A byelection is being held April 5 to fill two vacant seats on Vancouver city council.
The two new councillors will join Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Vancouver colleagues, who currently hold seven of the 11 seats.
The only non-ABC councillors are Pete Fry of the Green Party and Rebecca Bligh, who now sits as an independent after being expelled by ABC in February.
Here’s what you need to know about why the byelection is necessary, voting options and who’s running.
Why was the byelection called?
Christine Boyle, who was serving as a OneCity councillor, got elected in the province’s October 2024 election. She is now the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
Boyle resigned her seat on council, which triggered the byelection.
Then in January, the Green Party’s Adriane Carr resigned from her longtime post as a councillor, creating another vacancy at city hall. Both OneCity and the Greens are running candidates in the byelection.
Who are the 13 candidates vying for the two spots?
• Guy Dubé
• Karin Litzcke
• Rollergirl
• Charles Ling
• Ralph Kaisers
• Lucy Maloney
• Jeanifer Decena
• Jaime Stein
• Sean Orr
• Colleen Hardwick
• Theodore Abbott
• Gerry McGuire
• Annette Reilly
How can a voter find out more about the candidates, their policies and if they belong to a political party?
The has a lot of that information, with links to the candidates’ contact information, social media accounts and nomination papers. BIV has also covered some of the candidates’ news conferences, which provided some detail about the candidates.
Where can a person vote?
An advance voting day was held March 26 at city hall. The next one is scheduled for April 1. There’s also the option to apply to vote by mail, but note the deadline to request a vote-by-mail package for pick-up at the election office at 305 West 8th Ave. is April 1. A total of 25 polling stations, which are listed on the city’s website, will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 5.
What criteria must a person meet to vote?
A voter must be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen, have lived in B.C. for at least six months immediately before registration day. A voter must also live in Vancouver, except under certain circumstances (see question below). Permanent residents cannot vote in Vancouver elections.
What if I don’t live in Vancouver, but own property in the city — can I vote?
The city has criteria outlined on its website to determine whether a non-resident who owns property in Vancouver can vote. The term the city uses for such a person is a “non-resident property elector.” A registration form is available on the city’s website that can be filled out for staff to assess whether a non-resident is eligible to vote.
How rare is a byelection?
In the City of Vancouver's 138-year history, only 17 byelections have been held, with the most recent in 2017. Hector Bremner of the NPA won a seat on council, while nine people won seats on school board.
What was the cost of the 2017 byelection?
Total cost was $1,535,250.
How much will the April 5 byelection cost?
It is anticipated it will cost about $2 million.
What was the voter turnout in the 2017 byelection?
There were 48,645 voters who cast ballots, for an 11 per cent turnout of eligible voters.
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