False Creek Residents Association Vancouver Mayoral All-Candidates forum, held on Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 at the Creekside Community Centre, located in the heart of the Olympic Village
On Wednesday evening, the False Creek Residents Association — you know, one of those residents associations Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle insistently derides as an “extra legal” form of government, that by their very existence challenges the elected officials who sit within Vancouver City Hall’s Council chambers — held a Mayoral all-candidates forum, where the turnout was tremendous and, as you will see, those present, and now you, can learn about: Non-Partisan Association (NPA) Mayoral candidate Fred Harding, TEAM … for a Livable Vancouver’s Colleen Hardwick, Progress Vancouver‘s Mark Marissen, and ABC’s (A Better City) Ken Sim.
Judge for yourself while watching the 21-minute video above, but from VanRamblings’ perspective, we thought all of the Mayoral candidates presented well, as passionate and informed advocates for the citizens of Vancouver.
For us, ABC Mayoral candidate Ken Sim proved somewhat of a surprise — thus far, Mr. Sim has missed all but one Mayoral forum — as he appeared self-assured and self-confident, familiar with and convincing on the issues of most concern to Vancouver voters in 2022.
NPA Mayoral candidate Fred Harding was his usual articulate self, a superior public speaker and commanding presence, who focused on the core issue of his campaign for the Mayor’s suite — public safety, so as to alleviate the concerns of all Vancouver residents. Progress Vancouver’s Mark Marissen was his usual avuncular and impassioned self, looking ever inch the Mayoral candidate for whom Vancouver voters will cast their ballot next month, on Election Day.
Without wishing to sound too partisan, VanRamblings believes that TEAM … for a Livable Vancouver’s Mayoral candidate, current Vancouver City Councillor Colleen Hardwick, won the night, so utterly informed was she about the minutiae of government, what it takes to be a successful Mayor, so compelling was she in her presentation of what Vancouver could be — what it must be — if Vancouver is to thrive, and continue as home to the cultural, ethnic and demographic dynamic that we know Vancouver to be, what we risk losing should voters cast their ballot for anyone other than Colleen Hardwick and her TEAM … for a Livable Vancouver.
Take a gander at the video above. See if you don’t agree with our assessment.
There is an upcoming Mayoral all-candidates forum where the near invisible, hiding out (or, so it would seem) current Mayor in absentia, Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart is bound to attend … which is this Saturday morning’s Chinatown Mayoral all-candidates town hall — a failure to show would exhibit such an egregious lack of respect for Vancouver’s Chinese community that his absence could very well be interpreted as a declaration that he is throwing in the towel, that he doesn’t want to continue to be Vancouver’s Mayor.
Not to mention, failure to show at a Mayoral debate moderated by the doyenne of Vancouver civic affairs reporting could very well have the uncompromising Ms. Bula writing the Mayor’s political obituary, as early as this Saturday afternoon.
