Vote now for Metro Vancouver's Unofficial Ambassador: Michael J. Fox vs. Canuck the Crow
After hundreds of thousands of votes and 62 competitors eliminated, 1 must be chosen a winner
And you may find yourself part of a two-week online poll to determine the most beloved representative of the 604-area code.
And you may find yourself voting between a man who hasn't lived in the Lower Mainland for nearly 40 years — and a crow.
And you might ask yourself, well: how did we get here?
Michael J. Fox defeated TransLink voice Seth Rogen in one semifinal (67 to 33 per cent), while Canuck defeated famed artist Bill Reid in the other semifinal (78 to 22 per cent).
But let's get that third-place vote between the two vanquished competitors done with first.
(If you're viewing this through a Google AMP page, click here so you're able to vote)
Canuck the favourite
So here we are. Crow vs. Fox.
The case for Fox is straightforward: despite being born in Edmonton and having lived most of his professional life in the United States, he was raised in Burnaby, has a local school theatre named for him, a road named for his father, and an annual golf fundraiser he hosted for years.
He was one of the biggest actors in the world for 15 years, starring in multiple TV shows and the Back to the Future trilogy. And after being diagnosed with Parkinson's, he started a foundation to raise funds and generate research that has helped people the world over.
In this competition, he's defeated Bryan Adams, Ryan Reynolds, David Suzuki and Seth Rogen — all by at least 500 votes.
But he's no crow. And while some of Canuck's success can be attributed to a passionate social media campaign, it's clear that the East Vancouver corvid, who has a special connection to a local mail carrier, has galvanized people in a way no other entrant in this competition has.
Pro-Crow. Everyone focuses on his knife carrying antics yet forget about how he's pro <a href="https://twitter.com/TransLink?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TransLink</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyMetroVanUnofficialAmbassador?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyMetroVanUnofficialAmbassador</a> <a href="https://t.co/UknaSy6cm9">pic.twitter.com/UknaSy6cm9</a>
—@PoliPsychPotatoPro-Canuck. It's a human interest story from East Van about profound human kindness with a pinch of old-fashioned Vancouver weirdness. He's not known internationally, but that's the point. This is our ambassador to the outside, not what people see from afar.
—@zakvesceraCanuck has won every round in this competition by thousands of votes, over Gregor Robertson, Trevor Linden, Rick Hansen and Bill Reid.
From international headlines for stealing a knife in 2016, to a documentary in 2017, to Metro Vancouver's Unofficial Ambassador?
It looks likely. But upsets do happen. Which is why we vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT Thursday. The winner announced online, and on The Early Edition, Friday morning.