Vancouver City Council

Vancouver City Council
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Mayor	Ken Sim, ABC Vancouver since November 2022
Deputy mayor	Sarah Kirby-Yung, ABC Vancouver since January 2023
Structure
Seats	10 councillors and 1 mayor
Political groups	ABC Vancouver (7)    Green (1)    Independent (1)   Vacant (2)
Elections
Voting system	Plurality at-large voting (councillors) First past the post (mayor)
Last election	October 15, 2022
Next election	October 17, 2026
Meeting place
Council Chamber Vancouver City Hall Vancouver, British Columbia
Website
vancouver.ca/your-government/vancouver-city-council.aspx

Vancouver City Council is the governing body of Vancouver, British Columbia. The council consists of a mayor and ten councillors elected to serve a four-year term. Monthly, a deputy mayor is appointed from among the councillors. The current mayor is Ken Sim, who leads the party ABC Vancouver. City council meetings are held in Vancouver City Hall. The most recent election was on October 15, 2022.

Structure

Unlike many other cities of its size, all Vancouver city councillors are elected at-large, rather than being elected to represent municipal wards. ^[1] A proposal to move to a conventional ward system was rejected by voters in a 2004 referendum. ^[2] The mayor chairs council meetings and appoints members to regional boards, such as the Metro Vancouver board of directors.

The Vancouver Charter outlines the structure, powers and responsibility of the city council. Under the charter, the mayor and city council have the power to: ^[3]

• Pass by-laws regulating such things as businesses, building, noise, and land use
• Buy and sell property
• Collect property taxes and other taxes
• Approve major spending for all parts of the City government
• Take on debt
• Allocate funds for special activities, such as arts and community services
• Set up departments and offices for City services
• Hire staff for City departments and offices

Council also maintains a number of standing committees which meet to deliberate on specific topics and hear from speakers. Examples include the City Finance and Services Committee and the Policy and Strategic Priorities Committee. Each committee consists of the entire city council. City council also holds public hearings for spot rezonings.

Membership

Since 2022

See also: 2022 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Ken Sim		ABC Vancouver	Mayor
Sarah Kirby-Yung		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Lisa Dominato		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Brian Montague		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Mike Klassen		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Peter Meiszner		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Rebecca Bligh		ABC Vancouver (2022–2025) [a]	Councillor
		Independent (since 2025)
Lenny Zhou		ABC Vancouver	Councillor
Adriane Carr (2022–2025) [5]		Green	Councillor
Christine Boyle (2022–2024) [6]		OneCity	Councillor
Pete Fry		Green	Councillor

2018–2022

See also: 2018 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Kennedy Stewart		Independent (2018–2020)	Mayor
		Forward Together (2020–2022)
Rebecca Bligh		NPA (2018–2019)	Councillor
		Independent (2019–2022)
		ABC Vancouver (2022)
Melissa De Genova		NPA	Councillor
Lisa Dominato		NPA (2018–2021)	Councillor
		Independent (2021–2022)
		ABC Vancouver (2022)
Colleen Hardwick		NPA (2018–2021)	Councillor
		Independent (2021–2022)
		TEAM (2022)
Sarah Kirby-Yung		NPA (2018–2021)	Councillor
		Independent (2021–2022)
		ABC Vancouver (2022)
Adriane Carr		Green	Councillor
Pete Fry		Green	Councillor
Michael Wiebe		Green	Councillor
Jean Swanson		COPE	Councillor
Christine Boyle		OneCity	Councillor

2014–2018

See also: 2014 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Gregor Robertson		Vision	Mayor
Raymond Louie		Vision	Councillor
Heather Deal		Vision	Councillor
Kerry Jang		Vision	Councillor
Andrea Reimer		Vision	Councillor
Tim Stevenson		Vision	Councillor
Elizabeth Ball		NPA	Councillor
George Affleck		NPA	Councillor
Melissa De Genova		NPA	Councillor
Adriane Carr		Green	Councillor
Geoff Meggs (2014–2017)		Vision	Councillor
Hector Bremner [b] (2017–2018)		Yes Vancouver	Councillor

2011–2014

See also: 2011 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Gregor Robertson		Vision	Mayor
Raymond Louie		Vision	Councillor
Heather Deal		Vision	Councillor
Tony Tang		Vision	Councillor
Kerry Jang		Vision	Councillor
Andrea Reimer		Vision	Councillor
Tim Stevenson		Vision	Councillor
Geoff Meggs		Vision	Councillor
Elizabeth Ball		NPA	Councillor
George Affleck		NPA	Councillor
Adriane Carr		Green	Councillor

2008–2011

See also: 2008 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Gregor Robertson )		Vision	Mayor
Raymond Louie		Vision	Councillor
Heather Deal		Vision	Councillor
George Chow		Vision	Councillor
Kerry Jang		Vision	Councillor
Andrea Reimer		Vision	Councillor
Tim Stevenson		Vision	Councillor
Geoff Meggs		Vision	Councillor
David Cadman		COPE	Councillor
Ellen Woodsworth		COPE	Councillor
Suzanne Anton		NPA	Councillor

2005–2008

See also: 2005 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Sam Sullivan		NPA	Mayor
Suzanne Anton		NPA	Councillor
Peter Ladner		NPA	Councillor
Kim Capri		NPA	Councillor
Elizabeth Ball		NPA	Councillor
B.C. Lee		NPA	Councillor
Raymond Louie		Vision	Councillor
Tim Stevenson		Vision	Councillor
George Chow		Vision	Councillor
Heather Deal		Vision	Councillor
David Cadman		COPE	Councillor

2002–2005

See also: 2002 Vancouver municipal election

Name	Party		Position
Larry Campbell		COPE	Mayor
		Vision
Fred Bass		COPE	Councillor
David Cadman		COPE	Councillor
Jim Green		COPE	Councillor
		Vision
Peter Ladner		NPA	Councillor
Raymond Louie		COPE	Councillor
		Vision
Tim Louis		COPE	Councillor
Anne Roberts		COPE	Councillor
Tim Stevenson		COPE	Councillor
		Vision
Sam Sullivan		NPA	Councillor
Ellen Woodsworth		COPE	Councillor

Notes

1. Bligh was ejected from ABC Vancouver on February 14, 2025. ^[4]
2. Bremner's seat originally belonged to Geoff Meggs, who had been elected as a Vision Vancouver candidate during the 2014 municipal election. His seat was vacated as a result of Premier John Horgan appointing Meggs as his chief of staff. Bremner was elected October 14, 2017, in a by-election.

References

1. Geller, Michael (November 5, 2018). "Wards or not, Vancouver's electoral system needs reforming". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
2. Matas, Robert (October 18, 2004). "Vancouver rejects ward system". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
3. "Vancouver City Council". Vancouver.ca. City of Vancouver. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
4. Fumano, Dan (February 14, 2025). "Vancouver city councillor Rebecca Bligh is out of ABC". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved February 14, 2025.
5. Brockman, Charles; Meiklejohn, Michelle (January 15, 2025). "Vancouver's longest-serving city councillor announces resignation, citing frustrations with mayor's party". CityNews Vancouver. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
6. "REPORT TO COUNCIL" (PDF). City of Vancouver . December 12, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.

External links

• Vancouver City Council
• Vancouver's elected representatives, by Wayne D. Madden A compilation of election results for Vancouver, British Columbia at the municipal, provincial and federal levels through 2002. Available on Internet Archive.