The final piece of the puzzle in Vancouver’s upcoming municipal byeleciton fell into place Friday, as ABC Vancouver named its two candidates for the contest.
Mayor Ken Sim’s party, which already holds a strong majority on council, announced Vancouver Police Union president Ralph Kaisers and tech startup leader Jamie Stein as their candidates for the two open seats.
“Ralph has dedicated his career to serving the residents of Vancouver … he has seen first hand what it takes to make our city a safer place to be,” Sim said.
“(Jamie) knows what it takes to have businesses and communities thrive and he is known as a person who gets things done.”
Stein was running as BC United’s candidate for Vancouver-Langara in the 2024 provincial election, before the party imploded in August.
“It’s an honour to join others who share my commitment to creating a safer and more prosperous future for our city,” he said.
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Kaisers, a police sergeant, joined the VPD in 1992 and has served with the union since 2011.
“Public safety is not just about enforcement. It’s about prevention, compassion and building a city where everyone can thrive,” he said.
Kaisers was named in a 2023 report from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner into the beating death of Myles Gray during an arrest by Vancouver police in 2015.
The report alleges Kaisers and other police union leaders were present that day, and counselled the arresting officers not to take notes.
He was asked Thursday if he instructed officers not to take notes or cooperate with the investigation.
“That’s a very good question and the funny thing is I was not present that day at that incident. I did not instruct any of our members as to what they should or should or not do at the time of the incident,” Kaisers said.
Kaisers has taken a leave of absence from his job as the head of the union, which endorsed Sim for mayor in 2022.
“There are a lot of concerns around the separation of policing and politics and I think that line seems to be blurred with ABC — it is, I think, cause for concern given … that Ralph Kaisers as head of the VPU endorsed Mayor Sim and ABC back in 2022,” Vancouver Green Coun. Pete Fry told Global News.
“This does set a precedent I think that folks should be a little bit wary of.”
Coun. Rebecca Bligh, who was ejected from ABC last week and now sits as an independent, said the city’s focus should be on the cost of living, affordability and the economy.
“These are policies where the mayor and myself have disagreed so it’s an important election because we need diverse voices around the table.”
The Vancouver Green Party and OneCity Vancouver have each named one candidate to run in the byelection, in an agreement with each other aimed at not splitting the progressive vote. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver is running two candidates, while COPE is running one.
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