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 Board Member Natalie Cushing on the goings on in City government.
City Council Update:
Exhilarating Wins, Crushing Loses and Things that Posed as Something Different
This weekend I’m in Edmonton for the 2026 Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual Conference. I flew out on Thursday morning and as we descended I noticed how much this job has changed my perspective. My internal monologue when flying low over a city now goes something like “single family homes, eh... I’m not a big fan of those culdesacs, wait, those are nice townhomes, ooh an industrial area, park, freeway, is that a bike path?…”
Cooling Rights Won for Tenants
This week I had two significant wins. On Wednesday morning Council voted unanimously in support of the unaltered recommendations of staff’s Report Back – Giving Effect to Cooling Rights in a Climate Emergency Through the Licence By-law, which will prohibit landlords from preventing their tenants from using portable air conditioning units or risk a $1,000 fine.
The report also recommends amendments at the provincial level, to the Residential Tenancy Act, the Strata Property Act and the Vancouver Charter that would allow the City to establish maximum indoor temperature standards.
This work came out of my November 2025 motion “Giving Effect to Cooling Rights in a Climate Emergency Through the Standards of Maintenance By-law,” which was developed with Amanda Burrows and her team at First United and co-sponsored by Councillor Orr.
I got an inkling that the ABC majority might support the motion this past weekend when the Global TV reporter who interviewed me about the report mentioned that Landlord BC was not objecting to it. If landlords think this requirement subjects them to undue hardship because their building can’t support the electrical load or because of structural or safety concerns, they can apply for an exemption. And landlords who intend to comply with the requirements have nothing to fear from the fine.
During the 2021 heat dome, BC experienced record-breaking daytime temperatures and sustained overnight temperatures resulting in 619 heat-related deaths, 117 of which were in Vancouver. 98% of deaths occurred indoors and most were in homes without adequate cooling systems such as air conditioners.
Accessibility Win
This week is National Accessibility Week, and Council voted unanimously in support of my motion to recognise National Accessibility Week as an Official City of Vancouver Observance. The motion came out of my work as a Council Liaison for the City’s Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, which passed a similar motion in May. National Accessibility Week celebrates and promotes the contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities in Canada, the work of allies, organizations and communities that are removing barriers, and all others seeking a more accessible and disability-inclusive Canada.
Inaction on Earthquake Preparedness
During a staff report on the City’s Buildings Seismic Risk Reduction Action Plan, the ABC majority Council voted down my amendment asking staff to report back on what resources would be needed to fast-track the Inventory of At-Risk Buildings. This is the bare minimum information we would need to develop an action plan, to inform renters about the seismic risk of their buildings, and to leverage senior government funding.
Having previously experienced a number of strong earthquakes during my time living in Santiago, Chile, I am deeply concerned that Vancouver is only taking preliminary steps in developing a seismic-risk plan. I’m sure it would be easier to make the case for urgent action if Vancouver did experience regular, strong earthquakes.
Only $1.2 million is currently earmarked in the 2027-30 Capital Plan for seismic preparedness work for the entire city for the next four years. The recent vote by Mayor Sim and the ABC Councillors to allocate $2 million for one night of fireworks this summer is a shamefully clear illustration of the complacency I’m up against.
Capital plans are not only about pouring concrete. They also include planning, design, studies, asset condition assessments, technology systems, and risk inventories that are necessary before a city can make major capital or regulatory decisions. A key part of the Buildings Seismic Risk Reduction Action Plan is creating an inventory of at-risk privately owned and public buildings, so tenants better understand the risks that exist.
Unanimous Support for a Low Income Transit Pass
We had another win with Council voting unanimously in support of a motion to create a Low Income Transit Pass. This motion arose from a campaign by Movement Transit Riders to address barriers to access to transit in anticipation of the 5% increase in transit fares commencing on 1 July.
Mayor Sim Gets Off Scott-Free
This week the ABC majority council gave Mayor Sim a pass for violating the City’s Code of Conduct.
