Vancouver mayoral race split among challengers as 62 percent want Ken Sim out
A new poll shows most voters want change, but Pete Fry barely edges Sim among decided voters as the field fractures — giving the incumbent an opening.
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Most Vancouver residents want a new mayor, but support for change is fractured across multiple challengers, according to a new poll that shows Ken Sim well-positioned for re-election despite low approval ratings.
Canada Pulse Insights polled 500 Vancouver adults from September 28 to October 6 (margin of error ±4.4 percentage points) for CityNews and OMNI TV. Among decided voters, Pete Fry leads with 28 percent, followed by Sim at 27 percent, Kareem Allam at 19 percent, Colleen Hardwick at 13 percent, Rebecca Bligh at 7 percent, and Muhammad Ahmad at 3 percent. Another 10 percent remain undecided.
Yet 62 percent of all respondents say it is time for a new mayor, while 38 percent say Sim deserves to be re-elected. On direction: 53 percent believe Vancouver is headed the wrong way, while 47 percent say it is on the right track.
Among voters explicitly wanting change, Fry claimed 34 percent, Allam 16 percent, Hardwick 16 percent, and 12 percent were still undecided — meaning the anti-Sim vote splits widely.
"Most people believe that the mayor is out of touch with city council or out of touch with Vancouver citizens — and that's even for a good number of his own supporters," John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, told the outlet. "The issues that he's landing on are the ones that are going to get that block of his voters to the polls. It is about taxes and meat-and-potatoes on crime."
Wright added: "Whenever you deal with a fractured field, you're not going to get a call for change executed by one or two people. You're going to get it distributed amongst a group of others."
The October 17 election follows a September 25 announcement by Premier David Eby of a snap provincial election for October 24, which pushed Vancouver's vote forward from October 24.
Has turnout intention shifted since September, and which candidate's voters are most committed to voting?
What is Sim's support among voters contacted after the September debate versus before it?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
When was the poll conducted?
Canada Pulse Insights polled 500 Vancouver adults from September 28 to October 6, 2026.
Who leads among decided voters?
Pete Fry leads with 28 percent, followed by Ken Sim at 27 percent.
What percentage of respondents want a new mayor?
62 percent of all respondents say it is time for a new mayor.
When is Vancouver's mayoral election?
The election is on October 17, 2026.
