Vancouver Greens on infrastructure: repair backlog, sewer overflows, seawalls, quakes
The Green Party of Vancouver would fund regular renewal of streets, sewers and buildings, end raw sewage outflows through sewer separation, and speed up seismic upgrades and flood defences. Its platform also backs district energy and work with BC Hydro on a stronger electrical grid.
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH · PAGES 14 TO 15
Infrastructure and Resilience: what the Platform 2026 says
The Green Party of Vancouver says the city's streets, sidewalks, sewers, buildings and green spaces have suffered decades of neglect. The first commitment in this chapter is to fund their renewal on best-practice schedules. The platform ties this to planning for future heat, flooding, drought and sea-level rise, and it says that building for those conditions early can lower long-term costs while protecting residents and city services.
Several items deal with water. The Greens would separate sewers, so rain and sewage flow in different pipes, and end raw sewage outflows into local waters. They would also speed up work on seawalls, flood defences, drainage and shoreline restoration. Other items cover earthquake upgrades, curb cuts, longer crossing times and accessible bus stops, and repair methods that the party says disturb roads and the public less.
Most of this work is paid for through the city's capital plan, which Council approves. Two items reach beyond the city. Sewage treatment in the region is shared with Metro Vancouver, and the electrical grid is run by BC Hydro, a provincial Crown corporation, so the party can only work with those bodies. District energy, a shared system that heats and cools many buildings from one plant, is a place where the city already owns a utility.
10 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Infrastructure maintenance
The party would fund best-practice renewal schedules for streets, sidewalks, sewers, buildings and green spaces, which the platform says would make up for decades of neglect.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the multi-year capital plan that pays for city infrastructure.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Climate resilient infrastructure
The Greens would add cooling, warming and air-quality improvements to public facilities, and invest in rain and storm surge management, blueways, greenways, bioswales (planted ditches that soak up rainwater), sewer separation, and ending raw sewage outflows.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The city has its own municipal sewers and public buildings, but ending sewage overflows also depends on Metro Vancouver, the regional body that runs the large trunk sewers and treatment plants.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Pedestrian and active transportation infrastructure
The party would improve walking, cycling and rolling routes city-wide, with investment based on equity, safety and comfort. This includes repairing bike routes, improving sidewalks, and adding bulges and curb cuts.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city owns and designs its streets, sidewalks and bike lanes.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Accessible infrastructure
The Greens would give priority to accessible sidewalks, curb cuts, crosswalks, longer crossing times, transit connections, bus shelters, lighting and public spaces so everyone can move through the city safely and independently.
- Who has the power
- City Council Sidewalks, crosswalks and signal timing are on city streets, which Council funds and controls.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Smart infrastructure
The party would build low-cost smart information and communication technology into all renewals of traffic and safety systems. It would coordinate project timing and use less disruptive repair methods, naming cast-in-place pipes as an example, to reduce disruption to the public and to roads.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city runs its own traffic systems and decides how and when its street repairs are done.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Capital planning for climate change
The Greens would make sure major infrastructure is built for future heat, flooding, drought and sea-level rise. The platform says resilient infrastructure and early upgrades can reduce long-term costs while protecting residents and services.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the capital plan and can set the climate standards city projects must meet.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 14
Seismic safety and resilience
The party would speed up seismic upgrades, make sure new infrastructure and development meet modern earthquake standards, and give priority to investments that protect residents, essential services, heritage and community resilience.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls Vancouver's own building bylaw and the capital plan for city buildings.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 15
Sea level rise and flood protection
The Greens would speed up investment in seawalls, flood defences, drainage systems and shoreline restoration to protect neighbourhoods, infrastructure and the economy from rising seas and extreme weather, and to reduce long-term costs.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council approves the capital plan that would pay for flood protection work on city land.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 15
Electrical grid resiliency
The party would work with BC Hydro and regional partners on grid modernization, energy storage, solar power and renewable energy to make Vancouver's electrical system more secure and reliable as demand for electricity grows.
- Who has the power
- Province BC Hydro is a Crown corporation owned by the Province, so the city can only work with it.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 15
District Energy
The Greens would keep investing in shared energy systems that heat and cool several buildings, to reduce emissions, lower long-term energy costs and improve resilience.
- Who has the power
- City Council The city owns and runs the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility, so Council decides how much to invest in it.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 15
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about infrastructure and resilience
What would the Green Party of Vancouver do about raw sewage overflows?
The Green Party of Vancouver would invest in sewer separation, so rain and sewage run in separate pipes, and end raw sewage outflows. The platform lists this among its climate-resilient infrastructure commitments (platform, page 14).
Does the Vancouver Green Party have a plan for earthquakes?
Yes. The Greens would speed up seismic upgrades and make sure new infrastructure and development meet modern earthquake standards. They would give priority to protecting residents, essential services, heritage and community resilience (platform, page 15).
How would the Green Party of Vancouver prepare for sea level rise?
The party would speed up investment in seawalls, flood defences, drainage systems and shoreline restoration. It says this would protect neighbourhoods and reduce long-term costs (platform, page 15).
What do Vancouver's Greens say about fixing roads, sewers and sidewalks?
The Green Party of Vancouver would fund best-practice renewal schedules for streets, sidewalks, sewers, buildings and green spaces. The platform says this would make up for decades of neglect (platform, page 14).
Can Vancouver City Council strengthen the power grid, as the Greens propose?
Only with others. The Greens say they would work with BC Hydro and regional partners on grid modernization, storage and solar. BC Hydro is owned by the Province, so the city cannot direct it (platform, page 15).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver support district energy?
Yes. The Greens would keep investing in shared energy systems that heat and cool several buildings, which the party says reduce emissions and lower long-term energy costs (platform, page 15).
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 14 to 15 · published · checked
- The 2025 Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District environmental management and quality control annual report Metro Vancouver · checked
- About sewer overflows Metro Vancouver · checked
- BC Hydro: about us (provincial Crown corporation) BC Hydro · checked
- False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) City of Vancouver · checked