Vancouver businessman wins NPA mayoral nomination race

Credit: NPA Vancouver on Twitter

Considered a dark horse, Ken Sim comes out on top after heavy hitters from the party endorsed him

While much of the Vancouver mayoral race is still up in the air, one of the city’s main parties has decided on a leader for the October 20 election.

On June 3, the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) chose local entrepreneur (and 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year winner) Ken Sim as its candidate for mayor, giving him 977 out of nearly 2,000 votes. Sim, born and raised in Vancouver, is known for co-founding Nurse Next Door, a service that provides those in need with care in their own homes; and Rosemary Rocksalt, a popular bagel chain.

He defeated former park board commissioner John Coupar and Glen Chernen, the anti-developer advocate whom many had regarded as a wild card.

Sim, who bills himself as a “change agent” for the NPA, finds himself occupying something of a middle ground between his two opponents.

But Sim isn’t done battling right-wing politicians. Hector Bremner, the NPA councillor who was widely considered the front-runner for the party’s mayoral race before it rejected his bid, is gearing up to create a new party and campaign under its banner.

After Sim’s victory, Bremner alleged that the businessman had won a “poisoned chalice” in a Facebook post. 

To win the election, Sim will have to take a position on the housing crisis, which will probably play a big role in determining who will be the city’s next mayor.

It’s worth asking if the entrepreneur is up to that task—and if voters will see him as someone who can really be an agent of change.

Sim received endorsements from well-known NPA backers such as the party’s former president, Rocky Mountaineer founder and CEO Peter Armstrong; and Lululemon Athletica founder Chip Wilson.

In turn, some might see Sim’s association with wealthy party supporters as a sign that it will be business as usual for the NPA.