Pete Fry calls public safety plebiscite a 'cynical gimmick' and outlines first council priorities
In a CityNews interview, mayor-elect Pete Fry said the two public safety plebiscite questions are non-binding and a gimmick to drive turnout, and named his first priorities: a full budget, reversing the supportive housing ban, and reversing the supervised consumption site ban.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on vancouver.citynews.ca.
Mayor-elect Pete Fry told CityNews Vancouver on October 21, 2026 that the two public safety plebiscite questions on the municipal ballot are non-binding. He called them "a cynical election gimmick to drive folks to the polls" and described the vote as "just a temperature check." CityNews' Sarah Jones spoke to Fry the day before plebiscite results are expected to be released.
Fry said the new council has clear priorities regardless of the plebiscite outcome. His first item is to request a full budget so the council can make informed decisions. He named three other immediate priorities: reversing the previous council's ban on using city land or money for new supportive housing, reversing the ban on supervised consumption sites, and working on community safety.
Community safety: VPD support and new non-policing measures
On community safety, Fry said he will support the Vancouver Police Department while introducing responses for people in crisis that do not involve policing. He said the police do not want to be doing that work and that the city needs to provide daytime shelters and access to toilets for unhoused people. He said dealing with community safety is part of what the city needs to solve because "the buck stops here in the City of Vancouver."
On drug use in public, he noted it is already illegal under the Controlled Substances Act, and that the city's task is to manage how it responds to people who are unhoused and on the street.
Working with a council of four parties
The new council has no party with a majority: five Greens including the mayor, four COPE, one OneCity, and one ABC. Fry said the Greens and COPE have had a good working relationship for some time, and that he took a mentoring role with COPE councillor Sean Orr when Orr joined by by-election. He described OneCity councillor Lucy Maloney as "a dear friend."
On ABC's Mike Klassen, the only ABC member to win a council seat, Fry said: "Mike and I go back decades and I'm going to be leaning on Mike in a big way, because Mike's got a lot of knowledge from the last four years." Fry plans to rely on Klassen's experience at Metro Vancouver and on council.
Fry said he wants to build a culture at city hall where councillors set aside party colours and focus on what is good for Vancouver. He called partisan politics "a malignancy in the function of a local government." He has been a city councillor for eight years and a director on the Union of BC Municipalities for eight years.
Tracker and next steps
Two of Fry's stated priorities, reversing the supportive housing pause and reversing the supervised consumption site ban, are recorded in his promise tracker on this site. Voters who want to follow these commitments can check the tracker at /candidates/pete-fry once the new council is sworn in on November 2.
Questions this story answers
What did Pete Fry say about the Vancouver public safety plebiscite?
In the CityNews Vancouver interview published October 21, 2026, Fry said the two plebiscite questions are non-binding, describing them as 'just a temperature check' and calling the ballot measure 'a cynical election gimmick to drive folks to the polls.' He said the results won't change his approach to community safety. The plebiscite results were expected to be released on Wednesday, October 22, 2026.
What are Pete Fry's first priorities as Vancouver mayor-elect?
Fry told CityNews Vancouver on October 21, 2026 that his first priorities are requesting a full budget so the new council can make informed decisions, reversing the previous council's ban on using city land or money for supportive housing, and reversing the ban on supervised consumption sites. He also listed working on community safety as a key early focus.
What is Pete Fry's plan for community safety in Vancouver?
In the CityNews Vancouver interview on October 21, 2026, Fry said he intends to support the Vancouver Police Department and introduce new measures for people in crisis that do not involve policing. He said the police do not want to be doing that work and that the city needs to provide daytime shelters and access to toilets for unhoused people. He said dealing with community safety is the city's responsibility because 'the buck stops here in the City of Vancouver.'
How does Pete Fry plan to work with the new Vancouver city council?
Fry told CityNews on October 21, 2026 that Greens and COPE have had a good working relationship for some time, and that he intends to work closely with all councillors. He said he has known ABC councillor Mike Klassen for decades and plans to rely on his experience from the past four years. He also described OneCity councillor Lucy Maloney as a close friend and said he is setting up meetings with all councillors.
What is Pete Fry's view on partisan politics at Vancouver city hall?
In the CityNews Vancouver interview on October 21, 2026, Fry said partisan politics 'can be a malignancy in the function of a local government.' He said he wants to foster a culture where all councillors put aside party colours and focus on what is good for Vancouver. He pointed to how local governments outside Vancouver's party system operate as a model.
When does the new Vancouver council take office?
According to the CityNews Vancouver interview with Pete Fry on October 21, 2026, the new council takes office on November 2, 2026. The council has no party majority: five Green Party members including the mayor, four COPE councillors, one OneCity councillor, and one ABC Vancouver councillor.
What did Pete Fry say about public participation at Vancouver city hall?
In the CityNews Vancouver interview on October 21, 2026, Fry said local government is the most accessible form of government and that he wants people to feel they have access to city hall. He noted that after the pandemic the council changed from in-person-only delegations to allowing phone-in speakers, which increased the number of speakers from around half a dozen to dozens overnight.
What is Pete Fry's background before becoming mayor?
In the CityNews Vancouver interview published October 21, 2026, Fry noted that he has been a city councillor for eight years and a director on the Union of BC Municipalities for eight years. He said this means he has worked with MLAs, the provincial government, and local governments across British Columbia.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- CityNews Vancouver: One-on-one with Vancouver mayor-elect Pete Fryvancouver.citynews.ca
- Pete Fry candidate page on voche.mevoche.me
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