How you vote for your civic politicians needs to change, according to a group of former elected officials who are taking their fight to the courts.
The newly formed ‘Fix City Hall’ launched a campaign Thursday to get rid of the at-large voting system used in larger B.C. cities and replace it with what the group sees as fairer, more representative alternatives.
The push includes a petition and legal action to force the province to make changes to legislation that would let municipalities overhaul how they hold elections.
Former Surrey North MP Jasbir Sandhu says the current system does not represents individual neighbourhoods.
“I don’t have anybody representing me from Newton or Whalley or Guildford or out in Cloverdale. We need a local representation that can serve the local community. It’s a system that’s flawed and that needs to be changed,” Sandhu told OMNI News.
“The way we change that is through forcing the provincial government through court action to come up with a new system. Whether it’s wards or another system, that is accountable and representative of the local community.”
That could include alternatives like proportional representation, neighbourhood-based constituencies, or another electoral system that ensures every voice counts, according to the campaign.
Fix City Hall says it is preparing to move forward with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge in B.C. Supreme Court, arguing that at-large systems undermine fair representation and equality for racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, and neighbourhoods across B.C.
The initiative includes former politicians at all levels of government, including former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt, former B.C. MPs Sandhu and Libby Davies, former MLA Katrina Chen, and former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart, along with academics, community organizers, and grassroots advocates.
“We need to replace B.C.’s at-large voting system with a more democratic way of electing officials to local city councils that better ensures neighbourhoods get the representation they need and deserve. I opposed the at-large system throughout my time as a Vancouver city councillor and mayor, and it’s time for it to go,” said Harcourt.
“At-large elections silence huge parts of our city and need to be replaced with a more democratic electoral system,” said Davies.
“Everyone in Surrey knows city council does not reflect who we really are. We need to change that,” added Sandhu.
source & photo: CityNews
