Sim’s 2026 budget cuts arts and climate, increases emergency spending

(Image courtesy of CBC)

Last week, Vancouver Mayor Sim’s office unveiled the 2026 budget, outlining significant shifts across both emergency services and recreational departments.

Cuts to the arts, climate, and big raises for emergency services

The city plans to trim the Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability department’s allocation by 14 percent — a $5.5 million drop from the previous year. This is the biggest year-over-year change for any city department. This is likely related to the city confirming that it is planning to cut 400 jobs from the city’s payroll for next year to meet Mayor Sim’s commitment to not see an increase in Vancouver’s property tax.

Other changes include a 12 percent deduction from the Arts, Culture and Community Services department, and a deduction for corporate support in various areas such as real estate, supply chain management, and technological services. Items seeing an increase are Police Services, a 10 percent top-up, and Fire and Rescue Services, a six percent increase.

The increasingly tough balance act

The city is projecting a 2026 operating budget of $2.4 billion, which is a dramatic increase from even five years ago, when the city had an operating budget of $1.6 billion in 2021. This is a 50 percent increase for the city budget. Inflation has grown about 18 percent from that time period to today, and Vancouver’s population has grown by an estimated 16 percent from 2021 to 2025.

The City of Vancouver’s budget since 2021. The 2026 figure is an estimate from the released budget last week. Figures are expressed in millions ($).

While the city is expected to provide more services with its increasing budget, it can also increase costs for citizens. City manager Donny van Dyk has said that utility fees are set to go up by 4.2 percent and that water and sewer rates will rise. The explanation given for the rising costs is that it is for employee salaries and compensation, construction materials and labour, public safety services, among many other municipal considerations.

Budget battle looms

With the 2026 Vancouver election less than a year away, the political implications seem just as important as the financial ones for Ken Sim’s administration. On Wednesday, at the budget’s special council meeting, over 600 speakers registered to speak, many of them voicing disapproval over Sim’s plan. City council will make its final decision on the proposals, following debate, on November 25.