Vancouver voters dealt a blow to Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC party on Saturday, throwing their support behind two left-leaning candidates in a byelection widely seen as a critique of their governance. Read More
Meanwhile, Vancouver’s city manager acknowledged that one-to-two-hour wait times during Saturday’s byelection were “unacceptable”
Meanwhile, Vancouver’s city manager acknowledged that one-to-two-hour wait times during Saturday’s byelection were “unacceptable”
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Vancouver voters dealt a blow to Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC party on Saturday, throwing their support behind two left-leaning candidates in a byelection widely seen as a critique of their governance.
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While the ABC party still holds the balance of power on council with seven of 11 seats, the results showed clear disenchantment with the ruling party, which won a landslide victory in the 2022 municipal election on a promise to fix a dysfunctional city hall and improve public safety.
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The byelection drew higher-than-normal turnout and saw voters waiting in line for up to three hours at chaotic and understaffed polling stations.
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Sunrise
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Sean Orr of COPE and Lucy Maloney of OneCity claimed decisive victories, capturing 34,448 and 33,732 votes, respectively, according to unofficial results posted online.
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In an early morning call on Sunday, Orr said he was still absorbing the win: “I have to pinch myself.”
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Orr said voters showed they are ready for change.
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“Citizens felt alienated by ABC’s lack of responsiveness and lack of integrity, running roughshod over our democratic institutions, firing the park board, pausing the work of the integrity commissioner, barely showing up to council meetings, increasing his [mayor’s office] budget to $1.5 million, increasing property taxes while cutting services,” said Orr.
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On Sunday, Sim released a statement to Postmedia that said, in part, “While the results didn’t go the way we had hoped, I want to be absolutely clear: We’re all on Team Vancouver. Congratulations to Lucy and Sean for their win, we look forward to working with both of them to build a better city for all of us.”
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Maloney, a first-time politician, said she believes ABC councillors are ready to “vote with their conscience” on items of importance to Vancouverites, rather than vote along party lines.
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“ABC is not a cohesive unit, they are already not voting as a block. I’m sure that in some instances we are going to have great success at getting reasonable policies through that improve the lives of ordinary Vancouverites,” said Maloney.
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Maloney said her first step will be to reestablish the City of Vancouver’s Renter Office, a tenants’ rights body abolished by ABC against the advice of city staff in 2023.
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Maloney said housing affordability was the No. 1 issue she heard about while door-knocking during the campaign.
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“This victory signals that voters want a truly vibrant city that makes sure our young people, our artists, our seniors can stay in our city,” she said.
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Orr said he expects a steep learning curve, but he’s ready for it.
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“I plan to report back to the people on everything I’m seeing and use my position for full accountability and transparency, advocate for workers and reverse the punitive and cruel ban on supportive housing,” said Orr.