Vancouver mayoral contest tightens as candidates reject spoiler accusations
Incumbent mayor Ken Sim and Green councillor Pete Fry are the main contenders in Vancouver’s mayoral race, while three other high-profile candidates deny they will split the centre-right vote.
Ken Sim, seeking a second term with the right-of-centre one outlet Vancouver, and two-term Green councillor Pete Fry are positioned as the primary competitors in the Vancouver mayoral election. Three other prominent figures - Kareem Allam, running with the Vancouver Liberals; former councillor Colleen Hardwick of TEAM; and Rebecca Bligh of Vote Vancouver - all reject the notion that their bids will divide the centre or centre-right electorate.
Advance voting has risen sharply, exceeding 103,000 ballots, a 60 % increase from the previous election. Campaign themes centre on housing affordability, public safety and transportation, with Sim promising no property-tax increase and Fry advocating supervised consumption sites. Voters will also decide two plebiscite questions on stricter drug-use bylaws and the conversion of part of the old St. Paul’s hospital into a secure medical facility.
Why it matters
The race will determine Vancouver’s leadership on housing, safety and fiscal policy as the city heads into a pivotal municipal election.
In this story
