Burnaby, BC 2026 Municipal Election Candidates

Mike Hurley

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Heymann Yip

• Governance: Calls for more healthy debate at City Hall; pushed for a public report on elected officials' earnings from government appointments
• Taxes: Criticized property tax increases as unaffordable for residents on fixed incomes

Lean assessment: Leading the challenger 'Burnaby First' slate; fiscal-conservative critique of tax increases with a parks-preservation streak.

MichaelAngelo

• Taxes: 10% property-tax discount for seniors; 10% discount for homeowners who grow food
• Public safety: Opposes injection sites and drug use in communities; build recovery centres outside urban centres
• Pledge: Pledges to donate 100% of mayoral salary to school lunch programs, single parents and people in need

Lean assessment: Tough-on-drugs platform, tax discounts and small-business red-tape cuts; populist right-leaning independent.

Sabina Hsu

• Urban planning: Proposes 'Clustered Hi-Rise with City Services Hub' principle for planning

Bill Petrovas

• Environment: Supports parks, green space and sustainable infrastructure

Lean assessment: Green/education profile: enviro-tech advocacy, transit-based campaigning, parks and sustainability platform.

Hanzhi Wang

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Joe Keithley

• Affordable housing: Names affordable housing as a top priority, backed by support for renters and the Rental Use Zoning protections championed during his council tenure.
• Taxes and city services: Claims Burnaby taxes are among the lowest in Metro Vancouver and pledges to keep improving city services and amenities (3 new community centres, a new library).
• Parks, green space and environment: As Environment Committee Chair, worked to dedicate over 25% of city land to parks and green spaces; supports sustainability and inclusion.

Lean assessment: BCA is NDP-affiliated centre-left/left; Keithley has a lifelong activist record, Green Party roots, and a platform centred on renters, child care and vulnerable residents.

Cindy Lee

• Workers and families: Pledges to champion workers and families, drawing on her employment-law background and years assisting newcomers and seniors at S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
• Local businesses: Supports local businesses, with vice-chair and ambassador roles on the Burnaby North Road BIA and Burnaby Board of Trade.
• Accountability: Pledges to strengthen accountability at City Hall.

Lean assessment: Runs with the NDP-affiliated BCA and is labour-endorsed (MoveUP); platform focuses on workers, families, local business and accountability.

James Wang

• Property taxes and financial management: Committed to responsible financial management and keeping property tax increases among the lowest in the region.
• Housing affordability: Pledges to make Burnaby more affordable, building on work advancing the Rental Use Zoning Policy protecting displaced renters.
• Climate action: Supported Burnaby's Climate Emergency Declaration and carbon-neutrality-by-2050 goal; pledges continued investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Lean assessment: Long-serving BCA councillor (NDP-affiliated party); record centres on affordable housing, renter protections, climate action and anti-racism.

Richard T. Lee

• Property taxes / affordability: Promises to freeze property taxes in the party's first budget, then cap increases at inflation for the following four years, finding savings by cutting redundancies and streamlining city operations rather than laying off staff.
• Transparency and accountability: Pitching a city hall that is 'accountable, responsive and worth trusting again'; pushed a 2025 motion for a public report on elected officials' earnings from government appointments.
• Public safety: Manifesto priority: prioritize safe and clean streets.

Lean assessment: 16-year BC Liberal MLA leading a new party whose platform centres on tax freezes, spending discipline and operational efficiency.

Daniel Chen

• Financial accountability and taxes: Fiscal responsibility is core: sound planning so property taxes do not overburden residents and businesses; financial accountability and transparency are among the platform's six objectives.
• Public safety: Strengthening public safety is one of the platform's six primary objectives.
• Supportive housing: Supportive housing 'that supports recovery' — i.e. housing paired with recovery-oriented supports.

Lean assessment: Co-founder of the right-leaning Burnaby First; platform built on fiscal responsibility, tax restraint and limits on overdevelopment.

Joel Gibbs

• Non-market housing: Build 1,500+ non-market rental homes per year through the Burnaby Housing Authority; never sell public land; up to 6 storeys for non-market rental on any residential land.
• Transit: 20% faster buses via transit signal priority and bus lanes on all frequent routes within 2 years; low-income transit pass; bench and shelter at every bus stop by 2030.
• Streets and active transportation: Sidewalks on every street within 5 years (40% of streets lack them); 30 km/h speed limits on neighbourhood streets; complete the Major Cycling Network within 3 years.

Lean assessment: Burnaby Green Party candidate (centre-left party); platform emphasizes public non-market housing, transit expansion, climate action and labour equity.