cost of several vancouver city services to rise under zero per cent property tax goal
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vancouver mayor ken sim's promise of no property tax hikes in 2026 will come to a vote on nov. 12, 2025.
jason payne
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vancouver mayor ken sim’s goal to not increase property taxes in 2026 can only occur if several city utility, development and service costs rise, according to staff reports sent to city council.
on wednesday, council will vote on sim’s plan to keep the city’s operating budget at $2.4 billion by cutting costs, increasing fees and finding new ways to generate cash to the tune of $120 million.
this would mean that property taxes would not rise in 2026, after increasing 20 per cent over the previous three years, according to the canadian taxpayers federation.
here is a look at some of the increased fees needed to make sim’s math work:
water
the city’s manager of engineering services is asking to increase the cost of installing a water meter by between two and 33 per cent, depending on circumstance.
metered water rates would increase 20 per cent over the next five years. lon laclaire wants to increase metered water service costs by four per cent next year and proposes a 10 to 16 per cent increase in flat-rate water connections.
vancouver has 100,000 water connections, of which 68,000 are unmetered, with those residents paying a flat fee for their water.
the city is introducing metering to new home builds, so owners pay for how much water is used.
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laclaire says these increases are needed to cover the cost of water charged by metro vancouver. vancouver is expected to pay $109 million for its water in 2026, a $1.9 million increase over 2025.
sewer
staff are recommending a 5.5 per cent increase in sewer utility rates and a 16 per cent increase for sewer connection fees in 2026.
laclaire says the 16 per cent connection hike reflects cost increases associated with labour and materials.
according to the city, aging sewer infrastructure is deteriorating at a faster rate than sewer renewal can keep up.
solid waste
solid waste collection fees fund residential garbage and green bin collection, along with a portion of street cleaning services.
the solid waste utility rate is forecast to jump 7.9 per cent over the next five years, with the cost of having a 240-litre green bin set to rise to $254 in 2026 from $238.
engineering fees/parking/charging fees
staff want to increase engineering services department permit, application and licence agreements by 4.5 per cent.
some resident parking permit fees will rise to $55 from $23, while council will be asked to increase electric-vehicle charging fees.
a 10.5 per cent increase in patio permit fees for large sidewalk patios and curbside patios is also in the cards.
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development fees
corrie okell, general manager of development, buildings and licensing, will ask council to increase permit fees by 4.5 per cent in 2026.
these fee hikes include development permits, plumbing permits, demolition permits and mechanical permits.
permit fees have increased by 23 per cent over the past three years.
okell said the city’s permitting program reserve has a deficit of $1.2 million due to fees historically being set at rates that “did not fully recover the full cost of processing permits.”
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