At 21 years old, Diego Cardona has lived a lot of life for a young man.
The former Colombian refugee, who lost his father to murder and his mother to leukemia, arrived in Canada when he was nine years old. He couldn’t speak English, let alone French; his first home was in Montreal, where he, his sister and ailing mother lived for almost three years before moving to Vancouver.
Vancouver is where Cardona’s mother died in 2012, leaving him and his younger sister — both teenagers at the time — to adapt to the province’s foster care system. Five years later, after carving out a path for himself that includes working with young newcomers to Canada, Cardona announced Wednesday that he’s taking on another challenge: politics.
He is Vision Vancouver’s council candidate for the Oct. 14 municipal byelection.
“Life circumstances have forced me to grow up a little bit faster, or a lot more faster than your typical 21-year-old,” he told the Courier by telephone Wednesday. “I’m ready to take this next step.”
The Churchill Secondary graduate, who rents a suite in a house in Killarney with his sister for $1,300 a month, was chosen by Vision’s executive as the party’s best choice to replace former Vison councillor Geoff Meggs, who resigned in the summer to become Premier John Horgan’s chief of staff.
Meggs’ resignation triggered the byelection, which will also see voters cast ballots for a nine-person school board. The previous Liberal government fired the board for not balancing a budget. All candidates for council and school board have until this Friday (Sept. 8) to register for the race.
Vision’s decision to choose Cardona, whose name is not widely known outside his network, is an unusual move for a party that was expected to name a candidate with some previous campaign experience or name recognition. Also, byelections are often seen as a test of the party’s popularity in advance of a general election, which is scheduled for October 2018.
Nimmi Takkar, Vision’s interim executive director, said Cordona was chosen because he is “a fresh new voice who represents the new Vancouver.” She said the Vision board valued Cordona’s work with young people, including immigrants, refugees and marginalized people.
“That’s the appeal,” said Takkar, who declined to reveal how many candidates were interviewed to become the party’s candidate.
Cardona said his reason for seeking a council seat is rooted in his work with young people he’s helped in his various roles at the Immigrant Services Society of B.C., the Federation of B.C. Youth in Care Networks and as spokesperson for the Vancouver Foundation’s “Fresh Voices” initiative, a youth-led group of immigrants and refugees.
“We have a young city that is vibrant, that is diverse and I think we need those voices to be lifted up and to be represented at city hall,” said Cardona, who is currently employed as a programs coordinator at Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, where he manages services for young people, including young mothers.
Despite his resume, Cardona’s advantage over other candidates seeking the lone council seat is an obvious one: He is a member of a well-funded party that has been in power at city hall since Vision first won a majority in 2008.
In announcing Cardona’s candidacy Wednesday, Vision included a link to a slick video in which Mayor Gregor Robertson endorsed Cardona and described him as “a champion for social justice” and a person who has dedicated his work to make Vancouver “a more inclusive, welcoming city for immigrants and refugees.” Cardona is in the video but does not speak.
The announcement came on the same day that Vision’s chief rival, the NPA, was to choose its candidates for council and school board at a nomination meeting Wednesday night. If previous elections are any indication, Vision and the NPA are expected to spend more money in their respective campaigns than other parties and candidates vying for seats.
The city plans to release online Friday an unofficial list of candidates and their nomination documents after nominations close at 4 p.m. Candidates who already announced their candidacy for the vacant council seat include Jean Swanson (independent), Judy Graves (OneCity), Pete Fry (Green Party) and Mary Jean Dunsdon (Sensible B.C.)
For Cardona, whose landowner father was kidnapped in 2001 in Colombia by guerilla forces and his remains given to the family in 2002, the move to politics is one he believes his parents would approve.
“I think they would be extremely proud to see their son put his name forward for public service and to represent the communities and the folks that have lifted him up,” he said, noting he became a Canadian citizen in 2010. “My dad died when I was very young, but I know that he would be my number one fan, for sure.”
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