What Vancouver City Council decides, and what belongs to the Province, TransLink and the boards

On October 17, Vancouver elects a mayor and 10 councillors. Together they are City Council. Most of what Council can do comes from one provincial law, the Vancouver Charter, which applies to Vancouver alone. This guide sets out what that law lets Council decide, and which decisions sit with the Province, TransLink, the Vancouver Police Board, the Park Board and the School Board.

Where the power comes from

Most BC cities work under a general law called the Community Charter. Its definition of a municipality leaves out the City of Vancouver unless a section says otherwise. Vancouver's rules are in its own Charter.

Section 137 of the Vancouver Charter sets the size of Council: a mayor and 10 councillors. The quorum is 6. A quorum is the smallest number of members who must be present before a meeting can make decisions.

Section 145 says the city's powers are exercised by Council, unless the law gives a power to someone else. Section 189 adds a broad power: Council "may provide for the good rule and government of the city."

Council acts in two ways. Section 151 lets it use a bylaw, which is a local law, or a resolution, which is a decision recorded in the minutes. A rule that carries a fine must be made by bylaw.

Zoning and rezoning

Zoning decides how each piece of land can be used and what can be built on it. Section 565 lets Council divide the city into zones and regulate, zone by zone:

• the use of land and buildings,
• the height, bulk, size and floor area of buildings,
• the space between buildings and the size of yards, and
• the density of each zone.

Section 565.01 lets a zoning bylaw require that the homes in an area be rental homes.

A rezoning changes the zoning of a site. Section 559.02 treats an application for rezoning as an application to amend a zoning bylaw, and Council must hold a public hearing before it adopts one. There are exceptions. Council may skip the hearing when the bylaw fits an official development plan, which is a larger plan Council has already adopted for an area. When a bylaw fits such a plan, and its only purpose is to allow a project that is at least half housing by floor area, the Charter says Council must not hold a hearing at all.

The Province has set limits on this power. Section 565.03 required Vancouver's zoning, by June 30, 2026, to allow at least one extra home on lots that had been limited to one detached house. Section 565.001 stops Council from restricting height or density below the levels set in provincial regulations for land near transit stations, in places the law calls transit-oriented areas.

Rent is a provincial matter. The Province says rent increases must stay within the yearly limit set by its Residential Tenancy Branch. The limit for 2026 is 2.3%.

The budget and the property tax

Each year, section 372 requires Council to adopt the estimates. The estimates are the city's budget: the revenue the city expects from every source and what it expects to spend. Section 373 then requires a rating bylaw. That bylaw sets the tax rate on each property, high enough to raise what the budget needs after the city's other revenue.

The same tax bill carries a school tax, and that money goes elsewhere. Sections 421A and 421B make the city the Province's agent for collecting school taxes, and Council must pay what it collects to the Province's Minister of Finance.

Borrowing has its own rule. Under section 242, Council cannot take on debt that the current year's budget does not pay for unless voters approve a borrowing bylaw. Water, sewer and some other purposes are exempt. This is why borrowing questions appear on the ballot. Our ballot questions page has the 2026 wording.

Streets, business and buildings

Section 289 vests every street, park and public square in the city, which means the city holds the legal title to the land. Section 317 lets Council make bylaws on traffic, parking and the routes vehicles may take. Bike lanes, sidewalks, parking rules and street design are Council decisions.

Section 272 lets Council license any business, trade or profession and set the fees. Section 309 creates the Fire Department, with a Fire Chief appointed by Council.

Vancouver also writes its own building bylaw. Section 306 lets Council regulate how buildings are built, for:

• safety and health,
• fire protection,
• access for people with disabilities,
• saving energy and water, and
• reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Decisions that belong to other bodies

The Vancouver Police Board

Council approves the police budget. The Vancouver Police Board directs the police department. Section 23 of the BC Police Act sets the board's members: 1 member of council chosen by council, 1 other person chosen by council, and up to 7 people appointed by the provincial cabinet.

Section 26 says the board appoints the chief constable, and the department works under the board's direction. Section 27 requires the board to send Council a provisional budget by November 30 each year. If Council refuses an item, either side can ask a provincial official, the director of policing and law enforcement services, to decide whether it stays in.

TransLink

Buses and SkyTrain are run by TransLink, whose legal name is the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority. The law that creates it gives it the job of running the regional transportation system. The law's definition of that system includes buses, rail, ferries, cycling path networks and the major road network.

The city has a voice through its mayor. Section 208 of the same law puts every mayor in the region on the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation, and section 223 requires TransLink to apply to that council for some fare increases. The mayor's vote there counts for more in a bigger city: section 211 gives each mayor 1 vote for every 20,000 residents, or part of 20,000.

The Park Board

Section 488 gives the elected Park Board exclusive control of every area designated as a permanent public park. Council holds the money. Under section 492 the board sends its yearly estimates to Council, which adopts them in whole or in part. Section 493 bars the board from spending beyond them without a Council resolution. Our Park Board guide covers the rest.

The School Board

Vancouver's public schools are run by a separate elected board, which the Charter calls the Board of School Trustees of School District No. 39 (Vancouver). Our school trustee guide explains what trustees decide.

When the new Council starts

Section 139 says the term of the people elected on October 17 begins on the first Monday after November 1, which in 2026 is November 2, or when each one takes the oath of office, if that is later. Under section 160, all of Council's committees end just before that day. Section 159 lets the new Council create its own.

Using this when you vote

Many campaign promises touch more than one of these bodies. A promise on rent, transit or policing needs the Province, TransLink or the Police Board to agree. A promise on zoning, the tax rate, bike lanes or business licences is a Council decision.

On our compare page you can pick a race and a subject and read what every candidate in that race has published on it.

The Vancouver Charter is the final word on what Council can do. The current text is published at bclaws.gov.bc.ca, and if anything here disagrees with it, the Charter is correct.