Three progressive political parties in Vancouver—COPE, OneCity, and the Vancouver Greens—have reached an agreement to restrict the number of non-mayoral candidates they field in the October municipal election. This move aims to prevent vote splitting while preserving voter options.

Details of the Candidate Limits

Under the pact, each party may nominate up to five candidates for city council. For the school board, COPE and the Greens face a cap of four candidates, while OneCity can field five. On the park board, the Greens and COPE limit themselves to four candidates each, with OneCity allowed three.

Shawn Vulliez, COPE campaign director, described the deal as “a hard-fought thing, and I know it’s in some ways an imperfect deal, but it’s the results of a good negotiation.”

William Azaroff, OneCity’s mayoral candidate, highlighted the balance between avoiding vote splits and maintaining choices: “I don’t think it’s fair to progressives to have no choice and just have 10 candidates all together. We also have some really great people running.”

Despite the caps, the parties could still field up to 15 candidates for 10 city council seats, 13 for nine school board seats, and 11 for seven park board seats, potentially leading to competition among them.

Pete Fry, Green councillor and mayoral candidate, acknowledged the numbers “don’t really add up” but called the agreement “a step in the right direction.” He emphasized its core goal: “non-aggression and really redirecting our attention to improving the lives of Vancouverites… and taking out Mayor Ken Sim.”

Mayoral Race Remains Open

The agreement excludes mayoral candidates, leaving room for rivalry. Azaroff and Fry have secured their party nominations, while COPE plans to announce its pick soon. The parties commit to a “good-faith effort” to select the strongest progressive contender.

Azaroff noted: “The magic will come with when the parties can agree on a system or a series of metrics… If through that system that we all agree to that is not me, then yeah, absolutely. I will abide by whatever rules are set for it.”

Fry remains optimistic: “I still feel pretty confident in my chances, and I am hoping that as we get closer to election day in the fall, the other progressive parties will see the merit in my approach and either get behind it or get out of the way.”

Nomination votes for all three parties are scheduled for the first half of May.

Crowded Field Ahead

This deal precedes a competitive election featuring at least seven parties. Incumbent Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Vancouver returns, joined by the Vancouver Liberals under Kareem Allam, Vote Vancouver led by Coun. Rebecca Bligh, and TEAM For a Livable Vancouver headed by former councillor Colleen Hardwick.