Vancouver-False Creek

Vancouver-False Creek was one of the most closely watched ridings in the 2017 election. Sam Sullivan, the former mayor of Vancouver, had won the seat for the BC Liberals in 2013 and was seeking re-election in a riding that encompassed some of Vancouver's most dynamic neighbourhoods: Yaletown, the Olympic Village, Crosstown, and the southern shore of False Creek. The riding's condo-heavy demographics and urban character made it more competitive than many Liberal-held seats.

The NDP nominated Morgane Oger, who was attempting to become the first transgender woman elected to the B.C. Legislature. The race attracted significant media attention both for its competitiveness and for the historic nature of Oger's candidacy. The Green Party's Bradley Shende also ran a strong campaign, raising the possibility of a three-way split that could affect the outcome.

Candidates

Sam Sullivan (BC Liberal Party) — Sullivan was born in East Vancouver, where his father ran an auto parts shop on East Hastings Street. He attended Vancouver Technical Secondary School before a skiing accident at age 19 left him almost completely paralyzed after fracturing the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. After a prolonged struggle with depression, he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University. He served as a Vancouver city councillor from 1993 to 2005 and was elected mayor of Vancouver in 2005, serving until 2008. He was invested as a member of the Order of Canada. Elected to the Legislature in 2013, he had served as the Liberal MLA for Vancouver-False Creek for one term.

Morgane Oger (BC NDP) — Born in France and raised in Vancouver, Oger earned a degree in mechanical engineering with an option in naval architecture from the University of British Columbia. She spent 25 years working as an international high-tech consultant specializing in marine engineering, submarine and space robotics, telecommunications, and international finance. She served as chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council and president of the Trans Alliance Society. In 2016 her advocacy was credited as instrumental in adding gender identity and gender expression to the BC Human Rights Code.

Bradley Darren Shende (BC Green Party) — Shende was a TV and digital media entrepreneur who had worked as a segment presenter on Global BC's morning news. He co-founded CRED: Conversations for Responsible Economic Development in 2013, a non-partisan organization of business owners and academics supporting responsible economic development in Vancouver. He was also an instructor at BCIT and the founder of a digital creative agency.

Liz Jaluague represented the Libertarian Party, James Filippelli ran for the Your Political Party of BC, and Phillip James Ryan ran for the BC Citizens First Party.

Local Issues

Affordable housing was the single most important issue in Vancouver-False Creek. The riding contained a mix of housing types: the social and affordable housing co-ops of south False Creek, the for-profit condominiums of Yaletown and the Olympic Village, and aging rental stock in Crosstown. Sullivan argued that the housing crisis was fundamentally a supply problem, maintaining that private development should be allowed to build without government intervention in the construction of social housing. The NDP countered that the private market had failed to deliver affordability over the preceding decade and that government investment in non-market housing was essential.

The future development of the False Creek South neighbourhood was a significant local concern. The city was beginning a planning process for the area, where many residents lived in co-operative and affordable housing on city-owned land with leases that would be expiring in the coming decades. Residents worried about displacement as redevelopment pressure mounted. The planned demolition of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and the redevelopment of the northeast False Creek area also generated debate about density, community character, and transportation impacts.

Transportation planning, including the potential Broadway SkyTrain extension and improved cycling infrastructure, were also discussed during the campaign, along with broader concerns about livability in one of Vancouver's most rapidly densifying areas.