VANCOUVER — CUPE 15 and CUPE 1004, the two unions who represent more than 6,500 inside, outside and parks workers in the City of Vancouver, are urging council to reconsider their approach to the 2026 budget.
“We’ve seen a record number of residents speak out against this budget. It’s time for Mayor and Council to listen to their residents: no means no,” says CUPE 15 President Santino Scardillo. “If Council goes ahead with the zero percent property tax increase, it will have negative lasting effects on our community. There’s still time to change course and bring forward a budget in line with what the community is calling for.”
Last month City Council directed staff to prepare a budget with a zero percent property tax increase, which means cutting $120 million from the budget. To help fill that gap, the draft budget also includes more than $40 million in new and increased fees that residents and businesses will be expected to absorb.
Some of the user fees currently being proposed include:
- A 2-5 percent increase to recreation user fees, making programs like swimming and skating lessons more expensive for families
- A 4.5 percent increase to development permits, plumbing permits, demolition permits and mechanical permits making the cost of building new housing more expensive.
- An increase to resident parking permits, with one type rising from $23 to $55
- A 10.5 percent increase in patio permit fees for large sidewalk patios and curbside patios
“This budget doesn’t ease the pressure on families – it just changes where the costs show up. It pushes them onto residents through higher recreation fees, increased permit and license charges, and more expensive parking,” says Scardillo.
Michael Robinson, an acting Business Agent for CUPE 1004, says that a zero percent property tax increase is shortsighted, goes against what staff advised was needed to maintain current service levels and is out of line with what residents said they want.
“A record number of Vancouverites have cautioned city council against pursuing a zero percent increase. Residents, businesses, community groups and service users have all raised concerns about transparency, about lack of detail and about the serious impact service cuts will have,” says Robinson.
Scardillo and Robinson say both local unions are united in calling on Mayor Ken Sim and City Council to withdraw the zero-increase budget and instead put forward a responsible plan that protects public services and the people who provide them. Additionally, the unions are calling for the city to engage in meaningful consultation with them before finalizing the 2026 budget, to identify responsible, long-term approaches that protect services without sacrificing jobs.
