential creation of a new Vietnamese Cultural Centre, with the intention of having some funding in the capital plan support the feasibility planning work.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on culture: 2 commitments, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The city licenses venues and events, sets noise and business rules, and funds cultural grants and spaces. Liquor licensing is shared with the province.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on child care: 3 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The city creates child care spaces through zoning, city-owned buildings and development contributions. Licensing, subsidies and operating funding are provincial.
“His motion, co-submitted with fellow ABC Party Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, also directs city staff to keep FIFA-related temporary patios and other allowed uses where possible”
“Sim said the cost to extend the pilot is $300,000 per week for sanitation and traffic work and $200,000 per week for security by the Vancouver Police Department.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. Council issues business licences, sets licence and permit fees, zones commercial and industrial land and approves business improvement areas under the Vancouver Charter. Employment law, sales taxes and income taxes are provincial and federal.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. Council, the Park Board and the Board of Education each set their own meeting rules, committees, public consultation and reporting. The Vancouver Charter and the School Act create the three bodies and set their powers, and only the Province can change those acts.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Ken Sim
Ken Sim was elected mayor of Vancouver in 2022. The City’s 2026 candidate list identifies him as “SIM, Ken”, affiliated with ABC Vancouver, with ballot number 54. He announced his re-election run in November 2023.
He was born in Vancouver on October 18, 1970, to parents who had immigrated from Hong Kong. He has said his family rented and was evicted five times while he was growing up. He attended Magee and Sir Winston Churchill secondary schools and graduated from UBC’s Sauder School of Business with a commerce degree in finance in 1993. He holds the FCPA and FCA accounting designations.
In 2001 he co-founded Nurse Next Door, a home health care company, and later co-founded the bagel chain Rosemary Rocksalt, according to his City biography. His campaign material describes further business investments.
He first ran for mayor in 2018 with the Non-Partisan Association and lost to Kennedy Stewart by 957 votes. He then founded ABC Vancouver. On October 15, 2022, he won the mayoralty with 85,732 votes, 50.96% of the total, and ABC won a majority on Council. He was the first challenger to defeat a sitting Vancouver mayor since 1980 and the first person of colour to hold the office.
As mayor he sits on the Vancouver Police Board. His term included the plan to dissolve the Park Board, property tax increases of 10.7% in 2023 and 7.5% in 2024 followed by a freeze for 2026, and an integrity commissioner investigation in 2025 and 2026. The accountability section below records those matters with their sources.
In the 2026 campaign ABC released its platform in two parts: Restoring Vancouver on September 21 and Raising Vancouver on September 28. ABC told Daily Hive that by September 18 it had raised more than $2 million from over 4,000 donors since January; these are the party’s own figures. Sim did not attend the September 8 UBC debate. On October 2 he debated Colleen Hardwick, Rebecca Bligh, Kareem Allam and Pete Fry at a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event, as CTV News reported.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
Hold the City property-tax increase at 0% in 2027, then raise it only at the rate of inflation, as reported from his April 8 speech.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CBC and Daily Hive report that Sim made this promise in his April 8 Board of Trade speech, and Vancity Lookout reports that he repeated it in a September 4 interview. CBC reports that he gave no details on which cuts might be needed to pay for it. Daily Hive quotes him saying that a $2.3 billion annual operating budget will always offer chances to do the same work for less. He named no amount and no service. The City’s copy of the speech could not be opened (HTTP 403).
What still needs checking
Which service levels, fees and revenue sources would support the freeze?
The platform and the launch release list this pledge. CBC reported that the 2026 budget, passed on November 25, 2025, raised most resident parking permits and traffic fines by “around $50”. The platform gives no date and does not say what would replace the revenue.
What still needs checking
What revenue would be lost, and which budgets would replace it?
Strengthen the City’s bylaws (its own rules) to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
ABC’s paper for the October 17 advisory vote (the City calls it a plebiscite), which opens with a letter signed by Sim, recommends a bylaw ticket with a $0 fine, so that police can seize the drugs at the time of the ticket. The campaign’s plebiscite site names the City’s Health By-law No. 9535 as the bylaw and says a wellness check would follow after a number of tickets that has not been set. When CBC asked on August 13 which bylaws would change, Sim did not name one. Council put the question on the October 17 ballot on August 14. The vote is advisory.
What still needs checking
The exact bylaw text, how many tickets would trigger a wellness check, and who would carry out the check.
