This record covers Sarah Kirby-Yung, an ABC Vancouver city councillor and Deputy Mayor seeking a third council term on October 17, 2026. It sets out the elected record since 2014, motions she moved and votes recorded under her name in Council minutes, three integrity commissioner rulings that named her, and one conduct incident during a 2024 committee meeting.
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 3, 2026. The same seven points apply to every candidate for this office.
Housing supply and rental rules5/10
2/2
A position in the candidate’s own words
“They eliminate the need for the second staircase, which means that they can be built in narrow or regular urban infill lots”
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.
“It will send a resounding, clear, unequivocal signal of the scale and sentiment of the residents of Vancouver in terms of how they feel about this issue”
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.
“THAT Council direct staff to engage with Vancouver Fire & Rescue Services leadership and IAFF18 to review concerns and report back on options to implement traffic markings such as cross-hatching and other measures like lighting and cautionary signage at Vancouver firehalls”
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.
Party platform; candidate not quoted. ABC Vancouver publishes 2 commitments on this issue.
0/2
Names a mechanism the office controls
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/2
States a measurable target
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
States a cost or funding source
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
States a timeline
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
A dated, sourced action on the issue
No dated public action on this issue found.
0/1
Answered the voche.me question on the issue
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.
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council direct staff, in preparing the proposed 2027-2030 Capital Plan, to align the draft plan with Council's previously adopted directions”
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.
No position found by voche.me as of October 3, 2026.
0/2
Names a mechanism the office controls
No statement to read.
0/2
States a measurable target
No statement to read.
0/1
States a cost or funding source
No statement to read.
0/1
States a timeline
No statement to read.
0/1
A dated, sourced action on the issue
No dated public action on this issue found.
0/1
Answered the voche.me question on the issue
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.
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.
Party platform; candidate not quoted. ABC Vancouver publishes 3 commitments on this issue.
0/2
Names a mechanism the office controls
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/2
States a measurable target
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
States a cost or funding source
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
States a timeline
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
0/1
A dated, sourced action on the issue
No dated public action on this issue found.
0/1
Answered the voche.me question on the issue
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.
“I think that a referral to July 14th, which is just literally days before this is scheduled to end, would effectively kill the opportunity to extend this for everybody in the city through to the end of summer and through the end of Labour Day.”
“The meeting was initiated by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim to consider his member motion on this single matter, which was also moved by ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung.”
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 Sarah Kirby-Yung
Sarah Kirby-Yung appears on the City of Vancouver's final 2026 candidate list for City Council, with ballot number 135. The City records the affiliation as ABC Vancouver.
The official roster for the current term lists Sarah Kirby-Yung as a Vancouver city councillor. That is a separate office from the one on this 2026 ballot entry.
The page says Kirby-Yung was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2018 and has been Deputy Mayor since 2025. The page says Kirby-Yung was a Commissioner and Chair of the Vancouver Park Board before joining council. The page says the candidate holds an MBA from Royal Roads University and held senior roles at Destination Vancouver, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, and Coast Hotels.
Kirby-Yung was first elected to Vancouver city council in 2018 with the NPA, taking 43,581 votes, or 24.70 per cent.
In April 2021 Kirby-Yung left the NPA along with councillors Lisa Dominato and Colleen Hardwick, after the party board appointed John Coupar as its mayoral candidate. Kirby-Yung told CBC that the three would not be doing their job if they did not stand against the decision.
Kirby-Yung joined Ken Sim's new ABC Vancouver party on April 11, 2022 and was re-elected that October with 72,545 votes, or 42.30 per cent, the highest council total in that election.
A City of Vancouver release dated October 27, 2025 says Mayor Ken Sim appointed Kirby-Yung as permanent Deputy Mayor for the remainder of the term.
The ABC page says Kirby-Yung was a Vancouver park board commissioner and chair from 2014 to 2018, holds an MBA from Royal Roads University, worked in marketing and communications for tourism and hospitality, and has served on boards for TransLink, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Union of BC Municipalities, and chaired the Pacific National Exhibition. No independent source for that list was found.
