---
title: "Pete Fry says budget and community response team are first priorities"
description: "After being sworn in as Vancouver's 42nd mayor, Pete Fry told reporters that balancing the city's budget in December and setting up the CROW community response team are his first priorities."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/pete-fry-budget-crow-priorities-inauguration-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-03T06:37:52.328Z"
---

[Pete Fry](/candidates/pete-fry) told reporters after his inauguration as Vancouver's 42nd mayor that balancing the city's budget in December is the first major order of business for the new council.

Speaking in a scrum after the ceremony at The Orpheum Theatre on November 2, 2026, Fry said he also wants to set up the infrastructure for community safety. His top stated goal in that area is the CROW team: a 24-hour, non-police, non-medical mobile response unit for calls involving homelessness, addiction and other mental health difficulties. Doing both, he said, will involve reaching out to the provincial and federal governments to find funding opportunities, according to Vancouver Is Awesome.

The CROW team was a central Green Party promise during the campaign. It is tracked at [voche.me/candidates/pete-fry](/candidates/pete-fry).

## The ceremony

More than 1,000 people attended the ceremony at The Orpheum Theatre, where Provincial Court Judge Reginald Harris administered the oath of office to Fry and the 10 newly elected city councillors. The Vancouver Fire Rescue Services band played before the ceremony.

In his address, Fry said: "I may be mayor, but I'm also a neighbour, and being a good neighbour means listening carefully. It means showing up, it means working through difficult conversations and staying at the table, even when things get complicated."

## What Fry said to each councillor

At the evening's inaugural council meeting, Fry addressed each councillor by name. A few of those remarks, as reported by Vancouver Is Awesome:

To [Sean Orr](/candidates/sean-orr), whom Fry named as deputy mayor: "A steadfast defender of the underdog and a champion for poverty reduction, you've grown into this role while holding on to the punk rock dishwasher blogger spirit that first brought you here. That's why I've asked you to serve as deputy mayor."

To [Lucy Maloney](/candidates/lucy-maloney): "Your passion for active transportation and safer streets will help this council make meaningful progress towards vision zero."

To [Mike Klassen](/candidates/mike-klassen), the only ABC Vancouver councillor on the new council: "You may be the lone representative of your party at this table, but you are not alone."

To [Solomon Yi-Kieran](/candidates/solomon-yi-kieran): "Despite your age, no one should underestimate the depth of your experience in advocacy and governance."

Yi-Kieran, 21, is the youngest person ever elected to Vancouver City Hall, according to Vancouver Is Awesome. He told reporters he wants to focus on housing affordability, transit and making sure young people can stay in the city.

## What comes next

Council's next public meeting is scheduled for November 17, 2026. Residents can find meeting dates and watch sessions at vancouver.ca.

The full tracker of Mayor Fry's campaign promises, including the CROW team and the December budget commitment, is at [voche.me/candidates/pete-fry](/candidates/pete-fry).

## Sitemap

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