Ask the Province for a secure medical facility with at least 100 involuntary-care beds in Vancouver, at the old St. Paul’s Hospital site or a similar site.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Daily Hive reports that Sim acknowledged the City does not have complete control over the outcome, particularly for a new health facility, which is the Province’s responsibility. The plebiscite materials name no cost and no opening date. Concord Pacific, which owns the old hospital site, told Daily Hive it does not have enough details to comment on temporary use. CTV News reports that Sim repeated the call for provincial voluntary and involuntary care beds at the October 2 Board of Trade debate. Kareem Allam’s Vancouver Liberals launched a campaign against the plebiscite question on September 28; see the accountability section.
What still needs checking
Would the Province commit funding, staffing, a site and an opening date?
Renew Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Roundhouse and Kensington centres.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Sim announced the $400 million in his April 8 speech and named the five centres on April 15. ReNew Canada’s July 22 report on the approved 2027 to 2030 Capital Plan says the plan renews five community centres through Council’s previously approved $400 million commitment. CBC reported on April 9 that Sim gave no timeline. voche.me found no completion dates for the five centres.
What still needs checking
Which works would be completed in 2027 to 2030, and which would only begin planning?
ABC’s launch release says its plan invests $104 million in roads and sidewalks. Its Restoring Vancouver plan of September 28 describes the same $104 million as money already invested, and commits to keep making road and sidewalk repair a priority.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Restoring Vancouver plan says “We have invested $104 million to repair and restore Vancouver’s roads and sidewalks”, so the figure describes past spending. It names no new amount for a second term. ReNew Canada reported on July 22 that the approved 2027 to 2030 Capital Plan includes the rehabilitation of 134 kilometres of roads and 30 kilometres of sidewalks, and ConstructConnect reported $703 million for streets in the plan. voche.me could not open the City’s plan (HTTP 403).
What still needs checking
Which streets are included and how will delivery be reported?
ABC’s Restoring Vancouver plan says it would rebuild the centre with a 50-metre pool “within the current budget allocated”. Daily Hive reports that the approved $175 million redevelopment has a 25-metre lap pool, that demolition was scheduled to begin in October 2026, that the City had not yet awarded the construction contract, and that a court dismissed a challenge to the 25-metre design. ConstructConnect reported on July 22 that Council directed staff to plan faster for a 50-metre indoor pool, with construction to be considered for the 2031 to 2034 capital plan.
What still needs checking
What design, capital budget and construction schedule will Council approve?
Double the campaign’s stated 2,000 new childcare spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The platform page still says to double “our 2000 new spaces”. The Raising Vancouver plan of September 28 says ABC will build on the more than 2,000 spaces opened under ABC through partnerships with the Province, School Board, Park Board, non-profits and private providers, and gives no number of new spaces. The City told Daily Hive that over 2,000 new childcare spaces have become operational since 2022. Neither document names a funding source, a date or a definition of a new space.
What still needs checking
What baseline, definition of a new space, funding and delivery date would apply?
The Raising Vancouver plan says ABC would work with the School Board and Park Board to bring back swim classes during the school day, using pool space outside peak hours. It gives no cost, date or number of schools.
What still needs checking
How would the School Board and Park Board share funding and delivery?
Approve a 0% increase in the City property-tax levy for 2026.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Council approved the $2.39 billion operating budget on November 25, 2025. The City separately projected an average 4.2% utility-fee increase. A levy freeze does not mean every charge on an individual bill is unchanged. CBC reported that the budget passed with Sim and six ABC councillors in favour, cut more than 10 per cent from the City’s arts, culture, planning and sustainability departments, and raised most resident parking permits and traffic fines by “around $50”.
Fund 100 additional police officers and 100 mental-health nurses.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Tyee reports the officer target was achieved. The health component changed to a mixed mental-health workforce; Sim described a 58-worker model in a 2023 interview. This page does not have a verified September 2026 nurse-only total.
What still needs checking
Publish current staffing by role, net additions and funded positions.
Complete a citywide community plan during the first term.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The City dates ODP adoption to March 31, 2026. It implements the Vancouver Plan developed before this mayoral term. Adoption does not itself rezone a property or build housing.
What still needs checking
Track rezoning decisions and housing delivered under the plan.
The City reports 92% of simple renovations within three days and average single-detached permit processing of 160 days in 2025, down from 250 in 2022. These measures do not show every application meeting a campaign target.
What still needs checking
Publish performance by permit type, including complex applications.
Abolish the elected Park Board, a policy pursued after the 2022 election.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
On July 13, 2026, ABC announced it would stop seeking abolition and run Park Board candidates instead. This was a change in policy during the term, not a verified 2022 platform pledge. CBC reports that Council passed his motion asking the Province to dissolve the board by 8 votes to 3 on December 13, 2023.
What still needs checking
Track whether ABC maintains its July 2026 commitment to retain the board.
Daily Hive reported 7,725 planted and 7,468 removed in 2023 to 2025, based on City figures. Its report says 2022 data was unavailable and 2026 figures were still being compiled; these are not full-term totals.
