Vancouver mayoral candidate withdraws, urges progressive parties to unite

COPE mayoral candidate Stephanie Allen withdrew from Vancouver’s upcoming election Wednesday, saying the move reflects her party’s commitment to electing a progressive to the city’s top job. Allen said stepping aside showed Vancouver residents that COPE had heard them, would put them first and was committed for the long term.

Her withdrawal follows a commitment made earlier this year by COPE, OneCity and the Green Party through a “Progressive Primary.” The parties planned to unite behind one mayoral candidate to prevent a split in the left-wing vote. Allen said she believed it was the right time to leave the race and urged the remaining progressive candidates to co-operate and narrow the field to the person best equipped and positioned to defeat Ken Sim.

Allen declined to say whom COPE would support, saying the party was complying with Elections B.C. laws. Any endorsements by individuals such as herself, she said, would be discussed later.

With Allen out, Green candidate Pete Fry and OneCity candidate William Azaroff must negotiate which of them will step aside. Both said Wednesday that they planned further meetings, while maintaining their parties were well positioned. Fry said he was fully committed to winning and described himself as the front-runner, citing a July Pallas Data poll in which 18 per cent of respondents said they would vote for him for mayor, compared with 14 per cent for Sim. Fry said he was clearly leading among the three progressive candidates and saw no logic in withdrawing at this point.

Azaroff said he was disappointed by Fry’s remarks, noting that a discussion was planned for Thursday. He said further conversations were still needed and that leadership required following the process before them. Azaroff also pointed to two consecutive record-breaking fundraising years for OneCity, including more than $300,000 raised in 2025.

UBC political scientist Stewart Prest said reducing the field was a positive step, but the absence of an agreed leader pointed to friction among the parties. Voters seeking a dependable alternative, he said, may turn to a more easily identifiable option if they see a tug-of-war between two candidates who are, in some ways, ideologically similar. Prest noted that the Liberal Party, led by Kareem Allam, was waiting in the wings and polling well. Municipal candidate nominations close Sept. 11.