For Immediate Release
August 13, 2026
Mayor Ken Sim proposes plebiscite on public safety and launches policy paper “Building A Safer Vancouver: The 2026 Public Safety Plebiscite Proposal’”
VANCOUVER, BC – Today, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim (ABC Vancouver) outlined plans for a proposed plebiscite on public safety, street disorder, and the treatment of severe mental health and addiction disorders.
If approved by Vancouver City Council, the plebiscite would take place on October 17th, coinciding with the 2026 municipal elections. The plebiscite would ask Vancouver voters two questions on the ballot:
Vancouver has experienced unprecedented levels of street disorder, open-air hard drug use, and disruption to community safety and individual health. Therefore:
- Are you in favour of the City of Vancouver strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug (Heroin, Meth, Fentanyl, and Crack) use in public spaces? AND
- Should the City of Vancouver formally ask the Province of BC to convert portions of the old St. Paul’s Hospital, or another similar site, into a secure medical facility that provides acute voluntary and 100-plus involuntary care beds for individuals posing a serious risk to themselves or others due to severe substance use and mental health disorders?
The City of Vancouver has had to bear a disproportionate amount of British Columbia’s challenges related to mental health and addictions, without receiving corresponding resources. Mayor Sim is calling for urgent action to address the ongoing crisis on Vancouver’s streets.
“This is my top priority. A ‘Yes’ vote will deliver tangible change in how open-air hard drug use is enforced in our City and tangible change in how healthcare is delivered for those who need it,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “It’s time for us to come together as a city and solve a problem that Vancouverites face every day.”
Along with the announcement of the plebiscite questions, ABC Vancouver released an accompanying policy paper: ‘Building A Safer Vancouver: The 2026 Public Safety Plebiscite Proposal’. The policy proposal details the rationale for the proposed plebiscite, providing background on existing approaches, jurisdiction, and potential policy options in the event of a ‘Yes’ vote.
“A compassionate city does not leave people suffering while asking neighbourhoods to live with the consequences,” continued Sim. “We’ve given the status quo decades to work, and it simply hasn’t. A favourable vote on the plebiscite would give Vancouverites a clear mandate to re-establish social expectations around open-air hard drug use in public spaces.
Vancouver City Council will vote on the proposed plebiscite in a special Council meeting on Friday, August 14th at 8:00 am.
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Mayor Ken Sim have taken significant action within municipal jurisdiction to address street disorder:
- Fully funded police and fire services for the first time in decades.
- Fully funded all mental health worker services requested by Vancouver Coastal Health.
- Supported Taskforce Barrage, which significantly increased policing in the Downtown Eastside to tackle organized crime and the toxic drug trade.
- Removed dangerous encampments from East Hastings Street.
- Led the fights against decriminalization, SROs on Granville Street, and the proposed drug consumption site at 900 Helmcken.
- Increased street cleaning and funding for business improvement associations in the City core to help improve public spaces, with specific focus on Chinatown, Gastown, and in the Granville Entertainment District.
- Invested in the extension of the Granville Pedestrian Zone to improve foot traffic downtown and support safe enjoyment of the GED.
What is a plebiscite?
A plebiscite is a non-binding question, or series of questions, put directly to voters on the ballot, giving residents the opportunity to have their say on an important public issue.
While a plebiscite is non-binding, voters can give the next City Council a clear democratic mandate to strengthen municipal bylaws where the City has authority and advocate for action from the Province where it does not.
A ‘Yes’ vote on this proposed plebiscite would help re-establish social expectations around how we behave in shared public spaces, while supporting compassionate interventions that get people who pose a serious risk to themselves or others into appropriate care — helping reduce the revolving door of severe mental health and addiction crises and relieve pressure on our emergency rooms.