More than 50 candidates seek Vancouver council seats, with familiar and new faces

Vancouver’s civic election has seen record turnout so far, with final voting day approaching and more than 50 candidates vying for council seats. For voters who have not yet cast a ballot and remain undecided, here is a look at the parties and some of the candidates they are putting forward. Candidate backgrounds and policy positions below are drawn largely from party profiles; campaign proposals are not adopted city policy.

**Vote Vancouver**

Vote Vancouver, led by mayoral candidate Rebecca Bligh, lists six council candidates on its website. Bligh has said that, if elected mayor, she would move past “bro culture” and represent the middle class.

The party says John Boychuk has more than 30 years of experience in housing operations, small business and community leadership. His focus is on people and creating opportunities for residents to get involved. Dr. Rebecca Hasdell is a public leader, researcher and community advocate who currently holds a leadership role at the BC Centre for Disease Control. Vote Vancouver says her work has focused on healthier communities, stronger local food systems and policies to improve quality of life. The party also calls her a proud Vancouverite.

Steve Jedreicich is a real estate development and acquisitions executive. Vote Vancouver says he has decades of experience shaping communities across Metro Vancouver. He now advises clients on development strategies and has extensive expertise in architecture, construction management, negotiations, acquisitions and working with local governments. Born and raised in New York City, he has called Vancouver home for more than 20 years and is passionate about sustainable communities.

Lawyer, business leader and community advocate Keerit Jutla has experience negotiating with governments and forming partnerships with Indigenous communities in Canada. He is also CEO and founder of Invicta Metals Corp; he was appointed to the position in January 2026. The company was built on consent-first partnerships with First Nations. Bhavna Solecki is described by the party as an entrepreneur, clinical researcher and community leader with decades of experience. Her profile says she has volunteered with numerous non-profit organizations and advocated for affordable housing for seniors. The party says she believes neighbourhoods deserve someone who has stood alongside community members and fought for them.

Geoff Teoli has past ties to Vancouver City Hall. He is a former Vancouver Film Commissioner and former senior leader for the City’s film and special events department. He hopes to reduce red tape, improve transparency and create an environment where businesses can grow.

**COPE Vancouver**

COPE previously put forward Stephanie Allen as its mayoral candidate, before she left the race for strategic reasons. The party has a smaller council slate. Sean Orr has been a councillor since winning the 2025 municipal by-election and took office in April 2025. COPE says he has advocated for affordable housing, justice and public integrity. Orr has clashed with Mayor Ken Sim on several issues. After Sim accused him of handing out illegal drugs to people on the street, Orr filed a defamation case against the mayor. The trial is scheduled for January 2028.

Chloe Leslie works in food security and advocates for poverty reduction. COPE says she has years of experience in Vancouver’s non-profit sector. Devyani Singh is a climate scientist and financial analyst, and a senior researcher with Stand.earth. She says she helped stop millions of dollars in financing for deforestation in the Amazon. She plans to push for free transit, better libraries and climate-safe affordable housing to make life more affordable.

Solomon Yi-Kieran is an on-campus student organizer at UBC. People following political social media over the past month may have seen his campaign activity. He helped lead a student team campaigning for the UBC SkyTrain and collecting more than 15,000 signatures.

**Green Party of Vancouver**

Many are calling Green Party of Vancouver leader Pete Fry the main challenger to incumbent Sim. The Vancouver Greens are running four council candidates. Annette Reilly has worked in the film industry, and her party profile describes her as an award-winning filmmaker and community organizer who lives in East Vancouver. She believes local government should be grounded in public service, integrity and transparency. Her profile also says she is a cancer survivor and an advocate for young adults facing the disease.

Camil Dumont worked at the Vancouver Park Board earlier in his career, then was elected to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation as a Green member in 2018. The Greens say that during his term he was elected Park Board chair twice and committee chair once. He chose not to run in 2022, primarily for health reasons, and the party says he is now ready to return.

Bridget Burns is a renter who understands the pressures facing people in the city. She believes people who keep Vancouver running deserve the opportunity to build a life there. Her profile says she knows what it is like to spend most of her income on housing and work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Burns says City Hall should put people first by treating housing as a human right. She was a notable figure in Vancouver’s hospitality industry, working as a server, bartender, host and event organizer.

Stephanie Smith says she grew up around her family’s small business on Granville Street and has seen Vancouver become harder for everyday people to live in. She has served with the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, the Vancouver and District Labour Council, and REACH Community Health Centre. She has also been a director of the Co-Op Housing Federation of BC and the Community Land Trust. Smith hopes to make Vancouver affordable for everyday people.

**Vancouver Liberals**

Party leader Kareem Allam was formerly the campaign manager for Sim and ABC Vancouver, helping Sim win a landslide victory in 2022. Allam now hopes to defeat him and become mayor. The Vancouver Liberals have seven council candidates.

