A road safety advocate who was also chair of her children’s elementary school parent advisory council has become the first publicly declared council candidate for the April 5 Vancouver civic byelection.
Lucy Maloney announced her candidacy for OneCity Vancouver Tuesday at the city hall plaza, where she was supported by party members and current school trustee, Jennifer Reddy.
If elected, Maloney said her first move would be to introduce a motion to bring back the Vancouver Renter Office, which was closed in January 2023 under Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Vancouver majority.
“Tenants are facing a lot of challenges right now,” she said.
“Although we have some strong tenant protections in Vancouver, enforcement isn't clear. While our city staff work hard, there is no department whose purpose it is to enforce compliance. Tenants have been left to advocate for themselves. I think it should be the other way around.”
At the time of the decision to close the renters’ office, ABC Vancouver cited a duplication of services, citing the work of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC), along with the Residential Tenancy Branch.
Council instead agreed to continue to fund the renter services grants program with money collected via the city’s empty homes tax. The city was also to provide space for a walk-in office on Howe Street for TRAC.
Maloney said the renter office should reopen as a “tenancy advocacy office” and have the power to enforce the city’s tenant protections.
“I have moved more times than I have ever wanted to, and I know how stressful it is,” said Maloney, who is originally from Australia. “Renters need to be able to easily find out what their rights are and get help when they need it. The city must enforce its rules. Tenants need to know that the city is in their corner.”
In Australia, Maloney earned a law degree and an MBA. She pursued a career in environmental law with her Australian state’s environmental regulator, and then in business.
In Vancouver, she was the chair of the Lord Roberts elementary school parent advisory council, where she fought successfully to have the streets near the school traffic-calmed so students could walk, ride and roll to school safely.
Nomination meetings
She has been a regular speaker at council meetings, with one of her most recent appearances arguing against council considering reversing the city’s natural gas ban on construction of new detached homes.
“I've presented to the park board and council more times than I can remember, and I've gone to lots of meetings with elected officials in city hall,” she said, when asked about her inexperience as a politician.
“Of course, it's going to be a big learning curve, but I've got an incredible team of experienced supporters in OneCity that are going to help me learn what I need to know.”
Maloney received endorsements from park board commissioner Scott Jensen, former city councillor Peter Ladner and Jenny Kwan, the NDP MP for Vancouver-East.
The Green Party of Vancouver, COPE, TEAM for a Livable Vancouver and ABC Vancouver have also said they will run candidates in the April 5 byelection. All but ABC will hold nomination meetings within the next month.
The byelection has become necessary because OneCity’s Christine Boyle won a seat with the NDP in the fall provincial election. Boyle is now the MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
The Greens’ Adriane Carr resigned this month, opening up another seat on the 11-member council. The next general election is in October 2026.
X/@Howellings
