For other people named Ann Roberts, see Ann Roberts (disambiguation).

Anne Roberts is a Canadian politician and retired journalism instructor. She served on Vancouver City Council from 2002 to 2005 as a member of the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE).[1] Prior to entering politics, she taught journalism at Langara College.[2]

Political career

Roberts served as a trustee on the Vancouver School Board from 1993 to 1996.[1] During her tenure, she also served as chair of the District Parent Representatives.

Roberts was elected to Vancouver City Council in the 2002 municipal election.[1] She served as chair of the Planning and Environment Committee and was appointed by council as a delegate to the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

During her tenure, Roberts advocated for the expansion of child care spaces and services,[3] and supported a $25-a-month subsidy for 600 daycare and preschool spaces.[4] In November 2003, she voted against TransLink's ten-year plan, which included funding for the construction of Richmond–Airport–Vancouver (RAV) line (now known as the Canada Line).[5][6]

In January 2004, Roberts voted against allowing slot machines in the city.[7] In June 2005, she led the opposition to an application by Walmart to build a store in south Vancouver, citing concerns about traffic congestion and land use; on June 28, council voted 8–3 to reject the application.[8][9][1] She also opposed the 2010 Winter Olympics.

She was among the five left-wing councillors described as "COPE Classic" by Charlie Smith of The Georgia Straight, in contrast to "COPE Lite",[10] a term used for Mayor Larry Campbell and the three councillors who left COPE to form the centrist Vision Vancouver party ahead of the 2005 municipal election.[11]

Roberts ran for re-election in 2005; she placed 19th with 41,739 votes and was not re-elected.[1][12]

On April 27, 2018, Roberts announced that she would seek the party's nomination for the municipal election that October.[1] She secured the nomination and was one of three COPE candidates for council in the general election, along with Jean Swanson and Derrick O'Keefe.[2][13][14] During her campaign, she advocated for free transit for children aged 18 and under, reduced fares for low-income individuals, and an expansion of the U-Pass program.[15] She also supported transitioning Vancouver to a ward-based electoral system instead of at-large representation.[16] She received 36,531 votes, placing 16th and losing the election by approximately 7000 votes.[17]

References

  1. ^ Lupick, Travis (2018-04-27). "Anne Roberts announces return to Vancouver politics ahead of COPE nominations meeting set for June 10". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  2. ^ Smith, Charlie (2018-10-14). "Long read: How Jean Swanson, Derrick O'Keefe, and Anne Roberts plan to upend Vancouver's political status quo". The Georgia Straight
  3. ^ Smith, Charlie (2018-10-17). "Women Transforming Cities applies an intersectional gender lens to the Vancouver election". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  4. ^ Bula, Frances (2003-07-18). "Vancouver mulls subsidizing child care [CA-BC"]. Vancouver Sun
  5. ^ Smith, Charlie (2004-02-26). "COPE advises politicos to support TransLink". The Georgia Straight
  6. ^ Cooper, Sam (2005-12-05). "What's next for Jim Green and Vancouver's civic left". The Tyee
  7. ^ Smith, Charlie (2004-01-29). "NDPers John Horgan, Ian Reid, and John Heaney played key roles in bringing slot machines to Vancouver". The Georgia Straight
  8. ^ "Wal-Mart rejected". CBC News. 2005-06-28.
  9. ^ "No Wal-Mart for Vancouver". CBC News. 2005-06-29.
  10. ^ Deveau, Scott (2005-02-08). "Will Mayor Larry walk away?". The Tyee
  11. ^ Mickleburgh, Rod (2004-12-15). "Vancouver mayor splits council, forms own caucus". The Globe and Mail
  12. ^ "Election Summary Report: November 19, 2005". Archived from the original on 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  13. ^ Lupick, Travis (2018-06-11). "COPE nominates left-wing rabble-rouser Derrick O'Keefe among 2018 candidates for Vancouver council". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  14. ^ Zimmer, Eric (2018-09-17). "There are 158 candidates running in the City of Vancouver election". Daily Hive. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  15. ^ Roberts, Anne (2018-10-04). "Anne Roberts: Vancouver needs U-Pass for the working class". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  16. ^ O'Connor, Naoibh (2018-06-11). "Randomized ballot didn’t go over well in Vancouver’s 1993 election". Vancouver Is Awesome
  17. ^ "COPE 2018 Candidates". Coalition of Progressive Electors. Retrieved 2026-04-20.