Vancouver-West End

Vancouver-West End is one of the most densely populated urban ridings in British Columbia, covering the compact peninsula neighbourhood bounded by Stanley Park, English Bay, False Creek, and the downtown core. The area is home to the Davie Village district, the centre of Western Canada's largest LGBTQ community, and has a high proportion of renters and young professionals. Spencer Chandra Herbert had represented the area since winning a 2008 by-election in the predecessor riding of Vancouver-Burrard and was re-elected in the renamed Vancouver-West End in 2009 and 2013. He entered the 2017 contest as a well-established incumbent.

Candidates

Spencer Chandra Herbert (BC NDP) — Before entering politics, Chandra Herbert was an award-winning artist and performing arts producer who served as an elected Vancouver Park Board Commissioner from 2005 to 2008 with the Coalition of Progressive Electors. As MLA, he led the successful effort to explicitly protect transgender people under British Columbia's Human Rights Code and founded Vancouver's Rent Bank to assist tenants facing eviction. He also served as the NDP's environment critic during the 40th Parliament.

Nigel Elliott (BC Liberal Party) — Elliott was a former ministerial assistant at the BC Legislature who worked in public affairs, specializing in public policy, issues management, and stakeholder engagement. He gained media attention for using the dating app Grindr as a campaign tool to reach voters in the LGBTQ community.

James Marshall (BC Green Party) — Marshall worked in Vancouver's tech sector for a decade as an animator, artist, and technical artist in the film and video game industry. He was also an active musician who performed regularly in the city's live music venues and was a member of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band drum line.

John Clarke ran for the Libertarian Party, and Leon David Dunn ran as an Independent.

Local Issues

Housing affordability and tenants' rights were the paramount concerns in Vancouver-West End during the 2013–2017 term. The riding had one of the highest proportions of renters in the province, and residents faced rising rents, renovictions, and the conversion of rental stock to short-term vacation rentals through platforms like Airbnb. Chandra Herbert had been a vocal advocate for stronger protections for renters, but tenants expressed frustration that provincial action had been too slow.

The LGBTQ community's concerns extended beyond housing to include mental health services, anti-discrimination protections, and access to healthcare. While the explicit inclusion of transgender rights in the Human Rights Code was a significant achievement, advocates argued that more resources were needed to address the disproportionate rates of homelessness, substance use, and mental illness among LGBTQ individuals, particularly transgender people and LGBTQ youth.

The West End also grappled with the impact of development pressures on its heritage character and public spaces. Proposals for tall towers along the waterfront and in the Davie Street corridor prompted debate about density, neighbourhood livability, and the preservation of the area's distinctive streetscape and community identity.