Vancouver Police Union will not endorse a mayoral candidate in the municipal election

The Vancouver Police Union says it will not endorse a mayoral candidate in this year’s municipal election. Instead, it will send a questionnaire to mayoral and council candidates to assess their positions on public safety, union president Jason Chan said.

The survey will ask about police funding, member well-being, street disorder and school liaison officers. Chan said the union wants to work with whoever is elected to council on public safety and workplace conditions. He said there would be no automatic deal breaker if a candidate supported reducing the Vancouver Police Department budget. The union plans to publish the results and, unlike in 2022, will not hold a candidates’ debate.

In 2022, the union issued a similar questionnaire before endorsing Mayor Ken Sim, an unprecedented move in Vancouver. Then-president Ralph Kaisers said at the time that residents did not feel safe and that the union was prepared to become political to change that. Kaisers later ran unsuccessfully for council with Sim’s ABC party in the April 2025 byelection. Chan assumed the leadership role about 16 months ago and said members who felt unsupported may have contributed to the union’s decision to weigh in four years earlier.

University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest said it is inappropriate for a policing organization to survey candidates this way, arguing it can reverse the expected lines of accountability between police and elected representatives. He said perceived police favouritism in political debate could discourage people from participating. Chan said he does not view the survey as political activity.

On X, VPU reposted a Sept. 12 ABC attack ad against Green mayoral candidate Pete Fry and a campaign post from ABC council candidate Arezo Zarrabian, a crime analyst with the VPD. After CTV News asked about the account amplifying partisan ABC messaging, the union also reposted a Vancouver Liberals post about intimate partner violence.

Vancouver Fire Fighters Local 18 will endorse candidates, according to Scott Rose. He said the union interviews candidates for vacant council positions and considers its relationship with each incumbent councillor, while remaining non-partisan and endorsing people rather than parties. Prest said police involvement in politics is more concerning because police have the distinct authority to enact the force of the state.