ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

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MEET YOUR CANDIDATES

Seven candidates are now officially declared in Vancouver Centre. Below, meet Liberal incumbent MP Dr. Hedy Fry, Conservative Party candidate David Cavey, the Green Party’s Jesse Brown, the NDP’s Breen Ouellette, the People’s Party of Canada’s Louise Kierans, independent candidates Lily Bowman and Imtiaz Popat. Formerly declared Rhino Party candidate Guy Champoux has withdrawn due to illness.

For the official list of candidates and other information visit Elections Canada here.

NEWS & UPDATES
As updated Sunday, Sept. 29.
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Campaigns for the privilege of representing Vancouver Centre, which includes the West End and Coal Harbour, are underway. Click each candidates name to go to their campaign website or Facebook page.

Incumbent Liberal MP Hedy Fry has opened her campaign headquarters in the site of the former Dover Arms at 961 Denman. Fry has been the Vancouver Centre MP since the 1993 election, winning eight consecutive elections and now going for a ninth. She lived in the riding until the boundaries were changed and Vancouver Centre lost some territory to the new riding of Vancouver Granville, where Fry still resides.

NDP candidate Breen Ouellette , a Métis lawyer who served as one of the Commission Counsel lawyers for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, has opened his campaign headquarters at 1116 Denman, just north of Pendrell in the former bike shop. Breen and his wife live in Olympic Village. Ouellette’s team will be found street canvassing at the corner of Comox and Bute every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the duration of the campaign.

Conservative David Cavey is a life-long Vancouver resident who currently works in international financial services with TD Bank. He has also worked in a number of industries and health, entertainment, and social-profit organizations. A graduate of McGill University, Cavey has been involved with the Conservative Party since age 14.campaign headquarters are at 1633 West Second, between Pine and Fir. Cavey works at TD Wealth Managment.

The Green Party’s Jesse Brown’s campaign is renting space at 1459 Barclay, the Diamond Centre for Living and the headquarters of Friends For Life, where Brown is the executive director. He is taking personal time off from that role beginning October 1. Brown has been involved in Vancouver Centre’s local community for more than a decade, first as a volunteer and educator with YouthCO – a youth-led organization that works on issues related to sexual health and harm reduction. He lives in the West End.

People’s Party candidate Louise Kierans grew up in Montreal in a politically active family and moved to Vancouver in 2016. She has 30 years experience working with non-profit organizations and currently runs a consulting business with her husband. Kierans has informed The West End Journal that due to the high rents for storefront venues she will be running her campaign from home in Yaletown.

Independent candidate Imtiaz Popat, who grew up in the West End and attended Lord Roberts and King George schools, is a media producer and therapeutic counsellor. He has run for a number of elected offices in the past, including against Hedy Fry for the Greens in 1993, for Vancouver Parks Board on the COPE ticket in 2014, and last year for mayor of Surrey, where he had lived for 30 years. He presently lives in downtown Vancouver. Popat plans to conduct his campaign at the street level and will not be opening a storefront headquarters.

Independent Lily Bowman was the acclaimed candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke last July but, according to spokesman with that riding’s PPC association, she was “let go” as a candidate, because “her values did not align with the party’s. Chinese-born Bowman is a former member of the Reform Party of Canada, when previously residing in the Okanagan. She currently lives in False Creek. Bowman’s team will hold a weekly potluck lunch at noon every Saturday at the green space shore-side at English Bay, across from the Sylvia Hotel.

Five of the seven candidates on your ballot shared a moment of collegiality in September as guests at an meeting organized by West End Families In Action.

ALL-CANDIDATES FORUMS

At press time (September 30) the following four candidate and/or party representative forums had been announced. For weekly updates throughout the campaign be sure to follow The West End Journal on Facebook.

Thursday, October 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. The Djavad Mowafahian World Art Center at SFU Woodwards
(149 W Hastings) will host a debate between Vancouver Centre candidates with the exclusive focus on their plans to fight climate change and protect the environment. At press time Hedy Fry, Jesse Brown, and Breen Ouellette had confirmed their participation. The event has been organized by Vancouver Centre constituent Stacey Martlew and SFU Public Square

Tuesday, October 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Vancouver Centre LGBTQ2 community will hold “Proud To Vote”, a discussion and debate at The Junction (1138 Davie) with party representatives on that communities key issues.

Thursday, October 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. St. Paul’s Anglican Church (1130 Jervis) holds a forum titled “Pipe Organs & Politicians” where the focus of the debate will be prepared questions from the Canadian Council of Churches, which each candidate will receive in advance. The debate will open and close with music played on the oldest water pipe organ west of the Rockies.

Thursday, October 17 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. The West End Community Centre will host an all-candidates forum in the Centre’s auditorium. The forum will be conducted in the “speed-dating” style, with attendees grouped in conversational circles. Each candidate will spend 20 minutes with each circle, answering questions and discussing the issues.

WHERE AND HOW TO VOTE

Vancouver Centre, including the West End and Coal Harbour, has a number of polling stations for both advance and election day voting. Enter your postal code here to find out exactly what your voting options are.

VANCOUVER CENTRE IS DEFINED AS …

This map, provided by Elections Canada, shows the boundaries of the Vancouver Centre riding. The entire West End and Coal Harbour west of Burrard is included. Click on the map to enlarge.