THIRTY-ONE candidates under 40 were elected as mayors and councillors in Metro Vancouver (26) and the Fraser Valley (5), according to Gavin Dew, Founder, Forum for Millennial Leadership.

Between Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD), a total of 100 candidates under 40 ran in Saturday’s elections. Progress was made toward electing younger municipal officials, but there is still a long way to go before young people are adequately represented in a region that is among the largest concentrations of Millennials in Canada, says Dew.

The Forum for Millennial Leadership commissioned polling by Research Co shortly before the election, with more details here:

 https://electmillennials.ca/think-younger-elected-official-will-change-communities-for-the-better/

They asked Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley residents how many elected officials under 40 they would like to see elected, and there was – at least in theory – a public opinion mandate for twice the number of candidates who were ultimately elected.

Of the 155 new mayors and councillors elected in Metro Vancouver, 26 are under-40 candidates – a significant increase compared to the 2014 election when 12 were elected. There were approximately 87 candidates under 40 running for election to Metro Vancouver councils. When they asked how many people under 40 they would like to see elected as mayors and councillors in Metro Vancouver, the average Metro voter said they would like to see 50, more than four times the previous number, and twice the number that were ultimately elected. The average 18-34 year old wanted to see 62 people under 40 elected, and those 55+ wanted to see 44.

Of the 40 mayors and councillors elected in the Fraser Valley, five under-40 candidates were elected – down one from the six who were elected in 2014. There were 12 candidates under 40 running for election to Fraser Valley councils. When they were asked how many people under 40 they would like to see elected as mayors and councillors in the Fraser Valley, the average Fraser Valley voter said they would like to see 15, or three times the number who were ultimately elected.