How to vote in the Vancouver City Council by-election this Saturday | Daily Hive

Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive

Amid the federal election campaign and global economic uncertainty fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, it is easy to overlook that there is also a local election happening in Vancouver this weekend.

For only the fourth time in 40 years, Vancouver residents will head to the polls mid-term to elect new city councillors in a Vancouver City Council by-election, scheduled for this Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 25 voting locations across the city.

Eligible voters will cast their vote to fill two vacant city councillor seats.

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The 13 candidates and the positions of the parties

This follows the resignations of OneCity city councillor Christine Boyle and Green city councillor Adriane Carr this past winter.

There are a total of 13 candidates on the by-election ballot, including two candidates from the governing ABC Vancouver party, as well as two candidates from the TEAM For A Livable Vancouver party, and one candidate each from the Green Party of Vancouver, One City Vancouver party, and the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE).

This is the randomized order of the 13 candidates that appear on the ballot:

Guy Dube
Karin Litzcke
Rollergirl
Charles Ling
Ralph Kaisers (ABC)
Lucy Maloney (OneCity)
Jeanifer Decena
Jaime Stein (ABC)
Sean Orr (COPE)
Colleen Hardwick (TEAM)
Theodroe Abbott (TEAM)
Gerry McGuire
Annette Reilly (Green)

The campaign period officially began on March 8, but activity has been relatively low-key — perhaps unsurprising, given that this is a by-election.

This vote also comes roughly 18 months ahead of Vancouver’s next scheduled civic election in October 2025, when all seats on the Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Park Board, Vancouver City Council, and the Mayor’s office will be up for grabs. Over the first half of its term, ABC lost its super majorities in the Park Board and School Board.

The result of the by-election will have no outcome on ABC’s majority hold on City Council, with the party currently holding seven of the 11 City Council seats, including the seat held by Mayor Ken Sim.

For the Green, OneCity, COPE, and TEAM parties, this by-election presents an opportunity to secure or regain seats, helping them maintain a presence on City Council and serve as effective opposition voices to the governing party.

If any of the opposition candidates are elected, they will join Green city councillor Pete Fry and independent city councillor Rebecca Bligh on the opposition.

Throughout the by-election campaign, the Green, OneCity, and COPE parties have largely focused their criticism on ABC’s approach to climate action, bike lanes, homelessness, affordable housing, supportive housing, renter considerations, deference to private developers, and pro-business and economic development strategies, as well as its proposed abolition of the elected Park Board, its emphasis on increased policing for public safety, and its overall style of governance.

TEAM, on the other hand, has concentrated much of its critique on ABC’s densification policies and support for high-rise tower developments, including the continued rollout of the Broadway Plan.

This week, for instance, TEAM received an endorsement from the Jericho Coalition, an advocacy group against the major development plans for the Jericho Lands in West Point Grey.

TEAM has described this by-election as a mid-term referendum on the performance of ABC and Mayor Ken Sim — something that is often the case with by-elections. However, by-elections typically have a lower turnout than the regularly scheduled civic election.

The opposite is also true for ABC: a favourable result for the governing party could be seen as a public vote of confidence in its leadership and agenda, reinforcing its mandate ahead of the next general election.

ABC maintains that it has made significant progress on housing affordability and supply — efforts it says will yield long-term results through high-density, transit-oriented development, and expedited and simplified development processes.

The party also points to improvements in government efficiency, public safety, public disorder, street cleanliness, and crime reduction, with enhanced policing strategies as one of the necessary tools. They also believe that a shake-up of the “status quo” approaches in the Downtown Eastside is necessary to implement positive outcomes over the long term.

This week, IAFF Local 18, the union representing about 900 firefighters employed by the City of Vancouver, gave their endorsement to ABC due to “commitment to supporting Vancouver’s fire fighters and the vital services.” ABC also has the support of the Vancouver Police Union; one of the party’s by-election candidates, Ralph Kaiser, is the president of the police department’s union.

According to ABC, as of February 2025, they have “actioned” on 80 per cent of their 93-point platform from the 2022 civic election. By-election campaigns are not known for new major splashy platform promises, but ABC has committed to building a new aquatic centre in South Vancouver with a 50-metre, Olympic-sized pool.

Voter eligibility

To be eligible to vote in this by-election, voters must be:

18 years or older
A Canadian citizen
A B.C. resident for at least six months before registering
A resident of Vancouver (no minimum residency period) or owns property in Vancouver for more than 30 days
Not disqualified by law from voting

For on-site voter registration at a polling station, voters must bring two pieces of identification (one ID must show your address, and one must include your signature) or one piece of ID accompanied by a “solemn declaration.”

Examples of acceptable ID:

Band membership card or Certificate of Indian Status
BC CareCard
BC Driver’s Licence
BC Identification Card (BCID)
BC Services Card
Canadian Citizenship Card
Canadian passport
Debit or credit card
Government cheque or cheque stub
Old Age Security Identification Card
Prescription medication containers
Property tax assessment/notice
Social Insurance Number Card
Student card
Utility bill

When and where to vote

Advance voting and mail-in-ballot request opportunities have now passed, but there will be 25 locations across Vancouver where eligible voters can cast their vote on Saturday, April 5.

Vancouver by-election voting locations map 2025

Map of the 25 voting locations for the Vancouver City Council by-election on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (City of Vancouver)

Voters can vote at any of these locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday:

Britannia Community Services Centre
Carnegie Community Cenre
Champlain Heights Community Centre
Coal Harbour Community Centre
Creekside Community Recreation Centre
Douglas Park Community Centre
Dunbar Community Centre
False Creek Community Centre
Hastings Community Centre
Hillcrest Centre
Kensington Community Centre
Kerrisdale Community Centre
Killarney Community Centre
Kitsilano War Memorial Community Centre
Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre
Mount Pleasant Community Centre
Renfrew Park Community Centre
Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
Strathcona Community Centre
Sunset Community Centre
Thunderbird Community Centre
Trout Lake Community Centre
Vancouver City Hall
West End Community Centre
West Point Grey Community Centre

For those who have received a mail-in ballot, all completed packages must be received by no later than 8 p.m. on Saturday at Vancouver City Hall or the election office at 305 West 8th Ave. These packages will also be accepted up until 5 p.m. at Kerrisdale Community Centre, Killarney Community Centre, Kitsilano War Memorial Community Centre, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, and Trout Lake Community Centre.

Preliminary results of the by-election are expected to roll in after polls close on Saturday.

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