NO CONFLICT DEVELOPING: CAMPBELL
Vision candidate has ties to many real estate projects in the city
If Vision Vancouver wanted to shed the impression among some that it’s run by developers, it may seem curious they have chosen a mayoral candidate connected to more than $1 billion in real estate development.
But Ian Campbell, the man who will lead Vision into October’s municipal election, is no typical real estate developer. In fact, Campbell says he’s not in the real estate business at all.
Campbell is a hereditary chief of the Squamish Nation and elected member of its council. He was also, until recently, a member of the board of directors of the MST Development Corporation, a partnership of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, which owns “six prime properties throughout Metro Vancouver,” according to its website, totalling more than 160 acres of developable land, valued at over $1 billion.
That’s a big portfolio, and it includes big properties like the Heather Street Lands and Jericho Lands that will work their way through Vancouver city hall’s planning and development process in the coming years. Vision Vancouver announced Thursday that Campbell had been acclaimed as its mayoral candidate for this fall’s election. That was widely expected after the only opponent for the nomination, tech entrepreneur Taleeb Noormohamed, abruptly dropped out last week after what he called a “sudden cardiac event.” Campbell aims to be the first Indigenous mayor of Vancouver ( but would be the fourth Campbell to take the role, after Tom, Gordon and Larry).
Despite Campbell’s ties to massive real estate development projects in the city he seeks to lead, he said he’s confident he can effectively avoid any conflicts if he’s eventually elected. Last month, Campbell stepped down from his position on the MST Corporation’s board of directors in preparation for his mayoral run.
“There are definite legal parameters on these types of issues when it comes to governance, and I expect to fully abide by any of the legal advice and professional advice afforded to me,” Campbell said in an interview on Thursday.
“Professionals do it all the time, with their professional life, when they transition into public office. It’s not something that I see as being an impediment. In fact, I think it’s a strength to look at a mayor who has real business acumen and experience in negotiating large projects. Knowing the nuts and bolts of how these things work, I think, is a plus.”
Campbell, 45, said he’ll benefit from his years of experience in First Nations government as he enters the world of civic government. He’s served four consecutive terms as an elected official for the Squamish Nation, and was a lead negotiator on major projects, including the Woodfibre LNG plant in Squamish.
During that time, Campbell said, “We attracted investment, created jobs and partnerships, and reinvested those monies into housing and social issues that benefited not only our communities, but the entire region.”
Campbell has established a reputation as a pro-business leader. In 2015, he was among the first graduates from Simon Fraser University’s executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership, Canada’s first MBA program of its kind. At that time, an SFU news release described Campbell as “a visionary who has ambitious plans for his people,” quoting him as saying: “We’re moving away from managing welfare to managing wealth.”
Some of the properties in the MST portfolio are co-owned with the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation, and some are co-owned with the Aquilini Investment Group, the parent company of one of Vancouver’s largest private developers.
Some observers have commented there could be potential for conflict, even if Campbell has stepped down as a director of the MST Corporation, because these mega-projects still stand to benefit his family, friends, and members of his broader community. But taking such a view seems tantamount to saying that any Musqueam, Squamish or Tsleil-Waututh person couldn’t be a viable candidate to lead Vancouver or any other municipality in the region.
One other possible obstacle to Campbell’s pursuit of the mayoralty is the fact he doesn’t live in the City of Vancouver. Campbell, who has roots in both the Musqueam and Squamish Nations, has lived in Vancouver at times, but currently lives in North Vancouver.
Political opponents sometimes make hay of mayoral candidates campaigning in one municipality and living in another. During Vancouver’s last election campaign, Vision Mayor Gregor Robertson regularly highlighted the fact his opponent, NPA candidate Kirk LaPointe, lived in the University Endowment Lands, outside the City of Vancouver.
When Kennedy Stewart, the federal NDP MP for Burnaby South, launched his mayoral campaign last month, Vancouver Coun. George Affleck called him “some random politician from Burnaby” and commented, on Twitter, “Heck. Maybe I should run for MP in Burnaby with a spot opening up there. I drive through Burnaby regularly. That should make me qualified. Right?”
But Campbell’s connection to Vancouver is different from the other politicians. His roots in the area run deeper than most residents, and when his ancestors left the area now known as the City of Vancouver, it wasn’t by choice.
Campbell is a descendant of Chief Khatsalano, who lived in Snawkw, on what’s now known as Kits Point, one of many Squamish villages that existed in the area when Europeans first arrived.
“My lineage comes from the Khatsalano family, so I’m quite proud of that fact that we’re coming back. Over 100 years ago, we were forcibly removed from our villages in and around Vancouver,” Campbell said. “Now, something that I look forward to is finding a home here for my family.”
However, Campbell finds himself in a situation he knows is familiar to many Vancouverites: struggling to find rental housing in a city with a near-zero vacancy rate.
Campbell’s been trying to find a rental home in Vancouver to accommodate his four-person family, but, he admits, “it has been a challenge.”