What still needs checking
Obtain the complete term’s planting and removal totals, with comparable scope.
Remove pay parking at beaches and community centres.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The platform and the launch release list this pledge, and the launch release repeats it under its Park Board commitments with Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks named. It gives no cost or date.
What still needs checking
What revenue would be lost, and which budgets would replace it?
Let police seize hard drugs used in public and write a bylaw ticket at the same time, under the strengthened bylaw.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
ABC’s plebiscite paper, which opens with a letter signed by Sim, says an officer would seize the drugs, write the ticket and release the person in minutes, and that the Vancouver Police Department is willing to enforce it. The paper recommends a $0 ticket. The paper’s description of the ticket process gives no cost. CTV News reports that at the October 2 Board of Trade debate Sim argued the change would let police issue tickets and take drugs away without arresting the person.
What still needs checking
How many bylaw tickets would trigger a wellness check, and who would carry out the check.
Sim says he would keep the Council policy that paused new low-barrier supportive housing. He says he would need to see the Province create a secure medical treatment facility in Vancouver and align with a new “good neighbour” policy that ABC has said it will release.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Vancity Lookout reports the interview. The pause followed Sim’s February 2025 motion and took effect in August 2025, with exceptions for seniors, women and families, youth ageing out of care, and projects already under way or being replaced. Lookout says ABC gave no details of the good neighbour policy at publication. The platform’s one line on good neighbour agreements gives no further detail.
What still needs checking
The text of the good neighbour policy, and which conditions would end the pause.
Drug consumption sites away from schools and parks
Require provincial drug consumption sites to be located away from schools and parks.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The platform lists it, and Daily Hive repeats it. The platform calls these sites provincial and does not say how the City could require a location. It gives no cost or date.
What still needs checking
How the City could require this of the Province, and what it would cost.
Keep working toward the 3-3-3-1 permit targets: three days for home renovations, three weeks for single-family homes and townhouses, three months for multi-family projects and one year for high-rise towers.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Daily Hive reports that Sim restated the framework in his April 8 speech. Daily Hive’s September 16 review reports City figures of 92 per cent of simple renovation permits issued within three days, 160 days for single-detached homes in 2025 and 9.8 months for multi-family and mid-rise projects in 2025, and says the City is on track but has not reached the targets. Daily Hive reported on September 25 that ABC did not include housing in its initial platform.
What still needs checking
When the City expects to meet each target and what it would cost.
Vancity Lookout reports the statement. It names no zoning change, number of homes, cost or date. Lookout also notes that the City’s 10-year housing targets, approved by Sim and ABC in 2024, set goals of 81 per cent market housing and 19 per cent non-market housing.
Sim’s motion, passed by Council on Thursday, May 21, 2026, pauses the bylaws behind Energize Vancouver, which has owners of large buildings report their carbon emissions, and seeks to allow natural gas heating in new homes again.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CBC reports that seven councillors from Sim’s ABC slate voted for the motion and all four opposition councillors voted against it. CBC’s report is stamped 1:00 AM EDT on May 22 (10:00 PM PT on May 21) and says Council voted on Thursday. The province’s housing minister had asked the City in a letter to delay building code decisions until the fall. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403).
What still needs checking
What the changed bylaws now require, and when the pause ends.
Sim’s motion, passed by Council on Thursday, July 2, 2026, extends the Granville Street pedestrian zone pilot through Labour Day weekend at a cost of up to $4.75 million.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CBC reports that two councillors opposed the plan. CBC reports that Sim said the extension costs $300,000 per week for sanitation and traffic work and $200,000 per week for police security, and that it includes a grant of up to $1.25 million for the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403). The pilot has ended, and voche.me has not reviewed its results.
What still needs checking
What the pilot changed for businesses on the street, and whether the City will run it again.
Sim’s April 2026 capital plan motion proposes a new Vietnamese Cultural Centre, with some money in the capital plan (the City’s four-year plan for buildings, streets and pipes) paying for planning work to check whether it can be built.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Daily Hive and CBC reported the proposal on April 15 and 16, 2026, and said the motion would go to Council the following week. voche.me has not opened the vote (Council documents return HTTP 403), so the outcome is not established. The reports give no amount or date for the centre.
What still needs checking
The Council vote on the motion, and how much capital plan money would go to the planning work.
Sim’s April 2026 capital plan motion proposes exploring a new or shared Collingwood branch of the Vancouver Public Library.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Daily Hive reports that an earlier plan for a library inside a private developer’s tower near Joyce-Collingwood Station did not go ahead. The reports give no amount or date. voche.me has not opened the Council vote (HTTP 403), so the outcome is not established.
