Complex answers in a soundbite era: Kennedy Stewart’s bid to convince Vancouver voters for a second term

Kennedy Stewart says he believes Vancouver voters will endorse his long-term approach to solving the city’s problems and re-elect him for a second term as mayor.

He’s a professor-turned-politician and Kennedy Stewart acknowledges he doesn’t have a natural flair for self-promotion of his accomplishments, but the incumbent believes Vancouver voters will agree with his long-term approach to solving the city’s problems.

In a one-on-one interview with CTV News in Yaletown, where he rents an apartment with his wife and council candidate, Jeanette Ashe, Stewart agreed that his mayoral rivals had seized on the anger, fear and frustration of public safety issues to score political points as he’s been preaching compassion and complex solutions to complex problems. 

“My opponents are using gimmicks, like Ken Sim -- ABC, 123, 3-3-1-100-100 – it's all gimmicks, but when you dig below the surface of the soundbite there’s no understanding of what’s going on,” he said. 

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that a former professor and member or parliament hasn’t distilled his messaging in a way that’s likely to draw the attention of and inspire Vancouver residents, but he is resolute in the belief that affordable housing and social supports can dramatically improve many of the city’s problems, most notably the increasing visibility of street homelessness, random stranger attacks and, and property crime.

“A lot of what's happening has nothing to do with policing, it's got to do with folks falling through the cracks,” insisted Stewart. “Being homeless is not a crime, having a mental illness is not a crime, being poor is not a crime.”

If re-elected, Stewart is promising a new initiative inspired by American cities. If a merchant encounters someone sleeping in their doorway, for example, they would be able to call the 311 city services line to bring administrative staff to help connect the person with social service and housing options. He's proposing that as an alternative to calling 911 and triggering a police response, which is what currently happens -- whether it’s a violent emergency situation or not. 

Of Stewart’s four years as mayor, nearly three of them have been overshadowed by the pandemic. And while he’s optimistic Vancouver is in an enviable position to recover from the economic and social effects, he acknowledges the ripple effects continue.