Progressive unity?

Good morning, 

Nate back with you today, with thanks to Geoff for filling in for me on Wednesday. We’ve got a hefty story for you today so I’ll keep it snappy. 

I recently had a chat with a new acquaintance about a dream day of skiing in the morning and playing a round of golf in the afternoon. While I’m not much of a golfer, it struck me that there are few other places in the world where that could even be entertained as a possibility. 

Consider me interested!

With that, let’s get to today’s story.

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

As always, you can send your tips, leads, and story ideas to Nate at [email protected].

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Friday: 4 🌡️ -1 | ☁️

Saturday: 7 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Sunday: 7 🌡️ 4 | 🌧️

Monday: 7 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

THE LOOKOUT RECOMMENDS

Loving the Lido: I’m getting very acquainted with the Lido lately, first as a bar that I went to for a drink, and then from a recommendation of a local journalist who is into the music scene. It’s one of those laid-back bars you wish were everywhere in the city. Check out their site for a great list of music shows.

Hidden vintage and plants: I realize Kingsgate Mall gets a bad rap, but I’m here to tell you that it’s not all bad. Stoxx Thrift and Vintage has an excellent curated set of clothes for all you vintage fans (count me as one). And Wynn’s Plants and Flowers has all your favourite houseplants, many quite large, at very reasonable prices.  

— Recommendations by Geoff Sharpe

2026 ELECTION

Progressive unity talks go public

Read the story online.

After at least six months of private negotiations, the debate amongst Vancouver’s left-leaning political parties on unity talks is now being done in public. 

As we reported in December, OneCity, the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), and the Green Party of Vancouver have been in discussions since last fall to agree on strategies to avoid vote splitting and give the three parties the best chance of electing a progressive majority in the October 2026 municipal election. 

Earlier this week, William Azaroff, OneCity’s newly elected candidate for mayor, held a press conference to announce a “progressive primary,” proposing a formal election process to select one left-leaning candidate for mayor. But representatives for COPE and the Greens were unaware of the proposal until it was announced by Azaroff. 

“I knew going in that we were doing something cheeky, because the parties have been talking for a long time,” Azaroff told Vancity Lookout. “At this point, I just didn't see how conversation could be fruitful,” he added.

Azaroff, who has not been part of OneCity’s negotiations team, characterized the press conference as a spark rather than a stunt. “How do we create a moment that gets [the other parties’] attention and makes an effort to get people back to the table because they have something to respond to,” he said in explaining his thought process for directing OneCity’s negotiators to create the proposal.

“It's a bold move to come out of the gate with such an autocratic approach to unity,” Green party mayoral candidate Pete Fry said in a social media post skewering Azaroff’s announcement. Fry has declined to participate, calling the idea “myopic and self-serving,” according to CityNews.

“I don't know if we could say that it really embodies the spirit of unity, if we were to choose another ‘U’ word, ultimatum kind of comes to mind,” Green Party of Vancouver Chair Nicolas Poppell told Vancity Lookout. 

“If we are unable to reach a deal on cooperation, then I want to focus our efforts and energy on earning the trust and the votes of half a million Vancouverites over the next 241 days,” Azaroff said in OneCity’s press release.

“I wouldn't call it an ultimatum. I would say it calls the question,” Azaroff said. “Pete has every right to be upset. We went to the media because I need this to happen now.”  

That urgency is reflected in the details of OneCity’s proposal, which includes specifics that only current members of the three parties as of February 17 would be eligible to vote, that the primary would take place before April 3rd, and that COPE and the Greens are required to answer the proposal by February 20. COPE Co-Chair Shawn Vulliez said those elements of the proposal were non-starters, which OneCity knew the other parties couldn’t meet.

“I don't really accept the premise that we need to say yes or no,” on the timeline outlined in OneCity’s proposal, Vulliez said. 

“There are definitely aspects of this list of demands that I don't feel our party can meet,” Poppell said.

“Maybe there are things in our proposal that can't work, but it cuts to the chase,” Azaroff said.

Poppell and Vulliez questioned whether the proposal was even legal under the province’s Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA), as it would be a unique arrangement in B.C. politics. OneCity board member Will Shelling said the party spoke with an elections lawyer who called the idea “defensible.” 

Elections BC told Vancity Lookout they have “been in contact with OneCity to ensure they understand their requirements under LECFA.” 

What’s the holdup?

“I'm very comfortable moving this discussion into public because … the cover of secrecy was being used to advance proposals that we think are not tenable,” Vulliez said.

Beyond the competing proposals to establish a unified mayoral candidate, a key piece of the negotiations is to avoid vote splitting among left-leaning voters at other levels by limiting the number of candidates each party runs for city council, school board, and park board. COPE said OneCity has been dragging its feet on finalizing a deal, while OneCity said it’s been left out of the loop recently by COPE and the Greens.

About a week ago, COPE put forward a proposed agreement for each party to run a maximum of five candidates for city council, including a mayoral candidate, and four candidates for each of park and school board. 

The Greens agreed to that framework while OneCity has yet to respond directly to that offer, according to Poppell and Vulliez. 

For COPE, the holdup through the months of negotiations has been that “OneCity has been insisting to us privately that they want to run a majority and a mayor … since last year,” Vulliez told Vancity Lookout.

However, Shelling, who is part of OneCity’s negotiations team, told Vancity Lookout that the party softened that position in the last round of formal negotiations in early December. “OneCity did come down from wanting a clear majority,” Shelling said, and agreed to limit itself to five city council candidates plus an additional candidate for either mayor or council. 

