2026 Vancouver budget

Good morning,

Nate is off sick today, so you’re stuck with me! 

The bad news? The budget story we planned today will be a little smaller than anticipated. 

But the good news? While I had less time to write today than I hoped, it’s partially because I’ve been working away, hunched over my computer, working on a little project. It’s not a huge update to the Lookout, but it's an important one to address something we receive complaints about frequently. (I know I’m being vague, but that’s part of my job to create suspense!). Stay tuned.

And with that, let’s get to today’s news.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder and managing editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 8 🌡️ 7 | ☁️

Thursday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Friday: 7 🌡️ 3 |  ☁️

CITY HALL

The City of Vancouver’s budget just passed. Here’s what it all means

Read the story online here.

What happened: In what can best be described as a pre-positioning election budget, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Party councillors approved a zero per cent property tax increase, which resulted in cuts to departments across the city. All opposition councillors voted against the budget.

Background: You might be asking, why doesn’t the city just run a deficit like the province or the federal government? Municipalities are not allowed to run deficits, so any shortfall in funding will result in cuts somewhere if revenue isn’t increased.

• You know that saying that the government should run a budget like a household? Well, unlike a household in this situation, they cannot take out a loan to pay for increased costs.

What’s getting cut: The brunt of the cuts will hit the Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability department, the Arts, Culture and Community Services department and corporate services, according to CBC. 

While the cuts garnered much attention, it’s the user fees that many locals will start to notice. The park board had to increase fees by $11 million to cover the funding shortfall from city council. To cover part of that shortfall, they are expecting a 32.3 per cent increase in revenue generated from parking (sorry drivers).

• The full fee breakdown at the park board can be found here.  

On Monday, almost 120 companies spoke out about the elimination of the dedicated sustainability and climate team, which is part of a 14 per cent reduction in the planning, urban design and sustainability departments, according to the National Observer. 

What’s getting money: The Vancouver Police Department got an additional $50 million, or a 10 per cent increase, along with a six per cent increase for the Fire and Rescue Department, three per cent for libraries and two per cent for utilities, according to CBC.

There is still some uncertainty on what is and isn’t getting cut, according to CBC, that won’t be determined until the final vote in early 2026, when line item cuts will be shared. The lack of details for this budget has been a sore point for councillors opposed to the cuts. 

Meanwhile…: The budget for the new PNE Amphitheatre that will host the FIFA World Cup festival grew from $137 million to $183 million earlier this year — which was disclosed this week — already up from $65 million in 2021, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

What it means: With the police budget seeing the most significant increase in funding, it’s another reminder that the mayor is increasingly focusing his election campaign on public safety, as voters go to the polls in 2026. 

One way to think about this is that, rather than the money being collected through property taxes and redistributed, it is instead acquired through many other ways residents interact with the city, such as increased parking fees. 

• Dig deeper: We break down the challenges facing Ken Sim’s re-election in 2026.

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

5%

That’s the average amount by which fees for activities run by the Park Board will increase this year, in order to offset Mayor Ken Sim’s commitment to not raise property taxes. The increases will apply to things like children’s swimming lessons, skate rentals, recreation programs, and admissions to public golf courses, attractions, and parks. ABC Commissioners rejected an amendment that called on council to provide funding to offset these fee hikes. Read more. [CBC]

THE AGENDA

👶 Council is backtracking on its plans to remove changing tables from frequently vandalized washrooms across the city as a way to find savings that will allow Mayor Ken Sim to keep his commitment to not increase property taxes. Read more. [CTV]

🥤 Later today, council will be voting to relax the building, graffiti, noise control, sign, street and traffic, street vending, and ticket offences bylaws during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The proposed FIFA World Cup 2026 Bylaw will be similar to those passed during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010, and will allow the city to better manage the hundreds of thousands of tourists and thousands of vendors set to descend on the city, according to City Staff. Read more. [BIV]

🏬 The Plaza Cambie strip mall at 3080 Cambie St. is being listed for sale as a development opportunity, with an asking price of $14 million. The owners appear to be looking for a slight profit over the assessment value, perhaps now that Cambie St. is considered to be one of the coolest in the world. Read more. [Daily Hive]

🥶 Get out your jacket and bring in your plants (if you haven’t already). It’s going to dip below freezing this weekend. Read more. [Daily Hive]

🏠 While the federal government may have ditched its underused housing tax, the province is set to increase its speculation and vacancy tax for foreign homeowners on January 1 to up to three per cent of a property’s assessed value, depending on the owner’s legal status in Canada. Read more. [Vancouver is Awesome]

⚽ If you bought tickets to see a Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Minnesota Loons match on Saturday, look for an automatic refund from Ticketmaster. Instead, with the Loons defeated 1-0 by San Diego FC on Monday, the Whitecaps will travel to San Diego for the Western Conference Final this weekend. Read more. [CBC]

🗳️ The pressure is mounting on Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie to resign for her comments about residential schools. A petition calling for her resignation, launched in March, has approximately 1,800 signatures, the First Nations Leadership Council and Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc kúkpi7 (chief) Rosanne Casimir called for her resignation earlier this month, and Premier David Eby says he would support recall legislation against the controversial MLA. Read more. [CBC]

HOME OF THE WEEK

This week we’ll head over to Hastings-Sunrise to check out a two-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse in a low rise with four residential units and one retail space. The listing for 201-75 N. Renfrew St. highlights an open-concept layout, private balcony, parking space, and newish floors and tile. Sounds good so far.

