VANCOUVER – Kennedy Stewart, the former NDP MP who was arrested this year protesting the Trans Mountain pipeline, is the man to beat in the Vancouver mayoral race, according to a new poll released this week.
Thirty-six per cent of the residents polled by Research Co. said they plan to vote for Stewart in the October election, giving him a significant lead over Ken Sim, the Non-Partisan Association candidate who came second with 25 per cent support in the survey.
Research Co. president Mario Canseco said Stewart, who is running as an independent, has seen a big boost since former Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Ian Campbell withdrew from the running, reported CTV News.
“The departure of Ian Campbell from the mayoral race has definitely helped Stewart, who currently has the support of 45 per cent of Vancouverites who voted for Gregor Robertson in the last mayoral election,” Canseco said in a release.
“Sim is connecting well with the NPA’s traditional base, and is holding on to 49 per cent of the voters who supported Kirk LaPointe in 2014.”
Vision decided not to put forward another candidate after Campbell dropped out on Sept. 10. It was later revealed that he once faced charges of assault and impaired driving.
Seventeen per cent of respondents in Research Co.’s poll said they intend to vote for independent Shauna Sylvester, while all other candidates – including Hector Bremner of Yes Vancouver and Wai Young of Coalition Vancouver – received less than 10 per cent support each in the survey.
But there are still a lot of undecided voters left to woo. With just about a month to go until the election, the poll found nearly a third of voters haven’t made up their minds about who they want in the city’s top job.
When it comes to the most important issues facing Vancouver, more than two-thirds of respondents pointed to housing. Nine per cent pointed to transportation or poverty, while five per cent said economic development is the key issue.
Research Co.’s survey was conducted online from Sept. 15 to 18 among 400 Vancouver adults. Polls of that size have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
