City election: Get ready to vote on April 5

by Jean Swanson

There’s a city by-election on April 5 and you can vote for two candidates for City Council to replace Adriane Carr of the Greens and Christine Boyle of One City who resigned. 13 candidates are running for the seats. This comes before the regular election for all Council and mayor seats in October, 2026.

Why it's important to vote

City Council can do things that help the low-income DTES community or hurt it. They can pass zoning laws that will gentrify the neighbourhood, bringing in condos or expensive rental towers. They can “pause” supportive housing. They can fund or refuse funding for services like the Aboriginal Front Door, the Women’s Centre, and the SRO Collaborative. They can lobby to get money from the feds and province to build decent housing that low-income folks can afford. They decide how many cops will be in the DTES and what they will do.

If you live in the DTES and care about the community its important to vote for candidates who will stick up for the community.

To vote in the by-election, you must meet these criteria

• Be at least 18 years old on election day

• Be a Canadian citizen

• Have lived in BC for at least six months immediately before registration day

• Live in Vancouver

• Not be disqualified by law from voting

How to register to vote

• You are already on Vancouver’s voters list if you voted in the October 2024 BC provincial election.

• You can register when you vote in-person or by mail

• If you registering when you vote in person, bring 2 pieces of identification (ID):

  • Both must show your name

  • One must include your address

  • One must include your signature

• If you only have 1 piece of ID? You can make a solemn declaration to confirm your identity and residence.

• If you have no fixed address, register by providing a general location (example: intersection names) or the address of a shelter or social agency you use in Vancouver.

You can vote in advance on March 26 and April 1 between 8am and 8pm at City Hall

Voting on election Day

On April 5, you can vote between 8 am and 8 pm at Carnegie Centre, at Main and Hastings. You can also vote in community centres at Britannia, Champlain Heights, Coal Harbour, Creekside, Douglas Park, Dunbar, False Creek, Hastings, Hillcrest, Kensington, Kerrisdale, Killarney, Kitsilano War Memorial, Marpole-Oakridge, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew Park, Roundhouse, Strathona, Sunset, Thunderbird, Trout Lake, West End, West Point Grey, and Vancouver City Hall