Candidates who ran in Vancouver’s civic election in 2022 were on average wealthier than the average resident with a higher likelihood to be homeowners, formally educated and high-income earners.
Those are some of the findings of a survey the city’s election office conducted of 137 candidates who ran for mayor, council, school board and park board in the Oct. 15, 2022 election. A total of 106 candidates answered all or parts of the survey, for a 77 per cent response rate.
The survey was conducted during the nomination period and candidates who answered questions did not have to disclose their names, according to a staff report that went before council Wednesday that included results of the survey.
“The disparity in income is the largest of any category, likely indicating that there are financial barriers to running for local office in Vancouver,” the report said. “This data suggests that efforts to ensure local politics are accessible might do well to focus on socio-economic barriers.”
Of the candidates who provided income range data, 53 per cent reported they earned more than $90,000 per year. That is in contrast to 2021 census data that found 18 per cent of all Vancouverites have an income higher than $90,000 (before tax), and 66 per cent with an annual income below $60,000.
That statistic compares to 26 per cent of candidates who said they earned less than $60,000 per year, according to the report, which highlighted age and migration as two other areas with large disparities.
People in 40s, 50s overrepresented
People in their 40s and 50s were overrepresented among candidates, while younger people (18-40 years old) and seniors (over 60) were less likely to run.
“There is also a large gap connected with immigration, suggesting that those born outside of Canada are less likely to run for local office compared to their representation in the Vancouver population,” the report said. “This statistic is somewhat impacted by election regulation that prevent newcomers from running for office.”
Candidates need to be 18 or older and hold a Canadian citizenship to run for office. But candidates do not have to reside in Vancouver, with current ABC Vancouver Coun. Brian Montague an example of that; he lives in North Vancouver.
A total of 45 per cent of candidates who shared information on their housing situation were renters. Sixteen per cent stated their highest level of formal education was a vocational certificate or college diploma, 39 per cent reported a university degree and 42 per cent said they had a master’s or PhD.
This is higher than comparable community demographics. In the 2021 census, 30 per cent of Vancouverites 20 or older had a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education, and 14 per cent had a graduate degree.
Political party system favours candidates
What the survey didn’t ask was whether the candidate belonged to a political party.
Vancouver civic politics has a long history of party candidates getting elected, with very few independents in recent memory winning seats: Carole Taylor won as a councillor in 1986 and Kennedy Stewart as mayor in 2018, although both candidates were long-time members of parties and had high name recognition.
The current council is led by ABC Vancouver, with Mayor Ken Sim — a successful businessman born and raised in the city — the first mayor of Chinese descent. The Green Party is led by Adriane Carr and Pete Fry and Christine Boyle is OneCity’s lone representative.
Sim and his running mates spent just over $2 million to get elected.
The Greens, which also have two representatives on school board and one on park board, spent $116,528 and had an income of $87,921, according to Elections BC documents. A separate school board campaign document for the Greens shows the party spent $45,203, with an income of $41,291.
OneCity, which is also represented by Jennifer Reddy on school board, spent $354,216 in the campaign, and had an income of $244,566. A separate document for the school board campaign shows $81,460 in expenses and an income of $28,895.
In the council race, there were candidates who represented organizations such as Vote Socialist and the Affordable Housing Coalition, but they finished way down in the polls. Lina Vargas had the highest showing of an independent, with 7,714 votes; that compares to the Greens' Fry, who won the final spot on council with 37,270 votes.
Five per cent of candidates under 30
Some of the other findings of the candidate survey:
• Of those candidates who shared migration information, 66 per cent said they were born in Canada and 34 per cent were born outside the country. This compares to 51 per cent of Vancouverites born in Canada and a total of 49 per cent born outside Canada.
• Only five per cent of candidates were under 30, compared to 20 per cent of the adult population of Vancouver.
• A total of 27 per cent of adult Vancouverites are 60 or older, whereas only 16 per cent of candidates were in this category.
• A total of 11 per cent of respondents who answered a question about Indigeneity and racial identity self-identified as Indigenous — a significant finding considering 2.3 per cent of Vancouverites self-identified as Indigenous in the 2021 census.
• Of those candidates who shared their background, 48 per cent identified as racialized, or BIPOC, or biracial and 52 per cent identified as white (of European Descent, Caucasian).
• Among candidates who shared gender identity information, nearly equal numbers identified as women as identified as men. A number of candidates identified themselves in other ways.
• A total of 78 per cent of candidates who shared sexual orientation information identified as heterosexual and 22 per cent identified as 2S/LGBTQ+. Preliminary data shows that Vancouver is home to more than 2,500 non-binary people and over 16,000 transgender people, collectively making up about one per cent of the population.
• Fourteen per cent of candidates who shared information regarding their ability indicated they have a disability. In comparison, 20 per cent of Vancouverites 15 and older have a disability.
