Jewish groups respond to Vancouver results as council shifts left
Jewish organizations in Vancouver are watching the new council's direction on public safety and Middle East issues after Pete Fry's election as mayor and Sean Orr's high-vote finish on October 17.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on thecjn.ca.
Jewish organizations in Vancouver said on October 20 that they are watching the new council's direction on public safety and Middle East issues, after the October 17 election produced a mayor and council dominated by the Green Party and COPE. The reporting comes from The Canadian Jewish News.
Pete Fry of the Green Party won the mayoral race with 47 per cent of the vote, according to unofficial results pending the City's official declaration. Incumbent Ken Sim of ABC Vancouver received 32 per cent. Voter turnout exceeded 43 per cent, higher than in 2022.
The new council has four Green Party councillors, four COPE councillors, one OneCity councillor, and one ABC Vancouver councillor. In 2022, ABC held seven of the ten council seats.
Sean Orr of COPE received the highest vote count of any council candidate. In April 2025, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) issued a joint statement condemning a 2021 social media post by Orr that referred to a supposed "secret cabal of Jews" controlling city planners. CIJA also criticized a separate October 2023 post in which Orr accused Israel of committing genocide. Orr and his supporters have said the posts were sarcastic or taken out of context.
An independent investigation by Vancouver's Office of the Integrity Commissioner found in May that former mayor Ken Sim breached the city's code of conduct by publicly portraying Orr as antisemitic or supportive of terrorism. Jewish organizations at the time said their own complaint concerning Orr had been dismissed without a comparable public investigation.
According to candidate survey results publicized by Vote Palestine, eight of the eleven elected Vancouver mayoral and council candidates endorsed all or part of the Vote Palestine platform. Vote Palestine also reports that all nine elected Vancouver School Board trustees endorsed all or part of a related Parents 4 Palestine platform. These are Vote Palestine's own counts, based on its own candidate survey. Vote Palestine declared in a statement that the majority of the newly elected council is "committed to all our demands."
Community members quoted by The Canadian Jewish News had different reactions. Judy Shabtai said her main concern is whether the level of police protection under Sim will continue. David Berson urged patience, saying elected officials must serve all of Vancouver and that the new council must work across political divides.
Nico Slobinsky, CIJA's Pacific vice-president, posted on X to congratulate Fry and said he looked forward to working with the incoming mayor to protect all communities. Slobinsky cited a CIJA survey in which 69 per cent of Vancouver's Jewish community respondents said they had experienced an antisemitic incident.
Voters who want to follow how the new council acts can read the vote count by candidate at /results.
Questions this story answers
Who won the Vancouver mayoral race on October 17, 2026?
Pete Fry of the Green Party won the Vancouver mayoral race on October 17, 2026, receiving 47 per cent of the vote according to unofficial results reported by The Canadian Jewish News. His main opponent, incumbent Ken Sim of ABC Vancouver, received 32 per cent. Voter turnout exceeded 43 per cent, higher than in 2022. The City has not yet declared official results.
What is the composition of the new Vancouver City Council?
The new Vancouver City Council has four Green Party councillors, four COPE councillors, one OneCity councillor, and one ABC Vancouver councillor. This represents a large shift from 2022, when ABC Vancouver held seven of the ten council seats, according to The Canadian Jewish News report published on October 20, 2026.
Why are Jewish organizations concerned about Sean Orr's election?
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) issued a joint statement in April 2025 condemning a 2021 social media post by Sean Orr that referred to a supposed 'secret cabal of Jews' controlling city planners. CIJA also criticized a separate October 2023 post in which Orr accused Israel of committing genocide. Orr and his supporters have maintained the posts were sarcastic or taken out of context.
What did Vote Palestine report about the new Vancouver council?
According to candidate survey results publicized by Vote Palestine, eight of the eleven elected Vancouver mayoral and council candidates endorsed all or part of the Vote Palestine platform. Vote Palestine also reported that all nine elected Vancouver School Board trustees endorsed all or part of the related Parents 4 Palestine platform. These figures come from Vote Palestine's own survey and have not been independently verified.
What is the Vote Palestine platform?
Vote Palestine describes a platform calling for municipal action on what it describes as genocide in Gaza, a commitment to apartheid-free communities, cutting ties with Israeli institutions, reviewing city contracts involving Israel, and recognizing the Arab Canadian Lawyers' Association's framework of anti-Palestinian racism. This is the platform's own description as reported by The Canadian Jewish News.
What did CIJA's Pacific vice-president say about Pete Fry's election?
Nico Slobinsky, CIJA's Pacific vice-president, congratulated Pete Fry on X after the October 17 vote and said he looked forward to working with the incoming mayor to ensure that all communities, including Jews, could thrive in safety and security. Slobinsky cited a CIJA survey in which 69 per cent of Vancouver's Jewish community respondents reported experiencing an antisemitic incident.
What finding did Vancouver's Integrity Commissioner make about Ken Sim?
An independent investigation by Vancouver's Office of the Integrity Commissioner found in May 2026 that Ken Sim breached the city's code of conduct and misused his office's influence by publicly portraying Sean Orr as antisemitic or supportive of terrorism. Jewish organizations at the time said their own complaint concerning Orr had been dismissed without a comparable public investigation.
Where can I see the full Vancouver election results?
The full Vancouver election results, including vote counts for all candidates in the mayor, city council, park board, and school board races, are on the voche.me results page at /results. The City has not yet declared official results; what is reported now are unofficial preliminary figures pending the official declaration.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- The Canadian Jewish News, Oct. 20, 2026thecjn.ca
- voche.me Vancouver resultsvoche.me
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