Pete Fry sworn in as Vancouver mayor as 10 councillors take oath at The Orpheum Theatre

The Story

Pete Fry was officially sworn in as Vancouver’s mayor on Monday during an inauguration ceremony at The Orpheum Theatre, where an audience of more than 1,000 people celebrated the Green Party leader’s election win.

Speaking from the stage, Fry said, “I may be mayor, but I'm also a neighbour, and being a good neighbour means listening carefully,” adding that it “means showing up” and “staying at the table, even when things get complicated.” He also acknowledged that tough decisions and disagreements are ahead for council.

Provincial Court Judge Reginald Harris administered the oath of office to Fry before swearing in Green Party members Bridget Burns, Camil Dumont, Stephanie Smith and Annette Reilly. COPE members Sean Orr, Chloe Leslie, Solomon Yi-Kieran and Devyani Singh were also sworn in, along with OneCity Vancouver’s Lucy Maloney and Mike Klassen.

Fry won 98,748 votes in the Oct. 17 municipal election, ending Ken Sim’s re-election bid. The overall results saw the Greens, COPE and OneCity Vancouver win seats on council, school board and park board, while ABC Vancouver was all but wiped out, with Klassen the only councillor able to keep the party’s name alive in the council chamber.

The two-hour ceremony included performances by the Vancouver Police Department’s Lion Dance Team and the Shao Lin Hung Gar Kung Fu Association, as well as a warm-up by the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services band. After Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations welcomed the crowd following Marie Hui’s singing of the national anthem, Fred Lee served as master of ceremonies.

During the ceremony and related remarks, Fry reiterated a goal he signaled during the campaign to end partisanship at city hall for the greater good of the city, saying it should include respect “even when we see things differently.” He told reporters later that balancing the city’s budget in December would be his first major order of business and said he wants to set up infrastructure aimed at community safety, including more daytime shelter access and moving unhoused, unwell people into a stable environment.

Fry also described plans that were reflected during the election campaign, including the Greens’ promise of a 24-hour non-police, non-medical mobile response team called CROW to handle non-emergency calls, and an Office of Community Safety intended to “break down silos” by integrating neighbourhood services.

Following the swearing-in, Fry and the councillors returned to city hall for a brief inaugural meeting, where he singled out each councillor and named Sean Orr to serve as deputy mayor. Vancouver’s next public meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17.