Vancouver city councillor Christine Boyle will be the NDP’s candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain in the Oct. 19 provincial election after she defeated former councillor Andrea Reimer Thursday in a nomination race.
“It’s an incredible honour to be your BC NDP candidate in Vancouver-Little Mountain in the upcoming B.C. election,” Boyle posted Thursday on the X social media platform. “Thank you all for your support! Your encouragement and your passion for a fairer, healthier more affordable B.C. has been so moving.”
The NDP didn’t release the vote tally but celebrated Boyle’s win in a news release that included a quote from Premier David Eby, whose wife Cailey Lynch endorsed the OneCity councillor and ordained United Church minister.
“As a Vancouver city councillor, Christine Boyle is a tireless champion for everyday people and the social good,” Eby said.
“I know she’ll bring that same energy and compassion to her work for people as a BC NDP MLA. Christine will be a strong addition to our team, and a great representative for people in Vancouver-Little Mountain and the issues they care about.”
Eby extended his “heartfelt thanks” to Reimer for her dedication and hard work in putting her name forward in the nomination race, adding that her commitment “to our values and community is deeply appreciated.”
Boyle was elected to council in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. She is OneCity’s lone councillor but has worked with Green Party members Adriane Carr and Pete Fry in pushing back against some of Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver’s agenda.
The NDP news release said Boyle has worked extensively in environmental and climate advocacy, including leading the development of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan.
The nomination race was necessary because longtime MLA and Environment Minister George Heyman announced that he is not seeking re-election. Heyman had endorsed Reimer, a former Vision Vancouver councillor who is currently an adjunct professor of practice at UBC, an instructor at SFU and a consultant.
'It wasn't enough'
Reimer congratulated Boyle Thursday night in a post on X and apologized to her campaign team for not securing the win. Reimer said her team “started behind but made up a lot of ground with a fantastic campaign.”
“It wasn’t enough,” she said, “but I’m proud of the community that came together. It helped energize Vancouver-Little Mountain in a way that the B.C. NDP is in a great position for the general election. Onwards to October!”
Boyle will continue in her role as a city councillor until the election. Her dual roles of councillor and provincial candidate are not without precedent, with former Vision Vancouver councillor Tim Stevenson running unsuccessfully for the NDP in Vancouver-Burrard in 2005.
If Boyle were to win the riding in October, a byelection would be called to fill her council seat. The Vancouver Charter states that a byelection must be held to fill a vacancy in the council if the vacancy occurs prior to Jan.1 in the year of a general local election.
ABC Vancouver holds eight of the 11 seats on council.
Vancouver’s next municipal election is in October 2026.
