British ColumbiaTen mayors, including Vancouver’s Ken Sim and Surrey’s Brenda Locke, say they will run again — with many saying it was important to give people clarity on the future, and to try to build on their accomplishments. We asked all 21 mayors in Metro Vancouver their future plans. Here are their responses.Justin McElroy · CBC News · Posted: Oct 17, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoMetro Vancouver regional council members and mayors are pictured during a group photo after Metro Vancouver’s board of directors meeting in Burnaby, B.C., on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Ben Nelms/CBC)It may still be 365 days until local elections across British Columbia, but some mayors are making their future plans clear — no matter how big their community. “Traditionally here on Bowen Island, calls like that aren’t made until the last minute,” said Andrew Leonard, mayor of the Metro Vancouver island of 4,300 people, who is hoping to become its first two-term mayor since 2011.”But I think it’s important for the sake of stability and dialogue in the community to have those conversations as early as possible … and it’s also [to continue] what we’ve done. I feel like I spent more than half my term dealing with issues that arose from previous terms.”CBC News asked all 21 mayors in Metro Vancouver their plans for the Oct. 17, 2026, local elections, and 10 definitively said they would seek another term:Ken Sim in Vancouver.Brenda Locke in SurreyMike Little in the District of North Vancouver.Linda Buchanan in the City of North Vancouver.Mark Sager in West Vancouver.Dan Ruimy in Maple Ridge.Nicole MacDonald in Pitt Meadows.Andrew Leonard in Bowen Island.Eric Woodward in the Township of Langley.Nathan Pachal in the City of Langley.WATCH | Reporter Justin McElroy breaks down who is and isn’t running: Municipal elections in B.C. are a year away, but campaigns have already startedWe are exactly one year away from local elections in British Columbia, and already there are many campaigns underway. CBC’s Justin McElroy has reached out to all 21 mayors in Metro Vancouver — and gives us this summary of who is and isn’t running.Many mayors made the same argument as Leonard — that it was important to give people clarity on the future, and to try to build on their accomplishments.”We will continue to make City Hall more efficient and effective while pushing senior levels of government to address challenges related to mental health and street disorder,” said Ken Sim in a statement.”Vancouver is on the right track and we are confident that voters will choose to re-elect our team in 2026.”Two already outTwo mayors have announced they won’t be running for re-election: Malcolm Brodie in Richmond (in power since 2001) and Richard Stewart in Coquitlam (since 2008).But the two elections could have a very different energy. In Richmond, Coun. Kash Heed confirmed to CBC News that he is strongly considering a run for mayor, intends to make his decision in a couple of weeks and is focused on critiquing the reign of Brodie on reforming the city’s political culture.In Coquitlam, the only declared candidate has a different message.”I think our residents are happy,” said longtime Coun. Craig Hodge, who announced his mayoral candidacy on Wednesday while being endorsed by Stewart. Hodge said Coquitlam was managing its growth in a responsible way, and hoped to continue the city’s political culture, marked by a lack of political parties or deep divisions at the council table. “We come from different parts of the political spectrum, but … we believe that we’re here to do what’s best for the residents of Coquitlam,” he said.”We really take a collaborative approach to the way we govern and the decisions that we make. Some have called us boring, but you know what? I think we get the job done.”7 on the fenceAt the same time, there are seven mayors who said they haven’t yet made a decision on next year’s election:Mike Hurley in Burnaby.George Harvie in Delta.Patrick Johnstone in New Westminster.Brad West in Port Coquitlam.Meghan Lahti in Port Moody.John McEwen in Anmore.Ken Berry in Lions Bay. The reasons for not committing one way or another varied. Some, like West, cited personal discussions.”I’m considering my future plan with family, friends and community members,” he wrote in a text.Others, like Johnstone and Lahti, said they wanted to continue focusing on governing — and not further politicize council decisions to come.”When you’re making those decisions under a cloud of an election, sometimes your vision can get cloudy,” said Lahti.But regardless of what mayors on the fence decide, the election clouds will grow — often from people on their own councils. In New Westminster, Coun. Daniel Fontaine has announced his candidacy. In Delta, Coun. Dylan Kruger admits he is considering his own run. And in Port Moody, Coun. Haven Lurbiecki has recently started a political party called Port Moody Voice, and says she may run for its mayoral nomination.”Times have really changed and people have seen the result of looking through individual brochures and individual candidates and trying to figure out what buzzwords mean,” said Lurbiecki, who has often been the lone dissenting vote on a number of Port Moody council votes related to development in his term. “A party now offers a clear option and a clear solution.”(Belcarra Mayor Jamie Ross and White Rock Mayor Megan Knight did not respond to requests from CBC News.)ABOUT THE AUTHORJustin is the Municipal Affairs Reporter for CBC Vancouver, covering local political stories throughout British Columbia.
1 year before local elections in B.C., here’s who is running in Metro Vancouver
