Judge dismisses NDP challenge to Green candidate in Vancouver-Yaletown
A BC Supreme Court judge dismissed a petition filed by the BC NDP on October 13 that sought to remove Green Party candidate Priyan Samarakoone from the Vancouver-Yaletown ballot. Elections BC says there have been no changes to the candidates in the riding.
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A BC Supreme Court judge dismissed a petition on October 13, 2026, that the BC NDP had filed seeking to remove Priyan Samarakoone from the Vancouver-Yaletown ballot as the BC Green Party candidate. The Vancouver Sun reported the judge dismissed the petition within 10 minutes of the hearing's start, and Elections BC confirmed that no changes have been made to the candidates in the riding.
Why the petition was dismissed
The judge dismissed the petition because it was filed with insufficient notice to the parties under BC's Evidence Act, according to an NDP spokesman quoted by the Vancouver Sun. The spokesman said this was the judge's interpretation, and that "nobody argued that" point during the hearing.
The NDP told the Vancouver Sun: "The court's decision in the application is final and cannot be appealed. Unfortunately, there are no additional steps that can be taken before election day to address these issues." The judge did not make any ruling on the substance of the nomination allegations.
What the petition alleged
The petition, filed by Ryan Crowley, identified in the article as a constituent assistant, sought a court order that Samarakoone "is not a candidate in the 2026 provincial general election." The petition also named Sam Chandola, the CentreBC candidate in the same riding.
The petition alleged that eight nominators who signed Samarakoone's papers also signed Chandola's nomination papers, with different signatures on each set. It also alleged one person signed Samarakoone's papers twice and Chandola's once, producing three different signatures across the three signings.
The petition stated that only 14 of Samarakoone's nominators were voters in the riding when the nomination was made, and that 24 nominator addresses were not residential. Of those 24, the petition said 17 were connected to businesses with no residential units and 7 were addresses that do not exist.
Under the Election Act, Elections BC requires a nomination to be made by 75 qualified nominators who are voters in the electoral district and who have not been a nominator for more than one candidate, according to the Vancouver Sun's report of the petition. These are the allegations in the petition. No court has ruled on whether they are accurate.
Elections BC's position
Elections BC told the Vancouver Sun that it was aware of the nomination challenge, that the matter was in the jurisdiction of the court, and that "there have been no changes to the candidates" in Vancouver-Yaletown. This means both Samarakoone and Chandola remain on the ballot.
Advance voting in the BC provincial election opens October 16 and runs to October 21. Voting day is October 24. Candidates for Vancouver-Yaletown are listed on this site at /bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/vancouver-yaletown.
Questions this story answers
What did the BC NDP challenge in Vancouver-Yaletown?
The BC NDP filed a petition in BC Supreme Court seeking an order that Green Party candidate Priyan Samarakoone 'is not a candidate in the 2026 provincial general election.' The petition, filed by Ryan Crowley, identified in the article as a constituent assistant, alleged that the nomination forms for Samarakoone and for CentreBC candidate Sam Chandola included nominators who did not follow Elections BC rules. The hearing was held on October 13, 2026. This is what the Vancouver Sun reported. No finding was made on the merits of the nomination allegations.
Why did the judge dismiss the petition?
The judge dismissed the petition because it was filed with insufficient notice to the parties under BC's Evidence Act, according to an NDP spokesman quoted by the Vancouver Sun. The judge dismissed the petition within 10 minutes of the start of the hearing. An NDP spokesman told the Sun: 'The court's decision in the application is final and cannot be appealed.' The judge did not make any ruling on whether the nomination allegations were accurate or not.
What did Elections BC say?
Elections BC told the Vancouver Sun: 'We are aware of a challenge of a candidate nomination from another party in the Vancouver-Yaletown electoral district' and that 'the matter is in the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.' Elections BC also said 'there have been no changes to the candidates' in Vancouver-Yaletown. This means Priyan Samarakoone remains on the ballot as the BC Green Party candidate and Sam Chandola remains on the ballot as the CentreBC candidate.
What did the petition allege about Samarakoone's nomination?
The petition, as reported by the Vancouver Sun, alleged several problems with Samarakoone's nomination papers. It stated that eight nominators who signed Samarakoone's papers also signed Chandola's nomination papers, and that the signatures for these individuals were different on each set of papers. It also alleged that one person signed Samarakoone's papers twice and Chandola's once, with three different signatures across the three signings. Additionally, the petition alleged that only 14 of Samarakoone's nominators were voters in the riding at the time the nomination was made, and that 24 nominator addresses were not residential addresses. These are allegations in the petition, not findings. No court ruled on whether they were accurate.
What does Elections BC require for a nomination?
According to the Vancouver Sun's report of the petition, Elections BC requires a nomination to be made by 75 qualified nominators who are voters in the electoral district and who have not been a nominator for more than one candidate. These rules come from the Election Act. The petition alleged Samarakoone's nomination did not meet this threshold, but the judge did not rule on that question before dismissing the petition for procedural reasons.
Is Priyan Samarakoone still a candidate?
Yes. Elections BC confirmed to the Vancouver Sun that there have been no changes to the candidates in Vancouver-Yaletown. The NDP told the Vancouver Sun that its court challenge is final and cannot be appealed. Samarakoone remains the BC Green Party candidate for Vancouver-Yaletown and is listed at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/priyan-samarakoone. Sam Chandola remains the CentreBC candidate.
When is the NDP challenge final?
The BC NDP told the Vancouver Sun in an email: 'The court's decision in the application is final and cannot be appealed. Unfortunately, there are no additional steps that can be taken before election day to address these issues.' This is the NDP's own statement. There is no further court process available in this matter before October 24, 2026.
When and where can voters in Vancouver-Yaletown cast a ballot?
Advance voting for the BC provincial election runs from October 16 to October 21, 2026. Voting day is Saturday, October 24. Voters can find their advance voting locations through Elections BC at elections.bc.ca. The candidates for Vancouver-Yaletown, including Priyan Samarakoone and Sam Chandola, are listed at the BC provincial 2026 candidates pages at this site.
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