Collaboration key for Vancouver's new mayor and council

Collaboration will be key for Vancouver's new mayor as he moves forward with a disparategroup of elected officials from across the political spectrum on council a notable change from the past 10 years,according to analysts .

Unlike most large cities in Canada, Vancouver doesn't have a ward system. Instead,politicians form parties. But on Saturday night,Vancouver elected as mayor Kennedy Stewart, a centre-left independent and former NDPMP.

"He's not naive about the way that council works," said GeraldBaier, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia.

"So he's well aware of the dynamics of council. In fact he might find it refreshing after Parliament."

On council, five of the 10 seats were taken by the centre-right Non-Partisan Association (NPA), three by the Green Party, one by the newly-formed centre-leftOneCityParty and one by the decidedly left-leaning Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE).

It's a big change from the past decade, during which the cityhas been led by Mayor GregorRobertson and his centre-left municipal party, Vision Vancouver.

Robertson didn't put himself forward for re-election, and the party didn't win a single seat on council . Visionchose not to run a mayoral candidate after the candidate it chose pulled out of the race four days before nominations were over.

"Basically we saw the death of Vision Vancouver last night, and so what replaces it?" Baiersaid.

Collaboration necessary

Stewart will have to collaborate with council members on all sides to form political alliances in ways that Vision didn't have to, Baiersays.

But Baier and Simon Fraser University political scientist SanjayJeram say Stewart was known as an MP who worked well across party lines.

"He was known as someone who was respected by other parties," Jeramsaid.

Stewart campaignedalongsidethe OneCitycouncillor-elect, Christine Boyle. But he will likely have challenges ahead finding common ground with the right-leaning NPA.

Melissa De Genova, acouncillor who was re-elected on Saturday, says she's looking forward to working with her four new NPA colleagues on council.

As for collaborating with Stewart, De Genovaismore hesitant. Especially concerning, she said, is his platform for the election's top issue, housing Stewartproposed to build 85,000 units of affordable homes.

"I just don't see a way to pay for that," De Genovasaid.

Despite the political differences, Baierthinks Stewart might be able to swaysomecouncillorswho aren't ideologically aligned with the new mayor.

"The thing about parties at the local level is they're not quite as disciplined as they might be at the provincial or federal level," he said.

"They probably aren't inclined at the beginning to dig in heels."

So long tobickering and partisanship?

The need for collaboration is welcome news for the Green Party's AdrianeCarr, a councillor who was re-elected with the most votes of anyone Saturday night, and who will soon bejoined by two more Greens on council.

"One thing we've got to really do is make sure this council actually does operatein anon-hyperpartisan matter," Carr said.

"Becausethe previous council I think really got bogged down in that kind of bickering and partisanship."

• 'This is BS': breaking down the verbal brawl in Vancouver's council chambers

Carr says the Green Party is ready to work with Stewart. The Greens have never formed firm alliances on council, Carr says, preferring instead to take an issue-by-issue approach to taking sides.

Baierpoints out that Stewart stood arm-in-arm with federal Green Leader Elizabeth May at anti-Trans Mountain pipeline protests when he was theNDPMP forBurnaby.

Stewart will likely work closely with the Greens on issues like transportation, Baiersays, because they pushforward the Green Party's environmental agenda.

But thealliance with the Greenswon't be as clearas other hot-button issues like housing, Baierwarns.

"For a lot of voters it's not super clear what you'revoting for when you vote Green, at least on local issues," Baier said, notingCarr didn't always support Vision's housing platform, which was similar to Stewart's.