Vote Vancouver candidate for the School Board, ballot number 315.
Out of 10. Each score counts how complete and checkable the published plan is on that issue. Measured October 4, 2026. Rank this race by the issues you care about
Mandy Potter, ballot number 315 for School Board in Vancouver, Vote Vancouver. Profile focus: Inclusive education and financial oversight.
Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page
Mandy Potter is running for the Vancouver School Board with Vote Vancouver at ballot number 315. This record rests on the City's candidate list, the party's candidate page and two Instagram posts, her VoteMate profile, her own answers to two questionnaires from The Griffins' Nest student newspaper, BetaKit's 2025 reporting on her venture capital fund Misfit Ventures, and two pages on her earlier technology companies.
The score counts how complete and checkable the published plan on this issue is. Whether the plan would work is a separate question, left to the reader. Measured October 4, 2026. The same seven points apply to every candidate for this office.
“help strengthen public education, support student success”
Stated by the candidate.
Mandy Potter candidate page“an overall restriction on generative AI usage”
Stated by the candidate.
Candidates' Questionnaire Week 2: Generative AI in SchoolsNo number for what would exist or change.
No cost or funding source.
No date or term milestone.
No dated public action on this issue found.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
Vote Vancouver’s platform on schools: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Board of Education runs Vancouver public schools, sets catchment boundaries and approves the district budget. Teacher pay and the provincial funding formula are set by the province.
Every School Board candidate on schools, scored the same way
“She also wants School Board decisions to be shaped by listening directly to students, families and educators, identifying where the gaps are, and making sure resources are reaching the places where they can have the greatest impact.”
Stated by the candidate.
Meet Mandy Potter (Instagram post by Vote Vancouver, also shown on @kidwarhol)“mandatory consultation with students, parents, teachers, and staff before implementing new tools”
Stated by the candidate.
Candidates' Questionnaire Week 2: Generative AI in SchoolsNo number for what would exist or change.
No cost or funding source.
No date or term milestone.
No dated public action on this issue found.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. Council, the Park Board and the Board of Education each set their own meeting rules, committees, public consultation and reporting. The Vancouver Charter and the School Act create the three bodies and set their powers, and only the Province can change those acts.
Every School Board candidate on governance, scored the same way
“I want greater transparency around spending, stronger accountability for outcomes and a focus on directing resources toward classrooms and the students who need them most.”
Stated by the candidate.
Candidates' Questionnaire Week 1: Meet Your School Board Candidates, And Find Out Why They're RunningNo instrument the office controls is named.
No number for what would exist or change.
No cost or funding source.
No date or term milestone.
No dated public action on this issue found.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
Vote Vancouver’s platform on taxes and budget: 1 commitment, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Board of Education approves the school district’s operating and capital budgets. The Province sets the funding formula and the school tax.
Every School Board candidate on taxes and budget, scored the same way
“We need stronger approaches to bullying, violence and harassment, alongside meaningful mental-health supports for students.”
Stated by the candidate.
Candidates' Questionnaire Week 1: Meet Your School Board Candidates, And Find Out Why They're RunningNo instrument the office controls is named.
No number for what would exist or change.
No cost or funding source.
No date or term milestone.
No dated public action on this issue found.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
Vote Vancouver’s platform on public safety: 4 commitments, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Board of Education sets safety policies for its schools and decides whether police liaison officers work in them. Policing itself is the Vancouver Police Department’s.
Every School Board candidate on public safety, scored the same way
Party platform; candidate not quoted. Vote Vancouver publishes 1 commitment on this issue.
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
Party text earns no points here; the statement must be the candidate’s own.
No dated public action on this issue found.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
Vote Vancouver’s platform on child care: 1 commitment, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Board of Education decides how school buildings and land are used, including child care on school sites. Licensing and operating funding are provincial.
Every School Board candidate on child care, scored the same way
Search log for Mandy Potter: 7 of 7 steps done. Every point links to the source it was read in. Report an error through the corrections form.
No upcoming public appearance by Mandy Potter is confirmed in the sources checked on October 4, 2026.
Checked October 4, 2026 · All event times are Vancouver local time. Recheck the organizer before travelling.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
Mandy Potter appears on the City of Vancouver's final 2026 candidate list for School Board, with ballot number 315. The City records the affiliation as Vote Vancouver.
The campaign says Potter founded Misfit Ventures and is its managing partner. The page describes it as Canada's first investment fund focused on LGBTQ+ founders. The campaign says Potter built several technology companies before starting Misfit Ventures.
