Tracked since October 18, 2026. Every change of status links to the vote, motion or report behind it.
No action yetReversing the pause on supportive housingHousing · Own promise
Orr told The Tyee in April 2025 that he thought he could reverse council’s pause on new supportive housing, because it takes one more councillor beyond the four in opposition. His March 2026 report calls the pause cruel and wrongheaded and backs Councillor Rebecca Bligh’s motion for a full repeal.
“Councillor Bligh is bringing back a full repeal of the cruel and wrongheaded pause on supportive housing, so stay tuned to sign up for that one.”
No action yetRezonings that change social housing to market housingHousing · Own promise
In his April 2026 report Orr says a change from social housing to 100% market housing should trigger an amendment to the City’s citywide planning document (the Official Development Plan) and so a public hearing, and that he will look at this as a change to that plan.
“I’m certainly going to look into both of these as possible amendments to the ODP.”
No action yetPublic comments on council agendasGovernance · Own promise
In his April 2026 report Orr says Councillor Pete Fry noted that staff now interpret the general tone of public comments without posting them on the agenda, and that Orr will look at changes to the City’s citywide planning document (the Official Development Plan).
“I’m certainly going to look into both of these as possible amendments to the ODP.”
On 5 August 2026 COPE announced a People’s Audit with mayoral candidate Stephanie Allen, and Orr said it will work with workers, city partners and the public to find where Vancouver is not working for people.
“The People’s Audit will work with workers, city partners, and the public to identify where and why Vancouver isn’t working for people, and fix so we can deliver better services and cut waste.”
No action yetRules for AI use at City HallGovernance · Own promise
On 10 September 2026 Orr announced COPE’s proposal for an Acceptable Use for AI Policy covering elected officials, staff and city employees. COPE’s July 2026 release lists an Orr motion on accountable use of artificial intelligence.
“We need to prevent sensitive city information, especially information about residents, from being fed into unapproved AI systems, require privacy safeguards and disclosure of significant AI use, and establish consequences for elected officials who break these rules”
No action yetOur City Hall pledge: public transportation and mobilityPledge to another group · Own promise
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is public transportation and mobility.
“I am committed to these policy asks and have been working to advance many of them already in my short term on council.”
No action yet30 km/h local streets near schools (HUB Cycling survey)Transportation · Own promise
HUB Cycling asked candidates to support 30 km/h speeds on local streets, with traffic calming for young people travelling to and from school. Orr answered yes and wrote that he was proud to have already voted for this.
No action yetStreet safety money where injury risk is highest (HUB Cycling survey)Transportation · Own promise
HUB Cycling asked candidates to direct speed cuts and quick safety upgrades to underserved neighbourhoods first. Orr answered yes and wrote that he voted for the Vision Zero plan 2026, which he says uses collision and injury data to put safety money where the risks are greatest.
“Yes, again, proud to have voted in favour of the Vision Zero plan 2026 which embeds an equity lens by recognizing that traffic deaths and serious injuries are not experienced equally across the city.”
No action yetPenalties for spaces left empty (arts forum)Public services · Own promise
At the arts, culture and heritage forum on 22 September 2026, Orr spoke about the loss of jam spaces and do-it-yourself music spaces. Stir reports that he called for penalties for spaces left empty for long periods.
“He called for penalties for spaces that have been left empty for extended periods.”
No action yetCommitment to Battered Women's Support Services' five actionsPublic safety · Own promise
Battered Women's Support Services asked municipal candidates to commit to five actions on intimate partner violence: a task force, more money for local victim services, better local data, prevention education and a dedicated City lead. The Tyee reports that the group's executive director named Orr as a Vancouver candidate who had officially committed, and that COPE confirmed the commitment.
“MacDougall pointed to the Coalition of Progressive Electors’ or COPE’s Sean Orr, the Green Party’s Pete Fry and the Vancouver Liberals’ Kareem Allam as Vancouver candidates who had officially committed to Battered Women’s Support Services’ actions.”
No action yetCOPE 2026 platform: bring back the Renters Office with enforcement powersHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring back the Renters Office with powers to track landlords and rents, help tenants bargain together and act on displacement.
No action yetCOPE 2026 platform: a binding tenant rights bylawHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform release says COPE will establish a binding tenants rights bylaw and build on the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy to protect tenants from displacement.
No action yetCOPE 2026 platform: a Climate Defence StrategyClimate · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform release says COPE will create a Climate Defence Strategy to upgrade infrastructure, help communities prepare for climate events and start tool libraries.
No action yetGive renters moved out by hotel projects the right to returnHousing · Own promise
In his May 2026 report Orr wrote that renters displaced by a hotel project in Mount Pleasant do not get the right to return that other Broadway Plan projects give, because the project is a hotel, and that he intends to fix this gap. His June 2026 report says his motion to add these renters to the review of the City’s tenant relocation policy was referred back to staff.
No action yetMaximum indoor temperatures for rentersClimate · Own promise
On 3 June 2026, after council passed the report that fines landlords who stop tenants from using portable cooling devices, Orr posted on Bluesky that maximum indoor temperatures come next.
No action yetConnect local bike routes to regional routes (HUB Cycling survey)Active transport · Own promise
HUB Cycling asked candidates to speed up local links to regional walking and cycling routes, closing gaps in the city network with routes separated from traffic. Orr answered yes.
No action yetPermanent City funding for community food programs (food coalition pledge)Food security · Own promise
The Vancouver Food Justice Coalition asked candidates to commit, before the vote, to fund community food systems adequately and permanently, at $7 per household a year by the coalition’s estimate. The coalition lists Orr among the COPE candidates who made a full commitment to its platform.
No action yetBuild community food spaces where food is hard to get (food coalition pledge)Food security · Own promise
The Vancouver Food Justice Coalition asked candidates to commit to building community food infrastructure and filling gaps in access to food. The coalition lists Orr among the COPE candidates who made a full commitment to its platform.
No action yetProtect and add affordable independent food shops and markets (food coalition pledge)Food security · Own promise
The Vancouver Food Justice Coalition asked candidates to commit to protecting and expanding affordable, independent and culturally relevant food shops and markets. The coalition lists Orr among the COPE candidates who made a full commitment to its platform.
No action yetMake food recovery a permanent City service (food coalition pledge)Food security · Own promise
The Vancouver Food Justice Coalition asked candidates to commit to making the recovery of surplus food permanent civic infrastructure. The coalition lists Orr among the COPE candidates who made a full commitment to its platform.
No action yetTenants, then the City, get the first chance to buy apartments for saleHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will create a right-of-first-refusal policy that gives tenants, and then the City, first priority to buy apartment buildings that go up for sale, to turn them into affordable housing.
No action yetA fund to help co-ops, land trusts and non-profits buy rental buildingsHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will create a Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition Fund to help land trusts, co-ops and non-profits buy rental housing and prevent people being pushed out.
No action yetDevelopers pay the full cost of moving tenantsHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says developers would bear the full cost of tenant relocation, and that redevelopment would be planned so renters get a home of the same size, with the same accessibility, in their own neighbourhood.
No action yetCity staff to support tenants during redevelopmentHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will appoint public workers to support tenants during redevelopment, paid for by a fee on developers, in place of relocation coordinators hired by developers.
No action yetCharge developers the full fees for lost rooms in old hotelsHousing · Party platform
Single room accommodation (SRA) rooms are the small rooms in older hotels and rooming houses, and the City charges a fee when one is converted. The COPE 2026 platform says these fees must cover the cost of replacement homes, and that the City will end fee waivers for developers.
No action yetSecure 20,000 or more affordable homesHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will negotiate, build and secure more than 20,000 affordable homes in Vancouver, including Indigenous, public, co-op, non-profit, supportive, shelter-rate and modular housing.
No action yetA penalty on land left empty for profitHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will place a penalty on land banking for profit, meaning land held empty while its value rises, so that empty lots are used for housing, services and shops.
No action yetA tax on mansions to pay for housingTaxes and budget · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will tax mansions to end homelessness, and will use every option the City has, and pressure other governments, to tax wealth through measures like a mansion tax.
No action yetThe City repairs neglected rentals and bills the landlordHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says landlords must keep rental homes in good condition, including temperature control and safety from black mould and pests, or the City will do the repairs and bill them. The platform release says COPE will use the Standards of Maintenance bylaw to keep rental homes safe.
No action yetFamily-sized affordable homesHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says that in public housing, and in negotiations with private developers, the City must secure homes that are big enough, and affordable enough, for families.
