Sean Orr Wins Vancouver Council Seat as Voters Look Left!
Outspoken Community Organizer Heads to City Hall After Successful Grassroots Campaign
As published by The Wheel
Vancouver, BC – April 6, 2025
In a major upset for Vancouver’s political status quo, housing-focused community organizer Sean Orr has been elected to Vancouver City Council, topping the polls in the April 5 by-election with 34,448 votes. Running with the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), Orr becomes the party’s first councillor since 2018, bringing a socialist voice to a council long dominated by the centrist ABC Vancouver party.
He’ll be joined by OneCity's Lucy Maloney, who secured the second available seat with 33,732 votes, signaling a surge in support for progressive voices at the municipal level (Vancouver Sun).
“I ran because the status quo is hurting people.”
Orr, a longtime tenant organizer and housing activist, built his campaign around bold demands for rent control, anti-displacement policies, and a tenant-first approach to housing. “People are sleeping on the streets every night and in every neighborhood, tenants can't afford rent, and it’s getting worse,” he said in a COPE candidate profile.
Openly identifying as a socialist, Orr described himself as someone who has “organized with tenants for years and called out the rot at city hall for even longer.” In a recent interview with The Wheel, he said: “The urgency is real. People are suffering, and I’m not interested in empty promises.”
A Ground Game That Made the Difference
His victory was driven by a strong, volunteer-powered ground game that emphasized direct contact with voters. Volunteers canvassed extensively, hosted events, and tabled at key community spots. One canvasser reported, “I probably knocked on 150 doors that day and spoke to 400 people.”
“I’ve never been a single-issue voter, but housing these days is the main thing. Nobody can afford it,”
In the lead-up to election day, campaigners encountered overwhelming concern over affordability. “I’ve never been a single-issue voter, but housing these days is the main thing. Nobody can afford it,” one voter said while being canvassed.
Chaos at the Polls
Despite the grassroots momentum, election day was mired by widespread frustration. Voters encountered long lines due to a dramatic reduction in polling stations—from 50 in the 2017 by-election to only 25 this year (CBC). Lines at some locations, such as Britannia Community Centre, reportedly stretched all the way to Commercial Drive.
“Well, we came to vote, but the line is too long. I’m going to try somewhere else,” one voter told COPE volunteers tabling at Grandview Park. In response, campaigners started putting up signs to help redirect voters to stations with shorter lines.
“It’s infuriating,” said one volunteer. Another added, “I’m calling it—this is voter suppression.” A major part of the campaign’s final push was ensuring voters knew they had the right to cast a ballot if they were in line before 8 p.m.
In a public statement, the City of Vancouver apologized for the chaos, calling it “unacceptable” and pledging to review its election planning process.
A Festive, Community-Driven Victory Night
Despite the hurdles, the atmosphere on election night was jubilant. COPE’s campaign hosted an election celebration at Wise Hall. The mood was electric, and when Sean Orr arrived, volunteers broke into spontaneous song.
The celebrations reflected the spirit of a campaign that was as much about building a movement as it was about winning a seat.
They even sang Happy Birthday to his grandmother, after which Orr jokingly gave a heartfelt thanks to his thrifted coat for the victory.
The celebrations reflected the spirit of a campaign that was as much about building a movement as it was about winning a seat.
What Comes Next
Now bound for City Hall, Orr has pledged to fight for real affordability, tenant protections, and a shift toward non-market housing. He has advocated for policies such as a tenant union registry, vacancy control (tying rent to the unit, not the tenant), and collective bargaining rights for renters—measures he says are essential to making Vancouver livable again.
“This seat doesn’t belong to me—it belongs to the movement,” he told supporters. “We’re just getting started.”