What we like most is the fact that pets are allowed.

The sale price feels right for a space of this size in this neighbourhood, but the strata fees seem high for what you get…

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

Performance

Just for Laughs Vancouver is celebrating its 10th anniversary next year, with over 100 shows by more than 250 comedians, running from Feb. 12-22. A lineup has been announced, with more performances sure to be added, and some tickets are already on sale. [Exclaim!]

The Arts Club Theatre Company presents Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at the Granville Island Stage, running from Nov. 27 - Jan. 4. Tickets start at $29. [Stir]

Bird lovers, dance lovers, Sinophiles unite for Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy, which combines motifs from the “Peking opera” with contemporary dance to explore themes of freedom, flight, and Taiwanese culture. Tickets start at $40. [Stir]

Music

This weekend, if you can get tickets, check out VIFF’s 25th anniversary screening of O Brother, Where Art Thou? accompanied by a live bluegrass performance by the Soda Crackers. Tickets are on standby. [VIFF]

Outside Voices Choir presents a show with more than 150 singers, in a show arranged and directed by David Beckingham of Hey Ocean! Talk about surround sound. Two shows will be performed on Dec. 14 at the Rio. [The Rio]

Movies

The Vancouver International Black Film Festival is returning for its fifth year, from Dec. 5-9, offering 35 films online and in person. Individual tickets and passes are available. [The Georgia Straight]

Teachers: did you know that VIFF offers free film screenings for secondary school classes, at the cinema or in your classroom through its Ignite program? [VIFF]

Blockbuster Tulu political drama “Jai” is screening at the Rio this weekend. Tickets start at $27.

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 20,000+ Vancouver locals.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Difficult decisions ahead as Vancouver grapples with how to replace aging, underfunded recreation facilities

Written by Nate Lewis.

Looking around Vancouver, one can’t help but notice that so many public facilities are old and falling apart: The crumbling Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Kits Pool leaking. Outdated community hubs in Grandview-Woodland and the West End. Ancient ice rinks. The derelict Stanley Park train. Broken and inefficient water features. The list goes on and on. 

It’s a widespread issue that’s particularly noticeable when it comes to Vancouver’s recreation facilities. Out of 24 community centres, 14 pools, and eight ice rinks, 72 per cent are in ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition, according to a 2022 analysis by the city.

There’s a pressing need to renew and replace these facilities, and the stakes are high for Vancouverites' quality of life. Rec centres improve people’s lives on a daily basis, and are an expectation of urban life – especially for families, youth, seniors, and people with middle to low incomes.  

But the combination of increasing construction costs and declining revenues from development contributions has led to a situation where our local government struggles to keep up with the maintenance needs of aging facilities, much less afford to build many new ones at the rate required to expand service. 

As of 2022, the city had an annual infrastructure funding deficit of $500 million – which is the difference between the amount of money needed to renew and replace existing infrastructure and the amount that’s budgeted. That includes an underfunding of recreation facilities by about $33 million per year, according to the recent audit by the city’s Auditor General Mike MacDonell. 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Are you on board, committee or part of student association leadership? Get a free training session from Cabrio Law. [Sponsored]

• It looks like you can now take a Lime scooter on Broadway.

• The future of the Penthouse is increasingly uncertain… [Georgia Straight]

• The popular Time Out Market is setting up a Vancouver edition at Oakridge Mall, with some of the city’s most popular restaurants. [Vancouver Sun]

• Reindeer buses and the Santa Train are back just in time for the holidays. [Daily Hive] 

• Here are some Black Friday travel deals taking off from YVR. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Speaking of air travel, Air North, Yukon’s Airline has restarted seasonal service between Vancouver and Yellowknife. [Air North, Yukon’s Airline]

• And in other Black Friday news, 50 Evos will have a Black Friday surprise in them. [Daily Hive]

• Last air travel story, we promise: a Jellycat bunny found at YVR was finally reunited with its owner after a month-long viral adventure. [CTV]

VANCOUVER NEWS QUIZ

PHOTO OF THE DAY

One person posted a picture of the changes to Blood Alley Square and thought it looked soulless. What do you think?

STORIES THIS WEEK