Pete Fry inteview

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Case in point with today’s story. I won’t spoil it, but it’s the type of profile I just don’t think a place like the Vancouver Sun would write. But I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Let’s dive in. 

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PROFILE

“I like being a politician of the people”: Pete Fry’s quest to become Vancouver’s next mayor

By Stephen Smysnuik. Read the story online.

There’s a rumour afoot that Vancouver Green Party city councillor Pete Fry is plotting to take his mother’s seat as a Member of Parliament. 

The idea has been floating around local subreddits – and in the real world as well – that Fry’s bid for mayor is actually a strategic effort to elevate his profile enough that he can run in the Vancouver Centre seat held for decades by his mom, long-time Liberal MP Hedy Fry. 

He has no intentions, the theory goes, to actually be mayor. 

So I asked him: “Is this true?”

“Oh God really?” he laughs. “My mom would love that. Maybe she’s promoting that online.”

It’s easy for people with limited information on a politician’s personality and personal life to use scant public evidence and stitch together a narrative. And sure, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that a politician might do something like this. 

Fry does not seem to be that person. He says the lifestyle of a federal MP doesn’t “appeal” to him, all that shuttling back and forth between Vancouver and Ottawa, “living out of a suitcase. And for what? 

“To be a backbencher for the Liberals?” he scoffs. “I have no interest in being a cog in a big machine where your vote is whipped and you’re expected to go along with the party.”

The very idea runs counter to Fry’s entire career – not just as a politician, but what came before it, as an adolescent punk in the ‘80s, a graphic designer, and this work as a councillor. He’s community-oriented and specifically Vancouver-minded.

“I’m a homebody, man. I like my cats, I like my life,” he says.

“That’s why I like local government. It’s grassroots, connecting with people. I like being a politician of the people.”

If you get the chance to sit down with Fry on, say, a blustery Tuesday morning at Propaganda Coffee in Chinatown, with a member of Russian protest-punk group Pussy Riot sitting a croissant’s throw away (yes really), you get the sense of a man in his element. He’s a man at home in the complexity, bustle, and grit of the neighbourhood he’s lived in and around for nearly 30 years. He hardly seems cynical enough to deploy such a complicated political strategy to attain higher office at the federal level.

One hell of a week

Fry is a month shy of turning 57. He’s affable, yet – this morning at least – seeming a little grizzled, which is understandable given the week he’s just had. Our interview is taking place seven days after news broke that Councillor Lenny Zhou had posted a video on WeChat claiming some non-ABC councillors, including Fry,  were drug users and dealers. The story exploded five days after that, when reporters uncovered that Mayor Ken Sim had made the same allegation first in a briefing with Chinese-language media, specifically about Councillor Sean Orr.  

It was an intense week, and for Fry, just the latest episode – albeit a very public one – showcasing the mayor’s true personality, and what Fry says it’s been like to work with him over the last three-and-a-half years.

“I don’t know if ‘vindication’ or ‘validation’ are the right words. Maybe it’s both. Because this is kind of what it’s been like [on council],” he says.

“This situation reflects a failure of leadership. For me, the moment was less about politics and more about people finally seeing what that leadership style looks like.”

Fry has emerged as the most prominent voice of opposition to Sim and his governing ABC Vancouver slate since the last election, frequently challenging the mayor on housing policy, policing priorities, and the pace and transparency of development decisions.

Elections are about contrast and Fry’s personality and pitch, such as it is at this point, is the polar opposite from incumbent. He’s running for mayor on the idea that cooperation and coordination with disparate perspectives and party affiliations are the best way to serve the city.  

“I firmly believe that this idea of winner-takes-all politics is not helpful,” he says. “I know for some, the best way we can get anything done is to have a majority and control city council and control the outcome. I think that's a recipe for disaster like we’ve seen with ABC.”

He says his time on council has been “an eight-year course on how to run a city.” He cites his work serving on the Union of BC Municipalities over the last three years as giving him unique insight into how the system works in other communities across the province.In his telling, Vancouver’s “highly partisan system,” where one party controls the outcome, is both “very unusual” and unhealthy. 

