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COPE-Vision alliance announced; COPE debt 'under discussion'

The long-simmering feud between COPE and Vision Vancouver is over. At least that's the message coming from the centre-left parties today, the day after COPE members “overwhelmingly” agreed to run a co-operative campaign for this Novembers' civic elections.

“It shows that parties can work together for the common good of this city,” COPE Coun. David Cadman said in a joint press conference in front of city hall today with Vision mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson.

“And that we can put the bickering behind, go forward, and have a positive campaign on the issues.”

Terminology seems key in describing just how collaborative that campaign will be. For now, it's not a joint effort, exactly.

“The phraseology we're using is a co-operative campaign,” Cadman said. “Depending on how much you co-operate, it could be the same.”

Much of the specifics of this co-operation still need to be hammered out, Cadman says. For example: Shared campaign funds. “I think there will be certain people who will want to donate to a combined effort,” Cadman said. “But I think that's premature to know that.”

Cadman says he's “gotten over” the fact Vision was formed by COPE members who split from the party and left it with a significant campaign debt.

“It's my mortgage,” Cadman said of the $40,000 he says is still owed him personally. “I look at it as what I pay for being in politics.”

As for the party debt itself being a part of the COPE-Vision agreement, Cadman says it's “under discussion.”

For his part, Robertson today sought to deflect recent attacks from NPA mayoral candidate Peter Ladner.

“I look forward to an election that is on the issues,” Robertson said, calling homelessness the key concern. “I regret that it may be the opposite and it may be about mudslinging and going negative.”

The COPE membership has yet to officially endorse Robertson for mayor, but Cadman said he expects that to happen at the party's nomination meeting later this month.

Irwin Loy, 24 hours

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