Small businesses are at the heart of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and economy. Mayor Ken Sim stopped by a local coffee shop @thecornerstorecafe and talked with the owner about how business has been going and heard firsthand about the impact major events have had on bringing customers through the door. Supporting small businesses means supporting the people who take risks, create jobs and contribute to our economy every day. As an entrepreneur himself, Ken knows running a small business isn’t easy. That’s why ABC Vancouver is committed to cutting red tape, making City Hall easier to work with and helping businesses grow, invest and create good jobs in Vancouver. But none of our economy can succeed unless Vancouver is safe and affordable. We’ve started to make change in Vancouver, but we haven’t yet achieved all the change we want. The next step is continuing to make our streets and neighbourhoods safer for residents, workers and the businesses that help build this city. That’s why the Public Safety Plebiscite is so important. On October 17th, Vancouverites will have a direct say on stronger City laws around open air hard drug use and on calling for secure medical treatment for people in severe crisis. We want Vancouver to be a city where entrepreneurs can succeed, people can find good jobs and the people who work here can afford to live here. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability #SmallBusiness #Vancouver

We’ve been filming a lot during this campaign. The days are long, but we’ve also had a lot of fun along the way. Here are some of our team’s favourite behind-the-scenes moments. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability #BehindTheScenes

On Sunday, Ken and his wife Teena planned to sit down together and film this video, reacting to some of what their family has experienced during Ken’s time as Mayor. In the days before the shoot, Teena received a threatening message on Instagram. They decided it was better she not appear on camera. It was the latest in a series of threats and incidents involving Ken, Teena and their family. Ken went ahead alone. “People may think this is funny, or it’s not a big deal, but when you’re dropping into someone’s DMs, it’s pretty personal,” Ken said. Ken has thick skin. He chose public life and knows criticism comes with it. His family didn’t.

Change has begun in Vancouver. We’ve made progress despite many challenges, and stability has begun to return. We cannot erase that progress and go back to the way it was before. Now we have an opportunity to push for the real, lasting change Vancouver still needs. The Public Safety Plebiscite is a major part of that change. A YES vote supports stronger City laws to forbid open air hard drug use in public spaces and sends a clear message to the Province that Vancouver needs secure medical treatment, including 100+ involuntary care beds, for people experiencing severe mental health and substance use disorders. It means giving police stronger tools to address open air hard drug use and pushing for real treatment for people in crisis. A YES vote is the first step. ABC is the only party supporting the Public Safety Plebiscite. The other parties have opposed it. Only Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are committed to delivering it. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

A whole campaign built around the slogan “Evict Ken Sim” to viciously malign him. “Scapegoating the poor and homeless. You know, that was us.” When Ken holds an “Evict Ken Sim” button, it hits hard. His family faced real evictions and financial instability over and over again, growing up as immigrants with little to their name. And the family who lived through those struggles with him didn’t sign up for these personal attacks. Ken got into politics so his kids, and other kids growing up in Vancouver, have a chance to build a future here. That’s why safety and affordability are at the heart of ABC Vancouver’s campaign. The full change we all wanted hasn’t happened yet. There is still more work to do. The Public Safety Plebiscite is the next step on safety: stronger City laws against open-air hard drug use and a call for secure medical treatment, including voluntary and 100+ involuntary care beds. On affordability, it means a 0% property tax increase, help for families and a thriving economy where people can earn enough to get by and build a future here. Real change takes leadership that can face difficult battles and even brutal personal attacks that hit closer to home than you would ever want and keep going. Because Vancouver is worth it. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

Small businesses are at the heart of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and economy. Mayor Ken Sim and the ABC Vancouver team stopped by a local restaurant to meet the people behind the business, hear their story and enjoy some incredible food. Behind every neighbourhood restaurant and small business are entrepreneurs taking risks, creating jobs and contributing to our city every day. As an entrepreneur himself, Ken knows running a business isn’t easy. That’s why ABC Vancouver is committed to cutting red tape, making City Hall easier to work with and helping small businesses grow, invest and create good jobs in Vancouver. But none of our economy can succeed unless Vancouver is safe and affordable. We’ve started to make change in Vancouver, but we haven’t yet achieved all the change we want. That’s why the Public Safety Plebiscite is so important. It gives Vancouverites a direct say on the next steps to address street disorder and help keep our neighbourhoods safe for residents, workers and the small businesses that help build this city. We want Vancouver to be a city where entrepreneurs can succeed, people can find good jobs and the people who work here can afford to live here. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability #SmallBusiness #Vancouver

Please see my statement regarding David Eby’s announcement of a provincial election.

