131 candidates registered for Vancouver's October 17 civic election

A total of 131 candidates have registered by Friday's deadline for Vancouver's October 17 civic election, slightly down from 137 in 2022.

The ballot includes eight candidates running for mayor, including incumbent Ken Sim (ABC Vancouver), Rebecca Bligh (Vote Vancouver) and Pete Fry (Green Party of Vancouver). Another 56 candidates are competing for 10 city council seats, 32 for nine school trustee positions, and 35 for seven park board commissioner vacancies. Candidates represent at least ten parties and organizations, from ABC Vancouver and OneCity to COPE, the Greens and newly registered groups like Bright Future Vancouver and True Blue Vancouver.

The candidate list remains subject to change until September 18 at 4 p.m., when the deadline passes for nomination challenges and withdrawals. Ballot order will be determined by random draw at city hall the same day at 5 p.m.

A legal dispute has emerged over bilingual candidate names. OneCity candidates Iona Bonamis 陶思穎 (running for council) and Christopher Lee 李基鵬 (running for school board) were told they cannot display both their full English and Chinese names on the ballot. Bonamis told news outlets: "Telling me to pick one half of myself to run for office is forcing me, and candidates like me, to show up to public life as only part of ourselves. This is a ridiculous proposition in a city where nearly one in five residents is of Chinese descent."

The election office unsuccessfully challenged similar bilingual names in 2022 (Bonamis) and 2018 (Brandon Yan). OneCity has written to Chief Election Officer Jason Twa requesting reconsideration. Twa, who also serves as Vancouver city clerk, plans to file an application in B.C. Provincial Court seeking a ruling on whether candidates are entitled to use their usual names as provided in nomination documents. The city's communications department has declined further comment as the matter proceeds.