The Chief Election Officer has indicated the City may go to Provincial Court to prevent Bonamis and school board candidate Christopher Lee 李基鵬 from appearing on the ballot with their full English and Chinese names.
VANCOUVER, B.C., on the Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh – Iona Bonamis 陶思穎, Council Candidate for OneCity Vancouver, today issued the following statement regarding the City of Vancouver's stated intention to challenge the usual name designation on her nomination papers, and those of OneCity school board candidate Christopher Lee 李基鵬.
"Telling me to pick one half of myself to run for office is forcing me, and candidates like me, to show up to public life as only part of ourselves. This is a ridiculous proposition in a city where nearly one in five residents is of Chinese descent.
This same electoral office unsuccessfully challenged my name in 2022 and former City Council candidate Brandon Yan's name in 2018. I hope the electoral office provides me, Christopher Lee, and candidates from other parties, the basic dignity of running for office under the name people know us by.
There are real issues in Vancouver. I'd rather spend the next five weeks talking to neighbours about how OneCity will fight to deliver affordable housing and faster transit than explaining my name in court."
OneCity is prepared to support – and win – the cases of Iona Bonamis 陶思穎 and Christopher Lee 李基鵬. OneCity has written to Chief Election Officer, Jason Twa, asking his office to reconsider its position.
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