Feisty, Profane 12-Hour Vancouver Meeting Reveals Council Tensions

A heated 12-hour Vancouver City Council meeting saw tensions boil over when ABC party Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung dropped an F-bomb out of frustration over procedural disagreements. The long session, which included debates on motions about CCTV access for police and lobbyist transparency, highlighted growing cracks within the council, two years into its current four-year mandate.

Kirby-Yung’s outburst came nine hours into the meeting, where she criticized how ABC Coun. Mike Klassen was managing the debate. "This is not the wild west of f--king procedure," she exclaimed, sparking Coun. Rebecca Bligh to call a point of order. Microphones were cut, and the council took a brief recess. Kirby-Yung later apologized, attributing the outburst to a long, hard day.

The meeting also exposed growing internal friction within Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC council, which holds seven of 10 seats. Green Party councillors Pete Fry and Adriane Carr criticized Sim for removing them as alternate city representatives, a role traditionally shared among all council members. Sim defended his decision, saying he wanted an ABC representative at official events, adding, "I made a decision, I’m good with it."

The incident follows other signs of division within the ABC slate. Over the summer, two ABC councillors opposed the party on a motion allowing new homes to use natural gas, a stance that pits climate goals against housing development.

Political observers warn that visible cracks in the council’s cohesion could undermine its effectiveness. Stewart Prest, a UBC political science lecturer, noted that while tensions are inevitable, managing internal conflicts behind the scenes is crucial to maintaining council unity.

A byelection to replace outgoing Coun. Christine Boyle, who was elected as an MLA, could either strengthen ABC's majority or introduce more opposition, further testing the council’s cohesion.