What still needs checking
The Council vote on the motion, and whether the capital plan sets money aside for a Collingwood branch.
Keep the elected Park Board in place. Sim says that if he is in office over the next four years there will be no change in its structure.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Vancity Lookout quotes Sim on September 4, and ABC announced on July 13 that it would stop seeking to dissolve the board. Sim told Lookout he personally thinks the City would run better without an elected board. The Canadian Press reports that he said in a July 13 statement that the board is “simply not working”.
What still needs checking
Whether ABC’s written platform repeats the promise to keep the board.
Sim’s motion, which Council backed unanimously on May 20, 2026, directs staff to work with the Park Board on free lessons for the first three swimming levels, starting with children aged 3 to 12. ABC’s Raising Vancouver plan repeats the pledge.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CBC reports that Council backed the motion unanimously on May 20, 2026, and that staff must report back early in 2027 with a phased plan, pilot locations and a financial analysis. CBC reports that Council heard swimming lessons bring the City an estimated $420,000 a year, and that Sim said staff would look at the operating and capital budgets to pay for it. Park Board chair Tom Digby told Council the proposal should have gone through the elected Park Board. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403).
What still needs checking
The staff report due early in 2027: cost, pilot locations and start date.
Start a second round of community centre renewal, with five more centres in the next capital plan.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The platform page says five more centres would be “tackled in the next capital plan”, and the Restoring Vancouver plan calls this the second round of community centre investment. Neither names the centres, a cost or a date.
What still needs checking
Which five centres, and which capital plan would pay for them.
Kitsilano Pool, ice rinks and free entry for children in care
Restore open access at Kitsilano Pool, build more ice rinks, and give children under 18 in care free entry to pools and community centres.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Raising Vancouver plan lists all three. Daily Hive notes that “open access” refers to the dispute over the reservation system at Kitsilano Pool, which the Park Board had voted in March to keep, as CBC reported. The plan gives no cost, date or number.
What still needs checking
How many rinks, where, at what cost, and how the Park Board would change the pool booking rules.
Create a dedicated fund to upgrade and maintain playgrounds, parks, boulevards and public spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Both plans list it. Daily Hive reports ABC says spending would follow neighbourhood need, safety, accessibility and condition. The plans give no amount for the fund.
What still needs checking
The size of the fund and which budget would pay for it.
Restore the Stanley Park Train, with Bright Nights and the Halloween Ghost Train.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Restoring Vancouver plan says the ABC City Council and Park Board would work together on it and would bring back Bright Nights and the Halloween train “immediately”. It gives no cost or date.
What still needs checking
Cost of the repairs and the first season the train would run.
Set up a committee of City Council, the Park Board and the School Board that meets monthly to track waitlists, new programs and access.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Raising Vancouver plan says the committee would check whether waitlists, new opportunities and access are improving. It does not say who would sit on it or whether its results would be published.
What still needs checking
Membership, and whether the waitlist figures would be made public.
Bring back the Granville Street pedestrian zone as a permanent seasonal feature, and invest in the street as an entertainment and business district.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Restoring Vancouver plan lists it. It gives no cost, months or dates. The 2026 extension cost up to $4.75 million, as CBC reported; see the Granville Street entries in this record.
What still needs checking
Which months the zone would run each year and what it would cost.
Build a Punjabi Gate in Sunset, a landmark for Vancouver’s Punjabi and South Asian communities.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Restoring Vancouver plan lists it. Daily Hive reports the Province promised a $3 million gate on Main Street near East 50th Avenue two decades ago and never built it. ABC’s plan gives no site, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Site, cost and who would pay, and whether the Province would take part.
No City lawsuits against the Pacific Link pipeline
Sim says that while he is mayor the City will not sue companies or the federal government to stop the Pacific Link pipeline, which the federal government named a national infrastructure project.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The statement comes from an ABC release of October 1, 2026, which quotes Sim. The release says the pipeline does not touch Vancouver city limits. It gives no cost or date.
What still needs checking
Whether a Council motion on the pipeline comes forward after the election, and how Sim votes.
These decisions involve Council, City staff and other public bodies. Listing them during a candidate’s term does not mean that person created or delivered them alone.
Archive photo / 2024
Ken Sim, Brenda Bailey and Casey Lau on stage at Collision in Toronto.
Approved by Council; approval reported July 22, 2026; delivery ahead
Community centres and capital investment
The 2027 to 2030 Capital Plan contains $3.5 billion in investment plus $0.1 billion in developer-provided amenities, including $400 million for community recreation facilities.
Scope, limits and sources
The election includes three questions seeking authority to borrow $790 million for parts of the plan. Distinguish an approved plan, borrowing authority, individual project budgets and completed facilities.
