--- title: "Tax Mansions to End Homelessness: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/parties/cope/2026-platform/fight-for-housing/tax-mansions-to-end-homelessness" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:00:26.729Z" meta: description: "COPE would tax mansions to pay for ending homelessness and use every city power on emergency shelters, tiny house villages, meal programs and storage for b..." "og:description": "COPE would tax mansions to pay for ending homelessness and use every city power on emergency shelters, tiny house villages, meal programs and storage for b..." "og:title": "Tax Mansions to End Homelessness: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026" "twitter:description": "COPE would tax mansions to pay for ending homelessness and use every city power on emergency shelters, tiny house villages, meal programs and storage for b..." "twitter:title": "Tax Mansions to End Homelessness: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026" --- ** COPE · Vancouver 2026 # COPE on homelessness: a mansion tax, tiny house villages, an end to street sweeps COPE would tax mansions to pay for ending homelessness and use every city power on emergency shelters, tiny house villages, meal programs and storage for belongings. It would stop street sweeps, ban hostile architecture and restore the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District zoning. All 8 commitments [Read page 9 of the PDF ](https://www.votecope.ca/s/Fight-For-Vancouver-COPE-2026-Platform-t7yf.pdf#page=9) [**12**Candidates](https://voche.me/parties/cope/candidates) [**9/10**Issues with published policy](https://voche.me/parties/cope/platform) [**7**Sources on file](https://voche.me/parties/cope/money) **9**Questions answered FIGHT FOR HOUSING · PAGE 9 ## Tax Mansions to End Homelessness: what the Fight for Vancouver says COPE links homelessness directly to rents. Its platform says homelessness rises by 9% for every $100 that median rent goes up, and that 42% of respondents in a 2025 city homelessness report named an eviction as the cause. The chapter's title states the party's main answer: tax the wealth held in large houses and use the money to build the homes needed to end homelessness. In the short term, COPE says it would use all city powers to deploy emergency shelters quickly, along with supportive programs, meal programs, tiny house villages, daytime respite spaces and storage for people's belongings. It would form a partnership of Greater Vancouver cities to press the provincial and federal governments for funding, and it says tent cities will end only when people have a place to go. The page also covers how the city treats people living outside. COPE would stop street sweeps, which the platform says cost people their belongings and ID, and would ban hostile architecture, meaning design that stops people from resting in public spaces. It would follow the eight principles of the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada. Council funds shelters and outreach, but health services and treatment are provincial and federal, and a new mansion tax would need powers from the Province. THE PARTY'S NUMBERS ## Figures in this chapter **9%** Rise in homelessness for every $100 rise in median rent, according to the platform The party's figure, page 9 **4,700** Homes the party says Vancouver will still be short of current need even if it meets its 2030 shelter-rate housing targets The party's figure, page 9 **12%+** Increase in homelessness under Ken Sim, according to the platform The party's figure, page 9 **42%** Share of respondents who the platform says named eviction as the cause of their homelessness The party's figure, page 9 **8** Key principles of the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada that COPE would follow The party's figure, page 9 8 COMMITMENTS ## What the party says it would do 1. ### Address homelessness with all available city powers COPE would urgently use all city powers on homelessness, including the quick deployment of emergency shelters, supportive programs, meal programs, tiny house villages, daytime respite spaces to reduce street activity, and storage for unhoused residents' belongings.
Who has the power
City, with others Council funds shelter sites and city outreach, while health services and most housing funding come from the provincial and federal governments.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
2. ### A Greater Vancouver partnership to end homelessness The party would start a partnership between cities in the Greater Vancouver area to prevent and end homelessness, and use it to press the provincial and federal governments for funding.
Who has the power
City, with others Each city would have to join, and the funding the platform seeks would come from the provincial and federal governments.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
3. ### End tent cities by providing affordable housing COPE says tents will keep appearing in every neighbourhood until people have a place to go, and would end tent cities by providing affordable housing.
Who has the power
City, with others Council approves sites for housing, but funding for supportive and social housing comes mostly from senior governments.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
4. ### Stop street sweeps The party would stop what it calls inhumane street sweeps. The platform says people lose their belongings, ID and other essentials during police activity aimed at homeless people, and calls for a human rights based approach.
Who has the power
City, with others Council directs city crews through city staff. The police department is directed by the Vancouver Police Board.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
5. ### Ban hostile architecture in public space COPE would ban hostile architecture, design meant to stop people from resting or sheltering, in public spaces including transit hubs and community centres.
Who has the power
City, with others Council controls city streets and buildings, the Park Board runs community centres, and TransLink, a regional body, runs transit hubs.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
6. ### Follow the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments The party would follow the 8 key principles of the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada for recognizing the human rights of people living in encampments.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets city policy on how staff respond to encampments on city land.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
7. ### Restore the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District zoning COPE would restore the DEOD (Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District) zoning and end what it calls the developer windfall for condos in the Downtown Eastside.
Who has the power
City Council Council sets zoning, including the zoning for the Downtown Eastside.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
8. ### Tax mansions to end homelessness The party would tax the wealth held in mega-mansions and use the money to build the housing needed to end homelessness quickly.
Who has the power
City, with others The platform does not name the tax. Council sets the property tax rate, but the city's powers come from the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law that only the Province can change.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 9
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT ## Where the power sits for this chapter City, with others6 City Council2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ## Questions about tax mansions to end homelessness
What is COPE's mansion tax for? COPE says it would tax the wealth held in mega-mansions and use the money to build the housing needed to end homelessness. The platform does not give a rate on this page. Any new type of tax would need powers that only the Province can give the city (platform, page 9).
What would COPE do about homeless camps in Vancouver? COPE says it would end tent cities by providing affordable housing, stop street sweeps and follow the 8 key principles of the National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada (platform, page 9).
Does COPE support tiny house villages? Yes. COPE lists tiny house villages among the steps it would take with all available city powers, along with emergency shelters, meal programs, daytime respite spaces and storage for unhoused residents' belongings (platform, page 9).
What is the DEOD and what does COPE want to do with it? The DEOD is the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District, a zoning area in the Downtown Eastside. COPE would restore it and end what it calls the developer windfall for condos in the neighbourhood (platform, page 9).
Can Vancouver end homelessness without the Province? COPE itself proposes a partnership of Greater Vancouver cities to press the provincial and federal governments for funding. Council funds shelters and city outreach, while health services, treatment and most housing funding come from senior governments (platform, page 9).
Does COPE want to ban hostile architecture? Yes. COPE would ban hostile architecture in public spaces, including transit hubs and community centres, and says the solution to homelessness is homes (platform, page 9).
ON THE BALLOT ## The COPE candidates behind this ### City Council [111**Sean Orr**Ballot 111 · Vancouver city councillor](https://voche.me/candidates/sean-orr) [121**Devyani Singh**Ballot 121](https://voche.me/candidates/devyani-singh) [124**Chloe Leslie**Ballot 124](https://voche.me/candidates/chloe-leslie) [155**Solomon Yi-Kieran**Ballot 155](https://voche.me/candidates/solomon-yi-kieran) ## Sources Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it. 1. [Fight for Vancouver: COPE 2026 Platform (PDF) ](https://www.votecope.ca/s/Fight-For-Vancouver-COPE-2026-Platform-t7yf.pdf#page=9)SAYS SO ITSELFCOPE · pages 9 · checked September 30, 2026 ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.