VANCOUVER – Residents in Vancouver vote today in an election that has turned out to be a tight race between the city’s current mayor and an opponent who had little public profile before the campaign.
READ MORE: B.C. civic elections 2014
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver party were elected in 2008, making him the city’s public face for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Robertson entered the campaign as the clear front-runner against Kirk LaPointe of the Non-Partisan Association, but recent polls have suggested the election has developed into a close two-way race.
WATCH: Vancouver’s mayor’s race closer than expected
No clear ballot issue emerged during the campaign, which instead focused on the perception that Robertson has pursued a progressive agenda that included a focus on social housing and a dramatic increase in bike lanes without listening to residents.
Robertson used a candidates’ debate earlier in the week to make a last-minute public apology to voters, while appealing to supporters of a third-place left-leaning party to vote strategically to keep him in office.
LaPointe is a former journalist with extensive experience at news outlets across the country, including The Canadian Press, the National Post, the Vancouver Sun and most recently as ombudsman of CBC News.
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