2017 Vancouver municipal by-election

Last updated

2017 Vancouver municipal by-election
  2014 October 14, 2017 (2017-10-14) 2018  

Turnout11.0% [1] Decrease2.svg 32.4 pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
NPA
Jean Swanson.jpg
Councillor Pete Fry (cropped).jpg
Candidate Hector Bremner Jean Swanson Pete Fry
Party NPA Independent Green
Seats before3N/A1
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 1Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote13,37210,2639,759
Percentage27.8321.3620.31

 Fourth partyFifth party
 
ONECITY
VISION
CandidateJudy GravesDiego Cardona
Party OneCity Vision
Seats before07
Seat changeSteady2.svgDecrease2.svg 1
Popular vote6,3275,411
Percentage13.1711.26

A municipal by-election was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on October 14, 2017. One empty seat on city council and all the seats on the Vancouver school board were filled.

Contents

These elections were held outside the normal four-year schedule. Unlike in full elections, voters were only asked to elect one councillor and nine school board trustees rather than the full complement of elected municipal positions. The by-election was necessary for two reasons: the resignation of Vision Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs from City Council to become BC Premier John Horgan's chief of staff [2] and the desire of the new provincial NDP government to reconstitute the Vancouver School Board, whose elected members had all been fired by the previous BC Liberal government. [3]

The school board election marked the first time a OneCity candidate was elected to any position in Vancouver's elected government.

Background

The by-election was called to replace the single vacant council seat, due to Geoff Meggs' departure to take on the role of Premier John Horgan's chief of staff. [4] The by-election was also meant to elect a new board of school trustees, who had been dismissed by provincial education minister Mike Bernier after failing to pass a balanced budget and allegations of workplace harassment arose. [5]

Nomination process

Non-Partisan Association

On September 6, 2017, the Non-Partisan Association held a nomination meeting to decide their representative for the lone Council position. Hector Bremner, the successful nominee, beat out former school trustee Penny Noble and former leader of the Cedar Party Glen Chernen. [6] Candidates for the five school trustee positions were announced at the same time. [7]

Green Party

Pete Fry, who had unsuccessfully ran for Council in 2014, was the first confirmed nominee for council by any major political party in Vancouver. The Greens also nominated former incumbent Janet Fraser to run for re-election alongside Judy Zaichkowsky and Estrellita Gonzalez. [8]

Results

Councillor

Candidate NameParty affiliationVotes% of votesElected
Hector Bremner Non-Partisan Association 13,37227.83%X
Jean Swanson Independent 10,26321.36%
Pete Fry Green Party of Vancouver 9,75920.31%
Judy Graves OneCity Vancouver 6,32713.17%
Diego Cardona Vision Vancouver 5,41111.26%
Mary Jean DunsdonSensible Vancouver1,7373.62%
Gary LeeIndependent8861.84%
Damian J. MurphyIndependent1570.33%
Joshua WasilenkoffIndependent1310.27%

School Board trustees

Each voter could cast up to nine votes.

(I) denotes incumbents prior to the dismissal of all nine School Board trustees by Education Minister Mike Bernier in October 2016. [9] [10]

Candidate NameParty affiliationVotes% of votesElected
(I) Janet FraserGreen Party of Vancouver27,36056.24%X
Judy ZaichkowskyGreen Party of Vancouver23,38348.06%X
Estrellita GonzalezGreen Party of Vancouver20,30741.75%X
(I) Joy AlexanderVision Vancouver19,70940.52%X
(I) Allan WongVision Vancouver18,67838.40%X
Lisa Dominato Non-Partisan Association18,25837.53%X
(I) Fraser BallantyneNon-Partisan Association18,04837.10%X
Carrie BercicOneCity Vancouver17,82236.64%X
Ken ClementVision Vancouver17,58336.15%X
Theodora LambVision Vancouver17,20435.37%
Robert McDowellNon-Partisan Association17,14035.23%
Erica JaffOneCity Vancouver17,11735.19%
(I) Mike LombardiVision Vancouver17,09435.14%
(I) Christopher RichardsonNon-Partisan Association16,83934.62%
Diana Day Coalition of Progressive Electors 16,68334.30%
Julian PrietoNon-Partisan Association16,29933.51%
Adi PickIndependent10,26321.10%
Christine ArnoldIndependent9,20918.93%
Jamie Lee Hamilton IDEA Vancouver8,59017.66%

Related Research Articles

The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) is a municipal political party in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It has traditionally been associated with tenants, environmentalists, and the labour movement. COPE is generally guided by democratic socialist principles following the split of its social democratic wing in 2014 to form OneCity Vancouver, and has a long history of advocating for issues such as improving public transit and investing in affordable housing. It last held a majority government on city council from 2002 to 2005. COPE describes itself as being committed to renter protections, ending homelessness, taxing the rich to build social housing, safe supply, free transit, Indigenous reconciliation, climate action, and other social and environmental reforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-Partisan Association</span> Municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was established by the city's business leaders in 1937 to challenge the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in that year's municipal election. The party has historically been described as centre-right and drawn its strongest support from Vancouver's business community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver City Council</span> Governing body of Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver City Council is the governing body of Vancouver, British Columbia. The council consists of a mayor and ten councillors elected to serve a four-year term. Monthly, a deputy mayor is appointed from among the councillors. The current mayor is Ken Sim, who leads the party ABC Vancouver. City council meetings are held in Vancouver City Hall. The most recent election was on October 15, 2022.

