Conflict of interest at Vancouver City Hall: the rules every new council must follow

Whoever wins seats in this election will be bound by the same ethics rules from their first day. Under section 139 of the Vancouver Charter, the new term starts on the first Monday after November 1, which in 2026 is November 2. Two sources set them: the Vancouver Charter, which is the provincial law for the city, and the City's own Code of Conduct By-law.

Two sets of rules

The Vancouver Charter is written by the BC Legislature. Its conflict of interest rules are in sections 145.2 to 145.911. A court enforces them, and the penalty can be loss of office.

The Code of Conduct By-law No. 12886 was passed by Vancouver City Council on February 9, 2021. It covers the Mayor, the 10 councillors, and people appointed to Council's advisory boards and committees. An Integrity Commissioner enforces it, and Council decides any penalty.

Section 4.1 of the by-law links the two. It tells council members to follow the Charter's conflict rules. Section 1.8 then says the by-law does not deal with conduct that could lead to disqualification under the Charter. Those cases go to court.

Declaring a conflict

A "pecuniary interest" is a money interest. A council member has one when a decision could make them gain or lose money, directly or through someone else. The Charter calls the second case an "indirect" interest.

Section 145.2 says that a member who has a money interest in a matter, or another interest that is a conflict, must say so at the meeting and give the reason in general terms. The rule applies at Council, at Council committees, and at other City bodies covered by the open meeting rules.

Section 145.3 then sets out what the member must do. They must:

• leave the meeting while the matter is discussed,
• stay out of the discussion,
• not vote on it, and
• not try to influence the vote in any way, before, during or after the meeting.

The minutes must record the declaration, the reason and the time the member left the room.

Influence outside the meeting

Sections 145.4 and 145.5 apply the rule outside meetings too. A member with a money interest must not use their office to influence a decision by City staff, by a person Council has given one of its powers to, or by any other person or body.

Section 145.91 covers "insider information": information a member learned in office that the public cannot see. A current or former member must not use it to gain money. Under section 145.9, when the City signs a contract in which a member, or someone who was a member in the previous 6 months, has a money interest, that contract must be reported at an open Council meeting.

When the rules do not apply

Section 145.6 lists exceptions. The conflict rules do not apply when:

• the member's money interest is the same as that of Vancouver voters in general,
• the matter is council pay, expenses or benefits,
• the interest is so small or distant that it could not reasonably influence the member, or
• the interest is one the province has listed in a regulation.

The province has written a regulation for Vancouver under that last point. B.C. Reg. 93/2016 covers a councillor whom Council has appointed to the board of a society or a public corporation. That councillor can still attend, discuss and vote when Council considers giving that organization money, a grant or another benefit, or a property deal with it.

Gifts: the Charter and the by-law use different numbers

Section 145.7 of the Charter bans any fee, gift or personal benefit connected with a member's duties. It allows three exceptions: gifts that come with the normal protocol or social duties of the office, pay allowed by law, and lawful donations to a candidate's campaign. Campaign donations have their own rules, set out in our guide to donation and spending limits.

The two rulebooks set different lines for reporting a protocol gift:

Both reports go to the City Clerk. A gift given to a member's spouse, child, parent or staff because of the member's work counts as a gift to the member (section 4.19).

What happens when the Charter rules are broken

Section 145.911 is the penalty. A person who breaks the rules in sections 145.3 to 145.91 is disqualified from Council, the Park Board and any other local government until the next general local election. There is one way out. The penalty does not apply if the breach was inadvertent, or an error in judgment made in good faith.

Only a court decides this. Section 142.1 lets 10 or more electors, or the City itself, apply. The City needs a resolution passed by at least two-thirds of all Council members. The application must be made within 45 days after the reason for it comes to the applicants' attention. If the member made money from the breach, section 145.92 lets the City or an elector ask the court to order the member to pay that amount to the City.

The Integrity Commissioner

Vancouver has an Integrity Commissioner. The City's page describes the office as an independent officer on a 2-year term. The current commissioner was appointed on November 1, 2025.

The commissioner's duties, from section 5.7, include:

• giving council members advice on the code when they ask,
• teaching members and the public about the rules,
• receiving and assessing complaints,
• investigating and reporting to Council, and
• publishing an annual report by December 1 each year.

Anyone can complain. The City says complaints must use its online form, and complaints sent by email or any other way will not be processed. A complaint must arrive within 180 days after the person knew, or should have known, about the conduct (section 6.9).

The commissioner first assesses the complaint. It can be closed, settled informally, or sent to a formal investigation. The by-law aims for a decision within 90 days of starting an investigation. If a breach is found, Council decides the penalty within 30 days and votes in public. The penalties in section 6.37 include a letter of reprimand, a request for an apology, removal from committees and public censure.

The commissioner must refuse some complaints. The list includes criminal allegations, complaints about freedom of information, conduct that could lead to disqualification under the Charter, and matters already before a court.

Two rules link complaints to the election. Section 6.10 says complaints about a council member running again are refused from the last day of nominations to voting day. Section 6.14 closes a complaint if the member is not re-elected.

The Park Board

Park commissioners follow a separate document, the Park Board Code of Conduct Policy. The City's page says a Park Board Integrity Commissioner, also on a 2-year term, handles those complaints through a separate online form. Our Park Board guide explains what the board controls.

To read about the people who will take these seats, see our candidates page.

The Vancouver Charter and the City of Vancouver's Code of Conduct By-law are the authority on these rules. If anything here disagrees with them, they are correct.