Report 1 - Healthy City Strategy 2026 Framework and Implementation Update — Council Meeting, February 3, 2026

Motion 7 Carried

Summary

Council considered updating Vancouver's Healthy City Strategy — the city's overarching social development and health framework, first adopted in 2014 — with a refreshed set of 12 goals organized around social determinants of health (housing, food, safety, active living, belonging, etc.).
Staff from Arts, Culture and Community Services and a medical health officer from Vancouver Coastal Health presented the refresh, noting it builds on existing work programs rather than creating new spending, and proposes an annual reporting cycle to track progress.
Councillors asked detailed questions about measurable targets (noting the new version is less prescriptive than the 2014 strategy), the role of parks and recreation, equity for vulnerable populations, the toxic drug crisis, the impact of budget cuts on implementation, and how the strategy will inform the upcoming capital plan and social grants program.
A speaker from the Vancouver Food Policy Council supported the update and the annual reporting cycle; a representative from the Partnership for Healthy Cities (New York) noted Vancouver is internationally recognized for its data-driven public health approach.
No councillor spoke in opposition; the strategy was described as a framework for aligning and prioritizing existing city work, not a mandate for new expenditure.
Moved by Councillor Kirby Young, seconded by Councillor Classen; carried unanimously.