Ken Sim declines Pete Fry's call for a one-on-one debate before voting day
Mayor Ken Sim turned down a challenge from Green Party mayoral candidate Pete Fry to debate on the steps of Vancouver City Hall on October 14.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on vancouverisawesome.com.
Mayor Ken Sim will not debate Pete Fry one-on-one before voting day on Saturday October 17. ABC Vancouver campaign manager Trevor Ford told Business in Vancouver by text on Tuesday October 13 that Sim has already taken part in six debates and forums with Fry and other mayoral candidates and is declining the request.
"The mayor is focused on reaching voters in these final days of the campaign, including a phone town hall on Thursday evening focused on the public safety plebiscite," Ford said.
Fry, the Green Party of Vancouver candidate for mayor, issued the challenge on October 9. He asked Sim to meet him at the steps of Vancouver City Hall at noon on October 14. Fry said he wanted voters to hear the two candidates debate their records and their plans for the next four years.
"Vancouverites deserve a mayor who shows up and answers their questions," Fry said in a news release. "Ken Sim has missed public debates throughout this campaign."
Why Fry wanted the meeting
In an interview on October 13, Pete Fry told Vancouver Is Awesome that previous multi-candidate forums had not allowed for a healthy exchange between the two. He said he was concerned about ABC Vancouver's attack ads, which he said gave voters wrong information about him and his campaign.
"There's some pretty unsavoury and serious accusations that the mayor and his team are making about me personally that I would like an opportunity to refute in a debate format," Fry said.
Fry said he heard from voters that ABC canvassers had told them he was distributing drugs. He said that claim was false.
ABC has also linked Fry to COPE councillor Sean Orr and some social media posts Orr made before his election to council in the April 2025 byelection. Ken Sim and Orr are in a separate legal dispute after Sim falsely accused Orr of "handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day to people on the streets." Sim made that accusation at a February 6 news conference and has since apologized.
The plebiscite questions
The 2026 ballot also includes two non-binding questions added by Sim and ABC Vancouver councillors: one on strengthening laws against open-air hard drug use in public spaces, and one on asking the province to convert the old St. Paul's Hospital site into a secure mental health facility with more than 100 involuntary care beds. Adding them cost an estimated $400,000 to $550,000, according to Vancouver Is Awesome.
Fry, Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver, Sean Orr, and OneCity's Lucy Maloney all oppose the plebiscite, saying police already have existing powers to address drug use in public.
Voters who have not yet cast a ballot can do so at one of 85 voting places on Saturday October 17, from 8 am to 8 pm. See the where-to-vote page for the location closest to you.
Questions this story answers
Why did Ken Sim decline the debate?
ABC Vancouver campaign manager Trevor Ford told Business in Vancouver by text on October 13 that Mayor Ken Sim has already taken part in six debates and forums with Pete Fry and other mayoral candidates. Ford said Sim is focused on reaching voters in the final days of the campaign, including a phone town hall on the public safety plebiscite. He said Sim is declining because he has already debated Fry a number of times.
What was Pete Fry's debate challenge?
Pete Fry, the Green Party of Vancouver's mayoral candidate, issued the challenge on October 9. He asked Sim to meet him at the steps of Vancouver City Hall at noon on October 14 for a one-on-one debate. Fry said voters deserve a mayor who shows up and answers their questions, and that previous multi-candidate forums did not allow for a healthy exchange between them.
Why did Pete Fry want a one-on-one debate?
Fry told Vancouver Is Awesome on October 13 that he was concerned about ABC Vancouver's attack ads, which he said gave voters wrong information about him and his campaign. He said ABC has made serious personal accusations about him and he wanted a debate format to respond to them directly. He specifically mentioned hearing that ABC canvassers were telling voters he was distributing drugs, a claim he disputed.
What are the public safety plebiscite questions on the ballot?
Voters on October 17 will answer two non-binding questions added by Mayor Sim and ABC Vancouver councillors. The first asks whether the City should strengthen its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces. The second asks whether the City should formally ask the province to convert the old St. Paul's Hospital site, or a similar location, into a secure medical facility with more than 100 involuntary care beds. Adding these questions to the ballot cost an estimated $400,000 to $550,000.
Who opposes the plebiscite?
Mayoral candidate Pete Fry, mayoral candidate Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver, COPE councillor Sean Orr, and OneCity councillor Lucy Maloney all oppose the plebiscite. According to Vancouver Is Awesome, they say Vancouver police already have the power to arrest people who use drugs in public, and they cited the cost of $400,000 to $550,000 as another reason against adding the questions.
What did the polls show about the mayoral race as of mid-October?
Vancouver Is Awesome reported two recent polls. A Leger poll conducted for Postmedia showed Pete Fry at 23 per cent and Ken Sim at 19 per cent. A separate Canada Pulse Insights poll conducted for CityNews and OMNI TV showed Fry at 28 per cent and Sim at 27 per cent. Polls are a snapshot of stated preferences and do not predict results. You can see all published polls on the voche.me polls page.
Where and when is the Vancouver election?
The municipal election is on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Polls open at 8 am and close at 8 pm. Voters can cast their ballot at one of 85 voting places across the city. You can find the location closest to you on the City of Vancouver's website or on the voche.me where-to-vote page.
How many debates have the mayoral candidates taken part in?
According to ABC Vancouver campaign manager Trevor Ford, speaking to Business in Vancouver on October 13, Mayor Ken Sim has taken part in six debates and forums with Pete Fry and other mayoral candidates during the 2026 campaign. One of those forums was a session with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on October 2, reported by voche.me. Pete Fry said previous multi-candidate formats did not allow for the direct exchange he was seeking.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Vancouver Is Awesome: Ken Sim declines Pete Fry's debate challenge (October 13, 2026)vancouverisawesome.com
- voche.me: Ken Sim candidate pagevoche.me
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