---
title: "Ken Sim declines Pete Fry's call for a one-on-one debate before voting day"
description: "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."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/ken-sim-declines-fry-debate-october-14"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T19:03:19.988Z"
---

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](/parties/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](/candidates/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](/candidates/sean-orr) and some social media posts Orr made before his election to council in the April 2025 byelection. [Ken Sim](/candidates/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](/candidates/rebecca-bligh) of Vote Vancouver, [Sean Orr](/candidates/sean-orr), and OneCity's [Lucy Maloney](/candidates/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](/where-to-vote) page for the location closest to you.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.