Vancouver voters elect Pete Fry as Canada's first Green Party mayor
The sitting city councillor defeated incumbent Ken Sim, who led ABC Vancouver, in a stunning reversal across the metro region where voters turned out nine incumbent mayors.
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Vancouver has elected Pete Fry, a sitting city councillor with the Green Party, as Canada's first mayor from that party. Fry defeated incumbent Ken Sim by more than 22,000 votes on Saturday, October 17, in a result that reflects a broader anti-incumbent wave across British Columbia.
The shift in Vancouver's leadership extended to the park board and school board. COPE and the Green Party won all seven park board seats, while COPE, the Green Party, and OneCity Vancouver took all nine school board positions. ABC Vancouver won zero seats across both boards—a complete shutout for the party that held the mayor's office and dominated city politics for the last four years.
The park board's top vote-getter was Tom Digby of the Green Party with 71,498 votes. On the school board, Suzie Mah of COPE led with 75,541 votes.
The results in Vancouver were part of a sweeping rejection of incumbent leadership across B.C. municipalities. Nine incumbent mayors were defeated on October 17, including Brenda Locke in Surrey (lost to Doug McCallum, who is returning to the job for a third term) and Mark Sager in West Vancouver. In total, 3,479 candidates ran across the province for municipal positions.
Political analyst Hugh Chan from the University of B.C. said the turnout reflected broader frustration. "Across British Columbia, it looks like a huge anti-incumbent wave," he told the Vancouver Sun.
The facts
Who won the Vancouver mayoral election?
Pete Fry, a sitting city councillor with the Green Party, was elected mayor of Vancouver on Saturday, October 17, 2026, defeating incumbent Ken Sim by more than 22,000 votes.
What makes Pete Fry's election historic?
Pete Fry is Canada's first mayor elected from the Green Party.
How many incumbent mayors lost their races across B.C. on October 17?
Nine incumbent mayors were defeated on Saturday, October 17, 2026, including Brenda Locke in Surrey and Mark Sager in West Vancouver.
How did ABC Vancouver perform in the park board and school board races?
ABC Vancouver won zero seats across both the park board and school board on Saturday, October 17, 2026, a complete shutout for the party that had held the mayor's office and dominated city politics for the previous four years.