“What I see with successful mayors in our province, and even across Canada, is that they’re not partisan. They’re more like the cheerleader-in-chief,” he says.

“So I'm committed to first, not running a majority, and second, ensuring that we are making space for others in a meaningful way. And as mayor, I want to make that space meaningful for any councillor who's there to do the work and improve the lives of folks in the city of Vancouver. That's my commitment.”

Reaction was mixed when he first announced his run. Critics warned Fry’s run could split the progressive vote against Sim. What seemed less clear, however, was why Fry himself had become the focus of that criticism.

“Probably because I’m the candidate to beat,” he says. “It sounds immodest to say this, but all the pollings indicated that I'm the guy with the most name recognition.”

He says that his time on council – and specifically the last three-plus years pushing back on Sim and ABC – gives him the experience and the name recognition necessary to win the next election. 

“The fact that he’s stuck through this [bullying atmosphere] is a big testament to his character,” Coun. Sean Orr says. “He’s been tangling with these guys for three years, and he’s been very consistent in his politics. He’s stuck to his principles and handled things with a lot of grace.

“That’s the kind of person we need as mayor. Someone with integrity. Someone who builds bridges instead of dividing people.”

Fry has mentored Orr since he was elected, guiding him through the vagaries of the job: on procedure, precedent, how to organize his inbox, and even how to conduct himself on social media. 

“There’s kind of an older-brother vibe there,” Orr says.

A punk-rock club kid

Fry and Orr were born a decade apart, but they are cut from similar cloth. Both came up in the city’s punk scene and share mutual friends there, as well as in the local comedy world. They’ve worked in alternative media, with both working at various points for the now-defunct Terminal City. And they’ve both been steeped in left-wing political ideas that have ultimately shaped their work on council.

“I’ve always been fairly radical,” Fry says. “I was a bit of the black sheep.”

There’s an assumption that he grew up around politics because of his mom, but he says that really wasn’t the case. Fry was 25 when Hedy Fry was first elected as MP, and he’d been out of her home for years by that point.

If anything, it was his mother’s career as a general practitioner working in the inner city that shaped his perspective. Her patients included queer folks during the AIDS crisis, people struggling with addictions, punks, and other people living on the margins.

“That was the world she worked in, so I think it made it easier for her to understand the path I took,” he says. “But my politics weren’t something I was raised to pursue.”

Fry is a graphic designer by trade and started out designing gig posters and album covers for local bands. He was running around Granville St. in those days, hopping from club to club, where punk and queer culture had enmeshed. By the late ‘80s he was using a computer for his illustrations, which was cutting edge at the time, and  throughout the ‘90s went by the alias Digi Boy.

“Many people still to this day know me as Digiboy,” he says.

Eventually, Fry got married, bought a home, and by the new millennium had shifted his career to do “more corporate stuff.” He was good at it, and it paid the bills, but it eventually burned him out. He was seeking a career path with a little more meaning. A little more authenticity. 

Around this time, one of Fry’s best friends was hit by a car on Prior St. and died from his injuries. The incident compelled him to get involved in traffic safety and urban planning. There was a proposal at the time to tear down the Georgia Street viaducts and funnel six lanes of traffic onto Prior St., which is right where his friend had been hit.

Fry showed up to a public open house to challenge the City on the plans, since this six-lane boulevard would suddenly stop at Gore Ave. As he was back-and-forthing with City officials, he realized they were “backing away from me.” Fry turned around to see “a bit of a mob” had formed behind him, supporting the cause. 

“That moment really kicked things off,” he says.

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

$30,000

Good news for events fans — Vancouver city council unanimously approved the amount to fund the Car Free Days this year, after the organization announced they did not have the funding to run the events. Last year, both Main Street and Commercial Drive participated. [CTV]

THE AGENDA

🖐️ Despite many people speaking out against it in the media and at the council meeting, city council approved the Vancouver Official Development Plan, which will guide land use decisions for the city over the next 30 years. The vote was unanimous, with Coun. Montague absent and Coun. Bligh ineligible. 