“We came down to five plus one because we were like, we need to get to a deal,” Shelling explained. 

For OneCity, they felt like the parties were “basically there” on a limiting agreement for city council and park board seats in early December, Shelling said. 

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

36

The number of healthcare workers who inappropriately accessed the medical files of Lapu-Lapu Day victims. Responding to the findings of B.C.’s privacy watchdog, health care providers said the privacy breaches by their employees were “unacceptable and inexcusable” in a joint statement. Read more. [The Tyee]

THE AGENDA

❄️ Okay, while there was technically snow this week in Vancouver, it didn’t count as an actual official snowfall, which requires a minimum of one centimetre of that white stuff to accumulate. Read more. [CTV]

💻️ Coun. Lucy Maloney is proposing to remove a double standard at City Hall when it comes to remote work. The city manager issued a directive last year reducing remote work for city staff, but that didn’t apply to elected officials, which she says needs to be fixed. Read more. [CTV]

❌ Expect many road closures in and around Chinatown this weekend during the Lunar New Year parade, with as many as 100,000 people expected to attend. The parade starts at Millennium Gate along Pender, ending at Keefer and Carrall. Read more. [Urbanized]

🐕 East Vancouver dog owners will be happy to hear that W.C. Shelly Park near Commercial and Broadway will be getting an off-leash dog park, pending approval by the park board. First proposed in 2024, the park would be completed sometime in 2027, if approved. Read more ($). [Vancouver Sun]

✅ City council approved the Granville Street redevelopment plan, which includes preserving the Commodore Ballroom, more housing, retail and hotels, but there is no timeline for when the projects would be finished. Read more. [CTV]

🚴 E-Bikers rejoice, the District of West Vancouver is getting BCAA’s Evolve E-Bike Share program, with 16 parking stations added and more on the way. Read more. [Urbanized]

♻️ If you see a pink bin in your apartment complex, it means that you can now recycle flexible plastics, like zipper bags, plastic bags, and crinkly wrappers. All of the info on what can and can’t be recycled can be found here. [Recycle BC]

🏗️ Local housing advocate Peter Waldkirch has announced he’s seeking the nomation to be a Vancouver city council candidate under OneCity. (If you are a candidate planning to run for city government, let us know!). 

⚽ While the Whitecaps dominated the game, the team tied 0-0 against Costa Rica C.S. Cartagine at the CONCACAF Championship Cup on Wednesday, outshooting the team 15-7.

📉 Is B.C. sleepwalking towards another housing crisis? Housing experts say the government is overestimating the number of expected housing starts in this year’s budget, with one group expecting housing starts to be lower in 2026 and 2027. Read more ($). [Vancouver Sun]

WEEKEND EVENT GUIDE

Vancouver Warriors vs. Buffalo Bandits | Rogers Arena | Feb. 20, 7 p.m. | Come see a great game of lacrosse | $29+

Rumble at the Rock and Buckskin Gloves 2026 | River Rock Casino | Feb. 20, 7 p.m. | Olympic-style boxing with top amateur boxers, with all proceeds going to charities | Tickets $41

An Evening with Phil Rosenthal | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | Feb 21, 4 p.m. | Come see the food and travel star from Somebody Feed Phil from Netflix | Tickets $58+

Lunar New Year Celebration in Cambie Village | 4088 Cambie St. | Feb. 21, 1 p.m. | Small parade/tour along Cambie | Free

Bits + Bobs Samples and Seconds Sale | Heritage Hall | Feb. 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Craft supplies, discounted goodies, samples and other bits and bobs | Tickets $4

Japan Market Spring | 800 Robson St. | Feb 21-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Authentic food and local art | Tickets $4

Lunar New Year at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden | Feb. 21-22 | Lion dances, cultural cuisine, tea and more | Tickets $8-10

Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival and Parade | Chinatown | Feb. 22, 11 a.m. | Come see the massive parade in downtown Vancouver | Free

Piano Jams & The Beaumont Studios | Beaumont | Feb. 27, 8 p.m. | Dueling pianos, contemporary dance and all out musical fun | Tickets $25

Polar Plunge for Special Olympics BC | Kits Beach | Mar. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Raising money for athletes, with events all across B.C. | Free registration

Want to see your event here? Submit them to our event calendar.

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ARTS GUIDE

The Lookout’s spring 2026 Vancouver arts guide

By Geoff Sharpe

There’s a common refrain that there’s nothing to do in Vancouver. Nonsense. What you need is a friend to tell you what shows to see, which is a service we’re more than happy to provide here at the Lookout.

The city is teeming with art if you know where to look. From classical music and expansive photography shows to thoughtfully curated art exhibits, there’s a show for just about every interest.

We’ve brought together a selection of shows that we think readers might like. It’s not a comprehensive guide, but rather the exhibits, performances and festivals that we are keen to check out and ones we think you, our readers, might like.

Read the free guide

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A gorgeous shot of the freshly powdered mountains 🏔️

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A new pinball and arcade venue is opening up on Commercial Drive. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• At Vancouver Fan Expo, Gimli from The Lord of the Rings helped lead a cute proposal. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• A Heated Rivalry birthday celebration helped raise $63,000 for the local BC Children’s Hospital. [GoodGoodGood]

• There’s a new nightlife venue opening up at 1222 Hamilton St. [Urbanized]

Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

VANCOUVER GUESSER

Well done to the 25 of you who knew last week’s Guesser was Magee Secondary, which happens to be my mom’s alma mater. 

For this week’s challenge, can you tell me which street you’d find this establishment on? (you could search it online, but where’s the fun in that 😉)