---
title: "Kareem Allam cites congestion, population loss and housing delays in Vancouver Sun interview"
description: "The Vancouver Liberals mayoral candidate gave his first major interview of the campaign to the Vancouver Sun's Conversations That Matter series on September 25, citing city data on traffic, population and building timelines."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/kareem-allam-sun-interview-september-26"
last_updated: "2026-09-26T08:59:42.394Z"
---

Kareem Allam, the Vancouver Liberals' candidate for mayor, gave a video interview to the Vancouver Sun on September 25 in which he cited traffic, population and housing permit data to frame his campaign priorities. The interview was published as part of the Conversations That Matter series, hosted by broadcaster Stuart McNish in partnership with Simon Fraser University's Centre for Dialogue.

The [Vancouver Liberals mayoral candidate](/candidates/kareem-allam) told McNish that Vancouver ranks ninth in North America on the Economist Intelligence Unit's global livability index. He said the city's population has shrunk by more than 8,000 people, which he attributed to reduced immigration and residents leaving for other places. Allam also cited the TomTom Traffic index, which he said ranks Vancouver as the most congested city in Canada and fourth most congested in North America.

## Housing permits and city costs

On housing, Allam told the Vancouver Sun that building a highrise in Vancouver takes about eight years from start to finish, a timeline he described as a problem for the city's ability to add housing supply. "Eight years is about how long it takes to build a highrise in the city of Vancouver," he said in the interview.

He also said the City of Vancouver has an internal inflation rate that he put at between 8.5 and 11 per cent a year, and referred to what he called 5,100 additional exempt staff positions at city hall whose roles he said were unclear to him. "The City of Vancouver currently has an internal inflation rate that ranges between 8½ and 11 per cent a year," Allam said. These are his own statements and figures; the Vancouver Sun published them as interview responses, not as independently audited city data.

## Young people and jobs

Allam framed several of his points around the city losing younger residents. "Vancouver, amongst North American cities, is now one of the oldest cities on the continent," he told McNish. "Young people are leaving the city because we're not creating the jobs." He said the solution requires the city to focus on economic activity alongside housing affordability.

Allam described his approach as wanting Vancouver to take what he called "big swings" again on major city-building decisions. The Vancouver Sun's Conversations That Matter series plans to publish interviews with other top mayoral candidates in the coming weeks.

The municipal election is on October 17, 2026. Find voting locations and registration information at [/where-to-vote](/where-to-vote).

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