---
title: "Pete Fry explains three council votes at the centre of ABC Vancouver attack ads"
description: "Green Party mayoral candidate Pete Fry gave his explanations for three council votes that ABC Vancouver has used in attack ads targeting his record."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/pete-fry-voting-record-attack-ads-october-15"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T19:03:19.189Z"
---

Green Party of Vancouver mayoral candidate [Pete Fry](/candidates/pete-fry) told Daily Hive Urbanized on October 13 how he explains three council votes that ABC Vancouver has used in attack ads against his campaign, with two days left before voting day on October 17.

ABC Vancouver has run ads citing those votes to cast doubt on Fry's record. Fry said each vote has a reason the ads leave out.

## The overdose prevention site at 900 Helmcken

[Ken Sim](/candidates/ken-sim) brought a motion to City Council directing staff to use all available tools to block an overdose prevention site at 900 Helmcken Street. Fry voted against it.

Fry told Daily Hive he voted against the motion 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, and that the 900 Helmcken site was large enough to have supported that framework.

The provincial government eventually cancelled the 900 Helmcken site after backlash from nearby residents and businesses, according to Daily Hive.

## The Granville Street extension

Fry also voted against extending the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone, which had been in place during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He told Daily Hive that council was called to an emergency summer meeting without being told in advance what was on the agenda.

"We can't spend $5 million on a back-of-the-napkin, mayor's idea," Fry said.

He said the vote was about transparency and accountability. The $5-million extension passed with the support of ABC Vancouver's council majority.

## The public safety plebiscite

The 2026 ballot includes two non-binding questions on public safety, added by Sim and the ABC-majority council. Fry voted against putting them on the ballot.

Fry told Daily Hive 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 site is owned by a private developer. On open-air drug use, he said it is already illegal and that confiscating drugs "is not going to fix them."

## What else Fry is promising

Fry's Green Party platform includes bringing back the Renters' Office, closed by the ABC-majority council in January 2023 after handling one call per day on average. Fry told Daily Hive the office was also meant to track whether landlords who removed tenants for renovations were actually renovating.

The platform also commits to converting 11 per cent of Vancouver roads for pedestrians, cyclists and green space, and to a navigator service at City Hall to help small businesses.

Voters who have not yet cast a ballot can do so at one of 85 voting places on Saturday October 17, from 8 am to 8 pm. See the [where-to-vote](/where-to-vote) page for the location nearest to you.

## Sitemap

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