The City’s budget announcement identifies $120 million in savings and revenue measures. It also says community-centre recreation charges would remain unchanged in 2026.
Scope, limits and sources
The freeze applies to the City levy. Other taxing authorities and utility charges are separate. A service-by-service assessment is still needed before claiming the budget preserved or reduced every service.
The City reports laneway permit processing falling from 200 days in 2022 to 100 in 2025, and multi-family/mid-rise development permits from 18.1 months in 2023 to 9.8 in 2025.
Scope, limits and sources
These are the City’s published comparisons, not an independent audit or a guarantee for a new applicant. Different permit categories and reporting periods should not be combined.
A citywide land-use framework sets the direction for housing, employment, infrastructure and amenities over the next 30 years and beyond.
Scope, limits and sources
The City says the plan will be implemented through subsequent area planning, rezonings and investment. Its underlying Vancouver Plan was approved in 2022 before Sim took office.
Council’s February 2025 motion shifted City support toward renewing existing supportive housing and seeking a greater regional contribution. The implementation note sets out how applications are treated from August 26.
Scope, limits and sources
The policy includes exceptions and transition arrangements; it is not a ban on every kind of social housing. Sim defended continuing it in his September interview. Housing delivery and outcomes need separate evaluation.
VPD reported 745 weapons seized and 414 warrant arrests between February 13 and May 13, 2025. A November 27 police release said Task Force Barrage had ended.
Scope, limits and sources
Those are police-reported activity measures for a stated period. They do not by themselves establish how much a mayoral policy caused a change in crime. Do not describe the temporary task force as a confirmed current deployment.
The City published a final implementation report addressing 17 recommendations. It reported $40 million more budgeted non-property-tax revenue in 2026 than in 2023 and capital-budget spending rising from 70% in 2022 to 97% in 2025.
Scope, limits and sources
These are institutional reports of implementation. They should be read with the final report’s definitions; spending a larger share of a budget is not itself evidence of better outcomes.
Voters will be asked about stronger public-drug-use restrictions and a provincial secure medical facility with voluntary care and at least 100 involuntary-care beds.
Scope, limits and sources
A yes vote is not the same as an enacted bylaw, provincial approval or operating treatment beds. The City identifies these as non-binding plebiscite questions. Read the official wording before voting.
Motion to pause emissions bylaws and allow gas heating
CBC reports that Council passed Sim’s motion on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The motion pauses the bylaws behind Energize Vancouver, which has owners of large buildings report their carbon emissions, and seeks to allow natural gas heating in new homes again. Seven councillors from Sim’s ABC slate voted for it and all four opposition councillors voted against it.
Scope, limits and sources
The vote is reported by CBC. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403). Sim says the change would cut unnecessary rules and help housing costs. Critics say it weakens climate policy.
CBC reports that Council voted on Thursday, July 2, 2026 on Sim’s motion to extend the Granville Street pedestrian zone pilot through Labour Day weekend, at a cost of up to $4.75 million. Two councillors opposed it.
Scope, limits and sources
The figures are the ones Sim gave Council, as reported by CBC. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403) and has not reviewed the results of the pilot.
Council approved operators for 488 new childcare spaces
Vancity Lookout reports that Council approved non-profit operators for 488 new childcare spaces at 12 locations, planned to open with City financial and facility support. The report says the facilities will open in 2 to 5 years.
Scope, limits and sources
The report is dated May 21, 2025 and describes the previous day’s Council meeting. It says Sim stated that the City created fewer than 400 new childcare spaces that have opened or will open between 2024 and 2026, and that ABC promised 5,000 new spaces by 2026 in 2022. Childcare is mainly a provincial responsibility.
The City’s release, republished by the Indo-Canadian Voice on January 20, 2026, says Council approved $5,609,000 in grants and $61,598 in contributions of goods or services to 165 organizations. It quotes Sim calling them “important investments in Vancouver’s cultural future”.
Scope, limits and sources
CBC reports that the 2026 budget passed on November 25, 2025 cut more than 10 per cent from the City’s arts, culture, planning and sustainability departments. Both facts describe culture funding in the same term.
Approved by Council; approval reported July 22, 2026
2027 to 2030 Capital Plan: streets
ReNew Canada reports that the approved plan includes the rehabilitation of 134 kilometres of roads and 30 kilometres of sidewalks. ConstructConnect reports $703 million for streets within the plan.
Scope, limits and sources
Both reports repeat the City’s release. The date is the day of publication. voche.me has not read the vote date from the Council record (HTTP 403).
Passed 8 to 3; ABC dropped the plan on July 13, 2026
Council vote to ask the Province to dissolve the Park Board
CBC reports that Council passed Sim’s motion 8 to 3 at a meeting on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, asking the Province to dissolve the elected Park Board and move its work to Council. The motion also asked for a six-month transition committee.