No action yetBring back the social housing initiativeHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will speed up affordable and social housing by bringing back the City’s social housing initiative and working with non-profits and other governments to restart stalled projects.
No action yetRestore the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District zoningHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will restore the zoning rules of the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District and end what it calls the developer windfall for condos in the Downtown Eastside.
No action yetEmergency shelters, tiny home villages, day spaces and storageHomelessness · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will use every City power to respond to homelessness, with emergency shelters, support programs, meal programs, tiny house villages, daytime respite spaces and storage for unhoused people’s belongings.
No action yetStop street sweeps of unhoused peopleHomelessness · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will stop street sweeps, in which people without homes lose their belongings and identity documents during enforcement.
No action yetFollow the national protocol on homeless encampmentsHomelessness · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says the City will follow the eight principles of the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada, to protect the human rights of people living in encampments.
No action yetBan hostile architecture in public spacesHomelessness · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will ban hostile architecture, meaning design that stops people resting or sheltering, in public spaces such as transit hubs and community centres.
No action yetAn emergency budget to reverse the last council’s changesTaxes and budget · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring in an emergency transitional budget and act right away to reverse changes made at the City by Ken Sim and ABC.
No action yetBring back the City’s cut climate programsClimate · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring back the climate programs that were cut, including the sustainability department, the 2026 to 2030 climate plan that was put on hold, and climate safety programs.
No action yetAn Affordability Audit with new cost-of-living targetsAffordable to live in Vancouver · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will appoint a team to deliver an Affordability Audit that shows where living costs are rising and where the City can lower them, and sets new targets for a more affordable city.
No action yetReview City AI data use and check for leaks of private dataGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will review the City’s rules on AI and data, and investigate whether senior staff or elected officials gave private City information to American tech companies through AI tools.
No action yetCarry out the Auditor General’s 10 recommendations on land salesGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will implement the 10 recommendations of the Auditor General’s 2026 Land Sales Audit, which it says found more than $60 million in lost revenue.
No action yetA stronger Integrity Commissioner and code of conductGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will give the Integrity Commissioner the power to hold politicians accountable, and update the City’s code of conduct to put breaches of public trust first.
No action yetA ranked ballot for mayor from 2030Governance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fight for a ranked ballot for mayor starting in 2030 and push the Province to give cities full control over their own electoral systems.
No action yetDemocracy Dollars for local election donationsGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will set up a Democracy Dollars program, based on one in Seattle, under which residents can ask for a $25 voucher of public money to donate to local parties or candidates.
No action yetEnd votes for non-resident owners and widen the right to voteGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will end voting by property owners who do not live in Vancouver, and work to give the vote to permanent residents and everyone aged 16 or older.
No action yetMore voting places and mobile votingGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will make voting easier with enough voting places, mobile voting stations and accessible options for seniors and people with disabilities.
No action yetCitizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting and referendumsGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says the City should use advisory committees, public hearings, citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting and referendums to engage with the public and answer to it.
No action yetLibraries open 7 days a week with full staffingPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will expand library hours to 7 days a week and give libraries the support they ask for, including mental health workers. The platform release says COPE will fully fund libraries so they can open 7 days a week with full staffing and programs.
No action yetFully funded library programs for newcomers, seniors, families and teensPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fully fund library programs for newcomers, seniors, families and teens, including digital skills, help with tax filing and English classes.
No action yetFaster upgrades to neglected community centresRecreation facilities · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will speed up needed upgrades to parks, recreation facilities and community centres, starting with community centres that have been under-maintained.
No action yetFree public Wi-Fi across the cityPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will expand VanWifi, the City’s free public internet service, across the city, starting with areas that have less access now.
No action yetOppose privatization and bring contracted work back to City staffPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will oppose privatization and public-private partnerships, and work to bring City contractors in as unionized City employees.
No action yetA rule that big grocers and chain restaurants give away edible foodFood security · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring in an edible food recovery law for big box stores and chain restaurants, so food that can still be eaten goes to people.
No action yetCity bulk buying from local farmersFood security · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says the City will use its buying power to buy in bulk from local farmers and sell the food at a discount to community grocers, non-profits, public grocers and school meal programs.
No action yetA mix of shop sizes and more affordable storefrontsSmall business · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will require a mix of shop sizes in new buildings, limit oversized shop spaces on key streets, and use zoning, incentives and City land to create more affordable storefronts.
No action yetSimpler business licences, including shared spaceSmall business · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support business licence changes that make it easier for start-ups to open, including letting businesses with different licences share a space.
No action yetBring back the Community Benefits Agreement policyEconomy · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will reinstate the Community Benefits Agreement policy so developers create local jobs and give back to the communities they profit from.
No action yetOppose AI data centres and set rules for themEconomy · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will oppose AI data centres in Vancouver and fight for rules that hold any data centre accountable for water use, energy, noise and public health before a project goes ahead. COPE’s petition asks for a pause on AI data centres until those rules exist.
No action yetGet back on track for the six climate targetsClimate · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will get Vancouver back on track to meet its six climate action targets: walkable neighbourhoods, active transportation and transit, zero-emission vehicles, zero-emission space and water heating, low carbon construction, and restored coasts and forests.
No action yetLocal wind, water and solar energyClimate · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will encourage wind, water and solar energy production across the city and coordinate energy upgrades at the neighbourhood scale.
No action yetMore bike share and scooters under public ownershipActive transport · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will expand bike share, scooters and other small vehicles and bring them under public community control and ownership.
No action yetAt least 2,200 new public child care spaces by 2030Childcare · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will negotiate with developers, provide public land and seek money from other governments to secure at least 2,200 new public child care spaces by 2030.
No action yetSuicide prevention barriers on bridgesPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support infrastructure that reduces the risk of suicide, like barriers on bridges and other high-risk places, and programs to support people in crisis.
No action yetMove mental health calls from police to peer care teamsPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will remove mental health calls from police priorities and fund community programs for mental health crises, such as peer-assisted care teams.
No action yetCommunity safety captains at protests and eventsPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will set up community safety programs with public safety captains at protests and community events, in place of police overtime.
No action yetDemocratic oversight and an audit of the Vancouver PolicePublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will challenge the legal structures that tie the City to an unelected police board, and push for democratic community oversight and an audit of the Vancouver Police Department.
No action yetAn arts spaces strategy that uses City landCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will create a Vancouver Arts and Cultural Spaces Strategy that uses City-owned land for galleries, venues, theatres and rehearsal spaces, and encourages arts use of empty commercial spaces.
No action yetHigher arts grants tied to inflationCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will raise operating grants for the arts and then tie them to inflation, and explore an arts endowment or a dedicated tax for arts funding.
No action yetBandstands, street performers and free festivalsCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring art and music into public spaces with more covered bandstands, support for street performers and support for free and low-cost festivals.
No action yetFree museum and theatre access through the library or Leisure Access PassCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support museums, galleries and civic theatres and offer free entry through the Public Library or the Leisure Access Pass.
No action yetRename Dunsmuir Street and review City place namesCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will rename Dunsmuir Street to Ginger Goodwin Street and review the City’s street names, statues and plazas for names that go against Vancouver’s values.
No action yetSupport Indigenous land trusts and work with host nationsReconciliation · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support the development of Indigenous land trusts, address anti-Indigenous racism in institutions, and work with host nations and urban Indigenous groups so their voices are heard at City Hall.
No action yetSign the Apartheid-Free Communities pledgeEquity · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will make Vancouver an Apartheid-Free Community and join Burnaby in signing the Apartheid-Free Communities pledge. COPE’s release of 22 September 2026 repeats the commitment and quotes Orr.
No action yetReview City contracts linked to apartheid and genocideEquity · Party platform
COPE’s release of 22 September 2026 says COPE will fight for Vancouver to take all actions to withdraw from any municipal contracts that, in COPE’s words, support or empower apartheid and genocide.
No action yetRecognize a framework on anti-Palestinian racismEquity · Party platform
COPE’s release of 22 September 2026 says COPE will fight for Vancouver to recognize the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association framework of anti-Palestinian racism.
No action yetClose the vacancy loophole so rent limits apply between tenantsHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fight to close the vacancy loophole, so that rent controls also apply when one tenant leaves and the next one moves in.
No action yetMore community gardens, seed sharing and community kitchensFood security · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will expand community gardens, seed sharing and food storage, set up community kitchens, and link the City’s community gardens so more people have space to grow food.
No action yetGive pools, recreation centres and public services the money they needPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will give pools, recreation facilities and public services the funding they need, and sets this against a police budget that, it says, grew by more than $100 million under the last council.
