Vancouver-Kensington

Vancouver-Kensington had been held by NDP MLA Mable Elmore since 2009, when she made history as the first Filipino Canadian elected to the BC Legislature. The riding covered a large section of central East Vancouver, bounded roughly by East 16th Avenue and Kingsway to the north, Nanaimo Street to the east, East 49th Avenue to the south, and Main Street to the west. It was one of the most linguistically diverse ridings in British Columbia, with English serving as the mother tongue of just 37 per cent of residents according to the 2011 Census. Chinese and Filipino Canadians formed the two largest ethnic communities, and the riding included portions of the vibrant Kingsway commercial strip and the residential streets of Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Renfrew-Collingwood, and Sunset.

Elmore sought a third term in 2017, running on her record of community engagement and advocacy on issues ranging from workers' rights to anti-racism. The riding had been decided by 1,500 to 3,000 votes in the previous five elections, and while the NDP had won four of them, the margins indicated the race could not be taken for granted.

Candidates

Mable Elmore (BC NDP) — Elmore was born in Langley, British Columbia, and grew up in Manitoba before attending the University of British Columbia to study physical education. She worked as a bus driver for Coast Mountain Bus Company and was active in the labour movement through the CAW Local 111, the Vancouver and District Labour Council, and the BC Federation of Labour. She volunteered at the BC Philippine Women Centre, which became a full-time commitment. As MLA, she was the first Filipino Canadian elected to the BC Legislature and the second openly lesbian member of the house.

Kim Jee Chan Logan (BC Liberal Party) — Logan had served as director of government relations for Telus since 2005 and had worked as a senior advisor with the Ministry of Health. Known in the community as "East Van Chan," her great-grandfather helped found Vancouver's Chinatown more than a century ago, and her family had lived in East Vancouver for over 100 years. She was a Vancouver Technical School and UBC graduate who sat on multiple local boards.

Simon Alexander Rear (BC Green Party) — Rear was the Green Party candidate for Vancouver-Kensington.

Ramanjit Kaur Dhillon ran for the Your Political Party of BC.

Local Issues

The linguistic and cultural diversity of Vancouver-Kensington meant that access to government services in multiple languages was a persistent concern. Elmore's constituency office employed staff who could communicate in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog, reflecting the practical challenges of serving a population where the majority did not speak English as a first language. Settlement services, immigration support, and culturally appropriate health care were important community priorities.

Housing affordability was a growing concern in what had historically been one of Vancouver's more affordable areas for families. The Kensington-Cedar Cottage and Sunset neighbourhoods were seeing significant price increases as buyers priced out of more expensive parts of Vancouver moved eastward. Renters in the riding's older apartment stock worried about displacement as redevelopment pressures grew. The NDP campaigned on building affordable housing and strengthening tenant protections, while the Liberals pointed to their market-based approaches.

Transit and transportation were also on the agenda. Many residents relied on the Kingsway bus routes and the aging bus network along East Vancouver's grid to commute to work, and improvements to transit service were a frequent request. The broader debate about the Broadway SkyTrain extension, while centred in adjacent ridings, was of interest to Kensington residents who would benefit from improved connections to rapid transit.