Colleen Hardwick

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Colleen Hardwick headshot.jpg

Colleen Hardwick
Vancouver mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick.jpg
Hardwick in 2022
Vancouver city councillor
Residence Vancouver

Colleen Hardwick is a Canadian politician and filmmaker in Vancouver, British Columbia, who served on Vancouver City Council from 2018 to 2022. Hardwick is the daughter of former Vancouver alderman Walter Hardwick [1] and the granddaughter of former Vancouver park commissioner Iris Hardwick. [2]

Contents

Early career

Hardwick worked on dozens of film and television projects through a twenty-five year career. [3]

Hardwick won a 1997 “Forty under 40” award in entrepreneurship from Business in Vancouver. [4]

Evolving from film production to film industry technology, Hardwick developed MovieSet Inc., a platform to monetize movies under production, but did not succeed. [5] [6]

In 2010, applying technology to the information-gathering phase of urban planning, she founded PlaceSpeak, a location-based civic engagement platform designed to consult with people within specific geographic boundaries. [7]

Political career

Hardwick announced her candidacy for Vancouver city council in the summer of 2005. She campaigned with the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) against a proposal to use assets from Vancouver's Property Endowment fund to build housing that would not yield a return on the investment, claiming her Vision Vancouver opponents “don't even understand how market housing works.” [8] Hardwick had the endorsement of the Vancouver Sun ’s editorial board ahead of the November election. [9] With ten councillors to be elected, she placed thirteenth. [10]

Again running under the NPA banner, Hardwick came fifth. On a council with no party majority, she frequently questioned some of the initiatives and policies brought forth, and regularly voiced concerns about what she calls "scope-creep" where the municipal government dedicates resources to issues traditionally in the realm of other levels of government. [11]

Hardwick was elected as a member of the NPA but resigned from that organization in April 2021 to sit as an independent councillor. [12] Five months later, Hardwick announced her affiliation with a new civic party, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, [13] and on March 13, 2022 was acclaimed as TEAM's mayoral candidate for the 2022 municipal election. [14] Hardwick came in third in the mayoral race with 9.97% of the vote. [15]

While on council, Hardwick sought the establishment of an independent auditor general for Vancouver. [16]

Stance on housing

Hardwick opposes increases in housing supply. [17] She has argued without evidence that upzonings and greater density have greatly exacerbated Vancouver's housing affordability crisis. [17] She has argued that increased tax revenue through boosted housing supply is akin to a Ponzi scheme. [17]

In 2019, Hardwick voted against allowing a 5-storey apartment building (where one-fifth of the units were below market rates) in Kitsilano, arguing "why are we promoting development to the detriment of our residents?" [18]

In 2022, she voted against a major rezoning plan for the Broadway corridor that permitted 40 storey mixed-use developments near SkyTrain stations, as well as the replacement of older, small 10-unit buildings with 15-20 storey buildings. [19] She argued the added housing supply would lead to increased house prices. [20] During her 2022 election campaign, she campaigned on spending $500 million toward building co-op housing and on creating neighbourhood-specific zoning plans. [20]

In 2023, Hardwick opposed proposals to allow for denser housing developments (such as sixplexes) in Vancouver as unnecessary, noting that "Vancouver already has the possibility for more housing under existing policies," under which almost every lot in the city is already eligible to have a main house, a basement suite and a laneway house on it. [21]

In 2022, as a city councillor during a re-zoning hearing for a 12-tower housing project by MST Development Corporation (a partnership of the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation) on land owned by it and Canada Lands Company (a federal crown corporation), Hardwick questioned the suitably of the height of the buildings before voting in favour of the re-zoning. [22] [23]

