Twenty-nine Richmond city council candidates took part in a debate Thursday evening at the Richmond Caring Place, addressing issues including housing, flood protection, food security and homelessness.
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Twenty-nine of 55 Richmond city council candidates met to tackle questions on community priorities at a debate Thursday evening at the Richmond Caring Place.
The event was organized by the Richmond Poverty Reduction Coalition and moderated by Maria Rantanen, and it was livestreamed to the public on YouTube. Organizers were told that all candidates confirmed with Advance Richmond would be unable to attend due to sickness.
Candidates answered a series of agree-or-disagree statements, raising or lowering placards, including whether they would support a property tax increase above inflation and whether the city should spend more on policing and roads. They also discussed local and public services, including whether they had visited libraries or parks.
In the main portion of the debate, candidates were seated in groups and given 90 seconds each to respond to questions compiled by the coalition.
Housing featured multiple exchanges, with Laura Gillanders and Keefer Pelech defending previous positions that Richmond should build on city-owned land. Gillanders, running with RITE Richmond, argued that relying on private developers to deliver affordable housing has not worked, while Pelech, running with the Richmond Citizens’ Association, said the private market may not meet needs such as accessible housing. Other candidates pointed to long waits for long-term care and the city’s aging population, including Kenny Chiu of the Common Sense slate, who said Richmond cannot solve the challenge alone and needs provincial and federal support.
On food security, Shelley Leonhardt, Mario Cruz and Alan Lackstein pointed to local farmers as part of the solution. Leonhardt, also running with Richmond Forward, suggested the city help expand farmland, while Cruz and Lackstein said companies with surplus food should be brought in. Bob Basanti, running with Richmond Strong, and Cruz also referred to faith communities already serving free meals.
Climate resilience and flood protection drew discussion on maintenance and infrastructure upkeep. Romeo Bicego, running with Richmond Forward, and Jeff Jiang, with Richmond Strong, both stressed keeping Richmond systems functioning. Jiang called for better upkeep of the city’s drainage system and said homeowners need education, while Bicego said Richmond pump stations are “probably one of the best in the world,” though some low-lying areas are difficult to raise because they have already been built on.
Candidates also discussed how community spaces are used. Tamás Revóczi and Jerome Dickey, both running with RITE Richmond, said Richmond is not getting full use of current spaces, citing an underused heritage school on Sea Island and underutilized libraries and community centres. Howard Jampolsky of Richmond Forward and Mike Gill, with Richmond United, argued the city should make it easier to hold community events by simplifying permits and improving access to information for small businesses and community groups.
Child and senior care accessibility was another theme. Eric Yung, with Richmond Forward, said the school district has already added more than 1,500 spaces for before- and after-school care and said the city should explore alternative space. Alton Cheung, with RCA, suggested child drop-in options with board games, books and snacks. For seniors, Michael Wolfe called for senior day programs in every neighbourhood and accessible shuttles to help residents get there.
Safety and homelessness were discussed as well, with Carol Day of RITE Richmond and Karen Novorr-Pezzuto of Richmond Strong focusing on the province’s role. Day said Richmond has pushed the provincial government to take responsibility for encampments, and Novorr-Pezzuto said council made a mistake by continuing the lease with BC Housing for Aster Place and should hold the operator accountable. Vincent Li said programming at Aster Place should be strengthened so residents can “move on.”
Drug use was framed by candidates as a health issue, including Action Richmond’s Edward He and Thomas Leung of the Common Sense slate. He said it should take a “multi-pronged approach” developed with the health authority, while Leung said people with drug addiction “need help to stop taking drugs.”
The debate ended with each candidate giving a three-word summary of their campaign.
Voters will elect a new mayor, eight city councillors and seven school trustees on Oct. 17, 2026. The Richmond Forward slate is running with mayoral candidate Rob Howard, and Richmond Strong is running with mayoral candidate Alexa Loo, while Dickens Cheung is the mayoral candidate for We Are Richmond and Mei Kang is the mayoral candidate for Action Richmond.
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