ABC Vancouver confirmed Kirby-Yung as one of its returning council incumbents on August 27, 2026.
Council minutes show that in April 2026 Kirby-Yung moved the motion that directed staff to set aside $400 million in the 2027 to 2030 capital plan to renew or replace five community centres: Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Roundhouse and Kensington. ABC’s 2026 platform release calls this Council’s existing $400-million investment in community centres.
Kirby-Yung appears at position 135 on the council ballot for October 17, 2026.
voche.me assembled this profile from the official candidate list, Council minutes, news reporting and the campaign material linked under Sources. The campaign has not been contacted, and no candidate-supplied content appears on this page.
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.
18 commitments shown · Checked Oct 3
2026 · Public spaceApproved
Granville Street pedestrian zone
Kirby-Yung co-sponsored the motion with Mayor Ken Sim to extend the five-block Granville Street pedestrian zone from July 19 through Labour Day, and to look at bringing it back in November alongside a Christmas market.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Council passed the motion 8 to 2 on July 2, 2026, with Pete Fry and Rebecca Bligh opposed. The November return was only a direction to look into it, and the city still needs approvals from the province, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch and TransLink.
What still needs checking
Whether the November pedestrian zone and Christmas market go ahead and what they cost.
Public safety plebiscite: open-air hard drug use bylaw question
Kirby-Yung argued for putting the first advisory question on the October ballot: whether the city should strengthen its bylaws against open-air hard drug use in public spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Council approved both plebiscite questions on August 14, 2026. The result will not create a bylaw by itself; Kirby-Yung and other ABC councillors said a strong result would give the next Council a mandate to strengthen the City's own bylaws. Lucy Maloney cast the only vote against; Rebecca Bligh, Pete Fry and Sean Orr walked out before the vote.
What still needs checking
Whether a new council uses the plebiscite result to change a bylaw, and which bylaw.
Public safety plebiscite: secure treatment facility question
Kirby-Yung argued for putting the second advisory question on the October ballot: whether the city should formally ask the province to turn part of the old St Paul's Hospital, or another site, into a secure facility with acute voluntary care and 100-plus involuntary care beds.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Council approved the question on August 14, 2026. The result does not oblige the province to do anything; the facility itself needs the Province of B.C. to act. The developer that owns the old hospital site had only tentatively endorsed the idea, according to the same report.
What still needs checking
Whether the province responds, and what a new council does with the plebiscite result.
At the July 28, 2026 meeting Kirby-Yung moved an amendment aimed at allowing housing built with a single stairwell, arguing it lets buildings go on narrow infill lots without assembling several properties.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The amendment passed. Council had already approved this building form in December 2025 and reporters could not establish how the amendment differs from that approval. Business in Vancouver said messages to Kirby-Yung and to city communications were not returned before deadline. City planning director Neil Hrushowy told council the option would apply mainly in R3 districts.
What still needs checking
What the amendment changes in practice, and how many homes are built under it.
Capital plan focused on projects that can be finished
In September 2025 Kirby-Yung brought a member motion asking the city to put shovel-ready, fully funded projects first in the 2027 to 2030 capital plan, to deprioritise work without secured funding, and to have staff build an inventory of community facilities with their age and condition.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show Kirby-Yung moved the motion and the committee carried it on September 17, 2025, with Lucy Maloney opposed and Rebecca Bligh and Mayor Sim absent. Her own amendment added a direction to report back on a framework for managing the City’s buildings and infrastructure over their full life. The motion sets no dollar figure and no date for the facilities inventory beyond “in advance of” the draft capital plan.
What still needs checking
Whether staff delivered the facilities inventory before the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan.
In May 2024 Kirby-Yung and councillor Lisa Dominato brought a motion to make it easier to open pod or capsule hotels in empty commercial space downtown, pointing to a downtown office vacancy rate that had reached 14 per cent and a shortage of hotel rooms ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show Kirby-Yung moved the motion, seconded by Lisa Dominato, and the committee carried it unanimously on May 29, 2024. It directed staff to review building rules for pod hotels in existing office space and report back. No source found by voche.me shows the report back or any capsule hotel opening.
