VANCOUVER—Vision Vancouver’s former mayoral candidate Ian Campbell, who resigned abruptly a week ago citing “the political landscape and my complicated personal journey,” was charged with assaulting his common-law partner during the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to police.

However, nearly three months later, the Crown decided to stay the charge and never proceeded with prosecution.

StarMetro has learned that Campbell was arrested by police in North Vancouver on Feb. 24, 2010 and charged with assaulting Amanda Nahanee, according to court documents. Nahanee is his common-law spouse, and the pair live in North Vancouver.

Multiple attempts to reach both Campbell and Nahanee for comment — including by phone, text, email, voicemail, visiting Campbell’s home several times and leaving a written request as well as emailing his former campaign manager — were unsuccessful. StarMetro attempted to get in touch with Campbell over a period of four days.

“Ian Geordie Campbell, on or about the 24th day of February 2010 at or near North Vancouver … did commit assault of another person, Amanda Audrey May Nahanee,” according to a North Vancouver court liaison officer’s sworn statement on Feb. 25, 2010.

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Campbell was released from custody on Feb. 25, the court documents say, on $500 bail. The court imposed a protection order as one condition of his release.

After a series of court appearances, his charge was stayed at the request of prosecution in May 2010, the document states.

Campbell is a hereditary chief of the Squamish Nation and band councillor who took an unpaid leave starting on May 15 in order to run for mayor of Vancouver. He represented one of the four host nations of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Squamish Nation council declined to comment on the stayed assault charge.

Vision Vancouver has held the balance of power in council since 2008, and Campbell became the party’s mayoral candidate after current mayor Gregor Robertson announced he would not run for re-election on Oct. 17.

Ange Valenti, campaign director for Vision Vancouver, said the party first became aware of the stayed assault charge when a reporter from radio station CKNW asked the party about it on Sept. 6.

“Then we undertook to try and find out more information about the situation, and Mr. Campbell withdrew from the race,” said Valenti.

Campbell did not tell the party about the stayed assault charge during the vetting process, Valenti said, though Campbell was “open and transparent” about a 2006 drunk driving charge. He pleaded guilty to the drunk driving charge, according to North Vancouver criminal court records.

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“I think that Vision has a very rigorous vetting process that has a number of elements to it, but the crux of the matter is full disclosure by the candidates,” Valenti said.

Vision Vancouver announced on Sept. 14 it would not run a mayoral candidate to replace Campbell but instead would consider endorsing an independent mayoral candidate.

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