And now, bringing to a close one of the weirder episodes of this election campaign: Gregor Robertson has paid his SkyTrain fine.

Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson said in a press release that he has paid in full a $173 fine he received after mistakenly travelling two zones on SkyTrain last year with a one-zone ticket, a fine which he has always said he would pay.

“I’ve paid the full amount of the fine, and as a result will not be appearing in a hearing,” Robertson said. “As a mayoral candidate, and I hope as Mayor, I have better ways to raise these issues. Under these circumstances, it was a mistake to challenge the fine in this way, and I apologize for this mistake and take full responsibility for it.”

“My original point in planning to dispute this fine was to raise the issue in a hearing. It was never an attempt to avoid paying or to reduce the amount of the fine,” Robertson said. “Contrary to what has been incorrectly reported, I did not forget to pay the fine. I submitted the necessary paperwork at the time - approximately 17 months ago - to take the ticket to a hearing, and the notice only arrived a few weeks ago.”

“Nevertheless, the mistake was my own, and I have paid the full amount of the fine.”

“This issue has become an unfortunate distraction from the real issues in this campaign. This matter is now resolved, and I look forward to focusing on the important issues of homelessness, crime, and the lack of affordable housing in Vancouver.”

Frances Bula is a columnist for Vancouver Magazine.