What still needs checking
Whether staff reported back and whether any building or zoning rule changed.
ABC's 2026 platform promises a zero per cent property tax increase in 2027 for buyers and renters.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is the party's platform, published September 21, 2026. Kirby-Yung is an ABC incumbent seeking re-election and has not been quoted separately on this figure in any source found.
What still needs checking
Whether Kirby-Yung states a personal position on a second tax freeze and how it would be paid for.
ABC platform on community centres and the aquatic centre
The platform promises 400 million dollars to rebuild or revamp five community centres and a rebuilt Vancouver Aquatic Centre with a 50 metre pool.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is the party’s platform. Its September 28, 2026 release describes the $400 million as “Council’s existing $400-million investment in community centres”; Council minutes show Kirby-Yung moved that direction in April 2026 (see the separate commitment). The platform gives no date for either project and does not quote Kirby-Yung. Community centres and the aquatic centre are Park Board facilities that Council’s capital plan pays for.
What still needs checking
Which five community centres, and when construction would start on each project.
The platform says ABC will double its 2,000 new childcare spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is the party's platform. The platform page words this as doubling down on childcare rather than stating a new total, and gives no cost or date. It does not quote Kirby-Yung.
What still needs checking
How many of the 2,000 spaces already exist, and when the rest would open.
The ABC page says that during the pandemic Kirby-Yung championed the creation of pop-up plazas, patio extensions, and patios for craft breweries and distilleries, and credits her with helping small businesses stay open.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The claim is from Kirby-Yung's own party bio page only; no independent source was found. It gives no count of plazas or patios approved, no cost and no date beyond "during the pandemic."
What still needs checking
How many pop-up plazas and patio permits were issued, and the City program or bylaw change that allowed them.
Back to Community: $400 million for five community centres in the next capital plan
Kirby-Yung moved a motion directing staff to build the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan around set priorities: $400 million to renew or replace the Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Roundhouse and Kensington community centres, repairs to roads, sidewalks and civic buildings, and planning money for projects such as a Vietnamese Cultural Centre.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of April 22, 2026 show the motion carried with Councillors Bligh, Maloney and Orr abstaining, after a referral to the Park Board and a rewrite by Councillor Maloney were defeated. The direction shapes a draft plan; the final capital plan still needs its own Council vote. The motion gives a dollar figure and a four-year window but no count of homes, users or spaces.
What still needs checking
Whether the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan carries the $400 million, and which centre is rebuilt first.
Traffic safety markings and diesel exhaust fixes at firehalls
Kirby-Yung moved a motion directing staff to work with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services and the firefighters’ union on road markings, lighting and warning signs outside firehalls, to choose pilot firehalls for the 2027 to 2030 capital plan with money set aside, and to look into diesel exhaust leaking inside firehalls.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show it carried unanimously on July 15, 2026, with four members absent. The motion names no dollar figure and no number of firehalls.
What still needs checking
Which firehalls are chosen for the pilot and what amount the capital plan sets aside.
Kirby-Yung moved a motion for one-time grants from the City’s 2026 operating budget to seven festivals facing a shortfall in sponsorship, among them Carnaval del Sol, Light Up Chinatown and Greek Day on Broadway. Her own amendment added $20,000 for the Vancouver Punjabi Mela and $39,000 for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show the amendment and the motion carried unanimously on July 15, 2026. The motion says the grants create no ongoing funding program.
What still needs checking
Whether the grant agreements were signed and the money paid before each festival.
Next steps from the Arts and Culture Sector Working Group
Kirby-Yung moved a motion directing staff to continue the festival support program, cultural space work and cultural land trust work already under way, and to report back on options and costs for cheaper cultural space, capital money for cultural buildings, simpler event licences and permit rules, a staff navigator to help cultural operators with permits, and new revenue sources.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show it carried unanimously on July 15, 2026, with three members absent. It sets no dollar figure and no date for the report back.
