Swimming pools, kindness win big at Vancouver Kids Vote

The results of the Vancouver Kids Vote are in and, with all polls reporting, the big winners include swimming pools and kindness.

The program, which the City of Vancouver initiated to familiarize kidswith the democratic process, allowed children to fill out a ballot at advance polling stations.

Instead of choosing candidates, kids selected answers to four multiple-choice questions.

When asked how they like to spend their time in Vancouver, 45 per cent chose swimming at pools. Playing in parks and playground came in second at 32 per cent.

Thirty-seven per cent said parks, pools, and community centres were most important to them, beating out fire, rescue services and police; and city gardens and green space.

When asked what they would like to learn more about in school, 44 per cent chose science, technology, and math.

Kindness was voted the most important quality in a leader, beating out honesty, creativity and joy. Write-in votes included awesomeness, helpfulness, silliness, and respect.

A total of 473 kids' ballots were cast. The program was patterned after a similar one in Montreal.

Meanwhile, more than 7,300 Vancouver students from 58 Vancouver schools took part in the Student Vote program.

Done in partnership with CIVIX, a national charity that encourages young Canadians to participate in democracy, the program offered students from Grades 4 to 12 information about local government and the election process and let them cast a ballot in a mock election.

As in Vancouver's civic election, Ken Sim won the student vote for mayor, ahead of incumbent Kennedy Stewart.

Students' choice of councillors differed substantially from the voting public, however. Just three of 10newly-elected councillors finished in the top 10 among students.

The top three vote-getters among students were Dulcy Anderson, Adriane Carr, and Amy "Evil Genius" Fox, an independent candidate, whose top top priorities, according to her candidate profile on the city's website, were to "cause a housing crash," "solarpunk utopia" and "end the spice monopoly."