Poll shows tight race for Vancouver mayor as Pete Fry leads Ken Sim by 1 point among decided voters

The Story

A new Canada Pulse Insights poll suggests a tight contest for Vancouver mayor, with Green Party candidate Pete Fry leading incumbent Ken Sim by one point among decided voters.

The survey puts Fry at 28 per cent support and Sim at 27 per cent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Vancouver Liberal candidate Kareem Allam is at 19 per cent.

Among decided voters—those who say they will definitely vote or have already cast a ballot—the poll shows Fry leading Sim 29 per cent to 28 per cent. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidate Colleen Hardwick is at 13 per cent among decided voters, followed by Vote Vancouver’s Rebecca Bligh at seven per cent and Bright Future Vancouver’s Muhammad Ahmad at three per cent.

The poll also reports that 10 per cent of respondents remain undecided, even after those who initially said they were unsure were asked whether they were leaning toward a candidate.

Among all voters, including those leaning toward a candidate, Fry has 24 per cent support, compared with 23 per cent for Sim and 17 per cent for Allam.

John Wright, CEO of Canada Pulse Insights, said in the poll results that the field is “very fragmented” and that attention is focused on the front-runners. He added that with a race this close, “the critical thing” is getting out the vote.

Vancouverites will head to the polls Oct. 17, with advance voting scheduled for Oct. 10 and 13. The poll surveyed 500 adult Vancouver residents online between Sept. 28 and Oct. 6, according to Canada Pulse Insights.