Mayoral candidate says Vancouver doesn’t have to be a ‘playground for the super-rich’
With the municipal election now four months away, one Vancouver mayoral candidate claims she will “give power to the people” if elected.
Stephanie Allen, who is running as a mayoral candidate for the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), released a list of priorities for Vancouver.
“For too long, Vancouver has been a playground for the super-rich. Working people are getting sold out, priced out, and steamrolled by the power of predatory wealth,” she said.
She added that the city “doesn’t have to be this way.”
Allen said she would “make Vancouver affordable” by securing over 20,000 affordable homes, using city power to lower everyday costs, work towards making public transit fast and free, invest in public $10/day child care, and upgrade libraries, community centres, and public pools.
She also promised to work with residents, advocates, local shops, restaurants, and neighbourhoods to shape the city, promising that budgets and planning would be community-led.
Further, she said she would work to create a ranked-choice ballot for mayor, so that every voter has an “expressive ballot that actually counts.”
Allen is the co-founder of the Hogan’s Alley Society and a former vice-president at BC Housing, a provincial Crown corporation.
Who are the other mayoral candidates, and what are they promising?
So far, it’s a crowded field of candidates running for mayor in the upcoming election.
William Azaroff is running for mayor under the OneCity banner. He’s said he will build affordable homes, make it easier to build childcare, work on reducing congestion, and expedite the renewal of Britannia Community Centre.
Pete Fry, who is currently a city councillor with the Green Party of Vancouver, is also running for mayor and is campaigning on public safety, economy, community services, community well-being, and community leadership.
Allen, Azaroff, and Fry are all considered left-wing/progressive candidates. Recently, the Vancouver and District Labour Council threw its support behind Azaroff, while also urging the other two to reconsider staying in the race.
Then there is Rebecca Bligh, a mayoral candidate with Vote Vancouver. She is a former ABC councillor who became an independent in 2025. She said her party would be focused on affordability, building homes, and working with neighbourhoods and communities to make life better.
Kareem Allam, a former ABC campaign manager, announced he would run for mayor in June of last year. He said he opposed ABC’s property tax increases, decampment strategy on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, and Sim’s proposal to remove Vancouver’s Park Board.
Colleen Hardwick, who has been a vocal critic of Vancouver’s pace and scale of development and the direction of city governance, is running for the TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.
And the current mayor of Vancouver, Ken Sim, is running for the top spot again this year. He told Daily Hive Urbanized that his focus ahead of the election is on governing, balancing public safety, affordability, and the FIFA World Cup.
With files from Kenneth Chan and Amir Ali