Vancouver Greens on City Hall: open budgets, ranked ballots, elected Park Board
The Green Party of Vancouver's Good Government plan would publish line-item budgets, support a voluntary lobbyist registry, work toward ranked ballots for mayor, pay city workers a Living Wage, keep an elected Park Board, and restore trust in the Police Board.
CITY COUNCIL · PAGES 42 TO 47
The aim of Good Government, in the party's words
A City Hall that's transparent, accountable, and works for the people it serves, not political interests, so every dollar and every decision earns the public's trust.
Good Government is the part of the Green Party of Vancouver's 2026 platform about how City Hall itself works. It runs from page 42 to page 47 and covers service to the public, open decision-making, the city budget, and relations with other governments. The party's stated aim is a City Hall that is transparent, accountable and earns the public's trust with every dollar and decision.
Most of the commitments are ones Council could carry out alone, because Council sets its own meeting rules, approves the budget and directs city staff. Among them, the Greens would pay city workers and major contractors a Living Wage, publish line-item budgets, set up a voluntary lobbyist registry, hold fewer closed meetings, reveal the final costs and revenues of FIFA, and let residents decide how a portion of city money is spent.
Some commitments depend on other governments. Ranked ballots for mayor, stronger integrity laws and the future of the elected Park Board are matters for the Province, which writes the Vancouver Charter. The Police Board is set up under the provincial Police Act. The platform also criticises Mayor Ken Sim and ABC on budget detail, public access, the Integrity Commissioner and the Police Board, and commits the party to work with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
4 CHAPTERS
Every chapter in Good Government
A City That Works for You
Vancouver Greens on City Hall service: living wage, public spaces, ethics
- A City that Works For You
- People first
- Public spaces
Public Interest First
Vancouver Greens: lobbyist registry, ranked ballots for mayor, fewer closed meetings
- Evidence-based decision making
- Independent civil service
- Lobbyist registry
Spending Your Money
Vancouver Greens on the budget: line-item detail, FIFA costs, participatory budgeting
- Transparent and Accountable Budgets
- Prudent stewardship of the public purse
- Asset management framework
Government to Government
Vancouver Greens: keep an elected Park Board, reform the Police Board, UNDRIP
- Protect the autonomy of Vancouver's elected Park Board
- Work with Vancouver School Board in planning
- Respectful relations with senior government
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Who holds the power for these 24 commitments
Each chapter page names the body for every commitment and gives the reason in one sentence.
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about Good Government
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's plan for City Hall?
The Green Party of Vancouver's Good Government plan would pay city workers a Living Wage, publish line-item budgets, support a voluntary lobbyist registry, hold fewer closed meetings and expand public performance dashboards. It also backs ranked ballots for mayor and an elected Park Board (platform, pages 42 to 47).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver support ranked ballots for mayor?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would work with partners to bring ranked ballots to future mayoral elections, so voters can choose without worrying about vote-splitting. The Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, would have to change first (platform, page 44).
Which parts of the Vancouver Greens' good government plan need the Province?
Ranked ballots, stronger integrity laws and the future of the elected Park Board all depend on the Province, which writes the Vancouver Charter. The Police Board is set up under the provincial Police Act, so Council cannot reform it alone. Budgets, meeting rules and a voluntary lobbyist registry are within Council's own powers (platform, pages 43 to 47).
What do the Vancouver Greens say about Ken Sim's budgets?
The platform says that under Ken Sim, budget documents that once ran to hundreds of pages were reduced to two dozen. The Green Party of Vancouver would publish clear line-item budgets and reveal the final costs and revenues of FIFA (platform, page 46).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver want to keep an elected Park Board?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver would maintain an independent, elected Park Board with clear authority over parks, beaches, recreation, urban forestry and community facilities, and says major governance changes should go to public consultation (platform, page 47).
Would the Vancouver Greens pay city workers a living wage?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver would require the City and its major contractors to pay a Living Wage, so the people who deliver public services can afford to live in Vancouver. Council sets the pay rules in the city's own hiring and contracts (platform, page 43).
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 42 to 47 · published · checked
- Vancouver Charter, Part I, section 108: declaration of official election results BC Laws, Province of British Columbia · checked
- Meet the Board: composition of the Vancouver Police Board under the Police Act Vancouver Police Board · checked