Vancouver Greens on the budget: line-item detail, FIFA costs, participatory budgeting
The Green Party of Vancouver would publish clear line-item budgets, publish the final costs and revenues of FIFA, plan repairs to city assets ahead of time, and let residents decide how a portion of city money is spent in their neighbourhood.
GOOD GOVERNMENT · PAGE 46
Spending Your Money: what the Platform 2026 says
Spending Your Money is the Green Party of Vancouver's plan for the city budget and how it is shown to the public. All of its commitments sit on one page. Each one deals with money that Council itself controls: the yearly operating budget, the long-term plan for buildings and infrastructure, and spending on large events. The chapter also names Mayor Ken Sim in its criticism of how the budget is presented today.
The first item is about how much budget detail residents can see. The Greens would publish clear line-item budgets, which list each type of spending on its own line. The platform says that under Ken Sim, budget documents that used to run to hundreds of pages have been cut to two dozen. The party says more detail would build trust and help direct money to community priorities.
Two items deal with care of city money over time. The party promises careful financial management that protects essential services. It would also use an asset management framework, a plan for keeping roads, pipes and buildings in good repair before they break down, which the platform says reduces deferred maintenance, meaning repair work that has been put off. Council approves the multi-year capital plan that pays for this work.
The last two items give residents a direct say and ask for a public accounting. Through participatory budgeting, residents would decide how a portion of city funding goes to neighbourhood projects. On FIFA, the platform says Vancouver, unlike Toronto, has not released its detailed spending categories, and the Greens would push to reveal final costs and revenues once in office.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Pages in the city's budget documents under Ken Sim, down from hundreds of pages before, according to the party
The party's figure, page 465 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Transparent and Accountable Budgets
The Greens would make city spending easier to understand through clear, accessible line-item budgets that show how public money is allocated and spent. The platform says that under Ken Sim, detailed budget documents that once ran to hundreds of pages have been reduced to two dozen.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the city's operating budget each year and decides how much detail staff publish with it.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 46
Prudent stewardship of the public purse
The party promises responsible financial management, transparent budgeting and spending decisions based on evidence. It says it would protect essential services while making sure taxpayers get the greatest benefit from every public dollar.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the property tax rate and approves the budget, so spending choices are its own.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 46
Asset management framework
The Greens would use evidence-based asset management to guide infrastructure investment, reduce deferred maintenance and keep public assets in a state of good repair. The platform says planning ahead saves money and protects public investments.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the multi-year capital plan that pays for city buildings and infrastructure.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 46
Participatory budgeting for community priorities
The party would give residents a direct role in deciding how a portion of city funding is invested in neighbourhood projects, community amenities and local improvements.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls the city budget, so it can set aside a share for residents to allocate.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 46
FIFA cost accountability
The platform says Vancouver, unlike Toronto, has not released the detailed spending categories for FIFA. The Greens would push to reveal the final costs and revenues when they take office.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can direct city staff to publish the city's own spending and revenue records.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 46
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about spending your money
What does the Green Party of Vancouver say about FIFA costs in Vancouver?
The platform says Vancouver, unlike Toronto, has not released the detailed spending categories for FIFA. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would push to reveal the final costs and revenues once it takes office (platform, page 46).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver support participatory budgeting?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver would give residents a direct role in deciding how a portion of city funding goes to neighbourhood projects, community amenities and local improvements. The platform leaves the size of that portion open (platform, page 46).
What do the Vancouver Greens say Ken Sim changed about the city budget?
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, accessible line-item budgets so residents can see how money is allocated and spent (platform, page 46).
Who decides how much budget detail Vancouver publishes?
Council approves the city's operating budget each year and can direct staff on what to publish with it. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would use that power to publish line-item budgets (platform, page 46).
What is the Green Party of Vancouver's plan for city infrastructure repairs?
The Green Party of Vancouver would use an asset management framework to guide infrastructure investment, reduce deferred maintenance and keep public assets in good repair. The party says planning ahead saves money (platform, page 46).
How would Vancouver's Greens handle city spending?
The Green Party of Vancouver promises responsible financial management, transparent budgets and spending decisions based on evidence. The party says it would protect essential services and get taxpayers the greatest benefit from every dollar (platform, page 46).
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 46 · published · checked