Scope, limits and sources
The Canadian Press reports that Sim dropped the plan on July 13, 2026. On September 4 he told Vancity Lookout there would be no change to the board’s structure over the next four years if he is in office.
Passed unanimously on May 20, 2026; reported by CBC; staff report due early 2027
Motion passed: free introductory swimming lessons
CBC reports that Council unanimously backed Sim’s motion on May 20, 2026. It directs staff to work with the Park Board on free lessons for the first three swimming levels, starting with children aged 3 to 12, and to set per-person pool targets and look at longer pool hours.
Scope, limits and sources
The motion also asks the Park Board to end the Kitsilano Pool reservation system, which the board had voted in March to keep. Park Board commissioners told Council the proposal belonged with the elected board. voche.me has not opened the Council minutes (HTTP 403).
Passed December 11, 2024; staff recommended ending the work in March 2026
Motion to explore a “bitcoin-friendly” city
Global News reports that Council passed Sim’s motion on December 11, 2024, with Sim and the ABC councillors in favour and two Green councillors opposed. It asked staff to look at accepting bitcoin as payment and holding part of the City’s reserves in bitcoin.
Scope, limits and sources
CBC reported on March 6, 2026 that staff found bitcoin is not an allowed investment for the City under the Vancouver Charter and recommended ending the work, with Council to decide on March 10. voche.me has not found the result of that vote. Sim told Global News that bitcoin is part of his family’s investments, and pledged to donate $10,000 in bitcoin to the City.
Sim debated Colleen Hardwick, Rebecca Bligh, Kareem Allam and Pete Fry at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. CTV News reports he pointed to funding for 100 new police officers and more than 50 mental-health workers, and said business licence approval time fell from 16 weeks in 2022 to two days. He backed the public safety plebiscite and asked the Province for voluntary and involuntary care beds.
After the federal government named the Pacific Link pipeline a national infrastructure project, Sim said ABC supports projects that open new markets and that the City would not sue to stop a pipeline outside Vancouver. ABC had announced a media event on the economy for that morning. The release is the only source read; no news report of the event was found.
Statement on the Drug User Liberation Front ruling
After a B.C. Supreme Court judge stayed the drug trafficking convictions of the two DULF founders, Sim criticized the ruling and the Crown’s decision to call no expert witnesses, and urged a yes vote in the public safety plebiscite. voche.me read the release through a tool that returned a shortened version, so this summary does not quote it.
ABC released the family half of its platform at a press conference. Daily Hive ran an ABC photograph of Sim at the event and quotes him saying families feel the city’s pressures when they look for swimming lessons, childcare and community centres.
Sim said the Premier should wait until after October 17 to call a provincial election, and said the last provincial election cost more than $50 million. CBC included his words in a report on how B.C. mayors reacted. The provincial election is set for October 24.
ABC announced its council, parks and schools platform. The Canadian Press, in a report carried by Global News, says Sim spoke at the Monday press conference and used it to ask the Province not to call a provincial election before October 17. voche.me has not reviewed a complete recording.
CityNews reported Sim’s absence. ABC said it was waiting for the full candidate list while deciding which debates to attend. The linked video is coverage of the debate, not a Ken Sim speech.
Nate Lewis interviewed Sim for Vancity Lookout. Topics include housing, policing, the tax freeze and the Park Board. Sim said he would retain the elected board for a further term while still believing it would function better without that structure. This is the article’s publication date.
Sim argued for ending pool reservations and announced ABC would seek election to the Park Board. CityNews includes video reporting and the board’s explanation that drop-in access already existed.
The mayor’s office documented proposals for $400 million in community-centre renewal and a 2027 tax freeze, followed by increases at inflation. The linked release summarizes the speech; it is not a full transcript.
Sim said he had referred to a photograph without verifying it and apologized to Orr, residents, colleagues and City staff. The official PDF includes English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
Policy dispute
Opposition to the involuntary-care plebiscite question
Kareem Allam’s Vancouver Liberals launched a “No Vancouver Prison” campaign on September 28 against converting part of the old St. Paul’s Hospital into a secure care facility, and urged voters to oppose both plebiscite questions. Allam told Global News the facility would be a prison.
Candidate or party response
ABC argues a yes vote would give the City a clear mandate to bring in new enforcement against public hard drug use. Daily Hive reports that Downtown Van, the BC Schizophrenia Society and addictions researcher Dr. Julian Somers support the proposal.
Verified status and limits
A disagreement between campaigns over a non-binding ballot question. Voters answer it on October 17.
