Few Indigenous candidates running in Vancouver’s Oct. 17 civic election

The Story

Vancouver’s civic election on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 will include Indigenous candidates on some local boards, but no Indigenous candidates are running for mayor or city councillor seats, according to party responses and candidate listings.

Over the election ballot, the City of Vancouver is set to choose mayors, city councillors, School Board trustees and certain Park Board commissioners, with civic turnout historically far lower than provincial election turnout, a dynamic that can shape how much attention local campaigns receive.

In the run-up to the vote, the absence of prominent Indigenous candidates for mayor or council has stood out against recent provincial and federal representation. The 2025 federal election saw Musqueam Indian Band member Wade Grant elected as the Liberal MP for Vancouver-Quadra, while Ellis Ross of the Haisla Nation was elected as the Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley.

Local political participation at the civic level is also limited compared with examples drawn from Vancouver’s past city hall presence. Former Vision Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer is of Cree and Metis ancestry, though her Indigenous identity was not widely disclosed publicly until she said she learned it in 2015, when she was already leaving city politics.

A review of Vancouver elected Indigenous politicians in the last three decades identified a small number of elected officials, including the late Joan Philip, who served as the NDP MLA for Vancouver-Strathcona and opposed her own party’s push to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Another noted figure was Scott Jensen, who became the park board’s first Indigenous chair in 2022.

According to the information provided for the Oct. 17 race, of 131 candidates running, three of Vancouver’s seven mainstream parties identified four Indigenous candidates seeking seats on the school board and park board. None of the identified candidates are running for mayor or city council.

Park board candidate Scott Jensen is one of the four, seeking re-election with the Vancouver Liberals. Jensen, a Vancouver elementary school teacher, is Metis and said he believes role models in local government can encourage more Indigenous people to seek office, while also stressing that he does not have the lived experiences of many Indigenous communities, including those dealing with racism, poverty, and the generational and direct trauma associated with residential schools.

Jensen said the timing and theme of civic politics intersects with the approach to Truth and Reconciliation Day. He plans to share with his Grade 4 students at Lord Roberts Elementary School in the West End that the school is built on unceded territory of local nations, describing it as a “day of reflection” for him as a teacher.

Jensen said he was inspired to enter civic politics by Tewanee Joseph, a Squamish Nation member who served as CEO of the Four Host First Nations Secretariat for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Jensen said Joseph’s work showed him what Indigenous leadership could achieve and motivated him to believe that more Indigenous elected officials could draw attention and encourage others to step forward.

Another candidate is T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss, running for a park board seat with COPE. Wyss, who said she is from the Squamish Nation, is preparing an installation titled “On Unceded Territory” at the Roundhouse Community Centre with two other Indigenous artists.

Wyss said her path to politics is shaped by barriers she associates with racism, including the difficulty of even getting nominated and the financial means required to pursue election work. She also cited housing insecurity and poverty as factors that can make political engagement feel out of reach for many Indigenous people.

Wyss described the everyday pressures that keep people away from politics, while also pointing to her long-standing advocacy in Vancouver. She said she has worked in roles connected to food sovereignty, youth and child family care, land-based art, and park-related education across the Lower Mainland.

If elected, Wyss said she would focus on protecting parks and ensuring access to community centres and pools at reasonable cost, calling these facilities essential for low-income residents. She said she grew up with limited resources and relied on lower-cost access, including a leisure access card and transit options, to participate in outdoor swimming.

Wyss was recognized for her artistic and community work, including being named an honorary PhD recipient by Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2022 and receiving an artist residency in Stanley Park’s Field House in 2023.

Wyss’ candidacy is also linked to her family history of Indigenous rights advocacy. She said her late mother, Barbara, pursued challenges related to the Indian Act and went to the Supreme Court of Canada four times, and she described her mother as a sustained influence on her decision to run again.

On the school board ballot, COPE candidate Derrick O’Keefe is seeking office. The information provided notes that O’Keefe described his Métis heritage but said he does not “lead with” that identity in the way he presents himself.

O’Keefe said he has been disappointed to learn more Indigenous people have not decided to run in the election or have been recruited as candidates, recalling efforts by COPE in 2018 to attract Indigenous candidates that he said were unsuccessful. He attributed the difficulty partly to the high “extreme demands” placed on Indigenous leaders, who may be pulled in multiple directions and take on extensive responsibilities.

Several major Vancouver civic parties are stated not to have fielded Indigenous candidates in this election. The responses cited indicate ABC Vancouver, the Greens, Vote Vancouver and OneCity Vancouver did not field Indigenous candidates.

Beyond the candidates themselves, municipal structures in Vancouver include formal processes intended to incorporate Indigenous participation. The City of Vancouver maintains a small Indigenous relations department and reports council-to-council relationships with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations.

City council meetings open with Mayor Ken Sim or a committee chair making a land acknowledgement, and the nations’ art and flags are displayed in council chambers. In 2022, council approved a UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People strategy developed with the three nations, which the city describes as its first of its kind in Canada and includes recommendations such as returning lands and revenue-sharing agreements.

That strategy also included a recommendation to expand the Vancouver Police Board membership to include representatives from the three nations, with Musqueam member Jordan Point identified as the only director from the three nations on the board. However, the information provided indicates there was no corresponding recommendation for representation on council, the school board, or the park board.

When asked why there were no Indigenous candidates for the 2026 civic race, the cited material reports a response from the mayor’s party communications director that ABC Vancouver has representation from other diverse communities. Mayor Ken Sim was quoted saying the result was due to how the election “turned out,” while emphasizing ongoing relationships with the three host nations and stating the city’s work is conducted through a “lens of kindness and reconciliation.”