Sandra Singh

Deputy city manager

Sandra was appointed Deputy City Manager in October 2023. She oversees Arts, Culture and Community Services, the Office of the Chief Safety Officer (including Health and Safety, City Protective Services, and the Vancouver Emergency Management Agency), Risk Management, Technology Services, and is the executive lead for several cross departmental priorities, including the City’s work on complex social issues and community safety.

Sandra began her career with the City’s family of services in 2004 on the Vancouver Public Library’s (VPL) senior team, leading east side branches and services for homebound residents before moving into the role of Director of Systems and Special Projects. After joining UBC briefly to serve as Director of the UBC Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, she returned to VPL as Chief Librarian for seven years. She then joined the City as General Manager of Arts, Culture & Community Services, a position she held for six years before being appointed a Deputy City Manager. Earlier in her career, she held roles at the Port Moody Public Library, a Vancouver-based tech start up, the Calgary Public Library, and the Abilene Public Library in Texas.

Sandra has contributed to national initiatives throughout her career, including serving on the CBC/Radio Canada Board, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Public Lending Right Commission, and Library and Archives Canada’s National Heritage Digitization Strategy Steering Committee. She is a past President of the Canadian Library Association and a founding Board member of the Centre for Equitable Library Access.

She holds a BA in English Literature (1995) and a Master of Library and Information Studies (1997) from the University of British Columbia. Born in the Fiji Islands and of Nepalese, Indian, and German ancestry, Sandra immigrated to Canada with her family as a child and grew up in BC, Alberta, and Ontario.

In her downtime, Sandra enjoys reading, film, local art galleries, weaving and other textile arts, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends. A grateful British Columbian, she’s always happy to swap recommendations for places to visit across the province.