Vancouver's ruling political party has started recruiting potential candidates for October's municipal election – with one high-profile exception.
On Wednesday, Vision Vancouver formally opened the nomination process for city councillors, park board commissioners and school board trustees, but not for mayor.
Party co-chair Sheena Sargeant said Vision is still weighing its options, but could endorse an independent candidate if it helps ensure rivals at the Non-Partisan Association don't win the mayor's chair.
"There has been a lot of talk about the need for Vancouver's progressive parties to work together to keep the NPA out of office," Sargeant said in a news release.
"With this in mind, we’re creating an opportunity to collaborate with other parties for an independent or partisan mayoral candidate to seek the support of our members."
A candidate could still run under the Vision banner, however. The party said it's welcoming all "expressions of interest" in the mayoral race until April 16, and will be announcing its next steps shortly after.
In January, Mayor Gregor Robertson announced he would not be seeking re-election after three terms in office. Though he has been praised for environmental initiatives and the city's harm reduction approach to drug use, many have criticized his government for not doing more about the opioid crisis or the continuing housing crisis.
Last year, a poll found Robertson's approval rating at 50 per cent, making him the least popular mayor of any of Canada's major cities.
