Vancouver Greens on business: a navigator service, faster permits, local buying
The Green Party of Vancouver says it would give small businesses one contact person at City Hall, cut permit costs and approval times, make change-of-use permits faster, and use city purchasing to favour local businesses and social enterprises.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT · PAGES 32 TO 33
Taking Care of Business: what the Platform 2026 says
The Green Party of Vancouver opens its economic section with City Hall itself. The party says it wants Vancouver to be the best city in Canada to start, grow and invest in a business, and it lists seven steps to get there. Most of them change how the city handles permits, licences and questions from business owners. All seven use powers that City Council already holds.
The largest new service in the chapter is a Business Navigator Service. The Greens would give each small business one contact person at the city. That person would guide an application through permits and licences, work across departments, find problems early and keep the owner informed until the end. The party would also give the city's Business and Economy Office a wider job, more staff and an online business portal.
The Greens would also speed up change-of-use permits. This is the city's approval to switch what a space is used for, for example from a shop to a cafe. The party wants one space to allow more than one use, and it wants open data that shows which uses are already approved. It would compare Vancouver's permit times, fees and rules with leading North American cities on a regular schedule.
The last item is called Elbows Up: Buy Vancouver, Build Canada. The platform says councillor Pete Fry brought one of Canada's first city responses to the Trump tariffs in 2025. The Greens would use city purchasing to favour local businesses, social enterprises and community enterprises where possible. They would also bring back community benefit agreements, which the platform says ABC's council cut.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
The year the party says Pete Fry introduced one of Canada's first municipal responses to the Trump tariffs
The party's figure, page 337 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Strengthen the Business and Economy Office
The party would give the City's Business and Economy Office a wider mandate and more capacity to support local business growth, retention and economic development. It names a user-friendly digital business portal, better coordination across departments, and stronger support for entrepreneurs and job creation.
- Who has the power
- City Council The office is part of the city's own staff, so council decides its job and its budget.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 32
Compete for investment
The Greens say they would make Vancouver the best city in Canada to start, grow and invest in a business by improving approval timelines, modernizing regulations and actively attracting investment that creates good jobs. The party says it would focus on certainty, responsiveness, infrastructure and efficient government.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the city's own approval process and business rules, which are the tools this item names.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 32
Benchmark Vancouver
The party would regularly compare Vancouver's permitting timelines, fees, regulations and business climate with leading North American cities.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can direct city staff to collect and publish this comparison.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 32
Make it easier for small business to do business
The Greens would cut red tape, lower permit costs, speed up approvals and create a single point of contact for business owners dealing with City Hall.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets permit and licence fees and runs the city's approval process.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 32
Business Navigator Service
The party would create a Business Navigator Service that gives each small business a dedicated contact person. That person would guide applications through the City's permitting and licensing process, coordinate across departments, identify issues early and keep applicants informed from start to finish.
- Who has the power
- City Council This would be a new city service run by city staff, so council can create and fund it.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 33
Change is hard. A change of use shouldn't be
The Greens would simplify and fast-track change-of-use permits for existing commercial spaces, so vacant storefronts and underused buildings can become businesses, services and community spaces. They would add flexibility for multiple uses in one space and publish open data showing which uses are already approved.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls the city's zoning and its own permit process.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 33
Elbows Up: Buy Vancouver, Build Canada
The platform says Pete Fry introduced one of Canada's first municipal responses to the Trump tariffs in 2025. The Greens would use City purchasing power to support local businesses, social enterprises and community enterprises whenever possible, and would reinstate community benefit agreements, which the platform says ABC's council cut.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the city's purchasing policy and the conditions it attaches to city contracts.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 33
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about taking care of business
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's Business Navigator Service?
The Green Party of Vancouver would create a Business Navigator Service that gives each small business one dedicated contact person at the city. That person would guide applications through permits and licences, coordinate across departments, find issues early and keep the owner informed from start to finish (platform, page 33).
What would Vancouver's Greens do about permit costs for small businesses?
The Vancouver Greens say they would cut red tape, lower permit costs and speed up approvals for small businesses. They would also create a single point of contact for business owners dealing with City Hall (platform, page 32).
How would the Green Party of Vancouver fill empty storefronts?
The Green Party of Vancouver would simplify and fast-track change-of-use permits, which let a space switch from one use to another. The party would allow more than one use in a space and publish open data on which uses are already approved, so vacant storefronts and underused buildings can become businesses and community spaces (platform, page 33).
What is the Vancouver Green Party's Elbows Up buy local plan?
Under the name Elbows Up: Buy Vancouver, Build Canada, the Green Party of Vancouver would use city purchasing to support local businesses, social enterprises and community enterprises whenever possible. The party would also bring back community benefit agreements, which it says ABC's council cut. The platform says Pete Fry introduced one of Canada's first municipal responses to the Trump tariffs in 2025 (platform, page 33).
Would the Green Party of Vancouver compare Vancouver with other cities on permits?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would regularly compare Vancouver's permit times, fees, regulations and business climate with leading North American cities (platform, page 32).
Who would have to act on the Green Party of Vancouver's business plan?
City Council. Each item in this part of the Green Party of Vancouver's platform uses a tool council already controls: the city's permit and licence process, its fees, its own staff and its purchasing policy. Each change would need a majority vote on council (platform, pages 32 to 33).
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
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.
- Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 32 to 33 · published · checked