Vancouver Liberals say they will cancel a planned second city hall to fund parks
The Vancouver Liberals published a press release on October 5 saying mayoral candidate Kareem Allam will cancel a second city hall project and redirect the savings to a $1.35B parks funding commitment.
Announcement. A campaign, a party or the City chose to say this. voche.me reports it as their claim. Read the original report on vancouverliberals.com.
The Vancouver Liberals published a press release on October 5, 2026 saying mayoral candidate Kareem Allam plans to cancel what the party calls Ken Sim's second city hall project and redirect the savings to a $1.35B parks and community centre funding commitment.
"Ken Sim and his ABC City Council are planning to build a second city hall should they be re-elected," Allam said in the release. "We're going to cancel those plans."
The party says the current council enacted a policy allowing a new civic office building of up to 452,000 square feet. The party puts the cost at $800M or more, a figure it derives from the City of Burnaby's 2023 plans for a 355,000 square foot city hall that the party says would have cost $838M. The party says inflation since then would raise the figure further. These cost estimates are the Vancouver Liberals' own projections and have not been independently verified.
The party says it would redirect those savings to a parks plan it announced earlier in the campaign. In the 2027-2030 Park Board budget, the party says the board received $739M despite a request for $1.35B. The party attributes the $1.35B request to Vancouver Liberal Park Board Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky. Both figures come from the party's own press release.
"We will make sure that funds aren't diverted for an unnecessary office space expansion while our community centres are closing and our Parks renewal strategy is being underfunded," Allam said. "We will spend taxpayer dollars where they're needed, on parks, ice rinks, and community centres."
The party says its $1.35B parks plan targets the 2031-2034 Park Board budget cycle and would prioritize renovations to Hastings, Kensington, and Renfrew Community Centres, among other priorities. The Vancouver Liberals describe this as addressing what they call the Park Board funding gap.
The party's press release does not include a response from Ken Sim or ABC Vancouver. This site found no published response before this article was written.
Voters can compare party platforms at /parties and find Kareem Allam's full profile at /candidates/kareem-allam. Election day is October 17, 2026. Advance voting is available on October 7, 10, and 13 at locations across the city, listed at /where-to-vote.
Questions this story answers
What did the Vancouver Liberals announce on October 5?
The Vancouver Liberals published a press release on October 5, 2026 saying mayoral candidate Kareem Allam plans to cancel a second city hall project and redirect those savings to a $1.35B parks and community centre funding commitment. The party says the project would allow a civic office building of up to 452,000 square feet and puts the cost at $800M or more. These figures come from the party's own press release and have not been independently verified.
What is the second city hall project?
The Vancouver Liberals press release says the current ABC Vancouver council enacted a policy allowing a new civic office building of up to 452,000 square feet. The party calls this a second city hall. The party has not linked to the specific council resolution, and the City of Vancouver has not described the project using that name in this press release.
How does the party estimate the cost at $800M?
The party's press release says its $800M estimate is based on the City of Burnaby's failed plans for a 355,000 square foot city hall that would have cost $838M in 2023. The party says additional years of inflation would raise costs further. This is the party's own projection and is not an independent cost estimate.
What is the $1.35B parks plan?
The Vancouver Liberals previously announced a parks plan for the 2031-2034 Park Board budget cycle. The party says this plan would address what it describes as a Park Board funding gap and support the parks renewal strategy, including renovations to Hastings, Kensington, and Renfrew Community Centres. These are the party's stated priorities; no independent review of the plan has been cited.
What did the Park Board receive in the 2027-2030 budget, according to the party?
The Vancouver Liberals press release says the Park Board received $739M in the 2027-2030 budget, despite what the party describes as a request for $1.35B from Vancouver Liberal Park Board Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky. The $739M figure comes from the party's own press release and has not been independently verified against City of Vancouver budget documents.
What is Ken Sim's response to this announcement?
The Vancouver Liberals press release does not include a response from Mayor Ken Sim or ABC Vancouver. This site searched for a published response from Ken Sim or the ABC Vancouver party before this article was written and found none. If ABC Vancouver responds after publication, check their platform page at voche.me/parties for any updates.
How does this affect my vote on October 17?
Vancouver voters choose a Mayor on October 17, 2026. If parks funding and community centres are issues that matter to you, you can compare what each party has committed to on their platforms. You can review candidate and party information at voche.me/candidates/kareem-allam and at voche.me/parties.
Where can I find out more about voting in Vancouver?
Election day is October 17, 2026. Advance voting takes place on October 7, 10, and 13 at locations across the city. You can find voting locations, eligibility information, and candidate profiles at voche.me/where-to-vote.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Vancouver Liberals press release, October 5, 2026vancouverliberals.com
- Vancouver Liberals candidate page, Kareem Allamvancouverliberals.com
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