Vancouver Greens: lobbyist registry, ranked ballots for mayor, fewer closed meetings

GOOD GOVERNMENT · PAGES 44 TO 45

Public Interest First: what the Platform 2026 says

Public Interest First sets out how the Green Party of Vancouver says decisions at City Hall should be made and who should be able to see them. Its commitments cover the use of evidence, the role of city staff, lobbying, closed meetings, the voting system for mayor, public access to council, and reports on the city's progress. Almost all of them concern rules that Council sets for itself.

On who influences council, the party says residents deserve to know who is lobbying and on what issues. Pointing to the lack of a provincial law, the Greens say they support a voluntary lobbyist registry, a public list where people who lobby council record their contacts. On closed meetings, called in-camera meetings, the Greens would make them the exception and publish decisions and records once they no longer need to be kept private.

One item would change how the mayor is elected. The Greens would work with partners to bring ranked ballots to future mayoral elections. On a ranked ballot, voters list candidates in order of preference, so a vote can move to a second choice. The party says this would end worries about vote-splitting. The Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, now says the candidate with the most votes wins, so the Province would have to change it.

The chapter also criticises the current council. The platform says ABC limited public access to City Hall and created procedural barriers. The Greens say they would give the public more access and let councillors ask follow-up questions of speakers. They would also expand public performance dashboards, web pages where residents can track major projects and service standards. Council sets its own meeting rules, so it could make these changes without another government.

7 COMMITMENTS

What the party says it would do

1. Evidence-based decision making

   The Greens say decisions should rest on evidence instead of political ideology or guesswork, and that policies and bylaws should be drafted using objective data, community feedback and proven research.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council writes and passes the city's own bylaws and decides what information it asks for first.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 44

2. Independent civil service

   The party would champion a transparent, merit-based public administration and a clear separation between political direction and professional decision-making, so that city staff can give independent advice and run programs in a fair way.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council decides how it gives direction to city staff, so this line is Council's to draw.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 44

3. Lobbyist registry

   In the absence of provincial legislation, the Greens support a voluntary lobbyist registry so residents can see who is influencing public decisions and on what issues. The platform says this builds on Pete Fry's work on transparency at City Hall.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council can set up a voluntary registry itself, which is what the platform proposes.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 44

4. Open government by default

   The Greens would make closed meetings the exception, strengthen transparency around in-camera (closed-door) discussions, improve public reporting, and release decisions and records on time once confidentiality is no longer needed. The platform says this builds on Pete Fry's work to make City Hall more open.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council sets its own meeting rules and decides what it reports from closed meetings.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 44

5. Ranked ballots for Mayoral elections

   The Greens would work with partners to bring ranked ballots to future mayoral elections, so that voters can choose without worrying about vote-splitting. The party says results would then reflect what voters want instead of the limits of first-past-the-post, where the candidate with the most votes wins.

   Who has the power

   Province The Vancouver Charter, a provincial law, says the mayoral candidate with the most votes is elected, so only the Province can allow ranked ballots.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 44

6. Restore access at city hall

   The platform says ABC limited public access to City Hall and created procedural barriers. The Greens would give members of the public more access and give councillors the chance to ask follow-up questions of speakers.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council sets its own meeting rules, including how members of the public speak to it.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 45

7. Public performance dashboards

   The Greens would expand public performance dashboards so residents can track progress on major projects, check service standards and hold City Hall to account for results.

   Who has the power

   City Council Council can direct city staff to collect and publish these numbers.

   Source

   Platform 2026, page 45

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Questions about public interest first

ON THE BALLOT

The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this