What still needs checking
When staff report back and which of the six options Council funds.
BC Sports Hall of Fame exhibit at City Hall during the World Cup
Kirby-Yung moved a motion directing staff to look at hosting a rent-free BC Sports Hall of Fame exhibit in the City Hall foyer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and asking the mayor to seek provincial money for all moving and operating costs.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Council minutes show it carried unanimously on May 19, 2026. No source found by voche.me says whether the exhibit opened.
What still needs checking
Whether the exhibit was installed at City Hall and who paid for it.
Kirby-Yung moved an amendment that replaced Councillor Orr’s 10-part workforce housing motion with two clauses: a staff report on how existing City housing tools and partners can support affordable rentals for healthcare workers and other low and moderate income residents, and a call on the federal and provincial governments to fund more affordable rental housing.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes show the amendment carried unanimously, with Councillor Fry abstaining, on May 20, 2026, and the amended motion then carried unanimously. The amendment removed the original motion’s report-back date of the first quarter of 2027 and sets no number of homes.
What still needs checking
When staff report back and whether any City housing tool changes as a result.
Each entry below names its source. Campaign material is the candidate's own account. Nothing here is presented as a verified outcome unless the entry says so.
Carried unanimously in committee
Pod hotel motion brought to council
Kirby-Yung moved, and Lisa Dominato seconded, a motion asking staff to review building rules so pod hotels could open in existing office space, and to report back. The committee carried it unanimously on May 29, 2024.
Scope, limits and sources
Kirby-Yung told CityNews the downtown office vacancy rate had reached 14 per cent, where it used to be two per cent. The motion itself cites the hotel room shortage and the 2025 Invictus Games and 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kirby-Yung moved a motion asking that the 2027 to 2030 capital plan put renewal of aging facilities and fully funded projects first, and that staff prepare an inventory of community facilities. The committee carried it with Lucy Maloney opposed. Her amendment adding a framework for managing City assets also carried.
Scope, limits and sources
Kirby-Yung said council should not approve a plan of a third of a billion dollars without a clear route to the funding.
Council voted 8 to 2 to keep the five-block Granville Street pedestrian zone between West Georgia and Davie in place through Labour Day, and to look at a seasonal return in November with a Christmas market. Kirby-Yung co-sponsored the motion with Mayor Ken Sim.
Scope, limits and sources
The zone had been set up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and was due to close on July 19. CityNews reported the cost of the pilot as close to 5 million dollars, with businesses split on the result.
During the villages plan meeting Kirby-Yung moved and carried an amendment intended to allow housing with a single stairwell. Kirby-Yung voted with the 10 to 1 majority that rejected the villages plan itself.
Scope, limits and sources
The city's community planning director said the building form would apply mainly in R3 districts, which include parts of the Broadway plan, the Rupert and Renfrew area plan and the Cambie plan.
Council approved two advisory plebiscite questions for the October 17 ballot. Kirby-Yung spoke in support, saying a citywide vote gives a broader measure of opinion than a poll, which can be challenged over who paid for it or how the sample was drawn.
Scope, limits and sources
The added questions were expected to raise the cost of running the election by 4 to 6 per cent, or 380,000 to 560,000 dollars. Lucy Maloney cast the only vote against; Rebecca Bligh, Pete Fry and Sean Orr walked out before the vote.
Carried unanimously in committee; rezoning approved July 28, 2026
Motion for a floating sauna at the Vancouver Maritime Museum
Kirby-Yung gave notice on November 4, 2025 and moved the motion on November 26, 2025 asking staff to find the simplest process for HAVN Saunas to moor a sauna barge at the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s marina. The committee carried it unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
Daily Hive reported that Council approved the rezoning unanimously on July 28, 2026, and that the museum expects $250,000 a year in moorage revenue. The report says HAVN declined a staff request for a voluntary contribution of $300,000 toward growth-related projects.
