Everywhere I go in Vancouver, I hear the same concerns: families are stretched thin. Utility bills keep climbing, property taxes are rising, and the cost of everyday goods feels heavier each month. For too many, it feels like the dream of stability is slipping further away. And the truth is, city leadership plays a major role in these costs.

Recently, the city approved increases that touch every single household: higher water and sewer bills, new fees for cable and parking, taxes on movie theaters, and even passing credit card processing fees directly onto consumers. These weren’t small adjustments — they were the result of the city running up debt because of a failure to responsibly manage the budget.

Working people don’t have the option to run up debt and then pass the bill on to their neighbors. Families sit down at the kitchen table, make a budget, anticipate expenses, and do their best to live within their means. If they fall short, they make tough choices. The city should be held to the same standard. Instead, leadership passed their mistakes onto working families, low-income residents, the middle class, and seniors on fixed incomes. And for many, these increased costs are not just an inconvenience — they could push an already strapped family into homelessness.

I think that we would all agree that we are happy to pay more in taxes and fees if we know that they are being used to improve our lives and well-being. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case in Vancouver over the last four years.

One example shows the problem clearly. A company contracted by the city had known safety issues even before being awarded the job. Those concerns were ignored. The company continued to have safety violations during the project, and rather than holding them accountable to pay for outside supervision, the city spent $100,000 of taxpayer money to hire a consultant to oversee the work. That money should have been paid by the company, not by the people of Vancouver. Imagine instead if that money had been used to help teachers who too often dip into their own pockets for classroom supplies, to bring back after-school activities that keep kids safe and engaged, or to provide scholarships so children from working families can participate in club sports.

This is what happens when a city doesn’t prioritize people first. The debt could have been avoided if leaders had taken the time to address budget concerns before passing it. But instead of tough choices, they chose the easy path — raising costs on the very people who are already working the hardest to keep their families afloat.

Affordability is about more than dollars and cents — it’s about dignity, security, and fairness. It’s about whether seniors can age in place, whether kids can grow up in the same neighborhoods they started school in, and whether small businesses can thrive without passing higher costs to their customers. Vancouver needs leadership that remembers who it serves. We need to get back to common sense and compassion — prioritizing people over projects, cutting unnecessary spending, and making investments that strengthen families, neighborhoods, and our community as a whole.