Vancouver’s Potential Is Real—Here Are 10 Ways to Deliver It

 Vancouver doesn’t need more image management—it needs grounded, compassionate action.

We are a city with immense wealth, natural beauty, and strong communities. And yet, people are suffering in plain sight. This isn’t because we lack ideas—it’s because we keep choosing optics over solutions.

Here are 10 things the City of Vancouver and Ken Sim could act on right now:

1. Restore and expand lifeguard services
We are surrounded by water. Public safety should be a priority. Reinstate lifeguards at beaches and pools and make it consistent across the city.

2. Make swimming lessons accessible for every child
Drowning is preventable. Offer free or low-cost swimming programs so no child is left out because of cost or access.

3. Stop displacing people from the Downtown Eastside
Shipping people out to places like Chilliwack doesn’t solve homelessness—it hides it. People need support where they are.

4. Build and open housing—now
Not years from now. Use modular housing, repurpose empty buildings, fast-track approvals. Housing is the foundation for everything else.

5. Pair housing with real supports
Mental health care, addiction services, and community outreach must go hand-in-hand with housing. One without the other doesn’t work.

6. Invest in prevention, not just crisis response
Support renters before they lose their homes. Expand eviction prevention, rent banks, and community-based supports.

7. Keep public spaces truly public
Parks, beaches, and community centres should be accessible, safe, and welcoming to everyone—not quietly restricted or reduced.

8. Support local communities, not just large developments
Small businesses, artists, and local initiatives are what give Vancouver its soul. Protect and invest in them.

9. Increase transparency and accountability
People feel disconnected from decision-making. Communicate clearly, honestly, and regularly about what is being done—and what isn’t.

10. Lead with dignity, not optics
A city is not measured by how clean it looks in photos, but by how it treats its most vulnerable people.

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Vancouver has everything it needs: resources, intelligence, and people who genuinely care. What’s missing is the willingness to act with urgency and compassion.

This city has so much potential. It shouldn’t be a place where people fall through the cracks while others look away.

We can do better—and we should expect better.