The countdown begins. On October 17th, Vancouver’s mayor, Ken Sim, is going to be Fry’d.
The latest public opinion poll by Justason Market Intelligence on who Vancouverites are likely to elect as mayor shows Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry leading with 45% of the vote and puts the mayor in a distant second place at 30%. If the poll results hold steady, the mayor’s days are truly numbered. A 15-point lead is almost insurmountable
I have been a big fan of Pete Fry since even before he was first elected to Council in 2018 representing the Green Party of Vancouver. Unsuccessful in two previous runs, he received the second highest number of votes in the 2018 election and was one of only three non-ABC Councillors elected in 2022.
Pete has a life-long passion for social justice and a history of community involvement. My partner Penny, among many others, has had the pleasure of sharing that involvement through their mutual support for residents and organizations in Vancouver’s Eastside. They have had a very productive and collaborative working relationship.
Among his many endeavours, Pete served as community representative for the City of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan, as well as chair of the Strathcona Residents’ Association.
He was also one of the community coordinators of the Our Place initiative through the RayCam Cooperative Community Centre, which developed and facilitated collective impact, placemaking, and land use strategies for vulnerable inner city families and youth. He is a founding member of the Hogan’s Alley Society.
On City Council, Pete has been a breath of fresh air – a calm and sober voice. Among his many initiatives, he:
- Introduced motions to establish Vancouver’s first renter’s office, and North America’s first ethical procurement policy to include animal welfare.
- Worked to introduce by-laws and policies for reduced speed limits (30km/h on residential streets).
- Led on a number of animal welfare files including wildlife feeding bylaws abolishing pet bans in rental housing, and banning the sale and discharge of consumer fireworks in the City.
- Chaired the Auditor General Committee, and served on the boards of the Metro Vancouver Regional District (prior to ABC dominance), the Vancouver Public Library, and the National Zero Waste Council.
- As a councillor liaison, was active role with the Arts and Culture, Renters, Urban Indigenous Peoples, Racial and Ethno-Cultural Equity, and Food Policy Advisory Committees, as well and the Vancouver City Planning Commission.
- For the last eight years, served on the board of the Union of BC Municipalities, for much of that time chairing the Resolutions Committee, and working with local governments from around the province on policy advancement, across political and geographic lines.
Pete has been instrumental in welcoming and working closely with COPE Councillor Sean Orr and OneCity’s Lucy Maloney, collaborating on forwarding progressive initiatives while jointly opposing many of Ken Sim’s and ABC Vancouver’s more egregious policies and actions.
Ken Sim on the other hand has been an utter disaster. Regular readers of my blog will know I have long opposed his many blunders as Vancouver’s mayor.
His decision to turn a City Hall committee room into his own personal private gym is just one example of how he has become one of the most unpopular mayors in Vancouver’s history. Another example was his decision to wear white sneakers to Nov. 11th Remembrance Day events.
The Vancouver Park Board debacle illustrates both Sim’s ineptitude and his untrustworthiness. During the 2022 civic election campaign, he pledged to keep Vancouver’s elected Park Board. One year into his mandate, he announced his intention to abolish the Park Board. Three ABC Park Board Commissioners resigned from the party as a result. After all the chaos and upset, the Province ultimately did not take the necessary steps to fulfill the mayor’s request to abolish. Now Sim says he will keep the Park Board and ABC is once again running Park Board candidates.
His attendance record has been abysmal. As noted by CityHallWatch, “Mayor Sim has been absent for approximately 36% of Council votes since he was elected in 2022… Sim has missed 75% of Metro Vancouver board and committee meetings and opted out of joining the TransLink Mayor’s Council meetings.”
On Saturday October 17th let’s Fry mayor Ken Sim!
If you’d like to help Pete become Vancouver’s first Green Party mayor, order a yard sign, or donate, you can contact the campaign at petefry.ca.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (September 22, 2026): 425.80ppm
One year ago (September 21, 2025): 424.01ppm
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