The Tyee examined ABC ads criticizing Pete Fry and attributing declining crime to ABC policies. It distinguished the task-force launch from a later funding vote.
Candidate or party response
ABC’s Peter Meiszner defended the ads as an account of Fry’s voting record. Fry called their portrayal misleading.
Verified status and limits
Read the underlying votes, dates and crime measures before drawing a conclusion about cause. The article reports competing positions; this page does not treat a campaign accusation as an official finding.
False drug allegation and Orr’s defamation lawsuit
The Canadian Press reports Orr sued Sim over false remarks made to Chinese-language media in February 2026. It reports a trial date of January 31, 2028.
Candidate or party response
Sim apologized and acknowledged the remarks were untrue. His legal response disputes that they damaged Orr’s reputation and describes the briefing as a closed event.
Verified status and limits
Pending civil case in the reporting reviewed, not a judgment of liability. This is separate from the integrity investigation into 2025 comments.
Supportive-housing pause and regional responsibility
Sim’s pause changes City contributions to new supportive housing while prioritizing existing buildings. It has become a substantive issue in the mayoral election.
Candidate or party response
In his Vancity Lookout interview, Sim argued other municipalities and the Province should contribute more. At the UBC debate, several challengers supported reversing the pause; Hardwick expressed concerns about concentrating services.
Verified status and limits
An ongoing policy dispute. The implementation note, housing outcomes and alternatives matter more than treating all supportive or social housing as one category.
Vision Zero Vancouver, a road safety group, said decisions under Sim and ABC made streets more dangerous, citing a 40 km/h speed limit on Cornwall Avenue instead of 30, rejected protected bike lanes on Broadway, and transportation staff layoffs.
Candidate or party response
In a statement to Daily Hive, Sim said ABC had made public safety its top priority and had funded the police, fire service and the mental health workers Vancouver Coastal Health requested. ABC Councillor Lisa Dominato said Council raised transportation safety spending from $5.5 million to $10.5 million and set $180 million for road safety and mobility in the next capital plan.
Verified status and limits
An advocacy group’s criticism and the party’s reply, as reported by Daily Hive. No official finding is involved.
ABC ended its attempt to eliminate the independently elected board and announced it would run board candidates.
Candidate or party response
Sim said the new approach would focus on facilities and service delivery. In September he committed to no structural change during another term, while maintaining his criticism of the governance model.
Verified status and limits
A documented policy reversal. Disagreement over that choice is different from a misconduct finding.
The May 11 independent report found Sim misused the influence of his office and harassed Orr through an April 2025 press conference and October 2025 social-media post.
Candidate or party response
The report records Sim’s position that he was responding to community concerns and had not conducted a political campaign. It did not substantiate every allegation; it made no defamation finding.
Verified status and limits
Council voted on June 2 to impose no sanctions. Sim was absent for the vote because of a conflict of interest. The decision not to sanction did not reverse the report’s findings.
The integrity commissioner found Code of Conduct breaches involving discussions of the Climate Justice Charter report and Moberly Park funding. Sim was among the officials named.
Candidate or party response
The respondents argued that party caucus discussions were permissible and were not a substitute for Council meetings. The report rejected that defence where a quorum advanced City business in private.
Verified status and limits
The commissioner found breaches in two of seven examined instances, not every allegation. The report said the number of implicated members prevented Council from reaching quorum to consider sanctions.
Elections BC penalties over 2022 campaign contributions
Elections BC’s director of investigations found that Corey Sue, the financial agent for ABC Vancouver and Ken Sim in 2022, accepted contributions that broke the law: $13,125.74 to ABC and $14,204.10 to Sim’s mayoral campaign, all but one from donors who gave more than the yearly limit. Two contributions to Sim’s campaign were also returned late. The notice sets penalties of $11,888 and $960.
Candidate or party response
Sue said in a statement that ABC was disappointed, respected the decision, and had strengthened its internal procedures. The notice lists among its reasons Sue’s statement that the errors were honest mistakes, and that the campaign cooperated.
Verified status and limits
The penalties were assessed against the financial agent. The notice lists maximum penalties of $59,459.68. voche.me found no finding about the 2026 campaign.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Archive photo / 2023
Ken Sim answering questions at Collision in Toronto.
Sources checked October 2, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
Council minutes and City pages returned HTTP 403 on October 2, so every Council vote here comes from news reports or ABC releases. The result of the March 10, 2026 vote on ending the bitcoin work was not found. HUB Cycling’s Vancouver survey page and a Business in Vancouver interview with Sim returned HTTP 403 and were not read. No source was found showing whether Sim took part in the forums of September 23, 25 and 28 or October 1; those events were removed from the calendar. A neighbourhood group’s claim that Sim missed 36 per cent of Council votes was not checked against Council records. ABC’s figures on 2026 fundraising are the party’s own. The Vancouver Agenda announced for October 5 had not been published on October 2.
