City of Vancouver tries to find millions of dollars in savings

The City of Vancouver is shutting down its equity office as leaders push to find cost savings.

The office was established in 2020 and aims to support city staff in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.

This move comes as Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is asking city staff to find millions of dollars in savings.

In a statement, the City of Vancouver told Global News it now believes it will be more effective to embed the office’s efforts into the city’s overall operational departments.

The city added that one position in the equity office has been cut and other staff members have been transferred.

It is expected that these moves will save $285,000, according to the City of Vancouver.

2:01 Impacts of new tentative deals for Vancouver police and firefighters

In June, Sim asked city staff to explore the option of keeping the 2026 property tax increase under 2.5 per cent.

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Now, Sim is expected to introduce a motion next week to get that increase down to zero per cent.

“Our focus at City Hall will be on delivering a more efficient government while protecting the core services that Vancouverites rely on every day, such as libraries, rec centres, sidewalks, police and fire, community grants, and road maintenance,” Sim said in a statement.

To present a property tax increase of zero per cent, about $100 million would have to be cut from the city’s operating budget.

“We heard a lot from our local residents and also businesses that affordability is the main challenge right now,” ABC Coun. Lenny Zhou said.

However, opposition councillors are worried about where savings will come from.

“I’m really concerned about what that means for our community centres, our staffing, our services, our grants program,” Coun. Lucy Maloney with OneCity said.

Staffing is the city’s biggest expense, with more than 800 full-time jobs added in the last four years.