Vancouver mayoral candidates Ken Sim and Pete Fry view each other as their main rival in the battle for City Hall.
asserted
Sim → view → Hall
But while recent polling suggests the mayoral race is indeed a faceoff between incumbent Sim and two-term Green Councillor Fry, there are three other big-name candidates who reject the label of spoiler.
uncertain
who → suggest → spoiler
Kareem Allam — Sim’s former chief of staff turned litigation adversary — is running with the Vancouver Liberals, which is not affiliated with the federal party.
asserted
which → turn → party
“The pollsters don’t always get it right.
asserted
it → get → ?
Municipal government is also the hardest level to poll.
asserted
government → poll → ?
It’s got its tricks and nuances, especially in an at-large system,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
asserted
he → get → interview
The Vancouver race culminates Saturday, when municipalities across British Columbia go to the polls.
asserted
municipalities → culminate → polls
Interest in the Vancouver race appears high.
asserted
Interest → appear → race
The City of Vancouver says more than 103,000 people have voted in advance, up 60 per cent from roughly 65,000 voters over five advance days in 2022.
asserted
people → say → 2022
Sim, who is campaigning for a second term as mayor with the right-of-centre ABC Vancouver, said while he would be the first to admit he didn’t get everything right during his tenure, he believes he can lead the city in the right direction.
asserted
he → campaign → direction
“We’ve gotten some pretty significant things done, but there’s way more work to do,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
asserted
he → get → interview
Other candidates include Rebecca Bligh, a two-term councillor who helped get Sim elected with ABC Vancouver in 2022 and is now running with Vote Vancouver, and TEAM candidate Colleen Hardwick, a former councillor.
asserted
Sim → include → Vancouver
Allam, Hardwick and Bligh all rejected the notion their candidacies could split the centre or centre-right vote.
uncertain
candidacies → reject → vote
Get daily National news
“The question is not left or right.
asserted
question → get → news
The question is about who we are serving at city hall,” Hardwick said Tuesday.
asserted
Hardwick → serve → hall
Bligh said she was running to govern for Vancouver’s ignored middle class, and polling did not change how she campaigned.
asserted
she → say → class
“It’s anyone’s race,” she said in an interview Wednesday.
asserted
she → ’ → interview
Fry, son of longtime Liberal MP Hedy Fry, has acknowledged benefiting from the narrowing of the progressive field, after the withdrawals of William Azaroff from OneCity Vancouver and Stephanie Allen for COPE Vancouver.
asserted
Fry → acknowledge → Vancouver
After ending his candidacy, Azaroff appeared at City Hall with Fry, who praised him for running a serious campaign that “raised real issues” such as housing, small business and affordability.
asserted
that → end → housing
“I think folks are excited to be able to talk up a viable alternative to Ken Sim as the mayor of Vancouver and really reset,” Fry said in an interview Tuesday.
asserted
Fry → think → interview
He added that Azaroff’s withdrawal was recognition that he was the person best suited to defeat Sim.
asserted
he → add → Sim
Bligh said she’s a progressive candidate with a centrist platform.
asserted
she → say → platform
Meanwhile, Allam said he believed he was taking votes from Sim and Fry equally.
asserted
he → say → Sim
The candidates’ platforms all emphasize quality-of-life issues, including affordability and public safety.
asserted
platforms → emphasize → affordability
Sim’s promises include a zero per cent property tax increase.
asserted
promises → include → increase
The election ballot also includes two plebiscite questions on public safety.
asserted
ballot → include → safety
The non-binding questions ask voters if they’re in favour of the city “strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug use in public spaces,” which is already illegal in B.C.
asserted
which → ask → B.C.
The other asks if the city should ask the province to convert portions of the old St. Paul’s hospital into a “secure medical facility” with 100-plus involuntary care beds.
asserted
city → ask → beds
- Burnaby school district says cyberattack may have leaked student, parent info
-
uncertain
cyberattack → say → info
‘Hardly surprising’ many Alberta business leaders staying mum on separation: expert
- Supreme Court hears challenge of law clearing path for Ontario Place redevelopment
-
asserted
Court → stay → redevelopment
Strong advance voting turnout in Kelowna as municipal election approaches
asserted
election → approach → Kelowna
Hardwick called the questions a “populist election tactic,” while other critics said they aren’t realistic.
asserted
they → call → questions
Sim said strengthening the city health bylaw — regulating conduct such as smoking in common areas — would allow officers to issue tickets or confiscate drugs without arrests.
asserted
officers → say → arrests
The involuntary care question, he said, is about asking the province to fulfil its accountability to people who pose a risk to their own safety or others.
asserted
who → say → safety
Fry said he supports managing drug use in public spaces, but differs from Sim in believing that people should be diverted to supervised consumption sites or shelters.
asserted
people → say → sites
His platform focuses on housing, transportation and the economy.
asserted
platform → focus → housing
“Folks should be able to have a good life in this city, he said.
asserted
he → have → city
Bligh said Sim’s property tax freezes protect wealthy landowners and undercut critical services.
asserted
freezes → say → services
She said she would work with the federal government to leverage city-owned land and provide free transit for youth.
asserted
she → say → youth
Hardwick said the key to livability in Vancouver is effective city planning.
asserted
key → say → Vancouver
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
