Ken Sim declines to face Pete Fry in public

Sim’s refusal comes as Fry leads in recent polls, including Leger (23% to 19%) and Canada Pulse Insights (28% to 27%), and follows a campaign of skipped forums.

VANCOUVER, B.C., OCTOBER 14, 2026 — Ken Sim has declined Green Party of Vancouver mayoral candidate Pete Fry’s invitation to a one-on-one debate on the steps of City Hall. The Greens say it’s the latest in a series of missed opportunities to answer to voters.

ABC Vancouver campaign manager Trevor Ford told Business in Vancouver that Sim would not participate because he has already taken part in six debates and forums, and is focused on a phone town hall on Thursday.

“This isn’t about one debate. It’s about a pattern of Ken Sim and ABC consistently choosing controlled settings over open, public questions,” said Pete Fry. “A phone town hall with screened questions is not a debate.”

Fry said the debate would also have been an opportunity to counter knowingly fraudulent claims made by Sim’s campaign on doorsteps and WeChat, and to answer ABC’s negative attack ads directly.

“Voters deserve to see the leading mayoral candidates answer the same questions, side by side,” said Fry. “When a candidate refuses to do that, voters can draw their own conclusions.”

Sim has also been absent from more than ten mayoral debates and panels, including events hosted by UBC, the Tyee, the Metro Vancouver Alliance, and the Association of Neighbourhood Houses, where Fry and other mayoral candidates took part.

“I’ll keep showing up, whether it’s a debate, a community hall, or a doorstep,” said Fry. “That’s what Vancouverites should expect from their mayor, and it’s the kind of City Hall I’ll deliver.”

Election day is Saturday, October 17.