Kennedy Stewart (Canadian politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kennedy Stewart
Stewart in October 2019
40th Mayor of Vancouver
In office November 5, 2018 – November 7, 2022
Preceded by	Gregor Robertson
Succeeded by	Ken Sim
Member of Parliament for Burnaby South (Burnaby—Douglas; 2011–2015)
In office May 2, 2011 – September 14, 2018
Preceded by	Bill Siksay
Succeeded by	Jagmeet Singh
Personal details
Born	Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart (1966-11-08) November 8, 1966 (age 58) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political party	Forward Together (municipal)
Other political affiliations	New Democratic (federal) Independent (municipal, 2018–2022)
Spouse	Jeanette Ashe
Residences	Vancouver, British Columbia
Alma mater	Acadia University Simon Fraser University London School of Economics
Occupation	Academic administrator politician
Profession	Politician academic

Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart (born November 8, 1966) is a Canadian politician and academic. He was the 40th mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022. Before that, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for areas in Burnaby, serving in Canada's Parliament as part of the New Democratic Party.

In 2018, Stewart decided to leave his role as an MP to run for mayor of Vancouver. He won the election by a very small number of votes. However, when he ran for mayor again in 2022, he lost to Ken Sim.

Early Life & Education

Stewart was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1966. He grew up in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He earned his first university degree in history from Acadia University.

After moving to Burnaby, British Columbia in 1988, Stewart played bass guitar in a pop music band called State of Mind. In 1991, his band won three West Coast Music Awards.

In 1995, Stewart earned his master's degree in political science from Simon Fraser University. He later received his PhD in government from the London School of Economics in 2003.

As an academic, Stewart has written research about how citizens can get involved in government. He also wrote books, including one called Local Government in Canada.

While he was mayor, he was on leave from Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy, where he teaches. Stewart's wife, Jeanette Ashe, also teaches politics at Douglas College.

Federal Politics

In 2004, Stewart ran for the New Democratic Party in the federal election for the area of Vancouver Centre. He did not win, but he helped increase the party's support in that area.

In 2011, Stewart won the election for the area of Burnaby—Douglas. He was re-elected in 2015 for the new area of Burnaby South.

Work in Parliament

In 2012, the leader of the New Democratic Party, Thomas Mulcair, chose Stewart to speak for the party on science and technology issues. Stewart worked to protect scientific research and make sure government scientists could share their findings.

In 2013, Stewart suggested a new law to create an independent science advisor for Parliament. This person would help Parliament make decisions based on good scientific information.

Stewart also proposed that the House of Commons should start accepting online petitions. This would allow more Canadians to take part in the democratic process. His idea passed by only two votes in 2014, which was a big surprise win for his party.

Stewart also held meetings with people in Burnaby about a plan to build a new oil pipeline. He spoke out against the project because of worries from the community. These worries included concerns about property, housing values, and increased oil tanker traffic.

Stewart also supported affordable housing. In 2014, he proposed a plan to recognize housing as a basic right. He wanted to increase investments in housing and help low-income families.

Pipeline Protest & Legal Action

In March 2018, Stewart was arrested during a protest against the Trans Mountain Pipeline. He was accused of not following a court order that said protesters had to stay a certain distance from work sites. In May 2018, Stewart admitted to his actions during the protest and paid a fine.

Vancouver City Politics

On May 10, 2018, Stewart announced he would leave Parliament to run for mayor of Vancouver. He officially resigned on September 14, 2018. If elected, he promised to create a public list of lobbyists and new rules about conflicts of interest at City Hall.

Stewart won the mayoral election by a very small number of votes. He was the first mayor of Vancouver in over 30 years who was not part of a city political party. He remained independent until he formed his own party, Forward Together.

As Mayor of Vancouver

Housing Initiatives

During his election campaign, Stewart promised to help with the housing crisis. He aimed to approve more rental homes and housing for middle-income families.

As mayor, Stewart supported a project that allowed developers to build more rental units if some were set aside for people with moderate incomes.

In 2019, the federal government and Stewart announced a partnership. The federal government would provide money to help build 1,100 affordable housing units on land owned by the city.

In November 2019, Stewart and the Vancouver City Council voted to increase the Empty Homes Tax. This tax is on homes that are left empty.

Transportation Plans

Stewart supported extending the SkyTrain's Millennium Line all the way to the University of British Columbia (UBC). In 2020, he signed an agreement with local First Nations and UBC to work together to get funding for this project.

Re-election Attempt

In November 2019, Stewart announced he would run for re-election in 2022. He ran under the Forward Together party. However, he was defeated by Ken Sim in the election.

After Being Mayor

After the 2022 election, Stewart was appointed as a director at Simon Fraser University's Centre for Public Policy Research.

In May 2023, Stewart shared his thoughts on the new mayor's actions. He also suggested he might challenge Vancouver's election system in court.

Electoral Record

Vancouver municipal election, 2022: Vancouver mayor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	ABC Vancouver	Ken Sim	85,732	50.96	Y
	Forward Together	Kennedy Stewart (incumbent)	49,593	29.48
	TEAM for a Livable Vancouver	Colleen Hardwick	16,769	9.97
	Progress Vancouver	Mark Marissen	5,830	3.47
	NPA	Fred Harding	3,905	2.32
	Independent	Leona Brown	1,519	0.9
	Independent	Ping Chan	1,154	0.69
	Independent	Françoise Raunet	1,116	0.66
	Independent	Satwant Shottha	994	0.59
	Independent	Imtiaz Popat	411	0.24
	Independent	Lewis Villegas	363	0.22
	Independent	Mike Hansen	314	0.19
	Independent	Gölök Buday	195	0.12
	Independent	Ryan Charmley	183	0.11
	Independent	Dante Teti	142	0.08

Vancouver municipal election, 2018: Vancouver mayor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Independent	Kennedy Stewart	49,705	28.71	Y
	NPA	Ken Sim	48,748	28.16
	Independent	Shauna Sylvester	35,457	20.48
	Coalition	Wai Young	11,872	6.86
	YES	Hector Bremner	9,924	5.73
	Van1st	Fred Harding	5,640	3.26
	Pro	David Chen	3,573	2.06
	Independent	Sean Cassidy	1,536	0.89
	IDEA Vancouver	Connie Fogal	1,435	0.83
	Independent	Mike Hansen	951	0.55
	Independent	Jason Lamarche	695	0.40
	Independent	Rollergirl	686	0.40
	Independent	Ping Chan	653	0.38
	Independent	John Yano	510	0.29
	Independent	Tim Ly	349	0.20
	Independent	Sophia C. Kaiser	336	0.19
	Independent	Satwant K. Shottha	331	0.19
	Independent	Lawrence Massey	233	0.13
	Independent	Katy Le Rougetel	181	0.10
	Independent	Gölök Z. Buday	178	0.10
	Independent	Maynard Aubichon	139	0.08