Voters in British Columbia ushered in a wave of political change throughout the province in municipal elections Saturday that saw new mayors elected in Vancouver and Surrey and other major communities.
Vancouver businessman Ken Sim defeated Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, posting an overwhelming victory after losing the mayor's race to Stewart in 2018 by less than 1,000 votes. He is the first mayor of Chinese-Canadian descent for that city.
Sim pledged to hire 100 new police officers and 100 mental health nurses under his ABC slate. While, Stewart promised to triple Vancouver's housing goal over the next decade to 220,000 homes.
"This is not the result we wanted," said Stewart, a former federal New Democrat MP. "But we have to respect it." He said the past four years, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid overdose crisis and housing issues were difficult for Vancouver, but "I do think we got the city through pretty hard times."
Voters casting ballots Saturday in Vancouver said housing was the top campaign issue, with public safety and support for vulnerable people also on their minds.
Stewart and Sim were among 15 mayoral candidates in Vancouver.
From Vancouver and Surrey to the smaller Interior communities of Princeton and Clearwater, campaigns focused on issues that typically fall beyond the municipal realm, such as affordable housing, health care, violent crime and mental health and addiction.
Vancouver released data showing increased numbers of advance voters this year compared to 2018.
In the 2022 election 65,026 people voted in advance polls in Vancouver, up from 48,986 in 2018.
The municipal elections also saw major shifts across B.C., with new mayors elected in Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton and Victoria.