John Coupar spent time on the Vancouver Park Board, including two years as chair. He also actively and publicly opposed a potential plan to close the Bloedel Conservatory. Coupar says he would be a strong voice for practical, common-sense leadership, fiscal responsibility and livable communities across Vancouver. Victoria Jung, chair of the Vancouver School Board, says she came to the city as a young person and knows how difficult it can be. She believes the lack of child-care spaces is the biggest issue facing young families in Vancouver. The party says she would advocate for young people and families to have what they need to lead thriving, healthy lives in the city.

Devin Clemens grew up in a low-income household and studied political science and anthropological linguistics at the University of Saskatchewan. He now works at UBC. His profile says he is running with the Liberals because he believes in a practical, transparent and collaborative approach to city-building. Clemens wants to restore trust in City Hall, strengthen partnerships across all levels of government and deliver policies that improve everyday life for Vancouver residents.

Armor Valor calls himself a proud lifelong South Vancouver resident. He is running because he wants the people who keep the city going to be able to live and work there and build a future. He previously ran for nomination with OneCity and says he was drawn to the Liberals’ plan to explore a ward system, dividing Vancouver into local districts so each neighbourhood could elect its own councillor. Valor works as a cook at Children’s Hospital and says he is running for people who serve Vancouver and still deserve a future there.

Dr. Moira Stilwell practises nuclear medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital. She says her medical career has given her a firsthand view of the pressures people face, including rising costs and declining services. She was also an MLA for Vancouver-Langara from 2009 to 2017 and held senior cabinet posts, including minister of advanced education and labour market development, and minister of social development and social innovation. Stilwell says she is running to get Vancouver back on track.

Michael Wu says he became a business owner at 19 and, at the height of his career, operated five companies with more than 60 employees. He previously ran as an MLA candidate for a major B.C. party. He was also an RCMP auxiliary constable, providing 24/7 Mandarin and Cantonese translation services while assisting officers in the community. Wu says he hopes for safer communities, stronger local businesses and a city where young people and future generations can build their lives.

Jessica Walton believes City Hall should focus less on partisan politics and more on what is best for Vancouver residents. She says she has long advocated for fair wages and inclusive workplaces, and was once a shop steward with the BCGEU who bargained directly with the provincial government. Walton is expecting a child and had considered leaving the city because her neighbourhood lacks child care and schools. Her profile says City Hall needs more advocates and regular working people, rather than politicians seeking the job to feed their egos.

**OneCity**

Former mayoral candidate William Azaroff stepped aside to let Fry become the progressive unity candidate for OneCity, COPE Vancouver and the Green Party of Vancouver. OneCity is still running five council candidates, including a current Vancouver City Council member. Lucy Maloney was elected to council in 2025 and is a former environmental lawyer. She has been a vocal road-safety advocate and has been seen riding her bicycle to council meetings and City events. She has lived in several cities and is running for re-election to pursue affordable housing, safer streets, climate action and infrastructure Vancouverites depend on.

Frances Bula is a respected B.C. journalist who has spent decades covering Vancouver’s real estate market and civic politics. OneCity says she is running to bring clear-eyed pragmatism to council discussions on housing and good governance. Jarrett Hagglund is described as an affordable-housing champion and arts advocate, and his profile calls him a dedicated leader in the queer community. He is working to advance co-op housing with the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC and says he wants Vancouver homes to remain permanently affordable for people who live and work there.

Caitlin Stockwell is a longtime climate advocate, a lawyer for Indigenous governments, a cyclist and a Strathcona resident. She believes City Hall must do more to ensure young people, families, workers and seniors have a place in Vancouver and a safe, sustainable future. She also ran as a OneCity park board candidate in 2022 on a platform of increased investment in community centres. Iona Bonamis is an urban and transportation planner who has helped people get where they need to go by walking, cycling or taking public transit. She previously worked for the City of Vancouver as a senior transportation planner. OneCity says she is running to ensure people across Vancouver have safe, affordable housing and transportation options.

**TEAM for a Livable Vancouver**

Led by Colleen Hardwick, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver promises a focus on livability if she is elected mayor. The party is running seven council candidates. Charles Kelly has public-sector experience, and TEAM says he also brings business experience to council. He led a national management consulting firm for more than 30 years and served as commissioner general for the UN World Urban Forum on Sustainable Cities, which was held in Vancouver.

Kathleen Larsen has been a TEAM member for four years and was the party’s park board candidate in 2022. Born in Vancouver and raised in Victoria, she has a double major in urban geography and psychology from UVIC. Toronto City Council appointed her to Toronto’s Committee of Adjustment in 2017. Larsen says she put her name forward because she feels a real sense of desperation about Vancouver’s future. Raj Mundra is a civil engineer with more than 30 years of experience. He says he is running with TEAM because of its commitment to serving Vancouver residents and wants to bring constructive, informed and community-driven leadership to City Hall.

