Council Candidate — Vision Vancouver

HERE’s Mayor Robertson announcing Vision’s candidate to fill Geoff Megg’s vacated City Council seat on October 14.  It’s Diego Cardona.
More HERE from Travis Lupick at the Straight.

An immigrant from Colombia, Diego moved to Canada as a refugee in 2005 — and since then, he has devoted his life to making Vancouver a welcoming, progressive, and inclusive city for everyone.
Diego is the spokesperson for the Vancouver Foundation’s Fresh Voices initiative, a youth-led group of immigrants and refugees making British Columbia a better place for young newcomers. He also works in his community as the Programs Coordinator for Kiwassa Neighbourhood House where he manages services for marginalized youth, Indigenous youth, and young mothers. He has also worked with the Federation of BC Youth In Care Networks, the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, and Immigrant Services Society of BC. In 2016, he was named one of BC’s Top 10 under 20 by the Globe and Mail.
A sought-after speaker at conferences and leadership forums, Diego’s personal journey speaks to his resiliency and determination in the face of hardship. Following the kidnap and murder of his father in Colombia by guerrilla forces, Diego moved to Canada as a refugee with his mother and sister. After losing his mother to leukemia after arriving, Diego and his sister were placed in the foster care system — he later became his sister’s legal guardian while they both attended public school.