The City’s Integrity Commissioner retained an independent external investigator, who this past month concluded that Mayor Sim had misused the influence of his office when he made comments during a press conference he held the week after Councillor Orr and I were elected.
At that event, the Mayor suggested Councillor Orr would incite violence, and also that he was antisemitic. The Mayor also later posted remarks on social media suggesting Councillor Orr supported terrorism or antisemitism. All of these actions constituted harassment, the investigator ruled.
The Code of Conduct states that elected officials may only use the influence of their office to exercise their duties. A Mayor may not harass another councillor for any reason, including, for example, out of bitterness over the Mayor’s own party’s dismal by-election performance.
The ABC Council decided together that no consequences were in order for their leader’s behavior—and voted the report to oblivion.
ABC Waters Down Action on Tenant Protections
Councillor Brian Montague deep-sixed a motion to close gaps in the City’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy, by sending it back to staff “for information.”
Councillor Montague could easily have amended the motion to delete the brief passage he expressed reservations over. As I stated in Council, referring a motion back to staff for information is pointless. By the time a motion like this reaches an agenda, staff have already reviewed it and shared their feedback.
The “Referral to Nowheresville” is a favourite tactic that the ABC councillors use to avoid the appearance of voting down opposition motions.
Unanimous Support for ABC Councillor Lisa Dominato’s Abrupt U-Turn on Suicide (“Means”) Prevention Fencing on Granville Bridge
Council voted unanimously in support of a motion moved by Councillor Dominato to prioritize means-prevention infrastructure on the Granville Street Bridge within the draft 2027–2030 Capital Plan and expedite completion of the conceptual design and costing work. This was less than three months after she voted with her ABC colleagues to abandon former OneCity Councillor Christine Boyle's own July 2024 motion to advance means-prevention fencing on Granville Bridge.
Councillor Dominato’s change of heart appears to have been prompted by the recent tragic, preventable suicide death of a woman who fell from Granville Bridge in May.
Vision Zero Safe Mobility Plan - In Progress, Resuming Next Week
I was delighted to review many of the hundreds of letters of support for the Vision Zero Safe Mobility Plan that residents have sent to the Mayor and Council. In addition, 48 people signed up to speak to the agenda item.
Unfortunately due to time constraints, the Council agenda did not allow us to hear from speakers on Tuesday, and the item was adjourned to next Tuesday June 9 at 3pm. You can see the staff slide presentation here. Once Councillors—including me—have finished asking our questions, we’ll be hearing from the public. Thank you all for your support of this important work.
Have a great weekend,
-Lucy Maloney
OneCity Councillor, City of Vancouver
School Board Update:
Parks Board Update:
Pools. The topic on everyone's mind is pools, swimming lessons, and lifeguards. Why wouldn't it be?
The sometimes months-long waitlist for public swimming lessons is a failing of municipal government, and this year it means that pools are an election issue. The causes are complex: years of underinvestment, capacity constraints, and a booking system that can be genuinely difficult to navigate, but it boils down to one result: not enough kids are learning to swim.
ABC’s solution is to waive fees for basic swimming lessons. This would not result in a single additional kid learning to swim. Because all available swimming lessons are already full. What this fee waiver does do is strain a system already at the breaking point.
ABC froze property taxes, which means that ultra-wealthy residents in multi-million dollar homes save a lot of money, working folks save a little money, and the city has less money to pay for public services like pools and swimming lessons. Now they are trying to cut the fees it forced the Park Board to raise to pay for operations. And yet, it still feels like the Hunger Games trying to get your kid into a lesson.
OneCity's focus is on increasing supply. We want to work with Park Board staff to understand what's driving the waitlists and find real solutions — starting with funding VanSplash and at least one 50m pool.
We'll share more details soon, but the broader goal is a OneCity majority on Council, Park Board, and School Board. Getting this right takes coordination across all three levels of local government — building and maintaining the infrastructure that makes Vancouver a city for families and workers. Including, yes, a pool for everyone.
-Natalie Cushing
OneCity Board member and Parks Board Liaison
