Charismatic, achingly articulate and eloquent in a way we have never experienced in a member of Vancouver’s political class seeking municipal office, a bold, historic, near revolutionary and unapologetically progressive political figure who represents a generational shift in our civic politics, who also possesses a vigorous commitment to fiscal prudence, and the next Mayor of the City of Vancouver come the evening of Saturday, October 17th, 2026: Kareem Allam, a transformative leader for our times who will modernize city government with an emphasis on inclusion and democratic engagement that will well serve your family’s interests.
Kareem Allam, the next Mayor of Vancouver
“Whether you’re on the left or on the right, as a citizen of Vancouver you have the right to expect service from your municipal government, clean streets, beautiful boulevards, ready access to City Hall, low taxes and a responsive and responsible civic government that will always put you first,” Kareem Allam recently told VanRamblings.
“In my first term of office, I commit to hiring 400 CUPE workers to provide service to all the people who call Vancouver home, while also conducting a core review of city programmes. In 2004, the city of Vancouver had 2000 employees in our civic government. Today that figure is 9500, and growing. Just last year, the City of Vancouver hired 900 middle management, “excluded” employees. In 2016, soon after he was appointed City Manager, Sadhu Johnston in his first year in that role hired 1100 highly paid “excluded” management employees. Civic governance in our city has grown unwieldy over the past 20 years, an issue in these punishing economic times that must be addressed, but in a humane and strategically compassionate manner.”
Today’s VanRamblings column is meant to give you a brief introduction to Kareem Allam, a well schooled political strategist who has never lost a race he has run, who will out raise every other party seeking office in Vancouver in 2026, has seemingly garnered the endorsement of the Vancouver & District Labour Council — although there is an active movement being led to unseat current VDLC President Stephen von Sychowski that, if successful, could throw a kink into the works respecting Mr. Allam’s political ambitions — as well as the provincial New Democratic Party which, although they will not formally endorse Mr. Allam (provincial governments do not interfere in municipal electoral politics) will make it abundantly clear that Kareem Mahmoud Abbas Allam is their preferred candidate for Mayor of Vancouver in 2026.
(Note: Mr. Allam formally endorsed and worked hard to re-elect the David Eby led New Democratic Party in 2024, bringing an energy to the almost moribund provincial NDP campaign that prior to his involvement found itself on a losing track)
Apparently, OneCity Vancouver and the Green Party of Vancouver, in the days to come, will formally endorse Kareem Allam for Mayor of Vancouver. At this point in time, COPE is less certain of its support for Mr. Allam, but these are still early days.
In the time to come you will see that Kareem Allam is Vancouver’s Sadiq Khan, the popular Mayor of London, since 2016 — the first Muslim Mayor of a major western capital city. Naheed Nenshi, the most popular Mayor in Canadian history, who throughout his three terms in office as Calgary’s transformative Mayor was celebrated with approval ratings consistently above 80%. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York City, representing a generational shift in American politics, and a bold voice for change in the interests of everyday working people, over corporate interests and the political elite. Barack Hussein Obama, the most eloquent orator of his generation, and one of the most inspirational and consequential figures of the 21st century, and the coolest President in modern history, highlighted by his composure, charisma, and cultural fluency. And Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who has consistently kept property tax increases in his city to under 2%, while building social housing and community centres to serve families and the interests of the public, the first Mayor in our region to ensure that potholes are filled in the early spring, and unlike every other Metro Vancouver city, has succeeded in providing the services PoCo residents have now come to expect.
With the next Vancouver civic election 423 days away, VanRamblings will have ample opportunity to present a broader picture of Kareem Allam, and why it is we are endorsing his candidacy for Mayor of Vancouver, our halcyon city by the sea.
