Every week, we'll send you an update on what happened at City Hall and School Board in the last seven days. Hear directly from OneCity Councillor Lucy Maloney, OneCity School Board Trustee Jennifer Reddy, and OneCity Park Board Candidates on the goings on in City government.
City Council Update:
Could pedestrianization in Vancouver be the real winner of the 2026 World Cup?
It’s no surprise to me that Canada is a great soccer nation. When I was studying for my Canadian citizenship exam in 2024, I learned that soccer has the most registered players of any game in Canada. And as a dual citizen of Canada and Australia, it’s been quite a week, with Australia’s 2-0 win against Türkiye and Canada’s 6-0 victory over Qatar.
This week I also had the privilege of meeting Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair at the Science World Celebration of Canadian Soccer exhibit, which I recommend, especially if you have kids or just really like soccer.
For the City of Vancouver, I'm delighted to see the success of the temporary five-block Granville Street pedestrian zone between West Georgia Street and Davie Street! Granville Street has become a vibrant focal point of celebrations, with expanded patios, live entertainment, and themed zones, providing an exciting gathering place for residents and visitors alike. It is currently planned to operate until 19 July.
This success has sparked important discussion about whether the zone should be extended or even made permanent. OneCity has long advocated for more pedestrian areas, so let’s take a closer look at recent developments at Council and what they could mean for the future of vibrant, people-friendly streets in Vancouver.
Previously on Council
On 11 March this year, Council unanimously approved the grant to transform five blocks of Granville Street (from West Georgia to Davie) into the massive, car-free entertainment hub for the duration of the World Cup. In June last year Council unanimously voted to adopt the Granville Street Plan, which contemplates the permanent pedestrianization of this section of Granville Street. Inexplicably, my amendment to include bike parking and public toilets was voted down by the ABC majority.
The current temporary pedestrian zone will give City staff the opportunity to trial-run its operation and the effects of moving transit onto Seymour and Howe Street, especially whether transit journeys are slowed and how much transit riders are inconvenienced.
Downtown businesses and the Downtown Vancouver BIA have reported booming patio traffic, prompting conversations about extending the car-free format into future summers and beyond.
Leadership on pedestrian areas has been absent under ABC…
This week one online commentator described Mayor Ken Sim and ABC as being “champions” of pedestrian areas, which couldn’t be further from the truth. ABC has lacked any leadership or courage on pedestrianization. After selectively poaching OneCity’s own 2022 election promise to pedestrianize the three key blocks of Water Street between Richards Street and Carrall Street, ABC mismanaged the implementation so badly the Water Street pedestrian zone is not operating at all during the World Cup, and will only commence on 5 July, only operating on Sundays until 6 September, this year shifting to 12.00-8.00 pm. What a missed opportunity to showcase Gastown by expanding the Water Street Pedestrian Zone to attract and accommodate visitors to Gastown during the World Cup.
Mayor Sim and ABC also voted against most of the West End Waterfront Plan. The exception, of course, was the six million dollar removal of the popular and safe Beach Avenue Bikeway in the name of restoring two-way traffic on Beach Avenue west of Denman Street, thereby increasing traffic volumes, noise and pollution, and pedestrian safety risks. This is a perfect illustration of why it will be so important to prevent an ABC majority on the Park Board on October 17.
A November 2024 motion to formalize the 100 Block of Robson Street as a Dedicated Fan Zone never materialized.
On 27 May 2020, Council voted to reallocate at least 11% of the City’s road space (roughly 220 kms) away from cars (p.12 - minutes). To create people-focused public spaces, slow streets, and patios to help facilitate physical distancing during the pandemic. It also laid the foundation for longer-term and permanent road network reallocations. During this Council term ABC has failed to meaningfully progress this goal.
Looking forward, turning World Cup momentum into lasting pedestrian gains
This isn’t the first time Granville Street has been pedestrianized. For the 2010 Winter Olympics a multi-block stretch was transformed into a bustling, 17-day festival zone to host crowds, performances, and celebrations. I’m looking forward to exploring how current enthusiasm can translate into an ongoing seasonal or permanent pedestrian zone. This test-run has the potential to become a model for expanding pedestrian areas to other City streets like Robson Street, Water Street and Mainland and Hamilton Streets in Yaletown.
One thing we can be sure of though, is that despite unanimous support for the Granville Street pedestrian zone across parties, Mayor Sim and ABC will be looking to take full credit for its success. However, it is unlikely that ABC will prioritize or expand these people-friendly initiatives beyond the World Cup. If we want to see more pedestrianized areas in Vancouver, it will take political will, and a change in leadership.
Please support OneCity’s efforts to make this a reality by considering a donation or becoming a volunteer. You don’t need to be an expert on municipal politics and policy - introverts who can input data are always needed.
Have a great weekend and let me know if you have any questions or comments. You can reach me at [email protected] or [email protected].
-Lucy Maloney
OneCity Councillor, City of Vancouver
Park Board Update:
Renfrew was supposed to be first in line for a new community centre. Then it wasn't on the list at all.
Imagine your community centre is one of the most run-down buildings in the city. You spend years showing up to meetings to prove it. The Park Board agrees, and puts you at the in the top two most urgent cases for rebuilding. Then Ken Sim and ABC changes the list, and you're not on it anymore.
That's what just happened to Renfrew.
Back in April, the Park Board (the elected body whose actual job is to set these priorities) approved $400 million to rebuild the three community centres in the worst shape: Renfrew, Hastings, and Kensington. That wasn't a guess. It came out of years of public consultation, captured in the Community Centre Strategy the board passed in 2022.
Then Ken Sim and his ABC majority on City Council took that same $400 million and spread it across five centres instead of three, adding Dunbar, Kerrisdale, and Roundhouse. Renfrew — one of the highest-need buildings in the city — dropped off the list completely.
Jerry Fast, who chairs the volunteer group representing every Community Centre Association in Vancouver, broke the news to the Kitsilano CCA board this week. His read: "This puts CCAs in a difficult position. We don't support this new priority."
This isn't the first time ABC councillors have treated the community as an inconvenience. It won't be the last, either, unless Vancouver elects a Park Board, Council, and School Board that actually talk to each other in October.
