BC Municipal Elections: The heat is on

BC's municipal elections are on Saturday and Ethnic media have been incredibly vocal during this election campaign. Our Diversity Empowers Cities Newsletter has been featuring coverage for the past two months.

We bring you a snapshot of today's newsletter in anticipation of election day.

Subscribe to the newsletter for more stories and Ontario coverage.

Chinese: Must read: advance voting begins in some Metro Vancouver municipalities

Online Chinese source Van People reports:
Advance voting begins in Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey! Voting is not only an opportunity for Chinese people to exercise their civic rights and responsibilities, but also a good opportunity for us to vote for a political figure who can represent the Chinese people, and be our voice in the Canadian society. A total of 158 candidates are running for 27 positions in Vancouver this year, which is considered the most complex election. Readers are reminded that the names of these candidates will be listed in random order, not alphabetical order on the ballot.(06/10/2018).

Korean: 'White-dominant' in Metro Vancouver politics

Commentary in Vancouver's Korean Vancouver Chosun Ilbo says:
Although almost half of the population of Metro Vancouver consists of visible minorities, it turns out the portion of minorities in politics is less than 10 per cent. In particular, there is not a single minority MLA in six Metro Vancouver cities, including Coquitlam, where many Koreans reside. This is mainly due to the election system in British Columbia municipalities, which does not provide a specific ward where immigrants are dominant and would like to elect a candidate representing them. (12/10/2018)

Spanish: Municipal elections and mental illnesses

A column in monthly Los Hispanos Vanguardia says: 
We are living in apocalyptic times and our youths are developing new mental illnesses and anxieties due to their worries about the future. It's unknown how long the Earth will last in its current state. At the municipal level, electoral campaigns are in full swing. In addition to being concerned about climate change, voters are anxious due to the high cost of housing. Beyond worrying about natural disasters, millenials have to worry about high living costs and never-ending debts. Kennedy Stewart is leading the polls and is the favourite to win. The candidate who wins on Oct. 20 will have to deal with poverty, housing and drug problems, and money laundering. (17/10/2018).

Jewish: Mayor debate all over the map

The Jewish Independent reports:
The refracted nature of Vancouver’s civic politics was on full display at a candidates' meeting featuring six of the perceived front-running candidates for mayor. The near-implosion of the governing Vision Vancouver party, combined with divisions among erstwhile Non-Partisan Association members, has led to a race with both the left and right sides of the political spectrum divided and struggling to gain traction in a campaign with 21 contenders. The afternoon event on September 23 was co-sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the multicultural organization SUCCESS, which is rooted in the Chinese-Canadian community. Housing affordability topped the list of issues. Kennedy Stewart, a former NDP MP, said his plan to attack unaffordability calls for building 85,000 new homes over the next 10 years. Ken Sim, an entrepreneur who is candidate for the centre-right Non-Partisan Association, responded by claiming that the construction industry does not have the capacity to meet Stewart’s construction schedule. Wai Young, a former Conservative MP running with Coalition Vancouver, said there is no housing supply issue. Independent candidate Shawna Sylvester said she would create a 3% vacancy rate by supporting more co-ops, cohousing and what she called “gentle densification.” (12/10/2018)