Kyra Philbert

Kyra Philbert (she/her). Artist/Nurse/Scholar. Kyra strives to live in a city where we know each other, we like each other, and we have fun together. Why not?

A settler on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh nations since 2016, Kyra (K-ee-ra) is passionate about health, social justice and self-compassion.

She worked as a community health nurse in the DTES for 8 years, starting as a novice in a newly declared drug overdose public health emergency. Distressed by the extreme poverty and obvious injustices she witnessed daily in her clinical practice, Kyra returned to university to deepen her understanding of systemic and structural power. In 2022, she concurrently completed both a BA in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice and her Master of Science in Nursing at UBC.

In her graduate research, she created a long-form performance « Nurse Angélique ». The piece reimagined the historical figure of Marie-Joseph Angélique as a present-day nurse with a direct challenge to sex worker stigma. Kyra showcased various iterations of Nurse Angélique locally and nationally until retiring it in 2024. Today, her artistic focus is on one-time discomfiting performances centred on failure and the role of women in society.

Informed by both theory and experience, Kyra believes civic government can be transformational in our daily lives. She boldly asks, “why not”? Why not foreground public health interventions that foster a deep sense of belonging for all Vancouverites? Why not treat everyone as your neighbour? Why not address collective psychic pain, promote free recreation, and enhance urban nature? Why not land back?

Why not join her? Vote Kyra Philbert.