Mike Klassen, ABC's only re-elected councillor, prepares for life as the lone opposition voice
Klassen secured the 10th and final council seat with 57,922 votes and says ABC failed to communicate its record while becoming too partisan.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on dailyhive.com.
Mike Klassen won the 10th and final City Council seat on October 17 with 57,922 votes, making him the only ABC Vancouver councillor heading back to City Hall. In an interview with Daily Hive Vancouver published October 29, Klassen said his party failed its own record.
"I think that we did a poor job of communicating any achievements," he told Daily Hive. "And then, I think the criticism that we became too partisan is a fair one."
Klassen led the count at 41 of the city's 146 polling locations. He attributed his survival to decades-long community relationships and door-to-door canvassing that started in the spring. He first ran for council in 2011 and finished 13th, just 780 votes behind the last elected candidate that year.
The Park Board question
Klassen pointed to ABC's push to abolish the Park Board as one of the term's biggest missteps. The effort, he said, "consumed far too much time and political capital" without reaching a resolution. Voters looking for a party that could execute on its priorities got a different picture.
He said the public safety plebiscite told a clearer story. The vote received over 207,000 completed ballots, and more than two-thirds supported both questions. Klassen told Daily Hive the result "tapped into how the public is feeling better than perhaps ABC did."
One voice on a ten-person council
The incoming council has five Green Party members, four from COPE, and one from OneCity. Klassen will be the only ABC member at the table when Mayor-elect Pete Fry is sworn in on November 2 at The Orpheum.
He said he plans to support the new council when proposals make sense. He named supportive housing as one area where he is open, provided it includes the right services and is affordable for the city. He also said he would back a restored Renter's Office if it is run responsibly.
Where he will push back is on cost and scope. Klassen told Daily Hive he is concerned the new council may expand the city's responsibilities beyond what is manageable, at a time when streets, sidewalks, and community facilities already need work.
Projects he supports
Daily Hive reports Klassen expressed support for a SkyTrain extension to UBC, keeping the Vancouver Whitecaps in the city, and a Major League Baseball bid. He called sports a source of civic pride and community excitement.
Asked whether the relationship with Mayor-elect Fry will be a working one, Klassen pointed to a friendship of more than 30 years. "If good things come forward from this Council," he told Daily Hive, "I'll be the first to cheer it on and cheer it loudly."
The new council is inaugurated on November 2, 2026, at The Orpheum Theatre. Residents can follow Klassen's voting record and promises on his candidate page.
Questions this story answers
How many votes did Mike Klassen get in the 2026 Vancouver election?
Daily Hive reports that Klassen received 57,922 votes, enough to claim the 10th and final City Council seat. He led in voting at 41 of the 146 polling locations across the city. That made him the only ABC Vancouver councillor to win re-election on October 17, in an election that sent five Greens, four COPE members, and one OneCity member to council.
Why did ABC Vancouver lose so many council seats?
Klassen told Daily Hive that ABC did a poor job of communicating its record and drew fair criticism for becoming too partisan. He also said the party's effort to abolish the Park Board consumed far too much time and political attention without reaching a resolution.
What will Mike Klassen do as the only ABC councillor?
Klassen said he plans to support proposals from the new council when they make sense, including supportive housing with proper wraparound services and a restored Renter's Office if it is fiscally responsible. He said he will question measures that lack a clear public benefit.
What does Klassen think about the public safety plebiscite result?
He told Daily Hive the plebiscite, which drew over 207,000 completed ballots and received over two-thirds support on both questions, showed that residents' concerns about open drug use in public spaces ran deeper than ABC's election result suggested. Klassen said the result showed voters were more aligned with a stricter approach to public drug use than ABC's losing margin implied.
What major projects does Klassen support going forward?
According to Daily Hive, Klassen expressed support for a SkyTrain extension to UBC, keeping the Whitecaps soccer team in Vancouver, and advancing a Major League Baseball bid, which he views as sources of civic pride.
When does the new Vancouver City Council take office?
Mayor-elect Pete Fry and the ten councillors-elect will be sworn in on November 2, 2026, at The Orpheum Theatre. Klassen will be among them as the only returning member from ABC Vancouver. The same venue was used for the 2022 inauguration of the outgoing council. From that date, the new 11-person council, made up of five Greens, four COPE members, one OneCity member, and Klassen, starts its four-year term.
What is Klassen's history with Vancouver politics?
Daily Hive reports that in 2011, Klassen ran for council and finished 13th, just 780 votes behind the last elected candidate. He was eventually elected and served with ABC Vancouver from 2022. His 2026 re-election makes him the party's only surviving council member after a sharp shift left in the election.
Is Mike Klassen on the tracker on this site?
Yes. Klassen is one of the eleven elected people tracked on voche.me. His page at /candidates/mike-klassen lists his campaign promises and will record how he votes on each council decision as the new term gets under way after November 2, 2026. The tracker covers all council members from the new term, including how often each person votes with or against the mayor and with the rest of the council.
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