No action yetPush to reverse TransLink cuts and restore bus frequencyTransit · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fight to reverse cuts to TransLink and restore how often buses run, starting with working-class neighbourhoods whose service was cut after COVID.
No action yetEnd the pause on new supportive housingHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will end the freeze on new supportive housing set by the last council, and work with non-profits and other governments to speed up stalled affordable housing projects.
No action yetRestore the sex worker safety planning job at the CityPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will restore the sex worker safety planning position that the last council cut, and support front-line services that protect people from violence and exploitation.
No action yetStop the crackdown on small artist-run venuesCulture · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will end the crackdown on do-it-yourself arts venues, and support independent, artist-run nightlife as part of the city’s culture.
No action yetA People’s Audit of the last council’s decisionsGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will run a People’s Audit: a review led by City workers that interviews current and past staff, City partners and the public, reports on what happened under the last council, and improves services and cuts waste.
No action yetRules on AI use for City managers, staff and elected officialsGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will set AI rules for City managers, staff and elected officials, so that public data and data about residents is never used to train AI systems owned by what it calls tech billionaires, and so that City partnerships protect personal data.
No action yetAct on the five calls to cities from Battered Women’s Support ServicesPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will carry out the five calls to action for cities from Battered Women’s Support Services, including a task force on intimate partner violence, support for victim services and transition houses, and better local data.
No action yetA tax on empty commercial and industrial spaceTaxes and budget · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will put a tax on empty industrial and commercial spaces, with a program that encourages using empty spaces for performance and art.
No action yetNon-profit land offered to non-market buyers before any private saleHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will protect land held by non-profit community groups from sale to speculators. It says faith-based groups, charities and other non-profits should be required to offer their land first to another non-market buyer before selling it to a private one.
No action yetSupport community-led land trustsHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support the development of community-led land trusts, to protect land from speculative development and create permanently affordable housing for public benefit.
No action yetPlan growth on single-family lots, parking lots and storefrontsHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will plan the city to grow where there are single-family homes, parking lots and storefronts, and to stop tearing down affordable apartments.
No action yetRetrofit existing affordable housing for earthquakes and climateHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will retrofit existing affordable housing for earthquake safety and climate preparedness, and work to transfer its ownership to tenants, non-profits or the City.
No action yetTemporary homes on City land for tenants during redevelopmentHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will use City-owned land for swing-site housing, meaning homes where tenants live while their own building is redeveloped. It says these homes can later become co-op or public housing.
No action yetBan rent fixing between landlords, including by softwareHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will ban rent-price collusion by any means, including pricing software, landlords working together, or third parties acting between them.
No action yetProtect tenant unions and require landlords to bargainHousing · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will protect the right of tenants to organize into unions, and require landlords to bargain with tenants in good faith.
No action yetTax land value and take rezoning gains for public useTaxes and budget · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will support taxation on land value, and capture the gains landowners make when land is rezoned, to use for public benefit.
No action yetA partnership of Metro Vancouver cities on homelessnessHomelessness · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will start a partnership between cities in the Greater Vancouver area to address and prevent homelessness permanently, and use it to press the provincial and federal governments for the money to end homelessness.
No action yetMore public pools, including a new 50 metre poolRecreation facilities · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will build more public pools across the city, and respect the 2022 plebiscite by building a new 50 metre pool in Vancouver.
No action yetPush for fairer commercial leases for small businessesSmall business · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will push for changes to commercial tenancy agreements, with standard leases and negotiation rules, clear landlord responsibilities, and limits on rent increases that would force small and local businesses to close.
No action yetOne Compass Card for transit, bike share and scootersTransit · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will push to join the Compass Card system with bike share, scooters and other small shared vehicles, as a step toward one public transit system.
No action yetBring HandyDART under public controlTransit · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will continue to push for HandyDART, the door-to-door transit service for people with disabilities, to be brought under public control, to improve its service.
No action yetCycling and walking links to every community centreActive transport · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will connect walking and cycling routes, and small shared vehicles such as scooters, to all community centres and public recreation facilities.
No action yetCity land for children's programsChildcare · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will use City-owned land to deliver City-owned spaces for children's services and programs, including theatre, science and technology, sports and recreation, education and music.
No action yetSafe work, and a safe way out, for sex workersPublic safety · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will expand support for the safety of people working in the sex trade, and create policy so that sex workers can work in safe places and have the right to leave the industry safely.
No action yetAct on ultra-bright headlightsTransportation · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform lists tackling ultra-bright headlights, which it says increase the risk on roads, among the steps COPE will take to reduce pedestrian deaths.
No action yetCampaign finance reform for local electionsGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fight for campaign finance reform to close what it calls the loopholes the super-rich use to buy politicians and elections. It names tax rebates for donations in municipal elections and stronger rules for third party advertisers.
No action yetProportional representation and wards for VancouverGovernance · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will fight for an electoral system with proportional representation, ranked ballots and wards. It says COPE members have endorsed the system used in Portland, Oregon, with several members elected from each ward.
No action yetMore accessible public washrooms open 24 hours a dayPublic services · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will increase the number of accessible public washrooms open 24 hours a day, with permanent buildings and sanitation stations across the city.
No action yetProtect affordable community grocersFood security · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will protect affordable community grocers from rent increases, the sale of their buildings and rising prices, and invest in the local shops that neighbourhoods depend on.
No action yetPublic food distribution networks in public spaces and community kitchensFood security · Party platform
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will partner with community groups to fund and create public food distribution networks that use publicly owned spaces and community kitchens.
This record covers Sean Orr’s writing and music career, the April 2025 by-election win, the first term on Vancouver city council for COPE, the motions and votes in the council minutes and in independent reports, his defamation claim against the mayor, the code of conduct finding on the mayor’s conduct toward him, and the public criticism of past social media posts. Sources are dated up to October 3, 2026.
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
“give tenants the right to buy their rental buildings to convert into co-ops”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on housing: 7 commitments, at least one 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.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on homelessness and drugs: 3 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.
“At the following Standing Committee meeting I had a motion with councillor Bligh to create a FIFA working group to address gendered violence, sex work, street sweeps, and way finding for visitors to navigate our toxic drug supply.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on public safety: 3 commitments, none 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.
COPE’s platform on transport: 3 commitments, at least one 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.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on taxes and budget: 4 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.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on climate: 6 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
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.
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.
“new developments proposing privately operated childcare spaces are required to secure the use of those spaces as childcare in perpetuity or for the life of the building”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
COPE’s platform on child care: 1 commitment, 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.
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 Sean Orr
Sean Orr appears on the City of Vancouver's final 2026 candidate list for City Council, with ballot number 111. The City records the affiliation as COPE.
The official roster for the current term lists Sean Orr as a Vancouver city councillor. That is a separate office from the one on this 2026 ballot entry.
The party page says Orr was elected to City Council in 2025. The party page says Orr worked as a dishwasher before being elected to council. The party page says Orr moved more than 30 motions in one year on council.
Orr appears on the 2026 Vancouver ballot as candidate number 111 for city council, running with COPE.
Wikipedia's article says Orr was born in 1978 in Surrey, British Columbia, to Northern Irish immigrant parents and was raised in Metro Vancouver.
Orr studied geography at the University of British Columbia and left in the third year, then completed a Bachelor of Arts in geography and political science at Simon Fraser University in 2025.
Orr has written for Scout Magazine since 2011, in a column called Tea and Two Slices that carries left-wing political commentary. Earlier writing appeared in the Beyond Robson Morning Brew column in the mid-2000s.
Orr self-published a photography book about urban Vancouver called Pretty Drifted in 2009, and has been the vocalist in the hardcore punk band NEEDS since 2012.
COPE's page says Orr worked as a dishwasher before the 2025 election.
Orr won the April 5, 2025 Vancouver city council by-election with 34,448 votes, 50.69 percent, and took office on April 15, 2025. Lucy Maloney of OneCity took the other seat with 33,732 votes.
Orr ran twice before without winning: for Vancouver council in 2022 with VOTE Socialist, taking 13,744 votes or 8.01 percent, and for the Green Party of British Columbia in Surrey-Tynehead in the 2005 provincial election, taking 1,095 votes or 4.67 percent.
voche.me assembled this profile from the official candidate list 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.
69 commitments shown · Checked Oct 3
2026 · Public servicesNot established
Libraries open seven days a week
The COPE council page and Orr’s VoteMate profile say Orr moved to open libraries 7 days a week.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The same text is on COPE’s page and on the VoteMate profile, which the candidate or campaign submitted. It gives no date for the motion and no cost. No council record of the motion or its result was opened, because the City’s council documents could not be read by voche.me on 2026-09-25.