Kirby-Yung was one of six members who voted against Councillor Bligh’s motion for a FIFA World Cup public safety and local readiness working group. The motion lost 6 to 3. At the same meeting she voted with the opposition to let a motion on U.S. immigration agents at the World Cup go to debate; that vote fell one vote short.
Scope, limits and sources
theBreaker reports Councillor Montague said staff had no room for new work with 108 days left before the first match.
Kirby-Yung gave notice on March 31, 2026 and moved the motion on April 22, 2026. It directs staff to build the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan around $400 million for five community centres, core infrastructure repairs and early planning for future projects.
Scope, limits and sources
Councillor Orr argued the motion was out of order; the chair ruled it in order. A referral to the Park Board and a rewrite by Councillor Maloney were defeated, with Kirby-Yung voting against both. Councillors Bligh, Maloney and Orr abstained on the final vote.
Kirby-Yung moved, and Councillor Klassen seconded, a motion to explore a rent-free BC Sports Hall of Fame exhibit at City Hall during the World Cup, with the Province asked to pay the costs.
Amendment to the healthcare workforce housing motion
Kirby-Yung’s amendment replaced the clauses of Councillor Orr’s workforce housing motion with a staff report back and a call for federal and provincial funding.
Scope, limits and sources
Read in the committee minutes of May 20 and 21, 2026. Councillor Fry abstained on the amendment.
Voted to receive the harassment report on the mayor without sanctions
The Tyee reports that Kirby-Yung was among the ABC councillors who voted for Councillor Montague’s motion to receive an investigator’s report as information and apply no sanctions, after the investigator found Mayor Sim broke the code of conduct twice in his conduct toward Councillor Orr.
Scope, limits and sources
The Tyee also reports that Montague and Kirby-Yung said Orr’s presence in council during the deliberations was inappropriate. Orr, Fry, Bligh and Maloney voted against.
Kirby-Yung moved the motion for one-time grants to seven summer festivals, and her amendment added the Vancouver Punjabi Mela and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Her motion to end debate and call the vote failed to reach the required majority.
Scope, limits and sources
Read in the committee minutes of July 15, 2026. Councillors Bligh, Fry, Maloney and Orr opposed ending the debate.
Kirby-Yung moved, and Councillor Dominato seconded, the motion on the working group’s priority solutions.
Scope, limits and sources
Read in the committee minutes of July 15, 2026. Stir reported on September 23, 2026 that Kirby-Yung helped get a staff proposal to dissolve the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee withdrawn late in 2025.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Interview
CityNews interview on capsule hotels
Kirby-Yung described pod hotels as a lower-cost option with shared amenities and private washroom use, said several floors of empty offices could be converted, and said the city would only need to clear zoning and regulation hurdles.
Kirby-Yung told CBC News that the words used the previous evening were regrettable, apologised, said it was mostly the result of a long and hard day, and said it was something to learn from.
Council remarks on extending the Granville pedestrian zone
Kirby-Yung argued against referring the item to a July 14 meeting, saying that would come only days before the zone was due to end and would remove the chance to extend it, and said the quality of the programming had been one reason the zone worked.
Kirby-Yung said the idea behind the villages plan was good but that the consultation and the execution fell short of the standard residents should expect, and described the volume of opposition as overwhelming. Council heard from more than 200 speakers and received more than 2,800 letters and emails.
Kirby-Yung said much of Maloney's alternative amendment described work the city already does, argued the plebiscite is about a shift toward treatment and recovery rather than crisis management, and said a citywide vote would show the scale of public feeling more clearly than a survey.
Council question on two-way traffic on Beach Avenue
During a staff presentation on capital projects, Kirby-Yung asked about reopening Beach Avenue to two-way car traffic while keeping a bike lane in some form, citing traffic backing up out of Stanley Park. Global News reports she did not respond to an interview request. Vision Zero Vancouver’s 2026 report card lists this as a motion she proposed.
