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British Columbia mayoral candidate Goldentiger King says he wants to “make Richmond rich again.”
Teresa May, a first-time candidate for Kelowna City Council, has posted campaign videos showing her parasailing and wake surfing in red high heels and a white suit.
Another mayoral candidate in Richmond is Dennet “The Cat Guy” Lee — as his name will appear on the ballot — a man known for wheeling his pet cats around a shopping mall in a baby stroller.
B.C. voters in Saturday’s municipal elections are being met with a range of unconventional characters and political strategies.
Stewart Prest, a professor in the political science department at the University of B.C., said while a “stunt candidate” could get some attention in a crowded field, the question is what comes next.
“They have to show that they are more than just a stunt candidate because it can come across as more of a joke candidacy than a real candidacy,” said Prest.
“You have to show that if you are engaging in humour, that you are also taking the issues seriously, and you have ideas to present to the voters,” he added, pointing towards King’s “Trumpian” slogan as a high-risk strategy that could turn voters off.
King, sitting in a Vancouver café in a flashy double-breasted suit, a green zigzag pattern shirt and blue-and-silver necktie, wasn’t worried about alienating voters.
“In fact, people are bound to remember me,” said the candidate, pulling out his credit card to prove that Goldentiger King is his real name.
He explained his signature slogan, “make Richmond rich again.”
“So, the city we live in, we call it Richmond, but the real name of the city should be ‘Poormond.’ Why? As we all know, the Canadian economy is in recession. In Richmond, we are facing many challenges,” said King, who has lived in the city for eight years.
Canada is not in a recession, with StatCan saying real gross domestic product rose 3.3 per cent on an annualized basis in the second quarter.
King, speaking in Mandarin, described himself as a director, actor, and host of “famous” talk shows in China, before he immigrated to Canada from Beijing in 2018.
His proposals include setting up international music festivals to attract tourists and transforming the city into Canada’s entertainment hub and “short-form video centre.”
King then asked The Canadian Press to follow his advice to cut the interview video short.
“Nowadays, no one watches long videos anymore — most people’s attention span is no longer than a minute,” said King, who is one of seven candidates for mayor in Richmond, where longtime incumbent Malcolm Brodie is not seeking re-election.
King is not the only candidate with a focus on video.
May said wake surfing is “a big vibe” in Kelowna, as she discussed her viral campaign video.
“After the end of the day, you get up on that surfboard, and it feels like the wake is washing away your stress, right? And you just can’t help but feel good, put a smile on your face,” said May, who runs a movie talent agency and describes herself as a “lifelong entrepreneur”
May also posted a campaign video parasailing in her red heels to get “a fresh perspective” of the city.
Michael Angelo ABC RobinHood, is running for mayor in Burnaby, which he plans to make the “first food-self-sufficient city” in Canada.
RobinHood, a 39-year Burnaby resident who runs a painting and renovation business, is offering a 10 per cent property tax discount for homeowners willing to plant fruit trees and vegetable gardens in their backyards.
He said the policy could help not only Burnaby but also the whole country be self-sufficient amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.
“Americans are friends and neighbours, but we have a problem with their leader and government,” said RobinHood, “So, I’m gonna make sure that we are really fully self-sufficient, independent from everywhere.”
RobinHood also plans to donate his mayoral salary to pay for free school lunches in Burnaby.
In Richmond, another mayoral candidate stands out for his unusual name on the ballot.
Dennet “The Cat Guy” Lee is familiar to some Richmond residents for his regular appearance at Richmond Centre mall, where he wears a black leather jacket, sunglasses and headphones as he pushes two cats around in a stroller.
But the fitness trainer declined to be interviewed, saying in an email that he prefers “spontaneous, face-to-face conversations.”
Standing out in a crowded field for the municipal elections is no easy matter — in Vancouver, for example, there are almost 160 candidates competing for ten council seats, while in Richmond, more than 50 candidates are fighting for eight seats on council.
In Kelowna, there are almost 40 council candidates for eight seats.
May said she needed a way to stand out and her videos are a “nice icebreaker.”
“I am authentic. I am who I am, and this is why I wanted to do something a little different,” she added.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