Electoral record

Vancouver municipal by-election, April 5, 2025 : City Council
Resignation of Christine Boyle and Adriane Carr
PartyCandidateVotes%Elected
COPE Sean Orr 34,44850.69Green check.svgY
OneCity Lucy Maloney33,73249.63Green check.svgY
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Colleen Hardwick 17,35225.53
Green Annette Reilly15,04522.14
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Theodore Abbott11,58117.04
ABC Vancouver Jaime Stein9,26713.64
ABC Vancouver Ralph Kaisers8,91513.12
Independent Jeanifer Decena6520.96
Independent Guy Dubé4590.68
Independent Karin Litzcke4330.64
Independent Rollergirl4040.59
Independent Charles Ling3520.52
Independent Gerry McGuire2760.41
Total number of voters67,962100.00
Rejected ballots00.00
Turnout67,96215.09
Eligible voters450,503
Percentage of votes shown is percentage of voters who voted, not votes cast.
Source: City of Vancouver [24] [25]
2022 Vancouver municipal election : Mayor
PartyCandidateVotes%Elected
ABC Vancouver Ken Sim 85,73250.96Green check.svgY
Forward Together Kennedy Stewart (incumbent)49,59329.48
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver Colleen Hardwick 16,7699.97
Progress Vancouver Mark Marissen 5,8303.47
NPA Fred Harding3,9052.32
Independent Leona Brown1,5190.9
Independent Ping Chan1,1540.69
Independent Françoise Raunet1,1160.66
Independent Satwant Shottha9940.59
Independent Imtiaz Popat4110.24
Independent Lewis Villegas3630.22
Independent Mike Hansen3140.19
Independent Gölök Buday1950.12
Independent Ryan Charmley1830.11
Independent Dante Teti1420.08
ABC Vancouver gain from Forward Together Swing +11.02 [a]
"2022 Election results - list view". results.vancouver.ca. City of Vancouver. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  1. Calculated using Ken Sim's and Kennedy Stewart's 2018 results.
2018 Vancouver municipal election : City Council
PartyCandidateVotes%Elected
Green (I) Adriane Carr 69,73939.52Green check.svgY
Green Pete Fry 61,80635.03Green check.svgY
NPA (I) Melissa De Genova 53,25130.18Green check.svgY
COPE Jean Swanson 48,86527.69Green check.svgY
NPA Colleen Hardwick 47,74727.06Green check.svgY
Green (O) Michael Wiebe 45,59325.84Green check.svgY
OneCity Christine Boyle 45,45525.76Green check.svgY
NPA (O) Lisa Dominato 44,68925.33Green check.svgY
NPA Rebecca Bligh 44,05324.97Green check.svgY
NPA (O) Sarah Kirby-Yung43,58124.70Green check.svgY
NPA David Grewal41,91323.75
Green David H. Wong40,88723.17
Vision (I) Heather Deal 39,52922.40
COPE Derrick O'Keefe38,30521.71
NPA Justin P. Goodrich37,91721.49
COPE Anne Roberts 36,53120.70
OneCity Brandon O. Yan36,16720.50
NPA Jojo Quimpo34,60119.61
Independent Sarah Blyth29,45616.69
Vision Tanya Paz28,83616.34
Vision Diego Cardona27,32515.49
Vision (O) Catherine Evans25,12414.24
Independent (O) Erin Shum23,33113.22
Vancouver 1st Ken Low21,90812.42
Independent Adrian Crook17,3929.86
Vision Wei Q. Zhang16,7349.48
Coalition Vancouver Ken Charko16,3669.28
Coalition Vancouver James Lin16,1919.18
Independent Wade Grant15,4228.74
Independent Taqdir K. Bhandal15,3268.69
Vancouver 1st Elizabeth Taylor15,1848.61
Coalition Vancouver Penny Mussio14,8868.44
Yes Vancouver Brinder Bains13,9487.90
Yes Vancouver Stephanie Ostler13,5307.67
Coalition Vancouver Jason Xie13,4247.61
Yes Vancouver Glynnis C. Chan13,2187.49
Coalition Vancouver Glen Chernen13,1487.45
Coalition Vancouver Morning Li12,6147.15
Vancouver 1st Nycki K. Basra12,1336.88
Yes Vancouver Jaspreet Virdi12,1246.87
Coalition Vancouver Franco Peta11,1936.34
Yes Vancouver Phyllis Tang11,9026.75
Independent Rob McDowell11,8286.70
Independent Penny Noble11,4356.48
Independent Graham Cook11,0846.28
Vancouver 1st Michelle C. Mollineaux8,8195.00
ProVancouver Raza Mirza8,7834.98
Vancouver 1st Jesse Johl8,6094.88
Independent Barbara Buchanan8,1804.64
ProVancouver Breton Crellin7,8564.45
Vancouver 1st Elishia Perosa7,4894.24
Independent Anastasia Koutalianos7,4694.23
Independent Abubakar Khan7,2394.10
Vancouver 1st John Malusa6,5973.74
Independent Lisa Kristiansen6,5063.69
ProVancouver Rohana D. Rezel6,3363.59
Independent Françoise Raunet5,8913.34
Independent Hamdy El-Rayes5,3813.05
Independent Hsin-Chen Fu5,0072.84
Independent Justin Caudwell4,4882.54
Independent Harry Miedzygorski4,3082.44
Independent Gordon T. Kennedy4,2972.44
Independent Ashley Hughes3,9652.25
Independent Kelly Alm3,4401.95
Independent Marlo Franson3,3161.88
Independent John Spark3,2871.86
Independent Katherine Ramdeen3,0821.75
Independent Spike Peachey2,8631.62
Independent Larry J. Falls2,7681.57
Independent Elke Porter2,5151.43
Independent Ted Copeland1,9461.10
'(I)' denotes incumbent city councillors.
'(O)' denotes incumbents of other municipal positions.

