A New Chapter for the Hot Pink Paper: Introducing the Our City Hall Campaign
Same Campaign, New Name!
We’re excited to unveil the new name of our grassroots campaign for the 2026 municipal election: Our City Hall!
For more than a decade, this work has been known as the Hot Pink Paper Campaign. What began in 2014 as a way to bring a gendered lens to city hall decisions has grown into a sustained movement, becoming a staple of Vancouver’s local government elections.
As we ramp up work ahead of next October’s election, we mark this chapter with a name that reflects our beliefs that:
Cities that work for equity-deserving communities work better for everyone.
City hall belongs to all residents and council works first and foremost for the people of Vancouver, regardless of their identity.
Equitable participation in civic life is essential for the transformation needed to create cities where we all belong.
Decisions made at city hall shape our lives in so many ways, but too many voices are left out. Through the Our City Hall campaign, we centre the most important issues for underrepresented communities, secure commitments from mayor and council candidates, and hold city council accountable throughout their four-year term.
Who Our City Hall Stands for
Our City Hall is a campaign for courageous local policies that work for everyone—especially the communities too often left out of party platforms and council chambers. In previous campaigns, we’ve engaged with residents across the city as well as housing and childcare providers, unions, neighbourhood houses, and organizations serving low-income communities, newcomers, seniors, survivors of gender-based violence, sex workers, people with disabilities, and youth. We listen to community needs, shape them into clear policy priorities, secure candidate commitments, and hold city council accountable throughout their four-year term.
The campaign is rooted in Vancouver, but we’re having conversations with community leaders in other municipalities about what an Our City Hall campaign could look like in their city. If you’re interested in being involved in these conversations, reach out to info@womentransformingcities.org!
What’s Next
The Our City Hall campaign has three stages, and we’re currently in stage one—Community Engagement.
For the rest of 2025 and well into 2026, we’ll bring together residents and organizations across the city to understand their most pressing issues through:
Leading workshops and engagement sessions in partnership with community organizations across the city.
Tabling at community events.
Analyzing community-led reports with calls to action for municipal government.
Sending out a survey that all Vancouver residents are invited to complete and share.
Community engagement is vital in shaping the policy pledge we share with candidates.
Join Our Movement
Our City Hall campaign can’t happen without community support. Here are five ways you can be a part of our work to turn community priorities into council action:
Become a Donor: Effective community engagement and consistently holding council accountable requires sustained resources. Your donations allow us to build a high-impact campaign.
Build Civic Experience as a Volunteer: Help us build a stronger campaign by getting directly involved in community outreach, data analysis, and policy research.
Shape the Policies: Inform our policy asks by emailing info@womentransformingcities.org with your suggestions of reports to include in our analysis or upcoming tabling opportunities. And keep an eye out for our community survey in early 2026.
Join our 300+ Strong Community of intersectional feminists: WTC members are the first to know campaign updates and opportunities to get involved.
Stay Up to Date: Sign up to our newsletter to remain informed about the Our City Hall campaign.
