Vancouver risks becoming even more of a ‘No Fun City’ as special event fees skyrocket, business owners warn

Small business owners in Vancouver say proposed fee hikes in the city’s 2026 budget could devastate farmers’ markets, food trucks and community events — and push Vancouver further into its long-criticized reputation as a “No Fun City.”

Because Mayor Ken Sim has pledged a property tax freeze, city staff are proposing other revenue-generating measures, including sharply increased special event fees. Under the draft plan, the daily fee for markets at the Vancouver Art Gallery/Robson Square — one of the city’s busiest community spaces — would rise from $100 per day to $2,500.

For food truck operator Corvette Romero, who runs Shameless Buns, the math is stark.

“If this goes through, you’d see a lot of events disappear in Vancouver,” she said. “We’re already called the ‘No Fun City’ — I don’t think we want to push that envelope any further.”

Romero says her revenue is already down 30 per cent this year as customers deal with rising living costs. A sudden 25-fold fee increase, she said, would make certain events completely inaccessible for small businesses.

Farmers’ markets could shrink or shut down

The fee structure has also alarmed the Vancouver Farmers Market (VFM), which runs nine markets across the city — including a long-running weekly market at Robson Square.

VFM executive director Laura Smit says the proposed increases would force the organization to rethink whether many of its markets could operate at all.

“Some markets operate for 26 weeks,” she said. “If we were subject to that kind of increase, it would be hard for us to operate — admittedly.”

Smit says the organization is seeking urgent clarification from the city, as it’s unclear whether the new rates would apply to multi-month seasonal markets in the same way as single-day special events.

City expects big public pushback

More than 600 people have registered to speak to council about the draft budget before the Nov. 25 vote on its direction — a sign of strong public interest and concern.

City staff say the proposed financial plan aims to preserve front-line services, optimize non-tax revenue, and find internal efficiencies. A civic survey cited in the budget indicates 60 per cent of residents are willing to pay higher user fees to maintain services — though many had not yet seen the scale of the proposed increases.

Mayor Sim said he understands the affordability pressures facing residents and businesses and has promised a full review of the event fees.

“If it doesn’t make sense, it won’t get passed,” Sim told CBC News. “We’re doing our due diligence.”

Sim added that his administration will not eliminate the city’s climate and sustainability department, but acknowledged staffing cuts and restructuring could occur to meet budget targets.

“The bigger question is: what outcomes are we getting? … We are committed to making sure the outcomes are there,” he said.

If approved, the new fees would take effect in 2026 — potentially reshaping Vancouver’s cultural events scene at a time when many small vendors say they're already on the brink.