3 Indigenous candidates want to represent their communities in municipal elections

Three Indigenous candidates running in this year's municipal elections say they are eager to bring their personal experiences to local politics.

If elected, they would bring more diversity to their respective city councils, which currently do not reflect the ethnic makeup of their communities. 

Cinnamon Bhayani, who is Metis, is running for city councillor with NPA Vancouver. While she has a background in law enforcement, as a member of the Urban Indigenous People's Advisory Committee, Bhayani says she is interested in incorporating more Indigenous culture to the community.

"Some of the things we talked about at our meetings was healing spaces and wellness centres that are inclusive for all, so not only for Indigenous peoples, but other people in the community to unite and bring together," Bhayani said, adding that those locations should also be accessible.

Vancouver, along with Surrey, are two of the most diverse cities in Metro Vancouver, yet they have never had a person of colour as mayor. 

According to 2016 census data, only 12 per cent of mayors and councillors in the Lower Mainland are people of colour — although people of colour represent 49 per cent of the region's population.

But some mayoral candidates hope to change that — including Leona Brown, who is Gitxsan and Nisga'a, running as an independent candidate for mayor of Vancouver.

Ken Sim also has a chance of becoming the city's first Chinese Canadian mayor — coming in at a close second during the 2018 municipal elections — while in Surrey, incumbent mayor Doug McCallum is being challenged by former MPs Jinny Sims and Sukh Dhaliwal, both of South Asian descent. 

Representation in northern B.C., Interior

There has already been change further north: in Haida Gwaii, Haida member Sheri Disney automatically won the mayoral race in Masset after nobody else ran, making her the first Indigenous person to hold the position in the community.

In Prince George, where nearly 15 per cent of the population is comprised of Indigenous people — more than double the provincial average of 5.9 per cent — Wesley Mitchell is running to bring more representation to the council table.

Mitchell, who is Wet'suwet'en, is running for city council. Having previously experienced homelessness, he says he wants to advocate to reduce homelessness and work with the business community to improve safety in the downtown area.

"I've suffered from the intergenerational traumas and I can bring different perspectives to that seat," said Mitchell, who also co-founded the University Hospital of Northern B.C. Drummers, a group that has performed healing songs for health-care workers during the pandemic. 

"I've connected with so many people right outside the hospital, within my industry with waste management and I'm about all people but definitely represent the First Nations."

In West Kelowna, Garrett Millsap wants to help people in the Metis community be proud of their identity. He is also on the board of directors of the Kelowna Metis Society.

"I watched men and women, 30 to 50 years old come in and say, 'We don't know who we are because our parents always told us, don't tell anybody you're Indigenous. Don't say anything like that," said Millsap, recalling a meeting from 2017.

"I think running for city council in West Kelowna, I hope I can bring that history and then bring it to the future so generations to come aren't afraid to say that we're Indigenous and are proud to be Indigenous in our communities."