References

  1. "Vancouver Magazine".
  2. "Colleen Hardwick acclaimed as Vancouver mayoral candidate representing TEAM".
  3. Internet Movie Database https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638867/#producer
  4. Business in Vancouver’s Forty under 40; https://issuu.com/bivmediagroup/docs/forty_under_40_winners_1990-2011
  5. Parry, Malcolm. “TradeTalk” The Vancouver Sun 6 October 2011, page 93
  6. Shaw, Gillian. “Online and on the set” The Vancouver Sun 10 June 2009, page 42
  7. Sinoski, Kelly. “New online survey bridges virtual gaps” The Vancouver Sun 26 October 2012, page 5
  8. Bula, Frances. “Southeast False Creek: Pie in sky or timely idea?” The Vancouver Sun 15 November 2005, page 5
  9. ”Vancouver's challenges need cautious custodians” The Vancouver Sun 18 November 2005, page 18
  10. The Province 20 November 2005, page19
  11. Fumano, Dan. “A councillor's quiet protest” The Vancouver Sun 4 July 2019, page 1
  12. Bains, Meera. "3 Vancouver NPA councillors quit party to sit as independents" CBC News 21 April 2021
  13. Chan, Cheryl. "Vancouver councillor Colleen Hardwick joins new municipal party" The Vancouver Sun 29 September 2021
  14. Litle, Simon. "Vancouver councillor Colleen Hardwick nominated as TEAM mayoral candidate". Global News .
  15. "2022 Election results" https://results.vancouver.ca/results-list-view.html
  16. Fumano, Dan. "Independent auditor now closer to reality for City of Vancouver" Vancouver Sun 2020 January 23, p. A6
  17. 1 2 3 "Why TEAM's Colleen Hardwick takes issue with the "housing supply" solution". dailyhive.com. 2022.
  18. "5-storey rental apartment approved for Kitsilano". CBC. 2019.
  19. "Vancouver city council approves Broadway Plan after long debate". CBC. 2022.
  20. 1 2 McElroy, Justin "Profiling Vancouver's political parties: TEAM Vancouver, led by Colleen Hardwick" CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-profiles-colleen-hardwick-team-2022-1.6603464
  21. "Vancouver votes to hold public hearing on zoning proposal". The Globe and Mail. July 26, 2023.
  22. "Vancouver City Council approves Indigenous-owned Heather Lands development with 2,600 homes". The Daily Hive. June 3, 2022.
  23. Cyca, Michelle (March 11, 2024). "Vancouver's new mega-development is big, ambitious and undeniably Indigenous". Macleans.ca.
  24. "2025 by-election official results". City of Vancouver . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  25. "Declaration of 2025 Official By-election Results" (PDF). City of Vancouver. April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.