ABC names two candidates for Vancouver City Council by-election | Daily Hive

ABC's two candidates for Vancouver City Council by-election include VPD Union president

Jaime Stein (left) and Ralph Kaisers (right). (ABC Vancouver)

With just over six weeks until Vancouver residents head to the polls, Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Vancouver party has named two candidates for the upcoming Vancouver City Council by-election, with the selected individuals suggesting a refocus on its tough-on-crime approach while increasing its emphasis on business and economic growth issues.

“I am thrilled to introduce two dynamic leaders who are ready to step up and serve our city. They’re ready to challenge the status quo and not afraid to do things differently,” said Sim in a statement today.

“Ralph Kaisers and Jaime Stein share a deep commitment to making Vancouver safer, more prosperous and more livable for all. They bring the skills, experience and passion needed to tackle the challenges and opportunities in front of us.”

Ralph Kaisers, an outspoken critic on crime and public safety matters, will vie for one of two vacant city councillor seats for ABC.

He is best known for being the longtime president of the Vancouver Police Union, which represents frontline officers and special constables of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and jail guards.

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“I’ve spent 34 years as a Vancouver police officer serving my community, and I’m ready to take that commitment to the next level as your city councillor. This by-election is a chance to elect councillors who will work tirelessly to enhance public safety, invest in our communities and bring real solutions to the table,” said Kaisers.

If elected, Kaisers would be the second ABC city councillor with a policing background, joining former VPD officer Brian Montague.

Also named as one of ABC’s candidates is tech business leader Jaime Stein, who has advised Fortune 500 companies and government agencies on digital strategies, and was key in establishing Vancouver-based Hootsuite as a global brand.

Stein holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, earned a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, and was the radio voice of the Toronto Argonauts and the head of digital media for the Canadian Football League.

“Now more than ever, we need strong, experienced and compassionate leadership in City Hall. We need to continue to create safer streets, invest in the city’s aging infrastructure and ensure businesses, families and communities can thrive. A truly great city needs the right leadership to challenge the status quo and deliver the changes we all want to see,” said Stein.

ABC is attempting to increase its existing majority hold in City Council, which contracted last week from the party’s decision to expel city councillor Rebecca Bligh from the caucus. Since its landslide win in the 2022 civic election, the party has lost its previous majority hold in the other municipally elected bodies of the Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver School Board from some of its elected members leaving the caucus, including three Park Board commissioners opposed to Sim’s proposal to dissolve the elected Park Board.

“I joined ABC because Mayor Ken Sim told us he wanted a diversity of opinions at the table. By his actions today, Mayor Ken Sim has shown that was never the case. I am disappointed by Mayor Ken Sim’s actions, but in no way discouraged. In fact, I have never been more motivated,” said Bligh in a statement last week.

ABC president Stephen Molnar charged that Bligh “is not aligned with the shared priorities and team-oriented approach” of the party and that “she is not a core value fit.”

This mid-term vote is being held due to the resignation of OneCity councillor Christine Boyle on Dec. 12, 2024, after she was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain under the BC NDP last fall. On Jan. 15, 2025, Green councillor Adriane Carr also announced her resignation, citing frustrations with working alongside Sim and the ABC-led majority in City Council and a desire to spend more time with her family.

The general voting day for the by-election is scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. across 24 community centres and at Vancouver City Hall. There will also be mail-in ballot and advance voting opportunities.

Other confirmed candidates for the by-election race include bike lane activist Lucy Maloney for the OneCity Vancouver party, former city councillor and mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick and recent Capilano University graduate Theodore Abbott for the TEAM For A Livable Vancouver party, Netflix actor Annette Reilly for the Green Party, and Downtown Eastside activist Sean Orr for the COPE party.

The municipal government’s candidate nomination deadline is Feb. 28, 2025, at which point the official candidates that will appear on the ballot will be announced. The official campaign period will begin on Mar. 8.

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