Breaking down the city’s draft 2025 budget

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Good morning,

Today’s newsletter is coming at you a little later than normal. It turns out running for four hours and then trying to write a newsletter is a huge mistake, always do the mentally taxing work first before doing the mentally and physically taxing work.

Today we’re diving deep into the city’s 2025 budget. It’s not overly exciting, as budgets tend to be, but we’ve pulled out the key information (and tax increases) you need to know about.

Let’s dive in.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout 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

Monday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 7 🌡️ 3 | 🌤️

CITY

Breaking down the city’s draft 2025 budget

What happened: Vancouver city staff released the 2025 Draft Budget and it includes a number of municipal tax increases, for a combined total increase of around 10 per cent for the median single-family home. 

• For a media residential home assessed at $806,000, that means an overall increase of $77 for property taxes. For a home assessed $2.21 million, it’s an increase of $211. The cumulative increase, including utility fees for a $2.21 million for an assessed home, would be $595, or a combined rate of $6,537.

Background: Sometimes, budgets can be confusing, especially when it comes to understanding exactly where fees are going. This chart breaks it all down.

Key info: The property tax increase will be a 5.5 per cent increase, according to the Vancouver Sun. One per cent of that is to help deal with the historic infrastructure deficit. 

• The biggest change is on the combined utility fees, which are increasing by 18.2 per cent, including a 36.9 per cent increase to pay for sewers. If you’ve been following the newsletter, then the reason for this increase, to pay for the increased budget for the North Shore Wastewater Treatment facility, will be no surprise. 

If you have complaints about municipal fees, then you might want to take it up with the police. Besides utilities, the police operating budget is the highest at 19 per cent of the proposed 2025 budget.

Higher taxes for police?: While property taxes are set for a 5.5 per cent increase which the mayor and his ABC-majority asked for, the police budget could force that to be higher, according to CBC. City staff had recommended a budget increase of $10 million, bringing the police’s total budget to $421 million. Instead, the Vancouver Police Board approved a 5.56 per cent increase of $23 million. That means $13 million will have to be found in the budget, which could mean higher property taxes. 

• For context: According to the data, crime is lower in 2024, with violent crime down 6.8 per cent and property crime down 13.6 per cent, while the police went over budget by $9 million. 

Historical comparison: Property taxes have been much higher in recent years. Previously under Kennedy Stewart, property taxes increased by 4.24 in 2018, 4.5 in 2019, 7 per cent in 2020 and five per cent in 2021. Under the current mayor Ken Sim, property taxes rose 6.35 per cent in 2022, 10.7 per cent in 2023 and 7.5 per cent in 2024.

What it all means: The challenge for Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC-majority is they ran on a low-tax agenda, but have overseen far larger increases than in the past. That’s not to say the increases aren’t warranted — the city pays some of the lowest for a large city in North America and has huge infrastructure needs — but it runs counter to what they promised. 

My take: I have a theory (which you may disagree with) that people are generally okay with taxes if they feel that it’s going to good use, and that they can see a material benefit. In a city’s case, it might be safer streets, more parks, and better services. Do residents really feel like things have improved in four years to justify the tax increase? That’ll be a question for voters in the next election, or even in the upcoming by-election.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🎤 $40 million: That’s how much Taylor Swift’s tour will bring into Vancouver’s hospitality industry, per day. Restaurants and hotels are expected to be at full capacity during the tour. [CityNews]

📈 2.4%: The increase in the commercial rents service index in Vancouver during the third quarter of 2024. [Business in Vancouver]

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THE AGENDA

👮 The vice-chair of the Vancouver Police Board has resigned after posts on social media drew criticism over mass immigration, as well as posting that the “push for secular education isn't about religion — it's about erasing Christian values from the lives of our children.” The postings went against the board’s code of conduct. She says the posts were taken out of context. Vancouver Police Board chair Frank Chong said the posts were not in keeping with the values of the board. [CBC]

🪧 Locals took to city hall on Saturday to protest the Broadway Plan, asking the city to pause and rethink the large-scale development. Many people who spoke to CTV were opposed to the towers in their neighbourhood. The plan was created to densify the area around the Broadway SkyTrain expansion. [CTV]

🚆 The situation with TransLink has not changed — the CEO Kevin Quinn spoke at the Vancouver Board of Trade on Friday and outlined how the organization is still on the precipice of a $4.7 billion funding deficit. A key challenge is that as more and more people use electric vehicles, the gas tax revenue TransLink partially relies on continues to drop. [CityNews]

🖐️ Some people are speaking out about the city’s plan to enforce their bylaws about sidewalk vending. Steve Johnston, from the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, told the Vancouver Sun that while they don’t support the selling of illegal goods, it just encourages people to move elsewhere and does not address the root causes of why they’re selling goods. Some Eastside residents say it’s the only way they can make money. [Vancouver Sun]

