NPA park board candidates swap parties weeks before Vancouver election

Vancouver's Non-Partisan Association is seeing more changes to its list of candidates as two people running for park board commissioner swapped to another party less than two months before the election.

Tricia Barker, who was first elected to the park board in the 2018 election, and Kumi Kimura both shifted from the NPA to TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.

"Tricia Barker has been a voice of reason on a park board where the majority have so often been out of step with Vancouverites," Coun. Colleen Hardwick said in a news release Thursday.

"Her experience and commitment to our parks will greatly help our existing candidates, along with Kumi Kimura’s deep knowledge of recreational facilities and management."

Barker and Kimura are the latest in a string of NPA members to switch parties or run as independents.

Five NPA councillors were elected to city council in 2018, the most of any party. Then-NPA candidate Ken Sim came within 1,000 votes of being elected mayor, but ultimately lost to Kennedy Stewart who ran as an independent.

In the four years since, Sim left the NPA to form his own party and four of the five NPA councillors elected in 2018 chose to leave the party in the middle of their terms. Three school board trustees also left the NPA not long after. 

Coun. Melissa de Genova is the only member of the NPA elected to council in 2018 who is seeking re-election with the party.

Barker and Kimura didn't give reasons for the change, which came just days after NPA publicly announced its new mayoral candidate after John Coupar dropped out of the race. Fred Harding, a businessman and former West Vancouver police officer, announced his candidacy on Tuesday morning. 

In 2018, Harding unsuccessfully ran for mayor with Vancouver 1st. During his campaign, he generated controversy with comments he made in a YouTube video where he criticized the provincial government for the rollout of SOGI123, a resource for educators to address sexual orientations and gender identities.

The video prompted a school board trustee candidate to leave the party and run as independent.

At the time, Harding maintained he supports SOGI and its policies, but said he was against the lack of consultation with parents.

He secured just over 5,600 votes, finishing sixth in the mayoral race.

TEAM will hold a ratification vote on Barker and Kimura, but said they both have the support of current park board and council candidates.