Vancouver city councillor Christine Boyle announced Tuesday that she has taken the steps necessary that will lead to her resignation from city hall so that she can begin her role as the newly elected NDP MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain.
“I’ve put in a formal request to begin an unpaid leave as soon as it is granted by council, with the intention to formally resign in December,” Boyle wrote on the X social media platform.
“This timeline was requested by city staff, as it will allow staff the time needed to run a byelection, and ensure that it doesn’t conflict with the busy city budget and holiday season.”
Boyle is OneCity’s lone representative on the 11-member council, having first been elected to city hall in 2018. She was re-elected in 2022 before deciding earlier this year to seek a provincial seat with the NDP. She was elected in the Oct. 19 election as is now the MLA-elect for the Vancouver-Little Mountain riding.
“I want to thank the hard-working staff across the City of Vancouver, and residents who care so much about this city,” Boyle said. “I’ve been so grateful to work alongside you to take meaningful action on housing, climate, reconciliation and more.”
Boyle’s departure triggers a byelection, which council is likely to formally approve at its next public meeting scheduled for Nov. 12.
Council then must appoint a chief election officer for the byelection. The chief election officer must set a general voting day no later than 80 days after their appointment, which would set up a byelection sometime early in the new year.
Byelection to cost $1.8 to $2 million
The city’s communications team told Glacier Media in September that a byelection is anticipated to cost between $1.8 to $2 million, which is approximately $500,000 more than Vancouver’s last byelection in 2017.
In 2017, the NPA’s Hector Bremner won a byelection after former Vision Vancouver councillor Geoff Meggs resigned in July of that year to take a job as chief of staff to then-premier John Horgan.
The same byelection included the election of a new nine-person school board after the previous board was fired in 2016 for not balancing its budget.
Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Vancouver party currently dominates council, with eight seats. The Greens have two in Carr and Pete Fry, with Boyle the only representative for OneCity, which announced last week that it plans to run a candidate in the byelection.
The Greens and ABC Vancouver are also expected to run candidates.
Abolition of park board
In a post on X Tuesday, Sim congratulated Boyle and David Eby on the NDP’s victory.
“We look forward to continuing our work together to quickly address the challenges facing Vancouverites, including changing systems and structures that will allow us to build a brighter, stronger future for everyone in our city,” Sim said.
The mayor didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “systems and structures,” but he has previously requested the provincial government make the necessary changes to the Vancouver Charter to abolish the elected park board.
Eby said in a statement in March 2024 that “we are committed to advancing the dissolution” of the park board in the next legislative session. If that happens, parks and recreation will be under the control of city council.
Boyle has been a vocal critic of Sim’s push to dissolve the board.
“I have been clear from my days on council about my position on it, and I'm sure it's a topic that we will have good and interesting discussions on internally,” she told Glacier Media in a September interview.
X/@Howellings
