Vancouver voters elect largest Green caucus in Canadian history

The Green party is celebrating what it called an historic win in Vancouver’s civic election, a vote that saw the largest Green caucus ever elected assert its place on council and the city’s park and school boards. 

Four of the party's seven candidates were given the nod from voters on Saturday in an election with the highest turnout in more than a decade. 

"This is a huge win for the Greens," said former Green party leader and re-elected Vancouver city councillor Adriane Carr.

• B.C. civic election day - as it happened
• What now for Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver?

"In fact, by electing four Greens to the three governance bodies in Vancouver, we have just elected — Vancouverites have just elected — the largest Green caucus in Canadian history."

​Carr is the only candidate ever elected to a major Canadian city council under the Green party banner. Now she has company on the Vancouver park and school boards.

​Green party candidates Stuart Mackinnon and Michael Wiebe snapped up the last two spots for commissioners on Saturday, beating out Vision Vancouver candidate and former West End Residents Association president Brent Granby by 1,300 votes in the midst of a near-rout of park board positions by the NPA.

Carr was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2011 — her first electoral success in eight attempts.

Vision Vancouver was left with just one seat on the park board in new commissioner Catherine Evans. Despite the party's poor showing, Evans received more votes than any other commissioner.

The Green Party's Janet Fraser was also elected to the Vancouver School Board Saturday.

Fraser, who says she expected to be a quiet voice, is surprised to find herself holding the balance of a power on a school board evenly divided between Vision Vancouver and NPA trustees.

She has ten years experience serving on parent advisory councils (PACs), and has been both PAC chair and co-chair at Sir Wilfred Laurier Elementary school.