Colleen Hardwick says all 259 rezoning applications approved during her council term
The TEAM mayoral candidate told the Vancouver Sun that city staff shifted from community-based planning to prioritizing the volume of rezoning approvals.
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Colleen Hardwick told the Vancouver Sun on October 2, 2026 that every rezoning application considered by Vancouver city council during her 2018-to-2022 term was approved.
In a video interview with broadcaster Stuart McNish for the Conversations That Matter series, published by the Vancouver Sun, Hardwick said the shift she observed at city hall was a move away from community-based planning and toward measuring staff success by the number of rezoning applications processed. "When I was on council in the 2018 to 2022 period, there were 259 rezoning applications. Do you know how many were approved? 100 per cent," she told the Sun.
Real estate and economic planning
Hardwick told the Sun that Vancouver has concentrated too much of its economic activity in real estate. She described a pattern in which developers committed to one type of project, then changed course when profit margins fell. "When the market took a downturn, we've seen a bunch of bait and switch has happened. We can't make money at luxury condos. Now we're going to do rental buildings... the latest one is we're not making money at rental. We're going to switch to hotels," she said.
She said the city needs to focus on what she called economic infrastructure alongside roads, schools and community centres, arguing that the city and the region have not been planning these in balance. She said her goal as mayor would be to develop housing and the full range of city services together, rather than in response to market cycles alone.
Drug policy and the Downtown Eastside
Hardwick told the Sun that harm reduction has crowded out enforcement and prevention in the city's approach to addiction, and that concentrating people with complex needs in a single area makes conditions worse. She described her memory of 1985, when she said the closing Riverview psychiatric hospital sent residents to the Downtown Eastside, and said the same pattern of centralization continues.
She said the city needs a more distributed approach rather than continuing to concentrate services in one area. She drew a comparison: placing someone trying to stop a harmful habit in a setting where that habit is constantly available does not help them stop. The Vancouver Sun reported these as her own views from the interview.
What voters can do
Colleen Hardwick's candidate page has her full profile and party details. Voters choosing between the major mayoral candidates can compare all profiles at voche.me. The election takes place on October 17, 2026. Advance voting is open now, and the where-to-vote page has locations and hours.
Questions this story answers
What did Colleen Hardwick say about rezoning during her council term?
Hardwick told the Vancouver Sun that during her time on Vancouver city council from 2018 to 2022, there were 259 rezoning applications and every single one was approved. She said this record shows that city hall was not standing in the way of development, and that staff success was measured by the number of approvals processed rather than by community planning outcomes. Hardwick is running for mayor as the TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidate in the October 17, 2026 election.
What is Colleen Hardwick's position on Vancouver's drug policy?
Hardwick told the Vancouver Sun that harm reduction had come to dominate the city's approach, crowding out enforcement and prevention. She said that placing large numbers of people with addiction needs in a concentrated area, such as the Downtown Eastside, makes conditions worse. She drew on her recollection of 1985, when she said residents of the then-closing Riverview psychiatric hospital were moved to the Downtown Eastside. The Vancouver Sun published these as her own stated views in an October 2, 2026 interview.
What economic approach is Hardwick proposing for Vancouver?
Hardwick told the Vancouver Sun that Vancouver has relied too heavily on real estate for economic activity. She said the city and the region have not been planning in a balanced way, and that the city needs to focus on economic infrastructure including places to shop and work alongside physical and social infrastructure such as roads, schools and community centres. She said balance is the principle she would bring to the mayor's office.
What is the Conversations That Matter series?
Conversations That Matter is a video interview series produced by broadcaster Stuart McNish, run in partnership with the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. The Vancouver Sun published an interview with Hardwick on October 2, 2026, as part of a multi-week series featuring mayoral candidates who are among the top five in Research Co. public opinion polling. Pete Fry and Ken Sim are scheduled for upcoming weeks in the series.
Who is Colleen Hardwick?
Colleen Hardwick is the mayoral candidate for TEAM for a Livable Vancouver in the October 17, 2026 Vancouver municipal election. She previously served on Vancouver city council from 2018 to 2022. Her campaign is built around what she says is a different approach to city hall: measuring staff success by community outcomes rather than the number of applications processed.
What did Hardwick say about the pattern she observed in development?
Hardwick told the Vancouver Sun that when the real estate market declined, some developers shifted from luxury condos to rental buildings, then proposed converting projects to hotels when rental margins fell. She said this pattern reflects city planning driven by the financial needs of the development industry rather than by community need. These are her own characterizations as stated in the October 2 interview.
When is the Vancouver election?
The Vancouver municipal election takes place on October 17, 2026. Voters will choose a mayor, city councillors, park board commissioners and school board trustees. Advance voting is already open. You can find voting place information at the where-to-vote page on this site.
How does this interview help voters choosing a mayor?
The interview gives voters Hardwick's specific positions on three issues: how rezoning decisions were made during her council term, how she would approach drug policy and the Downtown Eastside, and how she sees Vancouver's economic reliance on real estate. Voters who want to compare the major mayoral candidates on these issues can read all candidate profiles at voche.me, including Hardwick's profile at /candidates/colleen-hardwick.
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