The opposition parties in Vancouver’s City Hall are debating publicly whether to join forces in the upcoming municipal election this year.
OneCity, one of the opposition parties, extended an offer to COPE and the Green Party to initiate a primary election among their members to select one candidate to face off against Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC party.
OneCity mayoral candidate William Azaroff says in a written statement that the goal of this offer is to avoid vote splitting among the progressive parties.
He wants the parties to cooperate and to establish a “progressive majority.”
The Greens and COPE say that they are reviewing the offer, yet both parties announced that COPE had tabled a similar proposal in the past and expressed confusion about how OneCity’s offer was made.
COPE says that an offer to unify the other progressive parties had already been pushed forward by its members at a recent party meeting and accepted by the Greens.
Additionally, the Greens warn that any cooperation must include agreements across the city council, school, and park boards to avoid any single party dominating the election.
The olive branch comes with conditions set by OneCity as it expects the other parties to respond by Friday.
UBC’s political scientist, Stewart Prest, says that building a unified front against Ken Sim is easier said than done.
“The way in which OneCity is proceeding right now is more of a kind of ultimatum, saying the other two parties have to meet their requirements by such and such a date. That is not really in the spirit of collaboration,” he said.
Prest says that while there seems to be interest, all comes down to how the parties conduct the vote.
Municipal election: Oct. 17, 2026
Some of OneCity’s requirements include that the primary must be concluded in 45 days, the costs are shared equally, and that the losing candidates must agree to withdraw in favour of the emerging winning progressive candidate.
Prest says laying down several requirements may get in the way of collaborating in good faith, and that the public nature of the debate through press releases would not help the cause either.
He adds that if it comes to a primary, Councillor Pete Fry has a good chance to lead that charge.
“If we are going by name recognition, I think Pete Fry really does have the advantage,” Prest said.
“He is a well-known quantity in Vancouver politics. He has served on the council for a number of years.”
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