Vancouver City Council Approves Funding to Address Police and Fire Department Deficits
The Vancouver city council has given the green light to provide additional financial support to cover the current deficits within the city’s police and fire departments.
Both the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and the Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) had requested assistance from city officials to address their financial shortfalls before the upcoming budget is finalized.
In a recent decision on Wednesday, the city council agreed to allocate funds to cover the VPD’s outstanding balance of $17 million and the VFRS’s deficit of $4.6 million.
The departments highlighted that the increased costs were primarily due to staffing vacancies and overtime expenses incurred by employees.
The VPD emphasized that a surge in protests, ongoing Task Force Barrage operations, adjustments to fringe benefits, and unforeseen expenses related to the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy contributed to the rising costs.
On the other hand, VFRS had to manage unexpected fleet maintenance costs, further straining their budget.
The proposed 2026 budget for the VPD amounts to $497 million, with a $50 million increment requested by the department.
In response to the budget increase and deficit coverage, Green Party councillor Pete Fry expressed concerns about potential cuts to other essential services within the city.
Fry warned of impending reductions in staffing and services across various departments, attributing these cuts to the increased budgets for the police and fire departments.
Moreover, Fry criticized Mayor Ken Sim’s property tax freeze policy, stating that it will place additional strain on the city’s services.
Looking ahead, Fry predicted layoffs and service cuts for City of Vancouver employees as a consequence of the budget adjustments.
While supporting public safety initiatives, Fry raised issues regarding the lack of transparency in approving funding for Task Force Barrage without open council discussions.
The city council is scheduled to review the draft budget for 2026 during its upcoming meeting on Nov. 12.