Motion would restore a dedicated point of contact for the majority of Vancouver residents who rent, first proposed by Fry in 2018 and later eliminated by the ABC-led Council shortly after taking office

VANCOUVER, B.C. — July 9, 2026 — Green Councillor and mayoral candidate Pete Fry will bring forward a motion at the July 15, 2026 Council meeting calling on the City of Vancouver to re-establish a dedicated Renter's Office, restoring a service the City eliminated after it was first created through a motion Fry introduced in 2018.

More than half of Vancouver households rent their homes, but renters facing unsafe conditions, renoviction, demoviction, illegal eviction, bad-faith notices, or displacement currently have no single point of contact at City Hall. Instead, they must navigate a patchwork of City bylaw departments, the provincial Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB), and non-profit or legal advocates with little coordination between them.

“Renters make up the majority of people in this city, and they still don't have a front door at City Hall,” said Fry. “Developers and builders have well-worn paths through this building. Renters deserve the same: someone whose job it is to help them navigate the system, track what's actually happening to rental housing in this city, and flag the patterns Council needs to see.”

The motion directs staff to report back on re-establishing a Renter's Office that would:

• Provide a centralized point of contact for renters seeking help or information;

• Improve coordination between the City, the Residential Tenancy Branch, the Vancouver Tenants Union, non-profit housing providers, co-ops, and legal advocates;

• Strengthen City data collection and public reporting on rental housing loss, displacement, and compliance outcomes;

• Support enforcement teams by helping identify high-risk properties and repeat offenders through better integration of permit, complaint, and licensing data; and

• Advise Council on gaps in renter protections and opportunities to close them.

The motion focuses on municipal coordination, data, service delivery, and support, using tools already available to the City.

“This was the first motion I ever brought to Council, and it worked,” said Fry. “Bringing it back is about giving renters in this city the basic support they should already have.”

A Renter's Office previously operated in Vancouver following Fry's 2018 motion but was later 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.

The motion will be considered by Council on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.