Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC party are revealing new details about their platform and “public safety” plebiscite ahead of October’s municipal election. At their announcement Monday, ABC said if the plebiscite is approved it will strengthen municipal bylaws to restrict drug use in public. This would put the onus on police officers who would be allowed to issue a bylaw ticket for $0, detain the individual, and seize the drugs, as per ABC’s policy paper. “The individual will be recorded as having an interaction with police, and if enough interactions occur, they could potentially be taken into treatment if the law allowed it,” the booklet states. On Monday, Sim was asked about the proposed policy and said it’s about reestablishing social norms and expectations in public spaces. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense if you can smoke crystal meth two feet away from a child in a playground,” he said. According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, when the decriminalization exemption expired on Jan. 31, 2026, it made the “possession of any amount of illicit substances illegal and enforceable anywhere that does not have an exemption such as supervised consumption and drug checking sites.” ‘We’ll let them deal with that’ On Oct.17, Vancouverites will be asked two questions when they head to the polls: whether they’re in favour of strengthening city laws forbidding public use of hard drugs, and whether the city should “formally ask” the province to convert parts of the current St. Paul’s Hospital building or a similar site into a secure involuntary care facility after the hospital moves to its new location. CTV News asked Sim what he would do if the province does not act on the plebiscite questions. “Do they want to say no to the vast majority of Vancouver residents? A couple hundred thousand voters?” he said. “We’ll let them deal with that.” The event was held at the Dunbar Community Centre, which is one of five facilities ABC has promised to renew in the 2027-2030 capital plan. That decision drew some backlash after a number of organizations questioned the decision in light of a comprehensive report published four years ago. ABC’s platform, titled ‘Let’s Keep Vancouver Moving Forward’ promises to revitalize Granville Street, provide free residential permit parking, and introduce another zero per cent property tax increase. Zero per cent property tax increase Asked what city services and jobs may be cut if he wins a second term, Sim did not provide a direct answer. “What I can say is we have a growing city. I think regardless of what side of the political spectrum you are on, I think we can all agree that governments, and organizations for that matter, are not running at 100 per cent efficiency,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what organization you’re in. And so, we are taking a very pragmatic, balanced approach, looking for efficiencies, as we grow this great city of ours.” In November of 2025 Sim approved a ‘Zero means Zero’ tax increase which resulted in staff layoffs. ABC plans to release the rest of its policy priorities next week, which includes a plan for families and a plan to rebuild the city’s infrastructure.
