Devyani Singh

Devyani Singh
Vancouver City Councillor-elect
Assuming office
November 2, 2026
Personal details
PartyCoalition of Progressive Electors (COPE)
Other political
affiliations
British Columbia Green Party, Green Party of Canada, Vancouver Green Party
ProfessionFinancial analyst, climate researcher
Websitehttps://www.devyanisingh.com

Devyani Singh is a Canadian politician and climate scientist. She was elected to Vancouver City Council with the Coalition of Progressive Electors in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election.

Biography

Singh was raised in Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayan Region. She credited her upbringing in this mountainous area for her interest in the environment and climate change. She identifies as queer.

Academia

Singh left India for Iowa City in 2005 and obtained an MBA in finance from the University of Iowa in 2007. She worked as a financial analyst for various American companies until she relocated to Columbus, Ohio, in 2010 to continue her studies. She obtained a Master of Science in environmental science from Ohio State University in 2012.

She moved to Vancouver to do a PhD in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, co-supervised by Gary Bull and Hisham Zerriffi. She completed her PhD in 2019, defending a dissertation on wood burning and clean cooking fuels in rural India. She was subsequently a postdoctoral fellow at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, at the University of British Columbia and at Royal Roads University.

Political career

After completing her PhD, Singh said that she felt compelled to enter politics to not "take a back seat" with regards to issues of energy use and climate change. She became critical of what she termed "false promises" on fossil fuels from the British Columbia New Democratic Party and Premier David Eby. She was the candidate for the British Columbia Green Party in the Vancouver-Point Grey district in the the 2020 and 2024 British Columbia general elections, placing third behind Eby and the BC Conservative Party candidates in both elections. She also ran for the Green Party of Canada in Vancouver Quadra during the 2021 Canadian federal election, placing fourth.

Singh ran for Vancouver City Council with the Green Party of Vancouver in the 2022 election, placing 23rd. In May 2026, she was nominated as one of the Coalition of Progressive Electors' Council candidates in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election, alongside Sean Orr, Solomon Yi-Kieran, and Chloe Leslie. All four were elected to Vancouver City Council, with Singh placing fourth out of ten successful candidates. In doing so, she became the second Indian-born person elected to Vancouver City Council after Setty Pendakur in 1972.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Charlie (17 October 2020). "Climate scientist Devyani Singh hopes to topple David Eby in Vancouver–Point Grey". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 Estefanía Milla-Moreno (April 26, 2021). "'Diverse Representation matters' with Dr Devyani Singh". Tuning into the Forest (Podcast). UBC Forestry JEDI (Justice + EDI) Team. Event occurs at 43:02. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
  3. 1 2 3 "Previous air quality scholarship winners". Government of British Columbia. April 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Commencement Program". University of Iowa Commencement Programs. University of Iowa. May 2007. p. 62. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Devyani Singh". The Conversation. 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
  6. 1 2 Janmohamed, Iman (12 October 2024). "Vancouver-Point Grey profile: Devyani Singh, BC Greens". The Ubyssey. Vancouver. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "People | Page 2 of 2". Energy Resources, Development and Environment Lab. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
  8. ↑ "Linking household energy to local and global environmental change: understanding impacts of clean cooking interventions in rural India". UBC Open Collections. Oct 31, 2019. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
  9. 1 2 Phuong, Alan (2020-10-16). "Vancouver-Point Grey profile: Devyani Singh, Green". The Ubyssey. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
  10. ↑ "Appendix C: Statement of Votes" (PDF). Elections BC. 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  11. ↑ Fumano, Dan; Lee-Young, Joanne (Oct 21, 2024). "NDP Maintains 11 of 12 Vancouver Ridings". The Province. Vancouver. p. A5.
  12. ↑ "Official Voting Results: british columbia Vancouver Quadra". Elections Canada. Elections Canada. 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Lee-Young, Joanne (April 4, 2022). "Carr will not run for Vancouver Mayor". The Province. Vancouver. p. 3.
  14. ↑ "2022 Election results - list view". Vancouver: City of Vancouver.
  15. ↑ Adair, James (2026-10-14). "Vancouver's socialist party was written off. Now they're shaping the city's politics ⋆ The Breach". The Breach. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
  16. ↑ "COPE Members Nominate Stephanie Allen for Mayor; Pick 2026 Election Slate". COPE Vancouver. May 12, 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
  17. ↑ "2026 Election unofficial results - list view". 2026 election unofficial results - list view. City of Vancouver. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  18. ↑ Steacy, Lisa (2026-10-18). "Here's who will serve on Vancouver city council under new mayor". CTVNews. Retrieved 2026-10-19.
  19. ↑ Mall, Rattan (18 October 2026). "Pete Fry to be the next mayor of Vancouver; Devyani Singh elected councillor - Indo-Canadian Voice". The Indo-Canadian Voice. Vancouver. Retrieved 18 October 2026.