The July motion would have restored a dedicated point of contact for Vancouver renters. Council voted it down.

VANCOUVER, B.C., July 28, 2026 — Vancouver renters will have to keep guessing where to turn after Council voted down Councillor Pete Fry's motion to bring back the City's Renter's Office.

In July, Fry asked Council to restore a dedicated Renter's Office: a single place at City Hall where renters could get help navigating municipal services, file complaints, flag enforcement issues, and get pointed to the right resource. It's not a new idea for Fry. The Renter’s Office was Pete’s first motion after being elected to Council in 2018.

The office was eliminated under the ABC-led Council in 2023, despite staff’s recommendation to continue services for renters through the City of Vancouver Renter’s Office.

Fry's 2026 motion asked staff to return with a concrete plan to bring it back: a true one-window point of contact for renters, tighter coordination with provincial and non-profit services, better data and public reporting, and closer ties to the City's enforcement work.

The motion came back to Council on July 28 after debate ran out of time at the July 15 committee meeting. It was defeated with Ken Sim and his entire caucus voting against it with no comment

For Fry, the math was simple: renters make up the majority of Vancouver households, yet finding help for a housing problem can mean navigating a maze of City departments, the Residential Tenancy Branch, non-profit advocates, and other agencies with no clear starting point.

"Vancouverites deserve better than a political and policy ambivalence. Tenants deserve a City Hall that actually shows up for them," Fry said.

Council made its choice. Pete's is just as clear: keep fighting for renters, keep fighting for fairness, keep fighting for a Vancouver that works for everyone.