Amanda Boggan is a Vancouver resident and former president of the DTES Neighbourhood Council. Her profile says she has spent years engaging with civic issues by attending public meetings, reviewing public documents and studying administrative law to understand how government decisions affect residents. TEAM says she believes public trust depends on decisions being made within legal authority, through proper process and for reasons that can be explained to the public. Lawyer and community organizer Jonathan Weisman moved to Vancouver 17 years ago. He believes families and youth, whether long-term residents or newcomers, deserve the chance to grow, thrive and find homes in one of the country’s naturally gifted places.

Josh Gordon has a political science degree from the University of Toronto and was an assistant professor at SFU’s School of Public Policy for seven years. He joined Statistics Canada in 2021 and worked on housing data. He now works on measuring poverty in the country. His profile says he has studied Vancouver’s real estate market for more than 10 years. Patrick Sauriol says he is running with TEAM because he identifies with its values and approach to issues including affordability, growth and potential. He had not imagined running for office, but says his digital and technology background prepared him to reduce bureaucratic complexity and clutter. He wants to help the city diversify beyond tourism and real estate.

**ABC Vancouver**

Incumbent Mayor Sim has led the city since 2022, when he won a landslide victory over former mayor Kennedy Stewart. ABC Vancouver is running 12 council candidates, the most of any party; five are already councillors. Lisa Dominato is a three-time elected official in Vancouver and has held senior management roles in the B.C. Public Service. She was a Kettle Society board member for six years and board chair, helping improve access to affordable housing and mental-health supports.

Sarah Kirby-Yung has served as a councillor from 2018 to the present and was on the park board from 2014 to 2018. She says her career has focused on improving and promoting Vancouver and championing issues that have made the city safer, more affordable and more vibrant. She has also served on the boards of TransLink, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the UBCM, and chaired the PNE. Mike Klassen was vice-president of the BC Care Providers Association from 2016 to 2022 and vice-chair of the Vancouver City Planning Commission from 2007 to 2008. Elected councillor with ABC in 2022, he earlier worked on television and film sets and on the NBA Live video game franchise. The franchise was cancelled after its 2018 release.

Peter Meiszner was elected councillor with ABC Vancouver in 2022. Earlier, he worked as an online producer at Global News and as publisher and director at UrbanYVR. ABC says he is passionate about architecture, urban design and city-building, and believes Vancouver can add housing while protecting its character. The party says he also works with business improvement associations across the city to strengthen local businesses and neighbourhoods.

Lenny Zhou, also elected in 2022, lives in East Vancouver. ABC says rising living costs, violent crime and racism motivated him to run. He wants Vancouver to be an affordable and safe city for his son and the next generation. Earlier this year, allegations surfaced that Zhou called some opponents drug users in a social media video on WeChat. He apologized and deleted the video after criticism.

ABC newcomer Joyce Gillespie is an entrepreneur who has lived on the West Side since 1994 and has run neighbourhood volunteer organizations for two decades, including serving as president of the Dunbar Little League. She believes City Hall should operate like a good organization: focused on the basics, accountable for results and respectful of taxpayers. Another new ABC member, entrepreneur David Grewal, chaired the West End Business Improvement Association and worked closely with local businesses and residents. For the past four years, he has advised Sim, providing strategic advice on municipal priorities and helping advance initiatives supporting economic development, community engagement and effective local governance.

Lorraine Lowe has worked with several local organizations, including the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, from which she is taking a leave to run for council. She is vice-chair of the Vancouver Police Board and was executive director of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens. ABC says she became a trusted community voice and bridge builder there. Arezo Zarrabian is a senior crime analyst with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and the second ABC council candidate to come from the department. Brian Montague previously served with the VPD, retired in May 2022, then ran for council later that year and was elected. Before joining the VPD, Zarrabian studied criminology and political science at SFU. ABC says she supports the growth of Vancouver’s business community, has worked with several business improvement associations and strongly advocates for small-business owners.

**Other parties and candidates**

Bright Vancouver is running candidates in the 2026 Vancouver election, including mayoral candidate Muhammad Ahmad. It has six council candidates. The party says most are community builders and advocates and all come from racialized backgrounds. Its website says Bright Future Vancouver was created in response to rising living costs, persistent public-safety concerns and residents’ feeling that City Hall is no longer close enough to the people it serves. Its council candidates are Andy Lin, Judith Kasiama, Ibrahima Cisse, Yadwinder Mangat, Mohadeseh Gharib P. Arasi and Bilal Khan.

TrueBlue Vancouver is another party that has received little media attention. An Instagram post suggested its candidates attended a vigil for Charlie Kirk in September. John Jones is running under the Vote Palestine Vancouver banner.

The City of Vancouver’s website also lists candidates with no party affiliation. Angela Dawson, known to many Vancouverites as ROLLERGIRL, is running for council again after drawing attention in previous elections. She ran for mayor in 2018. Noi Soudarack also appears to be running as an independent. Other candidates have no public profile listed, but the full list is available on the City website.

Final voting day is Saturday, Oct. 17. The provincial election’s final voting day follows one week later, on Oct. 24.