What still needs checking
Whether the motion passed, and what seven-day opening would cost the library board.
The COPE council page says Orr moved to give tenants the right to buy their rental buildings and turn them into co-operatives. Daily Hive reported on 21 November 2025 that his motion would have City staff bring back recommendations that include a tenant right of first refusal, so that renters can buy their building and convert it into a co-operative.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The motion claim is on COPE’s own page. The description of the motion comes from Daily Hive’s report. A tenant right of first refusal may need provincial law, which the sources do not address. The report gives no cost, number of buildings or date, and voche.me did not find the result of the vote.
What still needs checking
Whether the motion was voted on, how each councillor voted, and whether the City has the power to create this right without provincial law.
The COPE council page says Orr moved to increase the empty homes tax. Daily Hive reported on 13 September 2025 that his motion would raise the tax from three per cent to five per cent in 2026 and apply a new one per cent tax to vacant new inventory.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The claim is on COPE’s own page. The rates come from Daily Hive’s report of the motion, which adds that City staff have advised against changing the rate. The committee minutes of 17 September 2025 show the motion, moved by Orr and seconded by Councillor Maloney, lost with seven members opposed. The report gives no revenue figure.
What still needs checking
Whether Orr brings the rate change back after the election; COPE’s 2026 platform proposes a higher rate.
The COPE council page says Orr moved to create a free transit pilot.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The claim is on COPE’s own page. Transit in Metro Vancouver is run by TransLink, a regional body separate from the city, and the page does not say how a city pilot would work. It gives no cost, number of routes or date.
What still needs checking
Who would pay for a free transit pilot and which routes it would cover.
The COPE council page says Orr moved to protect low-income modular housing. In a February 2025 interview Orr said he would like to renew the leases on temporary modular housing that has closed or is scheduled to close.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The motion claim is on COPE’s own page. The lease position comes from an interview during the 2025 by-election campaign. No council record was opened.
What still needs checking
How many modular housing leases expire in the next council term and what renewal would cost.
Orr told The Tyee in April 2025 that the Renter Office, which Ken Sim ended, is something council could bring back. He said Lucy Maloney of OneCity planned to move it as her first order of business and that he would second the motion.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This comes from an interview Orr gave days after taking office. No 2026 page from his campaign repeats it. No council decision restoring the office was found in a record that was opened.
What still needs checking
Whether a motion to restore the Renter Office was brought forward and how council voted.
Orr told The Tyee in April 2025 that he thought he could reverse council’s pause on new supportive housing, because it takes one more councillor beyond the four in opposition. His March 2026 report calls the pause cruel and wrongheaded and backs Councillor Rebecca Bligh’s motion for a full repeal.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The 2025 statement is from an interview and the 2026 statement is from Orr’s own report on COPE’s site. The Tyee reported on 2 April 2026 that Bligh’s motion did not pass, with four ABC councillors and Mayor Ken Sim voting against it, so the pause stays in place. No cost, number of homes or date for a new vote is given.
What still needs checking
Whether a new motion to end the pause is brought back after the October 2026 election.
Orr authored a motion for better speed data collection, seeking detailed speed information from every fatal crash.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Vision Zero Vancouver’s review of 2025 names Orr as the author and records the motion as passed. Its May 2026 page says that in December council directed staff to include the motion in its work. The council minutes were not opened. No 2026 page from Orr’s campaign repeats the motion.
What still needs checking
Whether the city now collects and publishes crash speed data.
Orr co-sponsored a Committing to UBCx motion with Councillor Lucy Maloney, heard on 8 October 2025.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Vision Zero Vancouver’s review of 2025 records the motion as passed and notes the decision on the SkyTrain extension to UBC is in the hands of the provincial and federal governments. CityHallWatch reported before the meeting that Orr and Maloney submitted the motion. The council minutes were not opened.
What still needs checking
What the motion commits the city to fund or deliver.
The COPE council page says Orr led the opposition to the mayor’s budget, which the page calls an austerity budget (a budget of spending cuts). The Tyee reported on 26 November 2025 that Orr voted against the 2026 budget and that ABC councillors defeated his amendment to redo the public budget survey and give a breakdown of each budget line.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The claim of leading the opposition is on COPE’s own page. The vote and the amendment are in The Tyee’s report. Vision Zero Vancouver’s review of 2025 also records that Orr and three other councillors put forward amendments to restore services and that they failed. The council minutes were not opened.
What still needs checking
The council minutes for the budget vote on 25 November 2025.
The COPE council page says Orr moved to fight ultra-bright headlights. CBC reported on 27 January 2026 that council unanimously passed his motion asking the federal government to act, and that the mayor will write to Transport Canada.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Rules for vehicle headlights are federal, so the motion asks another government to act and gives no City measure, number or cost. Council minutes were not opened.
What still needs checking
Whether Transport Canada changes the standard for headlights.
Orr says he moved a motion with Councillor Rebecca Bligh to create a FIFA working group on gendered violence, sex work, street sweeps and finding the way for visitors. theBreaker reports that Bligh and Orr proposed the FIFA Public Safety and Local Readiness Working Group on 25 February 2026 and that it was rejected 6 to 3.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s report and theBreaker agree on who moved the motion, its subject and the result. The committee minutes of 25 February 2026 show Councillor Bligh moved it and Orr seconded it, and that it lost with six members opposed. The sources give no cost, number of members or date for the group.
On 28 April 2026 Orr posted on Bluesky a list of aims that includes reinstating the sex worker social planning position at the City.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The post is a list with no cost, date or motion number. Orr’s June report says a related motion by Councillor Pete Fry was changed in debate. Whether the position was restored was not found.
What still needs checking
Whether the position is restored in the 2027 budget.
Orr moved a motion to recommit Vancouver to $10-a-day child care, before council on 25 February 2026. His March 2026 report says the motion was changed in debate and that his wording was removed under which new developments with privately operated child care spaces must keep those spaces as child care for the life of the building.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of 25 February 2026 show that Orr moved the motion and Councillor Bligh seconded it. An amendment by Councillor Klassen replaced its clauses with a call on the Province to resume the $10-a-day expansion and a letter from the Mayor. The amendment carried with Councillors Bligh and Maloney opposed, and the changed motion carried unanimously. The motion gave no cost or number of spaces.
What still needs checking
The final wording and vote in the council minutes of 25 February 2026.
Orr says he and Councillor Lucy Maloney moved a motion to expand bikeshare and look at joining it to the transit system, and that ABC councillors changed it to a motion that asks other bodies to act.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of 11 March 2026 show Councillor Maloney moved the motion and Orr seconded it. It asked staff for a Bike Share Growth Strategy by the first quarter of 2027. An amendment by Councillor Klassen replaced it with a letter asking TransLink to explore a regional bike share system, and the changed motion carried unanimously. The motion gave no cost or number of bikes.
Orr moved a motion in June 2026 for city staff to work with TransLink on a $25 monthly transit pass for people earning under $40,000 a year. CBC reported that council passed it with amendments so that the city now advocates to the Mayors’ Council and the Province for the funding.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CBC and Orr’s June report agree that the amendments changed the motion from a City program to advocacy. The pass would be run by TransLink, so the funding depends on other governments.
What still needs checking
Whether TransLink or the Province creates the pass.
Orr’s June 2026 report lists a motion to recommit to a Central Waterfront Precinct with pedestrian connections and active transit hubs, for the 15 July 2026 committee meeting.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of 15 July 2026 show Orr moved a motion for a report on a Central Waterfront and Waterfront Station precinct planning program. Council referred it to staff for information as part of existing planning work for the area, with a status update by the first quarter of 2027. The motion gave no cost or number.
Orr moved an urgent motion in April 2026 asking the Province to reinstate the Community Housing Fund and to match housing targets to the funding that is available.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The motion asks the Province, which the City does not control. The committee minutes of 22 April 2026 show Orr moved it, Councillor Dominato seconded it, and it carried unanimously after an amendment, as a late resolution to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association. Approval sends the request to the association and a letter to the Province, which decides on the fund.
What still needs checking
How the motion was handled at council and at the local government association meeting.
Orr moved a motion in April 2026 to pause bylaw enforcement against people sheltering in recreational vehicles (RVs) during the FIFA World Cup. The BC Civil Liberties Association reports that only Orr and Councillor Maloney voted in favour.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The BC Civil Liberties Association describes the motion as asking staff to look at a temporary pause, safe parking locations and services. It gives no cost or number of sites, and the motion did not pass. The committee minutes of 22 April 2026 confirm the motion lost, with six members opposed.