Speaking for Mayor Sim’s motion to fund one fireworks night in summer 2026, Kirby-Yung said she had worked on the Celebration of Light during her tourism career, described its economic effect, and argued a free event supports affordability. Daily Hive reports the motion passed 7 to 3.
Kirby-Yung said she also had a motion she hoped to present, but that no agenda had been published for the July 29 committee meeting and council had to finish its main business first. CBC reports council approved the cancellation on party lines.
Council remarks on the HAVN floating sauna rezoning
Kirby-Yung said the sauna barge would bring money and visitors to the Vancouver Maritime Museum and fits its history, since the barge dates from the Second World War.
Her public Instagram posts of September 22 and 26 describe door-knocking in Yaletown and downtown with ABC council candidates Peter Meiszner and Joyce Gillespie, and ask people to vote ABC for public safety, affordability, the economy and investing in communities. Her October 2 post gives her ballot number, 135, and the advance voting dates.
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.
Official finding
Integrity commissioner found no code of conduct breach in a Chinatown vote
A city employee complained that Kirby-Yung showed bias and favouritism at the June 8, 2022 council meeting on the Chinatown Cultural Heritage Assets Management Plan, because a successful Kirby-Yung amendment added to the consultation list an organisation whose society board is chaired by a close relative. Kirby-Yung did not disclose the connection or step aside from the discussion or the votes.
Candidate or party response
Kirby-Yung denied breaching the code, said the amendment opened further dialogue for a broad group of stakeholders rather than giving any one organisation a benefit, said the subject was never discussed with the relative, and said all contact with the organisation took place on a group call that included its executive director and other community members.
Verified status and limits
Integrity commissioner Lisa Southern ruled on February 17, 2023 that Kirby-Yung had a personal interest beyond that of other residents, but that the amendment produced only more consultation and no benefit, so the interest was not substantial enough to create a conflict of interest. The complaint was dismissed. Southern added that a close family connection to a matter before council is a cause for concern and said the reason for bringing the complaint was understandable.
About nine hours into a 12-hour Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities meeting, Kirby-Yung swore while objecting to how the chair, ABC councillor Mike Klassen, was applying the rules for debating a motion. Councillor Rebecca Bligh called a point of order and said it was inappropriate. Microphones were cut and council took a short recess.
Candidate or party response
Kirby-Yung returned after a dinner break and told CBC News the words were regrettable, apologised, and said it was the result of a long and hard day.
Verified status and limits
No complaint, sanction or integrity commissioner process arising from the incident has been reported.
Integrity commissioner found no breach over a Rolling Stones promotion at City Hall
A resident complained that Mayor Sim and councillors Kirby-Yung, Peter Meiszner and Mike Klassen broke the code of conduct, alleging a conflict of interest and misuse of City property, when the Rolling Stones logo was lit on its front on November 21, 2023 and the four promoted the band’s 2024 concert. Kirby-Yung spoke at a microphone at the event.
Candidate or party response
No reply from Kirby-Yung herself was reported. The mayor’s chief of staff said neither the mayor nor the councillors broke the code of conduct.
Verified status and limits
Integrity commissioner Lisa Southern ruled in a December 15, 2023 report that the display was City business, the promoter paid a $500 licence fee and all costs, and no one breached the code of conduct.
Integrity commissioner found ABC councillors breached the open meeting rule
Councillor Pete Fry complained in August 2024 that the mayor and ABC councillors, Kirby-Yung among them, settled City business in private. Integrity commissioner Lisa Southern found that email threads among ABC councillors and mayor’s office staff in February 2023 and July 2023 drafted amendments later passed in council, which breached the code of conduct. Vancity Lookout reports that Kirby-Yung was among the councillors found in breach on both occasions. Southern dismissed the part of the complaint about the party’s internal voting rules.
Candidate or party response
No reply from Kirby-Yung herself was reported. Mayor Sim said in a statement that caucusing is a normal and accepted practice at every level of Canadian democracy.
