Richmond city councillor candidate Michael Wolfe says he would seek re-election to continue “evidence-based” leadership

The Story

Michael Wolfe, a Richmond city councillor seeking re-election, provided responses to a municipal election questionnaire intended to introduce municipal candidates to voters, with the series published online from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8, 2026.

Wolfe said he is a lifelong Richmond resident and a high school science teacher with a master’s in education. In his questionnaire responses, he said he is running for re-election because he “care[s] deeply about Richmond” and believes the city’s future deserves “thoughtful, balanced and evidence-based leadership.” He also said he has maintained a “100 per cent attendance record at council committee meetings” this term.

On public safety and policing, Wolfe said “Yes” to increasing taxes to pay for more police officers and firefighters, and he also answered “Yes” to whether Richmond is a safe place to live, work and play.

Wolfe responded “Yes” when asked whether he would continue the city’s appeal of the Cowichan Tribes ruling, and said he would not seek to expand the city’s role beyond its existing appeal. He said Richmond has participated in a court case that lasted over 500 hearing days and that the province and other parties are also appealing. Wolfe said the province is responsible for negotiating reconciliation of the ruling, and he said he would ensure the city provides appropriate information and support to ongoing proceedings while focusing municipal efforts on helping residents and businesses.

When asked about reconciliation efforts with First Nations, Wolfe said “Yes.” He also said “Yes” to whether new small-scale multi-unit housing developments are fitting into Richmond, and he answered “No” to lowering fees for developers to support faster housing development. Wolfe said “Yes” to allowing more City of Richmond-owned land to be used for affordable housing and to supporting continuing temporary modular housing contracts.

On transportation and growth measures, Wolfe said Richmond should add more bike lanes and reduce traffic congestion, and he answered “Yes” to the need for more buses. He also said “Yes” to supporting lower property taxes in Richmond and “Yes” to more recreational facilities.

Wolfe said he chairs the city’s parks, recreation and cultural services committee and linked his recreation views to demand he described as supported by staff-commissioned assessments. He said that when registration opens, swimming and skating lessons can fill quickly, with waitlists “barely” moving, and he argued that Richmond’s recreation facilities have not kept pace with growth. He said he wants facilities planned alongside growth and to make better use of existing spaces.

Wolfe also answered “Yes” to increasing funding for arts programming and to having more taxpayer-funded free community events. He answered “No” to whether Richmond feels it gets enough support from senior levels of government for housing, health and transportation, and he answered “No” to reducing environmentally sensitive areas on private property, saying he opposed a council decision to remove ESA designation from a large area of East Richmond despite staff recommending the report be received.

Regarding other development and business topics in the questionnaire, Wolfe said “No” to allowing retail cannabis stores in Richmond and “No” to more industrial or commercial development along the Fraser River waterfront. He answered “Yes” to creating more low-cost or subsidized commercial space for local entrepreneurs and startups, and “Yes” to holding more public consultations before major infrastructure decisions.

The questionnaire also included notes that candidates were asked to provide yes/no answers to a series of questions and could provide up to three additional answers of up to 150 words each. Wolfe’s responses included yes/no answers and several longer explanations.