I'm Dr. Devyani Singh, and like you, a Vancouverite who's had enough.
I'm a renter. An immigrant. A climate scientist. A finance professional. A dog owner. And Like you, I've been watching Ken Sim and ABC hand our city to their billionaire friends - one tax break at a time.
We've seen what happens when people without integrity are installed at City Hall by the super rich. While we get crushed by the cost of rent and groceries, Ken Sim gives handouts to the rich and raises our fees. I can't sit on the sidelines while our affordability and climate commitments are being scrapped. The solutions are so obvious and right in front of us. That's why I'm running for nomination for city council with COPE Vancouver.
In my work as a climate scientist and a community advocate, I have continuously held corporate greed - which is destroying our planet for profit - accountable every day. For instance, I was lead researcher on a report exposing the role of global banks in financing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest - and consequently helped stop billions of funding to Big Oil in Amazonia.
I have helped build climate action plans for many cities across the US, and I know that we can build a city that nurtures relationships and builds affordability while adapting to the changing climate. Here, in Vancouver, I have been supporting work on building climate policy by writing multiple motions on climate justice and holding Big Oil accountable that have been brought forward and passed in City Hall.
Beyond climate, I have been working within the community to fight for us everyday: for equality as board member of local societies, volunteering in community fridge programs, organizing to protect our off-leash spaces while ensuring that dog-human conflict is reduced, and so much more.
As a climate scientist, it hurts me to see the cuts to climate resilience in this city. Ken Sim slashed Vancouver's world renowned climate programs and rolled out the red carpet for Big Oil lobbyists at City Hall, he closed the renters office and gutted community services. Every cut hurts people we know. People are struggling to make it, and families are having to leave Vancouver. This isn't bad luck. It's a choice. Our Millionaire Mayor thinks his Billionaire backers are more important than the rest of us.
Vancouver does not have to be this way. We can build a solidarity city - one that is actually on your side - one that is equitable, affordable, and ecological. A city where people flourish and thrive.
We can fight for:
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Renters
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Improved renter protections
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Bring back the Renters office
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Push for vacancy control
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Climate safe affordable housing
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Institute temperature maximums
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Strengthen the empty homes tax
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Safe, accessible and affordable transit
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Shelters and benches at every bus stop
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Prioritize bus lanes on major routes
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Transit signal priority for buses
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Critical public services and infrastructure
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Fully fund our libraries - which also act as safe spaces during extreme weather events
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No more cuts to other services such as lifeguards on our beaches in summer
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Limiting fees for access to community centers
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Green spaces for physical and mental health
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And for children and dogs to safely play
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Urban tree canopy: the 3-30-300 rule
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Ensure minimum of 11% green spaces for any new density approvals
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Evicting big money from City Hall
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Make the super rich pay for creating the affordability and climate crises
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Mansion tax and yacht tax
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Fossil fuel and developer lobbyist registry
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And so much more..
This is what climate justice looks like. This is what affordability looks like.
They're the same fight.
Previously, in 2020, I ran with the BC Greens against David Eby, and then in 2022, I ran for Council with the Vancouver Greens. In 2025, I became a COPE member because COPE is unafraid to fight for the kind of change we need to address the climate crisis. The root causes of the climate crisis and inequality are the same. You can't fix climate change without overhauling capitalism and addressing the outsized power of the ultra rich.
I want to put my expertise and experience to work FIGHTING FOR VANCOUVER and work across party lines to undo the damage done by ABC, and repair the relationships between the city, working people, and the environment.
I have the scientific background, the grassroots connections, years of experience running campaigns, and the fire to help COPE lead the fight for an affordable, equitable, and ecological city. Politicians have repeatedly ignored the 99% and supported their billionaire buddies. It is time that changed, and I would like the honour to represent you as a COPE candidate for City Council in 2026.
Let us evict big corporate interests from our local democracy and invest in affordable housing and the public services we all need and deserve.
We have recently seen other cities, like Seattle and New York, use their choice at the ballot box to defeat the Right and to reflect their ecological values and their commitment to social justice. When we unite and fight for what we believe in, we win. Not only does COPE have a clear message and clear values, but we’re making politics fun and bringing all kinds of new people into the democratic process.
This October, we will evict Ken Sim.
Join our Coalition today, and become part of the movement!