Change has begun in Vancouver. We’ve made progress despite many challenges, and stability has begun to return. We cannot erase the progress we’ve made and go back to the way it was before. Now we have an opportunity to build on that stability and push for the real, lasting change Vancouver needs. Today, we’re pleased to announce ABC Vancouver’s 2026 policy platform, built around three anchors. Highlights include: PUBLIC SAFETY The next phase of change starts with a resounding YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite, which only ABC is committed to delivering. • Stronger City laws to forbid open air hard drug use in public spaces • Secure medical treatment, including 100+ involuntary care beds, for people experiencing severe mental health and substance use disorders • A clear call to the Province for action on mental health, addiction and street disorder AFFORDABILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY • Another 0% property tax increase in 2027 • Remove pay parking at beaches and community centres • Eliminate residential parking permit fees • Make City Hall permitting faster and easier • Continue reducing government waste and improving accountability JOBS & ECONOMY • Rebuild the Vancouver Aquatic Centre with a 50 metre pool • Complete the revitalization of Granville Street and continue bringing people downtown • Grow Vancouver as a technology hub and create jobs These three anchors are underpinned by our Restoring Vancouver and Raising Vancouverpolicies, restoring infrastructure and core services while helping families raise children who can thrive in Vancouver. One ABC team across Mayor, City Council, Park Board and School Board, working together to deliver this platform. Vancouver has started to change. Now is the time to build on that progress and continue the work for real change. - Full policy document and event: September 28 - Election Day: October 17 #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability #KeepVancouverMovingForward

Protecting the people who protect Vancouver. Firefighting is dangerous enough without firefighters being exposed to harmful PFAS chemicals in the very gear designed to protect them. That’s why Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry, Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, the firefighters union, City staff and Mayor Ken Sim worked together to make Vancouver the first fire department in North America to transition to PFAS free turnout gear. The World Health Organization’s cancer agency classifies occupational exposure as a firefighter as carcinogenic to humans, and occupational cancer remains a leading cause of firefighter deaths. Making Vancouver safer means protecting the people who protect us. That means fully funding our police and fire services, giving first responders the tools they need and continuing to tackle the public safety challenges facing our city. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite. A YES vote is the first step. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

Public safety isn’t just a Vancouver issue. Communities across B.C. are facing many of the same challenges, and local governments cannot solve them alone. In Vancouver, crime is down following our significant investments in police, fire and mental health workers. But street disorder remains, and communities across B.C. are facing many of the same challenges. Today at UBCM, I joined municipal leaders and the Save Our Streets Coalition to call for meaningful action from the Province. We need safer public spaces, better access to mental health and addictions treatment, accountability in our justice system, and services that support vulnerable people while respecting the communities around them. Thank you to the Save Our Streets Coalition for bringing together voices from across B.C. and continuing to push for solutions that will make our communities safer.

Chinatown isn’t just another neighbourhood to Mayor Ken Sim. It’s part of his story. Growing up, Ken spent countless afternoons and weekends helping his dad manage the Ford Building at Main and Hastings. His family even came close to living there when they were struggling to find a place to call home. He remembers walking through Chinatown, trips to Woodward’s and cramming into a booth with his family to share a couple of bowls of wonton noodles. Those experiences shaped his connection to Chinatown and his commitment to protecting the neighbourhood and the people who call it home. Making Vancouver safer and more affordable is personal to all of us. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite. A YES vote is the first step. Only Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are committed to delivering it. Re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