Vote Vancouver's candidate page says Potter is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur and community builder, and the founder and managing partner of Misfit Ventures, which the page calls Canada's first venture capital fund focused on LGBTQ+ founders and inclusive innovation.
BetaKit reported on February 24, 2025 that Potter is managing partner at Misfit Ventures and described the firm as Canada's first LGBTQ+-focused venture capital fund. This is an independent record of the role.
BetaKit reported on August 19, 2025 that Potter is a co-founder and managing partner of Misfit Ventures and named Doug Lui as the other co-founder. The same article described the firm as Canada's only venture capital firm focused on 2SLGBTQIA+ founders.
In the February 2025 BetaKit article Potter said the reason for signing an open letter against rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion policies was that innovation thrives on diversity, and said the industry needs to move past statements of support and into action.
In the August 2025 BetaKit article Potter said Misfit Ventures had connected with queer founders in the United States who were unwilling to speak publicly, and that the situation could be a chance to bring technology workers to Canada. The article also said Misfit Ventures was exploring work to collect Canadian data on founders by sexual orientation, because none exists.
The party page says Potter built several technology companies across different sectors and places before starting Misfit Ventures. It names none of them.
The Tyee listed Vote Vancouver's three trustee candidates on August 11, 2026 as Tasha Doucas, Mandy Potter and Amarys Joseph, describing Potter as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
Potter appears on the Vancouver ballot as number 315 for school board trustee, according to the candidate list published on September 22, 2026.
In her answer to The Griffins' Nest, the Eric Hamber Secondary student newspaper, published on September 22, 2026, Potter wrote that she left school at 16 after the supports she needed were not there, and that she is running because she wants every Vancouver student to have the chance she was later given. She described herself as a parent and a founder who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs.
A Vote Vancouver Instagram post that also appears on her own account says she has lived in East Vancouver for more than 20 years and is an entrepreneur, a nonprofit board member and a children's author. These are the campaign's own statements. The post names no nonprofit and no book.
Earlier technology companies: a profile of Potter on the website of the investment group Gaingels names her as the founder of Misfit Ventures and says she co-founded Cleanify, an online marketplace for cleaning services, at 19, and later started an on-demand cannabis delivery company in Vancouver. The Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation lists Vancouver entrepreneur Mandy Potter, chief executive of the cannabis technology company Jane and earlier a co-founder of Cleanify, as the winner of the 2019 Startup Canada Woman Entrepreneur Award. The shared Cleanify and Misfit Ventures details tie both pages to the candidate. The company figures on both pages come from the profiles, and voche.me has not checked them.
voche.me assembled this profile from the official candidate list, the campaign material linked under Sources, her published answers to a student newspaper questionnaire, and independent sources named in each entry. The campaign has not been contacted, and no candidate-supplied content appears on this page.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
18 commitments shown · Checked Oct 4
The party page says Potter is running to help strengthen public education and support student success.
The party page says Potter will work to ensure schools remain inclusive for all families and that every student can learn somewhere they feel respected and supported.
Vote Vancouver told The Tyee that student wellbeing and safety come first with all technology in schools, and that any Vancouver School Board decision on technology, including AI tools, should be made in consultation with students, families and teachers. This is the party's position, given by mayoral candidate Rebecca Bligh.
Vote Vancouver's platform lists free transit passes for youth under 18 within 100 days of taking office. This is the party's council platform.
The campaign says Potter treats safe, welcoming and high performing schools as important.
A Vote Vancouver Instagram post that also appears on Potter's own account, in her campaign voice, says her priorities include making sure students who are struggling get the resources they need, while students who are thriving continue to be challenged and inspired.
The same campaign caption says Potter wants School Board decisions to be shaped by listening directly to students, families and educators, identifying where the gaps are, and directing resources to where they have the greatest impact.
The candidate page says Potter wants to bring a practical, community-focused perspective to decisions that shape the future of local students.
In her Griffins' Nest answer of September 22, 2026, Potter wrote that student safety is her first priority and that schools need stronger approaches to bullying, violence and harassment.
In the same answer Potter wrote that students need mental health supports, that problems should be found earlier, and that students and families should find it easier to get support.
Potter wrote that too many families spend a lot of time fighting for supports, and that she wants the Board to focus on earlier intervention, stronger learning supports and better coordination between schools, families and professionals.
Potter wrote that students should be able to see themselves in their schools, curriculum and communities, naming LGBTQ+ students, students of colour, newcomers, Indigenous students, students with disabilities and students from every kind of family.
