Vancouver byelection hopefuls question why ABC candidates aren’t attending all-candidates meetings

After another no-show by the ABC candidates Thursday evening, many are wondering why the mayor’s top prospects aren’t attending certain council events.

Vancouver’s byelection candidates are busy knocking on doors in the hopes of filling two vacant city council seats, but some are questioning why Mayor Ken Sim’s top prospects aren’t attending all-candidates meetings in the city.

There have been three all-candidates meetings so far, with seven more planned.

They serve as opportunities for the public to get to know and question their future city councillors.

One of the meetings was held prior to ABC announcing its two candidates – Vancouver Police Union president Ralph Kaisers and tech entrepreneur Jaime Stein.

Neither Kaisers nor Stein has attended the most recent public meetings – something their opponents disagree with.

“People were asking why they weren’t there,” said Lucy Maloney, a candidate with One City. “What have they got to hide?”

‘Disdain for democracy’

COPE candidate Sean Orr echoed the sentiment at a Thursday night all-candidates meeting in Dunbar.

“Let’s be real, this is a question that ABC needs to be here to answer,” he said. “Why aren’t they here?”

Orr believes the public wants to engage with the mayor’s majority party at these forums.

“They want to hear what they stand for, and they want to hear them defend their record,” he said. “Them not being there, unfortunately, just shows their disdain for democracy.”

In a statement to CTV News, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver – whose candidates include Colleen Hardwick and Theodore Abbott – said the party is “disappointed that Ken Sim’s ABC candidates are skipping every all-candidates meeting, which is depriving Vancouver voters of the opportunity to hear from them in the council byelection.”

Annette Reilly, who is running for the Green Party, is the only candidate other than Kaisers and Stein who is running with a party currently represented on city council.

“So, I’ve been taking some heat and that’s OK,” she said. “That’s the democratic process.”

ABC responds

CTV News contacted both Kaisers and Stein for comment, but did not hear back before deadline.

Both candidates' have been documenting their campaign journey on social media, visiting local businesses and community associations.

In an email to CTV News, Stephen Molnar, the president of ABC Vancouver, said:

“While our candidates appreciate the invitations they have received to attend the many all-candidate forums taking place, they have been unavailable to attend due to prior commitments.”

“They are actively connecting with residents and local businesses at several events each day and remain fully committed to engaging with the community in as many ways as possible,” he added.

CTV News has learned both Kaisers and Stein have declined to attend an all-candidates meeting on April 1 at the Kerrisdale Community Centre.

Questions about accountability

Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of British Columbia, said it’s a consistent strategy of right-of-centre parties to make themselves unavailable for local debates.

“I think it goes back to that idea of being able to control the message on a debate stage,” he said. “You’re exposed to the questions that might come from the moderator, that might come from the floor.”

Prest added that the ABC candidates' behavior is notable, given the party’s majority on council and questions the party is facing around accountability.

“For them to decline to take part in these all-candidates debates, for whatever reason, is reinforcing that image of a majority that is unaccountable to voters,” he said.