TEAM Announces Democratic Reform, Ward System for Vancouver

VANCOUVER (Oct. 6) – Today, TEAM announced its plan for democratic reform, A Stronger Voice for Neighbourhoods, headlined by a commitment to initiate the process of adopting a ward system. The goal is to have that in place for the 2030 civic election. This change is provided for in the Vancouver Charter. 

Vancouver is the only one of Canada’s ten largest municipalities without a ward system. 

“Almost every major city in Canada has a ward system. Vancouver is an outlier in this regard,” said mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick. “The current at-large system isn’t working. Councillors are elected citywide and as a result many neighbourhood concerns are routinely ignored and left unaddressed.”

“We need a ward system so councillors are directly accountable to the residents that elected them.”

Under TEAM, the next mayor would be elected by all voters, while councillors would be elected from geographic neighbourhood constituencies. TEAM would establish an independent Electoral Boundaries Commission to recommend fair boundaries, with public input as part of the process.

No change is considered for Park Board commissioners and school trustees, who would continue to be elected under the at-large system.

A Stronger Voice for Neighbourhoods also calls for the establishment of Neighbourhood Councils to give neighbourhoods an immediate advisory role on issues affecting their communities. These councils would bring together residents, businesses, community organizations and other local stakeholders.

TEAM will improve Van311 so residents can get their concerns addressed faster, establish a process for escalating unresolved cases, and restore the QuickFind directory of City staff to improve accountability and responsiveness.

“Local government is the level of government closest to residents,” said Hardwick. “TEAM will give neighbourhoods a stronger voice and residents a clearer path to getting City Hall to respond.”