City of Vancouver 2014 Mayoral Candidates Debate

Join us as four candidates for Mayor of Vancouver debate the most important issues facing the city in an evening presented by The Vancouver Sun in partnership with SFU Public Square.

The participating candidates are Bob Kasting (Independent), Kirk LaPointe (Non-Partisan Association), incumbent Mayor Gregor Robertson (Vision Vancouver) and Meena Wong (Coalition of Progressive Electors). Candidates will be questioned by panellists Maureen Maloney, a professor in SFU’s School of Public Policy and Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun City Hall reporter. Sun Editor-in-Chief Harold Munro will moderate the debate.

Bob Kasting (Independent)

Bob Kasting is a Vancouver-based lawyer and community leader. He has practiced administrative law and estate litigation in the city for over 35 years. He is a former adjunct professor of business law at BCIT and of administrative law at UBC. He served as a member of the University Endowment Lands council for five years, and as chair for one year.  A former Olympic athlete, he was also a member of the organizing committee of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and is the father of five children, all of whom went through the Vancouver public school system.

Kirk LaPointe (Non-Partisan Association)

Kirk Lapointe is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Self-Counsel Press and Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism, where he teaches ethics and leadership. He was formerly Ombudsman for CBC and worked in media for more than 30 years, including roles as Managing Editor of The Vancouver Sun, head of CTV News and Editor-in-Chief of The Hamilton Spectator. He has been a volunteer coach for girls’ softball for seven years and is the past president of the Vancouver Minor Softball Association. He is married with three children.

Mayor Gregor Robertson (Vision Vancouver)

Gregor Robertson was first elected Mayor of Vancouver in 2008, and re-elected to a second term in 2011. He is a national advocate for urban issues as Chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Big City Mayors’ Caucus, focusing on public infrastructure, housing and transit. Prior to entering politics, he co-founded Happy Planet, a company that produces organic juices and promotes health and nutrition. He also previously served as MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. He is a father and avid fan of both soccer and hockey, and can often be seen around town supporting Vancouver's vibrant local arts and culture community.

Meena Wong (Coalition of Progressive Electors)

Meena Wong’s childhood experiences during the widespread purges of the Cultural Revolution in China left her with a strong sense of social justice and the passion to work for progressive change. Her political background in Canada began with the NDP in Toronto, where she met and worked with two politicians who would later be part of the federal NDP’s breakthrough in Canadian politics: Jack Layton and Olivia Chow. From 1999 to 2002, she was assistant to Olivia Chow, then a Toronto City Councillor. She eventually returned to Vancouver, where she began her involvement with COPE.