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The 2022 Vancouver municipal election will be held on October 15, 2022,[1][2] on the same day as the municipal elections held throughout British Columbia. Voters are to elect the mayor of Vancouver, in addition to 10 city councillors, 7 park board commissioners, and 9 school board trustees through plurality-at-large voting.[2] In addition, voters are to vote on 3 capital plan questions.[2]

Background [edit]

Mayor Kennedy Stewart was elected to replace outgoing mayor of Vancouver Gregor Robertson in the 2018 mayoral election.[3] Stewart won by just under 1000 votes against runner-up Ken Sim[4] and was sworn in on November 5, 2018.[3] The city council election, held on the same day, had no party win an outright majority. Stewart, who was a Member of Parliament at the time, resigned his seat, triggering the 2019 Burnaby South federal by-election.[3]

The election is scheduled on October 15, 2022, at the same time as all other municipal elections in British Columbia.[2] Canadian citizens over the age of 18 are eligible to vote. Voters vote for the mayor, city council, park board commissioners, school board trustees, and 3 capital plan questions.[2]

In the 2018-2022 term, the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) experienced an internal conflict with 4 of its 5 city councillors leaving the caucus, first sitting as independents before joining new parties. The councillors cited the lack of open nomination process and lack of transparency in the selection of the party’s initial mayoral candidate, John Coupar.[5][6] In addition to the councillors, 3 of the NPA’s school board trustees left the party over the same conflict.[7]

Candidates and campaign [edit]

Current Mayor of Vancouver Kennedy Stewart is running for re-election.[1][8] Stewart, elected as an independent in 2018, stated his intention to run under his own political party during the 2022 election,[9] and was reportedly recruiting candidates to stand for the 2022 city council election.[10][9] Stewart said he was additionally open to cross-endorsing candidates from other parties.[9] Stewart later formed a party called Forward Together, which succeeded the Team Kennedy Stewart organization that was initially established.[11]

2018 NPA mayoral candidate Ken Sim is running again under the new ABC Vancouver party.[4][12] Sim was chosen as the party’s candidate in October 2021.[8] Sim’s first policy proposal was to abolish the elected park board, but he later renounced that position when his party nominated candidates to be elected to the park board.[13]

The NPA initially nominated park board commissioner John Coupar as their mayoral candidate.[12][1][8] Citing a lack of transparency in his nomination process, three of the four NPA remaining city councillors left the party to sit as independents.[5] Of the three, Colleen Hardwick and Sarah Kirby-Yung were speculated to have considered running before being sidelined in favour of Coupar.[14] John Coupar resigned as NPA candidate on August 5, 2022 after a meeting with the party’s board about the “progress of the campaign.”[15] Coupar was replaced by Fred Harding, who came sixth in the 2018 mayoral election as the Vancouver 1st candidate.[16]

Colleen Hardwick, one of the ex-NPA councillors, announced she would run for mayor with the new TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Party.[1][17] The party’s name is a reference to Hardwick’s father’s party, The Electors’ Action Movement.[18]

Liberal Party strategist Mark Marissen stated his intention to run for the position of mayor.[12][8] Marissen was later nominated by Progress Vancouver,[1] the successor to YES Vancouver.[18]

Jody Wilson-Raybould, former MP for Vancouver Granville, declined to run despite calls to do so.[19][20] Shauna Sylvester, 2018 third place mayoral candidate, declined to run again.[14] Green Party councillor Adriane Carr considered running for mayor before declining to run in April 2022.[14] Former Vision Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer additionally stated that she had not ruled the possibility out either.[14]

City Council [edit]

All 10 members of Vancouver city council stated their intention on running again during the 2022 municipal election, in addition to mayor Kennedy Stewart.[17] City councillor for the Coalition of Progressive Electors, Jean Swanson, was the last of the 11 members of city council to announce her intention to run again.[21] Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, and Rebecca Bligh, who all resigned from the NPA, were unclear about which party they might join.[17] Dominato, Bligh, and Kirby-Yung all attended an event hosted by Mark Marissen and Progress Vancouver.[22] Councillor Melissa De Genova also attended the event, prompting speculation that she too would defect from the NPA.[7] Colleen Hardwick, who had also resigned from the NPA, stated her intention to run for mayor with TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.[17]

OneCity announced the results of their nomination race on March 7, 2022, becoming the first party to nominate a slate of candidates. Incumbent OneCity councillor Christine Boyle was re-nominated, with three new nominees: president of the Urban Native Youth Association Matthew Norris, urban planner Iona Bonamis, and health economist Ian Cromwell – who will all run for city council.[23][24]

Adriane Carr of the Vancouver Greens considered running for mayor, but ultimately decided to seek re-election to council in order to avoid splitting the centre-left vote with Mayor Kennedy Stewart. The Greens held a special meeting to select council candidates, renominating Carr and the party’s two other incumbent councillors, Pete Fry and Michael Wiebe, along with labour activist Stephanie Smith and climate scientist and economist Devyani Singh.[25]

On April 8, COPE held nominations for all offices, with incumbent councillor Jean Swanson re-nominated to lead a council slate consisting of 2021 Vancouver Centre NDP candidate Breen Ouellette, human rights lawyer Nancy Trigueros, and Indigenous activist Tanya Webking.[26]

On April 11, incumbent councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung, Lisa Dominato, and Rebecca Bligh announced they had joined former NPA mayoral candidate Ken Sim’s new ABC Vancouver party and would run for re-election under that banner.[27][28] On May 2, Peter Meiszner joined Kirby-Yung, Dominato, and Bligh to run for ABC Vancouver.[29]

On May 2, Vision Vancouver announced a slate of 4 city council candidates. The candidates include Stuart Mackinnon (previously elected as a Green Party park board commissioner), Honieh Barzegari, Lesli Boldt, and Kishone Roy.[30] Roy withdrew for personal reasons on August 16.[31]

On May 25, the NPA announced six city council candidates and four park board candidates. Incumbent councillor Melissa De Genova was re-selected, alongside Elaine Allan, Cinnamon Bhayani, Ken Charko, Mauro Francis, and Arezo Zarrabian. Incumbent parks commissioner Tricia Barker was re-selected, with new candidates Ray Goldenchild, and Dave Pasin.[32] On August 9, Mauro Francis left the party for Progress Vancouver, stating the “internal dynamics of the NPA” after John Coupar’s resignation were “getting in the way of the campaign.”[33]

On June 11, Colleen Hardwick’s TEAM for a Livable Vancouver announced six city council candidates: Cleta Brown, Sean Nardi, Param Nijjar, Grace Quan, Stephen Roberts, and Bill Tieleman.[34]

On June 26, Forward Together, Kennedy Stewart’s new municipal party, announced its first three city council candidates: Russil Wvong, Dulcy Anderson, and Hilary Brown.[35]

Park Board[edit]

Park Board commissioner John Irwin announced on March 17, 2022 that he was leaving COPE to join Vision Vancouver, sitting out the remainder of his term as a Vision Vancouver member.[36]

Green Party Park Board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon announced his intention to run for City Council under the Vision Vancouver party on April 25, 2022.[37]

School Board [edit]

Political parties [edit]

Results [edit]

The results for the election are scheduled to release on October 15, 2022.[2]

Polling [edit]

Notes

References [edit]