Vancouver's municipal majority party, ABC Vancouver, is facing accusations of misrepresenting crime statistics in its recent year-end promotional and fundraising materials. The party used figures it had previously acknowledged as inaccurate, specifically presenting data from a targeted policing initiative in the Downtown Eastside as if they represented citywide trends.
The Discrepancy in the Data
In a fundraising email sent on Tuesday, December 31, 2025, ABC Vancouver encouraged supporters to donate to help the party continue delivering results in the upcoming 2026 election year. The email highlighted the party's record on public safety, stating "violent crime is down 18 per cent citywide, robberies are down 44 per cent, and serious assaults are down 23 per cent."
However, these dramatic percentages do not reflect overall crime trends for the City of Vancouver. Despite using the word "citywide," the statistics originated from a specific, time-limited report on the effects of Task Force Barrage, a $5 million policing surge focused solely on the Downtown Eastside that began in February 2025.
A Repeated Error
This is not the first time ABC has used these numbers. The party issued similar public statements in November 2025, but after inquiry from CTV News journalist Lisa Steacy, acknowledged the error and deleted the related social media post. At that time, it was clarified that the statistics showed crime rate changes specifically in the Downtown Eastside during the first six months of Task Force Barrage's operation, not across the entire municipality.
Nonetheless, the same localized data reappeared in the year-end email and in a "2025 recap" video posted to the X account of ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. While the video did not explicitly label the stats as "citywide," the context likely led average viewers to that conclusion.
The Actual Citywide Crime Picture
According to the most recent Vancouver Police Department data, which covers the first ten months of 2025, crime has decreased in most categories across Vancouver—but not by the margins claimed by ABC.
The verified VPD statistics show:
- A 10.1 per cent year-over-year decrease in violent crime citywide (compared to ABC's claim of 18 per cent).
- A 25.2 per cent decrease in robberies (compared to ABC's claim of 44 per cent).
- Assaults decreased by 10.4 per cent; the VPD does not separate "serious assaults" in its reporting.
An ABC spokesperson confirmed in an email on Wednesday, January 1, 2026, that the cited statistics were related to the Downtown Eastside and Task Force Barrage. The spokesperson did not explain why the word "citywide" was included or whether that was a mistake.
Missed Opportunity for a Positive Story
The controversy is particularly striking because the legitimate citywide crime data presents a positive narrative for the ruling party. A report presented to the Vancouver Police Board in December 2025 found that Vancouver's Violent Crime Severity Index decreased by 5.5 per cent between 2023 and 2024, falling at a faster rate than the Canadian average.
By failing to present the numbers accurately—whether intentionally or not—ABC Vancouver has opened itself to criticism and overshadowed what is, by the police's own account, a generally improving safety situation in the city. The incident raises questions about the party's messaging accuracy as it heads into a crucial municipal election year.