🔥 A man was arrested on Friday evening for attempted arson at Vancouver City Hall. A witness acted to help prevent the fire’s spread. [CityNews]

👕 Does the mayor’s attire matter? A recent column is raising questions about the mayor’s casual style focused on leisurewear instead of suits. The biggest recent criticism was when the mayor wore white runners to the Remembrance Day ceremony. The mayor acknowledged that his dress may have been too casual for Remembrance Day, but he said that he hoped to break down barriers and "make it easier for people to approach me when I’m out in the community” with his casual clothing. [Globe and Mail]

🏒 Apologies to my Lookout colleague Charlie in Ottawa, but the Canucks beat the Senators 4-3 on Saturday. The team sits at 5th in the Western Conference, with a record of 10-6-3.

👮 One person is in custody after a woman was killed in Joyce-Collingwood neighbourhood on Saturday at midnight. Police have not yet released any information about the killing. [CTV]

ENVIRONMENT

A debate on gas raises questions about good governance and the public interest at Vancouver city council

Tomorrow, Vancouver city council will vote on rescinding a natural gas ban in newer buildings. The decision will have wide ranging consequences. Freelance journalist Nate Lewis took a deep dive into the issue, painting a picture of a more complicated situation than most people realize. This story was published on Nov. 20. 

During a late July city council meeting, staff delivered a seemingly routine report on Vancouver’s 2026-2030 climate action plan, intended broadly as a way for the city to set goals and establish processes to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts of climate change. 

Things took an unexpected turn after the presentation when ABC Coun. Brian Montague introduced a surprise amendment to the report, which caught some councillors off-guard, and required a 15 minute recess before proceeding to a vote. 

“I was actually shocked,” Green Coun. Adriane Carr recalled in a recent conversation with Vancity Lookout.

The controversial nature of the amendment — to scrap a provision of the city’s 2020 Climate Emergency Action Plan, which since 2022 has required new residential buildings to use electric equipment, rather than gas or oil, for space heating and hot water. 

The amendment in July passed narrowly, 6-5, with ABC councillors Lisa Dominato and Peter Meiszner breaking with their party to vote against it. Next Tuesday, staff will provide a report on the specific costs and benefits of the idea, and city council will vote again — this time with more information — on whether or not to keep the gas ban in place.

JOBS

Discover your dream job in Vancouver:

• Senior manager, Indigenous relations at BC Hydro

• Senior manager of communications and advocacy at BCAA

• Director, platforms and digital sales at Vancity

• Producer at Electronic Arts

• People and culture manager at Fast + Epp

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Moody night shots of cities always have a way of illuminating a city in a completely different way. This set of photos is no different.

EVENTS GUIDE

West Van Comedy Classic | Kay Meek Arts Centre, 1700 Mathers Ave, West Vancouver | Nov. 29, 8:00 pm | Pro stand-up comedy featuring Chris Griffin, Alex Mackenzie, Syd Bosel, and more | Tickets $38

Bold Flavours: A Radicchio Pop-up Event | Burdock & Co, 2702 Main Street | Nov. 27, 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm | Immersive 90-minute radicchio tasting experience with local chefs and farmers | Tickets $70

Make Change Market | Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St | Nov. 29, 6:00 pm | An evening market showcasing Employ to Empower entrepreneurs, products, and activations. Support local businesses and kick off holiday shopping | Free

Toque Craft Fair | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave. | Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 11:00 am | Explore curated BC-made crafts, textiles, ceramics and more | Free

Chinatown Winter Solstice: Lantern Making | Chinatown Plaza Mall, Vancouver | Nov. 30, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Lantern-making workshop with paper collage | Free

Portobello West Roundhouse Holiday Market | Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre | Nov. 30, 10:00 am | Discover 69+ local vendors offering handmade gifts, family fashion, jewelry, art, and more | Tickets $6

VSO Chamber Players | Kay Meek Arts Centre, West Vancouver | Dec. 1, 3:00 pm | Chamber music with VSO musicians performing works by Webern, Mendelssohn, and Brahms | Tickets $42 

VIDEO OF THE DAY

I love this story about how duck fat has become a big part of homemade chili oil at this Vancouver restaurant. It’s a condiment I adore, have tried making it, but have never gotten close to what most restaurants serve.

VANCOUVER QUIZ

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s how BC Place was built. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• If you’re looking for a living Christmas tree, here’s a handy list of them in Metro Vancouver. [Straight]

• Hometown favourite  Michael Bublé will be hosting the Junos in Vancouver next year. 

• Ski season has begun! Cypress, Grouse and Whistler Blackcomb have all opened for the year. [CityNews]

• Rogers Place is getting a 5G network improvement at BC Place, just in time for Taylor Swift. [Business in Vancouver]

• This is not where Evos are supposed to go… [Reddit]