Vancouver takes seven election candidates to court over Chinese names on ballots
Candidates say the Chinese-character names were given to them at birth and are used by their families, communities and colleagues.
Vancouver’s chief election officer has taken seven municipal election candidates to court in a dispute over whether their Chinese-character names can appear on the October ballot.
Jason Twa filed two applications in B.C. provincial court seeking rulings on whether the names listed in the candidates’ nomination papers qualify as their “usual names” under the Vancouver Charter, according to the Vancouver Sun.
The candidates include OneCity council candidate Iona Bonamis and ABC Vancouver Coun. Lenny Zhou, political rivals who are now united against the challenge. OneCity school-board candidate Christopher Lee was named in the same filing.
A second application names council candidate Lorraine Lowe, park-board candidate Yunzia “Chris” Qiu and school-board candidates Yuk “Alfred” Chien and Shirley SiO.
Bonamis wants the ballot to display her English name alongside her Chinese name, 陶思穎, or To Sie Wing. She said the name was given to her by her parents and is used by relatives, members of Vancouver’s Chinese community and professional contacts.
“They are arguing my Chinese name is not part of my usual name,” Bonamis said.
Zhou similarly argued that 周楠, or Zhou Nan, is neither a nickname nor a campaign invention.
“This is the name I’ve already been using for 40 years, and it’s the name people already know me by,” he said.
Bonamis questioned why her name faced a court challenge while another council candidate was permitted to use “Rollergirl” as her usual name.
Seven of the 123 candidates listed for Vancouver’s council, park board and school board elections included Chinese-character names.
The dispute echoes a failed challenge before the 2022 municipal election involving 15 candidates. That case was adjourned because the court could not rule before voting day. When it returned to court in 2024, a judge concluded that challenges under the Vancouver Charter had to be decided before an election and declined to provide guidance for future ballots.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
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