What still needs checking
Whether the City develops long-term safe parking after the World Cup.
Orr opposes City action to stop overdose prevention sites from opening. He voted against Mayor Sim’s motion of 5 May 2026 and wrote on Bluesky on 28 May 2026 that the evidence shows the sites save lives.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The vote is reported by the Canadian Press. The Bluesky post gives no measure, cost or date for anything Orr would do himself.
What still needs checking
Whether Orr moves a City measure on overdose prevention after the election.
Orr says he moved a motion in May 2026 for a policy on workforce housing for health care workers, asking staff to find city-owned land near hospitals.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of 20 May 2026 show Orr moved the motion, which asked staff for a feasibility study and a list of City land near three hospitals. An amendment by Councillor Kirby-Yung replaced it with a report on existing City housing tools and a call on senior governments for more funding, and the changed motion carried unanimously. No number of homes, cost or date was set.
Orr moved a motion to add protections for renters displaced by hotel projects to the review of the City’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy, which sets the rules for tenants when a building is redeveloped. CityHallWatch reports that on 3 June 2026 council referred the motion to staff for information, and that Councillors Fry, Maloney and Orr voted against the referral.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
CityHallWatch reproduces the minutes extract. The motion gives no cost or date for the new protections. The committee minutes of 3 June 2026 confirm the referral carried, with Councillors Fry, Maloney and Orr opposed.
COPE’s release of 15 July 2026 lists a motion by Orr called Enacting The Universal Tenant Rights Bylaw and Criminalizing Predatory Practices, and quotes Orr saying the motions would have established tenant rights by law.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The release is the only source. It says the ABC majority changed the schedule on 14 July 2026 so that five Orr motions were not heard. The motion text, cost and date for the bylaw were not found.
What still needs checking
The motion text and whether it is heard in a later meeting.
Rezonings that change social housing to market housing
In his April 2026 report Orr says a change from social housing to 100% market housing should trigger an amendment to the City’s citywide planning document (the Official Development Plan) and so a public hearing, and that he will look at this as a change to that plan.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The report is the only source. It gives no wording, date or number of projects, and Orr says he will look into it.
In his April 2026 report Orr says Councillor Pete Fry noted that staff now interpret the general tone of public comments without posting them on the agenda, and that Orr will look at changes to the City’s citywide planning document (the Official Development Plan).
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The report is the only source. It gives no wording or date, and Orr says he will look into it.
What still needs checking
Whether Orr moves an amendment on public comments.
Orr and Councillor Lucy Maloney moved a motion in 2025 on tenants’ cooling rights. The Vancouver Sun reported that council voted unanimously on 3 June 2026 to make refusing a portable air conditioner a ticketable offence with a $1,000 fine.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s June report and the Vancouver Sun agree on the result. The Tyee reported in July 2026 that Orr and Maloney introduced the fine. The council minutes were not opened.
Orr moved a motion to create a cultural land trust for Vancouver. Pancouver and The Art Newspaper report that council passed it unanimously on 15 July 2026, and that staff must report back on a framework by the first quarter of 2027.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The motion was amended before it passed. The sources give no cost or number of buildings for the City. The council minutes were not opened.
What still needs checking
What the staff report in the first quarter of 2027 recommends and costs.
Orr and Councillor Maloney moved an urgent motion on 10 March 2026 for a $30,000 grant to keep the Car Free Day festivals on Main Street and Commercial Drive in 2026. CBC and Daily Hive report that council passed it unanimously.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The grant is conditional on a delivery plan from the organizers, according to CBC. The council minutes were not opened.
What still needs checking
Whether the festivals took place in September 2026 as planned.
Daily Hive reported on 28 March 2026 that Orr moved a motion for a Fair Share Vancouver Property Tax Rebate Program: a 7% increase in the residential property tax rate, with a rebate that cancels the increase for owners who live in their only home in Vancouver and whose home is assessed under $3 million.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The description comes from Daily Hive’s report of the motion. Daily Hive says the City would need new powers from the Province to offer rebates based on how many homes a person owns, so this measure depends on another government. The committee minutes of 1 April 2026 show the motion, moved by Orr and seconded by Councillor Fry, lost with eight members opposed and Councillor Fry abstaining.
What still needs checking
Whether the Province would grant the power and how council voted.
On 5 August 2026 COPE announced a People’s Audit with mayoral candidate Stephanie Allen, and Orr said it will work with workers, city partners and the public to find where Vancouver is not working for people.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Allen left the mayoral race on 2 September 2026, according to CityHallWatch, and voche.me did not find whether COPE keeps the audit. The release links a policy document that voche.me did not read. No cost or date is given.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE keeps the audit and what it would cost.
COPE says Orr moved a motion in 2026 for a staff report on department, staffing and service changes from the austerity budget, and that the ABC majority voted it down.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The committee minutes of 3 June 2026 show Orr moved the motion More than Zero, which asked the City Manager for a public report within 10 days on staffing and service changes made since 1 January 2024 to meet budget targets. It lost, was reconsidered, and lost again with seven members opposed.
On 10 September 2026 Orr announced COPE’s proposal for an Acceptable Use for AI Policy covering elected officials, staff and city employees. COPE’s July 2026 release lists an Orr motion on accountable use of artificial intelligence.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Both sources are COPE releases. They give no cost or date for the policy, and the July motion was not heard, according to the release.
What still needs checking
The wording of the policy and who would enforce it.
COPE’s release of 15 July 2026 lists a motion by Orr called Using Major Events Tax Revenue to Support Hotel Workers Affected by the FIFA World Cup, and quotes Orr on five of his motions that were not heard.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The release is the only source and gives only the title. It gives no amount, number of workers or date, and the motion was not heard, according to the release.
What still needs checking
The motion text and the amount of revenue involved.
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is housing access.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
Our City Hall pledge: public transportation and mobility
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is public transportation and mobility.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is community spaces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is gender safety.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is food security.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
Orr told Women Transforming Cities on 16 September 2026 that he is committed to its six Our City Hall policy asks. One of the six is public washrooms.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Orr’s sentence covers all six asks together. The results table on the page is an image that voche.me could not read. The wording of each ask belongs to Women Transforming Cities, so it earns a position and no more.
What still needs checking
Which of the group’s measures Orr would move on council and by when.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr’s first priority is closing the rule that lets landlords raise rent as much as they want between tenants.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
Orr’s office as the renters office (2025 platform)
The 2025 by-election platform says that if Ken Sim stops the return of the renters office, Orr’s office will be the renters office.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr and COPE are committed to working with communities to hold town hall style meetings throughout the city.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will fight to restore and defend integrity at City Hall, including the Integrity Commissioner.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will fight for civic governance that takes the long view and protects the planet and local greenspace.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
Climate policy and Indigenous rights (2025 platform)
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will fight to ensure the City’s climate policies respect Indigenous rights, knowledge and voices.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
Extra votes for non-resident property owners (2025 platform)
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will fight to eliminate the extra vote that non-resident property owners can cast in Vancouver elections.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will always stand up for people who are targeted and will fight back against forms of discrimination and exclusion.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
The 2025 by-election platform says Orr will continue to stand up for life-saving interventions in the drug poisoning epidemic.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is from the platform page headed 2025 by-election platform, which COPE’s website still carried on 2026-09-25. It names Orr and was written for the April 2025 by-election. CityHallWatch reported on 8 September 2026 that COPE had not published a platform for the 2026 election.
What still needs checking
Whether COPE repeats this commitment in a 2026 platform.
In a February 2025 interview Orr said he would like a pre-emptive right or right of first refusal bylaw, under which the City would have the first chance to buy real estate that is put up for sale.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The interview was given during the 2025 by-election campaign, and no 2026 page from his campaign repeats it. The interview notes that City staff studied the idea in a March 2024 memo and did not expect it to increase the amount of non-market housing.
Funding libraries and public services (2026 platform launch)
At the launch of the COPE 2026 platform on 28 September 2026, Orr said the city needs to fund its libraries and public services. Daily Hive carried the same words.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
A statement of direction. It names no library hours, cost or date. The platform itself, which is party text, says COPE would fully fund libraries so they open 7 days a week.
What still needs checking
Whether Orr moves a budget change for library hours after the election, and at what cost.
COPE 2026 platform: bring back the Renters Office with enforcement powers
The COPE 2026 platform says COPE will bring back the Renters Office with powers to track landlords and rents, help tenants bargain together and act on displacement.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party platform text that does not name Orr as the person who will act. It gives no cost, staff number or date.
