What Pete Fry said at the Orpheum on the day he became Vancouver's mayor

Pete Fry became Vancouver's 42nd mayor on November 2, 2026, at the Orpheum Theatre. He took the oath of office in front of more than 1,000 people, then stood at the lectern and delivered an address that named community listening and collaboration as the work of the next four years.

CityHallWatch published a full transcript of the speech on November 3. This article draws from that transcript and from the City of Vancouver's official account of the ceremony.

What the new council is responsible for

Judge Reginald Harris, who administered the oath of office, said before swearing Fry in: "All I have to say is with success comes great responsibility. Great responsibility to everybody."

The responsibility is large. CityHallWatch cited these figures in its coverage: Vancouver has an estimated 740,000 residents, an annual operating budget of more than $2 billion, and a municipal workforce of nearly 10,000 employees. The new council will govern until November 2030.

The City of Vancouver's news release confirmed that representatives of all three local Nations were present: Councillor Morgan Guerin from Musqueam Indian Band, Councillor Sandy Lafontaine from Squamish Nation, and Councillor Nicholas Kofi from Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia also attended, along with federal and provincial elected officials.

What Fry said in his own words

Fry opened by acknowledging the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) community members who joined the ceremony on their unceded lands.

He then spoke about ordinary moments in the city rather than policy. He described turning a 10-minute errand in the West End into a 40-minute outing because of people he ran into along the way. He talked about grey mornings in the dog park, where he tried to exchange words in Cantonese with his elder Chinese neighbours. He mentioned coasting toward Olympic Village on a Mobi bike share after a difficult day at city hall, the mountains in the distance.

The CityHallWatch transcript shows he used those stories to explain how he sees Vancouver: "not as a collection of neighbourhoods, buildings, programs or services, but a community of people who care deeply about where they live and who want to leave it a little better than they found it."

The commitment he asked for

Fry told the audience he had spoken with thousands of people during the campaign. He said the common thread in those conversations was not disagreement on issues but a deep connection to the city and a belief in its future.

His address set out how the new council intends to work: "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."

He said good ideas rarely come from city hall, and that the best solutions he has encountered in public life came from residents, business owners, volunteers and advocates. He said he wants the mayor's office to help connect those voices, create spaces for new ideas, and bring people together around shared goals.

Fry described specific conversations from the campaign. A woman in Mackenzie Heights who had lived in the neighbourhood for decades and knew the story of every house on her street. A young couple who wanted to build a life in Vancouver. Children at Elsie Roy and Maple Grove Elementary schools who told him they wanted a city that is kind, fun and welcoming.

He said the same aspiration came through every conversation: a future in Vancouver. Business owners spoke about challenges while remaining hopeful. Students talked about their futures. Parents described the opportunities they want for their children. Newcomers said Vancouver is one of the most welcoming places in the world and that they believe it can remain that way.

His central phrase, repeated twice in the speech as CityHallWatch transcribed it: "collaboration over division."

Who else was sworn in and what it means

Ten councillors took the oath alongside Fry: Bridget Burns, Camil Dumont, Mike Klassen, Chloe Leslie, Lucy Maloney, Sean Orr, Annette Reilly, Devyani Singh, Stephanie Smith, and Solomon Yi-Kieran. No single party holds a majority on the 11-member council. The Greens hold five seats, COPE four, and OneCity Vancouver and ABC Vancouver one each.

One moment from the ceremony drew wider attention. CBC News reported on November 4 that a photograph of a piece of lettuce hitting Fry in the face went viral. CBC's Justin McElroy reported it was part of a blessing for good luck with a long history in the Chinese community, another layer of symbolism at an event that already carried a great deal of it.

What comes next

Fry's address ended with a question: when people look back on this moment in years to come, will they remember it as a moment when the city chose to come together, or will they remember only the motions passed and the headlines written.

The first test of that question comes in December 2026, when the new council must approve the city's budget. Every promise the mayor and each councillor made during the campaign is tracked on voche.me's promise tracker. As council votes, those votes will be recorded alongside the promises they touch.

The next regular council meeting is scheduled for November 2026. Residents can follow the agenda and speak at public hearings through the City of Vancouver's council and committee meetings page.