Colleen Hardwick's daughter among TEAM's five new candidates in Vancouver election | Daily Hive

TEAM adds five candidates for Vancouver election, including the daughter of mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick

Colleen Hardwick during the 2026 Vancouver Pride festivities. (TEAM For A Livable Vancouver)

TEAM for a Livable Vancouver has expanded its candidate slate for the October 2026 civic election, while doubling down on its opposition to the City of Vancouver’s controversial Villages Plan, which was rejected by Vancouver City Council in a 10-1 vote last week.

This week, the party announced the nomination of five additional candidates, including two candidates each for City Council and the Vancouver Park Board, and one for the Vancouver School Board.

Josh Gordon and Patrick Sauriol are seeking seats on City Council.

Gordon holds a PhD in political science, previously taught public policy at Simon Fraser University, and currently works as a statistician for the federal government.

“TEAM is the only party that wants to ensure that residents are empowered in relation to big land use decisions,” said Gordon in a statement, which emphasized he grew up in Kitsilano. “Its leadership and membership are committed to evidence-based policy.”

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Sauriol is a technology entrepreneur who previously worked in digital marketing and served as executive director of DigiBC, an industry association representing British Columbia’s creative technology sector.

The East Vancouver native said he wants the city to broaden its economy beyond its traditional dependence on tourism and real estate, while providing greater support for local arts and creative industries.

“We need to broaden our opportunities and our job base beyond tourism and real estate,” said Sauriol, adding that he wants to provide “more attention and appreciation to our local arts.”

Gordon and Sauriol join previously announced TEAM city councillor candidates Amanda Boggan, Charles Kelly, Kathleen Larsen, Peter Tu, and Jonathan Weisman.

The party is being led by mayoral candidate and former Non-Partisan Association (NPA) city councillor Colleen Hardwick, who unsuccessfully vied for the mayor’s seat in the 2022 civic election and was a candidate for the 2025 by-election to fill two vacant City Council seats.

TEAM also added Wah Gee and Alex Tkach as Park Board candidates.

Gee has lived in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood for 25 years and works as an elementary school teacher in Surrey, where he is also an Indigenous lead teacher.

Tkach has worked extensively in digital visual effects and film post-production. According to TEAM, his career has included an Emmy nomination and recognition as a finalist for an Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1996. As an avid golfer, Tkach has been an outspoken supporter of retaining Langara Golf Course and protecting Vancouver’s public parks, beaches, trees, and other green spaces.

Kat Nystedt was endorsed as TEAM’s first School Board candidate. She has two children attending the same Vancouver elementary school she attended and currently works at a restaurant in Kitsilano. Nystedt will be joining her mother on the campaign trail, as she is the daughter of Hardwick.

Kathryn Nystedt. (TEAM For A Livable Vancouver)

The five additions bring TEAM’s announced lineup to seven City Council candidates, two Park Board candidates, and one School Board candidate, in addition to Hardwick as the party’s mayoral candidate.

In a separate statement issued today, TEAM also called on the OneCity Vancouver party to clarify whether they support the Villages Plan.

City Council rejected the plan on July 28 following a public hearing process that attracted hundreds of public speakers. The proposal would have introduced new low-rise, multi-family residential density and retail villages to 17 existing low-density residential areas of Vancouver. OneCity city councillor Lucy Maloney was the only member of City Council to vote in favour of the plan.

TEAM argued Maloney’s vote raises questions about whether the rest of OneCity’s candidates would attempt to revive the Villages Plan after the civic election.

The Villages Plan faced significant opposition from residents concerned about its proposed rezoning approach, potential effects on established neighbourhoods, and requirements for commercial space within new developments.

TEAM has positioned itself firmly against the proposal, stating that its candidates would work to prevent it from being brought back after the election. The party also claimed parts of the planning framework could potentially be revived because of their connection to the citywide Vancouver Official Development Plan (ODP).

Last month, TEAM announced that if they formed a majority in City Council, they would repeal six Vancouver area development plans across the city if elected, including the March 2026-approved citywide Vancouver ODP, the 2025-approved Jericho Lands ODP, the 2025-approved Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, the 2022-approved citywide Vancouver Plan, the 2022-approved Broadway Plan, and the Villages Plan, if it were to be approved by the current makeup of City Council.

According to a recent survey by local polling firm Research Co., TEAM for a Livable Vancouver and Hardwick placed behind the three leading contenders in the poll. Hardwick received 10 per cent support among all likely voters and 14 per cent among decided voters, compared with 30 per cent for Ken Sim and 19 per cent each for Vancouver Liberals’ Kareem Allam and Green Party of Vancouver’s Pete Fry among decided voters. Among the three geographic areas measured, her support was highest west of Main Street, where she received 15 per cent among all respondents and 19 per cent among decided voters. About one-in-10 (11 per cent) of likely voters considered Hardwick the candidate best positioned to defeat Sim, behind Allam at 20 per cent and Fry at 14 per cent.

Hardwick had a favourability rating of 36 per cent, while 41 per cent of likely voters held a positive opinion of TEAM. In the City Council race, 35 per cent said they would definitely or probably consider voting for TEAM candidates, tying the Vancouver Liberals, sitting one per cent behind OneCity and trailing the Greens and ABC. TEAM ranked ahead of Vote Vancouver and COPE.

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