Vancouver City Council

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.

Vancouver City Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor
Ken Sim, ABC Vancouver
since November 2022
Deputy mayor
Sarah Kirby-Yung, ABC Vancouver
since January 2023
Structure
Seats10 councillors and 1 mayor
Political groups
  •   Green (2)
      OneCity (1)
Elections
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

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

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 Councillor
Lenny Zhou ABC Vancouver Councillor
Adriane Carr Green Councillor
Christine Boyle OneCity Councillor
Pete Fry Green Councillor

2018–2022

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

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[lower-alpha 1] (2017–2018) Yes Vancouver Councillor

2011–2014

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

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

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

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. Hector 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 25 February 2021.
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