The Electors' Action Movement (TEAM) was a centrist political party from 1968 to the mid-1980s at the municipal level in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It fielded candidates for the office of mayor as well as for positions on the City Council, School Board, and Park Board. It was most successful in the 1970s when it held the majority of council seats from 1972 to 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver School Board</span> Public school district in British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver School Board (VSB), officially the Board of Education of School District No. 39 (Vancouver), is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine elected trustees governs this school district that serves the city of Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vision Vancouver</span> Political party in Canada

Vision Vancouver is a green liberal municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vision was formed in the months leading up to the 2005 municipal election.

Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is incorporated under a unique provincial statute, the Vancouver Charter. The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921 and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's Municipalities Act.

The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) swept the 2002 Vancouver municipal election, winning 8 of 10 Council seats, 7 of 9 School Board seats and 5 of 7 Park Board seats. The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) was reduced to 2 Council seats, 1 School Board seat and 2 Park Board seats. The Green Party of Vancouver won 1 School Board seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Vancouver municipal election</span>

The 2008 Vancouver municipal election was held on November 15, 2008, filling seats on the Vancouver School Board, the Park Board, the Vancouver City Council, and the position of Mayor of Vancouver. It was held at the same time as municipal elections throughout the province. Three major civic parties were represented: the Coalition of Progressive Electors, the Non-Partisan Association, and Vision Vancouver. The Green Party of Vancouver fielded one candidate for Park Board commissioner.

Geoff Meggs is a Canadian politician, who served on Vancouver, British Columbia's City Council from 2008 to 2017. He was first elected in the 2008 municipal election, and resigned his seat on city council in 2017 to accept a job as chief of staff to John Horgan, the Premier of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Heyman</span> Canadian politician

George Heyman is a Canadian politician and former social, environmental and labour activist. He has represented the district of Vancouver-Fairview in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2013 as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party. He currently serves as Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy of British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Party of Vancouver</span> Municipal political party in Vancouver, Canada

The Green Party of Vancouver, founded in 1984, is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is affiliated with both the provincial Green Party of British Columbia and the federal Green Party of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Vancouver municipal election</span>

The City of Vancouver held a municipal election on November 19, 2011, along with other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia. All local government elections were for a three-year period. The ballot elected one mayor, 10 councillors, nine school board trustees and seven park board commissioners. A $180 million capital borrowing plan was also put to a vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Bernier</span> Canadian politician

Mike Bernier is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election. He represents the electoral district of Peace River South as a member of the BC United. In December 2014, he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment for the Minister of Environment. On July 30, 2015, he was chosen to be Minister of Education in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Vancouver municipal election</span> Municipal election in British Columbia, Canada

The 2014 Vancouver municipal election took place on November 15, 2014, the same day as other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia selected their new municipal governments. As with previous elections, voters elected one mayor, 10 councillors, nine school board trustees, and seven park board commissioners through plurality-at-large voting. Voters also voted on whether to approve a capital budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Fry</span> Canadian politician and business owner

Pete Fry is a Canadian politician and business owner in Vancouver, British Columbia, who has served as councillor on the Vancouver City Council since 2018. He is a member of the Green Party of Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Coulter</span> Canadian politician

Dan Coulter is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2020 British Columbia general election. He represents the electoral district of Chilliwack as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party caucus. He defeated the two-term incumbent John Martin; prior to the 2020 election, Chilliwack had been considered a BC Liberal stronghold.

The city of Vancouver, Canada, held municipal elections on November 17, 1990. Canadian citizens who were over 18 years of age at the time of the vote, and had been a resident of Vancouver for the previous 30 days and a resident of B.C. for the previous six months, were able to vote for candidates in four races that were presented on one ballot. In addition, Canadian citizen non-resident property owners were eligible to vote. For the first time, the City used Provincial Voters List as basis for City's List of Electors. 133,107 out of 257,352 voters cast ballots for a turnout of 52%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Vancouver municipal election</span> Vancouver municipal election

The 2022 Vancouver municipal election was held on October 15, 2022, the same day as the municipal elections held throughout British Columbia. Voters elected the mayor of Vancouver by first-past-the-post. Ten city councillors, 7 park board commissioners, and 9 school board trustees were elected through plurality at-large voting. In addition, voters were presented with 3 capital plan questions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravi Parmar</span> Canadian politician

Ravi Parmar is a Canadian politician who was elected MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca in a by-election in 2023. He succeeded former NDP premier John Horgan, who resigned from the seat.

References

  1. "Election results". City of Vancouver. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  2. Little, Simon (July 4, 2017). "Vancouver Councillor Geoff Meggs to be John Horgan's chief of staff". Global News. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  3. McElroy, Justin (September 7, 2017). "Who's running in Vancouver's October byelection?". CBC News. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  4. Vancouver Councillor Geoff Meggs to be John Horgan’s chief of staff
  5. Vancouver School Board fired by B.C. education minister
  6. Howell, Mike (September 7, 2017). "NPA council candidate focused on affordability". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  7. Brown, Scott (September 7, 2017). "NPA names candidates for Vancouver council and school board byelection". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  8. Brown, Scott (September 7, 2017). "Green party will run three candidates in Vancouver school board election". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  9. 2017 civic election candidate profiles | City of Vancouver
  10. 2017 By-election unofficial results