In what he called one of the “hardest decisions” of his life, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says he will not be running for reelection.
The three-term mayor made the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday afternoon.
“Ten years is a long time in politics,” he wrote. “An important part of leadership is recognizing when to step aside to make space for new leaders.”
Robertson was first elected in 2008, defeating the NPA’s Peter Ladner on a platform to end homelessness, improve public transit, and make Vancouver the greenest city in the world. Previously, he’d been an NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview and had co-founded the organic juice company Happy Planet.
But the end of his term this fall, he will hold the record for most consecutive mayoral terms.
In his post, Robertson acknowledged the past decade has been difficult for the city, citing the ever-growing opioid crisis, surging house prices and regional gang wars.
“Time and again, the people of Vancouver raised our game to meet these challenges head-on.”
He highlighted such accomplishments as hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, advocating for a new Broadway subway line, chairing the Big City Mayors group and TransLink’s mayors council on regional transportation, and easing the strain of the city’s lack of affordable housing.
He did not mention what he plans to do next, only saying he will help his Vision Vancouver party during the upcoming campaign.
“It’s been the greatest honour of my life to serve this extraordinary city, and help make Vancouver an inspiration to people and cities around the world.”
The next municipal general voting day is Oct. 2o.
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