💰 While it wasn’t a swift result (sorry, I had to), Taylor Swift fans who attended her performance in 2024 but had seats that offered obstructed views will be entitled to a refund on their tickets, after Consumer Protection BC came to an agreement with SubHub. Read more. [Global]

⚽ Festival organizers in Vancouver are having to do more with less due to World Cup this summer. Many are being forced to shift venues or move around their dates, such as the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Read more. [Business in Vancouver]

❌ The east side of Stanley Park will be closed for the BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5k on Saturday from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m.

🏒 The Canucks may soon have a new practice facility, or at least the outline of one, as the hockey team and City of Vancouver are getting closer to an agreement on building a facility at Britannia Rink. It would include a new gym, off ice training facility, a lounge, a locker room and office space for the city. Read more. [Canucks Army]

Search and rescue found a missing 78-year-old Vancouver man who died outside the ski area on Whistler Blackcomb. He went missing on Feb. 28 and was discovered on Mar. 5. Read more. [CBC]

🧑‍⚖️ Councillor Sean Orr has launched a GoFundMe to help pay for his defamation lawsuit against Mayor Ken Sim, who spread false allegations that Orr was handing out illegal drugs on Christmas. Sim has since apologized. So far, Orr has raised $30,000. Read more. [CTV]

🏒It was almost a comeback win, but the Goldeneyes lost to the Boston Fleet 2-1 on Tuesday night. The team is 5-1-2-9 and sit at seventh in the league out of eight teams. 

🏢 The City has set aside $500,000 for 16 non-profit organizations to help vulnerable renters understand their rights and avoid being displaced.

WEEKEND EVENT GUIDE

Franklinland | Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island | Until Apr. 15 | A period comedy about Benjamin Franklin and his son | Tickets $29+

Terminal City TableTop Convention | Vancouver Convention Centre | Mar. 13-15 | Tickets $60+

Celticfest Family Day 2026 | Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza | Mar. 15, 12 p.m. | live music, face painting and bouncy castles | Free

Vancouver International Dance Festival | Various locations | Until Mar. 14 | Various dance shows around the city | Tickets various prices

Riley Park Farmers Market | 50 E 30th Ave and Ontario St. | Mar. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Stock up on farmers goods | Free to visit

Shredding Event Fundraising | 3075 Slocan Street | Mar. 21, 10 am-2 p.m. | The False Creek Senior C Competitive Dragon Boat Team is hosting a shredding fundraiser | Cash donations

World Water Day March | 949 W 49th Ave. | Mar. 21, 3-5 p.m. | Musical fundraiser for Indigenous water, raising legal funds for water protectors

Spring Market | River District Town Centre | Mar. 21, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Curated market selection of local and BIPOC-owned small businesses

Resistance on the Runway | The Birdhouse | Mar. 28, 4 p.m. | Join us for a night of fashion, joy, resistance, and solidarity, a runway featuring Palestinian and Sudanese designers | Tickets $14

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 30,000+ Vancouver locals

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Sustainability and ingredients take centre stage at Indian restaurant Lila

Chef Meeru Dhalwala, behind the iconic Vij's, is back in the kitchen, pushing Vancouver Indian cuisine forward with a focus on farm-to-table dining.

Read the review

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Here’s an aerial shot of the old Cambie Bridge in the mid 1960s.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Vancouver was ranked the 37th best city in the world by TimeOut, and no other Canadian city made the list. [Urbanized]

• Sarah McLachlan has teamed up with a Vancouver jeweller to create a limited-edition pendant. [Vancouver Sun]

• This Strathcona pizza place doesn’t get enough attention for the pies they’re slinging. 

• There’s another fried chicken and donut shop opening up in Vancouver. [Vancouver Sun]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

VANCOUVER GUESSER