Only two Realistic Outcomes of the Vancouver Election
City Conversation #88: Other outcomes do not bear thinking about
October 12th 2022—It really is coming down to the wire in Vancouver. My thoughts mix a bit of insider knowledge with large doses of optimism and hope.
Apologies to Park Board and School Board, with their many fantastic candidates. Both bodies are essential to Vancouver, but so beholden to Mayor and Council that I have set them aside for the moment. If we don’t get the Mayor and Council we deserve, then the rest won’t much matter.
At this late moment, polls and social media suggest just two alternative and starkly different futures for Vancouver:
Outcome 1: A fresh, hopeful and solid (re)start
In Outcome 1, the electors choose TEAM for a Livable Vancouver’s Mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick and TEAM’s six Council candidates, thus forming a working majority of Council. This is very important, as in Vancouver the Mayor has only one vote among 11, so needs a majority of Council to effect real change.
Some readers will be saying of Outcome 1, “I wish, but no way.” Others will be saying “Not a hope.” And you would both be wrong. Support for TEAM has surged more than 50% since the previous round of polling, about a week ago, mostly at the expense of developer-financed Kennedy Stewart and his band of family, (very recently) former staff and would be provincial politician influencers.
Meanwhile, support for Ken Sim and his ABC party has plateau’d even while the percentage of undecided voters stays stubbornly around 40%—that’s a lot of voters who may decide Ken’s developer funded, experience-free four year holiday from any city involvement would be best continued into the foreseeable future—outside of the Mayor’s office.
The other mayoral candidates with party affiliations are stuck in single digit limbo—one hopes their few supporters who have not voted will swing to the principles of TEAM’s clear platform that addresses the city’s many issues with solutions and experience, rather than the unrealistic promises that are so fact and detail-free as to be little more than wish lists.
As for the parties not running mayoral candidates because Kennedy Stewart assured them he would leave room for them amongst his Council team, which he has not done in the end in order to bolster his ranks and his fundraising cap—reap what you have sown. COPE’s Jean Swanson may be the exception to that harshness—her passion for affordable housing and the Downtown Eastside (DTES) tragedy would likely be welcome at the TEAM table. After all, from the beginning TEAM has been the “big tent” party seeking to unite all residents and neighbourhoods. That inclusivity will carry forward post-election.
As for the other parties: OneCity refuses to rid itself of its cadre of YIMBY hate mongers, so deserves the sidelines until it has completed a likely painful house cleaning; the Green Party has steadfastly refused to make the obvious connections between its climate principles and the unprincipled hegemony of high-rise, elitist development—neither the Vancouver climate nor its citizens can afford this betrayal.
So, Option 1: A TEAM Mayor and Council majority.
Outcome 2: Same old same old with some different faces and more chaos
In outcome 2, the electors choose Ken Sim despite his lack of experience or interest in the city since his last run at the top job four years ago. Our last Mayor had no on the job experience, so all should work out well—right? And Sim’s got lots of developer money to help make the Broadway Plan and Vancouver Plan happen real quick—what could possibly go wrong?
Sim’s party has a few NPA holdovers—they have experience, but voting records all over the map. However, they did get extra campaign experience as they were allowed to sub for their no-show boss at “mayoral candidate only” campaign events. We noticed their self promotion in his absence.
Caucus meetings would be lots of fun under Sim, much like Council meetings of the past four years—much talk, little consistency, little accomplished. But that’s probably okay because he will run the city “like a business”—except he can’t if he doesn’t have an absolute majority on Council and needs the support of other parties. Let’s see: TEAM—probably a hard “no” for much of his platform, unless he can connect his promises to fiscal reality; Greens—occasionally, because at public hearings they favour environmentally inappropriate high-rise construction; COPE—another hard “no” for Ken Sim, who got the Vancouver Police Union endorsement, has no interest in affordable housing or thoughts about the DTES; OneCity—could go either way, depending on whether the YIMBYs outmuscle whatever “principles” remain with the “progressives” in the group.
So, Option 2: Ken Sim as Mayor and an unmanageable Council.
Before you vote
Please consider our city’s future—not just the next four years but the decades beyond for our children and their children. In the same way that Vision’s decade of deceitful city destruction has stretched to another four years under the current Mayor, the choice is clear: ABC completing the consumption of our city by those who care not; or TEAM correcting the course with compassion, conscience and community.
Who can vote to restore our city’s health, hope and humanity? Until the province decides whether to eviscerate public processes as requested by Kennedy Stewart, you do.
Take care, stay safe, and please VOTE as if your future depends on it. Because it does.
The Time for Action is RIGHT NOW
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver is the only political party pledged to speak citizen truth to elite power. Vancouver’s civic election is THIS SATURDAY, October 15th. Lots more damage will be done to our city unless TEAM elects the next Mayor and a majority (6 of 10) City Councillors—less than 6 and not much will change for the better. A majority TEAM Park Board (4 of 7) will ensure our open spaces are integrated with the city rather than ignoring them. And our voice on the School Board will help bring schools into sync with parks, open spaces and neighbourhood development.
To best ensure the election of TEAM candidates, consider voting for them as a slate and for no other candidates—each vote for another party’s candidates, or independents, for Council, Park Board and School Board lessens the possibility of a TEAM-led city renaissance.
If you are concerned that the City Conversations you’ve been reading are examples of what’s wrong with our city and want to bring back Vancouver’s livability, join TEAM and work with us to restore Vancouver as a place we can all afford to call home.
Today’s question: Who will you vote for in this Vancouver election—for Mayor and Council?
I read and respond to all comments made below. If you enjoyed this post, consider becoming a free subscriber to City Conversations at
Brian Palmquist is a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). He is semi-retired for the moment, still teaching and writing, so not beholden to any client or city hall. These conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on a 40+ year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. He is the author of the Amazon best seller “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” He is also a member of team for a livable Vancouver, a political party dedicated to restoring a livable Vancouver starting with the 2022 civic election. City Conversations are generally congruent with TEAM policy, so if you like the ideas that I’m writing about, please consider joining TEAM.
Only way out of this mess. 👍
Brian, a big thanks to you for your thorough investigation into the crucial issues of this existential election. People who have been undecided in who to vote for are saying your work has been instrumental in helping them choose TEAM.