Potter wrote that schools should teach strong literacy, numeracy and critical thinking while offering more options in trades, technology, arts, athletics, entrepreneurship and other paths.
Potter wrote that the Board must make every public dollar count, and that she wants more openness about spending, more accountability for results, and resources directed to classrooms and the students who need them most.
In her Griffins' Nest answer of September 28, 2026, Potter wrote that she believes in required consultation with students, parents, teachers and staff before new tools are put in place.
In the same answer Potter suggested a general restriction on generative AI use in schools until that consultation has taken place, and wrote that AI should be a research and learning tool that does not replace critical thinking, creativity or teachers.
Potter wrote that teachers need strong and clear guidance on using AI for assessments, feedback and lesson planning, that AI should never deliver instruction directly, and that teachers should use it only to assist.
Potter's VoteMate profile lists a Vote Vancouver promise to push for more provincial funding for school counsellors. This is party text with no candidate name on it.
Each entry below names its source. Campaign material is the candidate's own account. Nothing here is presented as a verified outcome unless the entry says so.
BetaKit's report on an open letter against rolling back diversity policies named Potter as managing partner at Misfit Ventures, describing the firm as Canada's first LGBTQ+-focused venture capital fund.
An independent record of a venture capital leadership role. It touches no issue scored for School Board.
BetaKit's report on queer tech founders considering a move to Canada named Potter as co-founder and managing partner of Misfit Ventures and named Doug Lui as the other co-founder.
An independent record of a venture capital leadership role. It touches no issue scored for School Board.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
On her own Instagram account Potter told followers they would see her name on the School Board ballot on October 17, asked them to vote for her and the Vote Vancouver team, and said the party's mayoral candidate Rebecca Bligh should be elected.
In answers published by the Eric Hamber Secondary student newspaper, Potter said she left school at 16 when the supports she needed were missing, and that she is running so every student has a chance to succeed. She listed five priorities: student safety and mental health, support for neurodivergent and disabled students, making every student feel they belong, strong academics with more pathways, and careful use of public money.
Potter said AI should be a research and learning tool that does not replace critical thinking, creativity or teachers. She called for required consultation before new tools are used, a general restriction on generative AI until then, and clear rules for teachers, with no lessons delivered by AI.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
No reviewed entries have been added to this section yet. This is a research gap, not a finding about the candidate.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
A report on an open letter signed by Canadian technology figures against rolling back diversity policies. Potter is quoted as managing partner at Misfit Ventures, which the article calls Canada's first LGBTQ+-focused venture capital fund.
A report on United States founders considering a move to Canada. Potter is quoted as Misfit Ventures co-founder and managing partner on the chance to attract technology workers and on the lack of Canadian data about founders by sexual orientation.
A survey of all seven municipal parties on AI data centres and AI chatbot accounts in schools. It names Potter as one of Vote Vancouver's three trustee candidates and reports that the party had not yet released a school AI policy.
The published ballot order lists Potter at number 315 for school board trustee, running for Vote Vancouver.
Sources checked October 4, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
City of Vancouver
City of Vancouver
City of Vancouver
Vote Vancouver
Vote Vancouver
Vote Vancouver
Vote Vancouver · May 25, 2026
VoteMate
Vote Vancouver and the Mandy Potter campaign
Mandy Potter campaign · September 8, 2026
BetaKit · February 24, 2025
BetaKit · August 19, 2025
The Tyee · August 11, 2026
Daily Hive · September 22, 2026
Gaingels
Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation
The Griffins' Nest (Eric Hamber Secondary student newspaper) · September 22, 2026
The Griffins' Nest (Eric Hamber Secondary student newspaper) · September 28, 2026
For Our Kids Vancouver and PACES Vancouver · September 25, 2026
Vote Vancouver has published no separate school board platform. Potter's own positions now come from the candidate page, a campaign Instagram caption and her answers to two Griffins' Nest questionnaires; none names a cost or a date. The party's May 25, 2026 announcement of its first nine candidates does not include Potter, and no separate announcement of the candidacy was found. Her own Instagram post of September 8, 2026 shows she was a candidate by then; the date she joined the slate is still unknown. Earlier research left out BCBusiness profiles of a Vancouver entrepreneur named Mandy Potter because no source tied them to the candidate. A Gaingels profile of the Misfit Ventures founder now names Cleanify as her first company, and an award page from the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation names the Cleanify co-founder as chief executive of Jane, so those two companies are added. The BCBusiness articles carry personal health and family details, so voche.me does not cite them. The campaign says she is a nonprofit board member and a children's author; neither the nonprofit nor the book is named, and voche.me has not found them. Her LinkedIn page returned no readable text. One online forum on October 6 has invited all School Board candidates; no other public event naming Potter was found. No record of a past run for office was found. A domain at mandykb580.ca belongs to a different person, Mandy Kaur, a school board candidate in Waterloo Region, Ontario, and is not used here. Her nomination papers are linked from the City's list and have not been read. The VoteMate profile's promises are all headed as Vote Vancouver promises; the profile carries no promise entered in Potter's own name.
