Rejected NPA mayoral candidate Hector Bremner may form new Vancouver party

There could be yet another twist in what’s shaping up to be one of Vancouver’s wildest municipal election seasons in recent memory.

Rejected Non-Partisan Association (NPA) mayoral candidate Hector Bremner says he’s looking into forming a new civic political party ahead of October’s municipal elections.

The NPA city councillor’s candidacy was vetoed by the party’s board earlier this month, despite being approved by the party’s Green Light Committee.

In a Facebook message to supporters, Bremner said he has spoken to supporters, who “all agreed that our #LetsFixHousing movement cannot be stopped. We have been getting more calls of support than ever before.”

“We are currently looking into what would be required to create a new municipal political party,” he wrote.

Bremner said if he did form a new party, it would be founded on a membership-based nomination process and candidate approval process “based on best practices from across Canada at all levels of government.”

It would also be open to people of all political backgrounds, he said, and focus on fiscal responsibility, environmental protection and addressing the housing crisis.

“We are also looking at other measures to make our new party inclusive and welcoming, including inviting all disenfranchised NPA members to have free membership in the new party,” Bremner wrote, adding he would make a final decision in the coming weeks.

Bremner’s rejection from the NPA mayoral contest has opened rifts in the party.

Several would-be council candidates have since withdrawn, and several board members have reportedly resigned.

The NPA says Bremner was rejected over concerns from the Green Light Committee that haven’t been made public. Those concerns were sent to Bremner last week in a “confidential” letter.

Bremner is facing several conflict-of-interest allegations related to his day job with a communications firm, which he says are being driven by supporters of rival NPA mayoral candidate Glen Chernen.

He claims his rejection was driven by those politically-motivated allegations.