Verified status and limits
No sanction was imposed. Under the code of conduct bylaw, Council decides sanctions, and the commissioner said no quorum could be reached because most members were the subject of the finding.
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.
Reporting
theBreaker.news
Incumbent city councillor running for board of exclusive club
Bob Mackin reported that Kirby-Yung, while running for re-election, was also standing for a seat on the Vancouver Club board, and listed existing liaison and board commitments. John Coupar, then the NPA mayoral candidate, was quoted saying councillors must be careful about how they allocate time. The report says Kirby-Yung did not reply to a request for comment.
Feisty, profane 12-hour Vancouver meeting reveals council cracks
Chad Pawson's report on a 12-hour committee meeting, the procedural exchange in which Kirby-Yung swore, the apology that followed, and wider strain inside the ABC caucus.
Vancouver city councillor drove during committee meeting
Bob Mackin reported that Kirby-Yung appeared to be at the wheel of a moving vehicle while speaking by video link to a December 11, 2024 committee meeting, and set out the B.C. distracted driving penalties. The report says Kirby-Yung did not respond to a request for comment. No police action or council finding has been reported.
Vancouver city councillor calls for fewer studies, more realistic and timely shovel-ready projects in next capital plan
A report on the capital plan member motion, with Kirby-Yung quoted saying council should not approve a plan of a third of a billion dollars without a clear route to the funding.
Vancouver council votes 10-1 to reject villages plan
Mike Howell's account of the villages plan vote, including Kirby-Yung's remarks and the single-egress stair amendment, and the unanswered questions about what that amendment changes.
Once again, it looks like ABC Vancouver members won't be attending all-candidates debates
A commentary reporting that ABC members were invited to the Women Transforming Cities council candidates debate but were not scheduled to attend, and that the party took the same approach during the 2025 by-election. The Straight says ABC's executive director did not reply to an email.
Sim’s ABC fined for taking illegal 2022 campaign contributions
Andrew MacLeod reported that Elections BC fined the financial agent for Mayor Sim and ABC Vancouver $11,888 for prohibited 2022 contributions. The report says some donors went over the annual limit when the fundraising accounts that Sim, Bligh, Dominato and Kirby-Yung had each started before joining ABC were merged. The penalty was assessed against the financial agent, and Elections BC called the errors honest mistakes.
A road safety advocacy group’s grades for each councillor. It credits Kirby-Yung with leading the 2024 Water Street pedestrian zone, the e-scooter pilot and support for bus lanes, and faults her for voting to scale back Water Street in 2025, for the Beach Avenue two-way traffic proposal, and for driving during council meetings.
Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 takeaways from the City of Vancouver candidates forum on arts, culture, and heritage
A report on the September 22 arts forum, which no ABC candidate attended. It says Kirby-Yung helped get a 2025 staff proposal to dissolve the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee withdrawn.
Sources checked October 3, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
No forum or debate listing between October 3 and October 17, 2026 names Kirby-Yung as attending. The Georgia Straight reported on August 13, 2026, and Stir on September 23, 2026, that ABC candidates are skipping most all-candidates meetings. The park board chair years, the MBA, the earlier employers and the TransLink, Vancouver Art Gallery, Union of BC Municipalities and Pacific National Exhibition board roles come only from the ABC page; her VoteMate profile repeats the same facts and was written by the same campaign. Council minutes were read through Internet Archive copies; the minutes of the July 2026 council meetings, including the July 28 villages plan vote and her single-egress stair amendment, were not in the archive, so those two entries still rest on news reporting. No report back has been found on the 2024 pod hotel motion or on the facilities inventory from the 2025 capital plan motion. A second 2023 integrity commissioner ruling on a complaint about councillors with police connections did not name the members involved, so it is not recorded here. No candidate answers from HUB Cycling, the Vancouver Food Justice Coalition or other questionnaires were found for her. Her Facebook and X accounts returned no readable text without signing in. Her LinkedIn page, linked from the City list, was not opened.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on October 3, 2026: the City’s candidate list, Council and committee minutes from May 2024 to July 2026, news reporting, the ABC Vancouver candidate page and releases, the VoteMate profile and her public Instagram posts.
