Solomon Yi-Kieran, Vancouver's youngest-ever councillor, will push for transit improvements
COPE City Councillor Solomon Yi-Kieran, who turns 21 the day before taking office on November 2, told Daily Hive Vancouver their first priorities will be a SkyTrain extension to UBC, covered bus stop benches, and dedicated bus lanes.
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Solomon Yi-Kieran, who will become Vancouver's youngest-ever city councillor when the new council is sworn in on November 2, told Daily Hive Vancouver on October 28 that they plan to push for a SkyTrain extension to the University of British Columbia, covered benches at every bus stop, and dedicated bus lanes. Yi-Kieran ran with COPE Vancouver and won their seat with just over 60,000 votes.
Yi-Kieran turned 21 the day before the October 17 election.
"As a younger person, I use transit, and almost everyone I know uses transit basically daily. Most younger people cannot afford a car. Most younger people cannot afford to constantly be Ubering. And what you end up seeing is that transit is such an important thing," Yi-Kieran told Daily Hive Vancouver.
They said their interest in transit comes from two sources: their own daily use of the system and their father, who works as a bus and Handy-Dart driver.
Transit as a political priority
Yi-Kieran told Daily Hive Vancouver they believe transit has not been treated as a priority by most elected officials because those officials are not transit users themselves. "Most elected officials follow the idea that it's only going to be the wealthy homeowners who vote, so they don't care about getting transit riders to come out and vote," they said.
Their promise tracker at voche.me includes a pledge to bring a motion for covered bus stop benches within their first month on council, as well as commitments to extend bus lanes and push for lower-cost transit passes.
Work before the election
Before running for council, Yi-Kieran was involved in student politics at UBC, where they studied history. They led a campaign for the UBC SkyTrain that gathered 15,000 petition signatures and organized a protest outside Broadway-City Hall Station marking the 18-year delay of the project. They also worked with Councillors Sean Orr and Lucy Maloney on a unanimous council motion for the City to re-endorse the UBC SkyTrain.
Yi-Kieran grew up in both Canada and China, living in Victoria, Courtenay, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Tianjin and Kunming, and is fluent in Chinese.
The new council meets for the first time on November 2. Voters can track whether Yi-Kieran acts on their transit commitments at /candidates/solomon-yi-kieran.
Questions this story answers
Who is Solomon Yi-Kieran?
Solomon Yi-Kieran is a newly elected Vancouver City Councillor who ran with COPE Vancouver. They won their seat with just over 60,000 votes in the October 17, 2026 civic election. They are the youngest person ever elected to Vancouver City Council, having turned 21 the day before the election. Daily Hive Vancouver reported on their plans on October 28, 2026.
What transit projects does Solomon Yi-Kieran plan to push for?
Yi-Kieran told Daily Hive Vancouver they plan to push for three main transit improvements: a SkyTrain extension to the University of British Columbia (UBC), covered benches at every bus stop in Vancouver, and dedicated bus lanes so buses are not held up in traffic. Their tracker on voche.me lists a promise to bring a motion for covered bus stop benches within their first month on council.
Why is transit a priority for Yi-Kieran?
Yi-Kieran said their interest in transit comes from their own experience as a transit user and from their father, who works as a bus and Handy-Dart driver. They told Daily Hive Vancouver: 'As a younger person, I use transit, and almost everyone I know uses transit basically daily. Most younger people cannot afford a car.' They also said they believe most elected officials have not prioritized transit because they are not transit users themselves.
When is Solomon Yi-Kieran being sworn in?
Yi-Kieran will be sworn in as a Vancouver City Councillor on Monday, November 2, 2026, along with the rest of the new council and Mayor Pete Fry. Voters who want to follow whether Yi-Kieran acts on their transit promises can check their tracker page at voche.me.
What did Yi-Kieran do on transit before being elected?
While a student at UBC, Yi-Kieran ran for vice president of external affairs for the student union. They led a campaign for the UBC SkyTrain that gathered 15,000 petition signatures. They also worked with Councillors Sean Orr and Lucy Maloney on a unanimous council motion for the City to re-endorse the UBC SkyTrain, and organized a protest outside Broadway-City Hall Station marking the 18-year delay of the project.
What else did Yi-Kieran do as a student activist?
Yi-Kieran told Daily Hive Vancouver they helped secure $40 million for youth climate jobs through the Youth Climate Corps by working with climate organizers across Canada to lobby the federal government. They also led student unions across BC in pushing against a provincial post-secondary review that might have ended a two per cent tuition cap.
What is Yi-Kieran's background?
Yi-Kieran grew up in both Canada and China, spending time in Victoria, Courtenay, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Tianjin and Kunming. They are fluent in Chinese. They studied history at UBC and had planned to become a history teacher. They said growing up in two countries showed them how different urban planning and views of government can be around the world.
How can I track whether Yi-Kieran follows through on their promises?
Voche.me tracks the promises of every elected Vancouver councillor. You can see Yi-Kieran's full list of commitments, including the covered bus stop benches and other transit pledges, on their candidate page at voche.me. The tracker is updated as the council meets and votes on motions from November 2 onward.
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