Evidence reviewed on October 4, 2026: the City's candidate list, the party's candidate page, platform and news page, the VoteMate profile, two Instagram posts, her answers to two Griffins' Nest questionnaires, the For Our Kids forum listing, a Gaingels profile and an Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation award page.
The City's list was read through a reader service because vancouver.ca refuses automated requests. The Instagram posts were read from Instagram's public embed pages. Everything else was downloaded directly.
Checks still to do: the date Potter joined the Vote Vancouver slate, the nonprofit and the children's book the campaign mentions, her nomination papers, and whether she takes part in the October 6 forum.
The ballot name, office, ballot number and party label come from the City's final candidate list. Everything described as campaign material is the campaign's own account. Her questionnaire answers are her own words as published by the student newspaper. The Misfit Ventures roles are confirmed by BetaKit's reporting. The Cleanify and Jane roles come from a Gaingels profile and a foundation award page; their company figures have not been checked.
BetaKit reported the role in February and August 2025 and described the firm as a Canadian venture capital fund for LGBTQ+ founders. Vote Vancouver's page says the work involves supporting entrepreneurs, building partnerships and pushing for wider access to capital.
Mandy Potter candidate pageThe Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation's 2019 award page names Potter as chief executive of Jane, a cannabis technology company it says was founded by a woman, and says Jane took in more than three million dollars in sales in its first five months. The figure is the foundation's, and voche.me has not checked it.
Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation · 2019 Startup Canada Woman Entrepreneur AwardThe same award page says Potter co-founded Cleanify, an on-demand home services marketplace that raised five million dollars and was sold. Gaingels' profile says she co-founded it at 19.
Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation · 2019 Startup Canada Woman Entrepreneur AwardProposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No response has been submitted.
No response has been submitted.
Ask Mandy Potter directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
Facts voche.me can state about Mandy Potter's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Mandy Potter's own campaign.
Mandy Potter is number 315 on the City of Vancouver's official 2026 ballot for School Board.
Mandy Potter ran for School Board with Vote Vancouver.
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Mandy Potter.
This profile lists 4 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
voche.me has not yet added a nomination record for Mandy Potter. This does not mean no nomination paper was filed, only that voche.me has not completed that research yet.
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Mandy Potter in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
The 2026 Vancouver municipal election, including the School Board race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
Added her answers to The Griffins' Nest questionnaires of September 22 and 28, 2026, and nine commitments taken from them on school safety, mental health, support for neurodivergent students, belonging, learning pathways, spending, and generative AI. Added a Vote Vancouver party promise on school counsellors that VoteMate now lists. The party's pages no longer show the campaign caption used for two commitments, so both now also cite the Instagram post that carries the same text. Earlier research left out business profiles of a Vancouver entrepreneur named Mandy Potter because nothing tied them to the candidate. A Gaingels profile now ties the Misfit Ventures founder to Cleanify, so her earlier companies Cleanify and Jane and a 2019 Startup Canada award are added. Added the online forum of October 6, read the City's candidate list, and removed the October 3 advance voting day from the calendar because that date has passed.
Read the updateA caption embedded in the HTML of Vote Vancouver's news, candidates and mandy-potter pages, under the Instagram handle @kidwarhol, adds statements in Potter's own campaign voice on resources for struggling and thriving students and on shaping Board decisions by listening to students, families and educators. Both are added as new commitments. Potter's Instagram account itself returned only a login wall to a direct read.
Read the updateA commitment that combined the strengthen-public-education and keep-schools-inclusive statements into one pledge was removed as a duplicate of those two, which already exist as separate entries. Both are now tagged to the schools issue as Potter's own words, each checked against the campaign page they quote. A new position, drawn from the same campaign page, quotes Potter's stated wish to bring a practical, community-focused perspective to Board decisions, and is tagged to governance.
Read the updateMissing information does not imply a candidate’s position. Read our editorial standards.
Find the candidate’s website, social accounts and contact information.
