Six Vancouver 2026 candidates take questions at Mount Pleasant queer town hall
Six candidates in the October 17 Vancouver election took questions on housing, AI, the arts and safety at a queer town hall at The Birdhouse in Mount Pleasant, The Tyee reported.
Six candidates running in Vancouver's October 17 municipal election took questions at a queer town hall inside The Birdhouse in Mount Pleasant, The Tyee's Phoebe Fuller reported on September 25, 2026. About 150 people attended what host Ky Sargeant had planned for 175, according to the paper. The panel talked about housing, artificial intelligence, the arts and safety, The Tyee reported.
Who was on the panel
The Tyee named the six candidates on the panel. From the mayoral race, Kareem Allam of the Vancouver Liberals and Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver. From the council race, Devyani Singh of COPE, Annette Reilly of the Green Party of Vancouver and Jarrett Hagglund of OneCity. From the Park Board race, Allan Fawley of TEAM for a Livable Vancouver. Every one of the six is on the October 17 ballot.
What they said, from the paper
The Tyee reported four direct quotes from the stage. Allam said, "From a national security perspective, we need AI data centres." Bligh said, "Let's make sure the next government is not an ABC government." Host Ky Sargeant, opening the event, said, "Why can't gay people ever show up on time?" Community organizer Laurence Lewis Neal, in a line The Tyee also reported, said, "What's nice about today is, yes, everyone's fired up, so what do we do?" The paper adds one number that reaches beyond the room: 36 per cent voter turnout in Vancouver's last municipal election.
Which races were represented
Two of the panelists sit at the top of the mayoral ballot in The Tyee's telling, one from the Vancouver Liberals and one from Vote Vancouver. Three run for a seat at the council table. One runs for Park Board. The School Board race had no candidate on the panel in the paper's list.
What a voter can do
If you want to see a candidate answer questions in person before October 17, this site's forums page and each campaign's own events page list upcoming events. Advance voting places and hours are on the City of Vancouver election page and on where to vote.
Questions this profile answers
When and where was the queer town hall?
The event was held at The Birdhouse, a queer arts venue in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, The Tyee's Phoebe Fuller reported on September 25, 2026. About 150 people attended, and the article says host Ky Sargeant had expected 175. The Vancouver municipal election is on October 17, 2026, so this event fell three weeks before voting day.
Which candidates attended?
The Tyee reports six candidates on the panel: Kareem Allam of the Vancouver Liberals and Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver from the mayoral race; Devyani Singh of COPE, Annette Reilly of the Green Party of Vancouver, and Jarrett Hagglund of OneCity from the council race; and Allan Fawley of TEAM for a Livable Vancouver from the Park Board race. Each of the six is on the October 17 ballot.
Who hosted the event?
Ky Sargeant, a drag performer, hosted, The Tyee reported. In one of the quotes the paper carried, Sargeant asked from the stage, "Why can't gay people ever show up on time?" The article names no organizing group beyond the host and the venue, so voche.me does not.
Was Ken Sim there?
No. Mayor Ken Sim, who is running for re-election with ABC Vancouver, was not on The Tyee's list of attendees. Rebecca Bligh, on the panel, said from the stage, "Let's make sure the next government is not an ABC government." That line is on the record because The Tyee quoted it, and it is her line, not a claim by voche.me about the sitting mayor.
What did Kareem Allam say?
In one of the direct quotes The Tyee carried, Kareem Allam said, "From a national security perspective, we need AI data centres." The article names artificial intelligence, housing and the arts as the topics discussed. He is the Vancouver Liberals candidate for mayor and appears on the October 17 mayoral ballot.
What is The Birdhouse?
The Tyee describes The Birdhouse as a queer arts venue in Mount Pleasant. The article calls it a drag performance venue and notes that disco balls hung from the ceiling during the event. voche.me has no separate information about the venue and reports only what The Tyee reported.
Where can I read The Tyee article?
The Tyee's article, by Phoebe Fuller with photographs by Dayna Finkelstein, is at thetyee.ca/News/2026/09/25/Vancouver-Queer-Town-Hall. Every fact and every direct quote in this brief comes from that article, and voche.me added no interpretation of what the candidates said.
How does this affect my vote on October 17?
The event is one of many candidate forums in the closing weeks of the Vancouver 2026 campaign. If you want to see a candidate answer questions in person, watch this site's forums calendar or the campaigns' own event pages. Vancouver holds voting day on October 17. Advance voting places and hours are on the City of Vancouver election page and on this site's /where-to-vote page.
Sources
- The Tyee: At Vancouver's Queer Town Hall Under a Disco Ball (Phoebe Fuller, 25 September 2026)
- voche.me: Where to vote