What still needs checking
What the office would cost and when it would open.
The COPE 2026 platform release says COPE will establish a binding tenants rights bylaw and build on the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy to protect tenants from displacement.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. The release names Orr only as a speaker at the launch. COPE said in July 2026 that Orr had a Universal Tenant Rights Bylaw motion that was not heard.
What still needs checking
The wording of the bylaw and when it would come to council.
The COPE 2026 platform release says COPE will create a Climate Defence Strategy to upgrade infrastructure, help communities prepare for climate events and start tool libraries.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text that does not name Orr as the person who will act. It gives no cost or date.
30 km/h local streets near schools (HUB Cycling survey)
HUB Cycling asked candidates to support 30 km/h speeds on local streets, with traffic calming for young people travelling to and from school. Orr answered yes and wrote that he was proud to have already voted for this.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The ask is HUB Cycling's wording. Orr's answer refers to an earlier vote and does not name it, so the vote is not tied to a record here. The answer gives no street, cost or date, and it carries no date of its own.
What still needs checking
Which vote Orr means, and which streets would get lower limits next.
Street safety money where injury risk is highest (HUB Cycling survey)
HUB Cycling asked candidates to direct speed cuts and quick safety upgrades to underserved neighbourhoods first. Orr answered yes and wrote that he voted for the Vision Zero plan 2026, which he says uses collision and injury data to put safety money where the risks are greatest.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
His answer names a City plan that council adopts by its own vote. It gives no budget, number of projects or date. voche.me has not opened the minutes of that vote.
What still needs checking
How much the plan spends each year and which streets come first.
At the arts, culture and heritage forum on 22 September 2026, Orr spoke about the loss of jam spaces and do-it-yourself music spaces. Stir reports that he called for penalties for spaces left empty for long periods.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Stir's report gives his point in its own words. It names no penalty amount, bylaw or date.
What still needs checking
What the penalty would be and which spaces it would cover.
Commitment to Battered Women's Support Services' five actions
Battered Women's Support Services asked municipal candidates to commit to five actions on intimate partner violence: a task force, more money for local victim services, better local data, prevention education and a dedicated City lead. The Tyee reports that the group's executive director named Orr as a Vancouver candidate who had officially committed, and that COPE confirmed the commitment.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The five actions are the organization's wording. The Tyee gives no statement in Orr's own words, and no cost or date.
What still needs checking
Whether Orr moves any of the five actions after the election, and at what cost.
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.
Vote reported by CBC and Daily Hive
Only vote against the Commercial-Broadway Safeway rezoning
Council approved the rezoning of the Safeway site at 1780 East Broadway for three towers. CBC reports that Orr was the only councillor who voted against, and Daily Hive reports the vote as 8 to 1. Orr told council that the developer was getting double the height without the full public benefits.
Orr’s motion on protecting tenants at 75 East 8th Avenue through the review of the Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy was heard on 3 June 2026. Councillor Montague moved to refer it to staff for information and the referral carried. CityHallWatch reports that Councillors Fry, Maloney and Orr voted against the referral.
Scope, limits and sources
The committee minutes of 3 June 2026 confirm the referral carried with Councillors Fry, Maloney and Orr opposed.
Orr introduced Motion 6, No Penalties for Vehicle Sheltering During FIFA. The BC Civil Liberties Association reports that Orr and Councillor Maloney were the only councillors who voted in favour and six voted against.
Scope, limits and sources
The association supported the motion. The committee minutes of 22 April 2026 show it lost with Councillors Bligh, Dominato, Kirby-Yung, Klassen, Montague and Zhou opposed.
Vote reported by the Canadian Press and recorded in the council minutes
Voted against the motion to stop an overdose prevention site
Council approved Mayor Sim’s urgent motion to use all tools available to prevent a downtown overdose prevention site from opening, with all seven ABC members in favour and the other four councillors against. The Canadian Press reports that Orr voted against it and told the meeting that it violates a 2016 ministerial order.
Scope, limits and sources
The council minutes of 5 May 2026 show Orr first moved to defer the motion to hear from Vancouver Coastal Health, which did not pass, and that the motion carried with Councillors Bligh, Fry, Maloney and Orr opposed.
Councillor Rebecca Bligh and Orr proposed the FIFA Public Safety and Local Readiness Working Group to the Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities. theBreaker reports that it was rejected 6 to 3, with Bligh, Orr and Councillor Maloney in the minority.
Scope, limits and sources
voche.me has not opened the committee minutes. The committee minutes of 25 February 2026 show Councillor Bligh moved it, Orr seconded it, and it lost with six members opposed.
Motion reported by CBC and the Western Standard; passed unanimously
Motion on vehicle headlight brightness
Orr submitted a motion asking the federal government to address overly bright vehicle headlights. CBC reports that council passed it unanimously and that the mayor will write to Transport Canada.
Scope, limits and sources
The Western Standard published its report on 21 January 2026, and CBC reported on 27 January 2026 that the vote was the week before. Headlight rules are federal. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Low-income transit pass motion passed with amendments
Orr moved that city staff work with TransLink on a $25 monthly transit pass for people earning under $40,000 a year. CBC reports that council passed the motion with amendments, so the city now advocates to the Mayors’ Council and the Province for the funding.
Scope, limits and sources
The committee minutes of 3 June 2026 show Orr moved it, an amendment by Councillor Montague changed it, and the changed motion carried unanimously.
Motion reported by CityHallWatch; passed according to Vision Zero Vancouver
Motion to press for the SkyTrain extension to UBC
Orr and Councillor Maloney submitted a motion on the Millennium Line extension to UBC, heard on 8 October 2025. Vision Zero Vancouver’s review of 2025 records that it passed.
Scope, limits and sources
The extension is decided by the provincial and federal governments. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Voted against the 2026 budget and moved an amendment
Council passed the 2026 operating and capital budgets with a zero per cent property tax increase. The Tyee names Orr among the four councillors who voted against it, and reports that ABC councillors defeated his amendment to redo the public budget survey and give a line-item breakdown of the budget.
Scope, limits and sources
The Tyee says council voted on Tuesday, and its report is dated 26 November 2025. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Council voted 10 to 1 to approve the City’s share of the cost of a Vancouver sign, up to $300,000 in capital costs and $50,000 in operating costs. CBC reports that Orr said spending money on a giant sign should not be a priority while many residents struggle with the cost of living.
Scope, limits and sources
CBC says council voted on Wednesday and its report is dated 22 May 2025. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Motion for a Fair Share property tax rebate program
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Fry, for a Fair Share Vancouver Property Tax Rebate Program. Daily Hive reported it as a 7% increase in the residential property tax rate, with rebates for owners who live in their only home in Vancouver. The committee minutes show it lost with eight members opposed and Councillor Fry abstaining.
Scope, limits and sources
Daily Hive reported the motion on 28 March 2026. The motion needs new powers from the Province.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, to raise the Empty Homes Tax from 3% to 5% for 2026, apply a 1% tax to vacant new homes from 2026, and report in 2026 on a rising tax on unsold new buildings. The committee minutes of 17 September 2025 show it lost with seven members opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
Daily Hive reported the motion on 13 September 2025 and CBC interviewed Orr about it on 15 September 2025.
Bylaw change passed unanimously, reported by the Vancouver Sun
Fines for landlords who prohibit air conditioners
Council voted unanimously to amend city bylaws so that refusing a tenant the use of a portable air conditioner is a ticketable offence with a $1,000 fine. The Vancouver Sun reports that the proposal came from a 2025 motion by Orr and Councillor Maloney.
Scope, limits and sources
The Tyee reported on 9 July 2026 that Orr and Maloney introduced the fine. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Motion passed unanimously, reported by Pancouver and The Art Newspaper
Cultural Land Trust motion
Orr introduced a motion to create a cultural land trust in partnership with an independent nonprofit group. Council passed it unanimously, and staff must report back on a framework by the first quarter of 2027.
Scope, limits and sources
The committee minutes of 15 July 2026 show Orr moved it, Councillor Kirby-Yung seconded it, and it carried unanimously after an amendment.
Motion passed unanimously, reported by CBC and Daily Hive
Car Free Day grant
Orr and Councillor Maloney brought an urgent motion for a $30,000 one-time grant to keep the Car Free Day festivals on Main Street and Commercial Drive in 2026, and council passed it unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
CBC says the grant depends on a financial plan from the organizers. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Motion recorded in the committee minutes; changed and passed
Motion to recommit to $10-a-day child care before council
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Bligh, to recommit Vancouver to $10-a-day child care and to protect public and non-profit child care spaces in development deals. An amendment by Councillor Klassen replaced its clauses with a call on the Province to resume the program’s expansion, and the changed motion carried unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition wrote in support of the motion on 24 February 2026. The minutes are dated 25 February 2026.
