announced her mayoral campaign for the 2018municipal election and the creation of Coalition Vancouver on June 21, 2018. In a speech given in front of city hall, Young presented her populist platform and some of Coalition Vancouver's policies, such as cancelling what she called "luxury" bike lanes, increasing community consultation, and eliminating paid parking on Sundays. Young's opposition to bike lanes was a frequent talking point during the 2018 municipal election campaign, a position which earned her harsh criticism from some local commentators. Coalition Vancouver's school board team was led by Ken Denike and Sophia Woo, both of whom had served as elected school board trustees. The pair were expelled from the centre-rightNon-Partisan Association in 2014 after they called for a delay to planned revisions to the Vancouver School Board's transgender policy. Coalition Vancouver announced in a press statement released on October 11, 2018 that it was filing a civil lawsuit for defamation against Charles Menzies, a UBC professor and Board of Governors faculty representative. In the statement, the party denounced an email posted by Menzies to one of his personal blogs, in which he described Coalition Vancouver as "alt-right", "anti-gay and anti-trans extremists", and "fear mongers engaged in discrimination". Coalition Vancouver argued that the anti-LGBTQ+ claims made by Menzies were unfounded, and stated that "Coalition Vancouver and its candidates support the LGBTQ+ community and its members." Menzies' legal counsel responded by stating that they had not yet received a notice of civil claim, and pointed out Menzies was "exercising his right to political expression."
Ideology
Coalition Vancouver is a centre-right conservative party, but has been described by critics as right-wing. It is fiscally conservative, outlining its opposition to tax increases and provincial tax proposals in its party platform. Coalition Vancouver also claims to be anti-establishment and populist, asserting that all other municipal parties are under the influence of special interest groups, big business, and trade unions, while it is not. Many of Coalition Vancouver's economic policies favour lower taxes, lower government spending, and balanced budgets. For example, in its 2018 electoral platform, the party proposed keeping and renovating the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, in contrast to Vision Vancouver's more costly plan to demolish them. They also opposed the BC NDP's "school tax", calling it "socialist capital appropriation". Coalition Vancouver's housing policies propose neighbourhood-specific densification plans, the construction of entry-level homes and allowing one additional rental unit or laneway home for each detached home. The party believes that the city's housing problem is affordability, rather than shortage. This has drawn criticism from housing analysts, who argue that there is a housing shortage in Vancouver and that the party lacks a firm plan to deal with the issue.
