Pete Fry explains three council votes at the centre of ABC Vancouver attack ads

According to Daily Hive, ABC Vancouver has run attack ads targeting three votes Fry made as a City Councillor: his vote against a motion to block an overdose prevention site at 900 Helmcken Street, his vote against extending the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone after the FIFA World Cup, and his vote against the public safety plebiscite. Fry says each vote has an explanation that the ads leave out.

Pete Fry told Daily Hive that he voted against a motion to block the overdose prevention site at 900 Helmcken because the City cannot ban healthcare services. He said access to healthcare is a Canadian Charter right. He said he had proposed a framework to regulate operations such as overdose prevention sites and supportive housing. The provincial government ultimately cancelled the 900 Helmcken site after backlash from nearby residents and businesses, according to Daily Hive.

Pete Fry told Daily Hive that council was called to an emergency summer meeting without being told what it was about in advance, and was asked to approve the Granville Street extension on the spot. He said the extension would cost $5 million. He called it a back-of-the-napkin idea from the mayor and said council should not spend $5 million that way. He said his vote was about transparency and accountability, not the pedestrian zone itself.

Pete Fry told Daily Hive that the plebiscite is non-binding, meaning the City is not required to act on the result. He said the new St. Paul's Hospital already has 100 promised secure care beds, and that the old St. Paul's Hospital site is owned by a private developer, not the City or the province. On open-air drug use, he said it is already illegal and that confiscating people's drugs is not a solution. The plebiscite was added to the October 17 ballot by Mayor Ken Sim and the ABC Vancouver majority on City Council.

The Granville Street Pedestrian Zone is a stretch of Granville Street in downtown Vancouver that was closed to most vehicle traffic during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver then brought a motion at a summer council meeting to extend it. According to Pete Fry, that extension was priced at $5 million. Fry voted against it; the motion passed with ABC's council majority. The Green Party platform does not include a commitment to keep the zone extended.

Pete Fry told Daily Hive that he supported the Broadway Plan during his first term as a councillor. The plan allows greater residential density along Broadway, covering a six-square-kilometre area and 500 city blocks. His Green Party platform also commits to bringing back the Renters' Office, which ABC Vancouver closed in January 2023 after it was handling one call per day. Fry said the office was also meant to track whether landlords who removed tenants for renovations were actually renovating.

According to Daily Hive, the Green Party platform includes converting 11 per cent of Vancouver roads for use by pedestrians, cyclists and green space. Fry said this would offset the density added by plans such as the Broadway Plan, which adds housing but not parks or public space in proportion. The platform also includes a navigator service at City Hall to help small businesses, and Fry uses the term community safety rather than public safety to describe his approach to crime and disorder.

The Vancouver municipal election is on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Polls open at 8 am and close at 8 pm. You can vote at one of 85 voting places across the city. Find the one closest to you on the where-to-vote page at voche.me.

Pete Fry is the Green Party of Vancouver candidate for mayor. He served two terms as a City Councillor before running for mayor. You can read his full candidate profile, including his background, policy priorities, and source list, on the voche.me Pete Fry candidate page at voche.me/candidates/pete-fry.