Vote reported by CBC and recorded in the public hearing minutes
Only vote against the floating hotel rezoning
Council approved a rezoning for a 250-room floating hotel next to the Vancouver Convention Centre after a public hearing on Tuesday night. CBC reports that only Orr voted against.
Scope, limits and sources
CBC’s report is dated 15 April 2026. The public hearing minutes show the motion carried with Orr the only member opposed.
Voted against receiving the integrity report without sanctions
Council considered the investigator’s report that found Mayor Sim broke the code of conduct in two incidents involving Orr. Councillor Montague moved to not approve sanctions and to receive the report as information. The Tyee reports that the motion passed and that Orr, Fry, Bligh and Maloney voted against it.
Scope, limits and sources
Orr was the person who made the complaints. The Tyee says council voted on Tuesday, and its report is dated 3 June 2026. voche.me has not opened the council minutes.
Only vote against changing below-market rental to market rental at 5590 Victoria Drive
Council approved a change to the zoning for 5590 Victoria Drive and 2005 East 40th Avenue. The secured rental homes had been for-profit affordable rental leased to a non-profit, with 30% of units for households under the income limits. The change made them secured market rental. The minutes show it carried with Orr the only member opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
Orr’s April 2026 report describes it as a change from social housing to 100% market housing.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, to affirm the right to food in City decisions and to ask staff for a list of City land in Food Priority Zones and options to pilot a public or community grocery store on City land. The committee minutes of 11 March 2026 show it lost with five members opposed. The bike share motion from the same meeting is listed separately.
Scope, limits and sources
Orr’s March 2026 report also describes the meeting. Food policy is outside the issues the score uses.
Announced by the party; official record not opened
Five motions not heard, reported by the party
COPE’s release of 15 July 2026 says the ABC majority changed the schedule on the day before so that five Orr motions were not heard: the Universal Tenant Rights Bylaw, responsible use of artificial intelligence, Major Events Tax revenue for hotel workers, the West Coast pipeline, and the circular economy.
Scope, limits and sources
The release is the only source. A person must open the council record before this counts toward a score.
Announced by the candidate; the federation’s record not opened
Headlight resolution reported passed at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Orr wrote on Bluesky on 7 June 2026 that the day before he brought a resolution to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Edmonton asking the federal government to regulate the brightness of LED headlights, and that it passed. His June report gives the vote as 76% to 24%.
Scope, limits and sources
Both sources are Orr’s own. The Federation’s record was not opened.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, for council to endorse the Elect Respect pledge against harassment and personal attacks in public life. The committee minutes of 1 April 2026 show it carried unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
Orr’s April 2026 report and CTV’s headline of 1 April 2026 refer to the same decision.
The finance committee voted on police and fire budget changes for 2025. The minutes show that a one-time $5.0 million increase for the police Task Force Barrage carried with Councillors Fry, Maloney and Orr opposed. Orr was the only member opposed to three other police increases, including $1.9 million for protest costs and $7.9 million for forecast police deficits.
Scope, limits and sources
The Tyee reported the Task Force Barrage vote on 18 September 2026 in a story about election ads.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, asking staff for options on a bylaw that stops landlords from prohibiting portable cooling devices where no air conditioning is provided. The committee minutes show it carried unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
The June 2026 bylaw change on air conditioners is listed separately.
Seconded the bike share motion, changed to a letter to TransLink
Councillor Maloney moved and Orr seconded a motion for a Vancouver Bike Share Growth Strategy. An amendment replaced it with a request that TransLink explore a regional bike share system, and the changed motion carried unanimously.
Scope, limits and sources
The original motion asked staff to report by the first quarter of 2027.
Orr moved an amendment to Councillor Fry’s motion on the FIFA World Cup human rights plan. It asked that part of the City’s paid advertising space in FIFA zones show visitors how to report human rights problems. It lost with five members opposed, and the main motion then lost.
Resolution asking the Province to restore the Community Housing Fund
Orr moved a resolution, seconded by Councillor Dominato, for the Lower Mainland Local Government Association and the Union of BC Municipalities. It urges the Province to reinstate the Community Housing Fund and to align housing targets with provincial funding, and asks the Mayor to write to two provincial ministers. It carried unanimously after an amendment.
Orr moved a motion for a feasibility study on housing for health care workers, including a list of City land near three hospitals. An amendment by Councillor Kirby-Yung replaced it with a report on existing City tools and a call on senior governments for funding, and the changed motion carried unanimously.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, asking the City Manager for a public report within 10 days on positions cut, layoffs, vacancy freezes and contracted work since 1 January 2024. It lost, was reconsidered, and lost again with seven members opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
COPE’s release of 5 August 2026 also describes this motion.
Orr moved a motion for a report on a planning program for the Central Waterfront and Waterfront Station area. Council referred it unanimously to staff as information for existing planning work, with a status update by the first quarter of 2027.
Scope, limits and sources
Council sent the motion to staff as information. Staff report on the existing planning work by the first quarter of 2027.
Orr moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Maloney, on how False Creek is managed. As passed after an amendment, it asks the Province to start talks with Canada and the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations on a shared body to manage False Creek, and directs staff to report by the third quarter of 2027. It carried unanimously.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Interview
Candidate interview during the council by-election
Orr set out positions on renewing expiring temporary modular housing leases, continuing supportive housing, a right of first refusal bylaw for property purchases, and a mansion tax, while noting the province limits what the city can tax. Orr said the role would include amplifying renters, disabled people, Indigenous people, trans people, drug users, artists and seniors, said there was room to work with ABC councillors, and said there was a lot still to learn.
Asked what he could do on housing while progressives are in the minority, Orr told The Tyee he thought he could reverse the pause on supportive housing, and that the Renter Office, which Ken Sim ended, is something council could bring back, with Lucy Maloney moving it and Orr seconding. Asked about long lines at the by-election, he said staff had not expected the turnout. He said he would use his status as a councillor to give attention to tenant movements, said it was important to embrace the socialist label, and said he would stay involved in street protests.
Orr told Spring that FIFA was the main concern for the coming year, naming displacement, sex workers and people in the Downtown Eastside, information for fans about the toxic drug supply, ICE, and domestic violence. He said the opposition councillors call themselves the North Siders, and that he had been the single no vote on the new million dollar Vancouver sign, on retroactively awarding the police $17 million, and on the Broadway Safeway towers project that had no affordable housing.
Press conference on an ABC councillor’s WeChat video
Orr joined Councillors Bligh, Fry and Maloney at city hall to call on Mayor Sim to denounce a video by ABC Councillor Lenny Zhou that, The Tyee reports, accused non-ABC councillors of drug crimes. The Tyee reports Orr said the video makes talks about harm reduction and affordable housing harder. Zhou apologised and took the video down later that day.
Outside the Vancouver Law Courts, Orr told reporters he wants Mayor Sim to face accountability through the legal process. Asked how the remarks harmed him, he said that will come out in discovery and that comments on social media and in some Chinese-language media had negative effects. CBC reports he also started a fund for his legal costs.
Orr told CBC News that reading the investigator’s report felt vindicating but that real people were hurt by the mayor’s comments. He said the mayor had a pattern of using communities to target other councillors, and that Vancouver needs a mayor who brings people together.
Orr was one of six council candidates at the BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage forum at the Museum of Vancouver. Stir reports he pointed to the $6 million cut to arts funding in the 2026 budget, raised concern that festivals pay the full cost of policing their events, spoke about the loss of jam and do-it-yourself music spaces, and called for penalties for spaces left empty for long periods.
At the release of the COPE platform Fight for Vancouver, Orr said the platform is about the Vancouver the city needs, and that the city should fund libraries and public services, protect tenants, build affordable housing and protect people from climate events.
Orr answered yes to all three of HUB Cycling's asks: 30 km/h local streets near schools, safety work in underserved neighbourhoods first, and joining local bike routes to the regional network. He wrote that he had already voted for lower speeds and for the Vision Zero plan 2026, and left the third answer blank. The answers carry no date, so this date is the day voche.me read them.
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.
Campaign dispute
Criticism of past social media posts
Days after Orr was elected, old posts on X drew public criticism. The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Mayor Ken Sim and BC Conservative leader John Rustad said the posts were antisemitic. The post most often cited, written in 2021, repeated a conspiracy claim about Vancouver city planners being controlled by a Jewish group. Rustad called it some of the worst antisemitism seen from a public official in Vancouver. Mayor Sim asked Orr to address the posts openly.