Documents / City of Vancouver
Financial disclosure & published calendars
Read the original 2026 financial disclosure and the latest monthly mayoral calendar located during this review. The July calendar records past meetings; it does not say where Sim will be today or tomorrow. Financial disclosure is not, by itself, evidence of a conflict of interest.
Section 45 (8) of the Vancouver Charter allows the information in nomination papers to be used only for the purposes of the Charter and of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. voche.me links to the City’s copy and does not copy the nominators, the financial agent or any other detail from it. Read section 45.
03 / Background
Experience & community
2022 to present
Mayor of Vancouver
Elected in 2022; currently serving as Vancouver’s mayor.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
Will you publish a campaign calendar with confirmed public appearances through October 17?
No response has been submitted.
Which service levels and fees would change to support a 2027 property-tax freeze?
No response has been submitted.
What are the current net staffing totals for the original police and mental-health commitment?
No response has been submitted.
What housing outcomes would cause you to reconsider the supportive-housing pause?
No response has been submitted.
What specific changes will you make in response to the integrity commissioner’s findings?
No response has been submitted.
What are the funded delivery dates for community centres, childcare spaces and the Aquatic Centre?
No response has been submitted.
Have your own question?
Ask Ken Sim 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 Ken Sim's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Ken Sim?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Ken Sim's own campaign.
What is Ken Sim's ballot number for the 2026 Vancouver election?
Ken Sim is number 54 on the City of Vancouver's official 2026 ballot for Mayor.
What party did Ken Sim run with?
Ken Sim ran for Mayor with ABC Vancouver.
Does Ken Sim currently hold public office?
Yes. Ken Sim currently serves as Mayor of Vancouver.
How many sources does this Ken Sim profile cite?
This profile lists 3 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Has Ken Sim filed nomination papers for the 2026 election?
Yes. The Nomination papers section below links to the City’s copy of the papers Ken Sim filed. voche.me does not copy names or other details from them, because section 45 (8) of the Vancouver Charter limits how that information may be used.
Why do some questions on Ken Sim's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Ken Sim 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 Ken Sim ran in?
The 2026 Vancouver municipal election, including the Mayor race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
Names from the nomination papers removed
This page listed the nominators, the financial agent and the signing details read from the nomination papers filed with the City. Section 45 (8) of the Vancouver Charter allows information in those papers to be used only for the purposes of the Charter and of the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, so voche.me no longer copies anything from them. The page links to the City’s copy instead.
ABC’s Restoring Vancouver plan describes the $104 million for roads and sidewalks as money already invested. The roads commitment now says so.
Free swimming lessons vote confirmed by CBC
CBC reported that Council backed Sim’s swimming motion unanimously on May 20, 2026. The commitment now reads Approved and the program cites CBC alongside ABC’s release.
Calendar updated after the October 2 review
Six past forums were removed because no source showed whether Sim took part: September 23 (Metro Vancouver Alliance and Mount Pleasant), September 25 (Killarney), September 28 (Fairview), and October 1 (neighbourhood houses and The Cultch). The September 28 ABC event became a talk, because Daily Hive reported Sim at the press conference. The October 5 Vancouver Agenda launch was added.
New platform, statements, debate and records added
Added the Raising Vancouver and Restoring Vancouver plans, the October 2 Board of Trade debate, three statements, the 2024 bitcoin motion, the 2025 Elections BC penalties against ABC’s financial agent, and two policy disputes.
Property tax pledge for 2027 now carries its reports
The 2027 property tax commitment now cites the Vancity Lookout interview and the CBC and Daily Hive reports of the April 8 speech. The City’s copy of the speech could not be opened. The wording now includes CBC’s report that later increases would follow inflation.
Roads and sidewalks figure attributed to ABC
The pledge on roads and sidewalks now says the $104 million figure comes from ABC’s launch release. Two July 22 reports of the approved capital plan give other figures for streets. The status changed from Approved to Campaign pledge until the City’s plan can be opened.
Parking pledge split into three items
The one entry on parking fees became three: residential permit fees, pay parking at beaches and community centres, and a citywide parking app.
Capital plan program date corrected
The capital plan program was dated September 22, the day the record was checked. It now carries July 22, 2026, the day two reports say Council had approved the plan.
Photo archive / Public appearances
A record in photographs
Each photograph includes its original event date, caption, credit and source. Historical photographs do not establish attendance at current campaign events.
Archive photo / 2024
From left: Ken Sim, Brenda Bailey, Paddy Cosgrave, Harjit Sajjan and Royce Chwin at Collision in Toronto.