A resounding YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite. It’s not just what we hear talking to voters every day. It’s what we’re hearing everywhere we go. Vancouverites are making their voices heard. They want safer public spaces, better care for our most vulnerable and a different approach to the street disorder affecting our city. On October 17th, the Public Safety Plebiscite puts that change in your hands. VOTE YES on Question One to strengthen City bylaws against open-air hard drug use, giving police a faster tool to intervene, ticket and seize drugs without relying on a lengthy criminal process. VOTE YES on Question Two to demand secure medical treatment and 100+ involuntary care beds, providing better care for people in crisis while relieving pressure on our emergency rooms. The opposition has fought the plebiscite and opposed this lasting change. A YES vote is the first step. But only Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are committed to delivering it. On October 17th, vote YES for lasting change and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

Proud to announce Chris Qiu, as one of your ABC Vancouver candidates for Park Board. A mother of three and community leader in Marpole, Chris has firsthand experience raising a family in Vancouver and navigating the challenges of our parks system. She also brings a strong record of community organizing, problem-solving and getting results. Chris believes every Vancouverite deserves clean parks, safe parks, and recreation facilities that work for them. But right now, too many Vancouverites are dealing with parks and recreation services that simply aren’t delivering. That’s why Chris is running as part of an ABC Vancouver Park Board team focused on clean, safe, world-class parks with better services that work for you. That means doubling dog parks, keeping parks and playgrounds clean and needle-free, building more pools, making swimming lessons free for kids, removing paid parking from beaches and community centres, and making sure our parks and facilities are properly maintained. It also means bringing proper oversight, responsible management and practical leadership back to the Park Board so taxpayers get better value and families get the services they deserve. On October 17th, re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and elect Chris Qiu and your ABC Vancouver Park Board team. And vote YES on the public safety plebiscite. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability #Vancouver

Marquis Wine Cellars owner John Clerides has been heavily involved in downtown public safety and advocating for better care for our most vulnerable for many years. That involvement became even stronger after he learned about a proposed drug consumption site in his neighbourhood and joined residents and business owners working together to make their voices heard. Now John is speaking out in support of Vancouver’s Public Safety Plebiscite. For John, this is also personal. Having seen addiction affect members of his own family, he believes people struggling with addiction need real help, proper care and a pathway back to their families and communities. He also believes Vancouverites deserve safe public spaces without open-air hard drug use. John has looked closely at recovery-focused approaches being used elsewhere and believes Vancouver needs to be willing to learn from solutions that are working. And when critics call the plebiscite a gimmick, John’s response is simple: “Show me a solution.” On October 17th, a YES vote on the Public Safety Plebiscite will give Vancouver a clear mandate for lasting change on public safety, treatment and recovery. But a YES vote is only the first step. Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are the only ones committed to fully delivering the Public Safety Plebiscite and turning that mandate into action. Vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

From 2018 to 2022, Vancouver had a divided City Council while the city faced rising crime and disorder. Pete Fry worked with Mayor Kennedy Stewart. In the middle of that public safety crisis, Fry voted to leave Vancouver Police with a dangerous $5.7 million funding shortfall. Vancouverites voted for change. Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team removed dangerous encampments, fully funded the VPD, invested in a new police training centre and put public safety first. Today, crime is down. Property tax increases are frozen at 0%. Stability is back at City Hall. But there is more work to do. That’s why Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are putting the Public Safety Plebiscite directly to voters to deliver lasting change on open air hard drug use and secure treatment for people in crisis. Vancouver has come too far to go back. Pete Fry’s voting record is not worth the risk. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and elect your ABC Vancouver team. Let’s keep Vancouver safe and affordable. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

Pete Fry and Rebecca Bligh said Vancouver’s Granville Street pedestrian zone wouldn’t work. They voted against it. Then thousands of Vancouverites came downtown to enjoy packed patios, restaurants, music and events on Granville Street. Pete Fry also voted against supporting Vancouver’s summer fireworks, calling them “bread and circus.” It’s easy to complain about what won’t work. Leadership is believing in what Vancouver can be and making it happen. Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are focused on delivering a safer, more affordable Vancouver and keeping our city moving forward. On October 17th, re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and elect your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

