There are many valid reasons not to reelect Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim: his past efforts to invest city tax dollars in cryptocurrency; his eagerness to shovel money to the almighty police department at the expense of other city services; and a repugnant scheme to relocate Indigenous people from downtown Vancouver to their so-called home communities, among others.

But his most recent blunder, a blatant falsehood he spread about an opposition councillor at a news conference with Chinese-speaking reporters, is the last straw. Sim, who leads the ruling ABC party, accused COPE Coun. Sean Orr of distributing illegal drugs to people on the streets on Christmas Day. Orr, as it turns out, was not even in Vancouver at Christmas and denies ever having distributed drugs. 

Nonetheless, Sim’s lie was amplified and even further exaggerated by ABC Coun. Lenny Zhou. Speaking in Mandarin in a video on WeChat, a social media platform where many Chinese Canadians get their news, Zhou laid out his objection to supportive housing and stated all four opposition councillors are drug users and distribute drugs. 

Both ABC council members have apologized for spreading disinformation, which Sim claims originated with a photo he thought showed Orr peddling drugs. Maybe. In a news conference this week, Sim wouldn’t........

© National Observer