As Vancouver prepares 2026 ‘Zero Means Zero’ budget, police and fire ask for top-ups to cover 2025 deficits

As the City of Vancouver prepares its 2026 operating budget — likely to contain significant cuts — police and fire departments are asking for top-ups to cover deficits worth millions of dollars this year.

Vancouver city council’s finance committee will consider requests worth $17 million from the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and $4.6 million from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS).

According to a staff report to go before the committee Wednesday morning, the VPD’s forecasted overage for 2025 is primarily driven by overtime costs due to staffing vacancies, a higher number of protests and demonstrations, and ongoing work for ‘Task Force Barrage,’ as well as adjustments related to employee benefits.

For VFRS, the predicted overage is mainly due to unplanned fleet maintenance.

City staff say this level of extra funding for public safety operations requires council approval for a one-time transfer from city reserves.

Council will consider the adjustments against the backdrop of the upcoming 2026 operating budget.

The draft budget will be presented on Nov. 12, featuring Mayor Ken Sim’s touted ‘Zero Means Zero’ property tax freeze for next year.

To achieve that, sweeping cuts are expected across city services and departments, with some estimates pegging the total at up to $120 million.

On Monday, the Vancouver Police Board voted in favour of requesting a $50-million budget increase for 2026, for a total of $497 million.