Hi, I’m Arezo Zarrabian. Vancouver is personal to me. My family immigrated here in the 1980s, and I grew up learning the importance of hard work, perseverance and looking out for others. For nearly 20 years, I’ve worked with the Vancouver Police Department as a crime analyst. I’ve worked in South Vancouver, Downtown and the Major Crime Section, giving me a firsthand understanding of public safety, frontline policing and the challenges facing our justice system. I’m also a mom raising a young child in Vancouver and the wife of a local small-business owner. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t always convinced about Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver. What changed my mind was seeing the results. I saw a Mayor and team willing to take difficult stands on public safety, challenge failed drug policies and fight for our neighbourhoods. And I’ve seen the vibrancy and energy returning to our communities. That’s why I’m joining Ken and the ABC team. We’ve made progress, but there’s much more work ahead to make Vancouver safer, more affordable and a city where families can build their future. On October 17, elect Arezo Zarrabian for Vancouver City Council. #abcvancouver #publicsafety #affordability

Pete Fry’s voting record tells Vancouverites where he stands. Fry has repeatedly voted against police funding, including Task Force Barrage and a new VPD training centre. He brought forward his own motion to regulate drug consumption sites, then voted against it after ABC amended it to protect schools, parks and children. Why wouldn’t Pete Fry protect children from drug consumption sites? And on affordability, Fry has supported higher taxes and fees, including a $45 overnight parking fee, a pollution charge of up to $1,000 and congestion pricing. He also voted against ABC’s 0% property tax increase. Mayor Ken Sim and your ABC Vancouver team are taking a different approach. We fully funded police, stood with communities fighting drug consumption sites, froze property tax increases at 0%, and are putting the Public Safety Plebiscite directly to Vancouver voters to deliver lasting change on public drug use and secure treatment. This is not the time for dangerous experimentation. Pete Fry’s voting record is not worth the risk. On October 17th, vote YES on the Public Safety Plebiscite and re-elect Mayor Ken Sim and elect your ABC Vancouver team. #ABCVancouver #PublicSafety #Affordability

I’m Joyce Gillespie, and I’m proud to be running for Vancouver City Council with Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver. Vancouver has been my home for more than 30 years. My husband and I raised our three children here, put them through Vancouver public schools and built our lives around our community. For years, I served as President of Dunbar Little League and Vice-President of Vancouver Thunderbirds Minor Hockey, working alongside thousands of Vancouver families. I’ve seen firsthand that strong communities are built by people who show up and do the work. I’m also an entrepreneur. I’ve started businesses ranging from skincare to technology, built teams and managed budgets. I know that getting meaningful things done takes hard work, perseverance and accountability. I want Vancouver to remain a city where families can feel safe, afford to stay and build a future for the next generation. We’ve made progress, but there’s much more to do. I’m running to help keep Vancouver safe, affordable and moving forward. I’d be honoured to earn your support this October. On October 17, elect Joyce Gillespie for Vancouver City Council. #abcvancouver #publicsafety #affordability

Great to catch up with recently retired Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry, who was dealing with an incredible public safety crisis on Hastings Street when we were elected in 2022. Hundreds of tents. Fires, propane tanks and combustible materials. Conditions that made it difficult for firefighters to safely access buildings and protect the people living there. Karen knew something had to change. When our team came into office, we backed her decision to remove the risk and gave Vancouver Fire Rescue Services the staffing and support they needed to get the job done. As Karen says, it took tenacity, compassion and a commitment to keeping our community safe. A lot has changed in the past few years. There is still much more work to do, but Vancouver’s challenges are not impossible to solve. The fact that this street is so different today shows what can happen when people believe in what Vancouver can be and step up, like Chief Fry has always done. This October 17th, we’re ready to take the next step with the Public Safety Plebiscite: getting hard drugs out of our public spaces and securing a mandate for 100+ voluntary and involuntary care beds from the provincial government. One thing I learned from Karen is that leadership takes action. It takes optimism, boldness and compassion. We’re ready to continue this work. What happened here four years ago was just the start, and the Public Safety Plebiscite gives us an opportunity to make even greater change across our city. #abcvancouver #publicsafety #affordability