Vancouver’s main opposition party has selected a candidate for an October 14 council by-election.

Last night (September 5), Non-Partisan Association (NPA) members voted for Hector Bremner to represent them in the race.

A September 6 NPA media release states he intends to focus his campaign on what is easily the hottest topic in Vancouver politics today: housing affordability.

“As a father of two boys, Hector is particularly concerned about housing,” states the release.

While Bremmer has never held elected office, he does have some experience on the housing file. From October 2014 to December 2015, he worked as executive assistant to B.C.’s  then minister responsible for housing and the deputy premier, Rich Coleman.

At the NPA’s September 6 nomination meeting, Bremmer blamed the city’s ruling Vision Vancouver party for the housing crisis, and specifically the mayor, Gregor Robertson. He told the crowd their policies have encouraged speculation that driven up prices.

“I look forward to a campaign where we can bring this important issue forward for our city,” Bremmer said quote there.

Before working in Coleman’s office, Bremmer spent a year and a half as executive assistant to the provincial minister of international trade.

Since early 2015, he has worked in public relations with the Vancouver-based Pace Group. In 2013, he ran unsuccessfully as the B.C. Liberal Party candidate for New Westminster.

The announcement of Bremmer’s candidacy comes one day after Vision Vancouver named its candidate as Diego Cardona, a 21-year-old program coordinator for Kiwassa Neighbourhood House and an advocate for immigrants and children in government care. Cardona, a refugee from Colombia who moved to Canada in 2005, is Vision’s youngest candidate in the party’s history.

Other candidates running in the by-election include Jean Swanson, Judy Graves, Pete Fry, and Mary Jean Dunsdon.

Swanson and Graves have also put housing affordability at the centre of their campaigns.

The council seat in question was left vacant in July when Vision’s Geoff Meggs resigned to take a job in the new NDP premier’s office. The deadline for council nominations is September 8 at 4 p.m. The by-election is October 14.