Candidate or party response
Orr did not apologise and said the 2021 post was sarcasm quoting a comedian, written while condemning an antisemitic dogwhistle on Twitter. COPE issued a statement describing Orr as a consistent voice of opposition to fascism and antisemitism. Former MP Libby Davies and Anjali Appadurai defended Orr publicly. Vancouver Is Awesome reported that Orr posted on X that the 2021 post was taken out of context, and that he has opposed all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
Verified status and limits
Orr received death threats after the posts circulated, and took office as a city councillor on April 15, 2025. In May 2026 an investigation under the City’s code of conduct, after a complaint by Orr, found that the mayor broke the code of conduct and harassed Orr at the April 8, 2025 press conference on these posts. That finding concerns the mayor’s conduct and is listed as a separate entry.
Code of conduct finding on the mayor’s conduct toward Orr
Orr complained in October 2025 about two events: the mayor’s press conference of April 8, 2025 on Orr’s past posts, and a post by the mayor on October 4, 2025. CBC reports that the investigation, by Jamie Pytel of Kingsgate Legal, found that Mayor Sim broke the code of conduct, misused the influence of his office and harassed Orr, and that the October post continued the harassment. The report suggested a letter of apology.
Candidate or party response
CBC reports that the mayor said he disagrees with the findings and that it was his duty to respond to concerns from Jewish community leaders.
Verified status and limits
The Tyee reports that council voted on June 2, 2026 to receive the report without sanctions, with Orr, Fry, Bligh and Maloney opposed. The finding concerns the mayor’s conduct.
Orr filed a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court alleging that Mayor Sim defamed him at a February 2026 event with Chinese-language media by saying Orr handed out illegal drugs on Christmas Day. Orr is the plaintiff. He has denied the statement, and the claim seeks punitive and aggravated damages and an order stopping similar statements.
Candidate or party response
The mayor’s office said the matter was before the courts. Sim had apologised and said he repeated the claim after seeing a picture he did not check. The Canadian Press reports that his amended response, filed in July 2026, does not deny making the remarks and denies that they harmed Orr’s reputation.
Verified status and limits
No court has decided the claim. The Canadian Press reported on September 14, 2026 that the trial is set to begin on January 31, 2028.
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
Daily Hive
Newly elected Vancouver councillor receives death threats after storm over past remarks
Daily Hive reported criticism of old social media posts by Orr from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Mayor Ken Sim and BC Conservative leader John Rustad, Orr's answer that one post was sarcasm, COPE's statement in support, and the death threats Orr received afterwards.
Vision Zero Vancouver: 2025 Vancouver Council in Review
The road safety group's yearly review names Orr as the author of a motion on better speed data collection and co-sponsor of a motion on the UBCx transit extension, and records Orr opposing the zero property tax increase with failed amendments to restore services.
What has Vancouver City Council accomplished in 2026?
Daily Hive's review of the council year reports that Vision Zero Vancouver gave its top report card scores to Orr, Lucy Maloney of OneCity and Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver.
Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 takeaways from the City of Vancouver candidates forum on arts, culture, and heritage
Stir’s account of the arts forum names Orr among six council candidates and reports his points on arts funding, festival policing costs and empty spaces.
Sources checked October 3, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
voche.me read the minutes of 12 council and committee meetings from September 2025 to July 2026 through the Internet Archive, because the City’s site refuses automated reads. The minutes of the June 2, 2026 council meeting, where council voted on the code of conduct report, were not in the archive, so that vote comes from The Tyee. Other meetings of the term were not opened, and motions known only from COPE pages stay listed with no issue tag. The Vancouver Sun report on the criticism of Orr’s social media posts was not opened; Daily Hive and Vancouver Is Awesome accounts are used. Orr has no website of his own, and his Facebook and Instagram accounts were not opened. Two COPE pages give different counts of motions: the council page says more than 30 in one year and Orr’s report of 22 April 2026 says 26. The Vancouver Food Justice Coalition had published no candidate answers on October 3, 2026. No public forum appearance was confirmed for October 3 to 17, 2026.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on September 22, 2026: Current campaign material; biographical claims require corroboration.
Campaign page read on September 22, 2026. 4 stated positions and 3 background facts recorded here, each checked against a quotation from that page.
Record reviewed again on October 3, 2026: the COPE 2026 platform, HUB Cycling survey answers, news reports from September 2026, and the minutes of 12 council and committee meetings.
Checks still to do: council meetings whose minutes were not opened, including the June 2, 2026 council meeting and the November 2025 budget meeting.
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 Sean Orr in this office during the term that ends with the 2026 election. Votes and motions from 12 meetings, read in the council minutes, are listed in the record below.
Elected in the April 2025 by-election. COPE says Orr moved more than 30 motions in the first year and led the opposition to the mayor's austerity budget.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
Which adopted motions have produced funded services, and which still await implementation?
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 Sean Orr 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 Sean Orr's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
How did Sean Orr do in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election?
Sean Orr was elected to City Council with 83,038 votes, 1st of 56 in the preliminary count. The City of Vancouver published the count, and every candidate's total is on the results page.
Is this an official page for Sean Orr?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Sean Orr's own campaign.
What is Sean Orr's ballot number for the 2026 Vancouver election?
Sean Orr is number 111 on the City of Vancouver's official 2026 ballot for City Council.
What party did Sean Orr run with?
Sean Orr ran for City Council with COPE.
Does Sean Orr currently hold public office?
Yes. Sean Orr currently serves as Vancouver city councillor.
How many sources does this Sean Orr profile cite?
This profile lists 3 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Has Sean Orr filed nomination papers for the 2026 election?
voche.me has not yet added a nomination record for Sean Orr. This does not mean no nomination paper was filed, only that voche.me has not completed that research yet.
Why do some questions on Sean Orr's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Sean Orr 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 Sean Orr 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
The minutes of 12 council and committee meetings were read through the Internet Archive. They confirm the results of Orr’s motions on the Empty Homes Tax, child care, the right to food, Elect Respect, the Fair Share rebate, the Community Housing Fund, workforce housing, the budget report, the waterfront and False Creek, and his votes on Task Force Barrage, the floating hotel, the Victoria Drive rental change and the overdose prevention site. The Empty Homes Tax and Fair Share entries now carry the date of the vote; before, they carried the date of the news report.
Two motions corrected from the minutes
The entry on a rezoning that Orr’s report called a change from social housing to market housing now follows the minutes: it changed below-market rental leased to a non-profit into market rental, at 5590 Victoria Drive. The bike share entry now says Councillor Maloney moved the motion and Orr seconded it.
Defamation claim, code of conduct finding and 2026 platform added
Orr’s defamation claim against the mayor and the 2026 finding that the mayor harassed Orr are now separate entries, from CBC and The Canadian Press. The entry on criticism of Orr’s past posts no longer says no finding was reported. The COPE 2026 platform, Orr’s statement at its launch, his HUB Cycling answers, his commitment to Battered Women’s Support Services’ five actions and the September 22 arts forum are added.
Renter Office and supportive housing wording corrected
The Tyee interview of April 2025 shows Orr said the Renter Office is something council could bring back, with Lucy Maloney moving it and Orr seconding, and that he thought he could reverse the supportive housing pause. The earlier text called both first priorities, which the interview does not say. The commitments and the talk summary now follow the interview.
Tenant right to buy separated from the City right of first refusal
The February 2025 interview describes a bylaw that gives the City the first chance to buy property for sale. The tenant right to buy buildings is a separate measure that COPE’s 2026 page and Daily Hive’s report of the November 2025 motion describe. The two are now separate commitments.
Mayor’s office budget claim separated from the budget opposition claim
One sentence on COPE’s council page carried two claims. They are now two commitments, and the Vision Zero Vancouver and Tyee records of the budget vote moved to the opposition commitment.
Library wording matched to the source
The earlier text said Vancouver Public Library branches. COPE’s page says libraries.
Status set from independent reports
The speed data and UBCx motions are marked approved because Vision Zero Vancouver records both as passed. The status of the cooling rights, cultural land trust and Car Free Day commitments follows CBC, the Vancouver Sun, Pancouver and The Art Newspaper.
Research gaps and introduction corrected
The gaps note said no 2026 interview with Orr was found. A March 2026 interview with Spring magazine exists and is now on the record. The introduction now says the sources run to September 25, 2026 and mentions the motions and votes.