Council minutes were read as copies held by the Internet Archive, because the City’s site blocks automated requests. Each motion or vote below names the minutes it comes from.
Checks still to do: the minutes of the July 2026 council meetings, including the villages plan vote, and the outcome of a second 2023 integrity commissioner ruling.
The ballot name, office, ballot number and party label come from the City’s final candidate list. Everything described as campaign material is the campaign’s own account and has not been confirmed by an independent source.
03 / Background
Experience & community
Current term
Vancouver city councillor
The official roster lists Sarah Kirby-Yung in this office during the term that ends with the 2026 election. Motions she moved and votes recorded under her name in the Council minutes read on October 3, 2026 are listed in the record below.
Described this way on the ABC page. The 2018 election record marks Kirby-Yung as holding another elected office before that council run, without naming it.
Marketing and communications, tourism and hospitality
The ABC page names senior roles at Destination Vancouver, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and Coast Hotels, and says Kirby-Yung worked on strategy for the referendum campaign that helped bring the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to Vancouver.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
How would you measure whether public-space and tourism projects benefit residents across the city?
No response has been submitted.
Which of your proposals can council enact directly, and which require provincial, federal or regional agreement?
No response has been submitted.
Have your own question?
Ask Sarah Kirby-Yung 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 Sarah Kirby-Yung's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Sarah Kirby-Yung?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Sarah Kirby-Yung's own campaign.
What is Sarah Kirby-Yung's ballot number for the 2026 Vancouver election?
Sarah Kirby-Yung is number 135 on the City of Vancouver's official 2026 ballot for City Council.
What party did Sarah Kirby-Yung run with?
Sarah Kirby-Yung ran for City Council with ABC Vancouver.
Does Sarah Kirby-Yung currently hold public office?
Yes. Sarah Kirby-Yung currently serves as Vancouver city councillor.
How many sources does this Sarah Kirby-Yung profile cite?
This profile lists 4 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Has Sarah Kirby-Yung filed nomination papers for the 2026 election?
voche.me has not yet added a nomination record for Sarah Kirby-Yung. This does not mean no nomination paper was filed, only that voche.me has not completed that research yet.
Why do some questions on Sarah Kirby-Yung's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Sarah Kirby-Yung 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 Sarah Kirby-Yung ran in?
The 2026 Vancouver municipal election, including the City Council race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
Council minutes added for motions and votes
Minutes of Council and committee meetings, read as Internet Archive copies, now back the entries on her motions: pod hotels (2024), the capital plan (2025), the HAVN floating sauna (2025), the Back to Community capital plan priorities with $400 million for five community centres (2026), the BC Sports Hall of Fame exhibit, firehall safety, summer festival grants, the arts working group, and her amendment to the healthcare workforce housing motion. Her votes on the FIFA working group and on sanctions for the mayor are added.
Two motion outcomes and dates corrected
The pod hotel and capital plan entries said no outcome was found and carried the date of the news report. The minutes show the committee carried the pod hotel motion unanimously on May 29, 2024 and the capital plan motion on September 17, 2025, so both now carry the meeting date and the result. The Deputy Mayor entry now cites the City’s October 27, 2025 release instead of the party page. The pod hotel entries no longer give a shortage of 10,000 hotel rooms, a figure that does not appear in the archived CityNews text; they now cite the shortage and the events the motion itself names.
Integrity rulings, talks, coverage and a forum added
Added the 2023 integrity commissioner ruling that found no breach over the Rolling Stones promotion and the 2025 ruling that found ABC councillors, Kirby-Yung among them, breached the open meeting rule. Added her remarks on Beach Avenue, the fireworks show, the July 29 meeting and the HAVN rezoning, her Instagram campaign posts, five news and report card items, and the October 13 food systems town hall as an unconfirmed event. No calendar event dated before October 3 had to be removed.
